SmackDown 3-31-06 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, March 31st, 2006
Kemper Arena
Kansas City, Missouri

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Rey Mysterio is out to kick off the show and he calls out Randy Orton. Out comes Kurt Angle instead. Angle emphasizes that it's every man for himself and that he's going to walk away World Heavyweight Champion. Now Orton comes out to join the party. Orton then proposes Mysterio and Angle against himself in a handicap match tonight. He then backs out of it saying that he won't jeopardize his health ahead of WrestleMania. Teddy Long is out and he thinks the handicap match sounds like a pretty good idea. This turns into Angle and Mysterio getting into it. This leads to a match between Mysterio and Angle being made for tonight, which Orton loves. Long then calls out security and has him escorted out of the arena so that he doesn't interfere later on. 

They show Orton leaving the arena during the commercial break. 

Chris Benoit vs. Animal 

Animal comes down and isn't happy that he doesn't have a match at WrestleMania. He says he is going to beat Benoit and show that he's Big Time all while wearing the WrestleMania 22 t-shirt. Benoit pretty much dominates from the get go and then hits three German suplexes. Animal hits a boot to the face of Benoit and then pulls out his brass knuckles. Benoit gets on the Crippler Crossface instead and Animal taps. This was just a tune up for Benoit. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

It's a good thing they knew to show Benoit walking backstage because JBL and Jillian Hall are there to applaud him. JBL now brings up when he beat Eddie Guerrero because of course he does. Benoit tells him that he's glad his hand is heeled because he will need it when he taps out. 

JBL vs. Daniel Cross

JBL clubs away on Cross and then hits two Clotheslines From Hell for the victory. Sure.

Match Rating: 1/4*

They hype up the Hall of Fame again and follow it up with a Miz Reality Check. 

Booker T vs. Paul Burchill

Burchill is able to hit a standing moonsault, but Booker recovers quickly. Burchill fights back with a reverse crossbody off the second rope. Boogeyman's music hits and Booker goes out of the ring to protect Sharmell. Booker looks under the ring, but Boogeyman comes out from under the ring on the other side where Sharmell is. Boogey carries off Sharmell and Booker is counted out. Booker hesitantly chases after him and Burchill is declared the winner. What a match. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show clips of Booker looking for her during the commercial break. 

Bobby Lashley, Matt Hardy & Tatanka vs. MNM & Finlay

Lashley dumps out both of MNM and he wants Finlay. This distraction allows MNM to attack him from behind, but Lashley hits a double suplex on them. Tatanka comes in and continues the momentum until Mercury distracts the ref and Finlay kicks Tatanka when he's running the ropes. Hardy finally gets a hot tag and hits the clothesline/bulldog combo and a Side Effect. Lashley saves Hardy from the Snapshot and Hardy hits a Twist Of Fate for the victory. That was exactly what it needed to be and it was full of overachievers, so it was better than it needed to be as well. 

Match Rating: **3/4

Mark Henry comes out to the ring in a suit and talks at a podium in front of a black wreath like it's a eulogy. He gives a list of wrestlers that Undertaker has defeated at WrestleMania. That was weird that there was no Daivari here and extremely short. 

Mexicools vs. Kid Kash & Jamie Noble

Noble distracts the Mexicools by messing with their tractors and Kash attacks from behind to start things off. Noble's vertical suplex is really nice. Noble goes off the top rope, but Psicosis catches him with a dropkick and makes the tag to Super Crazy. Crazy hits a series of dropkicks, but Noble comes in illegally and hits a reverse neckbreaker. Psicosis comes in to make the save and hits a corkscrew dive to the floor. Super Crazy hits a top rope Spanish Fly and that is all. Super Crazy continues to be used in the Tajiri spot as an underused talent. 

Match Rating: **

Booker T is still looking for Sharmell and sees a bunch of worms outside a door backstage. He gets to a stairwell and he can hear her screaming. Booker walks over the worms and opens the door. He finds Sharmell standing on a crate with hundreds of worms around her. The cameraman seems to have no problem with the worms as he walks over the worms and finds him lurking in the background. 

Rey Mysterio vs. Kurt Angle

I love watching these two wrestle. Rey almost gets in an early 619, but Angle sees it coming and gets out of the way. Mysterio goes for a baseball slide, but Angle sidesteps it and shoves Mysterio into the barricade with authority into the commercial break. Mysterio starts to fight back and hits a seated dropkick after a roll through on a sunset flip. Springboard seated senton by Mysterio and he gets a 2.99999 count. Angle hits a German suplex with a release and the straps are down. Mysterio counters the Ankle Lock and goes for another 619. Angle catches it and puts him into the Ankle Lock and Mysterio taps. I'm not sure I love the idea of these two fighting two nights before WrestleMania, but A) I'm never going to complain about these two wrestling and B) this was the correct way to book it with Angle winning. After Angle is headed down the ramp, Orton comes in and hits a RKO on Mysterio. Orton tells Angle that he's going to give him one at WrestleMania, so Angle comes in and destroys Orton and puts him in the Ankle Lock and Orton taps. This was all well done. 

Match Rating: ***

This was a good way to lead us to WrestleMania, especially once we got past the United States Championship stuff. That and the Raw tag match are the only two weak links in terms of build. Even the Playboy Pillow Fight was built up to better than those two. Thumbs up here. 

Overall Rating: 61%

Monday Night Raw 3-27-06 Review

Monday, March 27th, 2006
Qwest Center
Omaha, Nebraska

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Mick Foley is here to kick off the show. He has roses for Lita and calls her and Edge out. Foley has a gift on the ramp for Edge. Edge rips on Foley for coming back just for the money and that it's ruining his legacy. Foley follows up with an intense few moments of him coming back for his WrestleMania moment and Edge bleeding. Edge finally opens up the box and it's a baseball bat. Edge says he isn't waiting for WrestleMania to use it and walks to the ring. Foley then takes a barbed wire baseball bat out of the box that had Lita's flowers. They swing at each other and Edge rolls out of the ring and Foley chases him. We then get an awkward cut that leads to the promo video for their match. When we come back, Foley is in the ring rocking back and forth with the bat. 

Carlito vs. Kane

Carlito attacks Kane while he's about to do his pyro. Kane goes back to destroying Carlito pretty quickly and hits a series of right fists and a sidewalk slam. Kane his the top rope clothesline, but then Carlito hits a low dropkick and a DDT. Carlito goes for a springboard move, but Kane catches him by the throat. Carlito grabs the referee and throws him into Kane and loses by disqualification. Kane chases him to the back, but he's attacked by Chris Masters, Trevor Murdoch and Lance Cade. They lock him in a closet and block it with a fork truck. Big Show comes to the rescue and tries to push it away. This was all really stupid. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Chris Masters and Carlito come out to the ring and then they cut to Big Show still trying to push the fork truck. Out walks Kane and he lets Big Show know there's another door. After a commercial, we get a Chris Masters promo. Kane and Big Show come out for Big Show to be in the Master Lock Challenge. Kane immediately chases Carlito out of there and Show sits in the chair. I can't believe they are devoting this much time to this feud. Masters can't get the hold on, so Big Show attacks him and ends him with a chokeslam. 

We get a John Cena hype video, showing his history and interviews with his dad and others. I always love when they do these type of video packages.

Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels

This is match #3,439 in their series. Michaels comes out on fire, throwing fists and clotheslining Triple H over the top rope. They've already done more than I expected considering they are in two of the top three matches at WrestleMania in 6 days. They go into the crowd and then Michaels hits a back body drop right back over the barricade. Triple H goes for a Pedigree, but Michaels counters and sends him out of the ring. Out comes Mr. McMahon as we go into a commercial break. When we come back, Triple H hits a huge spinebuster. Back out of the ring they go and Michaels is able to throw Triple H into the steps. After duking it out back in the ring, Michaels is the first man up and hits an inverted atomic drop. McMahon grabs his leg and Triple H goes for the Pedigree. Michaels counters into a catapult and Triple H hits McMahon. Michaels hits the top rope elbow. Michaels is tuning up the band, but McMahon grabs his leg again. He knocks him off the apron, but eats a Pedigree. Instead of going for a pin, Triple H calls McMahon back in and he goes and grabs the sledgehammer. Out comes John Cena to make the save and he and Triple H face off. Cena knocks him out of the ring and is all fired up as McMahon and Triple H walk slowly to the back. So I guess this is a no contest? The match, while pretty standard, was still solid and more intense than I had anticipated. 

Match Rating: **1/2

They show the WrestleMania Big Time Moment and it's Edge winning the first Money In The Bank from last year. 

Ric Flair is on his way to the ring with the Money In The Bank briefcase hanging above the ring. He cuts a promo about being the greatest, which means it's time for Mama-less Shelton Benjamin bragging about he's the most athletic wrestler. Flair's reaction is great and they start brawling. Shelton hits a Samoan drop. Shelton starts climbing the ladder, but out comes Rob Van Dam and he throws him off the ladder. RVD slams Shelton on the ladder and hits Rolling Thunder. He grabs the mic and says that Sunday is every man for himself and that Money In The Bank belongs to him. Flair gives him a thumb to the eye and hits him in the face with the ladder. This was just your typical last minute hype up on the go home. 

Kenny, Johnny & Mikey vs. Val Venis, Viscera & Eugene

Why wouldn't they save this for WrestleMania? This is all shenanigans, with Viscera gyrating and Eugene riding Mikey like a horse. They eventually get to a hot tag with Venis, which I still think is weird is in 2006. Venis goes for the Money Shot, but Mikey jumps off the trampoline and pushes Venis off. Johnny covers him and that is all. This was silly and short, but they all worked hard. 

Match Rating: *

After the match, the Spirit Squad attacks their three opponents and Kenny hits the top rope leg drop on Venis. We conclude the segment with a cheer on the top of the stage. 

We now get a Triple H video package. 

William Perry of Chicago Bears fame is going to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. 

They go to Mickie backstage and she is sitting with candles and a shrine to her hatred towards Trish. They pan to Trish watching it and she is creeped out. 

Trish Stratus & Torrie Wilson vs. Victoria & Candice Michelle

Candice is taking it to Torrie ahead of their huge Playboy Pillow Fight on Sunday. Victoria accidentally splashes into Candice below the belt and Torrie hits the hot tag to Trish. Trish hits the Chick Kick on Victoria, but Candice makes the save. Torrie and Candice start brawling on the outside. Victoria goes for the Widow's Peak, but Trish gets out and hits Stratusfaction for the victory. This was what it was.

Match Rating: 3/4*

This leads into a video package on the Trish/Mickie story. 

Mr. McMahon vs. John Cena

McMahon gets on the mic before the match and says that he is ordering both Shawn Michaels and Triple H to be handcuffed to the ring. We get a classic test of strength that leads to McMahon kicking Cena below the belt. He brings the handcuff keys out and unlocks Triple H. Triple H hits Cena in the face with the sledgehammer and Cena is busted open. Triple H turns his attention to Michaels and dangles the key in his face. McMahon now approaches with a chair, allowing Triple H to hit him in the gut with the sledgehammer and then McMahon hits Michaels in the head with the chair. This was all angle, no match.

Match Rating: 1/4*

This was a pretty strong go home show for WrestleMania, where all of the main matches got some sort of hype. The only one that feels really flat is the tag team match and it seemingly got more time than it really deserved. Everything else has me excited to re-watch at WrestleMania 22.

Overall Rating: 60%

NXT 2-5-14 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, February 5th, 2014
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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Sin Cara vs. Alexander Rusev

Sin Cara still gets the special lighting here in NXT. Cara kind of hits a moonsault which gets called out by the announcers. He goes for a springboard move, but Rusev hits him with a dropkick on the way down. Sin Cara makes a comeback and this time hits the springboard crossbody. Rusev has Sin Cara up in an electric chair position, but throws him down face-first instead. He puts on the Accolade and that is all. Sin Cara looked pretty flat here. 

Match Rating: *

Seeing advertisements for the "new" WWE Network on here is sad going into the change to Peacock. 

Alicia Fox vs. Emma

Fox hits a big dropkick, but misses her in the corner and Emma puts on the Dil-Emma. Fox gets out pretty quickly and hits a northern lights suplex. Emma hits an Emma sandwich and the Emma Lock for the shorter than expected victory. After the match, she gets on the mic to send her best wishes to Paige for a speedy recovery. When Paige comes back, she wants her rematch. Emma starts dancing and in comes Sasha Banks, who she throws out of the ring. Then in comes Summer Rae and Charlotte. Alicia Fox joins in too. Natalya and Bayley come out and make the save. This was a little too short to be much of anything. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Sylvester Lefort vs. Mason Ryan

*Dream match alert* Ryan drops Lefort on the top rope and hits a big boot. Ryan hits whatever his finisher is and that's all. I'm not really sure what the point of this was. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Aiden English is backstage and cuts a promo for his match against Tyson Kidd next. 

Lefort says he will get revenge on Mason Ryan. 

Aiden English vs. Tyson Kidd

English hits a back suplex early, but Kidd hits some kicks to slow him down. English hits a knee and then a vertical suplex for a 2 count. Out comes Big Cass and he puts on English's hat and scarf. Kidd hits a top rope reverse neckbreaker for the victory. This was all storyline.

Match Rating: 1/2*

Adrian Neville vs. Corey Graves

Things start off a little slowly until Neville hits a dive to the outside. Graves is now working on the knee and then he works on the knee even more. Graves hits a cool backbreaker for a 2 count. Graves goes for a piledriver on the outside, but Neville counters with a back body drop. Neville hits a missile dropkick, but moments later gets hit by a clothesline. Neville barely climbs up to the top rope and hits the Red Arrow for the victory. This match made sense, but it wasn't really anything more than that. After the match, Bo Dallas is out, but before he does anything to an injured Neville, now Triple H comes out. He announces that their match at Arrival will be a ladder match.

Match Rating: **

This was a thumbs in the middle type of show. Nothing really bad, nothing really good. That happens a lot on here and that's okay. Not every show needs to be a home run, but I'd like to see them aim for it more often. 

Overall Rating: 51%

Monday Night Raw 12-6-93 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, December 6th, 1993
Westchester County Center
White Plains, New York

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We get a recap of the Razor Ramon/Diesel match from last week and the interference from both Shawn Michaels and 1-2-3 Kid. Shawn cuts a promo on his match with the Kid tonight. 

Shawn Michaels vs. 1-2-3 Kid

I'm just glad that I got to this one before I only have the Peacock version of the WWE Network. We get a nice Rocker-esque beginning to the match and then Kid hits a springboard crossbody to Michaels on the floor. Kid hits a German suplex into a bridge for a 2 count and then puts him into a headlock. The pace quickens again and Michaels hits a headscissor that sends Kid to the floor. On the outside, Kid throws Michaels into the ring post. Kid goes for a leap off the apron, but Michaels catches him and hits a powerslam into the commercial break. Kid is able to battle Michaels off the top rope, but Michaels dropkicks Kid on his leap down. Kid ducks a clothesline and hits a spin kick and both men are down. Kid hits a top rope reverse crossbody, but then misses a top rope 360 dive into the commercial break. Michaels hits the Razor's Edge, but lifts Kid up before Danny Davis can count to 3. Michaels hits another one and out comes Razor Ramon. He puts him out for a third one, but Razor grabs Kid's legs and pulls him out of the ring. Shawn slaps Razor in the face and Razor chases Michaels down the aisle. Diesel attacks Razor and it allows Shawn to give Razor a Razor's Edge to the arena floor. They zoom into Razor's toothpick on the floor as if this is some art house film. Shawn then hits a second one and we head into the commercial again. This was a very entertaining match, especially for 1993. They did have a few minor timing issues, but this was good stuff. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

The Quebecers vs. Mike Walsh & Bert Centeno

Jacques mocks Centeno's height and gets on his knees. Walsh hits a monkey flip on Pierre, but Pierre comes back with a clothesline. We get an awkward spot where Centeno looks like he wasn't able to turn around when he was sent to the ropes and he falls down. Jacques hits a fairly tame looking piledriver on Centeno and then they hit Flip, Flop and Fly for the victory. That was a pretty weak squash, but it's still the Quebecers on my television.

Match Rating: 1/4*

They now do an interview with Owen Hart, who says that he has a big surprise that's going to make everyone talk about him. 

Doink vs. Tony DeVito

Welcome to the Dink era. This all just feels so much like a house show attraction rather than something that should be on TV. I really don't know why this match is still going on. Doink just does a bunch of mat wrestling while Dink goofs around on the apron. He finally hits the Whoopee Cushion and that is all. What's with the squashes here tonight? 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Ugh, more Jeff Jarrett vignettes. 

Next week it's Macho Man vs. Fatu. Sounds good to me. 

Crush vs. Tony Roy

Call it a hunch, but I don't think this match won't break the streak of bad squashes tonight. They have Randy Savage on the phone here while Crush does his usual junk. Crush puts Roy up in a military press and then drops him on the top rope, which puts us out of our misery. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Next week we get an Undertaker interview, Adam Bomb, Smoking Gunns and the aforementioned Savage vs. Fatu. Out comes Gorilla Monsoon, who Heenan has been ripping on all night again. He grabs Heenan by the collar forces him to the backstage area. Heenan stumbles around on his clothes and then says goodbye. With this, we have sadly reached the end of the Bobby Heenan era. 

Well, the first third of the show was fantastic, but the squashes here were terrible. It also ended with the memorable, but depressing moment that Heenan leaves the WWF. All in all, this was a good episode, but there is still a lot of room for improvement. 

Overall Rating: 59%

SmackDown 3-24-06 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, March 24th, 2006
FedEx Forum
Memphis, Tennessee

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Randy Orton comes out and does a variation of Rey Mysterio's entrance. He talks about Saturday Night's Main Event and how Kurt Angle and Mysterio turned their back on SmackDown. He then says that WrestleMania will be the greatest day of his career. This was one of those promos that really didn't do anything other than fill up time. 

Money In The Bank Qualifying Battle Royal

There is not what I would call a lot of star power in here. Animal actually gets a promo on the way to the ring and says he shouldn't have to be in this match. He's put more money in the bank than anyone and so everyone attacks him and he's the first eliminated. Kid Kash goes up to the top rope, which is always a great idea where there are like 20 people in the ring. He gets pushed off by Tatanka and is eliminated. Both members of Gymini are eliminated by Lashley and then he tosses Simon Dean on top of them. Funaki is tossed out right at the commercial break. The eliminations are picking up and it quickly is down to the final four of Lashley, Tatanka and MNM. Lashley goes for the dominator on Nitro, but Mercury makes the save and they hit the Snapshot on him. They really are going out of their way to make Tatanka look strong here. He charges at Nitro and he is eliminated when Nitro pulls down the top rope. MNM puts Lashley in a double Boston crab. Lashley powers his way out, but again the numbers game is too much. Lashley hits a double suplex and then hits a belly-to-belly and a back body drop. Lashley misses into the corner and hits the ring post. Nitro accidentally superkicks Mercury and Lashley hits a Spear. Lashley throws Mercury onto Nitro and it eliminates both men. There was never a lot of doubt of who would win this one. 

Match Rating: *3/4

JBL is backstage and honestly I don't even know what he says, but it leads to him saying that he's having William Regal fight Chris Benoit.

Mark Henry says that he's going to take Undertaker's precious streak away and Kurt Angle is going to feel pain tonight. 

Rey Mysterio vs. Finlay

They start things off slowly, with Finlay using mat wrestling to slow down Rey. Mysterio finally gets in some offense and hits a split-legged moonsault for a 2 count. He then hits a baseball slide, but then gets caught in the ring apron. Finlay continues to dominate and hits a shoulderbreaker. Man, I'm not really sure what they are going for here with this match. Mysterio hits a kick to the head of Finlay and then a springboard crossbody. Mysterio hits the seated senton and a low dropkick to the face. Finlay distracts the ref and out runs Randy Orton, who catches Mysterio for a RKO out of nowhere and Finlay steals the victory. I do not remember that finish at all, but I'm not sure why they didn't use it in more highlight packages. The first 75% was really vanilla. The ending made up for it a little bit, but I know both of these guys are capable of much better. 

Match Rating: **1/4

Teddy Long is out here for a contract signing and it's for Booker T/Boogeyman? Booker says he isn't signing it. Booker finally signs it and Teddy announces that Booker's partner for the match will be none other than Sharmell and they are livid. 

Chris Benoit vs. William Regal

Regal comes out with JBL and Jillian Hall. We get some nice wrestling to start and then Benoit misses with a baseball slide on the outside. Regal hits an exploder suplex and then kicks Benoit's head into the ring post. Benoit tries to fight back with chops, but Regal slows him down. Benoit counters a crossface chicken wing into a full nelson suplex. Benoit rolls to the mat and puts in the Crippler Crossface for the victory. I am surprised that this was that short. 

Match Rating: **

Mark Henry vs. Kurt Angle

Angle goes after the knee of Henry at the start. It doesn't last long, as Henry overpowers Angle. He dumps him outside and throws him into the barricade. Henry slaps on the dreaded bear hug. Angle gets out and hits a German suplex. Angle gets upset with Jimmy Korderas in the corner and Mark Henry squashes them both. Angle get the Ankle Lock in and out comes Randy Orton again. Mysterio is out this time and accidentally hits Angle. Henry gets rid of Mysterio and Korderas is up to make the pin. After the match, Rey checks on Angle and they begin to argue. Angle pushes Mysterio down and turns his attention to Orton. Mysterio hits him with a dropkick from behind and then hits the 619. There really wasn't much to this one, as it was only designed to get Mark Henry a win and to further the story of the triple threat. 

Match Rating: *

On paper, this show looked like a really good one. Instead it was sort of meh. Raw definitely has the better card for WrestleMania, as it feels like the blue brand is just sort of treading water.

Overall Rating: 57%

Monday Night Raw 3-20-06 Review

Monday, March 20th, 2006
FedEx Forum
Memphis, Tennessee

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The Spirit Squad is here and in a festive mood tonight. They have a jazz band playing "The Saints Go Marchin' In" for Vince and Shane McMahon. I would argue that this is also the most confetti every on a WWE event, so history is being made here. They of course are celebrating Shane's "victory" over Shawn Michaels at Saturday Night's Main Event two nights ago. This all of course leads to Vince saying "Shawn Michaels screwed Shawn Michaels". Vince then announces that their match at WrestleMania is No Holds Barred. He also announces that Shawn is going to face Triple H here tonight on Raw. Out comes John Cena and he wants a piece of Triple H. So Vince announces that it will be John Cena and Shawn Michaels against Triple H and Shane McMahon. I have to say, the live band was a fantastic touch here. 

Shane, Vince and Triple H are backstage. Triple H isn't too happy that he's in a match tonight against John Cena. Vince says that he'll be out there with them, so need to worry.

Carlito vs. Kane

Just a reminder that Kane's music with vocals is among the worst in WWE history. Carlito hits a DDT, but Kane is pretty much right back up and on offense. Carlito hits a Backstabber and that slows Kane down. Kane starts slugging Carlito and hits a clothesline in the corner. Kane hits a sidewalk slam and then goes up top. Carlito hits him with a dropkick on his way down and gets a 2 count out of it. Carlito misses a moonsault, but kind of sort of lands it and eats a big boot. Carlito hits a thumb to the eye and chops Kane's knee. He snaps Kane's throat over the top rope. Carlito goes for a springboard move, but Kane catches him and hits the chokeslam for the victory. If you didn't think Chris Masters and Carlito had a chance against Kane and Big Show, well, you still don't.

Match Rating: 3/4*

After the commercial break, Carlito and Chris Masters are arguing backstage. Carlito orders that Masters makes an impact against Big Show tonight. 

The next inductees into the Hall of Fame are The Blackjacks.

Triple Threat Match For The Intercontinental Championship

Ric Flair vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Shelton Benjamin

RVD and Flair team up on Shelton to start. RVD clotheslines Shelton over the top rope and then Flair congratulates him with a chop. Who would have thought that 15 years later in 2021, RVD would be the NC-17 version of Flair? RVD hits Rolling Thunder, but Shelton breaks up the pin attempt. Shelton and Flair are brawling on the outside and RVD hits a somersault dive over the top. Flair and RVD are both busted open. They show on the replay that RVD and Flair's heads collided on RVD's way down. Shelton hits a Samoan drop on Flair, but he doesn't go for the pin right away and Flair kicks out. Shelton then hits a big vertical suplex, but RVD dropkicks Shelton during the pin. RVD hits a monkey flip, but Shelton lands on his feet so RVD kicks him in the face. RVD hits Flair with a spinning heel kick and Rolling Thunder again. He hits a spinning heel kick on Shelton and he rolls out of the ring. RVD hits the split-legged moonsault on Flair for a 2 count. Shelton comes with the championship belt, but RVD kicks it in his face. Flair rolls up RVD and gets a nearfall. RVD hits the kick off the top rope on Flair and goes up top for the frog splash, but Flair moves out of the way. Flair goes for the Figure Four and gets it on. In comes Shelton and he lays on Flair and steals the victory. That really got going after the commercial break and ended up being a really nice TV match. To me, this was a good way to build up the Money In The Bank match. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

Mick Foley is here and is all bandaged up on his face. He cuts a passionate promo about tasting his own blood on Saturday Night's Main Event and now he's thirsty for some more, but this time he wants Edge's. Out comes Lita to the ring. She says that Edge is still in Detroit and injured. She then says that they should call off the Hardcore Match and make it just a normal wrestling match. Foley says he isn't falling for this and asks Lita to slap him because that's what she's supposed to do. Edge comes out and Foley blocks Lita's low blow. 

Torrie Wilson vs. Victoria

Candice Michelle is carried out on a bed with her Playboy cover behind her. She starts throwing pillows at Torrie, which distracts Torrie. Victoria hits the Widow's Peak and that's it. Yep. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Chris Masters vs. Big Show

Big Show starts off chopping the chest of Masters. Show runs through Masters and they head outside. Show goes charging at Masters, but he ducks the attempted kick and he crotches himself on the barricade. Show goes to pull Masters in the ring, but Masters has a chair and he clocks Show in the head with an unprotected shot. Why? Obviously that's a disqualification, so he hits him again, but at least this time it's in the back. He puts on the Master Lock for a second and uses it to drive him into the ring post. This was obviously just to build their tag match. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

There's a large present in the ring and out comes Mickie James. Mickie opens up the box and it's a person underneath a sheet. Out comes Trish and Mickie reveals that it's Ashley. Mickie turns on the intensity and Trish tries to come to the aid, but she hits a DDT. Mickie is bleeding from the nose and approaches a knocked out Trish. She asks her if she loves her now and kisses her. The blood really added to the vicious twist that Mickie's character took here. 

Triple H & Shane McMahon vs. John Cena & Shawn Michaels

Michaels goes right after Shane and he goes into the crowd. Security takes Michaels down and in the ring, Cena wants a piece of Triple H. Shane tries to attack Cena from behind, but Cena hits him with a right hand when he leaps off the top rope. Vince gets on the microphone and disqualifies Cena for using a closed fist. Vince orders security to escort Cena out of the ring. Vince then announces this match.

Triple H & Shane McMahon vs. Shawn Michaels

Triple H nails Michaels with a closed fist while security holds him. The bell rings and Shane is taking it to Michaels. Triple H hits a huge spinebuster and Vince is loving it. Shane hits a leaping reverse elbow for a 2 count. Michaels makes his comeback and he hits both with inverted atomic drops. Michaels clotheslines Triple H out of the ring and hits a top rope elbow on Shane. Michaels starts tuning up the band, but Triple H trips him up and crotches him on the ring post. Triple H has him ready to Pedigree him and Shane is up top to follow it up, but out comes Cena to save the day. We get a really fun brawl with security guards coming in and Michaels and Cena clean house. Vince gets on the microphone and says that next week he has to face him. The match itself was pretty standard, but the ending was a blast. 

Match Rating: **1/4

This was a really entertaining episode as we approach WrestleMania. I loved the atmosphere created in the opening segment with the live band. We didn't get a whole lot of good wrestling tonight, but the one match that was given time was a good TV match. Mickie James and Mick Foley both played their roles well and furthered their respective feuds in the right direction. To top it off, we got a hot ending featuring the top two feuds on Raw. I am looking forward to getting to WrestleMania 22 again for the first time in a long time. 

Overall Rating: 70%

NXT 1-29-14 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, January 29th, 2014
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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The Ascension vs. John Icarino & Mike Cuellari

John Icarino is a real 1990 Superstars jobber name. They keep hyping up the Ascension as being champions for 119 days. Considering there are basically no tag teams in NXT, it probably isn't as impressive. Icarino gets tagged in and he runs right into a clothesline. They hit the Fall of Man and that's it. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Sylvester Lefort is interviewing wrestlers. Cal Bishop introduces himself and Lefort says that he can't put those cauliflower ears on TV. 

Corey Graves vs. Camacho

Graves grabs a mic and says that he will never forgive Neville for trying to end his career. He says he has a message for everyone and it's to stay tuned. They keep hyping up Camacho, as I guess he is no longer a tag team with Hunico. Graves goes after the knee and puts on Lucky 13 and he taps. So much for the Camacho hype, as this match was less than 90 seconds long. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Antonio Cesaro is backstage for an interview. He doesn't understand why Sami Zayn can't take no for an answer and just accept that he couldn't beat him. 

Back to Sylvester Lefort and this time it's Sawyer Fulton. Nothing happens.

Bayley vs. Sasha Banks

Bayley gets distracted by Charlotte and Summer, allowing Sasha to start off dominating. Bayley fights through it and hits a clothesline in the corner and a jumping reverse elbow. Summer Rae and Natalya get into it on the outside and Bayley hits the Bayley-to-Belly to pick up the win. That was way too short. 

Match Rating: *

Colin Cassady vs. Tyler Breeze

We get a whole lot of stalling before the bell rings, leading to Big Cass taking a selfie. Cass takes it to Breeze and hits a huge boot to the head for a 2 count. Aiden English then shows up on the big screen singing his name. English then walks into the room where an injured Enzo is sitting and he's looking to attack him. Breeze hits a Beauty Shot and picks up the victory. Cass rolls out and quickly heads to the back to check on Enzo. Another short match on a night full of them. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

They show Cass checking on Enzo, who is fine. 

CJ Parker vs. Miz

This is such a random match. I guess this is Miz's babyface run? Miz hits a nice standing dropkick and then a dropkick through the ropes to the floor. Miz hits a crossbody from the top rope, but Miz rolls through and locks in the Figure Four. After a struggle, Parker taps and that is all. That was the longest match of the night at a little under 5 minutes. I'm not really sure what the point of this was and I say that as a big fan of Miz's. 

Match Rating: *

Sami Zayn tells Cesaro to come to the ring next week and say no to him in his face. 

Sylvester Lefort is back and this time it's Mason Ryan. Ryan says that if Lefort can beat him in a match next week, he'll work for him. 

Renee Young is in the ring and brings in Adrian Neville. He signs the contract for his match with Bo Dallas. Out comes Bo Dallas, who is upset and then brings out his opponent tonight.

Bo Dallas vs. Danny Burch

Burch gets a second of offense, but this match is the Bo show. There isn't much to this one and he hits a double underhook DDT and that is all. I guess this was just to show off a more serious Bo. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Bo then calls out the contract and wants to sign it. Bo tells Neville that he'll see him the 27th and then lays him out. Neville leaps to the outside and they brawl until the show goes off the air. 

This episode was okay, but they tried to cram way too much into one episode. It would have been nice to add a few minutes to some of the matches here, but this episode was one of those that bounced all over the place. Not bad, but not exactly great either. 

Overall Rating: 50%

Monday Night Raw 11-29-93 Review

Monday, November 29th, 1993
Westchester County Center
White Plains, New York

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Steiner Brothers vs. Mike Khoury & Reno Riggins

Scott does what he does best, which is suplex people and make it look like it hurts really badly. Rick toys around with Riggins before going back to Scott again. Scott hits a Steiner Screwdriver and then sort of hits the Frankensteiner for the victory. This was a little slower than we are accustomed to from a Steiner squash.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Jeff Jarrett gets yet another vignette and it's him getting kicked out of a record company office. 

Diesel vs. Razor Ramon

Diesel manhandles Razor for most of the beginning of the match. He hits a side suplex and gets a 2 count. Razor tries to make a comeback and runs into a big boot and gets hit with Snake Eyes. Razor does end up fighting back and hits a leaping bulldog from the second rope. Razor signals for the Razor's Edge, but in runs Shawn Michaels and he hits Sweet Chin Music. Diesel is obviously disqualified and then Michaels goes for a piledriver on the Intercontinental Championship, but 1-2-3 Kid saves the day. The match was pretty good given the time constraints, as they played to their strengths. 

Match Rating: *3/4

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. John Crystal

Bam Bam tosses around Crystal to begin with and the crowd is chanting for Doink. I liked his Irish whip here, which sent Crystal under the ropes. Bam Bam hits the kick to the back of the head and that is all. This was to help Bam Bam re-build himself after the embarrassment of Survivor Series 1993.

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show clips of Doink debuting Dink. 

When we come back, Vince is in the ring with the Superstar of the Year trophy. Vince emphasizes that voting was very close. He brings out the runner-up, Lex Luger and he announces Bret Hart as the winner. Bret goes on and on about all of the people he dedicates this award to. What kind of a trophy presentation doesn't end with it getting smashed?

After commercial they show clips of the Hart Family match from Survivor Series. 

Owen Hart vs. Chris Duffy

Owen is wearing his new singlet and Bret's glasses. Duffy attacks Owen as he comes in to the ring, but Owen hits some hip tosses. The crowd chants "We want Bret" during the match. Meanwhile, Owen launches himself over the top rope to Duffy on the floor and follows it up with a missile dropkick. Owen then locks in the Sharpshooter for the victory. This is a great start to the heel Owen Hart. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

After the match, Bobby Heenan gets up and wants to interview Owen. Bobby tries to instigate, but Owen isn't having any of it and walks away. 

Ludvig Borga vs. Scott Taylor

Borga attacks Taylor upon entering into the ring and we're underway. Taylor tries to knock Borga down, but Borga hits a big clothesline. Borga puts him in the Torture Rack and that's all. Yeah, no more of Borga please.

Match Rating: 1/4*

They interview Razor and 1-2-3 Kid backstage. Kid says that he's going to give Shawn Michaels 100% next week in their match. Next week we will get Doink, Crush and the aforementioned Shawn vs. Kid match.

I wasn't really feeling this episode. Coming off a disappointing pay-per-view, they didn't really go all out and outside of the Owen/Bret story, they don't have a whole lot going for them here. The Razor/Diesel match was solid for what it was, but that was about it. 

Overall Rating: 42%

Saturday Night's Main Event XXXII Review

Saturday, March 18th, 2006
Cobo Arena
Detroit, Michigan

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They do a classic style intro with quick promos from the wrestlers featured on the show tonight. This was a nice touch. Jim Ross is also back for the first time in months. 

Handicap Match

Triple H & John Cena vs. Kurt Angle, Rey Mysterio & Randy Orton

Angle makes a blind tag and hits a German suplex on Cena. Cena hits a spinebuster for a 2 count and then tags in Triple H. Mysterio comes in and hits a seated senton and a cradle for a nearfall. Triple H hits a big clothesline on Mysterio into the first commercial break. Triple H puts the sleeper on Mysterio and then sets him up on the top rope after he breaks the hold. Mysterio knocks Triple H off and then hits a moonsault. Cena and Orton are both in and Cena hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena hits the FU, but in comes Triple H and he hits the Pedigree on his partner. Triple H teases heading to the back, but comes back in and drags Orton onto Cena. Mysterio breaks up his own team's count and then Triple H comes in and hits the Pedigree on Mysterio. Orton is gearing up for the RKO, but Cena is able to roll him up for the victory as Triple H watches from the aisle. Cena and Triple H are verbally attacking one another, as we go into the second screen. The match was good, but it felt like it could have gone on a little longer.

Match Rating: **1/4

After running down the Hall of Fame, Booker is shown in pain backstage. The doctor is buying it, so Teddy Long allows him to cancel. Booker and Sharmell smile on their way out of the locker room. 

It's time for The Cutting Edge. Edge runs his mouth and then calls out Foley. While Foley is entering, Edge lights a table on fire, which is immediately put out. Foley attacks Edge and then dumps a bunch of thumbtacks. Lita hits Foley in the back with a chair as he runs off the ropes and Edge sends him into the tacks face-first. Foley gets up and smiles and they have a chair duel on the ramp. Foley hits a swinging neckbreaker and then hits a one man conchairto. This was super rushed, but effective nonetheless. 

After a video package on the McMahon/HBK story, Booker and Sharmell are celebrating fooling Teddy Long. Then the red light turns on and Boogeyman is hanging upside down behind them and they run out in their towels. 

It's time for JBL to introduce the beer drinking contest. He makes fun of the Detroit mayor and the crowd cheers in agreement. He keeps running down the city until Austin's music hits. Austin runs him down like you would expect and then they start their 60 second contest. They turn backs to each other and JBL is trying to cheat. Austin is wise to it and then Benoit is here to get JBL back into the ring. JBL ends up soaked in beer and on the wrong end of a Stunner. 

Victoria & Candice Michelle vs. Trish Stratus & Mickie James

Candice and Victoria start the match on offense, but since this is a women's match, it will only be 90 seconds long and Trish hits a double DDT. Victoria runs Mickie off the apron, but then misses Trish after she does the Matrix. Trish hits Statusfaction and that is all. Mickie never got in the match, but she grabs a mic after. Mickie says she wants to say goodbye the right way and reaches out her hand. Mickie goes for a kiss, but Trish turns her head and she kisses her cheek. Trish isn't happy, so Mickie hits her with a Chick Kick. Mickie hits the Stratusfaction. This only existed for the post-match. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Mark Henry is out now to call out the Undertaker. While he and Daivari are rambling, the lights go out and out come the druids with a casket. Undertaker is out and he starts swinging. Henry bounces off the turnbuckle and flattens Taker. They go outside and Taker throws Henry into the steps. Taker then hits a Tombstone on Daivari on the casket and that's all. The booking here actually kind of makes you think Henry has a chance, but that obviously was nowhere near the case. 

Street Fight

Shawn Michaels vs. Shane McMahon

Michaels meets Shane on the ramp and they start going at it. Vince is out to help and he tries holding Shawn down on a table. Shane is climbing a ladder in the ring, but Shawn is able to escape and meets him up there. Michaels hits a superplex from the ladder through the tables on the floor. That is still a crazy bump that blew the roof off the arena. They take this into the commercial break and when we come back, both men are in the ring and Michaels hits a body slam. Michaels climbs up the ladder again, but this time Vince hits him in the back with a kendo stick, knocking him off. Shane starts using the ladder as a weapon and then a DDT to stall Michaels' comeback attempt before it starts. Shane then hits Shawn in the face with a chair and he drags him to the corner. Vince holds up the trash can in the face of Shawn, but he's able to sneak out of the coast to coast attempt. The trash can hits Vince in the face instead and he's knocked out on the floor. Michaels hits the top rope elbow drop and starts tuning up the band. Shawn hits Sweet Chin Music, but Vince pulls the referee out of the ring before he can count 3. Shawn throws Vince in the ring, but Shane hits him with a low blow from behind. Shane locks in the Sharpshooter and Vince tells them to ring the bell. He then orders Lilian Garcia to announce Shane as the winner. And with that, we are off the air. Exciting match to cap off the show. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

I was at this show live and it was a lot of fun, even if it was light on actual wrestling. My only complaint is that they tried to pack a little too much in here and some of it felt rushed. What they did do well is cover all of the featured matches for WrestleMania by adding a little bit more to the story. On a personal note, this was the only wrestling show that I ever saw at Cobo Arena, as WWE tends to run Joe Louis Arena, which is nearby. 

Overall Rating: 71%

WrestleMania 37 Night Two Review

Sunday, April 11th, 2021
Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, Florida

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Ashland Craft is here to sing "America The Beautiful" tonight. No rain delay tonight. Tonight Hulk Hogan and Titus O'Neil are dressed up like pirates. It's as dumb as you would expect. On the plus side, the crowd is booing Hogan. 

Randy Orton vs. The Fiend

You couldn't come up with a much worse opener for my personal taste than this match. Orton's entrance here is certainly something. After about five minutes of slowly walking, he does his pose and gets some fireworks and then they show the hype video. Wyatt gets a magical entrance where he changes costumes and then drones spell out "Let Me In". Out comes Alexa Bliss and she walks up to a giant box that is next to the ring that the announcers pretend they didn't see until Alexa got there. The Jack in the Box opens and out comes the Fiend. Wyatt jumps off the box and hits a clothesline and the match has started. They are wrestling under the Arby's lamp again. Orton suplexes Wyatt on the announce table, but he no sells it and puts on the Mandible Claw. On the way back in the ring, Orton hits his draping DDT and of course Wyatt no sells that too. Orton throws Wyatt into the "box-like structure". It's a box, Michael Cole. Orton then hits the DDT again. Wyatt is slower to no sell it this time, but still does and hits a crossbody. Orton hits another DDT and this time Wyatt is mildly stunned. Orton goes for the RKO, but Wyatt puts on the Mandible Claw again. He goes for Sister Abigail, but then flames come from out of the ring posts and Alexa is sitting on the box with black stuff pouring on her face. This distracts Wyatt and Orton hits the RKO for the victory. The lights go out and both are gone when they come back on. The crowd boos. My thoughts exactly. Absolutely terrible.

Match Rating: 0 Stars

Bayley and Eric Bischoff are with Hulk and Titus. This was basically a plug for Bischoff's podcast. 

WWE Women's Tag Team Championship Match

Natalya & Tamina vs. Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax

Baszler and Natalya start things off and please don't ever make a tag. So of course, Baszler tags in Nia and Cole calls her the most dominant woman in WWE history. Now we get Tamina and the crowd even chants for Tamina. What alternate timeline are we living in? She tags in Natalya and they hit a double back body drop and then a double suplex on Shayna onto Nia. Natalya hits a slingshot that sets up a superkick by Tamina, which will likely be the best spot in the match. Natalya looks as if she got absolutely drilled in the jaw by Baszler. The champs cut the ring in half and work the leg of Natalya. Tamina gets a hot tag and eventually hits a Samoan drop on Baszler for a 2 count. Tamina goes up top, but Baszler hits a kick to the head and tags in Nia. Natalya helps Tamina out of danger and then they stand there and wait for Nia to finally jump off and hit them both with the double crossbody. Nia is selling a knee injury and then talking trash to Tamina. Tamina fires back with a body slam for a nearfall. Tamina goes for the Superfly splash, but Nia is able to move out of the way and both women are down. I really did not expect this to be this long. Natalya tags in and goes for a Sharpshooter on Nia. She rolls her over after a struggle, but Baszler comes in with the Kirifuda Clutch and gets the victory. I'm just not really sure what the point of this was. This would have worked better with the Riott Squad. 

Match Rating: *1/4

Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens

They start brawling to start and Owens then drops on the top rope and goes up top, but Zayn rolls out of the ring. They start fighting on the edge of the ring and Zayn hits a brainbuster on the HARDEST PART OF THE RING. In all seriousness though, I'm not sure how that doesn't hurt. Zayn hits the Michinoku Driver for a 2 count. Owens fights back and hits a frog splash for a nearfall. I guess I should note that Logan Paul is here. Owens hits a nasty looking neckbreaker. He goes for a powerbomb, but Zayn hits an exploder suplex into the turnbuckle. Zayn hits the Blue Thunder Bomb and then another exploder into the corner. Zayn props up Owens on the top rope, but Owens counters with a fisherman suplex off the second rope. Owens hits a couple of clotheslines in the corner, but Zayn then follows him and hits a Helluva Kick. He goes for another one, but Owens hits a superkick. Owens hits the Stunner and that is all. Logan Paul comes in and checks on Zayn as Owens is celebrating. Paul offers out his hand to Owens and Zayn takes exception to it. Paul pushes Zayn to the ground and gets booed. Paul raises Owens' hand. Owens hits a Stunner and it's safe to say Bad Bunny was the better celebrity. These two aren't capable of having a bad match and this night was no different. Not their best work, but a solid entry into their storied history.

Match Rating: ***1/2

Riddle has an interaction with Great Khali and we get lots of "bros". Khali no sells Riddle and in walks RVD, who then hypes his rolling papers. 

United States Championship Match

Sheamus vs. Riddle

This match has potential to be sneaky good. Sheamus gets in some hard-hitting offense to start and hits the Irish Curse backbreaker. Sheamus hits a shot to the kidney and then eight clubs to the chest. Sheamus goes up top, but Riddle runs the ropes and hits a belly-to-belly variation of the Spanish Fly. Riddle struggles to get Sheamus up for a vertical suplex, but gets it the second time. Riddle goes for Bro Derek. Sheamus counters out and then Riddle drops and hits some kicks. Riddle flips his way back into the ring and gets hit by a huge knee for a nearfall. Sheamus hits an Alabama Slam and goes out to the apron. Riddle hits a German suplex on the apron and then hits a springboard moonsault. Sheamus regains control and carries Riddle on his back up the ropes. Riddle gets out of it, but then Sheamus reverses it and slips down. He luckily lands on his feet and hits White Noise. He hits a top rope knee drop for another nearfall. Riddle avoids a Brogue Kick and goes for a springboard moonsault, but Sheamus Brogue Kicks him in the face to become the new United States Championship. There was a lot to like here, but there were a few spots that they were a little off on. Riddle has a busted open mouth and after seeing the replay I can see why. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

Nigerian Drum Fight For The Intercontinental Championship

Big E vs. Apollo Crews

Wale is here for Big E's entrance. In case you didn't know, this is the first ever Nigerian Drum Fight. They both roll out and grab kendo sticks to start. They take turns trading blows and Big E gets the better of Apollo. Big E then throws Apollo into the drums and picks up a cymbal. Apollo kicks it out of his hands and hits him with the kendo stick. Big E blasts back with his spear through the ropes and they got some air on that one. Big E takes apart the ring steps, but Apollo hits a Death Valley Driver on the apron. Apollo grabs the top portion of the ring steps and lays Big E on the bottom. Apollo tries to throw them on Big E, but he is able to roll out of the way. Apollo hits a bicycle kick, but then Big E hits a Rock Bottom onto the steps. Big E sets up a table in the ring, but Apollo assaults Big E with the kendo stick. He sets Big E up on the table, but he gets out of the way of the frog splash and he goes through the table. Big E hits the Big Ending and Dabba Kato comes out and destroys Big E. He puts Apollo onto Big E and we have a new Intercontinental Champion. I'm hoping this is the start of bigger things for Big E and it's nice to see a guy like Apollo finally finding something that is working for him. The match was solid, but not quite as good as I thought they were capable of.

Match Rating: **3/4

It's commercial time and then we run through the 2021 Hall of Fame class. 

Raw Women's Championship Match

Rhea Ripley vs. Asuka

Ash Costello performs Ripley's theme live. I just assumed that was a generic WWE song. Ripley killed it with Charlotte last year and I expect this match to be no different. Asuka is outworking Ripley here in the early stages of the match. Just as I type that, Ripley avoids Asuka and hits her with a kick. Ripley slows things down and hits a couple of short arm clotheslines. Ripley goes for a kick, but Asuka catches it and puts her in an ankle lock. Ripley powers out and hits a German suplex. Ripley is going for a back suplex off the second rope, but Asuka hits some elbows to knock her away and nails a missile dropkick. Asuka hits a kick to the head and a Hip Attack for a 2 count. Asuka is climbing the ropes, but Ripley hits a dropkick to knock her off and to the outside. They battle on the apron and Ripley ends up with Asuka on her shoulders on the floor and slams her face-first into the ring. Back on the apron, Asuka hits a leaping DDT to the floor. I'm not sure that I've ever seen that before. Back in the ring, Ripley is able to hit a superplex. Asuka puts in an arm bar and then tries to shift it to the Asuka Lock. Ripley counters out and hits Rip Tide to become the new Raw Women's Champion. Much like how I felt about Lashley/McIntyre last night, this one was a big disappointment for me. I thought this one had show stealing potential and instead we got a pretty average match. 

Match Rating: **1/2

Titus and Hogan are out to thank everyone and Bayley interrupts again. She yells for her pyro. Out come the Bellas. Bayley says that John Cena isn't here tonight and the Bellas throw her down the ramp. This really was the best they could come up for her, huh?  

Triple Threat Match For The Universal Championship

Daniel Bryan vs. Edge vs. Roman Reigns

Reigns starts out on fire and throws Bryan out of the ring, who eats a superkick from Jey Uso. Edge is dumped out and he too gets a superkick his way. Reigns preps the announce table for Edge, but Bryan is incoming with the suicide dive. Uso hits him with another superkick. Edge then throws Uso into the steel steps to take him out for the time being. Edge then starts throwing Reigns back and forth into the ring and barricade. Edge then hits an Edgecution on Uso onto the steps. Officials take Uso away from the ring and now we have Bryan and Edge going at it in the ring. Edge counters a Bryan hurricanrana into a pin attempt. Edge turns his attention to Reigns and Bryan slides under both to pull Reigns off the apron and hits a missile dropkick on Edge. Bryan ducks a clothesline and then goes for a suicide dive again on Reigns. This time he catches him and dstroys him, but Edge hits the baseball slide on Reigns and throws him back into the ring. Reigns hits a big clothesline on Edge. He goes for the Superman punch, but Edge avoids it and hits an Edgecution on him. Edge goes for the Spear, but Reigns hits him with a Superman punch. Reigns goes for a Spear, but Edge hits a sunset flip for a 2 count. They run off the ropes, both go for Spears and end up ramming shoulders into each other. Bryan hits a top rope headbutt on Edge and then one on Reigns. Bryan hits a series of Yes Kicks on both. He hits a running knee on Edge and a kick to the head on Reigns, but he kicks out. They are cramming a lot of action in here and it is building towards something special. Bryan gets the Yes Lock on Reigns in the middle of the ring, but Edge saves the match. Bryan now put the Yes Lock on Edge and naturally Reigns breaks it up. Of all the performers, I was most interested to see what kind of reaction Reigns would get. He is very much still being treated as a heel. Reigns hits a powerbomb on Bryan from the steps through the announce table. Then Edge comes out of nowhere and hits the Spear on Reigns. Edge grabs a couple of chairs and brings one into the ring. Reigns is able to get it away from him, but Edge drops him on the top rope and puts in the crossface. Reigns breaks the hold, but Edge grabs a piece of the chair and puts it in his mouth. Reigns is about to tap, but Bryan grabs his arm. He puts on the Yes Lock at the same time and then he and Edge start headbutting one another. They start brawling and Bryan gets the better of the exchange. Bryan starts stomping on Edge and goes for the running knee. Edge hits him with the Spear and then hits Reigns with a Spear too. Edge goes for the pin, but Bryan pulls the ref out of the ring to break the count. Edge grabs some more chairs and uses one on Bryan before throwing him in the ring. Edge hits a flurry of shots to the back of both opponents and then sets both of their heads on chairs. Edge grabs the third chair and hits the one man con-chair-to on Bryan. He goes for it on Reigns, but out comes Uso to make the save. Edge hits a Spear on him and starts hitting him with the chair. Reigns hits Edge with the Spear and now places a chair under the head of Edge. He hits the one man conchairto on Edge, drags Edge on top of Bryan and pins both of them to retain the title. I had a feeling they might go this route, but with all of the heel victories went back to my prediction of Edge. Reigns is the ultimate heel champion now, but I'm not quite sure where they go from here. This match saved this show from being a disappointment, as the action was fantastic and all while telling multiple stories. Bianca had the better moment, but this was the slightly better match. 

Match Rating: ****1/4

Last night was the stronger show, but this one had the best match. Just too much on this one fell flat for this to be a strong recommendation, but the main event definitely makes it still worth your time. Owens/Zayn and Riddle/Sheamus were both entertaining, but the rest was either disappointing or downright awful. Seriously, please stop it with the Fiend. 

Overall Rating: 68%

WrestleMania 37 Night One Review

Saturday, April 10th, 2021
Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, Florida

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Vince McMahon is out on the stage with the roster and welcomes us to WrestleMania. Bebe Rexh is here to sing "America The Beautiful". After a lengthy hype video, it is announced that we are in a lightning delay. 

We go to backstage with Shane McMahon and I'm not sure he's the guy I would pick for an impromptu interview. Lashley and MVP then interrupt and MVP lets us know that tonight will be the crowning moment of the All Mighty era. Drew McIntyre comes in and says that if they have to do this backstage, he'll do it. Drew they yells that this match will happen tonight. They go to the kickoff panel and then back to New Day. In sneaks Big E to join them and they have some fun. Now to Braun Strowman and he is fighting for everyone who's ever been bullied. Now it's Kevin Owens turn and he gives a quick history between him and Sami Zayn. Michael Cole and Samoa Joe in tarps let us know that the show will start in 5 minutes. Bianca Belair says that she is nervous because she cares. Seth Rollins lets us know that he loves the chaos. Miz and Morrison let us know they are the best tag team of the 21st century, be jealous. At this point we are at 8:30 pm local time. 

They now bring out the hosts Titus O'Neil and Hulk Hogan. This is painfully awkward. 

WWE Championship Match

Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley

I am very curious to see what reactions each wrestler gets after a year of no fans. At 8:45 pm, we are finally underway. After locking horns, Lashley strikes first with a shoulder tackle. McIntyre then tosses Lashley with an overhead throws. McIntyre clotheslines Lashley over the top rope, but Lashley then drives McIntyre into the barricade. Lashley brings it back into the ring and continues the assault. McIntyre avoids Lashley and he hits his shoulder on the ring post. Drew gets in a few suplexes, but Lashley then drops McIntyre face-first. Lashley then hits a chokeslam and then tries to put on the Hurt Lock. McIntyre fights it off and fires off some elbows and forearms. McIntyre hits a face-first Alabama Slam for a 2 count. McIntyre goes for a superplex, but Lashley is able to block it. McIntyre puts on the Kimura. Lashley is able to get out of it and McIntyre throws him off. McIntyre goes for a Claymore Kick, but Lashley hits another chokeslam. McIntyre kips up and hits a belly-to-belly suplex. McIntyre hits the Future Shock three times, but Lashley kicks out. McIntyre goes for another Claymore Kick, but Lashley rolls out of the ring, so McIntyre hits a somersault dive onto Lashley and MVP. McIntyre goes up to the top rope, but Lashley catches him and then hits an overhead suplex. Lashley goes for the Hurt Lock again, but McIntyre is able to drive him into the turnbuckle. McIntyre puts the Kimura on, but after a struggle, Lashley is able to get to the bottom rope. McIntyre goes for a Claymore Kick yet again and MVP provides an awkward distraction and Lashley ducks. Lashley puts on the Hurt Lock in the center of the ring. McIntyre uses the turnbuckle to roll out, but Lashley is able to keep the hold on and the ref calls for the bell. For real? I will say, they have built Lashley into a believable main eventer. However, they spent an entire year in front of no fans and built McIntyre as their guy. The match was pretty average overall, as it started off kind of sluggish. I'm not sure if the weather/rain had anything to do with it.

Match Rating: **1/2

Bayley walks in and tries to hang out with the nWo and so I guess this is what the COVID MVP gets at WrestleMania?

Tag Team Turmoil Match To Determine The #1 Contenders For The WWE Women's Championships

Naomi & Lana vs. Carmella & Billie Kay vs. The Riott Squad vs. Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke vs. Natalya & Tamina  

I'm not sure why this match couldn't have happened on SmackDown since the men's tag title match did. Lana and Naomi dominate the early going and hit a double X Factor. Billie Kay rolls up Naomi and Carmella illegally uses her legs to push Billie up to steal the victory. The Riott Squad are next. Carmella hits a bronco buster. This match is already just a mess. They do the same spot, but this time Carmella gets caught by the referee. Liv Morgan hits a big forearm and they hit a Codebreaker/Senton combo for the victory. Carmella hits a superkick on Morgan on her way out. Now we get Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke. Mandy slipped on her way down to the ring. Mandy hits a superplex and Dana hits a swanton. Morgan is able to reverse the pin though and eliminate Brooke and Mandy. The ring announcer screws it up, but is notified of his error. Out come Natalya and Tamina. Natalya hits a sit down powerbomb on Morgan. They hit their combo again, but Tamina is able to kick out. It's pretty obvoius that the Riott Squad is the best tag team out of this clump of teams. Morgan runs into a superkick by Tamina and they then hit the Hart Attack. Natalya was going for the Sharpshooter, but instead tags in Tamina. She hits the Superfly splash and they get the victory. No thanks. Tag team turmoil matches are rarely good. This was no exception. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Seth Rollins vs. Cesaro

It's time to save this show before it goes off the rails. The fact that this is Cesaro's first singles match at a WrestleMania is pretty crazy. Cesaro hits a springboard uppercut and this match already feels like it's on 4x speed compared to the first two matches. Cesaro hits a dropkick on Rollins on the top rope. Cesaro goes up top and leaps up for the superplex and then rolls through into the Falcon Arrow. People love to hate on Seth, but he is truly a top tier talent. Cesaro fights back with a series of uppercuts and a spinning clothesline. Cesaro gets the swing going and then turns it into a Sharpshooter, but Rollins gets to the bottom rope. Rollins goes for the Neutralizer, but Rollins counters out and then avoids a Cesaro uppercut. Cesaro is selling the injured arm and Rollins hits a leaping knee. Rollins hits a very nice corkscrew splash from the top rope for a nearfall. Cesaro hits a Neutralizer out of nowhere, but Seth is able to kick out and Cesaro is stunned. Rollins counters another Neutralizer and hits a Pedigree out of it and this time Cesaro kicks out. Rollins goes for the Stomp, but Cesaro hits him with a sweet uppercut and then gives him the UFO spin. It's time for the Cesaro Swing again and according to Michael Cole it's 23 rotations. Cesaro hits the Neutralizer and picks up the victory. My expectations were probably a little too high for a mid-card match, but it still was very good. Cesaro deserved this victory here and I'm sure Seth was more than glad to be the guy to give it to him. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

After recapping last night's matches on SmackDown, they interview the SmackDown Tag Team Champions Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode. 

Raw Tag Team Championship Match

New Day vs. AJ Styles & Omos

Big E comes out to do his introduction for his former partner. Kofi and AJ have a fun exchange to start things off. New Day cuts the ring in half and Woods even announces that's what they're doing. They have a couple of different routes they can go here with this match and I am actually interested to see what they do with it. Kofi hits a splash for a 2 count. AJ is finally able to tag in his partner and he is almost legitimately twice the size of Woods. He destroys both members and we have new Raw Tag Team Champions. This match was basically built completely around Omos being tagged in, so it wasn't obviously as good as I had hoped. 

Match Rating: **1/4

Steel Cage Match

Shane McMahon vs. Bruan Strowman

For some reason Jerry Lawler is used as a guest commentator for this match. Before Braun can get into the ring, he is attacked by Elias and Ryker. Braun is selling the leg injury from the attack and Shane is taking advantage. Shane is able to rip off a piece of metal from the cage and uses it on Braun. Shane hits the coast to coast, but Braun is able to kick out. I'm not sure why this match is still going on. Elias and Ryker try to help Shane climb over the top rope, but Braun runs into the cage and knocks both guys to the floor. Shane tries to escape again, but Braun is there to stop him. Shane reaches grabs a tool box and hits Bruan on the head with it. Shane is almost out and he sticks his hand out to wave bye and Bruan grabs it. I wish I was making this up. Braun then rips the cage apart and pulls Shane in the ring. They are now both on the top of the cage and Braun tosses him off the top of the cage into the ring. Braun hits the running powerslam and it's finally over. I actually like Shane matches more than most, but this one just wasn't very good and the story to go with it was even worse. 

Match Rating: *1/4

Out comes Bayley to push Michael Cole out of the way and she then introduces the Hall of Fame package. They then announce them in front of the live crowd. 

Miz & John Morrison vs. Bad Bunny & Damian Priest

A bunch of people in bunny costumes come out and Miz and Morrison rapping to their song. Bad Bunny hits a right hand on Miz and then another. Miz goes after him and I swear to god there have been 50 camera cuts. Bad Bunny hits a nice tilt-a-whirl headscissors, but then runs into a back elbow from Morrison. Miz adds a right hand for good measure. Miz hits a big boot and a DDT. Booker T is a guest announcer, so Morrison does the Spinaroonie. They are really working a slow pace here. Bad Bunny gets his boot off and hits a DDT on Miz. He finally tags in Priest and he of course cleans house. Priest hits South of Heaven for a 2 count. He and Bunny hits stereo Falcon Arrows, but they both kick out. Bunny hits a top rope dive to the floor. Back in the ring, Priest goes for his finisher, but Miz hits the Skull Crushing Finale. Bunny saves his partner and then hits a Canadian Destroyer on Morrison out of the ring. He then hits a top rope crossbody on Miz, who was on Priest's shoulders. The match was a little slow during the heat segment, but it kicked into gear after. Bunny was impressive and the crowd enjoyed the hot finish. Props go to Miz and Morrison for making him look good as well. 

Match Rating: ***

SmackDown Women's Championship Match

Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks

I am really rooting for these ladies to tear the house down. We start things off even-steven, with both competitors showing off their athleticism. Banks hits a suicide dive, but Belair rolls through and walks up the stairs with Sasha in a military press. Banks blocks the moonsault and grabs Belair's hair and now she gets her opening. Sasha really is a great choice for Bianca's big moment, much like Rey Mysterio always was. Belair hits an awesome vertical suplex that would make new Hall of Famer British Bulldog proud. Belair hits a standing Shooting Star Press and a variation of the Glam Slam. Belair goes up top and goes for a 450 splash, but Banks gets here knees up. That looked painful. Belair is able to hit two powerbombs, but Banks counters the third one by slamming Belair face-first. Sasha hits a unique double tornado DDT and a little bit of a weak looking frog splash. Banks is frustrated and slams Belair into the steps. Banks then uses Belair's hair against her and then puts on the Bank Statement. Belair is able to roll through and grab the bottom rope. Belair goes for a superplex, but it turns into Banks missing the Meteora twice. Belair hits the 450 splash this time, but Banks kicks out. They play tug of war with the hair, with Belair winning and then smacking her with it. Belair hits the KOD and we have a new SmackDown Women's Champion. They really did a nice job of making this feel like the main event it deserved to be and both women played their roles well. I think this one just narrows out Seth/Cesaro for the match of the week so far. 

Match Rating: ****

I thought the show got off to a bit of a sluggish start with the weather delay playing a part in that. From there, it was still a mixed bag, but the good outweighed the bad. This was far from an all time classic show, but the main event was memorable and the Bad Bunny match will be talked about any time this show is brought up as well. Thumbs up, but maybe not quite as enthusiastically as I think I might see from others. 

Overall Rating: 70%

SmackDown 3-17-06 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, March 17th, 2006
CenturyTel Center
Bossier City, Louisiana

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Money In The Bank Qualifying Lumberjack Match

Finlay vs. Lashley

These two have had a nice beginning to a feud and this is a good way to continue it. Finlay gains control after he pushes Lashley into the ring post. Lashley eventually falls outside and the heel lumberjacks stomp away before throwing him back in. Lashley avoids Finlay in the corner and he hits the ring post with his shoulder. Lashley hits an impressive one armed vertical suplex and then picks Finlay above his head and throws him onto a bunch of lumberjacks. He attacks some of the lumberjacks before going back in the ring. Sylvan goes into the ring with a chair, but Lashley hits him with a spear. Finlay then hits Lashley in the head with the shillelagh and steals the victory. This was pretty good by lumberjack match standards. 

Match Rating: **

MNM are looking at Vince McMahon's photo spread in Muscle & Fitness, but Melina grabs it and they are looking at Candice Michelle's Playboy magazine. Melina takes the Vince spread because of course she does. She then goes up to Kristal and she tells her that she's the top Diva. Now here comes Paul Burchill and he pulls out his sword on MNM. 

Mixed Tag Team Match

William Regal & Jillian Hall vs. Paul Burchill & Kristal

The women start the match out and Jillian hits a handspring elbow in the corner. Kristal hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors and now the men are in. Burchill hits a back body drop, but when he goes for a monkey flip, Regal slams him on his back. Burchill comes back and hits a standing moonsault for a 2 count. The women run in and Kristal moves out of the way and Jillian is through the ropes and to the floor. Burchill hits Walk The Plank and that is all. I still stand by my opinion that Burchill's gimmick was good. 

Match Rating: *

Sharmell is freaking out backstage and Booker is trying to calm her down. She then comes out to introduce Booker in a beekeeper's outfit. 

Booker T vs. Jeremy Young

Booker is destroying Young, but Sharmell is still all worried about Boogeyman coming out. Booker makes quick work of Young by hitting the Scissors Kick for the victory. As soon as they are about to celebrate, Boogeyman's music hits. Boogey doesn't come out and Booker is looking for him. They go under the ring to look for him and out comes Boogey. Booker and Sharmell retreat, naturally.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Next up is a live sit down interview, with Kurt Angle, Rey Mysterio and Randy Orton in separate studio spaces. Orton sort of runs the segment, first poking Angle for his health and then says that Mysterio doesn't belong in the main event. Before Mysterio can even say anything, Angle comes to his aid. This wasn't perfect or anything, but I liked that it was different than what we usually get heading into a WrestleMania main event. 

The Miz is coming. 

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match

Animal vs. Matt Hardy

It's really hard to believe that this match took place in 2006. They go right at it and then Hardy goes up to the top. Animal kicks the top rope and crotches Hardy. Hardy battles back and hits a Side Effect for a 2 count. Behind the referee's back, Animal puts on brass knuckles and hits Hardy with it to pick up the victory. When Charles Robinson raises his hand, he sees the brass knuckles fall out of his hands and reverses the decision. Animal gets in his face and nails him with a right hand. So that happened. I'm not really sure I understand what they were thinking here. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

They announce a battle royal for the last Money In The Bank spot for next week. 

Orlando Jordan vs. Chris Benoit

JBL is out as the guest announcer. It's too bad Benoit didn't beat Jordan in 3 seconds this time. Benoit hits two of the Three Amigos and then hits two of the three German suplexes. Jordan tries to do something, but Benoit turns him over into the Sharpshooter for the victory. After the match, JBL hits Benoit in the back with his cooler. They are just sprinting through everything tonight.

Match Rating: 1/2*

Mark Henry cuts a promo on his upcoming Casket Match at WrestleMania. He says he's supposed to fear the casket and the streak, but he fears nothing. He says that tomorrow on Saturday Night's Main Event, he's calling Undertaker out.

MNM & Mark Henry vs. Kurt Angle, Rey Mysterio & Randy Orton

It really is kind of remarkable how important MNM was to the SmackDown weekly programming, but they were unable to give them a match at WrestleMania. It actually could have been kind of cool for them both to be in the Money In The Bank match. Randy Orton slaps Johnny Nitro and then lets Angle start. Once Mysterio comes in, the pace quickens, but it doesn't last long. Henry is tagged in and steps on Mysterio. Henry misses in the corner, but they are still able to keep Mysterio isolated. Daivari grabs Mysterio and Melina gets a couple of slaps in. Mysterio finally gets in the tag to Angle, who hits a series of German suplexes and the straps are down. He hits the Angle Slam on Mercury, but the pin attempt is broken up by Henry. Mysterio hits a 619 on Mercury, but then Orton tags himself in and picks up the victory. That was the only time Orton was in the match. This was an okayish main event here. 

Match Rating: **1/4

This was one of those episodes that didn't have anything stand out on it, but it was an easy episode to watch. It's just hard to recommend this show that felt like nothing really important happened outside of the qualifications for the Money In The Bank. 

Overall Rating: 57%

NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Night Two Review

Thursday, April 8th 2021
WWE Performance Center
Orlando, Florida

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Poppy is here to perform to kick off the show. To each their own, but this one is not for me. 

Ladder Match For The NXT Cruiserweight Championship

Santos Escobar vs. Jordan Devlin

They have a little bit of a flat start to the match, where they kind of feel like they didn't know what they wanted to do. Devlin hits a springboard moonsault to the outside. Devlin baits Escobar into attempting a baseball slide into the ladder, but moves it out of the way and nails him with it. Escobar is able to reverse an Irish whip and throw Devlin into the ladder and to the outside. Escobar hits a running double knees and then goes in the ring to set up the ladder. Devlin interrupts, but then ends up getting a ladder jabbed into his ladder from a low dropkick. Escobar slaps Devlin, so he retaliates by throwing him face-first into a ladder. They kind of feel like they are either holding back or working at a slower speed for whatever reason. Devlin is the first to get his fingers on the titles, but Escobar is there. Devlin on the way down hits a DDT on his way down. Escobar hits a suicide dive into Devlin into the ladder. They start trading blows and Escobar nails a high knee. Escobar hits the Spanish Fly, but Devlin hits a spinning cutter. Devlin goes to the top of the ladder and hits a huge moonsault. That was definitely the highlight of the match so far. Devlin is climbing the ladder, but out comes Legado Del Fantasmo and they toss him off the ladder and to the floor. Escobar takes his time because it's wrestling and that's what you do, which allows Devlin to throw a ladder at him and slow him down. He sets up a ladder next to him and they battle halfway up. Devlin hits a Spanish Fly off the ladder and both men are down. Devlin again begins to climb and naturally Escobar is there for the battle. Escobar pushes him off the ladder and through another ladder in the corner. Escobar grabs the titles for the victory. I don't know if it was just me, but this one just did not work for me. It felt slow and plodding. I would have rather seen a few of these minutes go somewhere else on the card. 

Match Rating: **1/4

We get a MSK interview backstage and they talk about Killian Dain and Drake Maverick being the new #1 contenders. They have a pretty likable goofiness to them. 

NXT Women's Tag Team Championship Match

Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell vs. Ember Moon & Shotzi Blackheart

It's always good to see LeRae on the card. The Way is able to withstand an early blast from Shotzi and cut the ring in half early on. Shotzi hits an enzuigiri and makes the hot tag to Moon, who hits a spinning forearm on LeRae. The Way goes for a double superplex, but Shotzi makes the save and we get a tower of doom spot that gets ruined by the camera angle. Indi hits a sitdown powerbomb for a nearfall. Moon tags in Shotzi and she hits a top rope crossbody on both opponents. Shotzi kind of hits a suicide dive on both LeRae and Indi, but it looks as if she missed the mark a little. Moon hits a somersault dive off the top rope for good measure. Moon hits a double Eclipse off the top rope and Shotzi hits a top rope senton for the victory. This was pretty good, but felt a little bit more like a TV match rather than a TakeOver match.

Match Rating: **3/4

NXT North American Championship Match

Bronson Reed vs. Johnny Gargano

Reed turns a headscissor into a cartwheel and I already love this match. Reed catches Gargano on his shoulders, but Gargano rakes his eyes and shoves him into the announcer table. Reed catches Gargano and hits a powerslam. Reed goes for a vertical suplex, but Gargano knees him. Reed still holds him up and hits a Jagged Edge for a 2 count. Reed tries to suplex Gargano back into the ring, but Gargano trips him up on the turnbuckles and hits a Backstabber off the second rope. Reed counters Gargano's offense and hits a vertical suplex. Gargano is able to hit a reverse rana and goes for the Gargano Escape. Reed gets out and Reed ends up hitting a Razor's Edge into a toss into the ring. Reed misses the Tsunami and Gargano hits a superkick for a 2 count. I'm not sure I love Gargano recovering so quickly from that Razor's Edge. Reed goes up top again, but Theory distracts him and Gargano crotches Reed. Gargano goes for a top rope rana, but Reed hold on. Reed hits a move, but I'm not sure what it was because you CAN'T REWIND ON PEACOCK. Anyway, Reed goes after Austin Theory and ends up hitting a dive on him. Gargano goes for One Final Beat, but Reed counters it and gets another nearfall. Gargano hits a couple of superkicks, but Reed returns the favor and climbs the turnbuckle. He goes for a moonsault, but Gargano moves and then hits One Final Beat. He hits a second one and that's all for Reed. This was a solid match, but didn't have the classic Gargano storytelling that we usually get at a TakeOver. Good match, but also disappointing.

Match Rating: ***1/4

NXT Championship Match

Karrion Kross vs. Finn Balor

We get a feeling out process to start. Balor gets some of the more vicious lookin gslaps I have seen in and Kross isn't happy about it. Balor is able to avoid Kross in the corner though and Kross hits his shoulder on the post. Balor gets an arm bar on and continues to work on the arm/shoulder. Kross is able to hit a boot, but Balor fights off the comeback and hits an inverted DDT/elbow. Kross finally makes his comeback and hits a powerbomb for a 2 count. Balor again is able to swing the pendulum back in his direction and puts Kross in an abdominal stretch. Kross tosses him out, but runs into a Pele kick. Balor hits a running dropkick and goes up to the top rope. Balor hits the Coup de Grace, but Kross turns the pin attempt into a submission hold. Balor again is one step ahead. Again Kross battles back and hits a German suplex with a release. Kross hits a clubbing blow to the back of Balor and we have a new NXT Champion. I don't know what's up with tonight, but I am just not digging most of these matches tonight. It doesn't help that I'm not a very big fan of Kross's style, but still was hoping for something better than what we got here. 

Match Rating: **1/2

Unsanctioned Match

Kyle O'Reilly vs. Adam Cole

I definitely need this one to meet my lofty expectations to save this show from the mediocre range. We get some brawling to start. O'Reilly sets Cole down in a chair and hits a couple of kicks, but Cole catches the third one. O'Reilly counters the Panama Sunrise for a back body drop. O'Reilly has Cole in a guillotine while sitting on the top rope, but Cole knocks him off and he hits the edge of the ring. Cole works on the neck and hits a neckbreaker on a chair. Cole hits his variation of a FU/neckbreaker and then starts taunting O'Reilly while he's down. This brings O'Reilly to his feet and he hits Cole with some knees. O'Reilly hits a back suplex onto a seated chair. He hits a running dropkick off the apron to Cole, who was sitting in the chair. O'Reilly brings out a chain from under the ring. O'Reilly wraps the chain around his leg for his kicks, but it doesn't work out that great, because it falls off. He goes to fix it and Cole puts him in the Figure Four. O'Reilly is able to reverse it, but Cole turns it back and then they both hit right hands on each other. Back on their feet O'Reilly runs off the ropes, but Cole holds up the chain and O'Reilly's neck goes right into it. Cole then uses the chain to hit a Backstabber. Cole hits a big seated shining wizard, but O'Reilly is able to kick out. Back on the outside, O'Reilly gets the guillotine in and then knocks him down with a kick. O'Reilly is about to use the steel steps, but has second thoughts. He's still able to fight off Cole and then starts cleaning off the announcer table. They battle up on the table and O'Reilly hits a brainbuster. Cole walks to the production area to recuperate and then blindsides O'Reilly with a TV. O'Reilly hits a big rebound clothesline and a brainbuster for another close call. O'Reilly puts on a triangle choke, but Cole breaks it after using the tire iron on O'Reilly's ribs. They are both seated in chairs in the middle of the ring and begin trading blows. Cole hits the huge superkick, but O'Reilly again kicks out. Cole then puts a chair around his neck and grabs another chair. The referee tries to get him to stop, so he clocks him. Cole hits Panama Sunrise, but that doesn't help when you knock out the referee. He tries to wake him up, but it's not working. O'Reilly puts Cole in the guillotine on the ramp, but Cole drives him to and then THROUGH the ramp. Cole then stomps through the side of the ramp and pulls out O'Reilly. Cole then hits a suplex onto a step. O'Reilly recovers and again wraps his leg with the chain and hits a top rope knee with Cole's head on a chair. They were going for the big, epic brawl along the lines of Gargano/Ciampa and they mostly delivered. I would argue that they could have shaved a little bit of time off there, but maybe that's just me being extremely tired. I also think this match really needed a full arena to really make it. They bring out the stretcher for Cole with O'Reilly watching over them. O'Reilly is then shown watching from the stage as we go off the air. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

Well, I have pretty much loved every TakeOver there has been to date, but this one may be my least favorite. Some of these matches just didn't work that well for me. Karrion Kross is the worst NXT Champion since Robert Roode and while I completely understand why they put the strap on him, I'm just not personally a huge fan. The ladder match felt sluggish and kind of got the show off on the wrong foot. It was far from bad, but way below the expectations that I have when I watch a TakeOver. 

Overall Rating: 68%

NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Night One Review

Wednesday, April 7th 2021
WWE Performance Center
Orlando, Florida

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Nina Strauss is here to shred her way through the "Star Spangled Banner". This leads to some cool lightning effects and a giant skull logo on the stage. 

Pete Dunne vs. Kushida

These two go right to the mat wrestling, as expected. Dunne is able to hit a suplex on the edge of the ring and that leads to some more physicality. Kushida hits a handstand springboard elbow and takes control. This has almost been too fast of action to even recap here. Beth Phoenix actually makes a good analogy, calling this a tennis match. Kushida hits a suplex into the Hoverboard Lock off the top rope. Kushida gets a close call on a submission hold, but Dunne gets to the ropes. Dunne then starts smashing Kushida's hands and hits the Bitter End for the victory. I'm a little surprised that it ended that way, but with it being on USA they couldn't go too long. I know my recap did very little to show how action packed this match was, but it was balls to the wall from start to finish. It was nice to see a match go back and forth without relying on nearfalls. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

Six-Man Eliminator Gauntlet Eliminator MatchTo Determine The #1 Contender For The North American Championship

Leon Ruff vs. Isaiah Scott vs. Bronson Reed vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Dexter Lumis vs. LA Knight

Leon Ruff and Isaiah Scott are first here and Ruff hits a nice variation of the Stunner off the table. Scott catches his dive though and drops him on the barricade. Ruff counters a second rope powerbomb into a hurricanrana. In comes Bronson Reed. Ruff leaps at him, but Reed catches him and throws him back into the ring. Reed and Scott team up to hit a vertical suplex/top rope crossbody combo. Reed then squashes Ruff, which doesn't look fun. Reed then hits a double German suplex and now it's Cameron Grimes turn. Scott and Grimes decide to team up and work on Ruff. Scott tosses upside down and that looked like that may not have been a good landing. Lumis is in next, who slowly walks to the ring. Ruff is eliminated during the entrance and Lumis attacks Reed on the ramp. Lumis dominates Scott and in walks Reed for a showdown. Lumis gets Reed up on his back on a second attempt, but Reed gets down and then through the ropes to the floor. Lumis clotheslines Grimes and it sends both of them over the top rope. LA Knight comes out with his mic and insults Ruff and talks some more trash. Reed grabs him from behind and throws him in the ring. That entrance felt a little bit like a TNA type gimmick. Knight slingshots himself into the ring, but Reed catches him and hits a Samoan drop. Knight avoids Reed and hits a neckbreaker. Knight then leaps up to the top to hit a superplex on Scott. Lumis puts The Silence on Grimes, but Knight comes in and pins Lumis while he's locked into the hold. Scott then hits a knee on Knight and he gets attacked by everyone and eliminated? I definitely thought he'd be in the final two, but instead Lumis attacks him and it looks like that will be the next feud. We then get some crazy triple threat action that ends with Reed falling on top of Grimes and Scott. Grimes rolls up Scott, but he reverses it and Grimes is eliminated. Reed starts climbing the the turnbuckles, but Scott hits a dropkick on him. Scott then hits a powerslam on Reed onto the edge of the ring. Scott puts him back in the ring and hits a 450 splash for a 2 count. Scott hits three House Calls, but Reed is able to kick out. Reed fights back and hits the huge splash off the top rope for the victory. Once Knight was eliminated, I figured this was the route they were going. It will be interesting to see what Gargano can do with a guy like Reed. This was a good match, although I would have rather seen the opener get a few more minutes. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

NXT United Kingdom Championship Match

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Walter

Walter chops his way out of a Ciampa burst and kicks him out of the ring. Ciampa again gets in some offense, but this time it's stopped by a huge boot from Walter. Walter puts in a half crab into a STF, but he is selling an injured right hand. He hits another boot to the face and they show the cracked table where Walter his hand. Ciampa comes back with a series of clotheslines, but Walter is still standing. Ciampa has to hit close to 20 and he's finally down. Ciampa goes for the Fairy Tale Ending, but Walter counters and almost steals the victory. Ciampa hits the Fairy Tale Ending, but Walter kicks out. Walter hits a German suplex with a release and a big clothesline for a 2 count. Ciampa hits White Noise off the second rope and that's still not enough to keep Walter down. Walter hits two powerbombs, but Ciampa is still able to kick out. Walter hits a suplex that turns Ciampa inside out and a big chop and that's enough for the victory. I'm not sure I really loved that ending. These guys beat the crap out of each other though. Each match so far has been equally good, but in three different ways. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

Triple Threat Match For The NXT Tag Team Championships

MSK vs. Legado Del Fantasma vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Each team takes a turn dominating with GYV being the last ones and are able to sustain control. We get a fun spot where MSK hits a Hardy-like dive and then Fantasma hits stereo dives off the corner and ring apron. Much like the opener, the action is just too quick and engaging for me to even really recap. We have double submission by GYV, but Fantasma breaks it up and they almost pick up the victory. GYV hits a Doomsday Device and they MSK hits a stomp on the top of a Torture Rack. We have a showdown between MSK and GYV and they're off. Nash Carter hits a double Stunner of the top rope and MSK are your new Tag Team Champions. MSK is for real and they have a legit chance of being actual tag team stars. I hate giving every match the same rating, but so far everything has been very good, but not quite to great. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

NXT Women's Championship

Raquel Gonzalez vs. Io Shirai

They've done a really nice job of building Gonzalez. They go right at it and don't slow down until Shirai hits a crossbody dive through the ropes. When the referee is checking on Gonzalez, Dakota Kai attacks Shirai and she is sent to the back. Shirai hits a springboard moonsault on the outside. She goes for another one, but Gonzalez grabs her and throws her into the ring post. Both women get in a bit of offense and some near victories. Shirai hits a moonsault onto the elevated ramp. Shirai then hits a running double knees to the face. Shirai is then on top of the skull on the stage and she hits a big dive. You knew something was happening with that skull and it still was pretty cool. I can't imagine that landing was fun. Shirai hits another moonsault back in the ring, but Gonzalez kicks out at 2. Raquel hits a huge clothesline that spins Shirai inside out and hits the one armed powerbomb to become the new champion. There wasn't much else for Shirai to go with the title and they completely have built Gonzalez as a monster. This made sense and was a good match. I hate to do this, but I'm also going...

Match Rating: ***1/2

I have never given every match on the same show the same rating, but here I am. Everything was very good, but nothing hit greatness here tonight. With that being said though, this was a highly entertaining way to spend 2 hours, even if it won't be talked about among the top TakeOver events. I am very big on MSK and I am glad that creative agrees with me. Tomorrow night has the slightly stronger card, so we'll see what we get here tomorrow. 

Overall Rating: 80%