Monday Night Raw 1-2-06 Review

Monday, January 2nd, 2006
Continental Airlines Arena
East Rutherford, New Jersey

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New year, same crappy intro song. Mr. McMahon is here again to start the show off. He is here to say that from now on it's all about him. That's cute. He said he made the First Blood Match for tonight for his amusement and he also did the same with our opening match.

Kane vs. Shawn Michaels

Despite these two seemingly being in the company forever, we really didn't seem to get a ton of one-on-one matches between them. Vince announces that if Michaels uses a superkick, he is disqualified and loses the match. They go back-and-forth to start things off. Michaels launches himself over the top rope to the floor onto Kane. He then turns his attention to Vince and reminds him that he's given him everything. This gives Kane the time needed to attack him from behind as we head into a commercial break. Michaels goes off the top rope, but Kane counters with a punch to the mid-section. Michaels battles back with a DDT, but Kane hits him with a boot to the face to the amusement of Vince. Kane now takes a chance on the top rope and Michaels is able to avoid him. Michaels follows up with a top rope elbow drop and starts tuning up the band. Vince gets on the mic and threatens Michaels, Kane hits the chokeslam and that is all. The match was better than I expected and they worked the storyline to perfection. 

Match Rating: *** (out of 5)

I really do not remember them hyping up the Triple H and Big Show match for New Year's Revolution. They show a clip of Michaels being made aware that he will be the first entrant in the Elimination Chamber. 

They show a clip of Gregory Helms saying that once again he isn't on the show. He blames it on Jerry Lawler and tells him he's going to shut him up. Out comes Helms and cuts a live promo on Lawler. Lawler joins him in the ring and tells him that he sucks. Things break down and they start swinging. Helms retreats and Lawler challenges him to a match at New Year's Revolution. 

Vince is backstage with Mickie James when Kurt Angle and Daivari walk in. Angle says that he is going to make Cena bleed so much, that he will be headed to the hospital. 

Trish is working out backstage and she talks to Todd Grisham about Mickie James. She says the kiss was uncomfortable. 

Maria is doing the Kiss Cam and out comes Victoria, Torrie and Candice. Victoria tells her that she is a match scheduled right now.

Maria vs. Victoria

Victoria is selling the neck injury from her match with Carlito. Maria is dressed in her normal clothes and Victoria takes out her frustration on Maria. In a fun spot, Torrie takes Chloe's butt and shoves it in Maria's face before slapping her. Maria is able to knock Candice off of the apron, but Victoria grabs her hair and slams her down. Victoria misses with a splash in the corner and Maria rolls her up for the surprise victory. Immediately after the match, the three ladies team up on Maria and strip her down and start stomping on her. Ashley comes down to make the save, hitting a spear on Victoria. The numbers catch up to her and she is hit with a double DDT. I'm not really sure why I'm supposed to care about this, but as far as rushed segments go, they crammed a lot in. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They are hyping up WWE.com Unlimited. Vince tells Maria and Ashley that he wants to see the first ever Bra and Panties Gauntlet Match at New Year's Revolution.

Mickie James is shown outside of Trish's shower. Mickie wants to apologize for last week. Mickie compliments her figure and Trish asks her to leave. 

Edge and Lita are out to present the video of Ric Flair's road rage incident. It of course is Edge dressed up as Flair. He beats up the guy in the car wearing an Edge shirt and puts him in a Figure Four on the road. Out comes Flair and he attacks Edge on the ramp. Flair takes him to the ring, but as he is putting the Figure Four on, Lita jumps on his back. Flair puts Lita in the Figure Four, as Edge almost retreats, but eventually decides to come down. Flair releases the hold and Edge and Lita retreat. 

Shelton Benjamin vs. Chris Masters

Masters hits a clubbing clothesline out of a backslide attempt by Shelton. Shelton fights back and hits a Stinger Splash. Shelton hits a running knee and a spin kick to the jaw. The ref counts to 3, but he notices that Masters was able to get his foot on his rope. They continue to sell the losing streak angle for Shelton. Masters catches Shelton and attempts to put him in the Master Lock. Shelton counters that into a nice backbreaker for a 2 count. Masters turns a big swing into the Master Lock and this time gets it in. Shelton fights and gets close to the rope after rolling, but eventually it is too much and the ref calls for the bell. There were a few miscues, but this was a decent TV match.

Match Rating: **

We get a clip of Ben Roethlisberger and Max Starks at a WWE show. 

Triple H is here to talk trash about Big Show. Out comes the Big Show with a big cast. Triple H grabs a chair. Show blocks the chair shot attempt with his cast. Triple H tries a monitor, but he blocks that too, causing sparks to fly. I have to say, this was actually a pretty creative idea to help put over this match. 

Shelton is backstage and in walks his mama. She yells at him and grabs him by the ears. This is definitely up there for worst ideas and that is saying something. 

Cena is out to do a rap on his opponents for the first time in awhile. 

First Blood Match

John Cena vs. Kurt Angle

The match started during the break and when we come back Angle is delivering German suplexes. Daivari takes off the top turnbuckle as Angle hits Cena with some right hands. Cena knocks Daivari off the apron and then sends Angle flying over the top rope with a back body drop. Daivari attacks Cena with the gold medal on the outside. Even a week after Angle attacked the troops last week, the crowd is still largely behind him here. The Cena era was a wild ride. Angle jams Cena's face into the exposed turnbuckle, but Cena is not bleeding yet. The straps are down and he hits the Angle Slam. Cena fights back and hits a shoulder tackle. Cena grabs a chair, but Angle rolls out and Daivari jumps on Cena's back. This of course allows Angle to attack Cena. Cena gets him up for the FU, but Angle rolls through and puts him in the Ankle Lock. Cena rolls out of it and it sends Angle into the referee. Daivari again gets involved and Angle hits Cena with a chair shot to the head. Cena is busted open, but the referee is still down. Classic wrestling. Vince can do whatever he wants, but he doesn't call the match to end? Cena puts the STFU on, but Daivari wakes up the ref. They declare Angle the winner, but Cena is going nuts. Carlito and Masters are out and attack Cena. Angle puts him in the Ankle Lock, but then Masters puts in the Master Lock on Angle. Carlito goes after Daivari in the corner and out comes Kane. Kane hits chokeslams on Masters, Carlito and Daivari. Out comes Michaels, who hits Sweet Chin Music on Kane in a nice touch to the story earlier. Michaels eyes Cena, but Super Cena hits the FU on Michaels. All of the men are laid out on the mat as Cena's music plays. The match itself was overbooked fun and it led to a good final moment before the Elimination Chamber. 

Match Rating: ***

Bookended by two good TV matches, this was an enjoyable episode overall. They were focused on building up the show and everything done for the main matches made me want to watch the show more. There was still some of the usual garbage, but I thought this was a strong start to 2006 for the red brand.

Overall Rating: 70%

Survivor Series 2020 Review

Sunday, November 22nd, 2020
Amway Center
Orlando, Florida

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Team Raw (AJ Styles, Matt Riddle, Keith Lee, Braun Strowman & Sheamus) vs. Team SmackDown (Jey Uso, Kevin Owens, Otis, Seth Rollins & King Corbin)

Styles goes for a dropkick on Uso, but he misses on that spot as Paul Heyman watches from an angle. Uso hits a nice pop up Samoan drop and tags in Corbin. He continues the offense before tagging in Otis, who misses Styles in the corner. We now have Riddle and Otis in a dream match scenario. Owens being as awesome as he is, comes in and immediately starts stomping on Riddle's bare feet. Owens reluctantly tags in Rollins, who then comes in and goes on his knees for the greater good. He allows Sheamus to hit a Brogue Kick and is eliminated. Team SmackDown attempts to re-group out of the ring, but here comes the Strowman Express. Now we get the battle between Lee and Otis. Lee gets him up on his back, but Otis counters out. Otis ends up eating a left hand and in comes Strowman with a clothesline. Owens gets a hot tag and he sends Styles flying with a back body drop. Owens knocks Styles off the apron and then hits the rest of Team Raw with Stunners. In comes Styles with a Phenomenal Forearm and now Owens is eliminated. Corbin is almost able to sneak a quick pin on Styles, but Team Raw makes the save. Riddle comes in and hits the Bro-ton and eliminates Corbin. We are now 5-2 in favor of Raw. Sheamus tags in and hits a big knee to the face for a 2 count. Otis tries to spark a comeback and in comes Strowman. They collide a couple of times, but Otis is able to hit a body slam. Otis goes up top, but Riddle distracts him and Strowman hits a powerslam to eliminate Otis. Uso comes in and hits a series of superkicks on Raw. He hits a dive over the top rope to take out all of Team SmackDown. Uso hits a superkick on Styles and misses off the top rope. Uso knocks Styles off the ropes, but he makes a tag to Lee. Uso doesn't know and he catches Uso in mid-air and hits a Spirit Bomb to get the easy victory for Team Raw. The sides were certainly stacked against SmackDown and they did nothing to make it seem any differently there. The match, which had potential to be something really good, turned out to be just an average affair. There was really no drama, which hurt it overall. Team Raw all celebrates after the match.

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

The New Day vs. The Street Profits

The New Day comes out in full promotional Gears of War outfits. I know nothing about the game, but I'm sure most of you get it. The Street Profits cut a promo backstage talking about the Undertaker. This is the one match on the show that I am really looking forward to. We get some showmanship to start things off, but Kofi rolls into a kick from Ford. The Profits hit a double flapjack to follow it up. Kofi gets a foot up on Ford after being flipped by Dawkins and then hits a dive over the top rope. After a long beatdown, Ford hits a DDT and makes the tag to Dawkins. Dawkins hits a cool double underhook twisting neckbreaker that I've never seen before. Woods is able to knock Dawkins off the top rope and New Day then hits Midnight Hour for a 2 count. Kofi hits the Boom Drop three times on Ford, but Ford hits a dropkick to allow him to make a tag. He hits the Frog Splash off the top rope, but he sells the ribs and the delay allows Kofi to kick out. The Profits hit a super blockbuster off the top rope on Woods and get the win. I like both teams a lot, but that was really disappointing. They just seemed a bit off. They celebrate with each other after the match. 

Match Rating: **3/4

They show both women's teams backstage hanging out in the back. 

Sami Zayn vs. Bobby Lashley

Zayn might be the best thing going in WWE today. Lashley runs through a Zayn clothesline and hits one of his own. Zayn is able to weasel his way into a comeback and hits a leaping elbow. He goes off the second rope, but Lashley catches him and launches him with a suplex. Zayn acts as if he is suffering from vertigo and almost sneaks out a victory with a quick pin. Zayn rolls out of the ring and tries to get the Hurt Business to hit him for the disqualification, but Lashley comes in and attacks him instead. Zayn dumps Lashley out of the ring and Zayn tries to rip off the turnbuckle, but the Hurt Business stops him. Zayn goes for the Helluva Kick, but Lashley hits a chokeslam. Zayn attempts to walk out and falls down, claiming MVP tripped him. MVP throws him back in the ring behind the ref's back and Lashley puts him in the Hurt Lock for the victory. This was just such a weird match to even book for this show and it just didn't click. I love Sami, but this one was a clash with the double heel dynamic.

Match Rating: *1/4

The Usos are at Roman Reigns' locker. He isn't happy and says that if they don't respect Jey, then they don't respect him or their family. If that's the case, Jey doesn't have a seat at the table and he tells him to leave. 

Asuka vs. Sasha Banks

We get some mat wrestling to start things off and Banks even goes for the Bank Statement early on, but Asuka is able to block. Banks hits the Backstabber for a 2 count. Asuka comes back with some kicks and a knee. They fight out on the apron and Asuka pushes her down with a kick. She follows it up with a Hip Attack, sending Banks to the floor. Asuka counters Banks' Meteora attempt with a Codebreaker on the outside. Back in the ring, Banks hits another Backstabber for another 2 count. I don't know what it is, but everyone just seems a step slower tonight. Banks puts on the Bank Statement, but Asuka counters out again and then hits another Codebreaker. We get a series of pin atttempts, but none of them are successful. Asuka hits a kick to the head, but Banks is able to get a roll up pinfall victory out of nowhere. They aren't capable of having a bad match, but this was nowhere near their best. 

Match Rating: ***

They show the highlights of Miz winning the pre-show battle royal. They then show the Gobbledy Gooker winning the 24/7 Title. They show him finding a big pile of bird seed and Akira Tozawa comes in and pins him to win the title. R Truth is there though and immediately pins Tozawa. 

Team Raw (Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, Lacey Evans, Peyton Royce & Lana) vs. Team SmackDown (Bayley, Bianca Belair, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan & Natalya)

I feel like every Survivor Series match in the modern era starts the same. That was the most refreshing thing about recently watching the 1989 show. The big storyline here I guess is Lana and how her Raw teammates are bullying her. Belair shows off her strength by holding Royce above her head for an impressive amount of time before dropping her on the turnbuckle. All of the competitors except Bayley and Lana are outside the ring. Bayley goes up top, but Royce is there to stop her. Royce hits a superplex to the floor on top of the clump of women as Lana stands there. Royce hits Deja Vu on Bayley and eliminates her. Wow, didn't expect that. Royce and Natalya have a segment together that ends with Natalya putting on the Sharpshooter and eliminating Royce. Evans misses with a moonsault and Baszler runs in illegally. Natalya puts her in the Sharpshooter, but Evans hits Natalya with the Women's Right to eliminate her. Evans hits a top rope Spanish Fly on Belair for a nearfall. Jax tags in and dominates until the Riott Squad use quick tags to slow her down. Riott hits the Riott Kick, but it knocks her into her side to tag in Baszler. Baszler locks in the Kirifuda Clutch on Riott. Riott counters it into a pinfall, but the ref is distracted at fist. By the time he starts counting, Riott passes out and Baszler pins her. Morgan hits a Crucifix Bomb on Evans and elminates her. Raw's lead is now down to 3-2. Morgan gets some offense in on Jax, but Jax catches her and hits a Samoan Drop to eliminate her and make it 3-1. Belair gets Jax down, but Jax gets her knees up on the splash attempt. She hits a leg drop and gets a nearfall. Baszler gets the Kirifuda Clutch on Belair off of a springboard cartwheel. Belair makes her way to the ropes, but Baszler doesn't release the hold and she is disqualified. Belair and Jax are fighting on the outside of the ring. Belair dumps Jax over the barricade and tries to make it in the ring before the 10 count, but she's a split second too late. So this means that the sole survivor is Lana. This actually was pretty fun, even if the formula is desperately in need of an update. 

Match Rating: ***

Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre

We start the match with lots and lots of stalling. Every now and then there's a move, followed by more stalling. McIntyre starts making a comeback and launches Reigns. Reigns goes for a Superman punch, but McIntyre catches him into a leaping spinebuster. McIntyre hits a Future Shock for a close call. McIntyre goes for a Claymore Kick, but he gets hit with a Superman punch instead. Out of the ring, Reigns hits a Samoan Drop through the table and then hits a Spear through the barricade, but it's not enough to put McIntyre away. Reigns hits a Spear in the ring and McIntyre kicks out. Cue the generic look of shock. Since Reigns stalls some more, McIntyre is able to hit a Claymore Kick, but it bumps Reigns into the referee. Out comes Jey Uso, who McIntyre easily dumps. Reigns then hits a low blow and Jey hits a superkick. Reigns puts him in the Guillotine and out comes a second official. McIntyre passes out and the ref calls for the bell. That was pretty good, but nowhere near the great match that I saw some people saying. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

We get a big group of wrestlers down to the ring for the Undertaker's farewell. Shane McMahon, Big Show, JBL, Jeff Hardy, Mick Foley, Godfather, The Godwinns, Savio Vega, Rikishi, Kevin Nash, Booker T, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Triple H and Kane all go to the ring. From there we get a highlight package featuring "Now That We're Dead" by Metallica. After the video package, it's just Mr. McMahon in the ring. He introduces Undertaker, who maybe breaks the record for his longest entrance. He says that after 30 long years, it is finally time for Undertaker to rest in peace. He gets on his knee and we get a hologram of Paul Bearer. He walks off and raises his hand and that's it? For the amount of time it took up, there sure wasn't much to that. 

This was kind of a ho-hum show. There was nothing really that bad like a lot of the more recent shows, but there was nothing really memorable about it either. Even the Undertaker farewell seemed kind of lazy. With the lack of a true story for most matches, it felt like they really needed to step it up like they did last year. Unfortunately that was not the case this year. 

Overall Rating: 50%

NXT 10-23-13 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, October 23rd, 2013
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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Corey Graves is out to cut a promo on the stage to start the show. It doesn't take long for Adrian Neville to come and attack him from behind to the crowd's approval. He fights off the referee's and hits a dive to the floor to lead into the intro. 

Emma vs. Sasha Banks

After a takedown by Emma, she gets in some solid mat wrestling to start things off. Sasha has enough and throws Emma into the turnbuckle. Emma slaps Sasha in the face, which unleashes a series of slaps from Sasha. Emma makes her comeback and puts her in the Dil-Emma. She hits her dive into the turnbuckle, but as she goes for the Emma Lock, Summer gets up on the apron to distract her. Paige comes down to make the save, but Sasha rolls her up for a small package and steals the victory. After the match, Sasha ducks a clothesline from Paige and she accidentally hits Emma instead. They have some words, before going into a WWE.com exclusive with Bo Dallas. The match got time, which was nice to see. However, they seemed to hold back a little and didn't fully capitalize on the opportunity.

Match Rating: ** (out of 5)

Bo Dallas says that he is going to go on vacation for the next few weeks. 

Casey Maron & Tommy Taylor vs. The Ascension

Winning the titles seems to have motivated the team, as they look pretty crisp here. Not much to see here. They hit the Fall Of Man and get the easy victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We now get a backstage interview from last week with Sami Zayn. He starts to wonder if he isn't the chosen guy here in NXT. 

Renee Young is with JBL backstage to ask about the conspiracy theory of keeping the title off of Zayn. He says that we won't be seeing Zayn for a little while now, implying that he is suspended.

CJ Parker vs. Alexander Rusev

Rusev is without Sylvester Lefort and Scott Dawson here. Rusev immediately destroys Parker. Out walks Lana, as he puts on the Accolade for the easy victory. I can't wait to revisit the missed opportunity that was Rusev and Lana in about 15 years. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

During the break, Tyler Breeze comes down and attacks Parker and cuts off some of his dreads. 

Corey Graves vs. Adrian Neville

Neville hits a running dropkick as soon as the bell rings. Neville then hits a dive over the top rope on Graves. Graves turns things around and immediately goes to work on Neville's knee. Not that he was probably ready for it, but looking back at it, I am kind of surprised that Graves didn't get called up to the main roster around this time. Neville's trunks get ripped in a way that I don't think I have ever seen. Neville goes off the top rope, but Graves moves and Neville lands on the knee. Graves is able to put on Lucky 13 and get the submission victory. Neville was obviously the guy who should have won, but Graves is the one who needed it. The match was a solid NXT main event, even if it was a little on the short side. After the match, Graves puts on Lucky 13 again outside the ring. 

Match Rating: **1/4

This episode was more of a continuation of stories than it was of any importance. It certainly wasn't bad, but it just lacked the spark of some of the more recent shows. 

Overall Rating: 51%

Off The Grid, Volume 6: Survivor Series 1989 Review

Thursday, November 23rd, 1989
Rosemont Horizon
Rosemont, Illinois

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Off The Grid, Volume 6:

Hulk Hogan says that we are thankful that Hulkamania is the strongest force in the universe, brother. This leads to a series of short vignettes of what all the superstars are thankful for. This leads to an epic Vince McMahon rundown of the card. 

The Enforcers (Big Boss Man, Akeem, Rick Martel & Honky Tonk Man) vs. The Dream Team (Dusty Rhodes, Brutus Beefcake, Tito Santana & Red Rooster)

Why wasn't Beefcake on Hogan's team? Honky and Tito start things off, which Jesse Ventura calls a main event anywhere in the country. Santana and Martel get in there together and Martel hits a nice dropkick to slow down Santana. Santana gets a close call after a roll up and then they tag in Boss Man and Dusty. Dusty gets a quick burst of offense and then tags in Brutus. The pace of this match is really good for this era. The Enforcers are able to take back control once Red Rooster comes in. Bad News Brown refuses to tag in, as they continue to cut the ring in half. Honky's sell on the sunset flip by Rooster is everything. We get a double tag after a collision that once again gives us Tito and Martel. We were robbed of a 15 minute pay-per-view match between these two. Martel counters a roll through and grabs the tights to eliminate Santana, which is a legit surprise and great booking. Bad News finally gets in and we get a kind of awkward moment with him and Rooster. Boss Man accidentally nails Bad News, which leads dissention between the Enforcers, so Bad News just heads to the back and eliminates himself. With things once again even, Boss Man goes to work on Beefcake. Honky gets tagged in and gets hit with a high knee, which leads to him getting eliminated. I'm not really sure why Rooster is still in this thing. Martel tries grabbing the ropes to pin Beefcake, but he gets caught by the ref and it leads to a reversal by Beefcake and Martel is now gone. Boss Man is the lone man left on his side and hits the Boss Man Slam to eliminate Rooster. Beefcake hits Boss Man with a couple of knees and tags in Dusty, who hits a crossbody and earns the victory for his team. Immediately after the match. Slick gives Boss Man the nightstick and uses it on Rhodes. He handcuffs him to the ropes and continues the attack. In comes Beefcake with the hedge clippers to get Boss Man out of there. This match was everything you would want out of a Survivor Series match from this era. Good opener.

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

Boss Man cuts a promo after the match with Sean Mooney saying that when you are a prisoner of the Boss Man, you forfeit all rights. 

We now get the 4x4s with Mean Gene and it is the insanity you would expect. 

The King's Court (Randy Savage, Greg Valentine, Dino Bravo & Canadian Earthquake) vs. The 4x4's (Jim Duggan, Ronnie Garvin, Bret Hart & Hercules)

We get a lot of quick tags to start until we get to Garvin and Valentine. It doesn't last long, as Bravo tags in and hits an inverted atomic drop. Bravo takes down Hercules and quickly tags in Earthquake, who then immediately hits his finisher for the quick pin. Hacksaw hits a shoulder tackle with Hart on his knees behind him and they get Quake off his feet. The Court singles out Garvin. We again get Valentine and Bravo and start chopping each other's chests. Duggan comes in and quickly eliminates Valentine to even things up. This match is a great reminder of how flawless Savage was during this era. Earthquake misses a big elbow drop on Duggan and he's able to tag in Garvin. Garvin hits the Garvin Stomp on Bravo. In come Hart and Savage and the crowd is digging this combination. It doesn't last as long as you would hope and next thing you know Bravo hits the dreaded side slam on Garvin and eliminates him. Duggan goes right after Earthquake and then hits a double clothesline with Hart to knock the big man down. Hart and Savage get another shot and Savage gets tied up in the ropes. Hart misses with a second rope elbow drop and in comes Bravo to take advantage. Bravo puts on a bear hug that looks less convincing than any normal hug I've ever had in my life. Savage accidentally hits Bravo with a knee and that allows Hart to tag in Duggan. For some reason, he tags in Hart again and it leads to Savage eliminating him with a top rope elbow drop. Duggan is now the only remaining member of his team. Duggan gets in the obligatory 1-on-3 ring clearing, causing Jimmy Hart to lose his mind. He then hits a double clothesline on Bravo and Savage, but Earthquake attacks him from behind. Quake hits a big elbow drop, but Duggan kicks out at 2. Sheri pulls down the top rope as Duggan was running them and he is dumped to the floor. Duggan is unable to get back in the ring, allowing the King's Court to be victorious. After the match, Duggan clears the ring with his 2x4. Gorilla says that this is okay, but thought what Boss Man did about 30 minutes ago was despicable. This one was decent enough, but not as good as the opener. 

Match Rating: **1/2

The Genius is here for a special Thanksgiving poem. 

The Million Dollar Team (Ted DiBiase, Zeus & Powers Of Pain) vs. The Hulkamaniacs (Hulk Hogan, Jake Roberts & Demolition)

Hogan and Zeus start things off and the crowd is very much into it. Hogan tries to get some offense in, but Zeus sells absolutely none of it. The rake to the eyes does the trick and he hits a body slam. Zeus pops right back up though and Hogan gets a boot to the back when he goes off the ropes. Zeus continually chokes Hogan and Earl Hebner has to keep pulling him off. Hebner finally has enough after he gets thrown across the ring and he disqualifies Zeus. Well, I guess that's the build to No Holds Barred. Hogan is able to tag in Roberts and he clotheslines DiBiase to the floor. Hogan joins in with Demolition to demolish DiBiase. The Powers of Pain get tagged in and things slow down. Ax tries to make a comeback, but Mr. Fuji hits him in the ankles and Ax is eliminated. The crowd has really died down during this match. Barbarian is able to hit a leaping clothesline and eliminates Smash. They begin to team up on Roberts and DiBiase hits a piledriver, but is able to get his foot on the bottom rope to avoid being eliminated. Roberts is able to crawl to Hogan who cleans house for a little bit until the Powers of Pain hit a spike piledriver. For some reason Hebner thinks this is worthy of disqualifying both of them. That's the equivalent of a weak pass interference on a 4th down play. DiBiase locks in the Million Dollar Dream on Hogan, but don't you worry, Hogan gets out of it and tags in Roberts. Virgil gets up on the apron and distracts Roberts. He hits a DDT on Virgil but DiBiase hits an elbow drop and eliminates Roberts. I'm not sure why Roberts would think it would be a good idea to turn his back right to DiBiase, who was standing right behind him. Hogan makes the comeback, but they hit a double clothesline. Hogan miraculously hits the boot and leg drop and is the sole survivor here. After two matches that were a lot of fun, this was such a drag of a match. It felt like they were walking in molasses even by 1989 standards. Throw in the stupid booking and you have yourself a very skippable match. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Randy Savage, Sherri and Zeus are back with Sean Mooney to talk about the No Holds Barred cage match. We then go to Hogan and Beefcake with Mean Gene. Sherri interrupts and throws powder in their faces and they get attacked by Savage and Zeus. Dino Bravo is the first man to the rescue. 

Jesse Ventura says that there is some big dissention between the Heenan Family. We then go to Sean Mooney with the Rude Brood. The Rougeaus are great. 

Mean Gene is with Roddy's Rowdies and this is the kind of stuff I am here for. 

The Rude Brood (Mr. Perfect, The Rougeau Brothers & Rick Rude) vs. Roddy's Rowdies (Jimmy Snuka, The Bushwhackers & Roddy Piper)

I'm not sure Piper could have picked a worse team. The Rowdies all start biting Perfect to start things off. My appreciation for the Rougeau Brothers grows every time I watch them. After some showboating by Jacques, Snuka dominates him, hits a top rope splash and that's it for him? Rude's team didn't even try to save him. Rude accidentally pulls down the top rope as he's trying to get back to the apron and Perfect falls to the floor. They have some words and Snuka hits a double noggin knocker. The Rowdies once again corner Perfect, but an atomic drop by Piper allows him to tag in Raymond. Piper hits a piledriver and it's 4-2. Perfect once again gets owned by the Rowdies, until he is able to roll up a celebrating Butch and eliminates him. Piper tries the same, but Perfect kicks out at 2. Rude gets in there and hits the Rude Awakening on Luke to even the score. Perfect and Snuka go at it for awhile. I'm not really sure why they thought every match had to go 20+ minutes. After a collision, they both tag in their partners and the start brawling down the aisle. Both men are counted out and we are down to Snuka vs. Perfect. Perfect hits a dropkick that sends Snuka to the floor. Perfect follows it up with a suplex back into the ring. We get a couple of back-and-forth pin attempts from both men. Perfect is able to pull out the Perfect Plex and get the victory. After the match, we get yet another attack. This match could have easily been 10 minutes shorter. 

Match Rating: *1/4

After the match, Rude's Brood is celebrating with Sean Mooney. With Mean Gene, it's the Ultimate Warriors and there is lots of shouting. 

The Heenan Family (Andre The Giant, Haku, Arn Anderson & Bobby Heenan) vs. The Ultimate Warriors (Jim Neidhart, The Rockers & Ultimate Warrior)

Andre attacks Neidhart before Warrior even makes it to the ring. Warrior runs in and he clotheslines Andre out of the ring and he is counted out. Good thing they didn't do that earlier or anything. The Heenan Family singles out Neidhart and before you know it, Haku hits him with a kick and eliminates him. Michaels saves Marty from a double suplex and they hit stereo superkicks. Arn hits a knee to the back and Haku follows it up with a kick. Haku tags in Heenan and he gets the pin over Marty. Things get a little bit more entertaining, as we get both Arn/Michaels and Haku/Michaels. Michaels hits a top rope crossbody and eliminates Haku. Shawn gets dumped outside and Heenan teases jumping off the turnbuckle and to the floor, but chooses not to. Arn is upset with Heenan for not tagging in. Michaels and Anderson collide and are both down. They both get to their knees and exchange fists. Shawn gets hit with the signature spinebuster and is eliminated. Warrior goes after Anderson, but he's able to get Warrior to the outside. Again, Heenan goes for leaping off the turnbuckle, but doesn't. Warrior sends Anderson into Heenan and then hits the gorilla press and splash combo to eliminate him. It is now just down to Heenan and Warrior. This is such an odd choice to close out the show. Heenan takes an upside down bump into the turnbuckle and then another one sends him flying over the top rope. Heenan tries to walk away, but Warrior grabs him Warrior hits the flying shoulder tackle and a splash, gaining the victory for his team. This match had no suspense and used a booking decision that we saw just two matches ago by having Andre immediately eliminated. 

Match Rating: *1/2

They show an old school photo gallery to close off the broadcast. 

This show started off so promising and then just fell completely off a cliff afterward. The booking here felt really lazy towards the end of the show. As far as historical purposes go, nothing really of note happened here and this is easily just a thumbs in the middle show. 

Overall Rating: 48%

SmackDown 12-30-05 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, December 30th, 2005
Mohegan Sun Arena
Uncasville, Connecticut

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Booker T, Sharmell, Chris Benoit and Teddy Long are all arguing backstage to start the show. Booker is stating that due to injury, he is unable to compete tonight. Booker says he is going to find a replacement for tonight. If Booker's replacement wins, Booker will win the United States Championship. 

JBL vs. Matt Hardy

Hardy tries to start quickly, but JBL turns it around and hits a neckbreaker. JBL continues where he left off at Armageddon with an ambush of power moves. Hardy is able to hit an awkward variation of a bulldog, but it doesn't go anywhere, as JBL recovers and this a shoulder tackle. JBL removes the turnbuckle padding, but Hardy is able to block him and hits JBL's head on the exposed metal. Hardy hits a second rope leg drop for a 2 count. JBL escapes a Twist Of Fate and sets Hardy on the top rope. Boogeyman's music hits and out he crawls. JBL is distracted, but hits a fall away slam from the second rope anyways. JBL hits the Clothesline From Hell, but then goes out of the ring. Boogeyman spits worms at JBL, but he moves Jillian Hall in front of him and it hits her in the chest. They run away and JBL is counted out. I'm not really sure why JBL was picked to be Boogeyman's first feud, but this sure made Hardy look like a jobber. 

Match Rating: *1/4

Booker and Sharmell are backstage and up walks Orlando Jordan. Jordan says that he would be honored to be Booker's replacement tonight. Sharmell isn't having it. 

The Mexicools vs. The Dicks

Imagine this being the first wrestling match you ever watched. I bet it was probably your last also. Super Crazy hits a spin kick and they hit a double roll through slam. After a short Dick heat segment, Super Crazy gets the hot tag and hits a nice springboard dropkick. Super Crazy goes for the moonsault, but Chad breaks it up. Crazy hits a sunset flip instead, but it's broken up by Chad. Psicosis hits a sweet missile dropkick with assistance from Super Crazy launching whichever Dick it was. Crazy hits the moonsault and they get the victory. Super Crazy deserved so much better than this. 

Match Rating: *3/4

Booker walks into Randy Orton's locker room. Booker is able to talk Orton into taking his spot tonight. 

Melina is out for a press conference and says that she was the victim of a sexual predator. This whole storyline is just absolute garbage. Melina was just not strong enough on the mic here in 2005 to carry this long of a segment by herself. After about 5 minutes, she announces that she is going to be suing Batista for sexual harassment. 

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

Chris Benoit vs. Randy Orton

Booker is up 3-1 here and is introduced by Sharmell to come out to be a guest announcer. This one is pretty slow to start, but that's not too surprising with these two. Orton hits a nice suplex, but Benoit counters with a couple of arm drags. After some mat wrestling, Orton is able to get up and send Benoit over the top rope to the floor. After some more stalling, Benoit hits a couple of German suplexes and goes for the Crippler Crossface, but Orton gets to the ropes before he really locks it in. Benoit hits a dive to the outside. After the commercial break, Orton is back in control and sends him shoulder-first into the ring post. Orton misses with a top rope crossbody and Benoit hits a German suplex again. He then hits the Three Amigos, but then misses with the top rope headbutt. Benoit is still able to lock in the Crippler Crossface, but in comes Sharmell hits Benoit over the head with a crutch for the disqualification. After the match, Orton hits a RKO on Benoit. Regardless, the best of seven is now 3-2. This match was not very good, especially for the amount of time it was given. 

Match Rating: *3/4

Funaki introduces Kid Kash out for an interview. He makes fun of Juventud saying that it means Mexican salamander. God, I can't believe he didn't get over more. He then goes on about foreigners including Funaki. He then takes a cheap shot on Funaki and hits the Dead Level on the stage. 

Finally something good about this show: a Finlay vignette.

Sylvan vs. Bobby Lashley

Sylvan attacks Lashley on his way into the ring, which usually ends well. Lashley quickly turns it around and drives his shoulder into his midsection. Sylvan sneaks out of the ring and then tries to attack Lashley from behind, but it of course doesn't work. Lashley hits a belly-to-belly suplex and again Sylvan gets out of the ring. This time Sylvan walks to the back and gets counted out. I'm not sure I get the point of this one. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Josh Matthews is with Batista, who just basically talks about staying focused on his match tonight. 

WWE Tag Team Championship Match

MNM vs. Rey Mysterio & Batista

The champs start out hot with Mysterio hitting a dropkick and a springboard leg drop for a nearfall. Mysterio goes for another springboard, but Nitro hits a superkick knocking him off the apron. From there MNM use multiple double teams to work on Mysterio's knee. Mysterio does a great chase sequence in an effort to make a tag that leads to him hitting a double DDT and finally getting the tag to Batista. He destroys both opponents and then Mysterio hits a top rope hurricanrana to Nitro on the apron and to the floor. Jimmy Korderas gets knocked down and is unable to count the pin for Batista. Out comes Mark Henry to attack Batista out of nowhere. He hits the World's Strongest Slam and MNM are your new champions on the final episode of SmackDown in 2005. This was actually a really entertaining main event here and the highlight of the show by a mile. 

Match Rating: ***1/2 

This was a pretty dull episode up until the main event. While I wasn't very sold on Mark Henry in 2005, he eventually became a valuable player for the years to come. It will be interesting to have a little hindsight when looking at his run here. Other than that, this was a pretty flat ending to 2005. 

Overall Rating: 49%

Monday Night Raw 8-16-93 Review

Monday, August 16th, 1993
Mid-Hudson Civic Center
Poughkeepsie, New York

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Ted DiBiase vs. 1-2-3 Kid

They show clips of the upset victory 1-2-3 Kid scored over DiBiase recently. DiBiase attacks Kid once he finally to get into the ring. Razor Ramon calls in and says that he told the Kid to leave Razor a little piece of DiBiase for him at SummerSlam. Kid fires back with some dropkicks and gets a 2 count. He sends DiBiase into the turbuckle, but eats a rear elbow to the chin when he tries to charge at him. DiBiase misses Kid in the corner and Kid follows it up with a top rope crossbody. He goes up top again, but out comes IRS to shove him off the top rope and give Kid the disqualification victory. They continue the attack until the Steiner Brothers are out to make the save. This was decent for what it was. 

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

The Headshrinkers vs. Mike Khoury & Dave Moraldo

Samu drills the poor ham and egger with a superkick. This is your usual impressive Headshrinker squash that ends with a Fatu splash for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's time to go to Mean Gene for the SummerSlam Report. Ludvig Borga vs. Marty Jannetty has been added to the card!

Bastion Booger vs. Marty Jannetty

Let's see if Marty can work a miracle here tonight. After a few attempts to knock him down, Marty sends him out of the ring and then hits a top rope flying fist. Marty then hits a dive out to the floor. Marty then uses the ring post and slams his arm on it. After the commercial break, Booger sends Marty flying into the ring post and Marty takes a nice looking bump. Booger then squashes him against the post in an impressive looking move. Marty goes for a sunset flip, but Booger squashes him. During the pin attempt, Marty looks Booger's arms with his legs and gets the victory out of nowhere. This was pretty good considering Booger was in the match, as Marty was in full bump mode here. 

Match Rating: *1/2

If you didn't get enough of Money Inc. about 30 minutes ago, here they are joining Vince McMahon for an in ring interview. They hype up their match with the Steiners at SummerSlam Spectacular, which was taped this night. 

Men On A Mission vs. Barry Horowitz & Iron Mike Sharpe

M.O.M.'s outfits have to be among the worst of all time. Mabel hits a powerslam and then Mo hits a bulldog on Mabel onto Sharpe for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Hey, kids! Lex Luger is here to talk about steroids! He says that people do not use them in the WWF right now. Phew. 

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Rich Myers

Luna Vachon really was a one of a kind. Bam Bam does a lot of stomping here before setting him up for a vertical suplex and just drops Myers to the mat. Bam Bam hits the top rope headbutt for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

The Macho Midget is apparently Macho Man's surprise and he is joined with some Raw Girls. They then hype up the SummerSlam Spectacular this coming Sunday. 

This was kind of just a filler episode to hype up SummerSlam Spectacular and to further the Razor Ramon/1-2-3 Kid/Money Inc. feud. Nothing really to see here.  

Overall Rating: 46%

Monday Night Raw 12-26-05 Review

Monday, December 26th, 2005
Arena At Harbor Yard
Bridgeport, Connecticut

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Vince McMahon is here to wish us a Happy Holidays and to announce that all six Elimination Chamber competitors will be involved in a Beat The Clock Challenge to be the last person to enter the Elimination Chamber. I am a big fan of the Beat The Clock Challenge when used properly. He then promotes the Bret Hart DVD and says that he will be giving his candid comments on the set throughout the night. 

Beat The Clock Challenge Match

Shawn Michaels vs. Snitsky

Michaels attacks Snitsky on his way into the ring. Michaels hits a crossbody, but is hit with a big clothesline immediately after the pin attempt. Snitsky hits a big body slam and follows it up with an elbow drop. Snitsky would have fit right in if he would have popped up in WWF in 1993. Snitsky locks in a bear hug at the 3:30 mark. Michaels fights out and hits an inverted atomic drop. Michaels goes for a body slam, but he sells the back injury. Snitsky hits another clothesline and props Michaels on the top rope. Michaels fights out of the superplex attempt and hits a top rope elbow drop. Michaels goes for Sweet Chin Music, but Snitsky hits the big boot first. Snitsky gets distracted by the ref, allowing Michaels to hit Sweet Chin Music and get the victory at 5:56. This was a Snitsky match. 

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

It's time for The Cutting Edge. They give us a picture of Ric Flair with someone talking for him. This all obviously leads to the real Ric Flair coming out. Flair attacks Edge and they retreat to the back. This wasn't very good. 

Beat The Clock Challenge Match

Chris Masters vs. Chavo Guerrero

Chavo uses his quickness early on and hits a dropkick to send Masters out of the ring. He launches himself over the top rope, but Master catches him and drives him into the ring apron. Masters goes for the Master Lock, but Chavo is able to escape. Masters catches Chavo and hits a fall away slam. Chavo continues to counter out of the Master Lock attempts and we are now down under a minute. Masters counters out of the tornado DDT attempt and locks in the Master Lock with about 20 seconds to go. Chavo fights it and as a result, Masters loses his chance at being #6. Masters grabs a mic and says that the clock was moving too fast and that everyone is trying to hold him down. He says he will be the youngest champion ever at New Year's Resolution. Chavo attacks him and sends him out of the ring. 

Match Rating: *

We get a sit down interview of Angle ripping on soldiers. Between this and the Sharmell storyline, 2005 was not kind to Angle storyline wise. 

Vince is back with Torrie Wilson, who wants to be Raw GM. In walks Todd Grisham and Vince lets him know that Ric Flair will defend his Intercontinental Championship against Edge at New Year's Revolution. 

Mickie decorates her locker and of course, Trish's as well. Of course there is mistletoe and Mickie kisses her, causing Trish to bolt. 

Beat The Clock Challenge Match

Kurt Angle vs. Daivari

Daivari immediately lays down to let Angle to cover him, but Mike Chioda refuses to count to 3. Daivari does it again and again Chioda doesn't finish the count. They shove each other and Angle chases Chioda around the arena. Chioda runs back in the ring and calls for the bell. Daivari is your winner by countout and Angle is furious. 

Match Rating: No Rating

So I guess we are getting a contract signing for Big Show vs. Triple H. Triple H tells Big Show that they are nothing alike. Big Show's first match was a main event while he was clawing and scratching his way. He then calls show a sideshow freak. Big Show reminds him that he doesn't have DX or Evolution to back him up. Triple H says he doesn't need it and attacks him. He turns over the table and pulls out a sledgehammer and crushes his right hand with it. 

Beat The Clock Challenge Match

John Cena vs. Shelton Benjamin 

Cena tries to quickly go for the FU, but Shelton is able to get out of it. He turns a second attempt into a pin attempt, but then eats a clothesline on the way up. Shelton misses Cena in the corner and Cena hits a body slam and an elbow drop. Cena hits a side slam for a 2 count around the 3 minute mark. Shelton hits a spinebuster, but misses the Stinger Splash. Shelton flips out of the FU attempt and hits a Samoan Drop. Both men are down with a minute to go. Cena explodes for a shoulder block and a Fisherman Suplex. Cena catches Shelton on his shoulder, but Shelton hangs on to the ropes as time expires. The match is over, but on the outside, Shelton tries to hit a spin kick and misses into the ring post. Cena brings him in the ring and puts him in the STFU. For some reason, this counts as a victory even though the time ended. Out comes Kurt Angle and Daivari. Angle and Cena go at it until a whole group of security and officials have to break it up. The match was decent enough. 

Match Rating: **

Shelton is shown on the phone talking to someone about his match. Yep...it's that time.

Matt Striker tells Vince that he'd be a great GM. Vince asks him what he would do about the Cena/Angle situation. Striker says that he'd make both write a 500 word essay. Vince hates it and talks about how much he loves violence. Vince announces Angle vs. Cena for next week in a First Blood Match. Vince then goes back to watching the Bret DVD. 

Carlito is dressed up in a Santa hat doing a 'Twas The Night Before Christmas spoof and then spits in the camera. That's not cool.

Beat The Clock Challenge Match

Carlito vs. Victoria

I guess Val Venis was busy tonight. Carlito hits a big body slam until Torrie lets Chloe run in the ring. Victoria uses the distraction to hit a low blow and then hit Carlito with the magic wand for a 2 count. Carlito hits a variation of a DDT and that is all. The crowd really didn't know how to take this one. After the match, Carlito spits in Victoria's face. Carlito is now in the lead for the last spot. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Beat The Clock Challenge Match

Kane vs. The Heart Throbs

Kane gets stuck with handicap match here. He hits a double chokeslam almost instantly and wins in 28 seconds. Kane will be the 6th entrant in the Elimination Chamber. That was possibly the worst Beat The Clock Challenge that I can think of off the top of my head. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Vince is shown watching the finish of the Survivor Series 1997 match before heading out to the ring. They show a clip of an interview from the DVD regarding the Montreal Screwjob. Vince rambles on for a little bit until Shawn Michaels is on his way down. Shawn tells Vince that it's time to let this all go. This segment is a lot of talking with next to no substance. This of course leads to a very long feud for 2006, but I'm not sure this segment had to be this long. Vince says that he screwed Bret and warns Shawn that he better not make him screw him. Shawn takes off his jacket, but Vince ends up leaving. 

This episode was not the strongest way to end the year. They did a nice job of adding a little heat to the Big Show/Triple H match, but everything else feels stuck in neutral. The Beat The Clock Challenge was really weak, showing the lack of depth on the Raw roster. There have been far worse episodes of Raw, but this is one that you most likely will forget you ever watched.

Overall Rating: 45%

NXT 10-16-13 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, October 16th, 2013
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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NXT Tag Team Championship Match

The Ascension vs. Adrian Neville & Corey Graves

Graves starts off slamming Victor's head into the turnbuckle and a series of right hands. Neville tags in and hits a springboard dropkick. Connor lowers the middle rope, causing Neville to spill to the outside and we already get a commercial break. Graves gets tagged in and takes care of Connor with a clothesline and a chop block. He puts Lucky 13 on, but Victor makes the save. Graves is selling the ribs and tags in Neville, who is selling a leg injury. Neville reluctantly goes in and Connor throws him shoulder first into the ring post. The Ascension hit their finisher on Neville and that is all. This was a dominating win for the champions. 

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

After the match, Graves attacks Neville's knee with a chop block and hits a series of right hands. Graves is a natural heel, so this was the right move. 

Tyler Breeze vs. CJ Parker

Parker gets in early offense with the always classic airplane spin. Parker hits a sunset flip for a 2 count. Parker misses with a dropkick and is greeted with a boot to the face from Breeze. After checking himself out in his phone, Breeze unleashes a flurry of clubbing blows to the back. Parker fights back with a clothesline. Parker drags Breeze, who holds onto the apron, which distracts the referee. Breeze gets a thumb to the eye of Parker and hits a spin kick for the victory. After the match, Breeze tries to take a selfie with Parker, but Parker hits him with a palm strike to the face. Parker takes selfies with the crowd after the match. Breeze may be the first truly successful NXT character. 

Match Rating: *1/2

Paige & Emma vs. Summer Rae & Sasha Banks

Paige hits a Lou Thesz press and goes nuts on Banks. Emma gets her chance and tries for a couple of quick pinfall attempts. Summer Rae's distraction helps shift the momentum and she then gets her chance on Emma. After a long struggle, Emma is able to make the tag to Paige, who hits a series of knee lifts on the apron. Sasha grabs her leg, but it doesn't help, as Paige is still able to hit a dropkick. She hits a Fisherman Suplex for a 2 count. Sasha dumps Emma out of the ring, who is then pushed out by Paige. Summer hits Summer Crush and picks up the big victory. This was a good match that had a good story. It's nice to see the Women's division pick up some momentum here. 

Match Rating: **1/2

NXT Championship Match

Sami Zayn vs. Bo Dallas

This has been a well-built storyline and any match involving Zayn gives it a big match feel. After the feeling out process, Zayn tries for a couple of quick roll ups but is unsuccessful. From there Dallas takes control until Zayn explodes with a couple of clotheslines and a back body drop. Zayn hits a Helluva Kick and gets the victory, but Bo's foot was on the rope. Out comes JBL, who shows us the replay and restarts the match. I'm surprised they went for this so early on in the match. Dallas hits a forearm, sending Zayn outside. Back from the commercial break, Zayn is fighting out of a headlock, but is hit with an elbow. Zayn baits Dallas and sends him over the top. Zayn hits a leaping senton over the top rope. Back in the ring, Zayn hits a top rope crossbody for a nearfall. Dallas blocks the Helluva Kick, but Zayn hits a Blue Thunder Bomb for another nearfall. Dallas hits a boor to the head and the scaling bulldog for a nearfall of his own. Dallas is starting to show his darker side and hits an inverted DDT for another 2 count. Zayn fights back with a spear and they 100% have the crowd in the palm of their hands here. Dallas is able to crotch Zayn as he is scaling the ropes and hits a spear of his own, but Zayn kicks out. They are really finding their groove here. Dallas sets Zayn up on the top, but Zayn fights him off and hits a sunset flip bomb for yet another close call. While Zayn is going for a German suplex, Dallas is able to pull off the top turnbuckle. Zayn goes for another one, but Dallas is able to throw Zayn into the exposed steel and roll up Zayn for the victory. That was quite good and Bo Dallas's best work to date. Zayn continues to be the MVP of NXT. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

This was probably the most stacked NXT show to date and for the most part delivered. I thought the ladies deserved more time, as they worked hard and had a story that the fans were invested in. Dallas and Zayn gave us one of the best matches in NXT's short history, which is enough to give this one an easy thumbs up. NXT has really been on a roll here as we near the WWE Network era. 

Overall Rating: 75%

Monday Night Raw 8-9-93 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, August 9th, 1993
Castle Recreation Center
Alexandria Bay, New York

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Tatanka vs. Mr. Hughes

Hughes attacks Tatanka before the bell and the wreath gets placed at ringside once again. Tatanka goes for a leap frog, but accidentally hits Hughes and falls down. Tatanka ducks a clothesline and hits a crossbody for a 2 count. Hughes just looks so unmotivated here. After the commercial break and they turn on some of the worst fake "boos" and "cheers" that I have ever heard, which is saying something. Hughes sidesteps Tatanka and throws him over the top rope. Tatanka hits a back body drop and rolls back in the ring for a countout victory. Between the match and the horrible crowd noise, this wasn't very good. After the match, Harvey Wippleman distracts Tatanka and Hughes hits him in the back with the urn. 

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

We go back to our sit down interview series with Lex Luger. Luger was always just really hard to get behind. This felt like 30 minutes.

Bushwhackers & Macho Midget vs. Blake Beverly, Brooklyn Brawler & Little Louie

Macho starts things off by doing some dancing. Things turn into chaos early with a lot of butt biting. I know this will surprise you, but this is strictly a comedy match. Instead of recapping this match, I think I'll just take a second to say that it is such a shame that Vince couldn't find anything better to do with Mike Enos in a time where the roster was as weak as it had ever been. Butch uses Brawler's head for a Battering Ram on Beverly, hit a double DDT on Brawler and then let let Macho hit a splash for the victory. This was something that was designed more for a house show rather than a featured match on primetime TV.

Match Rating: 1/2*

Jack Tunney, Vince and the crew are in the ring for the big contract signing. Jim Cornette is with Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji announces that Cornette is the official US spokesman for Yokozuna. I have to say, Yokozuna's entrance music really worked well for this era of his character. It's just too bad that the best they could come up with was Lex Luger as an opponent. Both men are now seated so that the most boring man in wrestling, Jack Tunney, can let them know to sign their name on the contract. Cornette says that they added a stipulation that if Luger doesn't beat Yokozuna at SummerSlam, he will never get another chance. Luger says that all he asked for was one shot because that is all he will need. Luger gives a rare passionate promo here and I have to say this wasn't bad, with the highlight being Yoko mockingly wiping the spit off his head and flicking it back at Luger. 

Razor Ramon vs. Dan Dubiel

Vince brings up the Detroit Lions vs. Dallas Cowboys preseason game at Wembley Stadium that ended in a tie and I believe that is the only time he has ever brought up the Lions on WWF/E TV. Razor tosses Dubiel across the ring and then locks in an abdominal stretch. Some of today's bigger men could really learn a lot by watching Scott Hall. Razor hits the back suplex and then the Razor's Edge for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

SummerSlam Report time with Mean Gene. Gene tells us that Shawn Michaels vs. Mr. Perfect may be the greatest Intercontinental Championship match in history. I am looking forward to re-watching that match. 

Heavenly Bodies vs. Bobby Who & Mike Bucci

Jimmy Del Ray hits a nice heel kick on Who and rolls him in his corner so he can tag in Bucci, who of course is Working The Network favorite Simon Dean. They hit a double suplex on him and take out Who in the corner. Del Ray hits a moonsault and pick up the easy victory. It is interesting to see Vince embrace Tennessee wrestling with the additions of Jerry Lawler and Jim Cornette. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They announce the SummerSlam Spectacular and we will see Yokozuna vs. Hacksaw Jim Duggan and the Steiner Brothers vs. Money Inc. in a Steel Cage Match. Meanwhile, next week on Raw we will get a Giant Gonzalez interview, Ludvig Borga, Men On A Mission and 1-2-3 Kid vs. Ted DiBiase. 

This was kind of a filler episode, but a decently entertaining one. I know I still have a lot of Luger left to watch, but I doubt that he gives a much better promo than he did on this show. New talent is starting to come in with mixed results, but it has helped the show from feeling stale. I guess the best way to sum this show up is that I truly miss when Raw was an hour long. 

Overall Rating: 50%

SmackDown 12-23-05 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, December 23rd, 2005

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This is a best of episode, so yay?

From WrestleMania 21...

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Triple H vs. Batista

Motorhead is here to perform Triple H's entrance music live. This is the match I've wanted to re-watch the most on this show, just for the simple fact that I liked it a little bit less than the majority. This would be a theme for the entire feud. Based on the pace for the start of this match, it's pretty obvious we're getting a 20+ minute Hunter special. Batista gains an early advantage until Batista is distracted by Ric Flair, allowing Triple H to throw him into the steps. Flair continues to play a factor in the match by choking Batista. The crowd is definitely more into this math than the previous match, which to me says more about JBL than it does Cena. I am doing everything I can to not doze off here. Triple H pulls out the steps and goes for a Pedigree but Batista hits a catapult into the steel post. Triple H is now busted open. Batista is clubbing away on Triple H's forehead and then hits a big boot to the face. Batista blocks an attempt from Flair and the referee stops Triple H before he can hit Batista with a chair. The ref is distracted by Flair and Triple H hits Batista with the belt and almost steals the victory. Batista hits a huge spinebuster and sets him up for the Batista Bomb, but Triple H hits the big low blow. Triple H goes for the Pedigree, but Batista blocks it and then slams Triple H behind his back. Batista hits the Batista Bomb and gets the victory. Disappointingly, I did not like that any more than I remembered. Even the ending was pretty anti-climatic.

Match Rating: ** (out of 5)

They show a clip of Kurt Angle hitting the Angle Slam on Big Show through the announce table. They then go into JBL Appreciation Night. 

From the 4-28-05 SmackDown...

Fatal Four Way Match To Become #1 Contender For The WWE Championship
Booker T vs. Big Show vs. Kurt Angle vs. JBL

Big Show is cleaning house and to my complete surprise, both Cole and Tazz are predicting Big Show is going to win this match. Big Show sets up all three men in the corner and squashes them. Show goes for the chokeslam on Angle, but he counters it into the Angle Slam. Booker then hits a scissor kick to the back of the head. JBL then hits him with a Clothesline From Hell. He kicked out of all three attempts. All three men knock Show over the top rope and then start clearing off the announcer table. God forbid they break a TV monitor. Angle Slam through the table and apparently you can get counted out in this match. So of course that is how Big Show is eliminated. Back from commercial break to JBL and Angle double teaming Booker. JBL gets thrown into the steel steps outside the ring. Booker hits the Book End on JBL, but he gets his shoulder up. Angle hits two German suplexes on Booker. Angle hits an Angle Slam and Booker kicks out again. Referee Brian Hebner makes Orlando Jordan leave and JBL brings in a chair to the ring. Angle gets a hold of it and nails Booker with it and gets the pinfall on Booker. JBL instantly attacks Angle and hits him with some really stiff shots to the face as they head into the last commercial break. JBL has a cut on his eyebrow and hits a fall away slam. JBL goes for the clothesline, Angle ducks and he hits the ref instead. Angle puts JBL in the Ankle Lock. The Bashams are down to the ring, but Angle takes them both out. Angle hits three Germans on JBL, but still no ref. The straps are down and we are back into the Ankle Lock. JBL begins to tap, but again, no ref. Booker T then comes in and hits Angle with a chair to the face. The Bashams roll in Hebner and that is all. To no one's surprise, JBL is the #1 contender. This was decent enough, but it never felt like anyone in here was trying to have a great match. It was always obvious that JBL was going to win this match. Other than Angle, no one in this match was really producing great matches at this time.

Match Rating: **3/4

They show the highlight package from the Tribute To The Troops. They then show clips of Eddie and Rey. 

From the 1-6-05 SmackDown...

Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio

My god, the intro song to this show horrible. Maybe the worst intro song that I can remember and that is saying something when it comes to wrestling. Despite being a taped show, it definitely has more of a live feel than I remember it having at the time. Mysterio comes down with a camcorder and they are using it as the 619 Cam. These two will go on to open up WrestleMania 21 in a couple of months. This is apparently a rematch from the previous week. The more I go back and watch retro wrestling, the more I appreciate Mysterio. These two together are magic. After a couple attempts, Eddie is finally able to slow things down and works on Mysterio with a hammerlock. Eddie catches Mysterio's springboard moonsault and puts him in the tree of woe. Guerrero goes for the dropkick to the face, but Mysterio is able to lift up, causing Eddie to crotch himself on the pole. During the commercial, Mysterio hits a nice moonsault that looks like it probably legit hurt Guerrero. Mysterio reverses a sleeper hold into one of his own. Eddie gets out and they appear to have a little big of a misstep, which he turns into a nearfall. Another springboard moonsault from Mysterio hits and hes back to a sleeper hold. Guerrero goes for a powerbomb, Mysterio gets out of it and sets him up for a 619, but Eddie is out of there. Man, I miss Eddie. Guerrero blocks a top rope hurricanrana and Eddie goes for a sunset flip and then Mysterio rolls out and dropkicks him. This match would still bring the house down in 2019. Referee bump and Eddie has a big smile on his face. Eddie grabs the belt and lays it on Mysterio and lays down next to him. Rey then puts the belt back on Eddie and says he was hit with the belt. Eddie is trying to hide it and the ref catches him trying to get rid of it. While Eddie is watching the refs on the ropes, Rey goes for a 619 again and Eddie moves and rolls Mysterio up. They roll all around until Mysterio ends up on top and gets the victory. This was such a fun match between two of the best ever.

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

They show the Eddie Guerrero tribute video. We then move onto the Chris Benoit and Booker T story. 

From the 10-21-05 SmackDown...

United States Championship Match
Booker T vs. Chris Benoit

After a back and forth start, Booker misses with a kick and falls to the outside. Benoit then absolutely shoots himself out of a canon on the dive and slams himself right into the table as they go into commercial. I'm not even sure if he was supposed to hit Booker with it or not. That was brutal looking. Booker goes to work on his back and then hits a vertical suplex. Booker then hits a vicious Irish whip for a 2 count. Booker hits a neckbreaker and gets another close call. Sharmell is starting to show her frustration on the outside. Benoit gets his second wind and hits the three German suplexes and then hits the flying headbutt. Booker goes up top, but Benoit gets to him first and he barely hits a superplex. Wow, he was really lucky there as he lost his footing just as he was about to hit it and almost fell mid-suplex. We get some shenanigans and Sharmell hits a low blow. Booker hits the scissors kick and we have a new United States Champion. This was a nice match that continued the good story they are having with Sharmell and Booker. It's nice when everything comes together and this was a good example of where a finish like that can work out nicely.

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

Now it's time for the Randy Orton/Undertaker saga, before moving into the Survivor Series. 

From Survivor Series 2005...

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

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

Match Rating: ***1/2

They finish off by showing us the latest happenings in the Orton/Undertaker feud. 

With this being a "best of" episode, I am not going to give it an overall rating, but this was a pretty good mix of matches. The Rey Mysterio/Eddie Guerrero match is worth going out of your way to watch and is definitely the highlight of the episode. 

NXT 10-9-13 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, October 9th, 2013
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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Leo Kruger vs. Antonio Cesaro

Cesaro starts it off by hitting a nice running dropkick. Kruger comes back and ends up clotheslining Cesaro over the top rope. Cesaro hits a nice running European uppercut in the corner for a 2 count. Cesaro tries going up top, but Kruger gets there first. They battle up top until Kruger hits a superplex. After a commercial break, Kruger hits a dive to the outside. Cesaro is able to throw Kruger into the ring steps. He throws Kruger immediately out of the ring again and then hits a back suplex to the floor. After Kruger breaks the referee's count, Cesaro goes back out and hits a vertical suplex on the ramp. Kruger barely breaks the 10 count this time. Cesaro props Kruger up and hits him with a series of fists and uppercuts. He goes for the Neutralizer, but Kruger counters with a back body drop. Kruger charges at Cesaro, but he counters it with a pop up uppercut for another close call. Cesaro locks in a sleeper hold and as Kruger begins to fight out of it, he hits a clothesline. Cesaro hits the Neutralizer and that is all. Wow, even though that was over 10 minutes long, this was a very definitive win for Cesaro here. After the match, Cesaro hits a top rope knee drop. 

Match Rating: *** (out of 5)

Charlotte vs. Santana Garrett

Renee Young is out for announcing duties and Bayley is in Charlotte's corner. Charlotte is rocking a half brown, half blonde hairstyle today. Garrett is able to throw Charlotte into the second turnbuckle and then hits a boot to the face. Out come Sasha Banks and Summer Rae to take a look. Charlotte gets distracted and gets rolled up for a 2 count. Charlotte drops Garrett face-first out of a F5 position and then hits Natural Selection for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

After the match, Summer Rae gets on the mic and says that everyone needs to know who the First Lady of NXT and the Boss are. In runs Paige and she takes both out. The numbers end up working against Paige until Emma runs out and makes the save. 

I don't get hyped, I stay hyped. 

Summer and Sasha are interviewed backstage and aren't happy about Paige. 

Danny Burch vs. Mojo Rawley

Burch hits Rawley with a right hand and puts him in a chinlock. Rawley hits a series of shoulder tackles and a couple of splashes in the corner. He hits the Earthquake splash for the victory. Not that I think he would have necessarily gotten over in the early 90s, but he is definitely better suited for that era. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Paige and Emma are interviewed backstage. They accept the challenge to face Summer and Sasha next week. 

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

Cass is able to take control over Rusev early on. Once he tags in Rusev, he turns it around and tags in Dawson, who hits a reverse elbow. Dawson hits a suplex, forcing Cass to break up the pin attempt. Rusev puts Enzo in the Accolade and he immediately taps. Well, that was quick. After the match, Dawson and Rusev attack Cass and Rusev puts him in the Accolade, where he also taps. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Sami Zayn is back with Renee Young and he is ready to face Bo Dallas next week. Cue in Dallas, who says what he did last week was really not cool and it hurt his feelings. Bo offers to be a tag team with Zayn and he agrees, as soon as he beats Dallas for the title. Un-Bo-lievable. 

Aiden English vs. Rob Van Dam

Ah, yes. Ricardo Rodriguez is the personal announcer for RVD. RVD hits a monkey flip and clotheslines English out of the ring. RVD follows it up with a standing moonsault off the apron. He goes for Rolling Thunder, but English rolls out of the ring. English kicks the second rope as RVD is coming back in and hits a vertical suplex. RVD fights back and hits English with a couple of kicks to the face and then Rolling Thunder. Five Star Frog Splash and that is all. This was more of something English can put on his resume than it was a chance for him to look good. 

Match Rating: *1/2

Even when the majority of the episode isn't necessarily great, NXT at this point is still easy to watch. The opening match was a strong showing for Cesaro and I like that they are actually building the women's division. I'm not really sure where they are going with the Rusev/Dawson pairing, but I'm always good with seeing those two in the ring. 

Overall Rating: 59%

Monday Night Raw 8-2-93

Original Airdate: Monday, August 2nd, 1993
Castle Recreation Center
Alexandria Bay, New York

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Steiner Brothers vs. Barry Horowitz & Dwayne Gill

We have a unique location here tonight and it kind of feels like they're in an underground warehouse. This is a classic Steiner squash, with them tossing Barry and Dwayne around. Scott hits the Frankensteiner for the victory. 

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

We get a sit down interview with Lex Luger talking about his dad and growing up shy. 

Adam Bomb vs. Tony Roy

Johnny Polo is the most 1990s thing ever. Bomb's entrance is pretty cool for 1993 though. Bomb hits a flying clothesline off the top rope and then hits the Atom Smasher. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Next week it's Tatanka vs. Mr. Hughes. Ratings gold. 

Doink vs. Randy Savage

Savage checks under the ring to see if there are any Doinks. Savage gets flustered and grabs a chair and brings it into the ring. Earl Hebner tries to take it away, which allows Doink to get in a cheap shot. Doink gets the Boston Crab on. Savage makes his comeback and hits a knee to the back, sending Doink to the floor. When we come back from commercial, Doink is wrenching on Savage's neck. Savage reverses the hold, but Doink bites him and hits a dropkick. After an abdominal stretch, Doink misses with the Whoopee Cushion, but he still is able to dump Savage out of the ring afterwards. Savage crawls under the ring and out walks a little person dressed up as Macho Man. He distracts Doink and Savage attacks him. He distracts Doink again in the ring and Savage gets a victory with a small package. This was surprisingly disappointing, but the crowd loved Savage.

Match Rating: *3/4

SummerSlam Report has a sponsor this time in Chevrolet. The new addition to the card this week is Shawn Michaels taking on Mr. Perfect. 

They go on the phone with Ted DiBiase, who is not happy about losing to the 1-2-3 Kid. DiBiase hangs up on them since they show the footage. Out of nowhere, in walks Jim Cornette. Heenan runs in to give him a hug. Vince introduces him to the television audience as Smoky Mountain Wrestling's Jim Cornette. Heenan calls him the greatest manager in the sport. He's here to hype up the Heavenly Bodies and challenges the Steiners. Heenan is so good at making anything feel like a big deal. 

Mr. Perfect vs. Barry Hardy

Hardy hits a hip toss and then mocks Perfect with slapping his gum. Perfect hits a dropkick after a leapfrog. Perfect hits the Perfect Plex for the easy victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show footage of Lex on the road with nothing but a man, a bus and his fanny pack. Next week we are getting the contract signing for the SummerSlam main event. The Heavenly Bodies will also be there. 

This was kind of a ho hum episode. It moved along quickly, but outside of the Cornette debut, nothing of note happened here. I was hoping for a better match between Doink and Savage, but it felt like they underdelivered. 

Overall Rating: 47%

Monday Night Raw Tribute To The Troops 12-19-05 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, December 19th, 2005
Bagram Air Force Base
Bagram, Afghanistan

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Vince McMahon is here to kick things off. He rips on the media and thanks the armed forces. Remember, Vince is the good guy. He brings out Lilian Garcia, who is wearing a Christmas themed skirt and Joey Styles lets us know that it's only 33 degrees there. She sings the National Anthem and we get a video package of the WWE visiting the troops in Germany. 

Carlito vs. Big Show

Carlito tries to attack Big Show from behind, but it of course doesn't work. He does end up getting a few moves in, but when he goes up top Big Show catches him by the throat and hits the chokeslam for the victory. There will be a lot of this tonight. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show a video package about how many land mines are all over the country. Pretty crazy. 

Jonathan Coachman is here and he introduces Santa, who is JBL dressed up in a camo suit, but no belly. He cuts a promo about canceling holidays and out comes Mick Foley dressed as Santa. He challenges JBL to a match.

No Ho-Ho-Holds Barred Match
JBL vs. Mick Foley

JBL attacks him, but Foley hits him with the sack of toys. The announcers are shocked when JBL's mask falls off. Right. Foley takes out some tongs and uses them on his chestnuts. JBL misses a Clothesline From Hell and Foley hits a double arm DDT. Out comes Mr. Socko for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show clips of John Cena and Trish Stratus speaking with the Afghan press. They then switch to a video package of Rita Crosby from MSNBC with the WWE Superstars. 

Shelton Benjamin vs. Snitsky

Styles hypes up Shelton's losing streak, so you can see where this is going. Snitsky removes the top turnbuckle. He goes for a vertical suplex, but Shelton counters it into a neckbreaker. Shelton follows it up with a knee lift and then a top rope clothesline. He misses the splash in the corner, hitting the exposed turnbuckle. Snitsky hits a big boot and that is all. Short, but at least spirited. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

We get another video package about the Taliban Tavern. 

John Cena vs. Chris Masters

After some back and forth action, Cena ducks Masters and pulls down the top rope, dumping Masters to the floor. Back in the ring, Masters is able to lock in the Master Lock and for some reason Masters let's go of the hold. He goes off the second rope, but Cena gets a boot up. Cena hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle and the FU for the quick victory. I'm not sure what the point of him putting the Master Lock was ahead of New Year's Revolution, but they did it. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

They show more clips of the Superstars meeting with the troops. 

Coach introduces Ric Flair to the ring. Coach keeps insulting Flair and then challenges him to a match.

Jonathan Coachman vs. Ric Flair

Coach chokes Flair with his shirt until Flair pokes him in the eye. Flair hits some chops and a knee drop. Flair then hits a low blow and locks in the Figure Four? He was struggling to put it on and they awkwardly cut to someone in the crowd and then a close up to Coach's face. Anyway, Flair wins via submission.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get more highlights of their tour through the different bases. 

Trish Stratus & Ashley vs. Candice Michelle & Maria

Maria hits a side headlock takeover to impress the audience. She tags in Candice and she wants Trish in the ring. Candice avoids her and goes crowd surfing instead. She poses in the ropes and Trish pushes her out of the ring. Trish accidentally gets referee Chad Patton in the tilt-a-whirl headscissors. Candice hits a big knee on Trish, but Maria doesn't want to tag in. Trish this time hits the tilt-a-whirl headscissors on Candice and tags in Ashley. They hit a double elbow drop, but then Candice rolls her up and grabs her tights to steal the victory. This was actually probably a little better than you would expect it to be. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

They talk about some of the brave soldiers who gave their lives for us. In somewhat of a weird segue, they then show how they set up the show. 

Boot Camp Match
Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels

They go back and forth until Triple H hits a back body drop over the top rope to the mat. They battle up the entrance ramp and Michaels hits Triple H with a sand bag. Triple H grabs a gas can and hits him in the head with it. They end up back in the ring, only for Michaels to throw Triple H right back out again. Michaels grabs a mop and hits him in the head with it. Triple H ducks a Michaels right hand and it hits Mike Chioda. Chad Patton then comes down, but Michael is able to kick out. Triple H then knocks him out and tosses him out. Michaels gets a boot up on a second rope fist drop by Triple H and both men are down. Michaels hits a flying forearm and an inverted atomic drop. Michaels hits a top rope elbow and starts tuning up the band. Triple H ducks and goes for the Pedigree. Michaels counters it into a catapult and hits Sweet Chin Music for the victory. This was obviously more akin to a house show match, but it was entertaining enough. Michaels celebrates with the troops on his way to the back. 

Match Rating: **1/2

We get one last highlight video of the trip before we go off the air. 

While there is no doubt that part of the reason WWE does this is for good publicity, there is absolutely no doubt that it is something that is important to all of those involved. This also served as a flashback to a very specific time in our history. If you're looking for an all time great show, this isn't a place to start. However, this is a cool on location version of the show that also happens to serve a great purpose. It was a great reminder of how thankful I am for all of those who have put their lives on the line for our country. 

Overall Rating: 51%