Royal Rumble 2021 Review

Sunday, January 31st, 2021
Tropicana Field
St. Petersburg, Florida

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WWE Championship Match

Goldberg vs. Drew McIntyre

McIntyre pushes Goldberg immediately and then hits him with a Spear. Out of the ring they go and Goldberg throws McIntyre into the steps and then Spears him through the barricade. McIntyre is selling the ribs and once he gets back in the ring, he kicks a charging Goldberg and hits the Claymore Kick. 1...2..he kicks out. Goldberg recovers and hits 2 Spears, but McIntyre kicks out. Goldberg hits the Jackhammer and again McIntyre kicks out. Goldberg trying to act shocked is amusing. McIntyre avoids a Spear and hits him with another Claymore Kick this time for the victory. That followed the new standard of Goldberg matches and probably all for the better. There were a lot of people thinking McIntyre was going to lose, but I think this was the only call here. This was entertaining overall, but too short to really go too high on it. After the match, Goldberg tells McIntyre that he passed the test and they shake hands. 

Match Rating: **

SmackDown Women's Championship Match

Carmella vs. Sasha Banks

Sasha goes right for the Bank Statement, but Carmella is able to roll out of the ring. Sasha trips up Reggie off the apron, but then Carmella capitalizes. She leaps off his back to deliver a clothesline on the announce table. Carmella slows things down and puts on a rear chinlock. She goes for a handstand hurricanrana off the top rope, but Sasha blocks it and hits the Meteora. Carmella trips up Banks and she hits her throat on the second rope. Sasha fights back and hits another variation of the double knees and hits two of the Three Amigos. Carmella is able to throw Sasha out of the ring, but Reggie catches her and Sasha hits him with a headscissor. The referee sends Reggie to the locker room and in comes a diving Carmella. That landing did not look great for Carmella. Ouch. She's up quickly though and rolls Sasha in for a 2 count. Sasha goes for the Frog Splash, but Carmella gets her knees up. Carmella puts on Code Of Silence. Sasha is out and again goes up top, but Carmella hits her with a superkick for another nearfall. Sasha is able to put on the Bank Statement in the center of the ring and Carmella taps. They got a lot more time than the opener, but felt disjointed and the chemistry just wasn't there for me. 

Match Rating: **

Big E is talking with Xavier Woods and they are doing their thing. Here comes Sami and he does his thing. Kofi scares him from behind and New Day talks up them winning tonight. 

Bad Bunny performs his song "Booker T" and I think I was better off when I had no clue who he was. 

Women's Royal Rumble Match

Bayley is #1 and Naomi makes her return at #2. Bayley lets Naomi hit some of here offense and in comes Bianca Belair at #3. Naomi and Belair do a cool spot where they do cartwheels to counter each others moves. #4 is Billie Kay and she sits in next to the announce team instead of entering the ring. Bayley hits a double Spear in the corner and then Shotzi Blackheart is #5 and comes out in her tank. Billie offers her an 8x10, but she shoots off her tank. Blackheart hits a missile dropkick to make her entrance. These entrances are a little too fast for me. Shayna Baszler is #6 and she punches Billie's 8x10. Now #7 is Toni Storm. It seems like nothing happens in between entrances. This is a pretty solid start in terms of quality competitors. Baszler catches a Blackheart kick and drives her out of the ring for the first elimination. Jillian Hall makes her return at #8 and she's totally into Billie's offer of being Billie & Jilly. They come in and team up for a double suplex on Naomi. Ruby Riott is #9. Victoria is back at #10. This is a surprise entrant I am down with. Naomi spoils her return and knocks her through the ropes. Peyton Royce is in at #11 and she teams up with Billie. Bayley ruins it and Royce hits the Widow's Peak on her. Victoria sees it and hits the original Widow's Peak. Santana Garrett is #12 and she hits some energetic offense, but there are just too many people left in the ring right now. They are long overdue for someone to clear the ring. #13 is Liv Morgan. Meanwhile, Billie and Jilly implode and it leads to Billie eliminating Jillian. Billie Kaye is quickly eliminated by the Riott Squad. Rhea Ripley is in at #14. She sure seems like a good candidate to eliminate a bunch of people. Out goes Toni Storm. Baszler puts Victoria in the Kirifuda Clutch and drops her out of the ring. Ripley eliminates Garrett after a good effort to stay in. #15 is Charlotte Flair and her and Ripley square off. Riott is going for a German suplex on Royce off the apron, but Bayley slides underneath and powerbombs her to eliminate her. Royce is saved. #16 is Dana Brooke. Yay. Brooke hits a somersault dive onto a group of women off the top rope. Liv Morgan tries to get Bayley out with a headscissors, but this time Royce helps make the save. I like the potential of Royce and Bayley. #17 is the returning Torrie Wilson. Ripley and Brooke struggle on the apron and Ripley powerbombs her for the elimination. #18 is Ric Flair and he introduces Lacey Evans, who comes out in a purple robe like Charlotte's. Evans for some reason turns her back and Charlotte quickly attacks her. They spill to the outside and Charlotte is relentless. Charlotte is back in and tosses Royce out of the match. #19 is Mickie James, which is always a good thing. After hitting an awkward neckbreaker on Naomi, she tells Charlotte she's been waiting for this for a long time. I would be down for a pay-per-view match between these two. Nikki Cross is out at #20. I kind of forgot about her, but her and Alexa was pretty enjoyable. Charlotte seems to have forgotten about Evans pretty quickly. #21 is Alicia Fox. No thanks. Well, here comes R-Truth to maybe save it. She yells at him and he's being chased by the 24/7 gang. He fights them off and then Alicia Fox pins him to become the 24/7 Champion in the middle of the Royal Rumble. #22 is out and it's Mandy Rose. Rose hits Fox with a huge knee and tosses her out of the match. R-Truth then rolls up Fox and regains his title. #23 is Dakota Kai and I believe we have 10 entrants in the ring. Not for long though, as Evans hits the Woman's Right to eliminate Mickie. Apparently I missed Bayley getting eliminated? Out comes Carmella at #24. Dakota Kai and Rose are eliminated and Ripley is up to a total of 5 eliminations. Carmella is quickly thrown out, but Reggie catches her and puts her back in. That felt like it was slow motion. Carmella then superkicks Cross out of the match. #25 is Tamina, oh boy! She superkicks Reggie and Carmella is also eliminated. They try to sell us on Rhea and Tamina and just no. Naomi is over the ropes, but she lands on her back, with her feet not touching the ground. She grabs Belair's hair and pulls herself back in the ring. #26 is Lana who I guess hasn't been on TV since TLC. Lana tries to elminate Ripley, but Tamina comes in and attacks her instead. #27 is Alexa Bliss. She deserves so much better than this Fiend garbage. Everyone gangs up on Bliss and then things start to glitch. God, this is so stupid. While she is transforming, Ripley throws her out. #28 is Ember Moon and she hits the Eclipse on Baszler. She then almost takes Naomi's face off with a boot. She hits a double top rope Codebreaker and in comes Nia Jax at 29. We get a bunch of eliminations here and then Jax turns on Tamina after pretending to pick her over Baszler. Tamina is gone and then Jax and Baszler go at it. Jax eliminates Baszler because that's a good choice. Lana goes after Jax and then Jax chases her around the ring. Lana ducks a charging Jax and she is gone. Out comes Natalya at #30. Baszler and Jax attack her and then go back in the ring and attack the remaining competitors. Natalya and Lana embrace, which of course leads to her attacking her from behind her back and dumping her out. The final four are Natalya, Belair, Charlotte and Ripley. Bayley not being here is disappointing booking. Natalya knocks Ripley down on the apron, but she doesn't hit the ground and Belair attacks Natalya from behind to eliminate her. This is a very strong final three. Charlotte misses with a boot and Ripley dumps her over, but not out. Belair hits a cartwheel kick and she still hangs on. Belair and Ripley double team and finally knock her off. They tease being eliminated and hang from the rope. After a very nice little ending segment, Belair hits a clothesline and wins the Royal Rumble. She is interviewed and can barely even talk, as she is so emotional. Pretty cool. The match was honestly pretty mediocre, as there was no time for anything to happen. However, I really enjoyed that final segment. Both Rhea and Belair looked like stars and helped save the match.

Match Rating: ***

Miz and Morrison are knocking on Bad Bunny's locker room. They do a rap to try to convince him to do a collaboration with him. They start ripping on Booker T and of course he walks right behind them. Morrison bolts and Booker walks back into the locker room. 

We then get Peter Rosenberg becoming 24/7 Champion. I think we can retire this title. It's time. 

Last Man Standing Match For The Universal Championship

Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns

After what felt like forever, this match is finally underway. After going at it, Owens hits a pop-up powerbomb, but Reigns is up by 4 and walks out of the ring. Owens fights him outside the ring, but then eats a Spear. Reigns starts hitting Owens with the steel steps up the entrance ramp. Owens hits him with a superkick and gets a chance to recover. Owens tries to leap off the fan area, but Reigns stops him and starts using the steel chair. Reigns throws him up to the next level, but Owens hits him with another superkick. Owens starts using the chair and is targeting the legs. Reigns tries to throw Owens off, but Owens hits a Stunner. Reigns comes back with a Superman Punch and then throws Owens off and through a table. Owens is able to get up at the count of 9 and moves to the back to by some time. He is now in a backstage area where the "workout ring" is. In comes Reigns driving a golf cart and he hits Owens with it. A nice tribute to WrestleMania X-Seven there. Owens fights back and hits a splash through a table, with Reigns getting up at 9. Owens goes to the fork truck and lifts up a pallet. Up Owens goes and he hits a senton off the pallet and through Reigns on the table. Reigns is again able to get up and they are back in the main arena. Reigns hits a Spear through the screen and Owens is able to roll off the stage to get to his feet before the 10 count. Reigns tries to handcuff Owens, but Owens hits a Stunner and he handcuffs Reigns to the bottom of the stage. Reigns is able to grab the referee and throws him into the steel to stop the count. Reigns then hits a low blow on Owens. Paul Heyman helps Reigns out of the handcuffs and he puts on the Guillotine for the victory. The ending was pretty blah, but Owens definitely brought it. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

Men's Royal Rumble Match

As was previously announced, Edge is #1 and Randy Orton is #2. Edge runs up the ramp and starts brawling with Orton. They are fighting near the announce table and out comes Sami Zayn at #3. Zayn sneaks in and takes Edge out at the knee and he and Orton work together on Edge. Mustafa Ali is out at #4. If anyone could use a good run here tonight, it's Ali. He joins in and goes after Edge. The three men try to drag Edge out of the ring and in comes Jeff Hardy at #5. He saves Edge and hits Whisper In The Wind. Orton hits him with a RKO and then hits one on Zayn. Ali gets one too and then Edge hits Orton with a Spear. Edge once again goes back with Orton to the announce table. Orton goes for a RKO, but Edge counters and hits Edgecution. In comes Dolph Ziggler at 6 and apparently this is his 14th Rumble. Edge is hitting Orton with a chair while Ziggler comes in and eliminates Hardy. Edge is back in and tries to eliminate Zayn, but Ziggler hits him with a Zig Zag. Shinsuke Nakamura is next at 7 and then the return of Carlito at 8. Carlito is in significantly better shape than he ever was when he was employed by WWE. Carlito hits a Backstabber on Shinsuke. Xavier Woods is the 9th competitor and he goes right after Ali. This match could definitely use a big name here at 10. We get Big E, who looked to be the favorite back in 2020. New Day eliminates Zayn and we're already counting down again. #11 is John Morrison. Ali and Woods are both hanging from the ropes and Ali is able to eliminate Woods as Big E was trying to save him. Big E isn't having it and drives him right over the ropes and out of the match. #12 is the man that should be a huge star, but is a jobber instead. It's safe to say that Ricochet probably has had the best first 30 seconds in the Rumble match of the night so far. #13 is Elias. Elias hits Carlito with a knee and tosses him out of the match. Damian Priest is #14 and he chucks Elias out of the match. They show Orton in the back being looked at by the medical staff. Corey Graves points out that he isn't officially out of the match. In at 15 is Miz. You couldn't have Morrison in there without having Miz at some point. Miz takes his Money In The Bank briefcase and starts smashing Bad Bunny's DJ area. He then enters the ring and hits the Skull Crushing Finale on Big E. They double team Ziggler and Ricochet. Out comes Bad Bunny and that distracts Miz and Morrison and Priest eliminates them both. Somehow the cameras barely catch it, as if it wasn't the most obvious spot of the night. Bad Bunny then hits a top rope dive on both men. Riddle is in at 16 and Daniel Bryan is at 17. The ring is starting to fill up again, as Kane is in at 18. Kane hits a chokeslam on Edge and then a double one on Riddle and Shinsuke. He catches Dolph off the top rope and throws him over the ropes. He then hits a chokeslam on the apron on Ricochet and he is gone. Daniel Bryan is here and they embrace in the middle of the ring and then Kane hits him with a chokeslam. Priest then dumps out Kane, as he continues to have a featured spot here in the match. King Corbin is #19, gross. At #20, it's Otis who looks pretty good in his new ring gear. Dominik is the 21st competitor and he eliminates Corbin. The United States Champions Bobby Lashley is next at 22. He tosses Dominik over quickly and then Priest goes after him, but Lashley eliminates him. Big E and Lashley start squaring off and I would say this is one of the highlights of the match so far. At 23, Hurricane makes another surprise entrance. He goes for the double chokeslam on Big E and Lashley and it doesn't go well, as he is tossed over quickly. At #24 it's CHRISTIAN!!!!!!!! Huge pop from me. A group teams up and eliminates Lashley. Christian hits an Unprettier on Big E and he and Edge embrace. Riddle tries to team up, but they attack him. In at 25, it is AJ Styles. AJ goes for the Phenomenal Forearm on Edge, but gets hit with a Spear instead. #26 is Rey Mysterio. Styles gets saved from elimination by Omos. Omos then pulls Big E over the top rope and then throws him over the announce table. It's Sheamus time at 27 and he hits a top rope double clothesline on Edge and Sheamus. Christian then eats a Brogue Kick. Daniel Bryan then gets one as well. Mysterio goes for a 619, but Omos blocks him. Omos then eliminates Mysterio. #28 is Cesaro and it's uppercuts for everyone. A Bar reunion doesn't last long, as Sheamus gets the airplane spin and almost gets eliminated. There is some legit talent in the ring right now. Daniel Bryan gets the airplane spin next and I think I'm dizzier from all of the camera cuts. #29 is Seth Rollins to make his return. The final entrant is Braun Strowman. Strowman chucks Styles over the top rope, but again Omos makes the save. Cesaro gets Strowman up, but Strowman gets out and eliminates Cesaro and then Sheamus. Strowman goes to throw Styles out, but sees Omos and changes direction and this time Styles is gone. Edge and Christian hit a double Spear on him and everyone is down. Bryan starts to take control of the match. Riddle and Bryan start going at it and we get some great mat wrestling here. Riddle gets Bryan out and then Rollins eliminates Riddle. The (maybe) final four are Rollins, Strowman, Edge and Christian. That is of course not counting Orton. Rollins tries to team up with Strowman, but Strowman attacks him. Edge and Christian team up on him, but Strowman gets the better of them. Edge and Strowman are battling by the apron. Christian tries to help, but Rollins eliminates both Strowman and Christian. Edge then eliminates Rollins and then in comes Orton to attack him. Edge counters it and quickly throws him out to win the Royal Rumble. They're really putting this young guy over here. It was good that it was a different ending, but I wish it would have lasted a little bit longer like the women's match. I'm not quite sure that I understand the logic of Edge winning at #1 especially after Belair won at #3. The actual match portion was better than the women's, but the ending wasn't as strong. I give the slight nod to the men's tonight, but neither were top tier Rumbles.

Match Rating: ***1/4

Overall this was a pretty ho hum Royal Rumble show. Nothing was bad, but it also just felt like they crammed too much into the show. Bianca Belair definitely earned the right and I'm hoping she has a great showing at WrestleMania. Kevin Owens continues to bring it when he has a big match and always adds to the show. Overall, I would give this a slight thumbs up, but not a must see show. 

Overall Rating: 60%

Monday Night Raw 1-30-06 Review

Monday, January 30th, 2006
TD Waterhouse Centre
Orlando, Florida

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Edge is backstage to let us know that what happened at the Royal Rumble last night was a fluke. He's not waiting for WrestleMania or Saturday Night's Main Event, he is using his rematch clause tonight. 

Vince McMahon is now out to the ring to gloat about Shawn Michaels not winning the Royal Rumble. Vince admits he abused his power last night and out comes a very serious Shawn Michaels. Michaels wants to kick Vince's teeth down his throat, but he knows that he'll be fired. Michaels says that he could quit or he could go back to his partying ways, but that is never going to happen. So Michaels instead challenges Vince to a match and then mocks him for hesitating to answer him. Vince fires back and says there's no chance in hell. Vince says instead that he's inviting Shawn to commit career suicide instead and tells him to hit him in the face so that he can fire him and sue him for everything he's worth. Vince gets on his knees to beg him for it and out comes Shane McMahon and hits Shawn from behind with a chair. 

They show us an interview from during the commercial. Shane says he attacked him due to lack of respect. The McMahons then head out of the building in a limo. 

Rob Van Dam vs. Snitsky

It's kind of fun to have Joey Styles on the announce team for RVD being back. RVD hits a springboard crossbody off the second turnbuckle for a 2 count. RVD slips a little bit on his next leap to the second turnbuckle and then gets hit with a clothesline. This is already going longer than I expected, as Snitsky has pretty much been a jobber the past 6 months. Not to mention, he didn't even get a televised entrance. RVD finally hits a spinning heel kick to slow down Snitsky. Van Dam hits Rolling Thunder for a nearfall. Van Dam definitely looks pretty rusty here. He hits a Five Star Frog Splash and gets the victory. He definitely has some rust to shake off, but it's good to have him back. 

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

Shelton Benjamin and his mama are backstage and she's telling him that he almost won last night, but that's not good enough. Goldust sneaks up and starts massaging her back. She of course is freaked out by him.

Maria interviews Triple H and reminds him that he almost won last night. He said he's not buying the divine intervention of Eddie Guerrero and I guess he's going to take it out on Chavo tonight. 

Triple H vs. Chavo Guerrero

Chavo's entrance gets bumped to the commercial break. Chavo gets a fair amount of offense to start and hits a plancha to the floor. Back in the ring, Chavo charges at Triple H and a back body drop sends Chavo over the top rope and to the floor. Back from the commercial break, Chavo skins the cat, but gets nailed with a spinebuster. Triple H locks in a sleeper, but Chavo almost immediately counters out of it. Chavo hits a dropkick and both men are down. Chavo hits he Three Amigos and goes up for the Frog Splash, but Triple H crotches him. Triple H hits the Pedigree and that is all. This actually was a good little TV match. It wasn't the squash you would have expected. 

Match Rating: **1/2

Carlito is rambling on to Chris Masters, who is giving him the cold shoulder. Masters slaps him and tells him that they're cool now. 

World Tag Team Championship Match

Carlito & Chris Masters vs. Kane & Big Show

The big men come out swinging and Carlito gets the giant Big Show skillet chop. Carlito ends up hitting a Backstabber on Kane and Masters tags in to continue the attack. Masters applies the Master Lock on Kane, but Big Show breaks it with a right fist. Everything breaks loose, but it all leads to Masters once again getting the Master Lock on Kane when he leaps off the top rope. Big Show causes Masters to release the hold, but then he tries it on Show. Kane breaks up the attempt and they hit a double chokeslam for the victory. That was a lot better than I was anticipating. It had no right to be that good, but I guess I see why they felt they had something with this combination for WrestleMania. 

Match Rating: **1/4

RVD gets a backstage promo to say that he wants Carlito for going after his injured knee last night. 

Mickie James says that she is going to be celebrating Trish Stratus tonight. 

Shelton Benjamin vs. Goldust

Benjamin wheels out his mama, who also is using an oxygen tank. Shelton misses a dropkick and Goldust sends him out of the ring with a slingshot. Goldust hits an uppercut and inverted atomic drop before setting Benjamin in the corner. His mom gets up and that allows Goldust to shatter Shelton's dreams. Goldust goes out to greet his mama and when he gets back in the ring, he gets hit with a huge kick to the head. Benjamin hits the T-Bone suplex and gets the victory. That was kind of just there, but I'm always good with Benjamin on my TV.

Match Rating: *3/4

Shelton is shown wheeling his mama to the restroom and he walks up to Ric Flair, who is with the ladies. Flair calls him a mama's boy and wooooo's his way out of there. 

Mickie James is out now for Trish's celebration. She says not only did she get to tell Trish that she loves her, Trish proved that she loves her back. Trish comes down to try to tell her the truth, but Mickie interrupts and has the Spirit Squad come out. Now Ashley is coming down to join the party. Ashley says she'll set Mickie straight since Trish won't. She tells her that Trish doesn't love her and that Mickie is a psycho. Mickie breaks down and cries. Trish and Ashley start to argue a little bit, allowing Mickie to attack Ashley from behind. Mickie says she knew Trish loved her and heads to the back as Trish checks in on Ashley. 

WWE Championship Match

Edge vs. John Cena

Cena hits the first big move, which is a fisherman suplex, but Cena is quick to be back on offense. During the commercial break, Edge hit a Spear to knock Cena off the apron and threw him into the steel steps. These guys feel like they are sleepwalking compared to last night. Cena catches Edge off the top rope and hits a slam. Cena hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle and gets up Edge for the FU, but Edge escapes and pushes him to the ref. Edge hits a low blow on Cena from behind and Edge hits a Spear. Lita comes in and accidentally hits Edge with the belt and the ref rings for the bell. They DQ Cena since she hit Edge, so yeah. This was not nearly as enjoyable as their match at the Royal Rumble.

Match Rating: **1/4

This was a very spirited event (no pun intended) and the crowd was into it. There were no match of the year candidates, overall this was a fairly strong episode. Raw is officially on the road to WrestleMania, so I expect things to heat up a little bit here in February. 

Overall Rating: 68%

NXT 12-4-13 Review

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

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We get a WWE.com exclusive with Cesaro making fun of William Regal. Leo Kruger walks in and talk about a plan against Sami Zayn. 

NXT Women's Championship Match

Natalya vs. Paige

We get a nice bit of mat wrestling to start things off. Paige loses her temper and starts stomping Natalya in the corner. They hit a double crossbody and both women are down. Natalya is the first to her feet and she hits a spinning clothesline for a 2 count. Natalya puts on the Sharpshooter, but Paige is able to counter out into the turnbuckle. Paige is up and hits the Paige Turner to retain her title. I know my review doesn't show it, but they actually got a fair amount of time. Everything was crisp and technically sound almost to the point where it kind of felt like an exhibition. After the match, both ladies embrace. 

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

Lana and Rusev are backstage and in walks Tyler Breeze to thank him for his help last week. 

Mojo Rawley doesn't get hype, he stays hype. You'll never guess what happens! He gets interrupted! This time it's Scott Dawson and Sylvester Lefort. Dawson challenges Mojo to a match next week. 

Aiden English vs. ???

The enhancement talent gets interrupted by English's entrance. English hits a swinging neckbreaker and a vertical suplex. He hits Director's Cut and that is all. He performs an encore and gets roses thrown into the ring. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

As English is heading to the back, Cesaro's music hits and he is out to apologize to Byron Saxton. Cesaro bullies him and makes him say "We the people". When Saxton says it with little enthusiasm, Cesaro attacks him. 

They show an interview of Sami Zayn after losing last week and he gets attacked by Leo Kruger. 

Tyson Kidd vs. Leo Kruger

This match is almost 10 months in the making, as they show when Kruger attacked a rehabbing Kidd. Kidd hits a flurry of offense to start and looks to be in great shape off the big injury. Kruger is able to get to work on the repaired knee of Kidd. Kruger locks in the Sharpshooter and out comes Sami Zayn. Kruger lets go of the hold and Kidd rolls him up for the victory. Kidd looked good in his return. 

Match Rating: *3/4

Hunico and Camacho are ready for their championship next week. 

NXT Championship Match

Adrian Neville vs. Bo Dallas

Bo tries to show off his aggressive side, but Neville is just too good and hits a leaping crossbody out of the corner. Bo of course comes back and hits a bulldog. Neville is able to roll out of the way of a second rope knee drop. He goes after Bo's knees and then hits a high flying move over the top rope onto Bo on the floor. Neville hits a top rope crossbody to Bo on the floor. Neville is able to roll back in the ring, but Bo doesn't before the 10 count. Neville wins the match via countout, but of course he does not win the title. They worked pretty well together here, but the match just wasn't long enough to justify that ending. 

Match Rating: **

This was a better than average episode, even if it lacked a really strong match. As 2013 is nearing it's end, the yellow brand has made big strides compared to 2012. They finally have some acts that the crowd cares about and it makes everything more enjoyable.

Overall Rating: 60%

Monday Night Raw 10-4-93 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, October 4th, 1993
New Haven Coliseum
New Haven, Connecticut

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Battle Royal To Determine The New Intercontinental Champion

So this match is unique in the sense that there are two winners and they are going to face each other next week to crown a new Intercontinental Champion. The only ones who get actual entrances here are Tatanka, Adam Bomb, the Quebecers, Giant Gonzalez (kind of) and Randy Savage. Savage immediately jumps off the top rope on Gonzalez, as he attempts to do us all a favor and eliminate him. He is joined by about 6 others and they eliminate Gonzalez first. Art Donovan would have a field day with this match with some of the big guys in there. Owen Hart is wearing basically his Blue Blazer tights in there in a positive note. I guess they technically weren't lying when they said Jimmy Snuka was back for one night only since this was taped the same night as his squash match that aired last week. I'm really not sure why they didn't immediately have a guy like Diesel or Bam Bam eliminate about 5 of these jobbers out of this match. Even Heenan makes a note of it, but he chalks it up to how badly everyone wants the prize. Diesel is able to get Mabel eliminated, setting the stage for their epic feud. Razor is able to get IRS eliminated and then Jacques attacks him from behind, almost sending him out. Bastion Booger chucks 1-2-3 Kid out of there. Diesel charges at Perfect, but gets back body dropped over the top rope and he is gone. Martel dumps a charging Snuka out of the ring. Abe Knuckleball Schwartz (called the MVP here) is still in there, so all is good. Bam Bam throws Perfect over the top and that is a feud I would have liked to have seen. Bam Bam ducks Tatanka's charge and he is gone. Savage throws Booger out and Razor clotheslines Bam Bam out. Owen dropkicks MVP out of there and then gets thrown out by Jacques. It's down to Adam Bomb, Rick Martel, Quebecers, Razor Ramon and Randy Savage. The heels form an alliance and the crowd is extremely into this. Savage is able to get Bomb out, but then the three remaining heels are able to get Savage out and now they zero in on Ramon. They send him off the ropes, but miss a triple dropkick when Ramon holds onto the ropes. Razor is able to dump both Quebecers and the crowd goes crazy for it. The referees try to keep Martel and Ramon apart. This was pretty long for a battle royal and despite having some good talent in there, it was pretty run of the mill. 

Match Rating: ** (out of 5)

Heavenly Bodies vs. Scott Thomas & Mark Taylor

Heenan hypes up that the Rock N Roll Express are going to be on All American Wrestling. The Bodies were really good here, using their unique double team offense to perfection. Prichard hits a second rope spinebuster, which I don't think I have ever seen. After a DDT, the Bodies get the easy victory. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

They show us a clip from Superstars where Doink and Bam Bam Bigelow had a confrontation. Doink threw a bucket of glitter on Bam Bam and then Luna got a bucket of water after she tried to stick up for her main squeeze. Bam Bam gets tripped up by Doink in the ring and then Bam Bam chases him around the ring. Doink hides under the ring while Luna throws a temper tantrum. The jobber set to face Doinnk tries to console her, but Bam Bam attacks him. While this is going on, Doink reappears and ties some string to the guard rail. He then hits Bam Bam with a broom, prompting him to chase after him and tripping on the string. 

Doink vs. Cory Student

Doink now has his babyface entrance music and even dumps a bucket of popcorn on Bobby Heenan. Vince has never looked happier. Doink hits some basic offense before hitting the Whoopee Cushion for the victory. Out comes Bam Bam and Luna. He attacks Doink's wagon and tosses it in the ring, while Doink just laughs. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Next week it will be Razor Ramon vs. Rick Martel for the Intercontinental Championship and then they show the ending of the battle royal again. 

Not only did the battle royal get about half of the episode, it also got a few extra minutes for a recap. As far as battle royals go, it was good enough for 1993 and it had a solid finish that made you want to see the match next week. Mission accomplished. The Heavenly Bodies continue to be one of the best things on WWF TV. Still, this was just a thumbs in the middle type of show. 

Overall Rating: 54%

Royal Rumble 2006 Review

Sunday, January 29th, 2006
American Airlines Arena
Miami, Florida

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Cruiserweight Open For The Cruiserweight Championship

Kid Kash vs. Funaki vs. Jamie Noble vs. Nunzio vs. Paul London vs. Gregory Helms

They announce that this match is open to any former Cruiserweight Champion, which gives them a reason for Helms to be here despite being on the Raw roster. With this being Texas Tornado rules match, this is obviously chaotic. We start off with lots of pin attempts, but the first true threat is when Nunzio hits the Sicilian Slice on Helms for a 2 count. Kid Kash shoves Funaki off the top rope and onto Noble and Kash. Paul London hits a Shooting Star Press to the outside. Helms then hits a swinging neckbreaker on London off the top rope. Kash hits Dead Level on London, but the pin attempt is broken up. Noble hits a gutbuster on Funaki and puts him in a Dragon Sleeper. Helms interrupts and throws Noble out of the ring. He hits the Shining Wizard on Funaki and we have a new Cruiserweight Championship. This was an entertaining enough opening match that gave Helms something to do. 

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

Teddy Long is backstage with Vince McMahon, but Vince sends him off and turns his attention to Victoria, Candice Michelle and Torrie. They are getting the numbers ready and in walks Randy Orton to draw his number. Orton is happy with his draw and then Triple H walks in. After a few jabs at Orton and innuendo at the ladies, Triple H isn't happy with his number. 

Mickie James confronts guest referee Trish Stratus and she tells Trish that she loves her. 

Mickie James vs. Ashley

It should be noted that the set for this show is one of the all time best. Once the action spills outside, Ashley hits a clothesline off the apron. This is already longer than I expected it to be. The action once again goes to the outside and Mickie drives Ashley into the ring post. Mickie hits a Perfect Plex for a 2 count. Ashley throws Mickie around by her hair and then gets a pin out of a crucifix for a 2 count. Trish pulls Ashley off of Mickie, who is throwing the slowest punches you will ever see. Ashley has Mickie in the corner and Mickie pulls Ashley down for a quasi-powerbomb. That actually looked like she didn't land that great there. Trish hesitates, but makes the 3 count for the Mickie victory. This was not a good match and there is no reason that should have been that long. Ashley just wasn't ready. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We're back to creepy Vince where the ladies are showing off their tattoos. It's Big Show's turn, but he can't fit his hand in to pull out a number. Show seems kind of pleased and then it's Rey Mysterio's turn. He and Show wish each other luck and Rey looks up to Eddie as if he is playing a joke on him. 

JBL vs. Boogeyman

Before the match starts, JBL throws Jillian Hall at Boogeyman. This allows JBL to attack him from behind and we are underway. JBL dumps him to the outside and throws him into the steps. JBL then starts choking him as Jillian has the referee distracted. JBL misses with the Clothesline From Hell and hits his shoulder on the ring post. Boogeyman hits a pump handle powerslam and gets the clean victory over last years WrestleMania main eventer. Not having JBL in the actual Royal Rumble match for this was a mistake. This was another not so good one and you may honestly have two of the worst matches of the year back-to-back.

Match Rating: 1/2*

Shelton's mama is here and of course followed by Shelton to draw his number and he is digging it. Melina is in there and wishes Shelton the best of luck. MNM draws and seem to be ok with their numbers. 

Royal Rumble Match

The introduction is interrupted by none other than the Spirit Squad. Because 2006. It's amazing the power Vince has over people. It isn't much of a surprise due to the backstage segment, but #1 is Triple H and #2 is Rey Mysterio. Mysterio comes out in Eddie's low rider. Mysterio dominates the beginning segment, but Triple H avoids a 619 just as the buzzer hits and clotheslines Mysterio. #3 is my personal favorite, Simon Dean. Dean comes in and starts attacking Mysterio as Triple watches. Dean almost throws out Mysterio. Mysterio gets back in and teams up with Triple H to get rid of Dean. Out comes #4 and it is Psicosis. That's fun. Psicosis tries to eliminate Mysterio up in a Razor's Edge position, but Mysterio counters with a hurricanrana that sends him out. Triple H hits a spinebuster just as #5 comes out and it's none other than Ric Flair. He and Trips go at it, but it's only for a short amount of time, as Triple H hits a back body drop to eliminate Flair. The clock counts down and now it's Triple H's current rival, Big Show. Show destroys Triple H and #7 is Jonathan Coachman. Coach tries to attack Show, but Show just pushes him right out of the ring for another quick elimination. He goes back to Triple H and hits a big military press slam. The crowd is very much into this match, so kudos to them. #8 is Lashley. He and Show stand face-to-face, but Show hits him with a big right hand. Lashley escapes a Chokeslam and hits a fireman's carry and kicks him under the ropes to the floor. #9 is Big Show's tag team partner, Kane. He and Lashley start slugging it out. He gets Kane up and hits the Dominator. That was a pretty impressive visual. #10 is Sylvan, just to remind you that he still works here. He tells Lashley that he wants to work as a team, but then he attacks Lashley when he turns around, so Lashley just throws him out. Then right behind him are both Kane and Show, who hit a double chokeslam on Lashley and then dump him over. The crowd wasn't happy with that. I think they could have given him a few more minutes in the ring there. Show and Kane start battling it out as both Triple H and Mysterio are down in opposite corners. As they are fighting, in comes Triple H and he is able to eliminate both men at the same time. #11 is Carlito and he hits a Backstabber on Mysterio. #12 is Chris Benoit and he comes and delivers chops to everyone. Carlito is the only one to escape a German suplex, but he gets put in the Crippler Crossface instead. Benoit hits a top rope headbutt on Triple H. #13 is naturally Booker T. Booker comes in, goes after Benoit and Benoit instantly tosses him out. Coach lasted 12 seconds longer than Booker. #14 is Joey Mercury. Nothing of note happens until #15 and it's the return of Tatanka. He surprisingly doesn't get much of a pop, but still looks to be in pretty good shape. Good enough that they gave him a short run after this. #16 is Johnny Nitro and he immediately gets chopped by Tatanka. We now have both members of MNM in the ring. This is the first time in the match where there are a lot of competitors at the same time. #17 is my pick to win this whole thing, Trevor Murdoch. Mysterio narrowly escapes being eliminated by Triple H. #18 is the return of Eugene. He tries to shake Murdoch's hand, but gets hit with some right hands. Eugene hulks up and hits him with an airplane spin. They both are dizzy and Mysterio hits a double bulldog on them. #19 is Animal, sporting some ugly slime green shoulder pads. #20 is the return of Rob Van Dam. When I started this blog, he was on the first SmackDown I reviewed and that was it. Glad to have him back. There are a ton of people left in the ring here. RVD barely has any room to hit any of his spots. RVD eliminates one of them, with a back body drop on Animal. #21 is Orlando Jordan, so yeah. There are still way too many people in here, where it still looks like the first few minutes of a battle royal. #22 is Chavo, who doesn't get the low rider entrance. I believe I count 12 people in there right now. Chavo hits the Three Amigos on Nitro and then goes for the Frog Splash, but Triple H tosses him out and eliminates him. #23 is Matt Hardy, who hits Side Effects on MNM. MNM dumps out Tatanka. Out at 24 is Super Crazy, who hits a flying crossbody on MNM. I'm not really sure why they felt the need to have Murdoch and Eugene in there this long. #25 is Shawn Michaels to hopefully help clear the ring. He ducks a charging Murdoch and he is finally gone. I guess my prediction was wrong. Chris Masters is the 26th entrant and Viscera is 27th. How in the world are they going to get Viscera over the top rope? I just don't see it happening. Viscera hits the Samoan drop on Hardy and then starts humping him. I obviously have no respect for myself. Viscera eliminates Hardy. Really? #28 is Shelton Benjamin and thank God his mom is there to show him which way the ring is and then leaves. Eugene is finally gone. #29 is the return of Goldust. Why are there so many people in the ring? We get to #30 and it is Randy Orton, who feels the need to run in there despite there being half the entrants still left. He quickly makes a mark though and eliminates Benoit. Masters and Carlito get the big push by eliminating Viscera. Carlito sneaks from behind and then eliminates Masters. Goldust then shatters Carlito's dreams, but then RVD hits Goldust with a kick that sorta, kinda eliminates him. Orton eliminates Jordan. The main storyline here is that Triple H and Mysterio are still in the match. MNM attempt the Snapshot on Michaels, but he is able to escape and eliminates both of them to a big pop. Shelton immediately hits a kick to the back of Michaels' head. We are now down to 7 men, make it 6 as Michaels hits Benjamin with Sweet Chin Music. Out comes Vince McMahon to distract Michaels. Shane McMahon sneaks from behind and tosses Michaels out. Michaels runs back in and escapes a Pedigree and hits Triple H with Sweet Chin Music. He then chases after Shane. RVD eliminates Carlito and we have a very strong final four with Rob Van Dam, Triple H, Rey Mysterio and Randy Orton. Each competitor goes into a corner and they start the battle. Former partners RVD and Mysterio start teaming up and hitting some of their fun double team moves. Triple H launches Mysterio up at RVD, who is seated on the top rope and eliminates RVD. Orton and Triple H form an alliance to get rid of Mysterio. Mysterio is able to hit a double DDT. Mysterio sets them up and hits a double 619. He hits a springboard senton on Orton, but eats a clothesline from Triple H. Orton and Triple H start going at it now. Triple H then gets up Mysterio for a spinebuster, but Mysterio counters it to eliminate him to a huge pop. It is down to Mysterio and Orton. Triple H grabs Mysterio out and throws him into the steel steps before tossing him back to Orton. Orton decides that it's a good idea to stall before making his move. Orton gets Mysterio up to toss him out, but Mysterio hits a hurricanrana to eliminate him and win the Royal Rumble. I know a lot of people don't like this one, but I felt that they had a lot of nice touches in the first and third acts of the match. Mysterio winning was so well deserved. Good, solid Royal Rumble match.

Match Rating: ***1/2

Mickie James interrupts Trish Stratus at WWE Instant Access.

Rey Mysterio is celebrating with Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko and Chavo Guerrero. Edge and Lita interrupt. He advises Rey not to pull a Benoit and change over to Raw to challenge for the WWE Championship. 

WWE Championship Match

John Cena vs. Edge

Cena gets this huge structure that was lowered from the ceiling to enter to the ring to. You can chalk this thing up as a gigantic waste of money. After a brawling start, Edge is able to bait Cena and throws him face-first into the turnbuckle. Cena battles back with a suplex and then Edge rolls out of the ring. Cena is right out there to bring the fight to him and it leads to Edge hiding behind Lita. Edge then Spears Cena into the stairs and rolls back in the ring. Edge then hits a baseball slide dropkick that sends Cena into the first row. Back in the ring, Edge hits a spinning heel kick for a 2 count. After throwing Cena into the steps, Edge goes up top and hits a really nice missile dropkick. That's one you don't see from Edge too much during this era. Edge goes for a superplex, but Cens is able to push him off. Cena attempts a top rope leg drop, but Edge is able to roll out of the way and gets a nearfall. Cena catches Edge up for the FU, but Edge escapes and hits him with a kick after a pin attempt. Edge once again goes up to the top rope and this time he hits a crossbody, but Cena rolls through for a 2 count. Edge misses with a Spear into the corner and hits the turnbuckle and Cena immediately hits a DDT. Both men are down. Cena ducks a clothelsine and hits a shoulder tackle and then hits his spinning powerbomb. You can't see me and Five Knuckle Shuffle, but Lita has the ref distracted for the pin attempt. Edge gets pushed into Lita and she goes flying off the apron. Cena hits the FU and the STFU to become the new WWE Champion. This was a good match, but these two would go on to have much better in their rivalry. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

Todd Grisham interviews Edge on his way back to the locker room and Edge shoves him out of the way. He leaves and Lita starts giving it to Grisham. In walks Hacksaw Jim Duggan and gives the old "Hooooooo". 

Kurt Angle is interviewed backstage and says that he can beat people in ways that haven't even been invented yet because he's Kurt Angle. 

World Heavyweight Championship Match

Mark Henry vs. Kurt Angle

I will never forget the reaction from the Buffalo Wild Wings that this was the "main event". We would soon find out why and it wouldn't make it any better. Henry dumps Angle on the top rope and down to the floor, allowing Daivari to attack him behind Charles Robinson's back. Henry again hangs Angle on the top rope and gives him a huge boot. After standing on Angle, he puts him in a bear hug. Angle is eventually able to counter it with a hip throw and then hits him with an elbow. He goes off the second rope, but Henry catches Angle. Angle rolls out and puts Henry in an Ankle Lock. Henry kicks his way out and Angle tries for the Angle Slam, but Henry Hits him with a big right arm. Angle gets out of a powerslam and hits a German suplex on him. That was impressive. Angle then hits the Angle Slam, but Henry is able to kick out. The crowd feels like it is trying to get in this match, but the pace is just so slow and this whole thing felt like such a rushed thing because of the Batista injury. Angle slaps on the Ankle Lock again and this time Henry kicks out of it, but Angle hits Robinson and knocks him down. Angle grabs a chair, but Daivari stops him. He hits Daivari with the chair and then goes after Henry. Henry catches the chair, but Angle hits him with a low blow. Angle grabs the chair and hits him with two disgusting chair shots to the exposed head of Henry. Robinson is up and Henry still kicks out. I can't take these chair shots much longer. So irresponsible to be happening in 2006. Angle unties the second turnbuckle and he trips Henry into it. He rolls up Henry, grabs the rope and gets the victory. I mean, I guess Angle is still a heel but kind of a babyface. They had no clue what to do. As soon as the match is over, Undertaker's music hits. He comes out on a chariot and he then uses his magic to make lightning bolts come out of his hands, which makes the ring collapse with Angle in it. As stupid as this was, it at least leads to something great. The match, story and ending were all rushed and was no way to end a show in my opinion. 

Match Rating: *

This show is all over the map, but unfortunately the only place it doesn't land is in "great" territory. A lot of people consider this to be one of the worst Rumble shows, and while it is down there, I think there are handful that are distinctively worse. I actually enjoyed the Rumble match, as Mysterio was long overdue for a big moment like that. The Edge/Cena match was also a good match, even if it wasn't particularly extraordinary. The rest of the show was mostly forgettable though and that is a shame because the crowd was into almost all of it. I would say thumbs in the middle for it, thanks to the Rumble match.

Overall Rating: 56%

NXT 11-27-13 Review

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

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Yoshi Tatsu vs. Antonio Cesaro

Cesaro gets into it with Byron Saxton before the match, prompting William Regal to come out and pull Saxton out of the ring. The distraction allows Tatsu to roll him up for a 2 count. Cesaro catches him during a spin kick and simply throws him down to the mat. Cesaro does an impressive Cesaro Swing. Cesaro stares down Regal as he puts Tatsu in the Neutralizer and that is all. Cesaro is ridiculous. 

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

Bo Dallas is backstage with Devin Taylor. Bo says that we're lucky to watch two youngsters give it their all for the right to face him. In walks CJ Parker. Dallas insults him by asking him when the last time he won was, so Parker challenges him to a match tonight and Dallas accepts. 

CJ Parker vs. Bo Dallas

Parker gets a quick roll up for a 2, but Bo quickly hits Parker with elbows to the side of the head. Parker makes a comeback and hits leaping knees in the corner. Parker then hits a variation of a DDT for a 2 count. Parker goes up to, but Bo falls into the ropes to knock him off. Bo hits the BoDog for the victory. That actually was going along pretty good, but just sort of abruptly ended. 

Match Rating: *

Emma is now back with Devin and says that she sustained a head injury from an attack. Paige walks in and they start bickering. 

Natalya is complaining to Paige about being rude to her. Paige calls her Hollywood for being on Total Divas. Paige challenges her to a match and Natalya gladly accepts.

Tyler Breeze vs. Kassius Ohno

As Ohno is walking down to the ring, Alexander Rusev attacks Ohno from behind. Ohno attempts to wrestle, but Breeze hits the Beauty Shot and that is all. Okey dokey.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Summer Rae, Sasha and Charlotte are hanging out backstage. They tell Charlotte to go away because Bayley is coming. Bayley insists on talking to Charlotte. They insult her and Bayley tells them about their tag match. 

Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville are backstage with Devin. Sami plays the heel side of the two. 

Hunico & Camacho vs. The Ascension

Camacho comes out dominating Rick Victor with lots of punchy kicky stuff. Now Conor is doing the punchy kicky thing on Hunico. Camacho clotheslined Conor over the top and Hunico gets the roll up victory. That's kind of a surprise. The match wasn't very good. Neither of these teams does anything for me. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

#1 Contender Match For The NXT Championship

Adrian Neville vs. Sami Zayn

After some back and forth, Sami gets the first leg up with some nice arm drags. Sami hits a senton dive over the top rope as we go into a commercial break. Sami hits a nice tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for a 2 count. Neville is able to avoid the boot in the corner and Sami's momentum sends him over the top rope. Neville then hits a top rope springboard moonsault to the floor. Back in the ring, Neville hits the missile dropkick for a 2 count. Sami catches Neville in a cartwheel and hits a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. Neville catches a charging Sami with a boot to the face and both men are struggling to get up. Neville hits a beautiful hurricanrana from the electric chair position, but it's still not enough. Sami goes for a superplex, but Neville headbutts him off and he hits the Red Arrow for the victory. I'm kind of surprised they didn't get a few more minutes there. This was a very good NXT main event here featuring their two best workers. They hug after the match is over. 

Match Rating: ***1/2 

This episode was all about the main event and it delivered. The rest of the show kind of felt like filler and I'm a little surprised to see that they had the Ascension lose so quickly. On the plus side, they devoted a lot of time to the stories in the women's division. 

Overall Rating: 62%

Off The Grid, Volume 7: Royal Rumble 1992 Review

Sunday, January 19th, 1992
Knickerbocker Arena
Albany, New York

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Off The Grid, Volume 7:

For some reason when I started this blog, I started with WrestleMania VIII instead of this bad boy. So I am correcting that here today by going back for the 29th anniversary. Vince McMahon gives us one of his legendary intros to the show and we're off to the races. 

Orient Express vs. New Foundation

It's the Royal Rumble, so time to call up Pat Tanaka. They announce Nikolai Volkoff and Haku as the subs for Marty Jannetty and Brian Knobbs tonight. Meanwhile, Owen and Kato start things off and Owen's going to work on the arm. Owen shows off his skills with a hurricanrana and then tags in the Anvil. He knocks down Tanaka a few times before hitting a spinebuster and Owen follows up with a top rope elbow. Owen again steals the show with a backflip off the top rope and then an enzuigiri. Anvil hits a double noggin knocker and Owen hits a double top rope crossbody. Chaos ensues and Mr. Fuji hits Owen in the face with his cane. Owen gives us Bret's signature run into the turnbuckle chest-first. The Express continue their attack and give the referee a workout with multiple 2 counts. Owen finally makes a tag, but Kato distracts the referee and doesn't see the tag. Owen hits an overhead belly-to-belly suplex, but again the Express gets around letting him get a tag. Owen hits a double dropkick and this time he is able to tag Neidhart and he hits a double shoulder tackle. He then throws Owen through the ropes for a dive on Kato. They hit the Rocket Launcher and get the victory. This was a good tag team match that followed the formula that has worked for years. Owen was a breath of fresh air back in '92, so of course they really did nothing with him. 

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

Lord Alfred Hayes is here to recap the Intercontinental Championship story. The Mountie defeated Bret Hart at a house show in Springfield, Massachusetts where Hart had a high fever. After the match, Mountie attacked Hart until Piper came to the save. When Piper is checking on Hart, Mountie attacks him from behind with the title. Piper then gets in a right hand before Mountie retreats. 

Sean Mooney is with Jimmy Hart and Mountie. Jimmy says that Bret wasn't sick, just sick from losing. Mountie says that he should win the match tonight by forfeit, but being the champion he is, he's going to face Piper on short notice. 

Mean Gene is with Piper, who calls Mountie one of the original Village People. Piper says that he came here tonight to win two titles and he can't do that without beating the Mountie first. 

Intercontinental Championship Match

The Mountie vs. Roddy Piper

Mountie threatens Piper a little bit with the cattle prod before the match starts. Piper throws his kilt in his face and starts attacking. Mountie escapes out the ring, but Piper runs around with a big right hand. Mountie uses Hart to his advantage and goes to work on Piper. After two leapfrogs, Mountie lays down for a monkey flip, but Piper drops a fist. Piper hits the bulldog. Hart again gets involved and Mountie hits him with a double ax handle. Piper misses with a dropkick and Mountie gets a 2 count. Mountie hits a nice leaping reverse elbow and dumps Piper out of the ring. Piper hits a sunset flip on his way back in for a close call. An atomic drop sends Mountie over the top rope, but Mountie skins the cat. Mountie misses Piper and hits Hart instead. Piper slaps on the sleeper hold and that is all. Hart comes in with the cattle prod, but Piper throws him to the side and takes it away. Piper shocks the Mountie to the crowds delight and Fink announces him as the new Intercontinental Champion, Piper's first title with the WWF. The match was quick and it kind of felt like Piper maybe changed things up there in the last minute or two. Regardless, it was fun enough and provided a great moment.

Match Rating: *3/4

Lord Alfred walks into Hulk Hogan's locker room. He gives a pretty jokey type promo saying he won't have many friends after he wins the Royal Rumble.

Mean Gene is with the Bushwhackers and Jamison, who are going to beat the Beverly Sisters. 

Beverly Brothers vs. Bushwhackers

The Genius reads us a poem, as per usual. The Bushwhackers are pretty incredibly over considering they have been doing the same act for over 4 years. I think someone forgot to tell Butch and Luke that this isn't a dark match, as they stall and play to the crowd forever. Keep in mind that Butch is 47 and Luke is 45 here. We finally get some action in the form of butt biting. The Bushwhackers clear the ring and do some more marching. Butch hits a bulldog and then they throw both Beverly Brothers into each other and then clothesline both over the top rope. They then do a spot where both Beverly Brothers try to attack from behind separately, but the Bushwhackers keep catching them. Beau finally gets the best of Luke and we kind of have a normal tag team match. Luke gets a sneaky pinfall attempt in, but then gets dumped out of the ring. Meanwhile, the Genius slaps Jamison and knocks him to the floor. Beau hits a second rope ax handle. Luke then hits a clothesline and makes the tag to Butch and he hits a Battering Ram with a Beverly on a Beverly. Thanks break down and Blake trips up Butch as he's running the ropes. Beau hits a double ax handle of the top rope and that's enough. This was a really bad match. Who in their right mind thought that giving this 15 minutes was a good idea? The Bushwhackers attack both Beverly Brothers and then go after the Genius. Jamison comes in the ring while they hold him down and he hits a kick to the shin and then kicks him out of the ring. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Legion of Doom are with Mean Gene. Hawk says that when they're done with the Natural Disasters, they're tongues will be hanging out of their mouths like dead deer. Got it?

WWF Tag Team Championship Match

Natural Disasters vs. Legion Of Doom

Earthquake goes for a dropkick, but Hawk sidesteps it and tags in Animal. They start duking it out and Animal goes for a body slam, but Quake crushes him and then tosses Typhoon into him in the corner. He tries it again and Animal gets the boot up and hits a clothesline. Hawk gets tagged in and they hit some clothelines that have little effect. Typhoon catches Hawk's crossbody and he hits a backbreaker and now they're singling out Hawk. Quake misses in the corner and Hawk hits a chop to the head to knock the big guy down. Hawk makes the tag and Animal hits the flying shoulder block and then a double clothesline on both members. Hawk hits a flying clothesline off the apron on Typhoon and they are all brawling out of the ring. Typhoon sneaks back into the ring and the Disasters win by countout. Jimmy Hart brings the belts in the ring and so Hawk taps them on the back with a chair. Animal gets the one good shot in on Earthquake and Fink announces that the belts can't change hands. Whatever they were paying Jimmy, it certainly was too much. This was a big man battle with a crappy ending. 

Match Rating: *1/2

Sean Mooney is explaining what happened and the Disasters and Hart are livid. Like, dudes, everyone knows that rule. 

Roddy Piper quotes Martin Luther King about winning both championships tonight. 

Back to Sean Mooney and he's with Shawn Michaels. They recap us on Michaels throwing Marty Jannetty through the Barber Shop window. 

Lord Alfred is with Ric Flair and he announces that he drew #3. This is a Coliseum Home Video exclusive. 

We now get the quick random interviews featuring Randy Savage, Sid Justice, Repo Man, British Bulldog, Jake Roberts, Ric Flair with Mr. Perfect, Undertaker and of course Hulk Hogan. 

Royal Rumble Match

The Fink announces Jack Tunney to the ring and he reminds us of how terrible he was on the mic. Our first two competitors are British Bulldog and Ted DiBiase and they instantly go at it. DiBiase is working the fastest pace that I can remember seeing him work in WWF, suplexing Bulldog and then getting a near elimination. DiBiase thinks he has him, but Bulldog comes from behind and clotheslines him over the top and he is the first one gone. Here comes #3. I can't wait to see who it is! Oh, it's just Ric Flair. Even though I didn't see this show for a long time after it aired, I still went to school the next day gloating that I told everyone that you don't have to have huge muscles to be the best. Flair was born to be the iron man in a Royal Rumble match. Jerry Sags is #4 and it really is a shame that this Rumble doesn't have the entrance music for each person entering. That was a big oversight that you would think they would have corrected quickly. Bulldog fights off the double team and then eliminates Sags with a dropkick. Haku is #5 and he goes right after Bulldog. Haku doesn't take long to go after Flair though, which is always fun. Haku should have had a better run during this era. Haku hits a piledriver and then Flair grabs Haku by the eyes. Bulldog uneventfully eliminates Haku and out comes Shawn Michaels at #6. He hits a big back body drop on Flair, but then gets powerslammed by Bulldog. Bulldog almost eliminates him, but Michaels catches himself on the apron and then hits the superkick on Bulldog. Bulldog's hair in this match is definitely a thing that existed. El Matador Tito Santana is #7 and the crowd gives him a really nice reaction. Dude was a legend. Flair hits a low blow on Bulldog and Heenan lets us know that he would do that to his grandma if he had to. Out at #8 is Barbarian, as we start getting a little crowded in there. Out comes Texas Tornado at #9 and he and Flair start things off, which is fun. It's Repo Man time, as he sneaks his way in at #10. Oh boy, it's Greg Valentine at #11. Hammer chops away on Flair, who is taking a beating. Nikolai Volkoff is #12 and he just looks so out of place here. Valentine is able to get the Figure Four on Flair, while Volkoff gets eliminated. Big Boss Man is out at 13 and he starts swinging right hands at everyone. Valentine was eliminated somehow in there. Flair is able to eliminate Bulldog. Michaels and Santana eliminate each other, setting up their WrestleMania match and Hercules enters in at #14. He's my pick here. Barbarian is trying to dump Flair, but Hercules tips Barbarian and Flair hangs on. Hercules then gets dumped by Boss Man. Flair and Boss Man go at it, but Flair ducks under a crossbody and Boss Man is gone. Out at #15 is Roddy Piper to a huge pop and he takes it to Flair. Piper puts him in an airplane spin and then locks in the sleeper hold. Jake Roberts is #16 and he breaks up the hold. Hacksaw Jim Duggan it out next at 17 and gets a huge pop. IRS is out at #18 and battles with Duggan. Oh boy, Jimmy Snuka is 19. The star power begins to tick up, as Undertaker draws #20. Taker eliminates Snuka to remind him who won at WrestleMania. Out runs Randy Savage at #21 and tries to go after Jake, but Undertaker attacks him first. Jake misses a short arm clothesline on Savage and he hits him with a double ax handle and then eliminates him. Savage then eliminates himself and then Undertaker tries to throw him back in, but he goes right back after Jake. They claim that you have to be thrown over the rope, so Savage isn't eliminated. Flair hits a big low blow on Undertaker as the clock ticks down to 22 and it's Berzerker. Piper and Taker team up to choke Flair in a weird pairing. #23 is Virgil and he is my pick now to win this thing. We're kind of in the spot in the match where nothing is really happening and we are waiting for a big entrant, but instead we get Col. Mustafa. Rick Martel, the current record holder for longest time in the Rumble, is out next. Hulk Hogan is finally out next at 26 to inject some life into this match. There are so many people left in the match and it feels like they don't really have a plan. Hogan then runs and clothesline Undertaker over the top rope and then Berzerker is out next. Hogan, being the hero that he is, chokes Martel with his shirt. Virgil and Duggan eliminate each other and Skinner is out next. IRS saves Flair from Hogan while wearing the Hulkster's shirt around his neck. Sgt. Slaughter draws 28 and Sid Justice finally enters at 29. I know so many people consider this the best Rumble match, but there are just so many dead spots in this match. Warlord at 30 is also a pretty uninspiring choice. Hogan and Flair are brawling outside the ring and then Sid gets probably the best elimination of the night by hitting an Irish whip on Sarge and it sends him over the top. Piper is able to eliminate IRS and Warlord also gets eliminated. We are down to Flair, Hogan, Sid, Martel, Piper and Savage. Sid comes up to Piper and Martel and dumps both of them at the same time. Sid has Savage up and Flair hits him with a knee from behind and Savage goes sailing over the ropes and to the floor. Hogan is stomping Flair and in comes Sid to dump him out to a big pop. Hogan, being the loser that he is, grabs Sid's arm and it allows Flair to dump Sid and win the WWF Championship. Hogan, who lost fairly, is livid. He and Sid are back in the ring while a whole handful of officials try to keep them apart. I have a pretty unpopular opinion and that's that this Rumble is not my favorite ever. I'm not sure it's even in my top 3. It's good, the right guy won and the final angle was good, but there was just too much of the "bunch of guys in the ring doing nothing" for this one to be great. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

We go back to Mean Gene, Ric Flair, Mr. Perfect, Bobby Heenan and Jack Tunney to present Flair with the WWF Championship. This was a fun ending to the show. 

Like I said, I do not like this Rumble nearly as much as the majority. The undercard had one good match in the opener, but also featured one of the worst major matches of the year with the Bushwhackers/Beverly Brothers. Overall, it's a good show, but not a great one. 

Overall Rating: 75%

Monday Night Raw 9-27-93 Review

Monday, September 27th, 1993
New Haven Coliseum
New Haven, Connecticut

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Jack Tunney announces due to Shawn Michaels missing a number of scheduled title defenses, he is going to be stripped of the Intercontinental Championship. There will be a 20 man battle royal to determine the two top contenders. Jack Tunney had the charisma of an eggplant. 

Tatanka vs. Rick Martel

This one has lots of stalling to start. For some reason these guys only had so-so chemistry and yet they still just kept sticking them in the ring with each other. Tatanka tried to jump on the ropes, but slipped and still tried the crossbody, but Martel ducks. Martel puts him in the abdominal stretch, but Tatanka eventually counters with a hip toss. Tatanka makes his comeback and hits a top rope chop. Martel is able to toss Tatanka over the top rope, but then Tatanka pulls him under the ropes. They start brawling and they both men are counted out as a result. This was a snoozer with a bad ending. 

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

Joe Fowler announces the list of participants in the battle royal. They include such legends as Giant Gonzalez, MVP and Bastion Booger. Kidding aside, this actually does have a good group of performers. 

Ludvig Borga vs. Phil Apollo

Borga just comes in and pushes Apollo into the corner. He hits one of the uglier looking spinebusters I have seen. Arn Anderson, he is not. After some more boring offense, he puts him in the Torture Rack for the victory. This just shows how great Marty Jannetty is because his match at SummerSlam was so much better. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Jimmy Snuka vs. Paul Van Dale

Snuka's pop is actually pretty small. After watching this match, it's easy to see why he wasn't under contract. Snuka is just crawling here and nobody seems to care. Snuka finally hits the splash to put me out of my misery. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show what happened last week with IRS losing and then go to him at his office. Vince for some reason calls him Mr. Rotunda. He later corrects himself and calls him Mr. Schyster. 

WWF Tag Team Championship Match 

The Quebecers vs. Barry Horowitz & Reno Riggins 1-2-3 Kid

Barry Horowitz lets us know that Reno Riggins is home sick and he picks a substitute after the Quebecers have a meeting about it. They laugh about Kid being his partner and he gets less of an ovation than I expected. The unlikely pairing get in some dropkicks before the Quebecers take control. The Quebecers hit some nice double team moves on Kid including dumping him on the top rope. Kid hits a spin kick and knocks Jacques out of the ring. They bring down a stretcher and start wheeling him away. Fink gets on the mic and announces that the match must continue. Pierre continues their momentum while hitting a couple of moves off the second rope. He body slams Horowitz on purpose into his own corner and he tags in Kid. Kid tries to make a comeback, but then Pierre ducks a kick and Kid falls to the floor. Johnny Polo puts him back in the ring and Pierre gets the victory. I have to say, that wasn't what I was expecting there. This wasn't necessarily a great match, but it was entertaining. 

Match Rating: **1/4

Razor Ramon is here to talk about the battle royal "next week". He tells IRS that he's easy to find. Outside of the Quebecers, the majority of this was really boring. Snuka looked really washed up here and Borga is just awful. The Quebecers and 1-2-3 Kid are bright spots here so far in the fall of '93. 

Overall Rating: 43%

SmackDown 1-27-06 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, January 27th, 2006
BI-LO Center
Greenville, South Carolina

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Rey Mysterio vs. Mark Henry

Mysterio attacks Henry before he gets in the ring and knocks him off the apron. Henry quickly knocks him down with a clothesline. Henry misses with a splash and Mysterio hits him with a dropkick. Mysterio goes for a DDT, but Henry just throws him down instead. Is there anyone that Mysterio doesn't have good chemistry with? Mysterio hides under the ring and then surprises Henry with a leap off the apron. He then hits a variation of the 619 off the ring post. Mysterio keeps the momentum going and hits a 619, but Henry catches Mysterio on the springboard. Henry then hits the World's Strongest Slam and that is all. This was another good match between these two. Mysterio's ability to have great matches with big opponents is right there with Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart. 

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

Matt Hardy cuts a backstage promo saying that most people don't expect him to main event WrestleMania, but that motivates him. 

Booker T and Sharmell are pumping up Randy Orton, who reminds them that they owe him a favor. Orton says that they may be the last two men in the Royal Rumble and he might have to cash in that favor. 

Tag Team Triple Threat Royal Rumble Qualifying Match

Mexicools vs. Nunzio & Vito vs. The Dicks

The match starts in progress just to give you an idea of how important it is. I always enjoy seeing Nunzio on SmackDown. He and Vito isolate Psicosis for a little bit. In comes Super Crazy with a hot tag, but his pin attempt is broken up by the Dicks. The Mexicools pick up the victory after a wheelbarrow slam and will both be in the Rumble as a result. The match was just a time filler. 

Match Rating: *1/2

No Holds Barred Match

Chris Benoit vs. Randy Orton

There isn't a whole lot going on to start the match. Orton grabs a trash can lid for the first weapon if you had that in "What's Under The Ring? Bingo". Benoit tries to get the Sharpshooter, but Orton gets out with a thumb to the eye. I don't know, but I'm not really digging this match so far. Benoit hits a northern lights suplex and then slams Orton into the steps. They start brawling in the entrance way and then back into the ring. Benoit then hits the Three Amigos and slaps his chest in honor of Eddie. Benoit fights of Orton and hits a top rope superplex. They again go outside and Orton hits Benoit in the head with a trash can. Benoit hits the three German suplexes, but Orton wisely grabs a trash can lid when Benoit goes off the top rope for a headbutt. Benoit returns the favor when Orton goes off the ropes and puts Orton in the Crippler Crossface and he taps. I'm sure a lot of people will love this match, I was not one of them. The last few minutes were fun, but the rest kind of felt meaningless.

Match Rating: **1/2

Animal talks about all of the different types of matches he has won in his career, but he has never won the Royal Rumble. 

Finlay vs. Funaki

Finlay hits a quick clothesline and a splash to kick things off. Finlay continues emphasizing his unique and aggressive offense here and then hits the Celtic Cross for the victory. After the match, Finlay continues the assault and the referee then reverses the decision. Finlay then gets on the mic and insults all of us yellow belly Americans. He tells us to get over our anxieties, because he loves to fight and he's not going away. He then gives Funaki another Celtic Cross for good measure. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

JBL is with Jillian Hall and tells her that he isn't afraid of Boogeyman. Oh, and we're still talking about the "beauty mark". 

Lashley says that he will remain undefeated at the Royal Rumble.

JBL vs. Scotty 2 Hotty

Scotty gets an arm drag and a dropkick in until JBL knocks him silly with a boot to the face. Scotty is able to get in a superkick and signals for the Worm. JBL is there to hit him with a Clothesline From Hell instead and then Boogey's music hits. Boogey is nowhere to be seen, but thousands of worms are dumped in the middle of the ring. Then from behind, Boogeyman is there and causes JBL to fall in the worms. It's hard not to think that Boogeyman is truly the most bizarre character to ever be on WWE TV. There was no finish to the match, so it doesn't get a rating. 

Match Rating: N/R

Melina walks into Teddy Long's office. She shows him that her ankle is swollen and she lets him know that he now has two strikes against him. 

Mark Henry and Daivari are interviewed backstage and they let us know that we are looking at the next World Heavyweight Champion.

Champion vs. Champions Handicap Match

MNM vs. Kurt Angle

We join the match in progress and we start off with some mat wrestling. The numbers game gets to Angle, as Nitro pulls Mercury out of the corner and he drives his own shoulder into the ring post. MNM goes for the Snapshot, but Angle counters and takes both men out. Melina distracts the referee and Mercury hits Angle with a roll of quarters, but Angle is able to still kick out. Angle hits an Angle Slam on Mercury and then a belly-to-belly over the top rope on Nitro. Angle puts the Ankle Lock in and that is all. I'm not sure I like how they made MNM look like a complete joke here. Out comes Mark Henry and they go at it. Angle sort of, kind of hits an Angle Slam and then puts in the Ankle Lock. Henry is able to push him out of the ring with his leg and Angle is in disbelief. The match felt like a squash, despite it being a handicap match for their Tag Team Champions. 

Match Rating: *3/4

This was a solid enough episode overall that did a decent job building towards the Royal Rumble. I'm not 100% sure that the fans are buying Henry yet, but the Royal Rumble is the perfect show to test out challengers at. Finlay continues to be a bright spot early in his run and I'm sure most people enjoyed the No Holds Barred match more than I did.

Overall Rating: 60%

Monday Night Raw 1-23-06 Review

Monday, January 23rd, 2006
Charlotte Bobcats Arena
Charlotte, North Carolina

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

They start the show off with a fun movie trailer parody previewing the match between John Cena and Edge at Royal Rumble. Edge and Lita are then down to the ring, as Jerry Lawler lets us know that Cena and Edge will both be picking mystery opponents for a tag team main event tonight. They are skipping ahead to say that he will be defending the championship at WrestleMania. Edge states that he won't be a transitional champ like Iron Sheik or Mick Foley and he won't lose it 16 times like Ric Flair. Edge assures us that Flair is at home, barely able to walk. He then shifts his focus to Cena and that of course brings Cena out to join the party. Cena gives us a recap of Edge's "movie" and then makes a bunch of ho jokes, being the classy babyface that he is. 

Kane vs. Carlito

This was set up last week when Carlito claimed that no one could throw him over the top rope and then Kane came down and um...did. Carlito gets the better of Kane in the early going, but naturally it doesn't last all that long. Kane counters the tornado DDT attempt by tossing him across the ring. Kane gets in a big boot and a leg drop for a 2 count. Kaneamania isn't running wild tonight. Kane hits a top rope clothesline, but Carlito counters the Tombstone into the Backstabber. Kane catches Carlito off the top rope by the throat, but Carlito escapes with a poke to the eye. He grabs a chair, but Kane blocks it with a boot. However, on the rebound, Carlito hits Kane in the head and gets the DQ. Kane sits up and Carlito runs away. Considering that this was less than 5 minutes and a DQ finish, it wasn't half bad. 

Match Rating: * (out of 5)

Edge and Lita are backstage and Edge is letting her know that his surprise partner may need a little persuasion. Lita agrees and we see that it's the Big Show's locker room. 

After a commercial break and showing the Carolina Panthers in the front row, we go back to Lita trying to persuade Big Show and in walks Edge. Big Show declines and says that he wants to go to the Royal Rumble and face the champ at WrestleMania. Awful segment.

We now go to Trish and Mickie. Mickie is freaking out and Trish doesn't do much to try to calm her down. 

The Coach gets on the mic and announces that he will be the final entrant in the Royal Rumble. Jerry Lawler gets on the mic now and says that he doesn't have the authority to do that. Lawler says that he should be in the Rumble and gets a pretty mild pop. Lawler challenges Coach to a match tonight to see who qualifies. The Coach accepts and then they go back to sitting next to each other. 

Victoria & Candice Michelle vs. Trish Stratus & Ashley

Ashley hits a springboard ax handle and gets a 2 count on a roll up. Ashley and Trish then hit a high five elbow drop to drive home how good of friends they are. Trish then hits a top rope hurricanrana and gets a nearfall. Ashley goes for another springboard move, but Candice kicks her off. Things just kind of break down and eventually Ashley hits a top rope dive on Victoria and they get the victory. As soon as the match is done, Mickie attacks Ashley and Trish does her best to pull her off. She gets away from Trish and hits her with a back kick. This was all pretty sloppy. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Shelton Benjamin's mom is cleaning up the locker room for all of the talent. Shelton then tells her that Shawn Michaels called him a mama's boy today. This first hour has been really bad so far. 

They show Superstar Billy Graham's DVD trailer and he is in the crowd. 

Shelton Benjamin vs. Shawn Michaels

Before the match starts, out comes Vince McMahon for a special bulletin. If Michaels loses tonight, then he will no longer be in the Royal Rumble. Shelton shows off his confidence in the early going, trying to one up HBK. They do a call back to their Gold Rush Tournament match, but this time Shelton catches the superkick and hits Michaels with a kick to the head into the commercial break. Shelton hits a Samoan drop and a back body drop. Michaels blocks a superplex, but Benjamin runs up the ropes and hits an enzuigiri. Shelton then leaps up and hits a superplex, but it's still not enough. Shelton is pulling out all of his signature moves and hits a backbreaker and a spin kick. Michaels is able to hit a top rope elbow drop and he signals for Sweet Chin Music. Mama gets up on the steps and Shelton rolls up Michaels, but the ref is distracted. Michaels rolls through and grabs the tights to get the victory. Things were a little slow to start, but everything after the commercial break was money. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

Edge is now trying to talk Triple H into being his partner. 

Hey, look. Another HBK/Vince backstage confrontation. Vince wants Shawn to stop playing the family man and return to sex, drugs and rock and roll. Shawn declines. 

Royal Rumble Qualifying Match

Jonathan Coachman vs. Jerry Lawler

Talk about dream matches. Coach misses a bronco buster in the corner and Lawler starts toying with him. Lawler hits a suplex and then out comes the debut of the Spirit Squad. I completely forgot that they debuted so early in the year. Lawler maintains control, but they use an airhorn, which distracts Lawler and Coach rolls him up for the victory. The Spirit Squad perform a cheer for Coach after the match. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Second Chance Fatal Four Way Royal Rumble Qualifying Match

Lance Cade vs. Gregory Helms vs. Rob Conway vs. Big Show

Cade, Helms and Conway all attack Big Show to begin. It doesn't last long and Big Show throws all three men over the top rope in under 2 minutes. Triple H's music hits and he tells Big Show that he's not going to win the Royal Rumble. Who do you think he thinks will win it? This was just another example of Big Show dominating. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Edge and Lita seem to have found their mystery partner. 

Edge & Chris Masters vs. John Cena & Ric Flair

The only problem with this being a mystery partner business is that the rosters weren't very deep, so you could pretty much guess who they were going to pick. They certainly don't have a lot of time to work with here. The heels isolate Flair until Flair ducks 2nd rope dive. He makes the tag to Cena he takes care of both. Cena goes for the Five Knuckle Shuffle, but gets rid of Edge. Masters puts on the Master Lock, but Flair comes in and chop blocks him. Cena puts in the STFU and gets the quick victory. This was very rushed, but entertaining for what it was. 

Match Rating: **1/4

Outside of the HBK/Shelton match, everything else on here can be skipped. This episode felt like it lacked some focus and was filled with some bad acting performances. 

Overall Rating: 47%

Monday Night Raw 9-20-93 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, September 20th, 1993
Manhattan Center
New York City, New York

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

We get a full recap of last week's Province Of Quebec Rules Match. 

Scott Steiner vs. Pierre

Steiner starts off hot with an inverted atomic drop and a top rope clothesline. Steiner hits a top rope belly-to-belly suplex and then chases both Pierre and Johnny Polo to the back with the hockey stick. After the break, it's Pierre's turn while Rick and Jacques start teasing a brawl outside. Pierre hits a second rope leg drop for a 2 count. Steiner gets a backslide for a nearfall and then a sloppy roll up for another 2 count. Steiner hits a double underhook suplex and then a Frankensteiner for the victory. This gets the Steiners their rematch that they wanted. This one was nowhere near as fun as the title match last week. There was nothing wrong with it, but it just kind of felt like it was there for me. 

Match Rating: ** (out of 5)

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Lavern McGill

Oh good, since last week there was technical difficulties, we get another phone call with Crush this week. Bam Bam seems a little off here. Crush for some reason is mad at Randy Savage and hangs up on them. McGill goes for a sunset flip, but Bam Bam grabs the rope and then hits a splash. Bam Bam hits a strange variation of a suplex and then a senton for the victory. This was a long and kind of strange squash for Bam Bam. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show a recap of Doink turning on Bobby Heenan and Heenan selling that he is now sick. 

Bret Hart is out to the ring to meet with Vince McMahon for an interview. Hart cuts a promo on Jerry Lawler and says that when he's done with him, he won't have a head to wear that crown on. 

Mr. Perfect vs. Mike Bell

Perfect lets Bell try to get in some offense, but then hits a beautiful running dropkick. What's with the long squash matches tonight? These have both outworn their welcome. Perfect finally hits the Perfect Plex for the victory. For the second show in a row, Perfect wins a squash and the crowd chants "We want Shawn". 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Ludvig Borga makes fun of America while showing us pollution and wearing jean shorts and a sleeveless denim shirt. 

Heenan then brings us to a wedding proposal and it's one that I would have to think most women would hate. 

IRS vs. PJ Walker

IRS calls out Razor Ramon for not wrestling him, so he's going to show us all what he does to tax cheats. He throws Walker out of the ring and then into the ring steps. Out comes Razor and IRS notices it while hitting a backbreaker. IRS is distracted and Walker rolls him up for the surprise victory. They really loved that during this era and feud, huh? This one didn't end up having the impact that Razor and Kid had. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Bobby Heenan is backstage with Johnny Polo and Quebecers. Polo says that they will not be giving the Steiners a rematch next week, but they will be giving it to another deserving team. Vince says that next week they will be live in New Haven, Connecticut. We'll see Ludvig Borga, Tatanka and the return of Jimmy Snuka. 

Last week's show was a blast, this one...not as much. They gave it a good shot with a solid pairing for a featured match and the IRS roll up, but for whatever reason they just didn't do it for me this week. With two full months still to go before the next pay-per-view, it will be interesting to see when they start building towards the show. 

Overall Rating: 47%

NXT 11-20-13 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, November 20th, 2013
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Bo Dallas is here to kick off the show. He comes out wearing a party hat and to balloons. He shows us a slideshow of his world tour. He then starts handing out cookies Oprah style to the live crowd. Out comes JBL to tell him how proud he is that Bo is the face of NXT. Sami Zayn is out now to interrupt the lovefest. JBL announces that he has reinstated Zayn. JBL then says that a new #1 contender will be determined tonight with a Beat The Clock Challenge and Sami is one of the competitors. 

Beat The Clock Challenge

Colin Cassady vs. Alexander Rusev

They inform us that Enzo was hurt at a recent live event. Lana is given a name and a job title. Rusev dominates the early going, but misses with a second rope headbutt. Cassady hits a running knee to the face and gets a 2 count. We are at the 3 minute mark and Cassady misses a splash in the corner and hits his face on the ring post. Rusev puts him in the Accolade and surprisingly breaks the hold. Rusev has Cassady up and hits him with knees to the kidney. That's actually pretty impressive. Rusev locks in the Accolade and this time Cassady taps at the 5:33 mark. This was the longest Rusev match to date. 

Match Rating: * (out of 5)

Adrian Neville is backstage for an interview and we learn that Corey Graves is out with a concussion. He shifts his focus to his match with Aiden English tonight.

Bayley is shown spinning around on an office chair. She then is interviewed and said that her and Charlotte were like Tommy and Chuckie and she doesn't know what happened. She says she hasn't had the courage to confront her and holds up her fists and says these bad boys will do all the talking. She then asks Devin to do the robot with her. 

Beat The Clock Challenge

Tyler Breeze vs. Kassius Ohno 

They work a frantic pace, trying to get an early pinfall. You know, something that actually makes sense. Ohno eats a step up enzuigiri and it knocks him to the floor. Regal is furious that Breeze is trying to pull Ohno back in the ring instead of letting him get counted out. He finally does and only gets a 2 count. Breeze continues the assault and is starting to get frustrated. He misses with a spin kick and Ohno almost gets the victory. We get a bunch of reversals and some nearfalls as time runs out. Ohno gets another roll up and scores a surprise victory at 4:48, which is the new time to beat. That was a fun little match and I have to say that I didn't see Breeze losing here. 

Match Rating: **

Hunico & Camacho vs. Johnny Vandal & Chris Rothwell

Well, we saw Camacho get squashed in his return last week but now Hunico is back. Camacho hits a Samoan drop and Hunico hits a swanton for the quick squash. After the match, they call out the Ascension. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get another new backstage announcer and he congratulates Ohno. Ohno is talking about momentum and then is interrupted by Lana. He mocks her accent and tells her that when he wins the NXT Championship, Rusev can have the first shot. 

Beat The Clock Challenge

Adrian Neville vs. Aiden English

We start with no entrances, which again must be due to something with English's singing. Neville shows off his athleticism, which is impressive as always. English hits a body slam and his standing leg drop for a 2 count. English dominates most of the match, until Neville hits a back suplex. He explodes for a fury of offense, including a low dropkick to the head. We are down to 1 minute and Neville goes up top. English sees it and wisely rolls out of the way. English goes for a superplex, but Neville pushes English off. Neville hits the Red Arrow and gets the victory with 3 seconds to spare. I'm not sure I love English losing there, as this seemed like a good candidate for time to run out. This was still another fun little sprint between two of my favorites on the roster. 

Match Rating: **1/4

The Ascension accepts Hunico and Camacho's challenge. 

Beat The Clock Challenge

Leo Kruger vs. Sami Zayn

4:45 is the time to beat. Bo Dallas is out to sit and watch the match on the entrance stage. Zayn has an answer for all of Kruger's offense early on, but a double thrust to the throat slows Zayn down. Kruger hits a nice snap suplex and starts going for a few covers. Zayn is able to hit a top rope crossbody for a nearfall, but Kruger is back on the attack. Zayn picks up the pace and hits a nice pop up dropkick. Zayn misses the Helluva Kick and almost eats a loss because of it. Kruger hits a big spinebuster for another 2 count. Kruger wastes a lot of time, but finally hits a clothesline with under 20 seconds left. On one of his pin attempts, Zayn rolls him up and gets the victory as the clock expires. JBL is out and announces that Zayn will face Neville next week to determine the #1 contender. This one wasn't as good as the previous two matches on the show, but it sets up next week nicely.

Match Rating: *1/2

This was an enjoyable show, as they really packed a lot in here. The Beat The Clock Challenge probably works better on a longer show, but it still provided a different feel to the normal episode. 

Overall Rating: 60%

SmackDown 1-20-06 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, January 20th, 2006
Florence Civic Center
Florence, South Carolina

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

After a lengthy recap of last week's show, JBL and Jillian Hall are here to kick off the show. 

JBL vs. Lashley

JBL gets in a early clothesline and then throws Lashley into the turnbuckle. Lashley hits an overhead belly-to-belly suplex and a clothesline of his own. JBL rolls out of the ring and then puts Jillian in front of him to sneak in a thumb to the eye of Lashley. It doesn't slow down Lashley too long, as he hits yet another belly-to-belly suplex. Lashley misses in the corner and JBL hits the Clothesline From Hell. Boogeyman's music immediately hits and Jillian is terrified. Boogeyman comes out from under the ring and grabs JBL's foot. Lashley hits the Dominator and gets the victory as the smoke and lights are still on. After eating some worms, he slithers in the ring and JBL and Jillian escape. They sure are putting a lot of effort into this feud. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Kurt Angle is shown walking in the back and is greeted by Matt Hardy and Rey Mysterio. Pat Patterson sighting here. Rey lets him know that he is taking on Mark Henry in a #1 Contender's match and that he looks forward to facing him. Angle steps up and now it's Mark Henry. He says that he took out Batista and now he is going to take out Rey. Angle wishes him good luck and then tells him to never get in his face again. Meanwhile, Orlando Jordan is lucky enough to get a head nod to Angle as he walks away. 

Booker T is shown on a crutch ready to celebrate his United States Championship. 

Jillian Hall is freaking out to Teddy Long. JBL starts screaming at Long and he makes a match at Royal Rumble. 

Sharmell is out and she told us all that her man could do it. She announces the biggest party possible and introduces Booker. After balloons and pyro, Booker declares himself the greatest United States Champion of all time. Sharmell then calls Chris Benoit a loser. Out comes...Orlando Jordan. Jordan wants a match right now and Booker and Sharmell laugh at him. Jordan takes a swing at Booker and knocks him down. Teddy Long comes out and says that he is allowing another substitution tonight and that Orlando Jordan will take on Randy Orton. 

Matt Hardy vs. Finlay

Finlay is making his debut here and is just a few days shy of turning 48 years old. His run has to be one of the most underrated 45+ year old runs that I can think of. Finlay is aggressive right out of the gates, but Hardy fires back with an inverted atomic drop. Hardy then catapults Finlay out of the ring and then launches himself over the top rope on Finlay. Finlay blocks a sunset flip and drives Hardy's head into the mat. Finlay gets in a big kick to the face, but Hardy hits a back body drop. Hardy hits the Side Effect for a 2 count. Hardy hits a second rope senton instead of a leg drop because Finlay is too close to the corner. Finlay gets out of the Twist Of Fate and rolls out of the ring. Hardy goes for a baseball slide, but Finlay opens up the ring skirt and Hardy slides right between the ring and the skirt. Finlay unleashes on Hardy and then throws him back in the ring. Finlay starts relentlessly hitting Hardy in the head while he is leaning on the bottom rope. The ref rings the bell and calls for a disqualification. Finlay calls for the microphone and says you're going to disqualify me for that? He says that he'll show you a reason to disqualify me and then stomps on Hardy's head on the steps. Finlay was a breath of fresh air here in 2006 and it still holds up. They had completely killed all of Hardy's momentum by this point and this did him no real favors, although he did put on a good performance here. This was as good as a 5 minute TV match with a DQ ending was going to be. 

Match Rating: **1/4

They show the clip of Angle firing Daivari. They then cut to Daivari earlier in the day complaining to Teddy Long. Long of course makes a match between Angle and Daivari tonight. 

They show a video package on Batista's surgery and with no warning just start showing a bunch of bloody images of the surgery. 

#1 Contender Match For The World Heavyweight Championship

Rey Mysterio vs. Mark Henry

Mysterio starts off trying to get Henry chase him, but Henry is able to grab him as he goes back in the ring. Henry misses with a clothesline and hits a tope suicida on Henry into the commercial break. Mysterio charges at Henry and Henry just clubs him. Henry continues to toy with Mysterio, but then misses a splash and Mysterio follows up with a dropkick. That doesn't last long, as Henry takes Mysterio's head off with a clothesline. Henry drapes Mysterio on the top rope and punts him to the floor. Henry misses Mysterio in the corner and Mysterio starts going after the knees again. Mysterio again slows it down and holds him up in a military press for a little too long and Mysterio escapes. Henry catches Mysterio's springboard leap, but when Henry goes to throw him over the ropes, MYsterio holds on and snaps Henry's neck on the top rope. Mysterio hits a 619 to the back and then another one to the gut. Mysterio then hits the traditional 619 and he goes up top as the crowd chants "Eddie". He hits a Frog Splash, but Henry sits up, rolls through and hits the World's Strongest Slam for the victory. That was a fantastic finish there. No one plays the little man role better than Mysterio and he worked his butt off for Henry here. This was a good match that made Mysterio look like a true contender and Henry look like a monster. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

Mr. Kennedy is out and shows off his new shirt while wearing a shirt and tie with it. He teases giving away a shirt, but then of course says that if you want one, go buy one and then does his routine. He is here to be a guest announcer for the next match.

Gymini vs. Paul London & Brian Kendrick

London and Kendrick slide under the legs of Gymini and clothesline Simon Dean over the top rope. London hits a nice missile dropkick, but then eats a clothesline from other Gymini member. Simon Dean is working the whistle gimmick on the outside. Kendrick tags in and takes out both Gymini members. Kendrick gets caught and then thrown right on top of London. They hit their finisher and that is all. London and Kendrick were such a breath of fresh air here, so of course they lost. Their time will be coming soon though. This was a total sprint and actually a lot of fun. 

Match Rating: *1/4

United States Championship Match

Randy Orton vs. Orlando Jordan

This feels like a last ditch effort with Jordan here. Jordan clotheslines Orton over the top rope, but misses with the dive to the floor. They didn't seem to even bother piping in a crowd reaction. After some Orton offense, he misses in the corner and hits his shoulder on the ring post and Jordan goes to work on the shoulder. Orton counters and hits his inverted backbreaker for a 2 count. Jordan hits a dropkick toe the midsection/shoulder of Orton and he gets a 2 count. Jordan misses with a right hand, but makes the most of it and hits a swinging neckbreaker. Out comes Sharmell and then Booker. Sharmell distracts the referee and Orton goes for a superplex. Jordan knocks him off and Booker hits him with a crutch. Orton hits the RKO and that is all. Out comes Chris Benoit and he attacks both Orton and Booker. Benoit hits Booker with a whole bunch of chops and then Orton with a German suplex. The match was nothing special, but the ending was fun at least. 

Match Rating: *1/2

For some reason the Raw Rebound is the Master Lock Challenge and not the TLC match. Daivari is interviewed out back and puts over Angle and slowly walks towards Gorilla position. 

Next week, it's Randy Orton vs. Chris Benoit in a No Holds Barred match.

Daivari vs. Kurt Angle

Just before the bell rings, Mark Henry's music hits and he is on his way to ringside. Daivari tries to use it to his advantage, but Angle hits him with a belly-to-belly suplex. Henry distracts the ref and Daivari hits a low blow. Angle chases Daivari around the ring and he is thrown into the hands of Henry. Angle knocks them both down and throws Daivari back in the ring. He hits the Angle Slam puts him in the Ankle Lock. Melina jumps on his back, giving Angle a DQ victory. Angle then puts the Ankle Lock on Melina. Henry attacks him from behind and hits the World's Strongest Slam. Henry then brings in the steel steps and uses it to drive Angle out of the ring. Daivari then seemingly makes a deal with Melina to manage Mark Henry. That's one way to do it. Daivari gets on the mic and announces the deal to manage Henry. I mean, it didn't really help Angle beat Cena, now did it? This was 100% story driven and the match was naturally just used to set up the angle. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

I enjoyed this show quite a bit, even if adding Daivari to Henry doesn't really do a lot for me. I would have almost rather him just destroy Daivari and say that he's his own man. This show also featured a good TV match in Henry/Mysterio and three guys in Finlay, London and Kendrick that would play a big role in 2006. Thumbs up from me. 

Overall Rating: 68%