Monday Night Raw 9-13-93 Review

Monday, September 13th, 1993
Manhattan Center
New York City, New York

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So this is the first episode of Raw in almost a month and apparently the Quebecers have debuted. 

Province Of Quebec Rules Match For The WWF Tag Team Championships

Quebecers vs. Steiner Brothers

So the rules are that the titles can change hand on a countout and disqualification. Also, no moves over the top rope, off the top rope or piledrivers. The Steiners were tearing it up here in '93 and this is one of those matches that has been on my list to watch for a long time. The Steiners have their way in the early going. Rick does a tease of doing a piledriver, but Scott talks him out of it into the first commercial break. Pierre clubs Scott with a clothesline, but then eats a belly-to-belly suplex. Rick goes to the second rope, which is legal, and kind of jumps on Pierre's leg in a an awkward looking move. Rick suplexes Pierre off the second rope and the Quebecers take a timeout and so does the broadcast. The Quebecers drop Scott on the ropes and go to work. Pierre kind of reminds me of a more athletic looking version of Farva here. Jacques hits a back body drop on Pierre, landing on Scott. I always liked that move. Scott fights back and hits a weird looking DDT. Pierre and Rick start brawling and Jacques dumps Scott out of the ring. Johnny Polo resists the urge to hit Scott with his hockey stick and the action goes back into the ring. Pierre hits a leg drop while Jacques has him Scott in his grasp and then turns him over for the Boston Crab. Rick breaks up the hold and Scott hits a double clothesline. Rick finally gets the hot tag and all four men are in the ring. Scott hits a Frankensteiner and despite not being the legal man, he gets a 2 count out of it. Jacques tries to use the hockey stick, but Scott gets it and uses it on Jacques and we have new champions. Although the rules were a little complicated by adding in so many rules, it made for easy heat and an easy story to tell here. It also gave a reason for the Steiners to lose. This wasn't quite as good as I was hoping, but it was still very entertaining.

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

Mr. Perfect vs. Tony DeVito

DeVito tries to escape, but Perfect pulls him from behind the curtain. DeVito gets a dropkick in, but then Perfect hits one of his own. Perfect hits the Perfect Plex and that is all. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show the clip of Ludvig Borga confronting Lex Luger after his SummerSlam match with Yokozuna. 

Razor Ramon vs. The Executioner

The Executioner comes out swinging and even drives Ramon into the steel steps. Ramon comes in and hits a variation of a chokeslam. Razor hits the fall away slam and puts him in the abdominal stretch. He hits the back suplex off the second rope and that's all. No Razor's Edge here for the finish, but he gives him one after the match for the heck of it. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They air a weird commercial for Raw featuring an attractive woman and a slob. 

Vince McMahon is now in the ring to interview the new WWF Tag Team Champions. It seems like this would have made more sense for next week, but I'm always good with hearing their theme song again. More wrestlers need to watch Jacques Rougeau promos. Wrestling is in dire need of more characters and he is exactly that. They talk about a return match next week and out come the Steiners. They agree to Pierre fighting one of the Steiners and if they can beat him, they get a rematch. 

They show a clip of Bobby Heenan on the Jerry Lewis telethon. 

Doink vs. Rich Myers

Doink throws two buckets of confetti on the crowd. Myers attacks Doink when he enters the ring and we are underway. Doink hits him with a belly-to-belly suplex and an elbow drop. Doink hits a pump handle slam, which I don't think I have seen him use. Vince stumbles over his promo for Silk Stalkings while Doink hits a German suplex. Crush joins us via telephone, brudda. Crush says he's coming back soon and Doink hits the whoopee cushion for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

After the match Heenan comes behind Doink and tries to get him to dump the bucket of water on Vince and Savage. He dumps it on Heenan instead and it's the end of Doink as we know it. Heenan sells it like only he can by slipping and sliding all over the mat. 

After the break, Doink's music hits again and he grabs another bucket from under the ring. He dumps some confetti on the crowd for some reason. Next week we are going to see Bam Bam Bigelow, Mr. Perfect and IRS. Plus, we are getting a special interview with Bret Hart. They also announce that Scott Steiner will be the one to face Pierre. 

With the tag team match taking up about half of the episode, this was a no brainer for a thumbs up. The squash matches were all fine, even if the final one led to the unfortunate Doink babyface turn. I'm looking forward to seeing the follow up to the Quebecers/Steiners feud next week. 

Overall Rating: 67%

SmackDown 1-13-06 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, January 13th, 2006
Wachovia Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Serious question...are there people that are nostalgic for this era of SmackDown intro music? 

Batista is here to start the show and Teddy Long is right behind him. Batista announces that he was injured in a match with Mark Henry on Sunday and it's one that will require surgery. He will be sidelined indefinitely and forfeits his title because he knows it is the right thing to do. 

They show Batista talking with Ricky Steamboat backstage. Lashley, Animal, Arn Anderson and Rey Mysterio all join in wishing him well. Batista then points to Mysterio and tells him that he can become World Heavyweight Champion. 

Back in the ring, Teddy Long is still there to announce his plans for the title. The main event tonight will be a battle royal for the World Heavyweight Championship. 

After a lengthy highlight package, Orton approaches Long. Orton says that he is going to be the World Heavyweight Champion tonight, but he needs him to postpone his match with Benoit tonight. Orton makes a pretty good point that Booker should be out there and not him. 

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

Randy Orton vs. Chris Benoit

Things start off slowly and eventually Benoit snaps Orton's neck on the ropes and goes outside. Booker is at ringside with Sharmell and he raises his crutch at him. When the ref isn't looking, Benoit pulls an Eddie Guerrero and falls to the ground and starts selling his leg. Nick Patrick sees him on the ground and sends Booker and Sharmell to the back. After to the commercial, we still have a slow-paced affair going on. Benoit hits a vertical suplex and gets the first 2 count of the match. They battle up on the top rope and Benoit eventually headbutts Orton off and he lands on the barricade outside the ring into the second commercial break. Benoit finally is able to lock in the Sharpshooter and then hits the three German suplexes. Benoit goes up top for the flying headbutt, but Orton is able to move out of the way. Nick Patrick gets knocked down and out comes Orlando Jordan. Orton takes care of him. Booker and Sharmell are back out and Benoit knocks him out of the ring. Benoit counters the RKO into the Crippler Crossface, but Patrick is still down. Orton starts tapping. Benoit tries to wake up Patrick and then puts the Crossface back on. Booker comes in from behind and hits Benoit with the United States Championship and Orton covers Beonit for the victory. This of course leads to them announcing Booker as the new United States Champion. Booker celebrates and Orton somewhat reluctantly shakes his hand. That was kind of a long match for that finish and nothing particularly interesting really happened. 

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

Roddy Piper is shown walking backstage and he bumps into Jillian Hall. He of course is grossed out by the growth on her face. JBL comes in and tells Piper he should be on the Pit tonight. He insults Piper and Piper agrees. 

After a Eddie Guerrero video, out comes Roddy Piper. JBL comes out before Piper introduces him. JBL rambles on and Piper pretends to fall asleep. Piper then confronts Hall about the growth. JBL argues back and Piper goes on a quick rant and then introduces his real guest, the Boogeyman. I still can't believe his entrance was him smashing a clock on his head. JBL pushes Hall into Boogeyman and leaves the ring. Boogeyman starts licking the growth and then eventually bites it off her face. He plays with it a little bit and then starts eating it. Ratings gold. Piper starts praying and Boogey leaves the ring. 

They go back to Melina with MNM and Mark Henry. Melina instructs them to bring her back some more gold. 

Finlay debuts next week. 

Battle Royal For The World Heavyweight Championship

Kurt Angle is the surprise entrant here. JBL gets eliminated almost immediately and then Vito. After that, it's a typical battle royal start. Undertaker, Booker T, Chris Benoit and Randy Orton are all not involved. Mark Henry eliminates Animal as we go into a commercial break. During the break, heavy favorite Simon Dean was eliminated in a shocking turn of events. MNM now launches Nunzio over the top. Angle dumps Jordan out of the match and then throws Regal out as well. Angle then hits a belly-to-belly suplex on Burchill and he is eliminated. Henry throws Angle out of the ring, but he went under the ropes. Henry starts setting up the announce table. Angle attacks him and goes for the German suplex. Henry counters it and backs him into the ring apron and then hits a gorilla press slam on Angle through the table. Lashley and Henry now start squaring off. Henry gets rid of him and then Brian Kendrick. Matt Hardy eliminates Sylvan. Hardy it then quickly thrown out by Henry. Mysterio takes out both members of MNM and it's down to him and Henry. Mysterio hits a few dropkicks and then hits the 619. Henry overpowers Mysterio and throws him out. Angle is up now and it's really weird that he's the babyface here when Daivari is still involved here. Angle pulls down the suspenders and starts wailing on Herny. He runs off the ropes and runs into Henry and gets knocked down. Angle counters a powerslam and hits the Angle Slam. Henry backs Angle into the corner, but Angle puts a scissorlock on Henry. Henry hits a German suplex on Henry and both men are down. Again, Angle puts on the scissorlock. He eventually gets him over and he falls over with him. Henry's feet hit first and Angle is our new SmackDown champion. We get a big firework and confetti celebration. The match was pretty good for a battle royal, even if it's not my favorite way for them to crown a new champion. 

Match Rating: **3/4

This was a wrestling-heavy show and featured a rare two matches that lasted over 20 minutes. I appreciate the focus and we now have two new champions crowned on the show as we build for Royal Rumble. I wish I would have enjoyed the matches a little better, and I'm sure some did, but this was a decent show overall. 

Overall Rating: 55%

Off The Grid, Volume 6: Starrcade 1988: True Gritt Review

Monday, December 26th, 1988
Norfolk Scope
Norfolk, Virginia

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Off The Grid, Volume 6:

NWA United States Tag Team Championship Match 

Kevin Sullivan & Steve Williams vs. The Fantastics

I don't care how many good tag teams you have, I am not a fan of having two tag team titles. The Fantastics use quick tags to try to slow down Sullivan. In comes Williams and he shows off his strength with a military press. Rogers ducks Sullivan and he goes flying over the top rope. The Fantastics try to use their fast-paced offense, but eventually Williams has enough. There have been a lot of sloppy spots in this match, most of which include Sullivan. Rogers runs into the boot of Sullivan, but is able to slam Sullivan off the top rope. Rogers goes for the splash, but Sullivan gets his knees up. They cut the ring in half and continue to work on Rogers. Fulton has hardly done anything here so far. Rogers finally makes the hot tag to Fulton. Fulton hits a Thesz Press, but Williams drops him on the top rope with a hot shot and we have new champions. There was some good action here, but it felt so disjointed and didn't really tell any type of story for a 15 minute match. 

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

The Midnight Express vs. The Original Midnight Express

We get some annoying overdubbed music and Cornette's version of the Midnights clear the ring to start. Babyface Cornette says he is going to kick Dangerously's butt. After a ton of shenanigans, we are finally getting going here. For some reason they keep going to the ringside camera because apparently they think we enjoy having the rope in the middle of the frame. Eaton hits a top rope elbow drop on Condrey. Eaton hits a nice bulldog as they continue to dominate. Eaton truly was one of the best American workers of the 80s/90s. The Originals finally get some offense in and it allows Dangerously to get in a cheap shot. Randy Rose just screams generic southern wrestler to me. The Originals miss with the Rocket Launcher and Lane gets the hot tag. Man, I love Teddy Long, but he is not a good referee. Dangerously comes in and hits Lane with his phone and Cornette chases him out. Long sees the phone and plays to the crowd to ask if they used it. Lane and Eaton hit Double Goozle and get the victory. Immediately after the match the losers attack, including Cornette stomping away at Cornette. Eaton gets the racket and the crowd goes nuts, but the terrible production team doesn't show it until after it's pretty much done. This was better than the opener, but again it was disjointed. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

Magnum TA is back with Steve Williams, Kevin Sullivan and Mike Rotunda. This is...not a good interview.

The Russian Assassins vs. Ivan Koloff & Junkyard Dog

JYD is one of those guys that I never really have seen any of his stuff when he was in his prime. I'm not really sure why you would put three tag team matches in a row to start the show. Koloff hits a variation of a chokeslam for a 2 count. #2 clubs away at Koloff, but runs into a boot. Koloff looks really old here. JYD misses with a falling headbutt and the Assassins take advantage. JYD ducks a second rope ax handle, but Long is distracted and misses the pin attempt. JYD moves out of the way for the Russian Missile and tags in Koloff. There's an awksard collision and then Koloff hits a clothesline. Paul Jones puts a foreign object in the mask of one of the Assassin outside the ring and he hits it right in front of Long and he allows him just to come in and pin him. This is why you don't see any wrestling company have the same referee do every match. This was simply terrible. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

NWA Television Championship Match

Rick Steiner vs. Mike Rotunda

Kevin Sullivan is hanging above the ring in the shark cage. I just heard the announcement for 5 minutes into the match, so I guess I probably should start typing something. We get a lot of mat wrestling to start and Steiner biting Rotunda's butt. This feels like a bad house show match, so it's only fitting that it's on their biggest show of the year. The closest thing to action we have here is Rotunda avoids Steiner and throws him out of the ring. Rotunda follows up by dropping Steiner on the fence outside the ring. Steiner finally fights back and hits a clothesline. I will say that Steiner is definitely over here. Dr. Death makes his way out as Steiner hits a back body drop. Steiner hits a powerslam for a 2 count. Steiner hits a belly-to-belly suplex and the bell rings as he goes for the pin. Dr. Death was ringing it. A second referee comes own to try and figure out what to do. Sullivan is out of the cage and is yelling at the refs. Steiner rolls Rotunda into Sullivan and Steiner gets the pin and a huge pop from the crowd. This match was terrible and they could have easily cut it in half. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

United States Championship Match

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Barry Windham 

Two top tier wrestlers here. Windham hits a back suplex, but Bam Bam no sells it and Windham rolls out of the ring. I'm still not really sure why Bam Bam's first stint in WWF didn't end up with him being a main event guy. Lots of stalling here from Windham. Bam Bam hits a military press into a powerslam and again Windham is out of the ring. Bam Bam hits a standing dropkick and this time Windham is over the top rope and to the floor. Windham finally gets some offense in and now he throws Bam Bam out of the ring. Bam Bam sells his knee on the fall. On the way back in, Bam Bam knocks him down and launches himself over the rope and onto Windham. Bam Bam goes up top, but misses with the flying headbutt. Windham hits a big lariat. He hits a dropkick and if you're following along at home here, he too falls to the outside. Back in the ring, Windham puts the claw on and then hits a body slam. Windham now goes up top, but he misses with the elbow drop. Windham leaps at Bam Bam and both men fall out of the ring. Seriously, they must have had a bet with someone backstage to go out of the ring as many times as possible. Windham is able to roll back into the ring and Bam Bam is counted out. This is about as disappointing of a match that these two were probably capable of in 1988. There was hardly any action due to stalling and sitting outside the ring. If you go that route, you better have a good finish and instead they came up with a lazy countout. 

Match Rating: *3/4

Rick Steiner is back with Magnum TA and he cuts a pretty lame promo straight out of public access TV. 

NWA World Tag Team Championship Match

Sting & Dusty Rhodes vs. Road Warriors

They start brawling as soon as the Road Warriors hit the ring and Sting and Rhodes get the better of it. The officials keep them apart so that they can make the announcements. Sting gets the better of Hawk in the early going and gets that strong John Cena type pop for everything. Sting hits a top rope dive to the floor on Animal and he's all fired up. Dusty is tagged in and he slams Animal's leg on the post. The Warriors are able to stop the momentum though and go to work on Rhodes. Hot tag to Sting and he hits a modified bulldog on Animal. He follows it up with a dropkick and a Stinger Splash. He locks in the Scorpion Deathlock, but Hawk immediately breaks it up. Stings hits a splash off the top rope and goes for the pin but Paul Ellering pulls the ref out of the ring and we have a disqualification . Two absolute garbage finishes in a row here. Sting and Rhodes celebrate after the ring. This was another disappointing match. 

Match Rating: **1/2

NWA World Heavyweight Championship Match

Lex Luger vs. Ric Flair

Early on, Flair does his normal routine and ends up being clotheslined and out to the floor. Luger hits a press slam and then goes to work on the arm. Flair eventually gets a thumb to the eye and this of course leads to us being explained that it doesn't matter how big and strong you are. Luger no sells the chops and Flair tries to escape. So Luger just casually grabs Flair from behind and goes to work on the arm again. Flair regains control and they once again spill outside. Flair's chops this time are effective and he smashes Luger on the rail. Luger fights back and puts Flair in the sleeper hold right in the middle of the ring. Flair escapes but then Luger hits a superplex for a nearfall. Luger slaps on the Figure Four right around the 20 minute mark. Flair is able to drag his way over to the ropes to break the hold. Luger accidentally hits the referee with his elbow in one of the weaker looking accidents I can think of. Flair throws him over the top rope, which should be a DQ, but there is no referee. Luger hits a top rope crossbody for another close call. After a distraction from JJ Dillon, Flair trips up Luger and then hits him with a chair to the knees. Flair naturally goes to work on the knees of Luger. Flair slaps on the Figure Four, but Luger reverses it and the hold is broken. Flair goes up top and Luger is able to slam him, but is struggling to follow it up. Luger hits a sunset flip for another 2 count. Flair hits a running forearm and Luger just stands there. Luger hits some more fists in the corner and then a clothesline, but Flair then fairly easily kicks out. Luger's was really pretty limited here. He puts Flair up in the Torture Rack, but his legs buckle. Flair falls on top and uses the ropes and gets the victory over Luger. Luger bounces right back up to argue with the referee and his leg appears to miraculously be healed. I know they always said that Flair could have a 4 star match with a broomstick, but that was not the case for me here. Luger gave a good effort, but it just wasn't compelling enough for me to be anything other than slightly above average. 

Match Rating: **3/4

The announcers try to sell us on the fact that Luger is still such a threat. Meanwhile, you can hear them announce the Bunkhouse Stampede battle royal, which isn't even show on the pay-per-view. 

We go to Ric Flair backstage and he's hyping up how good the action is here in NWA. Meanwhile JJ Dillon is wiping his ear and looking at what's on his finger. Again, you can hear the ring announcer talking about the Bunkhouse Stampede. 

This was not a bad show, but it felt like a chore to sit through. There was nothing compelling here or worth going out of your way to see. The Windham/Bigelow match was a really big disappointment for me, as was the Tag Team Championship match. Flair vs. Luger is very overrated, especially since they got plenty of time to tear down the house. The booking here was also really poor and the event felt more like a time filler rather than a signature event.

Overall Rating: 50%

TLC 2020 Review

Sunday, December 20th, 2020
Tropicana Field   
St. Petersburg, Florida

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(Triple Threat) TLC Match For The WWE Championship

AJ Styles vs. Drew McIntyre (vs. Miz)

It's so hard not to wonder what McIntyre's run would be like with people in the stands. Good lord, the camerawork is nauseating here to start off. McIntyre destroys Styles in the early going. The action spills outside and McIntyre even does it right in front of Omos, who just stands there. McIntyre tries his first ladder climb, but Styles hits him with a chair. McIntyre reverses a reversal and turns it into a slingshot into a chair in the corner. McIntyre counters a Styles Clash into a Future Shock and both men are down. They remind us that there is still another TLC match and I still can't believe that they think that is a good idea. McIntyre takes a ladder and suplexes it on Styles. Styles is able to lock on the Calf Crusher. Styles now uses the chair to beat on McIntyre's leg and then locks in the Calf Crusher again, this time with his leg in the chair. Styles is going for a leap to the outside, but McIntyre is able to toss a chair at him. Back in the ring, McIntyre throws Styles onto a ladder and then tosses Stles over the ropes and onto a table. In runs the Miz and he hits a powerbomb on McIntyre through a table. Morrison hands the briefcase to the referee and this is now a triple threat. In comes Omos, who take Miz out and then chases Morrison to the back. Styles and McIntyre both start climbing the ladder and then Miz sets up a second ladder so that he can climb. Miz gets his hand on it, but McIntyre blocks it. McIntyre knocks Styles off and then Miz. Styles leaps back on before McIntyre can grab it. McIntyre gets knocked off and Miz makes his way up. McIntyre uses the second ladder to knock them both down. Styles falls to the floor and McIntyre hits a Claymore Kick on Miz. McIntyre climbs the ladder and retains his championship. This was a hard fought match and the Miz cashed in added a nice wrinkle to the story. This was far from a classic, but it was still a good way to start the show. 

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

Paul Heyman is with Kayla Braxton and it's actually a pretty boring promo, which is rare. 

WWE Women's Championship Match

Carmella vs. Sasha Banks

Sasha is able to quickly slow down Carmella and then hits an arm drag off the apron. Reginald catches Carmella before she hits the floor and then holds her up so that she can hit a headscissors. Sasha fights back and hits a Meteora. They work their way to the apron and Carmella counters and pulls Sasha on her back to the apron. Carmella hits a superkick, but it goes nowhere for her. Sasha hits a Frog Splash, but Carmella is able to kick out. Carmella hits an X Factor and that one looked convincing. We get a few quick pin attempts from both women, none of which are successful. Reginald pulls Carmella out of the ring, so Sasha hits a Meteora on him. This allows Carmella to take advantage, but Sasha still kicks out. Banks puts the Bank Statement out of nowhere and Carmella taps. This was another hard working match here tonight. It wasn't anything memorable, but it was one of the better Carmella matches that I can recall off hand. 

Match Rating: ***

Raw Tag Team Championship Match

Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin vs. New Day

New Day comes out hot and Xavier Woods hits a top rope leg drop for an early 2 count. It's really good to see Shelton still out here in a meaningful match. I am enjoying just watching these two teams go back and forth here. Cedric is really underrated too. Shelton catches Kofi during the Boom Drop and puts him on his shoulders. Kofi rolls out of the way of a leaping Alexander and hits the SOS for a 2 count. Cedric and Kofi have a nice segment full of reversals and now all four men are in the ring. Shelton hits Paydirt on Woods and then gets a kick to the face from Kofi. Alexander tags in himself while Shelton is waiting for Kofi to get up and Shelton hits the Lumbar Check for the victory. This was all action from start to finish and hard not to enjoy. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

Sami Zayn cuts a promo to show that he continues to be one of the highlights of 2020.

WWE Women's Tag Team Championship Match

Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax vs. Asuka & Charlotte Flair

Asuka and Baszler start things off, but after Asuka avoids a stomp to the arm, Charlotte wants in and she quickly shows off that she is back. It eventually ends up back to being Baszler and Asuka again and Baszler works on Asuka's arm. Charlotte gets a hot tag as Ric Flair looks on backstage. Charlotte hits the moonsault from the top rope to the floor on both opponents. She rolls Jax back in but Jax hits a Samoan Drop. Asuka hit a blind tag and hits a missile dropkick. Charlotte gets the Figure Eight on, but it's broken up by Jax. Charlotte hits Natural Selection and we have new champions. I'm not sure I understand the booking here. Not only just having Charlotte and Asuka win, but having back-to-back tag team championships change hand. This was decent, but basically a TV match. I will say that it is definitely nice to have Charlotte back. 

Match Rating: **

Sami Zayn, R-Truth and Big E have some words backstage. 

TLC Match For The Universal Championship

Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens

Owens comes out of nowhere and attacks Reigns as he is watching the title belt being hung above the ring. Owens hits a cannonball in the ring and then another outside the ring. Owens hits a splash off the apron to the floor. Jey Uso runs into the ring and Owens greets him with a superkick. Uso tries to sneak up again, but Owens swats away his superkick attempt with a chair. Owens then stomps on his ankle and officials are out to look at him. Reigns then comes out of nowhere with the Drive By. Reigns brings him in the ring and starts using the ladders on Owens. He moves onto the chair now and Owens does a nice spot where he tries to fight it off. This is what separates a guy like Kevin Owens from so many of the current performers. Reigns hits a back body drop onto two propped up chairs. We get our first climb of the match and Owens drills him with a chair in the back. Owens makes his way up, but Uso is back and stops him at the top of the ladder. Owens tries to fight him off, but Reigns comes in and hits Owens with a Superman punch. Owens makes a comeback and hits a Stunner on Reigns. Owens hits a variation of the pop up powerbomb on Uso through the announce table. Owens climbs the ladder, but Reigns runs up to bring the attempt to a halt. Reigns then hits a powerbomb on the ladder. Reigns then throws Owens through a table and tosses a chair on him. Reigns then hits a Samoan drop through another table for the exclamation point. Owens plays the underdog who just won't quit, so Reigns hits a Spear on him through another table. Owens still will not quit. Reigns charges him for another Spear, but this time he moves out of the way and Reigns makes the barricade explode. Owens gets his fingers on the title, but Reigns pulls him down and throws him into the ladder. Owens hits two superkicks and goes for the pop up powerbomb, but Reigns counters with a Superman punch. Reigns goes off the ropes and Owens hits a pop up powerbomb this time and it's through a table. He has both hands on the title and Uso again breaks it up. Owens gives him a Stunner for his troubles and climbs again. Reigns get there just in time and hits a low blow. He puts in the guillotine and Owens drops to the mat allowing Reigns to grab the title and win the match. They really worked a smart match here and I thought this was significantly better than the opener. I know everyone is praising Reigns with his new heel persona, but Owens was absolutely terrific here. 

Match Rating: ****

Firefly Inferno Match

Randy Orton vs. The Fiend

Someone really just hates me to put this match on this show. Who in the company saw their other matches a few years ago and was like "yeah, we need more of this". At least their aren't worms on the ring this time. The Fiend no sells because his character makes no sense and then goes on attack. He hits Sister Abigail and then makes a bunch of fire appear all around the ThunderDome. I'm not sure what Orton thought all these magical boxes and assorted things that weren't there before this match were going to do. I don't know guys, I'm already having a hard time focusing on this stuff. Orton's sitting in a rocking chair and Wyatt lights a stream of gasoline, but Orton gets out of the way and the chair just gets lit on fire. Orton starts using the steel steps to attack Wyatt. Orton goes to a steel chain and starts using that on him. Wyatt lights a piece of wood, but Orton avoids him and hits the DDT off the apron. Wyatt locks the Mandible Claw on, but Orton pushes him into the fire and it lights his jacket on fire. They get in the ring and he hits a RKO, which should be the end of the match. Orton then dumps gasoline on Wyatt and sets him completely on fire and Orton poses to end the show. This sucked as bad as you thought it would. There was enough ring action to keep it out of the 0 range, but barely. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Well, this was a really good show if you can just stop it right after Reigns' victory. The Reigns/Owens match was great and the Hurt Business/New Day was really well worked. Everything else was entertaining with the exception of the garbage to close out the show. Hopefully this is the end of the Fiend character for a long time, but it won't be. 

Overall Rating: 79%

Monday Night Raw 1-9-06 Review

Monday, January 2nd, 2006
Giant Center
Hershey, Pennsylvania

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After a long recap of New Year's Revolution, John Cena is here to kick off the show. He goes on about how people hate him, but he loves his fans. He also states that he is going to cash in his rematch clause tonight. Edge's music hits, but it's just Lita holding the WWE Championship. Lita of course lets us know that Cena is not getting his shot tonight. She references the live sex celebration and makes a few jabs at Cena. Cena fires back in a very non-PG way. 

WWE Women's Championship Match

Trish Stratus vs. Ashley

Mickie James is in the ring and gets on the mic as Trish is heading down to tell the crowd that Trish deserves a better ovation and tries to get the crowd behind her. Ashley has the Audioslave entrance music here on the Network. I am guessing they missed that one. We surprisingly get some mat wrestling from both ladies here to begin. Ashley catches Trish and slams her face-first. In runs Mickie James and she attacks Ashley for the disqualification. Trish then confronts her and asks her what she is doing. Lilian Garcia messes up and announces Trish as the winner, but corrects herself. This only existed to further the Trish/Mickie story. 

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

We get a hype video for Rob Van Dam and it announces that he will be in the Royal Rumble. I like it better when something like that is a surprise. 

Vince McMahon confronts John Cena about his match at the Royal Rumble against Edge. He then asks that he not interrupt the live sex celebration. 

Chris Masters is mad at Carlito for what happened at New Year's Revolution. 

Royal Rumble Qualifying Match

Rob Conway vs. Chavo Guerrero

Conway sends Chavo over the top rope, but Chavo skins the cat. On his way up, Conway knocks him down and off to the floor. Chavo makes a comeback and launches himself over the top and to the floor onto Conway. Chavo hits the Three Amigos and then hits the Frog Splash for the win. This was just to get Chavo an easy victory. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels are arguing about the Elimination Chamber last night. They have to team up tonight against Carlito and Chris Masters. 

Shelton Benjamin is walking around the building with his mom. Val Venis is casually folding his towel in the middle of the production area. Shelton's mama thinks he's seen him in movies before, which leads to him rambling off some of his films. Shelton's mom says that he's going to hell and it's happening tonight. 

Carlito & Chris Masters vs. Kurt Angle & Shawn Michaels

Carlito and Masters attack Michaels and Angle, who were arguing. After the melee, Michaels and Carlito start things off. He and then Angle both have their way with Carlito in the early going. Carlito gets a boot up on Angle, but Angle just levels him with a clothesline. Michaels is tagged in and he ducks down too early, eats a kick to the face and in comes Masters. Michaels plays possum and tags in Angle. Masters hits a nice powerslam and signals for the Master Lock. He tries to apply it, but Angle counters it into a German suplex. Angle gets thrown into the ring post and then Michaels gets dumped outside as well. They begin to argue again as we head into the commercial break. Angle makes his comeback on Carlito and they both make tags. Michaels explodes with a leaping forearm and an inverted atomic drop. He dumps Carlito out of the ring and hits the elbow drop on Masters. Michaels signals for Sweet Chin Music, but Carlito trips him up behind the referee's back and uses the ring post to knock him down. Carlito tags in and hits a big dropkick. Michaels cut from last night begins to bleed again. Carlito hits the Backstabber, but is unable to capitalize. Michaels tries to make a tag, but Angle walks to the opposite corner, while Masters is tagged in by Carlito. Michaels is able to hit a DDT and again crawls to tag in Michaels. Angle talks to Daivari instead. Michaels throws Angle in the ring and hits Sweet Chin Music on him. Masters puts the Master Lock on Angle, while Michaels waives and leaves him in the ring. Daivari tries to stop him, so he gets a Sweet Chin Music to go with it. Angle doesn't submit, but the referee calls the match. This was a solid TV tag match that had the benefit of being able to tell a story that has been going on for months. It also gives them the opportunity to say that Carlito and Masters both defeated Angle and Michaels as they continue to build both of them up. 

Match Rating: **3/4

Vince McMahon approaches Michaels on his way back to the locker room area. McMahon says that Michaels leaving Angle is the real Michaels. Vince lets him know that he will be taking on Angle next week. 

Triple H is backstage with Todd Grisham. He says their whole world has been shaken up with Edge beating the unbeatable Cena. However, the one constant around here is him. Triple H says that he is going to win the Royal Rumble and win the WWE Champion at WrestleMania. Mark his words. 

Torrie Wilson, Candice Michelle and Victoria are getting the bed ready for Lita and Edge. 

They show an exclusive interview after New Year's Revolution. This is where he announced the celebration for tonight. What a time to be alive. 

Royal Rumble Qualifying Match

Shelton Benjamin vs. Val Venis

Shelton attacks Venis as he is throwing his towel to the audience. What a treat for the lucky lady in the first row. The action spills outside and Shelton hides behind his mom and gets back in the ring. He hits Val with a knee lift as he's getting back in. When will wrestlers learn? Val makes a valiant comeback and hits a big spinebuster. He heads up top for the Money Shot, but Shelton rolls out of the way. After a little bit of awkward action, Shelton leaps up to the second rope and Val rolls him up into a powerbomb type move. Shelton's mom stabs Val with a hair pin behind the referee's back and Shelton hits the Exploder suplex for the victory. The match was decent, the mom story was still lame. 

Match Rating: *

Royal Rumble Qualifying Match

Snitsky vs. Kane

Snitsky gets no entrance and attacks Kane upon arrival. Kane no sells a boot and hits a side slam. Kane hits a chokeslam and that is all for poor Snitsky. After the match Kane cuts a promo about winning the Rumble. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Edge is shown arriving and being greeted by Lita. 

Well, they're here now for the live sex celebration. I always block out how much they still tried to be the Attitude Era in 2006. They start undressing each other and then head into the bed in the middle of the ring. I can only imagine what is going through the minds of these two as this is going on. Obviously this was going to get interrupted, but it's not Cena. Instead it's Ric Flair and he's entering as only he can. He knocks Edge out of the ring, but Edge nails him with a chair and he is busted open. Edge then hits a one man conchairto on him. Cena finally comes in to make the save. A little late there, John. Lita is still in the bed. Cena puts Lita up and hits the FU on her and Edge does nothing to stop it. Not one of these things would happen in present day and in this case, that is absolutely a good thing. This was an absolute failed experiment. 

After a strong start to 2006, this episode was anything but that. They tried something different and it failed miserably. The tag team match was the lone highlight of the show, as the rest just felt rushed and unnecessary. 

Overall Rating: 41%

NXT 11-6-13 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, November 6th, 2013
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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They show a WWE.com exclusive of Sylvester Lefort confronting Lana, who is speaking Russian. 

Sylvester Lefort vs. Alexander Rusev

Lana introduces him here tonight. Rusev immediately smashes him and locks in the Accolade and that is all. Really. I would have preferred at least a big power move first to help put him over as a monster a little more, but I guess this works.

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

Charlotte and Bayley are backstage and in walks Summer Rae and Sasha Banks. They give Bayley a new headband. Charlotte isn't buying it, but they try to get Bayley to join their clique. 

El Local vs. Leo Kruger

Local tries to attack Kruger, but he gets hit with a big spinebuster instead. Kruger hits a big running lariat and three snap suplexes. On the third one he rolls into a guillotine and that is all. It's looking like this will be one of the fast paced editions of NXT. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show footage of Emma and Paige arguing last week after Emma accidentally hit Paige. 

Travis Tyler & Troy McClain vs. The Ascension

I guess we're going to get a third squash here tonight. The Ascension hit their usual power stuff before quickly hitting their finisher and ending it. Again, not much to write about here. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Tye Dillinger vs. Mojo Rawley

Dillinger actually gets in some offense here as he quickly shows that he isn't just some jobber. Alex Riley lets us know that the NXT Universe is going to love Rawley. Sure. Rawley's offense is really...something. He wins with a weak looking squash like Earthquake. Not good. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Luke Harper vs. Kassius Ohno

Looks like the big fellas are going to get some time here tonight. We get some stiff looking action to begin. Harper slows it down for a little bit, which he had a habit of doing in the early Wyatt days. Ohno fights back with a forearm and a diving kick through the ropes. Ohno flips over the ropes and Harper greets him with a boot, sending him to the floor. Harper slows it down again and once again Ohno fights back. Ohno hits a somersault neckbreaker, but it's not enough to put Harper away. Ohno hits the KO, but Harper kicks out. Harper then hits the discus lariat and gets the victory. This was again disappointing, but far from bad. I just was hoping for something a little different. 

Match Rating: **

As you could probably tell from my review, I wasn't really into this episode here. This was just a bunch of nothing and it led to a disappointing main event for me. However, NXT has still been on a roll and I'm willing to bet that next week will be back up to the standard they have set in 2013. 

Overall Rating: 38%

SummerSlam 1993 Review

Monday, August 30th, 1993
Palace Of Auburn Hills
Auburn Hills, Michigan

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I still will never understand why you would run a pay-per-view this late in the summer on a Monday night. 

Ted DiBiase vs. Razor Ramon

This of course is DiBiase's last WWF match and it certainly is an interesting choice for an opener. DiBiase attacks Razor before he gets his vest off. Razor quickly fights him off and hits the fall away slam. DiBiase baits Razor and throws him into the middle turnbuckle. I will say that in going back and watching this era of WWF, my appreciation for Scott Hall has grown. Razor fights out of the chinlock, but gets a knee to the midsection for his efforts. DiBiase hits the vertical suplex and signals for the Million Dollar Dream. Razor is able to block it and hits a clothesline. DiBiase is able to get Razor out of the ring and then exposes the top turnbuckle. Razor is able to counter DiBiase's attempt and hits the Razor's Edge for the victory. That was kind of a weird finish for this match. This was perfectly acceptable. 

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

Todd Pettengill interviews the Steiner Brothers mom and sister, but is interrupted by Jim Cornette's introduction of the Heavenly Bodies.

WWF Tag Team Championship Match

Heavenly Bodies vs. Steiner Brothers

The Steiners get the Detroit billing despite actually being from a city 115 miles north of there. We get another match with an attack before the bell. The Steiners end up getting the better of the Bodies of course and Cornette is flipping out. Scott body presses Prichard and tags in his brother. Rick clotheslines both Prichard and Del Ray. Scott greets the both with inverted atomic drops, but as a result of an illegal double team, Prichard hits a nice bulldog. Del Ray hits a cannonball off the apron, which Heenan calls a moonsault. That was a rare miss by the WWF production crew. Del Ray hits a DDT and hits a superkick. Del Ray was so good. Cornette gets a cheap shot in with the tennis racket. Del Ray goes for a DDT again, but this time Scott turns it into a suplex. Prichard cuts off the tag attempt, but is greeted with a double underhook powerbomb. This time Rick gets the hot tag and hits a top rope bulldog on Del Ray. Prichard dumps Scott over the top rope and it distracts the ref, allowing them to use a tennis racket shot for a nearfall. Del Ray misses the moonsault and hits Prichard instead. Scott hits the Frankensteiner on Del Ray and gets the victory to a huge pop. This was two great tag teams putting on a really good match here. Both of these teams deserved better runs. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

Shawn Michaels and Diesel are here and Michaels says that tonight he is going to prove that he's the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time. 

Intercontinental Championship Match 

Shawn Michaels vs. Mr. Perfect

This one always gets mentioned when people talk about the most disappointing matches. They go back and forth a little bit to begin. Perfect hits a big clothesline on Michaels and goes to work on the arm. Perfect baits Michaels off the top rope and counters it with a hip toss. Perfect then catapults Michaels over the top rope and to the floor. Diesel distracts Perfect when he goes outside and eats some Sweet Chin Music when he turns around. Michaels goes to work on the back of Perfect. Perfect quickens the pace and hits a dropkick. Perfect hits the Perfect Plex, but Diesel pulls him out of the ring. Perfect gets some shots in on Diseel and then hits Michaels in the midsection as he jumps off the apron. This allows Disesel to attack him, which causes Earl Hebner to call for the bell. Perfect attacks both men, but Diesel knocks him out with a right hand. Pettengill interviews Michaels in the aisle and Michaels says that he proved he is the greatest Intercontinental Champion. Perfect runs to the back. I'm not really sure why you book this match if that's the finish you come up with. This actually was the first 2/3rd of a really good match and then it ended with what you would expect from a TV main event. We all knew Diesel was going to cheat, but make it clever and not a disqualification. 

Match Rating: ***

1-2-3 Kid is here for a promo and gee whiz, he's so nervous. 

IRS vs. 1-2-3 Kid

Kid hits a spin kick and that's way too fast paced for IRS, so he has to stall a little bit. IRS pops up Kid and slams him face first. He goes for it a second time, but this time Kid hits a dropkick out of it. Kid gets a roll up and almost steals the victory. Kid fights back again and hits a moonsault for a 2 count. IRS seems like he's not on the same page with Kid. RS hits a big clothesline and that's...it? That certainly was an anti-climatic finish. 

Match Rating: **

Owen and Bruce Hart are interviewed giving us an update on their parents. 

Bret Hart vs. Jerry Lawler Doink

Jerry Lawler comes out on crutches and cuts a promo saying that his Detroit made car and an old lady causing him to have a car accident. He announces that his court jester will be delivering a beating to Bret instead of him. Doink throws a bucket of confetti into the crowd. From there he throws another bucket at Bruce Hart, but this time it's water. Bret comes out and attacks Doink from behind and we are underway. Bruce and Owen go over the barricade and try to get involved. Bret continues to beat down on Doink in a one sided affair thus far. Eventually Lawler is able to distract Bret and Doink capitalizes by slamming him into the steps. He brings it back in the ring and works on Bret with some submission holds. Doink goes up top for the Whoopee Cushion, but Bret gets his knees up. Bret puts on the Sharpshooter, but in comes Lawler, who the proceeds to smash Bret with his crutch. The match never really got going and the story here felt a little forced. 

Match Rating: **

As Lawler and Doink are headed to the back, Jack Tunney comes out and gets into it with Lawler. Bret tries to go after Lawler and Tunney tells the Fink to announce that Lawler will have to retire if he doesn't fight Bret tonight. 

Bret Hart vs. Jerry Lawler

Bret gets him back to the ring and we have begun. This one starts off similarly to it's predecessor. Lawler uses his crutch, well, as a crutch. He slides Bret balls-first into the ring post and hits Bret in the throat with the crutch. Bret's able to get away with a low blow and now Bret takes his straps down. Bret uses Lawler's piledriver and follows it up from the second rope. Bret locks in the Sharpshooter and Lawler submits. However, Bret refuses to release the hold. Numerous officials try break it up and after several minutes, he finally lets go. Fink announces that Lawler is the King of the Ring as a result of the disqualification. Bret eventually is finally able to get to Lawler and Bruce and Owen join in on the attack. Bret gets the standing ovation as he and his brothers stand in the ring together. I liked this match and more importantly story than the Doink match. 

Match Rating: **1/2

Ludvig Borga is here to insult America. 

Marty Jannetty vs. Ludvig Borga

This is pretty much the bathroom break match, which is a shame because Marty was putting in good work at this time. Borga hits a nice pop up toss and punches him in the gut on the way down. Borga misses a splash in the corner, but gets squashed before he can make a comeback. Marty tries to body slam Borga, but instead Borga takes his head off with a clothesline. Jannetty gets two superkicks in, but Borga catches his second rope crossbody and slams him to the mat. Borga puts Jannetty in the Torture Rack and that is all. Man, that was a big time squash there. Jannetty did everything he could to make Borga look here. His move set was solid for a big man at this time, but he couldn't be much less interesting. That and he's a racist. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Rest In Peace Match

Giant Gonzalez vs. Undertaker

Yes, this feud actually lasted all the way up until SummerSlam. The only positive that I can come up with on this feud is that I do enjoy seeing Undertaker work as the clear smaller man. Taker comes out of the gate strong, but it eventually leads to Gonzalez manhandling him. This is pretty much exactly what you would expect between these two. Gonzalez throws him into the steps and then we get a pause in the action. Taker struggles into the ring and is reaching for the urn, but Harvey Wippleman teases him with it. Out of nowhere, a bell rings and out comes Paul Bearer with a black wreath. Bearer hits a clothesline on Wippleman and grabs the urn. This all gets a pop, but a pretty mild one. Bearer raises the urn and eventually Undertaker sits up. Taker makes his comeback and hits a second rope clothesline for the finish. What a terrible storyline. After the match Wippleman slaps Gonzalez and eats a chokeslam for his troubles. We still also have no clue what a Rest In Peace Match is. There is nothing good that you can say about this match. 

Match Rating: 0 Stars

Interview time with Jim Cornette, Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji. Cornette goes on a rant about his Heavenly Bodies match earlier. 

Smoking Gunns & Tatanka vs. Headshrinkers & Bam Bam Bigelow

Bam Bam and Tatanka start things off and eventually collide with a double crossbody. Billy Gunn comes in and hits a couple of odd looking moves before getting a double headbutt. Billy then seemingly mistimes his jump when being tossed on the ropes. He seems a little off here. The heels then cut the ring in half on Bart. He finally makes the hot tag to Tatanka and he hits a top rope crossbody on Bam Bam for a 2 count. Samu is in and he hits a splash for a nearfall. The match breaks down and Tatanka eats a splash from Bam Bam. They then hit a triple headbutt. They try the triple headbutt off the top rope, but all three miss. The Gunns hit splashes on the outside and Tatanka gets a roll up for the victory. The match was decent for the most part, but the last minute or two were a lot of fun. 

Match Rating: **1/2

They are with Hank Carter, the driver of the Lex Express. They then interview a guy in the crowd whose mom made his patriotic outfit. 

Before the match, we get the Japanese national anthem and then Macho Man come out with Aaron Neville. 

WWF Championship Match

Yokozuna vs. Lex Luger

Fuji sneaks behind Luger in an attempt to distract him, but Luger isn't having it. Luger gets hit with a back elbow, but avoids the big leg drop and starts going after Yoko's leg. In a weird spot, Fuji goes to throw salt at Luger, but he kind of blocks it but it just looks like Fuji purposely missed instead. Either way, the distraction works and Yoko is still in control. I'm not sure why they gave Bret such a short match at WrestleMania, but felt that Luger was the guy to give him an almost 20 minute match. Yoko squashes Luger into the post outside, but misses with the chair. They've already kind of lost the crowd here. Luger goes up to the top rope and hits a double ax handle. It's not enough to knock him down, so he hits a top rope forearm shot and almost pulls off the victory. They both hit a clothesline and are both down and out. Fuji hands Yoko the bucket and he uses it on Luger behind Earl Hebner's back. Yoko is slow to cover and Luger is able to kick out. Yoko hits a belly-to-belly suplex, but again is slow to cover. Yoko now puts on the dreaded trapezius hold and this match is still going on. Luger gets out, but goes for a body slam and Yoko falls on him for another close call. Yoko follows it up with a legdrop and again Luger kicks out. Yoko misses the Banzai Drop and the crowd is waking up. There is no doubt that move is over with the fans. Yoko misses in the corner and Luger hits the big body slam. Luger hits the illegal forearm on Yoko, knocking him out of the ring. Yoko gets counted out and Luger celebrates like he won the Super Bowl. Tatanka, Randy Savage and the Steiners come into the ring to celebrate. I guess when you book yourself into a corner, this is the result you come up with. I will say that both guys did work hard here despite their limitations. They were just stuck with one of the lamest endings to a main event in WWF history in a year that already. 

Match Rating: *1/2

They show a cheesy music video of Luger's journey and then go to the locker room. Borga comes in and confronts Luger to close out the show. 

I have to say I remembered liking this show a lot more than I did this time around. The show started off well, with the tag team match being the highlight of the show. Unfortunately from there the show dragged and we ended up with an unsatisfying conclusion. Yokozuna was definitely the right guy to hold the title at this time, but it was a weird collision of them trying to build the next Hulk Hogan and keeping the monster heel champion. It just didn't work. 

Overall Rating: 54%

New Year's Revolution 2006 Review

Sunday, January 8th, 2006
Pepsi Arena
Albany, New York

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As is often the case, the WWE production team nails the intro to the show by putting over the Elimination Chamber. Kudos also goes to the team who designed the set for the show.

Intercontinental Championship Match

Edge vs. Ric Flair

I guess this match is for the title? Edge attacks Flair as he is putting down his title and goes right on the attack. Edge uses a Lita distraction to hit a clothesline outside the ring. You can tell Edge is excited to be out here tonight working with Flair. Well, that and possibly another reason. The action once again goes outside the ring and Edge leaps off the apron, but is greeted with a chop from Flair. Flair then crotches Edge on the barricade outside the ring. Flair goes to the top rope and Flair is able to fight off both Edge and Lita, allowing him to actually hit an overhead chop off the top. Flair goes for the Figure Four, but Lita gets up on the apron. Edge comes from behind, but Flair sends him flying over the top rope. He throws Lita in and puts her in the Figure Four after some gyrations. In comes Edge and nails Flair in the head with the Money In The Bank briefcase. Flair is busted open and the bell is ringing for the disqualification. That match was actually quite a lot of fun. It was on the shorter side, allowing Flair to keep up a brisker pace. 

Match Rating: *** (out of 5)

Todd Grisham is with Kurt Angle and Daivari. Angle says a bunch of controversial statements like he would like to make Jesus tap out. His point is that no matter what he says, the fans still cheer him because he's the best wrestler. 

They go back to Flair who is still trying to get out of the ring. 

WWE Women's Championship Match

Trish Stratus vs. Mickie James

Although there were some flaws to the story, it was so nice to have a well built women's match during this era. They have a miscue with a Mick-canrana into a powerbomb and Trish rolls out of the ring. That could have been dangerous. Mickie opens the ropes for Trish to come back in. Things start getting heated with some big forearms. Mickie gets some boots to the face and after some counters to their big moves, Trish hits a big kick to the head. Trish misses with a leaping kick through the ropes and lands hard on the mat. Mickie gets her hands on the belt and thinks about using it before giving it back to Lilian Garcia. Back in the ring, Trish hits a Lou Thesz Press and a series of right hands. Trish hits the Stratusphere and a spinebuster for a 2 count. Trish seems to be having issues with holding Mickie up when they go again, this time with Mickie hitting a Stratusfaction. Trish is able to kick out and hits the Mick Kick for the victory. The majority of the match was very entertaining, but the two miscues were a little distracting. Either way, they worked hard and had a good story to work with. 

Match Rating: **1/2

Maria interviewst herself backstage until Gregory Helms walks in and says he's going to send Jerry Lawler to the hospital. Then Shelton Benjamin walks in with his mom telling him that everything is going to change. 

Edge then tells Lita to deal with WWE Instant Access because he has bigger things on his mind. 

Jerry Lawler vs. Gregory Helms

Helms tries to show off his new aggressive streak, but Lawler keeps getting the best of him to start. Lawler even throws in a Hurricane pose for good measure. Helms is able to gain control and works on Lawler for awhile. After blocking Lawler's counter, he clotheslines Lawler over the top rope and sends him into the ring post. Helms joins the announce team like the Rock. Back in the ring, Helms hits a missile dropkick, but Lawler avoids a charge in the corner. The strap is down and the fists start coming from Lawler. With such a light backstory coming in, the crowd is not really into this until Lawler goes for the piledriver. Helms counters it, but then Lawler crotches Hurricane on the top rope. Lawler then hits a flying fist and gets the victory. There's no better way to get over a character than to have him lose to a 57 year old. 

Match Rating: **

Mickie and Trish are now in the Instant Access area and Mickie is putting the moves on Trish. 

Back to Shelton's mom and she is checking out catering and isn't impressed. In walks Viscera and you can imagine. This is all a bad dream. 

Big Show vs. Triple H

Show is of course wearing the huge cast on his right arm and Triple H is hesitant about getting in there with him. Big Show gets the early advantage and sends Triple H to the turnbuckle and over and out. Big Show drives Triple H into the post, but Triple H ducks a right hand and Show's injured hand hits the ring post. Triple H brings Show back in the ring and slams his cast into the post again. Triple H now is able to rip off the cast and drives his knee into Show's exposed hand. Triple H works the hand every way imaginable, but eats a forearm when he comes off the second rope. Show starts making his comeback, but is heavily selling the hand. Show signals for the chokeslam, but he can't get Triple H up and Show accidentally hits the referee with a fist to the face. Out comes the sledgehammer, but Show blocks it and then breaks the sledgehammer in half. Show then hits a big kick to the face. Show throws Triple H into the ring steps, but Show gets hit with a low blow. Triple H then takes a chair and smashes it on Show's hand. Show hits a desperate spear and both men are down outside the ring. Triple H hits Show with the sledgehammer and hits the Pedigree for the slow count victory. This was a smartly worked match with an easy story for the performers to tell. It added up to one of the better Big Show singles matches in some time. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

Chris Masters is working out and in walks Carlito. Carlito points out that they are the only two in the match that have not been the WWE Champion. He says that if they work together, then one of them will be first time WWE Champs. 

Shelton Benjamin vs. Viscera

Benjamin cuts a promo before and says that no one talks to his mom like that. He demands an apology, but his mom says that she doesn't need an apology and calls out Viscera. In case you are wondering, the mom angle is just as bad in 2020 as it was in 2006. Viscera embarrasses Shelton early on, but once they get back in the ring, Shelton takes out Viscera's legs. He follows up with a knee lift and then a top rope clothesline. It still makes me mad that Shelton was never really able to get over. Shelton goes for a figure four, but Viscera kicks him out of the ring. Viscera hits the Samoan drop. All the while, Shelton's mom is screaming "Do I need to get my belt?". Viscera hits an elbow drop and gets a 2 count. Viscera hits a spinning side slam and the arena is absolutely silent. Viscera does the Visagra to the disgust of Shelton's mom. Shelton fights back and gets him on the rope. His mom hits him with the purse in the head and Shelton hits a spin kick for the victory. Shelton, on behalf of all of us, we're sorry. 

Match Rating: *1/4

Vince McMahon wishes Shawn Michaels luck and reminds him that no one has ever entered first in the Elimination Chamber and won. Michaels reminds Vince that no one ever entered the Royal Rumble first and won, that no one has ever competed in a ladder match and Hell In A Cell match. Vince laughs at him and tells him that if he won tonight, it would be the first time that Hell froze over. 

Bra And Panties Gauntlet Match

Maria vs. Candice Michelle vs. Torrie Wilson vs. Victoria vs. Ashley

My recap will be super exciting here. Candice rips off Maria's top, but then Maria makes the heroic comeback and rips off both the tops and bottoms off of Candice. If the women are so embarrassed by getting stripped, why don't they wear less revealing undergarments? Torrie tries to do some wrestling, hitting a springboard handspring elbow. Jack Doan gets involved in a fun spot and it leads to Torrie being eliminated. Victoria makes quick work of Maria. Mae Young and Moolah come out next. Mae starts stripping and everyone just watches her do it. Victoria attacks her from behind and then Moolah grabs her by the hair. Mae starts stripping Victoria down. So this show aired back when I used to go to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch all of the pay-per-views. None of my friends were able to go to this show, so I was able to talk my girlfriend into attending and watching her first ever wrestling show. She somehow still ended up marrying me after this. Ashley comes in and quickly strips Victoria. This was as awful as my recap was. 

Match Rating: 0 Stars

Shelton is backstage bragging about his win at Instant Access. 

Elimination Chamber Match For The WWE Championship

Kane vs. Chris Masters vs. Carlito vs. Kurt Angle vs. John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels

Having Cena start off this year was a smart move. The field of six this year was noticeably lesser than last year's. They actually start off a little slower than you would expect and never really get much going. Carlito comes in and hits a somersault dive over the top and onto Michaels. I did not expect Carlito to be the one who brought some life to the match. Angle is the fourth man in and delivers suplexes all around. Angle throws Michaels into one of the cells and he is all bloody. Angle is able to put the Ankle Lock on Carlito, but his pep talk with Masters works out. Masters is the next man in and he makes the save. Masters goes for the Master Lock on Angle, but Angle counters and puts him in the Ankle Lock. Angle decides to go to Cena now and has him locked in. Michaels comes and hits Angle with Sweet Chin Music out of nowhere and eliminates Angle. Nearly 15 years later, that decision still surprised me. Masters and Carlito continue their partnership and in comes Kane. Kane hits chokeslams on Michaels and Cena, but when he goes for Carlito, Masters attacks from behind. They hit a double DDT on Kane, but he sits up. Masters hits the military press on Carlito onto Kane and they eliminate him? That too surprised me. I remember where this match is going, but I completely forgot that Kane only lasted a few minutes. Michaels makes his comeback and hits a top rope elbow drop on Cena. Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music on Cena, but for some reason they don't let him pin Cena. They double team Michaels and he is eliminated. They keep the double team going and Masters locks in the Master Lock on a bloody Cena. Carlito hits a low blow on Masters and eliminates him. Cena returns the favor and escapes with the victory. Before we get on to what is next, this was actually quite a bit better than I remembered it being. The outcome was obvious, but with what happens next, it made it all worth it. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

As soon as the match is over, Vince McMahon's music hits and tells the crowd to not go anywhere. He raises the cage and lets everyone know that Edge is cashing in his Money In The Bank contract. 

WWE Championship Match

John Cena vs. Edge

Cena is struggling to get to his feet and the bell rings. Edge goes right after Cena with blows to the head, but Cena kicks out of the pin attempts. Edge hits the Spear and again Cena kicks out. Edge hits another Spear and we have a new WWE Champion. This is obviously one of the most historic moments of my lifetime for WWE and it definitely got people talking. I didn't agree where they went with it, but you couldn't have ended a pay-per-view much better than that. 

Match Rating: *

What looked to be a throwaway show, ended up being pretty entertaining. Obviously a lot of that was due to the surprise ending, but the Elimination Chamber definitely delivered here as well. Big Show had one of his better singles matches and the opener was fun. There were some really low spots, but not enough to really spoil it. 

Overall Rating: 71%

The Best Of WWE: 2005

Now that I have completed watching every episode of Raw, SmackDown and pay-per-view for 2005, here is a quick rundown of my favorite matches and shows of the year. 

Top 48 WWE Matches Of 2005

***1/2

48. MNM vs. Rey Mysterio & Batista - SmackDown 12-30-05

47. John Cena vs. Chris Masters vs. Kurt Angle - Monday Night Raw 11-28-05

46. Rey Mysterio & Batista vs. MNM - SmackDown 12-16-05

45. Edge vs. Matt Hardy - Monday Night Raw 8-29-05

44. Randy Orton vs. Undertaker - SummerSlam

43. Randy Orton, Batista, Bobby Lashley, Rey Mysterio & JBL vs. Shawn Michaels, Big Show, Kane, Calrito & Chris Masters - Survivor Series

42. John Cena vs. Chris Jericho - Monday Night Raw 8-22-05

41. Undertaker vs. Randy Orton - WrestleMania 21

40. Randy Orton vs. Christian - Monday Night Raw 2-14-05

39. Triple H vs. Randy Orton - Royal Rumble 

38. Edge vs. Matt Hardy - Monday Night Raw 10-3-05 (Homecoming)

37. Booker T vs. Christian - Great American Bash

36. Kurt Angle vs. Ric Flair - Monday Night Raw 6-27-05

35. Rey Mysterio vs. Chavo Guerrero - SmackDown 1-20-05

34. Lance Storm vs. Chris Jericho - One Night Stand

33. Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho & Chris Benoit vs. Edge, Christian & Tyson Tomko - Monday Night Raw 1-24-05

32. Super Crazy vs. Tajiri vs. Nunzio - One Night Stand

31. Kurt Angle vs. John Cena - Unforgiven

30. Batista vs. Triple H - Vengeance

***3/4

29. Ric Flair vs. Triple H - Taboo Tuesday

28. Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero - Judgment Day

27. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels - Monday Night Raw 10-3-05 (Homecoming)

26. John Cena vs. Chris Jericho - SummerSlam

25. Booker T vs. Christian vs. JBL vs. Rey Mysterio - SmackDown 10-14-05

24. Shawn Michaels, Big Show, Matt Hardy & John Cena vs. Kurt Angle, Snitsky, Chris Masters & Edge - Monday Night Raw 9-19-05

23. Rey Mysterio & Matt Hardy vs. JBL & Christian - SmackDown 11-4-05

22. Shawn Michaels vs. Edge - Monday Night Raw 2-28-05

21. JBL vs. Big Show vs. Kurt Angle - Royal Rumble

20. Mike Awesome vs. Masato Tanaka - One Night Stand

19. Triple H vs. Ric Flair - Survivor Series

18. Undertaker vs. Randy Orton - Armageddon

****

17. Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle - Vengeance

16. Hulk Hogan vs. Shawn Michaels - SummerSlam

15. Royal Rumble (Batista Victory) - Royal Rumble

14. Randy Orton & Shawn Michaels vs. Edge & Christian - Monday Night Raw 2-21-05

13. John Cena vs. Christian vs. Chris Jericho - Vengeance

12. Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero - WrestleMania 21

11. John Cena vs. JBL - Judgment Day 

10. Triple H vs. Chris Benoit - Monday Night Raw 3-14-05

9. Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero - SmackDown 1-6-05

8. Shawn Michaels vs. Shelton Benjamin - Monday Night Raw 5-2-05

7. Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero - SummerSlam

6. Shelton Benjamin vs. Chris Jericho - Backlash

****1/4

5. Triple H vs. Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit vs. Batista vs. Randy Orton vs. Edge - New Year's Revolution

****1/2

4. Matt Hardy vs. Edge - Unforgiven

3. John Cena vs. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels - Taboo Tuesday

****3/4

2. Edge vs. Chris Jericho vs. Christian vs. Chris Benoit vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Kane - WrestleMania 21

*****

1. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania 21

Top 20 Shows Of The Year

20. Unforgiven - 69%

19. SmackDown 10-21-05 - 70%

18. SmackDown 10-14-05 - 70%

17. Monday Night Raw 6-13-05 - 70%

16. Monday Night Raw 8-15-05 - 70%

15. Monday Night Raw 4-4-05 - 70%

14. Monday Night Raw 5-2-05 - 71%

13. Survivor Series - 71%

12. Monday Night Raw 3-21-05 - 72%

11. Judgment Day - 72%

10. SmackDown 1-27-05 - 73%

9. Taboo Tuesday - 75%

8. Backlash - 75%

7. SmackDown 5-5-05 - 78%

6. Monday Night Raw 3-14-05 - 80%

5. Vengeance - 80%

4. One Night Stand - 82%

3. SummerSlam - 88%

2. Royal Rumble - 90%

1. WrestleMania 21 - 92%

NXT TakeOver: WarGames 2020 Review

Sunday, December 6th, 2020
WWE Performance Center    
Orlando, Florida

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We get the awesome Black Sabbath introduction to kick things off. 

WarGames Match

Toni Storm, Dakota Kai, Raquel Gonzalez & Candice LeRae vs. Ember Moon, Rhea Ripley, Io Shirai & Shotzi Blackheart

Dakota Kai and Ember Moon start things off. They start off a little bit sluggish as far as WarGames matches go. Kai takes control as the clock hits zero and Blackheart comes in. She goes right under the ring and grabs a toolbox and a crowbar. It's a nice change to have the faces get the advantage. After Blackheart destroys Kai for awhile, Kai is able to take out Blackheart and focus back on Moon. Blackheart hits a missile dropkick off the shoulders of Moon as the countdown begins and Gonzalez enters. They attack her as soon as she enters, but Gonzalez is able to hold her own. In comes Rhea Ripley and it's a nice change, as Ripley's offense is a little bit more suited for this type of match. Ripley goes over to the toolbox and pulls out a mini sledge and uses it on Kai. With all of the other women down, Ripley and Gonzalez start brawling as the clock counts down again. Toni Storm is on her way down and she goes under the ring for some kendo sticks. Storm immediately takes off the top turnbuckle and then hits Ripley with the kendo stick. Things have now picked up nicely after a mediocre start. Blackheart and Kai climb to the top ropes, but the other women all meet them there and we get a double top rope moves in each ring. Gonzalez kicks Shirai out of the ring as she tries to get in and Storm ties the door shut so she can't come in. Shirai tries to climb in, but she is kicked off the cage. Down comes LeRae and Shirai is attacked from behind by Indi Hartwell. LeRae goes for a pinfall attempt in the ring, but the referee won't allow it because Shirai is not in the match. Shirai is now on the top of the cage and puts a garbage can on herself and hits the dive. That was certainly memorable. Shirai picks up the mini sledgehammer and goes to work. She gets an assist by Ripley to hit a DDT. Shirai looks fantastic here. Shirai hits a moonsault and almost pulls off the victory. We get some more chaos here. Kai hits a double stomp off the top rope on Shirai, who was placed once again in the trash can. Moon hits a top rope Eclipse on Kai onto two chairs in a crazy spot, but the count gets broken up by Storm. Storm then hits Storm Zero on the trash can and this one too gets broken up. Blackheart and LeRae are up on a ladder and Blackheart knocks her off on a chair. Blackheart leaps on her and in kind of a weird spot, LeRae visibly was grabbing and moving the chair around. Shirai hits a moonsault, but a spear from Storm on Ripley breaks up the pin. Ripley gets sent flying into the cage in a somewhat scary looking way. Shirai tries to hit a top rope hurricanrana, but Gonzalez blocks it and powerbombs her through the ladder for the victory. I certainly didn't see Gonzalez getting the pin here. After a disappointing start, this match was really cooking once Shirai entered. Shirai and Ripley were especially impressive in there tonight. Good start to the show. 

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

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Timothy Thatcher

Both men come out quickly, making me think the women's match ran a little long. They go right to the mat as you would imagine here. Thatcher aggressively goes after the throat of Ciampa and the ref checks on him before letting them go at it again. Thatcher continues the assault and he very much reminds me of heel Ciampa. Ciampa battles back with a series of a ton of clotheslines in a fun spot. Ciampa hits a superplex and gets a nearfall. After a double throat thrust by Thatcher, he goes for the Guillotine. Ciampa uses his ring awareness and drives both of them through the ropes and to the floor. Back in the ring, Ciampa hits a running knee lift and puts on one of the most convincing chinlocks that I have ever seen. Thatcher, who is bleeding from his ear, breaks out of the hold and takes it out on Ciampa. Ciampa tries to fight back, but Thatcher pulls Ciampa's throat into the top rope. Ciampa has Thatcher in a Guillotine in the ropes and then hits a devastating DDT and gets the pinfall victory. Both men sell their injuries after what was a fantastic match. 

Match Rating: ****1/4

Stap Match

Dexter Lumis vs. Cameron Grimes

Grimes brought his own strap and after some debate, the referee allows them to use it. Grimes attacks Lumis before he can even get the strap on. Grimes takes the attack outside the ring. The match hasn't officially started yet since Lumis doesn't have the strap on. Back in the ring, Lumis is able to regain control and he puts on the strap. Grimes does what he can to escape but he can't because, you know, he is strapped to him. Grimes tries to scale the outside cage, but it of course doesn't work either. Grimes is able to dump Lumis over the barricade and it allows him to catch his breath. Lumis creeps over barricade, but Grimes hits a kick to the head and then pulls him over with the strap. Grimes takes the bag containing the other strap and puts it over the head of Lumis before hitting him with the second strap. Lumis is able to hit a blindfolded spinebuster, but pulled into the steel corner for the cage. After some kicks off the apron by Grimes, Lumis pulls Grimes off the apron and to the floor. Grimes is able to hit a German suplex into the turnbuckle to slow Lumis down. Grimes brings in the chair and uses it on the back with repeated shots. Lumis fights back and puts the Silence on and puts the strap over the face of Grimes and he taps out. This was an entertaining bout, but not up to the level of the previous two matches.

Match Rating: ***1/4

A vulture is shown and I am guessing Karrion Kross is returning soon. 

Triple Threat Match For The North American Championship

Damian Priest vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Leon Ruff

Gargano tries isolating Ruff and trying to score a quick victory before Priest can get back in the ring. Ruff gets a little bit of time to show off his athleticism before being thrown out by Priest. Ruff hits a missile dropkick and then he and Gargano team up to once again dump Priest out of the ring. Gargano hits a dive to the outside and tells Ruff to do the same, but Gargano hits a dive into the ring on Ruff in a great segment. Priest then throws Ruff with a Razor's Edge through one of the barricades, knocking it down and Ruff is checked on by multiple officials. Priest shows remorse, which allows Gargano to attack from behind. He hits a tornado DDT off the ring ramp and taunts Ruff as he heads to the back. After a series of counters, Priest is able to hit a spinning heel kick. Gargano is able to hit a Sliced Bread for a nearfall. We get yet another fast paced back-and-forth between the two that ends with Priest hitting a big clothesline. The pace thus far has been frantic. Ruff comes back in and leaps off Priest's back to hit a clothesline on Gargano. Ruff hits a somersault dive off the top rope to the outside on both opponents. Ruff hits a springboard Diamond Cutter for another close call. Ruff eats a big boot from Priest and he then hits a double flatliner on both men. Gargano counters the Razor's Edge by throwing Priest into the ring post and then throws Ruff into Priest. Gargano ties up Priest in the bottom two ropes and Ruff almost defeats Garagano the same way he won the title in the first place. Ruff misses a Frog Splash and he gets put in the Garagano Escape, but Priest is able to break the hold. Priest hits a top rope spinning heel kick. Ruff avoids a splash in the corner and hits two clotheslines to no effect. Gargano hits a kick to Ruff as he is going off the ropes. Out comes a trio of men dressed up in the Scream masks. Priest fights them off and hits a springboard somersault dive and then leaps over to another group on the other side. He hits a chokeslam on Gargano on the apron. Ruff hits a Frog Splash on Gargano, but Priest is just barely able to break up the pin. After two spinning kicks to the head of Gargano, Priest goes for the Reckoning, but another ghost face hits him from behind. Gargano hits a superkick on Ruff and then One Final Beat to recapture the North American Championship. Shenanigans aside, the pace of this match was absolutely unbelievable. Gargano continues to be Mr. TakeOver while Ruff and Priest both had tremendous outings. This might just be my favorite match of 2020. After the match is over, the main ghost face is Austin Theory. 

Match Rating: ****3/4

WarGames Match

Undisputed Era vs. Pat McAfee, Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch

Kyle O'Reilly and Dunne are starting things off. We get some aggressive mat wrestling from these two. Oney Lorcan is in next and they quickly destroy O'Reilly. O'Reilly fights for his life and hits a top rope knee to Lorcan. He is immediately greeted with a missile dropkick to the knee courtesy of Dunne. In comes Fish to the rescue. O'Reilly and Fish remind us all of just how awesome of a team they are and then hit a double leg strike to Dunne. Danny Burch is in next and he brings a cricket bat into the ring. O'Reilly is able to roll Burch into a heel hook and Burch taps. Of course that doesn't matter since all of the competitors aren't in the ring yet. Dunne breaks the hold and Burch destroys the back of O'Reilly. Roderick is next to come in and he immediately is greeted by the tag team champs, but Strong explodes with a double clothesline. Strong reminds us all why he is one of the most underrated performers on the roster until he is thrown into the cage by Lorcan. McAfee enters the match to give his team the last advantage of the evening. He grabs a bunch of tables with all of the names of the Undisputed Era's names on it. It's a good thing that no one in the first match decided to use those. McAfee hits a moonsault and puts Strong through the table. Adam Cole is in and uses a steel chair to help even the odds. Dunne and Cole go at it and then O'Reilly baits McAfee. That allows Cole to hit him in the back with a chair and then everything breaks into a huge brawl. McAfee slaps on the Figure Four on Cole while the other six men brawl in the other ring. Cole reverses the hold until Dunne saves his partner. The Undisputed Era hits a powerbomb on Dunne onto the body of Burch onto a table but it doesn't break. They hit a splash that finally breaks it. Cole then sends McAfee flying and through a table. They set all three of the others between the ropes and cage and just destroy one after the other. This leaves just McAfee and he tries to escape. The Undisputed Era catches him and attack him repeatedly. Dunne comes in and saves McAfee and completely turn the tide. Cole hits a leaping neckbreaker off the top rope on Dunne and Strong hits a superplex on McAfee. This leads to yet another brawl, but McAfee is on the top of the cage and he hits a swanton to take everyone down. I definitely did not expect this match to last as long as it has. DUnne hits the Bitter End on O'Reilly, but he is able to kick out. O'Reilly hits a suplex on the middle steel portion of the ring for yet another nearfall. McAfee knocks O'Reilly off the top rope with a chair to the knee. Cole gets the chair away, but McAfee hits a low blow. Burch gets driven into the table. Cole hits a superkick on a leaping McAfee. Cole hits a Panama Sunrise on McAfee, but he kicks out. I'm not sure I agree with that one. Things get absolutely insane and too hard for me to even recap. O'Reilly scales the top rope and hits a knee into a chair on the face of Lorcan and the Undisputed Era get the victory. The cardio of the Undisputed Era is pretty much unmatched and it showed here tonight. This was a great main event that played to the strengths of the eight competitors. 

Match Rating: ****

Without a doubt in my mind, this was far and away the best wrestling show that I have seen in the COVID era. Actually, it's not even close. This was up to par with many of the best NXT TakeOvers and the show that WWE needed so desperately. Every match delivered tonight and hats off to everyone involved. This is a must watch.

Overall Rating: 96%

NXT 10-30-13 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, October 30th, 2013
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. Alexander Rusev & Sylvester Lefort

Amore's schtick is now 100% over with the audience. Cass and Rusev start things off and Rusev gets the early advantage. Rusev destroys Enzo and then also takes out his partner as well. He immediately puts Cass in the Accolade for the easy victory. As his music hits, Lana is up on the ramp and Rusev walks back with her. That certainly put Rusev over convincingly. 

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

Aiden English vs. Jason Jordan

English nails his entrance as always and we get a Jason Jordan spotting here. I love that English is surprisingly aggressive in the ring. English hits the Director's Cut for another quick victory tonight.The crowd wants an encore and English delivers it. He even gets roses thrown into the ring. Why was he not a bigger thing in NXT? 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show Neville from last week getting medical attention after the attack from Corey Graves.

Summer Rae vs. Paige

Paige tosses Summer across the ring with her hair and Summer seeks the comfort of Sasha, who is at ringside. Sasha gets involved and he sends Sasha to the back. Summer uses a sweeping kick and knocks Paige off the apron and to the mat. Summer works on the leg for a bit, but Paige mounts a comeback and hits the Paige Turner out of nowhere. What is up with the quick matches tonight? After the match, Sasha comes back and attacks Paige. Emma comes down and makes the save, but then accidentally hits Paige with a right hand. Paige isn't happy as she heads to the back. 

Match Rating: *1/2

Tyler Breeze says he is going to send CJ Parker back to where he belongs. 

Luke Harper gets a promo ahead of his match with Kassius Ohno next week. We also will get Rusev vs. Lefort.

Tyler Breeze vs. CJ Parker

Parker hits a delayed vertical suplex and Breeze is in trouble early on. Parker misses in the corner and a seated Breeze pulls him down to a powerbomb-like fall for Parker. Breeze goes up top, but Parker slams him off the top. Parker tries to get a bunch of shots to the face, but Breeze does his best to block them. Parker hits him with a high kick and gets a 2 count. Meanwhile, the crowd chants "Let's go Breeze!". Breeze misses with the Beauty Shot and Parker hits a Third Eye and gets the surprising victory. Parker gets out the scissors after the match, but Breeze is able to roll out before he's able to cut any of his hair. This was a decent enough main event. 

Match Rating: **1/4

This show was a super quick episode that was entertaining, but lacked substance. With that being said, the show also featured three of the most entertaining characters they have and it made for a decent watch even if there was nothing worth going out of your way to see. 

Overall Rating: 58%

SummerSlam Spectacular 1993 Review

Original Airdate: Sunday, August 22nd, 1993
Mid-Hudson Civic Center
Poughkeepsie, New York

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So good to have Gorilla Monsoon here.

Yokozuna vs. Jim Duggan

They were really too lazy to take down the Raw signs? Duggan brings it to Yoko right off the bat. He grabs the 2 x 4 and acts surprised when the referee takes it away. Yoko attacks him from behind and then Fuji gets in on the action with a cheap shot behind the ref's back. Duggan tries to fight back again, but Yoko takes him down and hits the big leg drop. Duggan tries for a body slam, but it's too much and Yoko gets a nearfall into the commercial break. Duggan bites his way out of a bear hug, but Yoko remains in control. Duggan avoids the splash in the corner and gets him off his feet with a trio of clotheslines. The small crowd in Poughkeepsie is loving this. Fuji trips Duggan behind the ref's back and Yoko splashes him from behind. Yoko hits the Banzai Drop and that is all. Credit to Duggan to having a pretty decent match here with Yoko. This was an entertaining enough start to the show. After the match, Yoko goes for another Banzai Drop, but referees pull Duggan out of the ring. 

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

We go backstage to Vince McMahon, who is with Jim Cornette. He greets Yokozuna on his arrival and Cornette lets us know what Yoko is going to do to Luger at SummerSlam. 

We then get a video package on the Razor Ramon/Ted DiBiase feud. 

Blake Beverly vs. Razor Ramon

We get a little bit of stalling to start. Beverly is able to dump Razor over the top rope and then rips off the top turnbuckle pad behind the referee's back. I have to say, I didn't see that one coming in this match. Beverly sends the back of Razor into the exposed steel in the corner and then hits a powerslam. Razor is able to reverse Beverly into the exposed turnbuckle and then immediately gets him up for the Razor's Edge and gets the victory. I definitely did not expect Beverly to get that much offense in here, but it was a pretty good mid-90s TV match

Match Rating: **

Jerry Lawler is with an Elvis impersonator for a kind of lame promo. Bret then fires back with a fired up promo about destroying Lawler in front of his family at the SummerSlam. 

Smoking Gunns & Tatanka vs. Barry Horowitz, Reno Riggins & Brooklyn Brawler

This is quite the all star trio of jobbers here. The Smoking Gunns were such a better tag team than the New Age Outlaws ever were. It's just that the gimmick was lame. The jobbers get in some offense on Billy and it's way longer than you would ever expect. Even Gorilla is calling out the team ahead of their big match at SummerSlam. Tatanka finally gets the hot tag and takes care of all three opponents. The Gunns are in there and hit a double dropkick. Tatanka hits a top rope crossbody and gets the victory. That's two matches in a row where I am shocked at how much offense the underdog got. 

Match Rating: *1/4

Mean Gene is now in the ring for an interview with Undertaker. He refers to his fans as the Creatures of the Night. This has to be the early stages of that expression. He says that he will possess the soul of Giant Gonzalez. Out comes Gonzalez and Harvey Wippleman. Gonzalez tells him that this time, he won't get up. Taker gets ready for a fight and Gonzalez gets out of the ring. 

Intercontinental Championship Match 

Shawn Michaels vs. Bob Backlund

After some showboating by Shawn, Backlund gets in a burst of offense that causes Michaels to roll out of the ring. When we come back from commercial break, Michaels is back in control. Backlund gets in a little bit more offense, but then Shawn rolls up Backlund for the victory? I can't believe I am saying this about a Michaels match, but this was boring. 1993 Backlund was not good. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Vince McMahon is back with Ludvig Borga. He says that he is here to bring pain.

Duane Gill vs. Marty Jannetty

Jim Ross reminds us that Gill is not in the same league as Borga. He's right, Gill is much better. Marty looks sharp here as usual and hits a nice second rope flip into a Stunner. He then hits an elbow drop and gets the victory. That was probably one of my favorite squash matches of 1993. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Mean Gene is here for the SummerSlam Report. 

Steel Cage Match For The WWF Tag Team Championships

Money Inc. vs. Steiner Brothers

This is the most excited I have ever been to watch an IRS match ever. This match is chaos in a good way. God bless Gorilla Monsoon for calling out the logic of teammates not climbing out of the cage when the other is being chased up. IRS hits a big superplex on Scott into a commercial break. These types of matches are nearly impossible to recap. Both IRS and Scott are able to escape the ring, but both teammates need to escape to win. IRS decides to go back in the ring to stop Rick from climbing out. Scott comes back in by hitting a double ax handle off the top of the cage. We come back from a second commercial break and Scott is once again out of the cage. He again realizes that it's a not a great idea and climbs back in. IRS again is out of the ring and DiBiase is on his way out as well. Scott pulls DiBiase back in and they put him in the tree of woe. Both Steiners start climbing out in one corner, but IRS gets back in the ring and is able to slow them down. Scott hits a double clothesline as his brother is able to escape the cage. DiBiase is now out, but Rick has IRS on his shoulders. Scott is able to escape before DiBiase can get him off and the place comes unglued. This was so different and just an absolute blast to watch. Only WWF could find a way to not do anything with the Steiners. 

Match Rating: ****

Randy Savage and Men On A Mission rap us out with their dedication to Lex Luger and it is 100% as terrible as you would expect. Amazing.

This was a one match show, but what a match it was. There was nothing like this match in 1993 WWF and it was a breath of fresh air. With the exception of the Michaels/Backlund match, everything was an easy watch and the show as a whole gets a thumbs up. 

Overall Rating: 73%