Superstars 1-22-94 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, January 22nd, 1994
Lowell Auditorium
Lowell, Massachusetts

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Ludvig Borga vs. Tim McNeany

McNeany sneak attacks Borga off the top rope, but then Borga takes his head off with a clothesline. He then hits the British Bulldog vertical suplex. Borga puts on the Torture Rack and that is all. I believe this is Borga's last televised match, but don't quote me on that. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's Update time with Gorilla Monsoon. The Quebecers didn't lose the belts and regain them just to lose them to the Harts tonight. Gorilla thinks there a little overconfident. 

Doink vs. Cory Student

Dink squirts water out of a camera on Student. Doink went from one of the best characters to one of the worst almost overnight. Doink does a unique pin and that's it. Seriously. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go to Jim Ross, who runs down the Royal Rumble. We get an interview from Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji and I'll let you guess who does the talking. 

We go back to the Undertaker's workshop, where Paul Bearer has the casket on a wagon to be carried by horse. As it walks away, Undertaker is there and tells Yokozuna that he should be terrified. 

John Crystal vs. Shawn Michaels

Michaels hits a back suplex and then avoids a charge from Chrystal. Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music, which is still not his finisher. Michaels hits the piledriver and that is all. It seems like the squashes are a lot shorter during this era than they were in the prime of the show. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Just in case you somehow didn't know the Royal Rumble was tonight, Todd Pettengill now gets a chance to talk about it. They remember that IRS is fighting Razor Ramon and both guys get promo spots. Call the hotline to find out who will be coming up next seconds before you can see it with your own eyes! What a deal. 

Adam Bomb & Rick Martel vs. Smoking Gunns

Bomb and Martel are about as random of a team that they could put together. Vince calls them the Beavis and Butthead of WWF. Not a chance Vince ever watched a second of that show. Bomb attacks Billy from behind, but Billy fights him off with a hip toss. Bomb tags in Martel and he suffers the same fate. Billy dropkicks Martel into a body slam by Bart. Bomb pulls down the top rope and Bart goes flying to the floor. Martel and Bomb use a unique double clothesline while Martel is still on the apron. Bart is then able to get a knee up on a charging Martel and makes the tag to Billy. They clothesline Bomb out of the ring and then hit a double side Russian leg sweep on Martel. Harvey Wippleman comes in the ring and attacks Bart, but the referee sees it and that's it. Martel and Wippleman start going at it and Bomb makes the save. Martel ends up walking out to end the segment. The match was okay, but of course with a useless ending. 

Match Rating: **

We go back to JR trying to sell us the hotline again. He talks to Shawn Michaels, who claims there is no Intercontinental Championship match at the Royal Rumble because he isn't defending his title.

Crush vs. Dan Dubiel

Dubiel gets in some clotheslines and then goes to the second rope. Crush catches him and dumps him down. He puts his skull crushing finisher on and that is all. He then waives the Japanese flag in celebration. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Bret and Owen are here for an arena interview with Raymond Rougeau. The Hart brothers are ready for Owen's big break tonight. 

We end the show with a rap from Men On A Mission telling us the Rumble is comin'. 

This was a decent show by Superstars standards. The feature match was pretty good action overall and the squashes were spirited. I do think there is just too much of the studio stuff in here, but that's me. 

Overall Rating: 45%

Monday Night Raw 1-17-94 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, January 17th, 1994
Richmond Coliseum
Richmond, Virginia

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Vince gives us the dramatic recap of last week's big title change on Raw. He is then joined by Crush in a cut off flannel shirt. He had a good, long talk with his buddy IRS.

Owen Hart vs. Terry Austin

Bret is out to accompany his brother because they are such good buddies. While Owen shows off a bit, Vince gets on the phone with Stan Lane who is reporting live from Madison Square Garden about the rematch for the tag titles. Austin catches a kick from Owen, but then gets hit with the enzuigiri. He locks in the Sharpshooter and that's all. Crush says he does it better than Bret and claims Bret looks jealous as they are hugging. Vince comes out to interview the Harts. Owen plays up the frustration of the Quebecers no longer being the champs since this was his time to shine. Bret says that under no circumstances would he ever cheer for the Quebecers, which Owen doesn't love. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Tatanka vs. George South

Who thought it was a good idea to have Crush announce the entire show? Tatanka outsmarts South early on, but then South actually gets a jumping clothesline for a 2 count. We go back to Stan Lane again and he says that the champions are more determined than ever tonight. Tatanka battles back and hits the chop off the top rope for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We now get a special look at the Women's Champion, Alundra Blayze. This is nothing and it continues the embarrassment of them basically ignoring that she exists. 

We get an in ring interview with Yokozuna and Mr Fu.ji. No Jim Cornette this week. The lights go out and here comes Paul Bearer wheeling out the casket. Yoko is going to try and squash the casket, but out comes Undertaker and Yoko runs away in fear. This was really long to get to an obvious, but satisfying conclusion.

Diesel vs. Scott Towers

Diesel is dominating and Crush is talking about Tonya Harding. 1994, baby. We go back to Stan Lane and he informs us that the champs were robbed and the Quebecers are once again the champions. This match is way longer than you would think it would be. Diesel hits a big boot and an elbow drop for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go back to Todd Pettengill for a Royal Rumble Report. Wouldn't the Royal Rumble have been the perfect time to have a Women's Championship match?

Randy Savage vs. IRS

It's the Joe Montana of the WWF, Randy Savage. Thankfully we come back from commercial break after IRS is done talking, although usually that's the highlight of his matches. Irwin gets the early advantage and dumps Savage out of the ring. The always unhinged Savage grabs a chair, but Irwin attacks him from behind. Savage catches a kick back in the ring and spins him into an atomic drop. Savage hits a couple of clotheslines into another commercial. Irwin drops Savage on the guardrail and Crush is hoping he bit his tongue off. Irwin suplexes Savage back into the ring and gets a 2 count. Savage buys himself some time, but then goes after Crush. IRS then quickly throws him into the ring post and we get yet another commercial break. Savage goes off the top rope, but IRS hits him with a blow to the bread basket. Savage fights back again, but then Crush pushes him off the top rope. The referee calls for the bell and Crush attacks Savage. IRS joins in on the fun, but out comes Tatanka to try and help, but IRS slows him down. Yokozuna is now out and then Luger comes out. Wouldn't it have made more sense for Razor Ramon to come out? Now Diesel and Michaels are out and wouldn't you know it, we have a mini Royal Rumble. Bret Hart joins in and he knocks Yoko out of the ring. The show goes off the air from here. Savage wrestling in this era was usually pretty special, but leave it to IRS to make it feel like a nothing match.

Match Rating: *1/2

Well, this wasn't the strongest episode of Raw and when you consider you have to listen to 45 minutes of Crush, it's one of the worst in weeks. 

Overall Rating: 38%

Superstars 1-15-94 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, January 15th, 1994
Lowell Auditorium
Lowell, Massachusetts

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Lex Luger vs. Bastion Booger

Booger catches Luger and hits a powerslam and a leg drop for a 2 count. Booger is one of the worst actual wrestlers that I can think of. Booger misses in the corner and Luger hits some clotheslines. He makes the mistake of trying to body slam him, but he has no luck and Booger slams him instead. Luger fights back and again goes for a body slam, but Luger falls on his back and then gets clotheslined through the ropes. I wish I loved anything as much as wrestlers loved trying to body slam big opponents. Luger gets smashed into the ring post and then all of a sudden stops selling it and gets his precious body slam. He hits the forearm for the victory. Booger is just so bad. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

We go to Gorilla Monsoon for Update. Bret and Owen are disappointed that the Quebecers aren't the champs any more, but Bret is confident that the new champs will give them a title shot after they take care of the Quebecers. Bret also says that he is going to devote his time to tag team wrestling with Owen. We then hear from both Marty Jannetty and 1-2-3 Kid and the Quebecers about their match at Madison Square Garden. 

Headshrinkers vs. JW Storm & Tony DeVito

The Headshrinkers toss Storm around and we then get a promo of them yelling. They hit the backbreaker and a big splash and that is all. That was really quick. They then have some fun with the video board on the way out. Headshrinkers were not used to their full potential whatsoever. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We now kick it to Jim Ross, who is much better as an announcer than he is at this sort of thing. Bam Bam says he's going to take out Doink in front of curtains. Doink and Dink then get a chance in front of the curtains. This stunk. 

It's time for the guest ring announcer and she does a better job than most of these that I've seen. 

Tatanka vs. Barry Horowitz

We get pre-recorded comments from Ludvig Borga, as if someone actually thought we cared. Vince says that their match will be a classic. Tatanka makes his comeback and hits the top rope chop. He hits the Samoan drop for the victory. This was every Tatanka squash ever and then Vince reminds us for the 28th time that Tatanka is in the Royal Rumble.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Back to JR and he interviews Yokozuna, Mr. Fuji and Jim Cornette in front of a different pair of curtains. JR shows them the video of Undertaker's final casket. This infuriates Cornette and he admits that Yoko is afraid of the box, but Yokozuna will be ready at the Royal Rumble. 

Virgil vs. Derek Domino

I'm not sure why Virgil is still on the roster, but here he is. It was always kind of weird that they never really had a follow up feud planned for him after Ted DiBiase. He hits a back body drop and then puts on the Million Dollar Dream for the victory. Hopefully he got some free breadsticks after the match.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Raymond Rougeau is with Shawn Michaels and Diesel and Michaels says he is the favorite. Bam Bam argues he is, then Jeff Jarrett and his dorky headband say they are. Crush's mullet comes in, then Adam Bomb, then Rick Martel and well, you get the picture. Michaels and Diesel then argue about letting Michaels win. This was harmless, nostalgic fun. 

Todd Pettengill is here for the Royal Rumble Report and he telegraphs the Owen/Bret breakup a little bit too much. Macho Man chimes in to talk about winning it and then surprisingly the Smoking Gunns also get a promo. Marty and 1-2-3 Kid then take playful jabs at tossing each other out in the Rumble. 

Tony Roy vs. IRS

IRS cuts the same promo as ever and says 1994 will be the year of the audit. Razor says he doesn't think IRS will be able to take the title away from him. IRS hits a clothesline and that's it. Whatever.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go back to Jim Ross and he lets us know that the Royal Rumble hotline is running! Crush says that the Royal Rumble means bad news for Macho Man. Meanwhile, Mr. Fuji looks like he's taking a dump. Savage responds and says that Crush is going down. 

Next week we'll get Ludvig Borga, Doink, Shawn Michaels and in the main event it's Rick Martel and Adam Bomb against the Smoking Gunns. Plus, we get a special interview with the Hart brothers.

Undertaker vs. Duane Gill

Gillllllberg. Gill ducks a clothesline, but just gets chokeslammed instead. What a payday for Taker. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Like almost every episode of Superstars ever, it wasn't good, but it was entertaining enough. Bastion Booger is beyond embarrassing though and the roster definitely was thinning around this time. 

Overall Rating: 42%

Monday Night Raw 1-10-94 Review

Monday, January 10th, 1994
Richmond Coliseum
Richmond, Virginia

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It's too bad they couldn't have done the Manhattan Center for the anniversary show. We get a recap of the Quebecers/1-2-3 Kid and Marty Jannetty. Macho Man is the guest commentator here tonight, who comes out to a big pop and a Monday Night Raw themed jacket. 

WWF Tag Team Championship Match

Quebecers vs. Marty Jannetty & 1-2-3 Kid

Marty and Jacques start the match off, with Marty getting the better of the exchange. Both men tag in their partners and Kid hits a spinning heel kick for a 2 count. It's pretty clear that these two teams are going to get some time, which is well deserved. We get some illegal double teaming by the Quebecers, but it of course backfires and the challengers clear the ring. So apparently they did a false finish during the commercial break, but Jacques' foot was on the bottom rope, so the match has restarted. Why would you want to show that during the actual TV show? Polo distracts the referee, allowing Pierre to pull down the top rope. Marty gets thrown back in and ducks the punch from Jacques and hits Pierre instead. Kid hits another kick and then hits a somersault dive to the outside. He goes up to the top rope again and hits a clothesline on Jacques. Pierre pushes Kid off the top rope and then chokes him with the tag rope. They then drop Kid on the top rope and get a 2 count. This is a really good match. We get another commercial break as Jacques body slams Pierre onto Kid. Back from the break and Jacques this time hits a back body drop on Pierre onto the Kid for a 2 count. They announce that next week IRS will take on Randy Savage with Crush as a guest announcer for the match. Jacques hits a piledriver on the Kid and they then hit their double team somersault dive off the top rope, but don't go for the pin. Instead, they go for it again, but Jannetty illegally interferes to break it up. The crowd is 100% into this match and Kid makes the hot tag. He takes care of both opponents and then knocks Polo off the apron. They hit a suplex splash combo and we have new champions to a big pop. Savage is in there to help them celebrate. They go out into the crowd to party with their fans. This was a really good TV match and a fun little storyline. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

They then show a clip of Kid beating Razor Ramon on Raw last year. It's now time for the Royal Rumble Report with Jim Ross filling in for Todd Pettengill. All 30 participants are now announced and Lex Luger is officially in the match. They also add in Tenryu and Great Kabuki. They keep continuing to claim that every title will be on the line, already forgetting about the new WWF Women's Championship. 

They show a clip of Tiny Tim and Jerry Lawler. I always felt like this was never as big of a moment as WWF thought it was. 

Ludvig Borga vs. Brad Anderson

There aren't many worse ways to celebrate an anniversary than with a Borga squash. Lex Luger joins us on the phone and he'd love to get his hands on Borga at the Rumble. In the ring, Borga is getting next to no heat from a live crowd, which is never a good sign. Ironically, he puts on the Torture Rack and gets the victory. Borga was garbage. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show Yokozuna beating two jobbers on Superstars with a double Banzai Drop. After the match, the video of Undertaker and Paul Bearer comes up on the video screen. Even 1994 me would have wanted to see this match. I remember taking a long time to rent Royal Rumble '94 and Survivor Series '94 because that was the main event. 

Undertaker vs. Ray Hudson

Hudson takes one of the uglier chokeslams that I can remember here. That leads to the Tombstone and that is all. There was more, but I just didn't care enough to type it. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get a recap of the Bastion Booger/Bam Bam Bigelow debacle. 

Bastion Booger vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

Bam Bam comes right in and attacks Booger. Bigelow misses in the corner and somersaults over the top rope and hits himself on the apron on the way down. This gives Booger time to go after Luna, but Bigelow rams Booger into the steps. Bigelow goes for a body slam, but Booger kind of counters it, but I guess he wasn't supposed to? Bigelow does another one and then hits a top rope headbutt for the victory. Thankfully that was short. After the match Booger goes up to Luna and she slaps him. Bigelow then attacks him and dropkicks him out of the ring. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They go to the Quebecers backstage. Jacques says they have a genius of a manager, who signed a rematch clause and will face Jannetty and Kid at a house show in Madison Square Garden. 

IRS then comes out and confronts Savage. Savage takes the Monday Night Raw cake and shoves it in his face to end the show. 

We got one of the best matches in Raw history up to this point, so that pretty much warrants a watch in the one hour era. They got plenty of time and told a fun story, even if having the nearfall during the commercial break was a poor choice. The rest of the show stunk unfortunately, but you get what you get in 1994. 

Overall Rating: 59%

Monday Night Raw 1-3-94 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, January 3rd, 1994
Mid-Hudson Civic Center
Poughkeepsie, New York

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Since I became a wrestling fan in 1990, the only year that I did not watch any live wrestling in was 1994. I had pretty much fallen out of fandom in 1993 and didn't come back until the summer of 1995. I've since seen all of the pay-per-views, but never any of the weekly programming. 

We start things off back at the Undertaker's workshop, where he's still working on the casket for Yokozuna at Royal Rumble. We then see clips of Jim Cornette on Wrestling Challenge complaining that the contract he signed was not for a casket match. 

Johnny Polo is with Vince McMahon this week and I believe this is the fourth episode of this taping. 

Yokozuna vs. Dan Dubiel 

It's sad, but Yoko was already at his slower pace era here in 1994. Anyway, this is pretty much every Yoko squash you've ever seen where he hits a few impressive power moves and then the big Banzai Splash. I'm thinking Yoko wasn't a big fan of Dubiel, because he crushed the poor man. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We now get a clip of Lex Luger vs. Jacques from Superstars. Pierre runs in while the referee is down and covers his head as he tries to pin Luger, but Luger kicks out. Luger hits the forearm on Pierre and gets the victory, but Jacques points out that it's the wrong guy. Luger of course then knocks him out and pins him and then hits it on Polo for good measure. This leads to a sit down interview from earlier "today" between Luger and McMahon. Luger is hoping that Jack Tunney will allow him in the Royal Rumble and Luger is thinking positively that he will be in the match. 

We get a vignette for Thurman Sparky Plugg. Smell that money.

Bam Bam Bigelow & Bastion Booger vs. Smoking Gunns

It really was such a waste of Bam Bam to even have him hang around with Booger. The roster here in 1994 was so thin, there is no reason Bam Bam shouldn't have been in the main event picture. I still feel like Johnny Polo is the biggest rib of all time. Bam Bam and Billy start things off. Billy hits a dropkick and sends Bam Bam to the outside. The Gunns continue to dominate, so he tags in Booger who shifts the momentum. After the commercial, the Gunns use some illegal double teaming to knock Booger down. Bart charges at Booger, but Booger pulls down the top rope. In an oops moment, Bart ends up still going under the top rope and to the floor. Polo then makes a weird sex joke, which feels pretty out of place here in '94. Bam Bam hits a nice suplex and gets a few cheers from the live crowd. Booger hits a leg drop and gets a 2 count out of it. Booger "charges" at Bart and misses. Even Vince called him out for how slow he was there. In comes Billy and he hits a knee lift and a dropkick on Bam Bam. Luna is outside rubbing Booger's "hump" and the Gunns hit a double back body drop. Booger then kisses Luna and Luna isn't having it. Billy misses a missile dropkick while Booger is hugging Luna to her disgust. Bam Bam tries to make a tag and then realizes what's going on. Bam Bam attacks Booger and they start brawling outside. Both men are counted out and the Gunns score the victory. This was a story that no one asked for and did nothing for either guy. The match wasn't terrible as far as Booger matches go, but it was nothing that entertaining either. 

Match Rating: *

It's time for the Royal Rumble Report with Todd Pettengill, who then makes a hump joke. So edgy! The most notable entry to me is Greg Valentine. Tatanka takes on Ludvig Borga and they both are in the Rumble match. I bet they don't. 

We then get a rare Lord Alfred Hayes vignette talking about next week being the 1 year anniversary of Raw. 

Jeff Jarrett vs. John Chrystal

If you think Jarrett's white attire is bad, the purple one takes the cake. Jarrett hits a nice looking dropkick, but Chrystal counters a back body drop into a sunset flip and a nearfall. Chrystal gets in a little bit more offense and hits a body slam. Jarrett ends up hitting a variation of the DDT for the victory. That was a solid squash match, with Jarrett allowing Chrystal to get some offense in. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

We get highlights of Marty Jannetty vs. Polo a few weeks ago. Out comes 1-2-3 Kid and Marty Jannetty to confront Polo. Marty is sporting a jean jacket and a backwards hat. They want a title match, which Polo doesn't want because they have to take on the Harts. Polo gets bullied into accepting a title match for next week. 

Razor Ramon then tells us not to smoke. No irony there. 

Shawn Michaels vs. Brian Walsh

Jacques is on the phone to talk about the tag title match, calling it a warm up. Walsh shows off some good wrestling here with Michaels and then hits a slingshot into a backslide for a 2 count. Michaels comes back with a powerslam and then dumps him outside. Diesel throws him back in and then Michaels throws him right back out. Michaels hits a vertical suplex and then pulls up Walsh's shoulders before the 3 count. Breaking news! Bastion Booger will face Bam Bam Bigelow next week. Michaels hits a Sweet Chin Music and then a piledriver for the victory. Another pretty good squash match here. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

This was kind of a weird show that featured more recaps than normal. In all honesty though, it wasn't a terrible start to 1994, even if it was far from exciting. Jarrett and Michaels both looked good and I am looking forward to the tag title match on the anniversary show. 

Overall Rating: 51%

NXT Arrival Review

Thursday, February 27th, 2014
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Triple H is out with lasers and Earthquake's entrance music, which I 100% for sure did not remember. 

Sami Zayn vs. Cesaro

It's very apparent right off the bat that this show is live. You can actually feel the energy from the live crowd here. Cesaro catches Zayn's hurricanrana, but Zayn counters out of it and then hits a senton dive to the outside. I actually was in Orlando when this event occurred, but I was unable to get tickets. On a side note though, Michael Hayes was on my connecting flight to Atlanta and he was dressed exactly how you would expect him to be dressed. They brawl a bit outside of the ring and Cesaro throws him into the guardrail. Zayn goes for his dive through the ropes, but Cesaro hits him with a big uppercut. Absolutely awesome. Cesaro is working on the knee now, while William Regal gushes over how good he is. He isn't wrong. Zayn buys himself some time by hitting a variation of a dropkick. Zayn goes for a springboard moonsault to the floor, but Cesaro catches him and slams him on the ramp. Zayn hits an exploder suplex into the corner and gets a 2 count. Zayn hits the Blue Thunder Bomb and again gets a 2 count. Zayn puts on the Koji Clutch, but Cesaro rolls out of it and into a leg submission. It's time for the Cesaro Swing, but Zayn counters into a pin, but Cesaro kicks out and this time hits the Cesaro Swing. Cesaro hits a big stomp to the face of Zayn and that looked painful. Zayn goes for a top rope hurricanrana, but Cesaro catches him and is going for a powerbomb. Zayn counters the counter and into a hurricanrana. He hits the Helluva Kick and Cesaro barely kicks out. They start hockey fighting, but Zayn hits a suplex out of nowhere. Zayn then runs right into a big boot. The crowd is now giving them a standing ovation after Cesaro kicked out of a Canadian Destroyer. Cesaro hits a pop up uppercut and Zayn is able to kick out at 1. Cesaro this time hits a spinning uppercut and then the Neutralizer for the victory. That was flipping fantastic and a much stronger match than the 2-out-of-3 falls match in my opinion.

Match Rating: ****1/2

After the match, Cesaro pulls Zayn up and they hug. All of that very much felt like real emotion. 

CJ Parker vs. Mojo Rawley

Rawley really hasn't been on NXT TV a ton and when he was, he was one of the least impressive. Parker recently turned heel and has been doing a pretty good job with it. Rawley hits two splashes in the corner and then Hyperdrive, which is one of the worst finishers I can think of. That's enough to get the win. Rawley continues to be unimpressive. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show Emma getting ready backstage and that leads into a video package of Emma. 

This leads into a video package of the Ascension. 

NXT Tag Team Championship Match

The Ascension vs. Too Cool

Too Cool are the mystery opponents here tonight. And would you look at that, they have a video package of them on demand. I'm not sure they really got the nostalgia pop they were hoping for here. Scotty 2 Hotty turned into such a jobber for the end of his career and Brian Christopher basically disappeared from WWE for years. Scotty is shaved bald here and Christopher has his dad's genes. The Ascension dominates Christopher from the get go. Grand Master Sexay finally makes the tag and of course this all leads up to the worm, but Viktor grabs him before he can hit it. They hit Fall of Man and that's it. This was...not very good. The Ascension are not a team that can carry an older team to a good match. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

They show a Paige hype video. They then show Ric Flair and Charlotte in the crowd. It really is pretty remarkable how different Charlotte looks.

NXT Women's Championship Match

Emma vs. Paige

Stephanie McMahon comes out before either competitor is announced. We get a really nice start to the match, with Paige getting the early advantage. Emma fights back and goes for an Emma Sandwich. Paige puts a boot up, but Emma catches it and goes for the Emma Lock. Paige is able to get out of it and greets Emma with a series of high knees. Emma gets the Dil-Emma on and then this time is able to hit the Emma Sandwich. Emma slows it down with a submission hold. They both end up at the top rope. Emma goes for a sunset flip powerbomb, but Paige blocks. Emma is able to pull her away and hits a sit down powerbomb for a 2 count. The crowd chants "Better than Batista" for that one. Paige is able to hit the Paige Turner and Emma is able to kick out. The crowd didn't sell that as much as they probably had hoped. Paige puts her in an awesome submission that Regal says is called the Scorpion Cross Lock and Emma taps. This wasn't as good as what they were going for, but was miles better than what we were used to being presented. They were given time, I just think they kind of ran out of steam towards the end. 

Match Rating: **3/4

Now it's time for Neville's video package. Pat Patterson and Dusty Rhodes are in the crowd. 

Xavier Woods vs. Tyler Breeze

Before they can even get started, out comes Alexander Rusev. Woods and Breeze try to fight him off, but Rusev destroys them both. I wish they would have had him do this during the Mojo match. 

No Rating

It's time for Bo Dallas to get a hype video. 

Ladder Match For The NXT Championship

Adrian Neville vs. Bo Dallas

So this time Shawn Michaels comes out to introduce the match. Neville hits a quick burst of his signature offense, but Bo is able to slow him down rather quickly. Bo hits a clothesline that turns Neville inside out. Bo ties Neville's leg in the ropes while hanging upside down and Bo goes and grabs a ladder. Bo takes forever and a day, allowing Neville to hit a baseball slide and then a dive over the top rope. Bo throws Neville into the steps, giving him a moment to recover. Bo tries to spear Neville with it, but Neville ducks and hits a back body drop on the ramp. Neville is able to climb the ladder, but Bo launches the ladder to knock him off. Bo traps Neville under the ladder, but Neville uses his strength to push the ladder over and Bo kind of just sorta falls on the top rope. Neville runs up the sideways ladder and ropes to hit a tornado DDT. Neville throws Bo into the ladder and he then takes forever to get a ladder up to climb. Bo is climbing up the other side now and they battle on the top. Bo grabs Neville's arm and pulls him into the ladder. Bo is able to throw Neville off the top rope and to the floor. Bo hits a buckle bomb into the ladder in the corner. Neville fights back and puts Bo on a ladder. Neville hits the Red Arrow and both men are in pain. Bo has rolled out of the ring for some reason and Neville begins to climb. Bo rolls in, but Neville is able to grab the title. That was one of the worst endings to a ladder match that I can think of. The match itself was on the weaker side for ladder matches as well. Bo's title run is among the weakest in NXT history. 

Match Rating: **1/2

Sami Zayn and Cesaro set the bar a little too high with their incredible match here. The rest of the card was just a little too weak to really showcase what this roster is capable of. They are still a few additions away from putting on a really strong show. This isn't technically a TakeOver, but I consider it to be one and it's definitely the weakest one. It's not all negative though because this is a pleasant show for the most part, it's just a big drop off after the opener.

Overall Rating: 66%

Off The Grid, Volume 11: WrestleWar 1992 Review

Sunday, May 17th, 1992
Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum
Jacksonville, Florida

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Off The Grid, Volume 11:

After a fairly impressive firework presentation for 1992, we go to Tony Schiavone and Eric Bischoff breaking down the show. They then send it down to Jim Ross and Jesse Ventura. 

United States Tag Team Championship Match

Fabulous Freebirds vs. Greg Valentine & Terry Taylor

I'm not going to pretend to be some sort of expert on the Freebirds, but seeing them as babyfaces is just bizarre. Terry Taylor is really going by Taylor Made Man, which is an awful name. Did the world really need these title belts in 1992? We get a lot of strutting and stalling by Michael Hayes early on. Hayes catches Valentine's leg and hits an atomic drop. Garvin is in and then avoids Valentine charging at him in the corner and his shoulder hits the ring post. Freebirds start using comically quick tags on Taylor to work on his arm. This feels like a glorified house show match thus far. Taylor dumps Hayes out onto the elevated ramp, but gets back body dropped back into the ring by Hayes. Taylor dumps Garvin out to the floor and distracts the ref to allow Valentine to leap off the apron and hit Garvin. The champions cut the ring in half, with Garvin trying his best to make a tag. He finally does and Hayes cleans house. Hayes goes for the DDT, but Taylor breaks it up with the Five Iron. Hayes is able to kick out of the pin attempt, but Valentine maintains control afterward. Valentine slaps on the Figure Four on Haye, but Garvin illegally breaks up the hold. Garvin gets the tag and hits a double clothesline. Valentine trips him up and that starts the chaos that leads up to Garvin hitting the DDT and the Freebirds becoming the new champions. The first half was a little clunky, but it got better as it went on. Nothing special, but entertaining enough for an opener.

Match Rating: **1/4

Tracy Smothers vs. Johnny B. Badd

I finally get to debut my gimmick of being the biggest Marc Mero fan on the internet. I did not realize that he was already 31 here in the early stages of his career. Badd hits some boxing style punches, but then runs into a boot from Smothers. Smothers hits a nice top rope reverse elbow for a 2 count. He goes up top again and hits a reverse crossbody, but Badd rolls over to get a nearfall. Badd makes his comeback and hits a big powerslam. He makes his way up to the top rope and hits a leaping sunset flip, but Smothers kicks out. Smothers misses a kick and Badd hits the left hand and that's enough to put away Smothers. The match had some good action, but it felt a little disjointed. 

Match Rating: *3/4

Missy Hyatt is backstage interviewing the Freebirds. Michael Hayes yells a lot.

Marcus Alexander Bagwell vs. Scotty Flamingo

Scotty Flamingo is Raven, of course. After a stalemate to start, Flamingo slaps Bagwell and they go back and forth. Bagwell gets in some early offense until Flamingo it able to slow things down. They both end up going over the top rope, which is a big no no. Since it wasn't on purpose, the match continues. Bagwell makes his comeback and looks pretty green doing it. He hits a double ax handle off the second rope. He hits a fisherman suplex, but Flamingo got hsi ftoo on the rope. Bagwell rolls up Flaminto, who then counters that, holds the tights and wins the match. There really wasn't much to this one and probably shouldn't have been on the pay-per-view.

Match Rating: *1/2

We are shown highlights of Cactus Jack and Abdullah The Butcher attacking Ron Simmons, who is then saved by Junkyard Dog. 

Mr. Hughes & Cactus Jack vs. Junkyard Dog & Ron Simmons

Cactus Jack attacks JYD from behind on his way down to the ring and he hits an elbow drop off the elevated ramp. Simmons comes out there to save him and JYD is selling the injury. This segment is dragging on and on...and on. Finally Simmons runs to the ring and takes on both men. Simmons hits a double clothesline and both men roll out of the ring. So somehow after that, they just randomly decide that this is going to be just Simmons vs. Hughes. It's not clear who decides it or why Cactus Jack is okay with this. Jesse then starts ripping on Oklahoma football and JR no sells it. They also still have no idea if Cactus is allowed in the match. Hughes is every bit as boring here as he is in 1993 WWF. Jack attacks Simmons behind the referee's back. Jesse won't drop this being changed to a one-on-one match, which is code for this is stupid. Simmons fights back with clotheslines. He hits a back body drop, but Hughes rakes his eyes. It doesn't help him much because he hits a spinebuster and a chop block for the victory. I'm sure a wrestler exists that could have a good match with Hughes, but unfortunately Simmons was not it. This hit a lot of different levels of stupidity and was just a real drag. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Todd Champion vs. Super Invader

So Champion is a Sting wannabe and Invader is Hercules in a mask. Somehow WCW thought this was worthy of being on a pay-per-view. Invader hits a side suplex and then a back suplex. It seems as if Invader doesn't have much interest in selling for Champion here. Invader throws Champion out of the ring and into the guard rail. This is absolutely dreadful and the crowd seems to agree with me. Invader goes up to the top, but Champion gets his boot up. Invader lets him get about two moves off before dumping him on the top rope and then hitting an ugly powerbomb for the victory. This was an embarrassing performance by Invader. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Richard Morton vs. Big Josh

War Games matches are great, but man, does it make the rest of your card just suck. Josh starts off hot and hits a running forearm in the corner. It's pretty amazing that Josh went from being a lumberjack to a clown in the span of a few months. The crowd doesn't care about this one either. Morton goes for a monkey flip, but Josh counters by stomping on him and then hits a body slam. Josh catches Morton off the second rope and hits an inverted atomic drop. Josh hits Northern Exposure and gets the victory even though the referee's hand never hits the mat for 3. I like both of these guys, but this was another bad match. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Light Heavyweight Championship Match

Tom Zenk vs. Brian Pillman

Zenk getting scared by his own entrance is the highlight of this show so far. Things start off slowly with both men trying the same maneuvers. Zenk goes for some quick pin attempts, but Pillman kicks out and starts working on Zenk's knee. Pillman misses a somersault leg drop and lands on his back. Zenk goes to work on the back and gets a 2 count out of a suplex. Pillman puts on the Figure Four and Zenk gets stuck in for quite awhile. Pillman leaps off the ropes, but Zenk catches him and hits a bodylsam.The action has really started to pick up here now. They both go for leapfrogs and bump heads. Zenk pops Pillman up into the air and drops him on his face. Pillman is able to kick out again and the crowd is really getting into this. Pillman goes off the top rope, but Zenk hits a dropkick. Pillman is able to save himself by being right next to the ropes. Zenk misses a top rope dropkick and Pillman is able to pin Zenk here in a really nice match. Zenk actually looked really good here and Pillman is Pillman. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

Match To Determine The #1 Contenders For The IWGP Tag Team Championships

Tatsumi Fujinami & Takayuzi Iizuka vs. Steiner Brothers

Ventura tries to sell this as American made cars vs. Japanese cars because of course he does. We get some mat wrestling from Scott and Fujinami to start. Scott messes up a reverse body slam on Fujinami, but then hits it on Iizuka. Iizuka hits a shoulder in the corner on Scott and then a somersault dive off the top rope. Iizuka puts on the Boston Crab in the middle of the ring. Scott is able to reverse it and hits a double underhook powerbomb. Scott makes a tag and Rick hits an elbow drop off the top rope with Iizuka on Scott's shoulders. Rick hits a kind of nasty looking German suplex on Fujinami. Scott is back in and hits a reverse elbow and a single-legged crab. Fujinami gets Rick on his shoulders and tags in Iizuka. Iizuka comes off the top rope, but Rick catches him and hits a belly-to-belly suplex off his shoulders, which is one of the all time great counters. Fujinami breaks up the count and starts working on the leg of Rick. Iizuka has a bloody mouth and a swelled up eye, but he comes in and continues the work on the leg. In comes Scott and he hits a tilt-a-whirl suplex. Rick rams Iizuka stomach-first into the turnbuckle and Scott puts him in the abdominal stretch into a slam. All four men come in and we have a brawl, but the referee is able to get them separated. Rick hits a belly-to-belly suplex on Iizuka and now we're back to Scott and Fujinami. Iizuka comes in, but he is able to counter it and then Rick illegally hits a double clothesline. Fujinami hits a suplex on Scott illegally and evens the score. The Japanese team hits a spike piledriver and Iizuka hits a dropkick off the top rope to the gut of Scott. Fujinami and Scott collide in the middle of the ring and both guys tag in their partners. Things break down again and Rick hits an overhead belly-to-belly suplex on Iizuka off the top rope for the victory. That was a freaking hard hitting and intense wrestling match. 

Match Rating: ****

WarGames Match

The Dangerous Alliance (Arn Anderson, Steve Austin, Bobby Eaton, Rick Rude & Larry Zbyszko) vs. Sting's Squadron (Sting, Ricky Steamboat, Barry Windham, Dustin Rhodes & Nikita Koloff)

Windham and Austin start things off. No complaints from me there. Windham gets the better of Austin and starts raking Austin's face in the cage. They hold the coin toss after the countdown and you'll never guess it, but the heels win the toss. In comes Rick Rude, who takes it to Windham. It should be noted that the crowd is super hot for all of this. Austin is bleeding from the forehead, but is now able to help out Rude. Steamboat is the next man in and the roof is blown off the building. Steamboat is able help give his team the advantage and we're already counting down to the fifth entrant. In comes Arn and he hits a DDT on Windham. He then hits Steamboat with a spinebuster and then teams up with Rude to do a double Boston Crab on him. Windham makes the save, but the numbers game slows down his momentum. Rude hits a piledriver on Steamboat, but they then hit a double clothesline on each other. Dustin Rhodes is next and he hits an inverted atomic drop on Austin, who also accidentally hit his head on the top of the cage. I still have no clue why they didn't make the cage a foot taller. Austin is a bloody mess. Rhodes hits an electric chair on him and Windham has Anderson's head in between the two rings and is dangling him upside down. Yeah, this match rules. Zybszko is in next and he and Rhodes go right at it. Madusa climbs up the cage and drops Paul E's phone and drops it to Anderson. Up comes Sting to scare her off, but the damage was done. Anderson uses it to shift the momentum and Rhodes is now busted open. Sting is the next competitor in and he military presses Rude multiple times into the roof of the cage. He then hits a back body drop on Austin into the cage. They pan to outside the ring with Madusa taping up Bobby Eaton's fists as the countdown is below a minute. Eaton is the only man to walk in methodically and we then get a bad angle on a boot from Rhodes on Austin, who completely whiffed. Rude tries to unhook the top rope, but Sting is able to stop him, but the top rope is now loose. It's now time for the last entrant and that is Koloff. Koloff helps Sting up and they have a staredown. Koloff pulls Sting out of the way and takes the blow. They fight them off and give the double high five. Both men go on a rampage and the crowd is excited for it. Rude goes back to the top rope again. Sting has the Scorpion Death Lock on Anderson, but Eaton breaks it up. The turnbuckle is out now. Dustin locks in the Figure Four on Zbyszko. Zbyszko is able to get out of it and goes for the turnbuckle. He goes to hit Sting with it, but he ducks and he hits Eaton instead. Sting locks in an arm bar on Eaton and he is the one to submit. This was non-stop action and just an absolute blast to watch. The hot crowd was the icing on the cake too. After the match, the Dangerous Alliance starts pointing fingers as Sting's Squadron heads to the back. This match ruled and really the only complaint I have is the ending was a little weak. Still, this is absolutely a classic and a show saver. 

Match Rating: ****1/2

This is the type of show that makes you grateful that the fast forward button was invented. However, I am reviewing the entire show and the beginning to this show was a real chore to get through. However, the final three matches were fantastic, with the main event being legendary. I still can't emphasize enough how bad some of the other matches were, but in the end, it really doesn't matter.

Overall Rating: 82%

WrestleMania Backlash 2021 Review

Sunday, May 16th, 2021
Yuengling Center
Tampa, Florida

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Batista narrates the intro here tonight, which is of course to promote a movie. I will say though, his voice does work well with these video packages. 

Triple Threat Match For The Raw Women's Championship

Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka vs. Rhea Ripley

Charlotte is wearing Cruella de Vil themed gear tonight, which is definitely a different look for her. This is my first time listening to Adnan Virk as the Raw announcer. I am a big fan of the GM Shuffle podcast that he co-hosts, so I may be a little bit easier on him. After a standoff, Rhea and Asuka team up on Charlotte and then go at it with one another. Charlotte hits Asuka with a suplex on the outside and then goes into confront Ripley. Ripley ends up dropkicking Charlotte out of the ring and then hits a kick on Asuka. Charlotte recovers and swipes her ankles as she was walking out of the ring. Ripley looks a little hesitant to me here. Charlotte is in annoying trash talk mode tonight and then hits a big kick to the face of Asuka. Asuka is able to lock in the arm bar on Charlotte, but Charlotte gets to the ropes. However, that shouldn't break the hold since there are no disqualifications. Ripley gets her little spot and gets a nearfall that is broken up by Asuka. Asuka makes her run and hits a series of German suplexes and a Hip Attack. Asuka hits a missile dropkick on Ripley and then a knee to the head. Charlotte knocks her off the apron and then stalls for way too long before "hitting" her moonsault to the floor. It's a phenomenal looking move, but no one ever wants to catch her on it. We get the obligatory tower of doom spot, which then turns into just a double superplex on Charlotte. We get frantic three way action and then Charlotte hits a double Natural Selection for a nearfall on both women at the same time. Both opponenents avoid her next moonsault attempt, but she lands on her feet. They knock her out of the ring and then Ripley and Asuka have some back and forth. Charlotte is back in and hits a big boot on Ripley and Asuka goes for the Asuka Lock on Charlotte. She escapes, but eats a superkick. Asuka hits a roundhouse kick on Ripley and then ducks a boot from Charlotte. Charlotte gets one on her anyways and Ripley hits Riptide for the victory on Asuka. This was pretty good, but felt a little off in the early going. 

Match Rating: ***

We see Lashley entering the arena earlier and then cut to a Miz and Morrison clip. They then show the Dirty Dawgs attacking Dominik Mysterio and they act as if he may not be wrestling tonight. 

SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match

Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode vs. Rey Mysterio (& Dominik Mysterio)

This is also my first time listening to Pat McAfee as the announcer. Mysterio is in serious mode here and he goes aggressive after both men. Just in case you didn't know it was 2-on-1, Michael Cole and McAfee have driven it home about 30 times. After his opening flurry, the advantage is too much as you would expect and the champs use multiple tags to take it to Mysterio. Mysterio tries to make a comeback, but Ziggler knocks him off the top rope and into the tree of woe. The champs are now working on the knee of Mysterio. Roode tosses Rey out of the ring on his stomach and Ziggler is there waiting for a superkick, which was a pretty sweet double team. Ziggler must be above the leg slap memo though. It's time for the Mysterio comeback, as he's able to buy himself some time by throwing Dolph into the ring post. Out comes Dominik holding the injured ribs. Rey finally sees him and wants him to not wrestle hurt. Roode distracts Rey and Ziggler hits the Zig Zag for a nearfall. Roode then hits Rey with a gutbuster and gets another 2 count. They battle up on the top rope and Rey hits a bulldog, leaving both men down. Dominik is finally in and unleashes on Roode. It doesn't last long, with Roode able to hit a big spinebuster. Dominik is able to hita superkick on Dolph and then tags in his father. He too has a short-lived comeback after Roode hits him with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Rey escapes a powerbomb and hits a 619 and then slides and hits a sunset flip powerbomb on Ziggler outside. Dominik hits a frog splash and we have new champions. This was a little bit more story based than I would have liked, but I enjoyed Ziggler and Roode as a team here. Rey is still one of the best there is and I hope they continue to put more focus on the tag team division.

Match Rating: ***1/2

John Morrison walks into the lumberjack locker room and there are a bunch of "zombies" in there. We then get a close up of Jimmy Uso's back as he walks into Roman Reigns' locker room. Jey is there and Jimmy goes off on him for carrying around Roman's bags. Roman walks in and off goes Jimmy. Back to Morrison informing Miz about the zombies. 

Lumberjack Match

Miz vs. Damian Priest

Out come the zombies and they corner Miz and Morrison. They even scare off the announcers. They get Miz into the ring and we have ourselves a match. This is some D movie quality stuff here. The camerawork here is making this almost unwatchable, with them constantly panning to the zombies. Miz is able to get the Figure Four on in the middle of the ring. Priest gets out and then both men go out of the ring and start brawling with the zombies. Back in the ring, Priest hits the Falcon Arrow for a 2 count. Out comes Morrison and he hits a cartwheel kick on Priest. Morrison then uses parkour to take out some zombies until two them drag him over the barricade. Priest then hits his finisher and gets the victory. He escapes the ring and the zombies feed on Miz. I love the Miz and like Priest, but this was just unwatchable. It had nothing to do with the performers, as this was just a terrible premise for a match. 

Match Rating: 0 stars

We get more Uso drama, which I continue to not be as high on as the entire internet.

SmackDown Women's Championship Match

Bayley vs. Bianca Belair

Both ladies start off showing off their skills and it seems as if they are both on here. After being dominated in the early going, Bayley grabs the earring of Bianca and buys herself an opening. Bayley hits a back suplex that Cole tries to convince us might be enough for the victory. Bayley heads up to the top rope, but Bianca knocks her down. Bayley is able to snap her neck on the rope but Belair then suplexes Bayley back in the ring. They roll out of the ring and Bayley suplexes her stomach first onto the top of the steel steps. She follows that up with a suplex to the floor. Bianca makes her fiery comeback and tosses Bayley around the ring. Bianca hits a spinebuster and gets the close call. Bayley is able to hit a top rope elbow, but it's not enough. Bayley is able to slam Bianca's face into the ring post, but misses with a suicide dive. Bianca drives Bayley into the apron and gets another nearfall. Bayley gets a backslide pin attempt and hangs onto the ropes, but Bianca still kicks out. Bayley hits a Bayley To Belly, but Bianca kicks out. Bayley grabs her hair again, but Bianca rolls her up with it and gets the awkward looking victory. That sure didn't look like a 3 count there. This was the opposite of the opening match, with the beginning being stronger than the finish. I had really high hopes for this one and I feel like they are capable of a stronger match. What we got was still good though. 

Match Rating: ***

MVP is backstage discussing Braun Strowman's lack of intelligence. 

Triple Threat Match For The WWE Championship

Drew McIntyre vs. Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley

Not that I think they will be similar, but was it really necessary to have two triple threat matches on a six match card? We get some brawling as you would expect. Strowman does a rare aerial maneuver to take out both opponents and then gets a 2 count after a chokeslam on Lashley. McIntyre then comes off the top rope with a crossbody. Lashley then gets to show off his strength by throwing both men around. This is the best version of Lashley. Strowman destroys Lashley with the steel steps, but then McIntyre hits the Claymore Kick on Strowman and that sends him over the guardrail. Lashley and McIntyre move up to the ramp and Lashley hits a suplex. McIntyre then sends Lashley through the LED board by the stage with pyro to accompany it. Strowman then comes and attacks McIntyre and throws him down the ramp. Strowman mauls McIntyre with a running start and sends him into the ring. Strowman hits a running senton and almost gets the victory. This is one of the more spirited performances I can remember from Strowman. McIntyre then hits the Michinoku Driver on Strowman and he almost picks up the win, as Lashley is still out of the picture here. McIntyre hits an overhead suplex that looks like an almost scary landing for Braun. McIntyre goes for the Claymore Kick, but Braun catches him and powerbombs him through the table. This is significantly better than I was expecting. Back in the ring and McIntyre hits the Claymore Kick. In comes Lashley and he throws McIntyre out of the ring and hits the Spear on Strowman for the victory. God, WWE loves that finish, don't they? Ending aside, that was a really hard fought match from three large men. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

Universal Championship Match

Cesaro vs. Roman Reigns

I couldn't be happier for Cesaro here, but I really wish it was in front of a live crowd. Cesaro hits the springboard uppercut for the first notable move of the match. I know I am in the minority, but this Roman Reigns character just doesn't connect with me that much. After being dominated by Reigns, Cesaro counters the Superman punch with a pop up uppercut. Cesaro hits a leaping corkscrew over the top rope on Reigns and then hits a running uppercut into the barricade. Cesaro hits a top rope crossbody and gets a 2 count. Reigns hits a stiff looking boot to the face while holding the injured arm of Cesaro and then hits a running kick that drives Cesaro into the ring post. They are doing a nice job of giving Cesaro his small moments of hope while selling the arm injury and making Reigns look strong. Cesaro loses it and attacks Reigns in the corner. He then hits the superplex for a 2 count. I felt like Roman could have kicked out a little closer to 3 there. Cesaro goes for the springboard uppercut again, but this time Reigns hits him with a Superman punch. That was fantastic. Reigns locks in the Guillotine, but Cesaro powers out and then puts in the Sharpshooter. Cesaro turns it around and puts him in the Crossface. Reigns powers out and hits a sit down powerbomb for a 2 count. After some battling from Cesaro, Reigns locks in the Guillotine and retains his championship. That was a hard fought main event and a really strong showing from Cesaro. After the match, Jey Uso comes out and superkicks Cesaro. He continues the attack and then out comes Seth Rollins. He smiles at Reigns and then he takes his turn at attacking Cesaro. Is there not one person who can help Cesaro? He slams his arm into the ring post and then hits the Stomp to the floor. Even as someone who doesn't watch the weekly programming, it's pretty clear which show has the better storytelling on it. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

If you are able to just pretend the zombie thing didn't happen, this was a very enjoyable show. A couple of the matches had the potential to be a little bit better, but everything felt pretty important for a non-major show. This one was an easy thumbs up.

Overall Rating: 78%

Monday Night Raw 12-27-93 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, December 27th, 1993
Mid-Hudson Civic Center
Poughkeepsie, New York

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

After a recap of the Tatanka/Ludvig Borga match from last week, Vince McMahon is joined by the Quebecers this week. 

Barry Horowitz vs. Lex Luger

If this were 1995, this may be a main event on Raw. Vince announces that the Quebecers will face Bret and Owen Hart at the Royal Rumble. Horowitz gets to actually take control of the match for some reason, but Luger then hits a superplex for the victory. This was a typical Luger performance.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Next, we get highlights of the Marty Jannetty/1-2-3 Kid match from a few weeks ago. Johnny Polo then says he is going to beat Marty Confetti. 

Johnny Polo vs. Marty Jannetty

They actually make Polo look like a legit wrestler, but Jannetty quickly turns it around and hits an atomic drop. Polo ducks a crossbody and Jannetty spills to the floor. Polo then hits a dive to the floor and I am shocked they are letting him not be a goof. Marty makes his comeback, Polo gets to him before he can go off the top rope. Marty fights him off and then hits a crossbody for a 2 count. Pierre goes to check on Polo and Marty hits a baseball slide into both. Pierre trips up Marty, but he's still able to kick Polo. Marty goes up top again and Pierre pulls Polo out. Marty decides to dive on Pierre and then goes for a sunset flip. Polo grabs the ropes and with the assist of Pierre, gets the pinfall victory. This was a match that I never knew I needed. 

Match Rating: **3/4

Doink vs. Spike Grey

Oh, boy. Lots of Dink shenanigans here. For some reason the referee is allowing all of this and then Dink hits him with a punch in the face. Doink hits a German suplex into a bridge for the quick victory. Whatever.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Todd Pettengill is here for the Royal Rumble Report. They announce some big names like Bob Backlund and Greg Valentine to the Rumble. 

Next week on Raw, it's Smoking Gunns against Bam Bam Bigelow and Bastion Booger. Why was Bam Bam wasting his time with Booger? He was looking for more after the impressive showing at Survivor Series?

Crush vs. Mike Moraldo

I'll be honest, I was hardly even watching this. He does the dumb Crush submission finisher and that's all. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go back to the workshop of Undertaker. He gives us a ho, ho, ho this time. For real. We then go into Bret Hart telling us to not drink and drive. 

We then go to Alundra Blayze and Heidilee Morgan. They show some highlights of their match, which looks like it was pretty good. If only they had a way to show the whole match. Alundra Blayze is the new Women's Champion and what a way to kick it off. 

We then get a vignette for Kwang. You can tell how important he is since he is just standing in front of a generic background. 

Razor Ramon vs. Derrick Domino

Jacques says that Derrick Domino made him a promise that he's going to deliver Razor in 30 minutes or less. Jacques is the gift that keeps on giving. Domino isn't a very good jobber. Razor hits the fall away slam off the second rope. He hits the Razor's Edge and that is all. Razor looked good, as always.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Next week it's the aforementioned tag team match, Jeff Jarrett and Yokozuna.

I really enjoyed the Polo/Jannetty match, but the rest of this episode was pretty mediocre. I'm not quite sure why they would think anyone would rather see another Crush squash match over the finals of their Women's Championship. 

Overall Rating: 49%

NXT 2-19-14 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, February 19th, 2014
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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The Ascension vs. Casey Marion & Mike Lebosca

I love how the hype for the Ascension's title reign, as if they have had any good challengers. They hit a couple of moves and then Fall Of Man for the squash. Until they give them something to do, it all just feels like a waste of time. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Summer Rae vs. Emma

Summer Rae is of course accompanied by Sasha Banks and Charlotte and Bayley is here with Emma. Emma goes for some quick pin attempts and then goes to work on the arm. Emma catches a knee to the face and then is dumped to the floor by Summer. Emma tries a desperate dropkick but Summer holds onto the ropes and remains in control. Emma is able to put the Dil-Emma on to shift the momentum. She hits the Emma Sandwich, but when she goes for the Emma Lock, Summer kicks out. Emma eats a slap from Sasha, but then throws Summer into Sasha and Charlotte. She puts on the Emma Lock and picks up the victory. This one felt a bit off to me. Both women felt a little timid and not at full speed. 

Match Rating: *3/4

Tyler Breeze is backstage for an interview, he says that for the first time in his life, Adrian Neville will receive his Beauty Shot. 

Renee Young is now here with Antonio Cesaro and Sami Zayn, hot off their great segment on last week's episode. This is a sit-down interview conducted backstage. Cesaro continues to cut Sami off and talk over him. They get in each other's face until Cesaro walks away. This was nowhere near their previous stuff together. 

They show Emma backstage dancing and she's excited for her rematch against Paige. 

Adrian Neville vs. Tyler Breeze

Neville does a backflip, but Breeze hits a big running dropkick. Neville is selling how focused he is and hits a huge running uppercut that would make Cesaro proud. Breeze goes for a springboard dropkick, but Neville avoids it and he hits a dropkick to knock him to the floor. Neville hits an awesome dive over the top rope as we go into a commercial break. Neville hits a missile dropkick and gets a 2 count. I do have to say, Neville doesn't seem to be quite as over with the live crowd as I thought he was during this time. Neville then shows off his strength by holding Breeze and then hitting a sit down powerbomb. Breeze misses a dropkick to Neville on the top rope and Neville just walks down instead. Neville goes off the ropes and gets destroyed by a superkick for a nearfall. Breeze misses the Beauty Shot and Neville hits a kick to the back of the head. Neville hits the Red Arrow and that is all. Both of these two are among the tops here and it showed. It's a shame that the company was never able to find much more for these two to do. 

Match Rating: **3/4

Bo Dallas comes out because this is wrestling. Neville says he is going to beat Bo up and climb the ladder to win the NXT Championship. Neville tells Bo that he can get one free shot in right now. Bo takes off his jacket and rolls up his sleeves, but then walks away. This was kind of a flat way to end the show, as this just doesn't feel as important as Zayn/Cesaro. 

This was just sort of an okay show, despite a pretty good main event. Not that it was the performer's fault, but there were a ton of ads on this show and it hurt the flow. I also expected a little bit more from the women's match, which ended up being a little mediocre. They haven't really built up any other matches for Arrival, which is a shame as well. 

Overall Rating: 51%

Monday Night Raw 12-20-93

Original Airdate: Monday, December 20th, 1993
Mid-Hudson Civic Center
Poughkeepsie, New York

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

After a recap of Tatanka's injury, we get a studio promo of Tatanka saying that he is coming for revenge. Shawn Michaels is the announcer with Vince tonight. 

Jeff Jarrett vs. PJ Walker

We no longer have to watch any more Jeff Jarrett vignettes. Walker gets in a little bit of offense, but Jarrett attacks him from behind and then hits a nice dropkick. Jarrett hits a DDT and that is all. This was a little bit more spirited than I remember Jarrett squashes being. After the match, he ruins it by spelling his name again for us. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Now we get an opinion poll to vote if you think Lex Luger should be allowed in the Royal Rumble. ONLY 99 CENTS!

Men On A Mission vs. Duane Gill & Barry Hardy

What's better than Men On A Mission? Well, Men On A Mission with Santa hats on, of course. Vince claims that Gill and Hardy have had some success right after he admits to not knowing which one Gill is. Mo hits a hip toss and Mabel follows it up with a leg drop. Vince then claims that he doesn't really think anyone knows just how big Mabel is. I feel like maybe everyone that's been next to him probably does. He catches Gill's crossbody and slams him on Hardy. Mabel hits a splash off the second turnbuckle and that is all. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's finally time for the Royal Rumble Report with Todd Pettengill. We ofcourse are getting Undertaker vs. Yokozuna in a Casket Match. They also announce that Razor Ramon will be defending his Intercontinental Championship against IRS. Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Mabel, Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Crush, Kamala, Doink and Scott Steiner are announced for the Royal Rumble match. We then get a studio promo from Borga. 

Ludvig Borga vs. Tatanka

Tatanka gets off to a quick start and then throws Borga into the ring post. Tatanka hits a top rope crossbody for a 2 count. Borga makes a comeback that involves punches and body slams. He misses with an elbow drop and Tatanka hits three clotheslines to knock him down. Out comes Yokozuna and Tatanka hits a body slam on Borga. Tatanka goes up to the top and Fuji pushes him off behind. In comes Yokozuna and the bell rings. Tatanka tries to knock Yoko down, but Borga attacks him. Out comes Lex Luger to make the save and nails Yoko with the forearm and then body slams him. The crowd ate this up. Considering who was involved, it wasn't bad. 

Match Rating: *1/2

This week they announce Captain Lou Albano, who gets a big pop. 

Adam Bomb vs. Mark Thomas

Thomas is jacked for an enhancement guy. Bomb hits a bunch of big man heel offense and then hits the Atom Smasher for the victory. Not much to this one. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get our first Thurman Plugg vignette of him at a race. Ain't nobody going to stop Sparky Plugg. One of the all time dorkiest gimmicks of all time. 

For the second straight week, they show the Owen Hart interview from Superstars. They now show Bret's response. He says he never ducks anyone, but there's no way that he'll ever fight his brother. 

Owen Hart vs. Mike Bell

Bell is well-known among the wrestling community, although I have to say I know just the minimum. Bell gets a chance to hit a clothesline and a few moves before Owen hits a suplex. He hits a belly-to-belly suplex and locks in the Sharpshooter for the victory. Owen looked good as always. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We now get a look at the Undertaker making Yokozuna's casket just like they did with the Kamala feud. In a nice touch, they have the lid of Kamala's casket. 

Headshrinkers vs. Phil Apollo & Jerry Seavey

We get a rare six match episode here tonight. The Headshrinkers of course destroy these two guys and Samu hits a powerbomb. I'm not sure I've seen him hit that. Fatu hits the top rope splash for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Next week they'll show us highlights of the finals of the Women's Championship Tournament plus Marty Jannetty vs. Johnny Polo. 

They sure packed a lot of matches in here tonight. The Tatanka/Borga/Yoko/Luger segment was fun and the rest was fine for what it was. Not quite as enjoyable as last week, but not too far off either. 

Overall Rating: 58%

WrestleMania 22 Review

Sunday, April 2nd, 2006
Allstate Arena
Rosemont, Illinois

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Michelle Williams of Destiny's Child fame is here to sing "America The Beautiful" and that leads into the big WrestleMania hype video. There's nothing better than a good WrestleMania video and this one is definitely a thumbs up. I tried my best to get tickets to go to WrestleMania, but these sold out in seconds. 

World Tag Team Championship Match

Carlito & Chris Masters vs. Kane & Big Show

15 years later and this is still a curious choice for an opener. Kane hits a rare dropkick on Masters before tagging in Show. He gets in a few chops until Masters rakes his eyes and tags in a reluctant Carlito. The crowd is chanting for Carlito, but Show lifts him up and crotches him on the top rope. Show then tosses Carlito on Masters on the outside and then Kane hits a double something or other off the top rope to the floor. Carlito hits a low dropkick on Show and he then avoids a charging Big Show and he rams his head into an exposed turnbuckle. Show still gets a tag into Kane and he dominates both opponents. Kane goes off the top rope, but Masters catches him and puts him in the Master Lock. Big Show almost immediately breaks up the hold with a boot. Carlito hits a Backstabber on Kane and then Show goes for a chokeslam on Carlito. Masters comes from behind and hits a chop block. Kane fights them both off and swings Carlito into Masters off the top rope. Kane hits a chokeslam on Carlito and that's it. This felt like a pre-show match, as it was rushed and it did no favors to the young talents they have spent the last year building. This is a match that could have happened at any point in the show and other than the main event, the opening was the worst spot. After the match, Carlito and Masters argue. 

Match Rating: *1/2

Coach is backstage with Shawn Michaels and he says he stole the show two years in a row, but tonight he won't. Tonight is going to get ugly. This wasn't one of Michaels' better promos.

Money In The Bank Ladder Match

Matt Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Finlay vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Ric Flair

I feel like this one still goes down as the most random group of wrestlers to ever be in a Money In The Bank. RVD hits a baseball slide into a ladder that Hardy is holding and then dives onto Hardy and the ladder. Shelton sets up the ladder on the ropes and then hits a running senton onto all of his opponents with the exception of Finlay. Flair starts climbing, but Hardy meets him up there and hits a suplex off the top. Good lord, I completely forgot that happened. Flair sells it as an injury and the officials are calling for help. Flair heads to the back and RVD hits a drop toe hold on Shelton into a ladder. He goes for a Rolling Thunder, but Hardy moves and he lands on the ladder. Lashley starts climbing and Shelton is now there. Shelton goes for a sunset flip powerbomb, but Lashley holds on. Finlay and Hardy come in for the assist and he hits it. Finlay takes control and out hobbles Flair. Flair clears out Finlay, Shelton and Hardy and then has his hands on the briefcase. Up comes Finlay and he hits Flair in the head with the shillelagh, with Flair taking a big bump. Lashley hits a Dominator on Shelton and sets up the ladder. He climbs incredibly slow and here comes RVD with a dropkick off the top rope with a chair to knock him off. RVD is the clear crowd favorite. Hardy hits a leg drop from near the top of a ladder onto Lashley and now he sets up the ladder. Finlay slows him down, but Hardy hits a Side Effect off the ladder and then RVD hits a 5 Star Frog Splash from the very top of the ladder onto Finlay. RVD has his hands on the briefcase, but Shelton springboards himself out of nowhere on the ladder. Now Hardy brings in another ladder. Hardy and Shelton get knocked off and take scary looking bumps to the floor and Van Dam grabs the briefcase. RVD was the only choice here and the crowd loved it. This was definitely not as good as most of the Money In The Bank matches, but it was still very entertaining. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

Josh Matthews is with Mean Gene Okerlund. In comes Randy Orton and makes fun of Okerlund for holding a mic and starts rambling on about paper champions and charity cases. In walks Batista, who reminds Orton that whoever wins is just holding the title until he comes back. 

The Fink is in the ring to announce the Hall Of Fame class. Prior to announcing, he lets the crowd know that Bret Hart was uncomfortable being part of this part of the show. I don't recall that at all. Eddie gets a legendary ovation, with Vickie Guerrero accepting on his behalf. 

United States Championship Match

JBL vs. Chris Benoit

They have to raise the ramp for JBL's limo to come out. It's weird because this feels like a fresh matchup, but the build felt flat. Speaking of flat, this feels like a TV match to start. Benoit eventually hits the three German suplexes and signals for the top rope headbutt. JBL gets to Benoit first and then mocks Eddie's shoulder shimmy. Yeah, let's double down on the Eddie Guerrero crap. JBL hits a superplex and after a failed pin attempt, he mocks Eddie some more. JBL starts doing the Three Amigos, but Benoit fights out of the third one. Benoit runs into a big boot and barely kicks out at 2. Benoit hits the Three Amigos and then hits the top rope headbutt. Benoit goes for a German suplex, but JBL grabs the ref. JBL hits an elbow and goes for the Clothesline From Hell, but Benoit catches him and puts him the Crippler Crossface. JBL rolls over, grabs the rope and steals the victory. So they built this huge story around Benoit and the United States Championship, had JBL mock a wrestler who only died 5 months prior and he wins the title here? The ending was well executed, but the Eddie stuff here leaves a bad taste in your mouth and that's before you realize it's Benoit. 

Match Rating: **1/4

Hardcore Match

Edge vs. Mick Foley

Edge misses wildly with a baseball bat and Foley puts Edge in the tree of woe. Edge comes back with a boot to the face and a running forearm. Lita then hands Edge a cookie sheet and starts wailing Foley in the head. He then puts a road sign in the face of Foley and hits a sliding dropkick. Edge hits the Spear on Foley, but Edge is selling an injury. Foley takes off one of his shirts and it exposes barbed wire wrapped around his stomach. Foley unwraps it and starts using it on Edge. Edge gets tied up in the ropes and Foley grabs a barbed wire baseball bat from underneath the steps. Lita jumps on his back, but Foley hits a clothesline on Edge and all three fall to the floor. Lita took a pretty nasty bump there. Foley charges at Edge, but Edge hits a hip toss into the steel steps. Edge stays on the offensive and again throws him into the steps and then on his back on the steel ramp. Edge then starts pouring lighter fluid on Foley. Edge starts using the barbed wire baseball bat and Foley is bleeding now. Edge pulls out the bag of thumb tacks and dumps them in the corner of the ring. Foley counters Edge and hits a back suplex onto the tacks. Foley takes out Socko and wraps him in barbed wire. He puts the Mandible Claw on Edge and then to Lita. Now Foley has the bat and hits Edge int he stomach and back with it. He then starts grinding it on his forearm and starts looking at the table set outside the ring. He grabs the lighter fluid and douses the table with it. Lita hits Foley with the baseball bat and then she adds more lighter fluid. She sets the table on fire and Edge Spears him through the table in one of the most shown spots in WrestleMania history. Edge barely is able to crawl on Foley and gets the pin. This match took hardcore wrestling and morphed it with the WWE style of wrestling and it worked beautifully. I don't care for the blood and guts stuff as much as I used to, but this one still is fantastic. The crowd chants for Foley as he walks his way back up the ramp. 

Match Rating: ****1/2

Booker T and Sharmell are backstage and Sharmell is freaking out. She asks why all of the freaks are always after him. This leads to Booker walking backstage and encountering Paul Burchill as the pirate, Ted DiBiase bribing Eugene, Snitsky with Mae Young's foot and Goldust in drag. Goldust then suggests where he should put the worms, infuriating Booker. 

Todd Grisham is with two fans who won the Snickers WrestleMania sweepstakes. They then show Joe Theismann and Michelle Williams in the crowd.

Handicap Match

Booker T & Sharmell vs. Boogeyman

Booker makes Sharmell start, but it's a plan so that he can attack Boogey from behind. Booker hits a superkick on him and a Book End as well. Boogey avoids the Scissors Kick and hits a forearm on Booker. Boogey grabs a handful of worms and eats them. Sharmell tries to attack him from behind with his staff, but he catches her and then kisses her with a mouthful of worms. He hits his finisher and that's all. At least this was short, but Boogeyman was really not deserving of a match at WrestleMania. It should be noted that Boogey was working hurt here, which limited him even more. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

WWE Women's Championship Match

Mickie James vs. Trish Stratus

This was pretty much the women's match with the most backstory in WWE history at this point. Trish takes it to Mickie early on, kicking her out of the ring. Mickie turns things around and slams Trish's left leg on the ring post. Mickie goes to work on the knee and a large section of the crowd is rooting for her. Trish is able to finally get in some offense after hitting a headscissors. JR is continuing to make excuses for the crowd cheering for the heel Mickie. Mickie goes up top, but Trish goes for the handstand hurricanrana. Mickie blocks it and slams her and goes for a suggestive pin attempt that Trish is able to kick out of. Trish catches Mickie's hurricanrana attempt and hits a sit down powerbomb for a nearfall. Mickie counters Stratusfaction, but eats a right hand. Mickie hits Trish in the face on her way down and then hits a Mick Kick for the victory. That was a really poorly booked finish. I have to say, I remember liking this a lot more back in 2006 than I do now. This was a pretty average match that had a hot crowd, even if they were cheering for the clear villain. 

Match Rating: **1/2

The whole McMahon family is backstage and he says that they are going to do the first ever McMahon family prayer. He says that he's going to send Shawn Michaels to the fiery pits of Hell. This promo probably wasn't too far from real life. 

Casket Match

Mark Henry vs. Undertaker

One minute in and the crowd is already pretty silent. As Henry continues his beatdown, there is a short "Undertaker" chant. Taker goes for Old School, but Henry blocks it and continues with his methodical pace. Henry tries to push Taker into the casket, which doesn't make much sense since he is clearly not unconscious. Taker recovers and this time hits Old School. Henry misses his squash on Taker and slides into the casket. He brings Taker in and they are brawling in the casket. Back in the ring, Henry hits the World's Strongest Slam and then tries to pin him. Taker hits a Last Ride from out of the corner and throws him on top of the casket. Taker then hits a dive over the top rope and the casket, which is undeniably impressive. Taker then hits the Tombstone and rolls Henry in the casket for the victory. This was hardly even a TV quality match, let alone a WrestleMania match. This was a pretty good reminder that Undertaker requires a great opponent to have a good match.

Match Rating: 1/2*

No Holds Barred Match

Shawn Michaels vs. Vince McMahon

Before the match, Vince unveils a blown up picture of his Muscle & Fitness cover, so Michaels comes out and attacks him. Shawn looks to be trying to bust Vince open the hard way and then starts choking him with a cable. Michaels then takes the poster and smashes it on Vince's head. Out come the Spirit Squad and they all attack Michaels. Kenny goes for the top rope leg drop, but Michaels rolls out of hte way. Michaels then starts smashing them all in the head with a megaphone. He then tosses Kenny over the top rope and onto the remaining members, which allows Vince to come from behind and hit a clothesline on Michaels. Vince then starts using a belt before he starts mocking Michaels' tuning up the band. Michaels blocks the superkick attempt and gets in some chops. Michaels then begins to return the favor and uses the belt. Michaels hits the top rope elbow and starts to tune up the band. Out comes Shane and he hits Michaels from behind with the kendo stick. Vince pulls his pants down, but Michaels shoves Shane's face into it and then clotheslines him out of the ring. Michaels handcuffs Shane to the second rope and starts whipping him with the kendo stick. Michaels hits Vince with the chair and then starts to go for Sweet Chin Music. He stops short and decides to grab a ladder and ram it into Vince's head. Michaels hits him with the dumpster and then climbs the ladder. He climbs down before jumping to some boos. Michaels goes under the ring and grabs an even bigger ladder. Vince is still lying motionless on the table, but Michaels pulls him up and shoves a garbage can on him before lying him back down. Michaels climbs tot he top of the ladder, gives the crotch chops and hits the elbow drop to a big reaction from the live crowd. Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music and that's it. They could have very easily shaved five minutes off of this match and given it to the triple threat match. This was entertaining enough for what it was, but in hindsight it seems like a waste considering that Michaels only has 4 more WrestleMania matches left in him. Vince flips off Shawn as he is being stretchered away. 

Overall Rating: ***

Triple Threat Match For The World Heavyweight Championship

Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton vs. Kurt Angle

Mysterio has P.O.D. here to bring him out for the entrance. Kurt Angle recently said that this entrance ran long and cut into their match. Orton uses the title belt to knock Angle out of the ring before the belt rang. Angle is back in and hits a German suplex on Orton and then a double German suplex on both opponents. Angle launches Mysterio up in the corner and he hits a hurricanrana on Orton. A very vocal part of the crowd is not wanting Rey here and behind Angle. It probably was a mistake to have Angle in there. Angle baits Mysterio into the 619 and puts on the Ankle Lock. Orton comes in with a chair, distracting the referee and he misses Mysterio tapping. Angle just launches Mysterio on his German suplex and then dumps Mysterio out of the ring with an Angle Slam. He puts in the Ankle Lock on Orton, but Mysterio grabs the ref this time so he can't see. I'm not sure I understand the logic there from the ultimate babyface. Mysterio breaks up a second Ankle Lock with a leg drop. Angle throws Mysterio into the ring post and the straps are down. Orton hits the RKO but Angle is able to kick out. Orton goes up top, but Angle hits his leaping suplex in the corner. Mysterio tries to hit a modified 619 in the corner, but he slips. It's pretty rare when Mysterio makes a mistake. Orton hits a nice reverse neckbreaker on Mysterio for a 2 count. Orton is sizing up Mysterio for the RKO, but Angle hits him with an Angle Slam for a 2 count. Angle goes for an Angle Slam on Mysterio, but he hits an arm drag. Mysterio hits a 619 on Orton and the springboard leg drop to become the new World Heavyweight Championship. Angle was booked extremely strong here. I enjoyed this match a lot, but wish they would have had a couple of those extra minutes back. I also am not sure that an arm drag was enough to keep Angle from saving Orton. They show Rey's family as he celebrates in the ring. This really feels like it should have been a bigger celebration, along the lines of Daniel Bryan or Kofi Kingston, but I think the way they booked it just kind of took away from it. Either way, this was such a well deserved moment for one of the absolute greatest performers I have ever watched.

Match Rating: ***3/4

They show Triple H and John Cena getting ready backstage, as JR prepares us for Cena to get booed. 

Playboy Pillow Fight

Candice Michelle vs. Torrie Wilson

Both women are wearing evening gowns and Torrie goes right after Candice. There is a bed in the ring with some Playboy pillows. Torrie turns over the bed on her and jumps on it. She then takes Chloe and rubs her butt in Candice's face. Torrie rips Candice's dress off, but runs into a foot to the face. Candice then hits her Tarantula-like move. I know this might surprise you, but this isn't good. Candice takes out some scissors and cuts Torrie's dress off. I can't believe they gave this match more than 2 minutes. Torrie leaps over a charging Candice and hits a sunset flip for the victory. Thankfully these types of matches are a thing of the past, even if they should have already been by 2006. 

Match Rating: 0 stars

WWE Championship Match

Triple H vs. John Cena

Both men get elaborate entrances, with Triple H getting a Conan the Barbarian entrance and Cena getting a gangster entrance. Honestly, they both are really lame. CM Punk being one of the gangsters is about all that anyone ever talks about either of them. The crowd is definitely 100% into this match, even though I was definitely not that into this one in 2006. It really goes to show how wrestling fans for years complained about Triple H and then cheer for him here against a guy they helped bring up to main event status. Wrestling fandom in a nutshell. We get a lot of playing into the crowd reactions to start off and even Lawler plays into the Cena not being a good wrestler. JR gets fired up and defends him. The action spills out of the ring and Cena hits a back body drop on Triple H on the steel ramp. Triple H retaliates and throws Cena into the steps. I'm not sure I understand why the challenger would let the champion recover on the outside of the ring while the referee counts. Triple H throws him back in the ring, but Cena kicks out. Triple H hits a facebuster and then a big clothesline. We get a lot of the boo/yeah action here and then Triple H hits a huge spinebuster for a 2 count. Cena pumps up his shooes and then puts Triple H in the STFU in the middle of the ring. Triple H is able to crawl to the bottom rope to break the hold. Triple H escapes out of the FU, pushing Cena into the referee in the corner and hitting a low blow on Cena. Triple H then does a crotch chop of his own to a huge reaction and then goes under the ring to get the sledgehammer. Cena fights him off, but still gets hit in the head with the sledgehammer. Cena kicks out of the slow count from the injured ref and the atmosphere here is undeniably awesome. Cena fights back and hits the FU, but Triple H kicks out. I probably haven't watched this match in 10 years or so and it's significantly better than I remember. Cena misses a crossbody off the top rope. Triple H goes for the Pedigree, but Cena counters it into the STFU. The ref goes to the old arm drop routine and Triple H holds it up on the third drop. Triple H reaches for the ropes, but gives in and taps. This was a good WWE style main event, even if it wasn't an all time classic. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

This show was truly all over the place. We had an all time classic in Edge/Foley, an action-packed triple threat match (even if it was rushed), a solid ladder match and a good main event. However, we also had the Boogeyman, a match with a bed in the ring and an awful Casket Match. I think the good outweighed the bad by a large margin though and even though this isn't a top tier WrestleMania, it's very easily in the top half of the shows and one that is worthy of repeat viewings.

Overall Rating: 85%

NXT 2-12-14 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, February 12th, 2014
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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Natalya, Bayley & Emma vs. Summer Rae, Sasha Banks & Alicia Fox

They are saying that this is the initiation process for Fox to join the BFFs. Natalya gets in a nice bit of offense before tagging in Bayley. Bayley hits a monkey flip on Fox, but Fox follows up with a dropkick. The BFFs isolate Bayley and it still is kind of amazing to me that Summer Rae was so much better than I remembered. Bayley fights back and hits a suplex, allowing her to tag in Emma. Emma takes out everyone, but runs into a big boot from Fox. Fox reaches for a tag, but the BFFs leave her and that allows Emma to put her in the Emma Lock for the victory. That was a good match that followed the winning formula. 

Match Rating: **1/4

Aiden English vs. Big Cass

After an early blitz from Cass, English comes in and hits a swinging neckbreaker and then a reverse neckbreaker. Cass is able to avoid the leg drop and hits a couple of big right hands. Cass continues to get the S-A-W-F-T over with the live NXT crowd, but English is able to hit the Director's Cut for the victory. I really don't understand why they keep letting Cass lose in such short matches? I am guessing it's due to experience, but this is the company that let Great Khali beat Undertaker. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Sami Zayn is here and he talks about how he is all about moving forward, but for the first time he is stuck on the moment where he lost to Cesaro. Out comes Cesaro and calls him pathetic. He tells Sami that he was never close and there was nothing he could have done anything different. Cesaro tells Sami will have a great career "down here". Sami brings up their pre-NXT history and says that Cesaro is a workhorse. Zayn compliments him saying that he knows Cesaro fights on Raw, SmackDown and here on NXT when most of the other guys won't come down here. But yet, he still won't wrestle Zayn. Zayn says he just wants one more match. Cesaro asks if there will be any excuses when he beats Zayn again and Zayn gives him his word and extends his hand. The crowd chants for a "pinky promise", so Zayn extends his pinky. Cesaro plays along, but then says his answer is still no and kicks him in the shin before leaving. Out comes Triple H and he says while Cesaro doesn't want this match, the fans do. This is really bizarre when you consider this was just weeks before Triple H would wrestle Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania XXX. He announces that Cesaro will face Zayn at Arrival because that is best for business. This was a really well done segment and better than just about any interview segment in NXT history up to this point. 

Tye Dillinger vs. CJ Parker

Parker is basically the new Bo Dallas. Dillinger gets in a few moves, but Parker hits a senton and then the Third Eye for the victory. After the match, Parker grabs the mic and asks the crowd why they don't love him. He reduces, he reuses, he recycles. He drives a 2013 Ford Fiesta that gets 40 mpg and yet they still boo him. He should be booing them because they're melting the polar icecap. This world is going down the tubes and it's the NXT Universes fault because they are capable of loving. He says that from this moment forward, he doesn't love any of them either. I enjoyed that. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Wyatt Family vs. Jason Jordan & Marcus Louis

If you couldn't tell, this is a squash match. Luke Harper hits a huge clothesline and that is all. Man, seeing Harper here just makes me miss him even more. It also makes me wish he was never in the Wyatt Family. After the match Bray hits Sister Abigail on Jordan and grabs a microphone and says a bunch of words that mean nothing. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

This was an enjoyable way to spend 45 minutes. There were a few too many ads in this episode, but the Cesaro/Zayn segment was a very strong higlight here. The women also did a nice job with the time they were given and the rest was pretty breezy. 

Overall Rating: 60%

Monday Night Raw 12-13-93 Review

Monday, December 13th, 1993
Mid-Hudson Civic Center
Poughkeepsie, New York

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Vince is here solo and shows highlights of Gorilla Monsoon kicking Bobby Heenan out last week. He brings in Jim Cornette as his co-announcer. 

Randy Savage vs. Fatu

Fatu starts off hot and he throws Savage into the ring steps early on. He goes back to the well, but Savage slams Fatu's face, but it has no effect. Fatu responds with a superkick and back in the ring we go. Savage is able to hit a back body drop, but when he charges at Fatu, he is flipped over to the floor. Fatu heads up top, but Savage crotches him and hits him with a double ax handle to the floor. Savage goes up to the top rope this time and hits the flying elbow for the victory. Both men looked good here and the packed a lot of action in a fairly short amount of time. 

Match Rating: **3/4

We go to Todd Pettengill in the studio which just leads to WWF trying to get people to call to vote on whether or not Randy Savage should be allowed to co-host WWF Mania. 

Jim Massenger & Steve Smyth vs. Smoking Gunns

I feel like we haven't seen the Gunns in awhile. It was pretty clear that Vince could not have cared less about tag team wrestling in 1993 because they had enough to have a decent division and they were just an afterthought. I always liked their suplex/crossbody combo that they use here. Captain Lou Albano is out and what a great fit he would be with the Smoking Gunns *crickets*. Anyway, Bart hits a DDT and Billy hits a top rope bulldog for the victory. The Gunns looked like guys who wanted more TV time here. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get a recap of what transpired last week on Raw between Shawn Michaels/1-2-3 Kid/Razor Ramon. 

IRS vs. Todd Mata

The cameraman tries to take a look into IRS's briefcase and IRS shoves him down. Vince, being the Sherlock Holmes that he is, sees that Razor Ramon's gold is in there. We then pan to a man in overalls chanting "Irwin". A whole generation of kids grew up thinking that "technical wrestling" is the same as "boring wrestling" because Vince always had to remind us that IRS was so great at it. IRS hits a back suplex and that's all. This was shorter than a normal IRS squat. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We see Yokozuna dressed as Santa Claus and he has children sitting on his lap. Phew, it was all just a dream. Money well spent. 

Undertaker vs. JS Storm

The Undertaker never wrestles on Raw, so lets miss the first bit of the match for an ICOPRO commercial. Undertaker puts Storm in the tree of woe and they say Undertaker is taking on Yokozuna in a Casket Match at Royal Rumble. Taker hits a chokeslam and then the Tombstone for the victory. After the match, Taker and Paul Bearer put Storm into a body bag and Taker stomps on him. Classic babyface move. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Make them stop. Another Jeff Jarrett vignette. Actually, this is a "highlight" clip of the vignettes we have seen. 

Oh man, Tatanka looks for revenge against Ludvig Borga next week on Raw. 

Rick Martel vs. Tim McNeany

Martel always lets the squash guy get some moves in and I love him for it. After a little bit from McNeany, Martel gets both knees up on a charging McNeany. Martel is in a jumping jack mood tonight and then slaps on the Boston Crab for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

We now get an interview that Vince conducts with Owen Hart from Superstars. Owen challenges Bret to a fight. 

Bret Hart vs. Brooklyn Brawler

Have we ever talked about how much better the original Hart Foundation music was over the current version? Bret, Taker and Savage are three of the rarest performers on Raw and we get all of them here tonight. Bret, much like Martel, knows the art of a squash match and allows the enhancement talent to get in some moves to make the match be something a little extra. Brawler goes up to the top rope, but Bret slams him off the top. Bret hits all of his five moves of doom and puts on the Sharpshooter for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Remember, kids. Only 99 cents to vote for Randy Savage to be back on the extremely important Mania. Next week it's Men On A Mission, Owen Hart and the debut of Jeff Jarrett. 

It's amazing what a little bit of star power will do for you. There was nothing special on this show, but we got three of the top stars here and the squashes were a little bit more spirited. It always helps when the show is live as well. This was a nice transition episode, as they will start moving into Royal Rumble mode here soon. 

Overall Rating: 60%