Monday Night Raw 3-7-94 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, March 7th, 1994
Mid-Hudson Civic Center
Poughkeepsie, New York

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Ted DiBiase is the guest commentator tonight. Sadly, I just realized that with the WWE Network on Peacock now, I won't be able to review the March To WrestleMania special. 

Smoking Gunns vs. Crush & Owen Hart

We get a spirited beginning to the match. The Smoking Gunns weren't like crazy over or anything, but considering how thin the roster was, I'm not sure why they didn't do more with them. Billy hits an odd looking bulldog off the second rope on Crush and then a few arm drags on Owen. Owen comes back with the spinning heel kick and a snap suplex. Crush holds up Billy while Owen hits a missile dropkick into the commercial break. We get the hot tag to Bart and he cleans house. He gets Owen up on his shoulders, but Crush takes out his leg from behind. Owen locks in the Sharpshooter and that is all. This was a good TV match that made the heels look strong without taking away too much from the Gunns. 

Match Rating: **1/2

Vince interviews Owen and Crush and they talk about Crush taking on Bret Hart at the March To WrestleMania. Owen tells him not to beat him up too bad so that Bret has no excuses at WrestleMania.

We go to Todd Pettengill for the WrestleMania Report. They seem to have such a hard time explaining the March To WrestleMania and other specials. They announce Alundra Blayze will be taking on Leilani Kai. 

Jeff Jarrett vs. Virgil

Yes, Virgil is still here. Vince makes the huge announcement that Rhonda Shear is going to be at WrestleMania. I was on the fence about buying the show, but now I'm sold. If you were hoping of like 2 minutes of Virgil working on Jarrett's arm, then this match is for you. We get some back and forth on the ropes and it all just leads to Jarrett hitting a DDT for the victory. This was not a good showing for Virgil here. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Vince exposes DiBiase's fake country magazine cover. 

Sy Sperling now shows what he can do for Mr. Fuji. 

Mike Sharpe vs. Doink

Doink avoids Sharpe in the corner and then hits the Whoopee Cushion for the victory. I'm not sure what we would have done had they not shown that on TV. It almost felt as if Peacock cut off part of the match, but I'm not complaining.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Tatanka is out for a special presentation. This leaves DiBiase to announce by himself. He is presented with special feathers and is in the ring with Wahoo McDaniel and Chief Jay Strongbow. Tatanka is crying here, which of course DiBiase makes fun of. 

After the commercial, out comes IRS and he makes fun of Tatanka.

IRS vs. Mark Thomas

They actually show an "Isn't Rotunda Stupid?" sign, which is surprising. IRS working on the leg of Thomas because of course he is. That leads to him hitting the running clothesline and I'd say an easy victory, but with all the sweat on his face, it must not have been. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They promote the Lex Luger vs. Jimmy Del Ray match on the March To WrestleMania and out come the Heavenly Bodies with Jim Cornette. Cornette talks about how much better Japanese cars are and that Del Ray is going to bust up Luger in time for WrestleMania. Del Ray is so good here and he doesn't even say a word. 

The opening match was a spirited bout but the show fell off a cliff after that with three terrible squash matches. With no Raw next week, it would have been nice to see at least one hot angle going into WrestleMania here, but instead it just felt like an episode of Superstars that was taped 4 weeks prior. 

Overall Rating: 40%

Superstars 3-5-94 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, March 5th, 1994
Westchester County Civic Center
White Plains, New York

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Lex Luger vs. Reno Riggins

I'm no Luger fan, but I don't dislike him as much as I thought I would. He really isn't featured as much as I assumed he was during this time. I say that now, but I also know that the dreaded Tatanka feud is not too far away. Johnny Polo hypes up the Reno Plex as one of the most devastating moves in wrestling. Luger tosses Riggins around, but Riggins gets in a thumb in the eye and gets in some offense. Riggins goes for a cartwheel splash in the corner, but Luger hits him with a clothesline. Luger puts him in the Torture Rack and that is all. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's time for Update with Gorilla Monsoon. Don't forget to Monday Night Raw Prime Cuts and Royal Rumble on VHS. He spends like 5 minutes hyping up the Fan Festival. They even have him read the times, which are right on the screen. Then we go onto the Paramount Theatre viewing. Superstars was just an infomercial. 

We get a WrestleMania Moment and it's Undertaker with the vulture at WrestleMania IX. 

Dan Dubiel vs. Jeff Jarrett

The guest ring announcer is some kid wearing a Doink shirt and a Bret Hart hat that is 5 sizes too small for his head. Speaking of Doink, Jarrett's outfit looks like a hippie version of Doink's. Jarrett talks about WrestleMania and *ha ha ha* your match is going to get cut. Jarrett's squashes are usually pretty good, but this isn't one of them. He hits a DDT and that is all. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's my buddy Stan Lane here with Face To Face. Lane drops a NOT joke. Whose idea was it for Crush to cut so many promos? The best part is that you can tell Crush thinks he is just killing it here. Randy Savage lets us know that WrestleMania is the anniversary of WrestleMania. 

Doink vs. Brooklyn Brawler

This match kind of feels like this match is in slow motion. Why did this match get so much time? Doink hits a body slam and into the Whoopee Cushion and that is all thankfully. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Sy Sperling shows what he can do for Doink and Dink. Comedy gold. 

Diesel vs. Rich Myers

Diesel hits a big boot and hits the Jacknife for the quick and easy victory. That's exactly what it needed to be. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Time for Todd Pettengill's WrestleMania Report. We're at the point now where there are no more announcements to make. We get a Jim Cornette promo and did you know that there are two WWF Championship matches? Shawn Michaels says that WrestleMania is a day that you have to strive to survive. Isn't that the Survivor Series? Razor Ramon says that he'll have all the gold. There still is no announced opponent for Alundra Blayze. 

Bushwhackers vs. Cory Student & Mike Khoury

If you think it's weird that the Bushwhackers are here in 1994, just wait until I get to 1996. Student has to be one of less impressive jobbers from this era. A Battering Ram thankfully finishes this match. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's time for the Funeral Parlor and Owen Hart is the guest today. Again, we get a repeat promo of what we have been hearing for weeks now. With that being said, Owen's have been much better. 

Crush vs. Todd Mata

Crush has no heat and they didn't even bother to doctor it with fake boos. A couple of kicks and his finisher end it for Crush. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

More Face To Face, which means more Stan Lane. As if this episode couldn't suck any more than already does. The Quebecers try to save the show, but no 60 second promo could do that. Men On A Mission get a promo and I completely forgot what Mo's voice sounded like. 

Next week we get Men On A Mission, Owen Hart, Tatanka and Earthquake vs. Bastion Booger. There will also be a special interview with Lex Luger and Bret Hart. 

This episode is easily among the worst I have seen of Superstars. Nothing happened, the squashes were bad and there was too much Stan Lane. Don't waste your time on this one. 

Overall Rating: 26%

Monday Night Raw 2-28-94 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, February 28th, 1994
Mid-Hudson Civic Center
Poughkeepsie, New York

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Vince gives us a recap of the Royal Rumble and Jack Tunney's announcement for the 100th time. 

WWF Championship Match

Randy Savage vs. Yokozuna

Harvey Wippleman is our guest announcer this week. Savage, being the maniac that he is, attacks Yoko from behind but then gets leveled by an elbow. Savage fires back with comes clotheslines and gets a 2 count. Yoko dominates, but then misses with a splash and Savage knees him out of the ring. He goes up top and hits the double ax handle on the outside. For whatever reason, Jim Cornette wasn't with Yoko for his entrance but he runs out now and we hit our first commercial. Savage has Vince screaming on the top of his lungs for his every move and almost scores a victory after a couple of top rope maneuvers. Savage is working his butt off like it's 1987. Yoko knocks Savage out and drags him to the center of the ring. Savage avoids the big leg drop and Cornette is now distracting the official. Mr. Fuji gives Yoko the basket, but Savage blocks it and nails Yoko with it. Savage is finally able to cover him, but Yoko is able to kick out. Savage knocks Cornette off the apron and hits the top rope elbow drop. Crush is in there to cause the disqualification at the last second. Out comes Bret Hart to try and make the save, but he immediately gets beaten down. Now it's Lex Luger's turn to make a save and he knocks Yokozuna out of the ring. Him and Bret team up and double clothesline Crush. It was pretty obvious what the ending was going to be, but they did everything in their power to have you believing there was a chance Savage would pull it off. After the match, Savage, Bret and Luger celebrate together. I loved this. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Mike Khoury

Luna is at ringside wearing an anti-Doink shirt. Bam Bam catches Khoury and hits a leaping powerslam. I feel like they should be doing more to be building his feud with Doink. Bam Bam hits an enzuigiri for the easy victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Earthquake vs. Black Phantom

Vince announces that Borga is still hurt and that Quake will be facing Adam Bomb. Earthquake's body slam was always a thing of beauty. He hits his finisher and that's all for Black Phantom. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

WrestleMania Report time with a hatless Todd Pettengill. Nothing new to report here. 

Kwang vs. John Crystal

Harvey leaves Vince, which means we now have to listen to him interview Sy Sperling over the phone. Meanwhile, Kwang hits some kicks, sprays some green mist and all sorts of other things that won't get him over. He hits another kick and gets the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Stan Lane is attempting to interview Shawn Michaels backstage. They do a heavily edited interview that splices in footage of the feud with Razor Ramon. 

Next week we are getting Owen Hart and Crush against the Smoking Gunns. 

Men On A Mission vs. Brooklyn Brawler & Steve Smyth

Brawler goes for a sunset flip and then Smyth comes into help, but Mabel back body drops him and starts grooving. They hit their bulldog finisher and that is all for Smyth. They continue to underwhelm and of course they get the title shot. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Next week we get Jeff Jarrett vs. Virgil, Doink, IRS and Tatanka with a special presentation. 

This show features possibly my favorite Raw match up to this point in it's history, so it's an easy thumbs up from me. The rest of the show was just a glorified episode of Superstars, but at least it moved along quickly. 

Overall Rating: 59%

Superstars 2-26-94 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, February 26th, 1994
Westchester County Civic Center
White Plains, New York

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We get this weird Yokozuna Godzilla spoof to advertise that WWF is unbelievable. This leads us to Vince, Johnny Polo and a green screen. 

Razor Ramon vs. Black Phantom

Phantom hits a kind of ugly second rope DDT and then they rip on him for his pin attempt. Razor follows up and hits a chokeslam. Razor then hits his second rope back superplex and then the Razor's Edge for the victory. I thought Phantom might get a little bit longer in there since he had a gimmick, but that's just not how we roll on Superstars. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

From the pages of the WWF Magazine, it's Update. Gorilla Monsoon shows us a clip of Lex Luger on the Funeral Parlor. In Gorilla's book, Luger is the odds on favorite to beat Yokozuna at WrestleMania. We then get promos from Bret and Owen Hart. 

John Paul & Miguel Rosado vs. Quebecers

Polo leaves the announce booth and comes out in snorkel gear. Jacques has some words with Nikolai Volkoff. We get an insert rap from Oscar and Men On A Mission. Vince loves it, of course. Paul hits a couple of dropkicks, but tags in Rosado and he gets hit with a piledriver. They hit their top rope finisher and that is all. They have so much to show, that they cut the celebration short. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go right to Stan Lane who couldn't sell a heater to someone in Antarctica. Crush claims to never be more prepared for anything in his life than his match at WrestleMania. 

Thurman Sparky Plugg vs. Derec Domino

The announcing here is pretty awful with Vince when being asked if he likes the Red Hot Chili Peppers that he doesn't like spicy foods. The match is another way too short one and Plugg wins after his top rope knee drop. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Shawn Michaels is on his way to the ring. There is a ladder in the entrance way and Michaels brings it into the ring. Raymond Rougeau is the interviewer and his question is "What are the particulars of the ladder match?". He goes over the rules, or lack thereof and calls himself the greatest Intercontinental Champion. This episode is thrilling. 

IRS vs. Phil Apollo

Just when you things can't get any worse, they give us IRS. Apollo gets a nearfall that gets Vince really excited. IRS hits his leaping clothesline for the victory. Yep. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get another WrestleMania Report with Todd Pettengill. He runs down the celebrities and Lex Luger's run for the title. We get a Jim Cornette promo with Yoko and Fuji. Randy Savage is ready for WrestleMania. They announce the big 10 man tag match that unfortunately doesn't happen on the show. 

Bret Hart vs. Adam Bomb

I know Bomb wasn't great in the ring, but he seemed to have some momentum in '93 and they did nothing with it. Bomb catches Bret and hits a body slam, but misses with the elbow drop. Bret clotheslines him three times and on the final time he sends him to the floor. Bomb pulls him out of the ring, but when he goes for the right hand, Bret ducks and Bomb hits the ring post. Back in the ring, Bomb hits a big boot. Owen now comes out to watch the match from the aisle. Bret avoids Bomb charging in the corner, but misses with the second rope elbow drop. Bomb is working hard here. Bomb goes for the Atom Smasher, but Bret counters with a back body drop. Bret knocks Harvey Wippleman off the apron and Bret locks in the Sharpshooter and gains the victory. So just to be clear, it took about 12 minutes for Bret to beat Tom Prichard, but only about 5 to beat Adam Bomb. That match was all action and completely saved this show from being a total turd. 

Match Rating: **1/2

Back to Stan Lane and somehow he has a job here still. The Quebecers give the best promo of the day here and guarantee victory at WrestleMania. 

Next week it's Jeff Jarrett, the Bushwhackers, Diesel and the Funeral Parlor with Owen Hart. Last, but not least, it's going to be Lex Luger in action. 

The first two thirds of this show were absolutely terrible, but leave it to Bret to save the day. The Quebecers were the icing on the cake with their fun promo. Still, it's 1994 Superstars and rarely really worth a watch. 

Overall Rating: 43%

Monday Night Raw 2-21-94 Review

Monday, February 21st, 1994
Mid-Hudson Civic Center
Poughkeepsie, New York

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

After being off last week for the dog show, we are back with a live show tonight. Randy Savage is here to join Vince and he says that Randy Savage will unquestionably be in the Hall Of Fame one day. It only took another 21 years for that to happen.

WWF Tag Team Championship Match

Quebecers vs. Razor Ramon & 1-2-3 Kid

So Marty is no longer Razor's partner and Kid is still selling his knee injury. We get a really fun opening segment with Razor and Kid standing tall early on. I still am not really sure why they announced that the Quebecers were facing Men On A Mission prior to this match. It's not like they had this hot feud where it was obvious. Razor gets tripped by Johnny Polo, but Razor still explodes for a double clothesline. Razor goes out side and gives Polo a Razor's Edge on the outside. I'm surprised they let him do that in '94. What's fun is that it's Bill Alfonso as the referee. They go to commercial with Polo being helped to the back. We come back to Kid working on the arm of Pierre. Razor and Kid look really good here as a team and Razor is always over with the New York crowd. Out comes Diesel, who provides a distraction to allow Jacques to take control really for the first time in the match. We go to a second commercial break and we come back to an admittedly pretty cool shot of the reflection of the match in Diesel's sunglasses. We get a hot tag to Kid and he hits a spin kick, but misses with a dropkick. The Quebecers double team and drop Kid on the top rope. This match is right up my alley for this era. Jacques tries to back body drop Pierre on Kid, but Kid avoids it and Jacques is out of it. Razor gets the hot tag and hits a back superplex off the second rope on Pierre. Razor calls for the Razor's Edge and hits it. Shawn Michaels comes out of nowhere barely making it in time to break up the pin attempt and disqualify the Quebecers. He barely made it in there and with how fast he was running, I have a feeling he was a little late on his cue. I really enjoyed this match a lot. I don't mind the DQ finish because it makes sense here, even if it's unsatisfying. This was really good action overall though. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

Next week we are getting a Yokozuna vs. Randy Savage match. 

Dr. Tom Prichard vs. Bret Hart

This is a pretty rare Bret Hart in ring appearance here on Raw. I can't remember the last time Prichard was on here either. Prichard misses with an elbow drop and Bret viciously attacks the arm. Bret is just so ridiculously good. When we come back from commercial, Prichard is on offense. Bret is just one of those guys that never believes in steamrolling an opponent. They get Donnie Wahlberg on the phone as if there is any chance Vince knows who he is. Cornette was about to hit Bret with the tennis racquet, but Savage makes the save and it almost looked like Cornette may have accidentally hit the steps a little bit. Wow, two matches on the same show that both have two commercial breaks on it. This is my type of episode. Cornette distracts Bret and Prichard knees him out of the ring. Out comes Owen and he starts taunting Bret as he is struggling to get back in the ring. Owen throws him in and claims that Bret always needs his help. Bret avoids Prichard in the corner and hits a suplex. Bret locks in the Sharpshooter and that is all. That was kind of an abrupt ending there, especially for a Bret match. This was a little disappointing, but far from bad. After the match, Bret tries to get Owen into the ring, but the officials hold Owen back. 

Match Rating: **

It's time for a WrestleMania Report with Todd Pettengill. He runs down the celebrities this time. It's Little Richard, Burt Reynolds, Jennie Garth, Donnie Wahlberg, Bucky & Vinny and Sy Sperling. Alundra Blayze still doesn't have an opponent and Earthquake is still taking on Ludvig Borga. 

Yokozuna's music hits and he starts coming out and we go to commercial break. Little Richard says he is coming to WrestleMania and then we are back to Jim Cornette screaming at Savage. Savage gets in the ring and we go off the air.

This was a strong episode of Raw especially for the era. Two matches that get plenty of time and no fluff is one of the episodes you need to have every once in awhile. I thought the Bret match would be a little bit better, but this one gets no complaint from me. 

Overall Rating: 74%

Hell In A Cell 2021 Review

Sunday, June 20th, 2021
Yuengling Center
Tampa, Florida

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Hell In A Cell Match For The SmackDown Women's Championship

Bayley vs. Bianca Belair

Bianca frustrates Bayley early and she grabs some chairs. Bayley grabs one and then knocks the other one out of the ring. Bianca uses her hair to wrestle it out of her hands and then they battle on the turnbuckles. Bianca goes for a superplex, but Bayley blocks it and slams her into the ring post. After bringing in some ring steps, Bayley ties Bianca's hair onto the bottom rope. Bianca is able to trip up Bayley and she lands into the steps and untie her hair. Bianca throws the stairs wildly and misses Bayley, but kicks her into the cage anyways. Bayley grabs a kendo stick and hits her in the midsection and then hits a sunset flip powerbomb into the cage. Bayley sets up some double kendo sticks in the ring and the cell. Naturally, Bayley is the one who goes through them. Bianca grabs a chair and uses it on the back, but Bayley then gets her feet up and smashes it into Bianca's face. Bayley uses the chair to work on the arm of Bianca. Bianca starts unleashing the fury and uses the cell to her advantage. A ladder now gets in on the action and Bayley gets the better of it. Bayley smashes Bianca between the ladder and then hits the Rose Plant. Bayley's injured knee slows her down from covering and Bianca is able to kick out at 2. Bianca throws Bayley into the turnbuckle and goes up top. Bayley moves out of the way, but Bianca rolls through. Bianca then splashes Bayley on the ladder. Bianca hits the KOD onto the open ladder and gets the victory. That was a great looking finish. It is no surprise, but both ladies really put in a good effort here. They kept up a good pace and we were treated to some really good action. This was a nice way to kick off the show. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

We get a really quick Bianca interview and then get a backstage shot of Lashley with his ladies. Now it's Alexa Bliss in the Playground. All filler, no killer. 

Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins

They start brawling after Rollins attacks Cesaro on his entrance. They start the match and Cesaro hits a big boot to Rollins on the apron, sending him into the guardrail. Cesaro stays on offense until Rollins rakes his eyes and then hits a DDT. Cesaro shows off his freakish strength and hits a vertical suplex. Cesaro gets flipped over the top rope and Rollins hits a knee off the apron. Back in the ring and Rollins hits a top rope knee to the face for a nearfall. Rollins goes back to the eye of Cesaro, but Cesaro fights back. Rollins gets a kick to the midsection in and goes for the Stomp. Cesaro counters that into a powerslam and a 2 count. Cesaro goes up top, but Rollins runs up the turnbuckles. Cesaro counters that and hits a crossbody, but Rollins rolls through for a 2 count. Rollins hits a big clubbing blow to the back of the head/neck and gets another close call. Both of these guys are really tremendous competitors. These two and Daniel Bryan all blew me away back in my ROH days. Rollins hits the Falcon Arrow and again a 2 count. Rollins misses with a kick, but then leaps for a reverse kick to the back of the head. That was smooth. It's time for the Cesaro Swing and then locks in the Sharpshooter. Cesaro swaps it over to the Crossface. Rollins rolls through for a pin attempt, so Cesaro switches back to the Sharpshooter. Rollins reaches for the ropes, so Cesaro grabs Rollins' arm and stomps on it. Rollins somehow is able to get him into a small package and this time it gets the victory. This was another really strong match on this show, which again is no surprise. Rollins had to get a victory eventually, so it makes sense here. I'm good for another couple matches between these two. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

Shayna Baszler, Nia Jax and Reginald are backstage. Baszler says Alexa likes playing with dolls and Shayna likes hurting people. Shayna then slaps Reginald. 

Shayna Baszler vs. Alexa Bliss

We're about 30 seconds into the match and there have been about 28 camera cuts. I am probably underestimating. Somehow they basically miss her somersault splash onto Shayna. Reginald distracts Alexa and Shayna is able to attack her from behind. I do think the contrast in characters works here a little bit, but as I have made clear many times, I don't like anything to do with the Fiend and the Playhouse. Shayna begins with the joint manipulation and then Alexa gets her to release it with mind bullets. Bliss hits a DDT for a 2 count. Alexa now locks eyes with Nia and she gets her to slap Reginald. Shayna comes from behind and tries to put on the Kirifuda Clutch, but Alexa gets out of it. Bliss hits Twisted Bliss and gets the victory. Well, we knew we were getting a dud here, so this was what it was. I guess it could have been worse, but both ladies are more than capable of something better. 

Match Rating: *

Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens

This is the first ever meeting between these two. Owens just chucks Sami into the corner. He hits a back elbow and a senton. Zayn hits a big clothesline to the injured throat of Owens. Owens suplexes Zayn onto the ropes and hits the cannonball for a 2 count. I kind of like the different dimension the injured throat adds to the match. Zayn hits a somersault dive onto Owens on the outside. The referee is checking in on Owens and Zayn sneaks in for a kick to the face. Owens is selling his injuries that now includes a left wrist. Owens is still able to hit a clothesline on the outside of the ring. Owens goes for a swanton, but Zayn gets the knees up. Back in the ring, Zayn hits the always awesome, but never a finisher, Blue Thunder Bomb. Zayn hits a reverse exploder suplex and almost gets the victory. Owens rolls out of the ring and he's able to hit the Stunner out of the ring. Zayn barely beats the count and gets back in the ring. They start swinging wildly on their knees and Owens hits him with a stiff looking elbow. Owens gets hit with a kick to the back of the head and then follows it up with a Helluva Kick and gets the victory. This was far from their best work, but it was another strong outing with a lot of hard hitting action. Owens was masterful in his selling. Bret Hart would be proud. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

They show highlights of the Rey Mysterio/Roman Reigns Hell In A Cell match from SmackDown 2 days ago. 

WWE Raw Women's Championship Match

Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley

Before the match starts, Charlotte tries to get an advantage by stealing the belt and shoving Rhea down. Charlotte hits a boot to the face and gets a 2 count. Charlotte is on her game here tonight. Charlotte continues with the aggression and is all over Rhea. Ripley fights back and hits a big headbutt and a superkick. Ripley hits a missile dropkick and gets her first nearfall. Charlotte hits Natural Selection and gets a 2 count. Charlotte misses with a boot in the corner and Ripley hits a German suplex. Charlotte goes up for a moonsault, but Ripley moves out of the way. Charlotte lands on her feet and hits her on the second moonsault. Ripley is able to hit a superplex, but again Charlotte kicks out. Ripley hits Rip Tide and this time Charlotte is able to get her foot on the bottom rope. Charlotte is able to lock in the Figure Four and Ripley is able to get to the ropes and then drags her out of the ring. Ripley hits her with part of the announce table and they ring for the bell. Ripley attacks Charlotte after the match and they announce her as still the champion. Then we get some awkward mic'd up interaction between the two. I know Ripley isn't a traditional babyface, but that was a total heel move. They really worked hard for a match where they knew that the finish was going to be lame. Charlotte in particular looked really good here, but it's hard to ignore that finish. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

Last Chance Hell In A Cell Match For The WWE Championship

Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley

Lashley looks to go under the ring, but McIntyre isn't having it and slams him into the cell. McIntyre hits a suplex into the cage and he falls pretty hard to the ground. Back in the ring, McIntyre launces Lashley. McIntyre grabs the kendo stick and uses it to slam the back of his head into the cage. McIntyre sets up a table, but MVP slips Lashley his cane through the hole in the cage and jabs it in the throat of McIntyre. McIntyre hits the Celtic Cross on the steel steps to turn the tide. McIntyre is doing a great job of just laying it all on the line here. McIntyre hits a Alabama Slam onto a steel chair and Lashley is able to kick out. McIntyre goes up top with a chair, but Lashley catches him and tries to put him into the Hurt Lock. McIntyre counters that into a spinebuster and a sitdown powerbomb. Lashley is able to counter McIntyre with the steps and drive him into the cell to finally make his comeback. Lashley traps McIntyre in the corner of the cell with a kendo stick and Lashley is relentless with his attack. Lashley drives McIntyre face-first into a chair and then starts whacking McIntyre with a kendo stick. McIntyre fights back with a steel chair. The referee accidentally gets taken out and he hits the Future Shock DDT. There is no ref to count and now the door is being opened so that another referee can get in. Lashley comes from behind and tries for the Hurt Lock. McIntyre counters and launches Lashley again. He hits him with the chair and then tosses it in his face. McIntyre hits the Claymore Kick, but MVP pulls the referee out of the ring during his count. MVP is locked in the cell and McIntyre focuses on him. He hits a Claymore Kick on MVP. Lashley goes for the Hurt Lock, but McIntyre drives him into the table set up on the cage and both men are down. McIntyre misses with a Claymore Kick and Lashley hits a chokeslam off the apron and through a table. Somehow the cameras don't get a good angle of that live. McIntyre hits the Future Shock again and sets up for the Claymore Kick. MVP grabs his ankle and Lashley rolls him up for the victory. McIntyre is of course in shock that he lost his last chance for the title. The finish wasn't the best, but what was in the water backstage tonight? These guys busted their butts here and worked a pace that we would expect from much smaller wrestlers. I did not expect this match to be my favorite on the show, but it certainly was. This was so much better than their very lackluster WrestleMania match. 

Match Rating: ****

Where did this show come from? This was one of the better shows that I can remember the main roster putting on. 5 out of the 6 matches were very good and everyone really put in a good effort. I'm not sure if it will help sell some tickets for the upcoming live shows, but it should. There were a few questionable booking decisions, but the match quality helped make up for that. Well done here.

Overall Rating: 83%

Off The Grid, Volume 12: Beach Blast 1992 Review

Saturday, June 20th, 1992
Mobile Civic Center
Mobile, Alabama

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Off The Grid, Volume 12:

Tony Schiavone and Eric Bischoff kick off the show and introduce Bill Watts, who isn't very good at getting a show started. They then kick it down to ringside with Jim Ross, who then introduces Jesse Ventura who is on the beach-themed stage with women in bikinis. Could this intro be any longer? 

WCW Light Heavyweight Championship

Scotty Flamingo vs. Brian Pillman

We get some mat wrestling to start, which gives me some time to look at how old both men were here and I didn't realize that Flamingo was already 27 here. Although he isn't as effective as he was with Gorilla Monsoon, it always makes the show feel more legitimate when Ventura is out there. Flamingo does a cool spot where he gets knocked out of the ring and on his way out, his feet get caught on the top rope and Pillman knocks him from there to the floor. They are doing a nice job of building this one up slowly, but sprinkling in little bursts to keep it entertaining. Pillman goes up to the top, which is against the rules and Raven throws him off. The rules in this era of WCW are just so stupid. Flamingo throws Pillman through the ropes and then hits a dive outside. After a rest hold by Flamingo, Pillman attempts a comeback, but again Flamingo goes to the chinlock. We are at the 15 minute mark, which is another quirk that I'm not very keen on in a 30 minute time limit match. They start duking it out on their knees and Flamingo uses a rake to the eyes to slow down Flamingo. Pillman hits a second rope suplex and almost gets the victory, but Flamingo gets his foot on the bottom rope. Pillman knocks Flamingo over and onto the elevated ramp and then goes for a dive, but Flamingo moves and Pillman lands hard. Flamingo hits a second rope knee and Flamingo is your new champion. That still surprises me 29 years later. This wasn't a phenomenal match, but it was quite good because they did a nice job of pacing it and keeping it interesting. They also did a good job of Flamingo looking like he belonged and really all I would finish was the actual finish, but that's very common from WCW. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

Johnny B. Badd is here to judge the bikini contest, which then brings out the bad side of Ventura. I guess the first rounds is the evening gown contest. This is between Madusa and Missy Hyatt. Madusa comes out with a wedding veil for some reason. 

Terry Taylor vs. Ron Simmons

Taylor is only a couple of months off from returning to WWF to be a jobber again. Simmons starts off hot and hits an atomic drop into a military press. Simmons locks in my favorite hold, the bear hug. Taylor gets out of the hold and hits a backbreaker for a 2 count. Simmons hits a modified spinebuster and then a powerslam and picks up the fairly easy victory here. There really wasn't much to this one and it felt a lot more like something that should be on Saturday Night instead.

Match Rating: *1/2

Marcus Bagwell vs. Greg Valentine

It's time for the most anticipated match on the card. Bagwell is the young up and comer against the crotchety old veteran. Valentine starts using his elbows, but Bagwell blocks the piledriver attempt and hits a back body drop. Bagwell hits an atomic drop and a couple of dropkicks and Valentine isn't too happy about it. Valentine is able to regain control until he misses a second rope elbow, but shortly after Bagwell misses a knee drop. Valentine naturally goes to work on the knee, but Bagwell gets a few nearfalls to show of how gutsy he is. Bagwell leapfrogs Valentine, but his knee is hurting, which allows Valentine to lock in the Figure Four and gain the victory. Again, this did not feel like something that needed to be on a pay-per-view, especially since the veteran won.

Match Rating: *

Falls Count Anywhere Match

Cactus Jack vs. Sting

Jack is out first and he kneels in front of the ring and they meet on the elevated entrance ramp. For whatever reason this match is not for Sting's championship. Sting goes for the Stinger Splash, but misses and falls to the floor. Jack follows up with an elbow drop and gets a 2 count. Jack does a leaping sunset flip off the ring and gets another nearfall. They start brawling on the guardrail and the one family in the front row looks mortified. Sting hits a back body drop and it sends Jack over the rail and into the audience. Sting then hits a suplex on the concrete. It's kind of cool that Bill Alfonso is the referee for this one. They finally get into the ring and Jack is able to knock Sting out with a clothesline. Jack then clotheslines Sting over the top rope and both men fall to the floor. Jack gets a few shots in with a chair to the back of Sting. Sting is able to hit a back suplex and on the way down Jack's head hit the guardrail. Sting leaps at Jack, but he's caught and dropped on the guardrail. Jack goes for a piledriver and he kind of hits it, but the announcers are saying he didn't. Jack goes up to the second turnbuckle, but Sting avoids the elbow drop. They're back on the ramp and Sting starts wailing away with a chair. Sting goes for the Scorpion Deathlock, but Jack rolls out of it and they fall to the floor. Sting is able to fight back with a running clothesline and then goes to the top rope and hits a clothesline from there and gets the victory. This match was all out action with a quick pace. There were a few spots that were a little sloppy and I would have liked a better finish, but there's no way you wouldn't be entertained by this one. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

30 Minute Iron Man Match

Rick Rude vs. Ricky Steamboat

Paul E. Dangerously and Madusa are banned from ringside for the bout. Steamboat comes out with his wife and son. They start things off before Steamboat can remove his robe. Steamboat hit a gutbuster and is all over the ribs of Rude. Ventura calling out Steamboat for keeping his son in the ring so that Rude wouldn't attack him is classic Ventura. Steamboat gets Rude into the Boston Crab at about the 4 minute mark. After about a minute and a half in the hold, Rude is able to get to the rope. Steamboat immediately hits a splash and then some knees to the ribs. Rude finally gets in some offense and hits a knee to the face of Steamboat and that is all it takes to make this one 1-0. Rude immediately continues the attack and hits the Rude Awakening to go up 2-0. Rude goes up to the top rope and hits a knee drop, which disqualifies Rude. Honestly, how did that ever become a thing that was approved? Rude then gets an inside cradle and gets a third pinfall. I understand they're selling that the top rope disqualification was worth it, but it just makes no sense that it should even be illegal. Anyway, it's 3-1in favor of Rude. Rude now has the Camel Clutch locked in with under 19 minutes remaining. Steamboat gets to the ropes after over a minute in the hold. Rude tries to do his taunt, but he is still selling the ribs. Steamboat is able to lift Rude up on his shoulders and hits an electric chair. Steamboat goes for a splash, but Rude is able to get both knees up. Rude then follows up with a swinging neckbreaker and a few 2 counts. Rude goes for a "Tombstone" piledriver, but Steamboat reverses it and gets a pinfall to make it 3-2. I was surprised to hear Ross call it a Tombstone here. Steamboat hits a superplex, which Ross has to explain to us is a legal move. If you have to spend every match explaining what is legal and what isn't, it really is a stupid rule. They hit a double clothesline and both men are down with 10 minutes remaining. Steamboat gets a backslide and he ties it up. The pace has quickened and Steamboat tries a few pin attempts. Steamboat hits the Rude Awakening and gets a nearfall. We are now down to 5 minutes left in the match. Rude locks in the sleeper hold, but Steamboat is able to drop him into the turnbuckle. Rude still hangs on and now has him in the middle of the ring. Steamboat is dazed and trying to reach for the ropes, but Rude keeps kicking his arm away. Steamboat battles back to his feet and pushes off the ropes and gets a pinfall to take the lead. Rude frantically tries everything he can but it's not enough and Steamboat is victorious. The final 10 minutes were very good and I enjoyed the role reversal to start out the match as well. The middle was a little less inspired, but good enough. I don't like this one as much as most, but it certainly was very entertaining.

Match Rating: ***1/2

It's time for the bathing suit portion of the bikini contest. Missy actually wears a bikini, but the third round is a bikini round.

Arn Anderson, Steve Austin & Bobby Eaton vs. Barry Windham, Nikita Koloff & Dustin Rhodes

My old pal Ole Anderson is the special guest referee. Windham and Austin kick the match off. Austin goes up to the second rope, but Windham slows him down and hits him with an arm drag. He tags in Rhodes and he delivers two dropkicks on Austin. Arn and Koloff get in there and Arn teases going up to the top rope. Ross says that there are sportswriters that have criticized the new rule. You think? Koloff clotheslines Arn over the top rope and since the rules are so great, we have to listen to Ross and Ventura argue about whether or not it should be a DQ. Koloff cleans out all three members of the opposition and Paul E Dangerously has them regroup outside. The heels single out Rhodes and go to work in their corner. Ross claims that Madusa is beating Hyatt 51% to 49% just to get more people to pay to call in. Austin hits a real nice leaping clothesline on Rhodes and gets a 2 count. Austin hits the Stun Gun, but his momentum carries hi across the ring and he's able to make a tag. All six men are in there now and Windham hits a superplex. Arn comes off the top rope, but Ole turns around and sees it and we get a DQ finish. All of that for this finish? Stupid booking and an underwhelming match considering all of the talent in there.

Match Rating: **

We go to Bischoff and Steamboat. Out comes Dangerously and then Cactus Jack attacks him from behind. We get a brawl and security attempts to try and break it up. 

We go to Badd and Ventura for the bikini competition. Missy claims someone stole her bikini and she magically turns Ventura's scarves into a bikini. Badd claims Missy should be the winner and then Madusa starts slapping Badd. This is so terrible.

WCW Tag Team Championship Match

Steve Williams & Terry Gordy vs. Steiner Brothers

Well, if you didn't know this was a Bill Watts/Jim Ross era show, now you do. We get a slow build to start, as if you didn't expect this one to be a little longer. I'm still not really sure why they couldn't have main evented this show with Sting and Cactus. Rick finally hits the first real impact move of the match with a belly-to-belly overhead suplex on Doc. Doc rebounds and takes out the knee of Rick, but then gets hit with a clothesline. We're 10 minutes in here and essentially nothing has happened. Make that 15 minutes. The challengers work on Scott for what feels like forever. With four guys of their size and ability, I don't want to see this style of match. Rick finally comes in with the hot tag. Scott magically is ok and goes up to the second rope, but gets clotheslined off by Gordy. Gordy hits a powerslam off the second rope for a 2 count. We're down to 4 minutes left in the match. I've never seen less happen in 26 minutes. Doc hits a gutwrench sitdown powerbomb and gets a 2 count. Rick hits a clothesline and both men are down. The crowd is starting to get into this as the pace picks up. Hot tag to Scott and he hits back body drops on both men. Scott just basically ignores the countdown from the ring announcer and doesn't even hit the Frankensteiner before the countdown was done. Let me make it clear, I like all four of these guys and I really wanted to see this match. However, this was terrible. Bad booking, boring story told and no action. What a terrible way to end this show with a draw. Not to mention that it came right after a disqualification finish. 

Match Rating: *

This show was a roller coaster ride and unfortunately it ended on some real lows. If they would have split up the Iron Man match and Falls Count Anywhere match, this would have left me with a much better taste in my mouth. I don't know what they were really going for in the main event, but it didn't work for me. There are better WCW shows, but the two aforementioned matches are definitely worth checking out if you love this era.

Overall Rating: 60%

Superstars 2-19-94 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, February 19th, 1994
Westchester County Civic Center
White Plains, New York

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Owen can't wait to beat Marty Jannetty today and Bret at WrestleMania, brother. 

Owen Hart vs. Marty Jannetty

This is legitimately one of the best possible matchups with the roster they had at the time. I love that Owen still wrestled pretty much the same as he did as a babyface, but still was able to make it feel like heel offense. Jannetty hits a flurry of offense and Owen rolls out of the ring to regain his composure. Owen hits his spinning kick and gets a 2 count. Marty fires back with a superkick and he too gets a 2 count. Both men trade some big moves and we get a number of nearfalls. Owen hits a swinging reverse neckbreaker and locks in the Sharpshooter and that is all. Man, they had at least 5 more minutes in them there. This was still a good Superstars match, it just deserved more time. 

Match Rating: **1/4

We get a studio Bret Hart promo where he basically says the same thing he has been saying for the last few weeks. 

Vince is now joined by Johnny Polo. 

Kwang vs. Scott Taylor

Kwang is already in the "no one cares" zone. Scotty gets some flashy offense, but it ends with him taking a kick to the jaw. He hits a pretty big thrust to the throat and then another kick for the victory. This was a spirited squash at least.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Stan Lane is here for Face To Face and if they were looking for someone to try to talk fans out of buying WrestleMania, then they picked the right guy. Shawn Michaels cuts a promo with no Diesel about the ladder match. 

WWF Women's Championship Match

Heidi Lee Morgan vs. Alundra Blayze

Finally a match from Alundra. Morgan attacks her before the bell, but Blayze is able to overcome it and hit a big body slam. Blayze goes up to the second turnbuckle, but Morgan tosses her off. She in turn hits a body slam. Blayze then hits a Northern Lights suplex into a bridge for the pinfall victory. Blayze appears to possibly injured. This was way too short. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

It's the WrestleMania Report with Todd Pettengill. Crush says that he is going to end Savage's miserable career. Savage says that he's just getting started. He announces that Alundra Blayze will be in action, but this time with no opponent. Earthquake is taking on Ludvig Borga and Doink and Dink are teaming up against Bam Bam Bigelow and Luna Vachon. They then show Sy Sperling saying that he could help out Bastion Booger. 

Earthquake vs. Jim Messenger

Messenger attacks Earthquake from behind and Vince calls him an idiot. Earthquake hits his signature moves and then even hits a dropkick. They show a insert promo of saying that him being back is not good for Ludvig Borga. Quake hits the big elbow and then the splash for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Next week it's Bret Hart vs. Adam Bomb on Superstars. 

Undertaker's music hits, but it's just Paul Bearer here for the Funeral Parlor's big return. The stage rises up from the ground, which is actually pretty cool. Maybe it's just me, but the quality of this episode is really poor. His guests are Yokozuna, Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji. Cornette says that Lex Luger and Jack Tunney are as crooked as a country road. Luger then comes out and this just feels weird with him on the Funeral Parlor. We get lots of yelling here, with Luger getting the last word in. This was better than I expected. 

Mike Miraldo vs. Diesel

Diesel talks some trash to Nikolai Volkoff, who for some reason is in the front row here. Diesel hits his few power moves and finishes off Miraldo with Snake Eyes. This is just to help continue getting Diesel over while giving him some experience.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go back to Stan Lane and he's putting me to sleep. It's now Owen's turn to cut the same exact promo he's been cutting. 

Next week we get Razor Ramon, the Quebecers and the aforementioned Adam Bomb vs. Bret Hart. Adam Bomb and Harvey Wippleman are here to tell Bret that he may not make it to WrestleMania. 

This was a pretty good episode by 1994 Superstars standards. The only complaint here is that the two featured matches didn't get much time. The Funeral Parlor was also a fairly strong segment, especially when you consider who was involved. Overall, this episode moved along nicely and was a nice little nostalgia trip. 

Overall Rating: 53%

Superstars 2-12-94 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, February 12th, 1994
Cumberland County Memorial Auditorium
Fayetteville, North Carolina

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Crush vs. Jay Stryker

Well, Superstars starts exactly where Raw ended with another Crush squash. He and Savage had a hot feud and now it's been months of not a whole lot. It is 100% the exact opposite of how things work in 2021. Stryker avoids a splash in the corner and works on the arm of Crush. Crush ducks a clothesline and hits a reverse kick. Apparently Crush and Savage had a brawl at their contract signing on the WWF C-show, Mania. I stand corrected. Crush slaps on his finisher and that's all. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's time for Gorilla Monsoon for Update. It's brought to you by their new denim jacket that no one bought. Gorilla rips on Owen for a little bit and then they show the history of Bret Hart's championship victories in WWF. Oddly, they show the one botch from the Piper match at VIII for the clip. They also make no mention of Flair, which you would think they would since he won. We then get an interview with Owen. 

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Brad Anderson

Bam Bam tells us about his valentine, his main squeeze, Luna. Meanwhile, in the ring he is throwing Anderson around. He then hits his 360 version of a moonsault for a very quick victory. He then covers Luna's eyes and shows Luna the finish on the big screen. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Now it's time for Jim Ross and he gives us ticket information for the closed circuit viewing of WrestleMania. I am a huge fan of Bret's promos in general, but the ones leading up to WrestleMania are among his worst that I can remember. 

Bushwhackers vs. Barry Horowitz & Reno Riggins

The Bushwhackers are back...again. Horowitz accidentally hits Riggins and then the Bushwhackers get an illegal double team, hit the Battering Ram and that's all. All righty.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get the same Alundra Blayze highlight video they have shown on Raw. 

Jason Voltaire vs. Ludvig Borga

It's time for Borga, who is hurt, but since it's Superstars, he is not. He attacks Voltaire before the bell but Voltaire shrugs it off. Borga then returns the favor and hits a powerslam and then a leaping clothesline. Borga puts Voltaire in the Torture Rack and that's it. The squashes are quick today. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Here's the aforementioned contract signing from Mania between Savage and Crush. Savage runs in and attacks Crush and then it goes to commercial. 

Now it's Todd Pettengill's turn with the WrestleMania X Report. The new match announced today is the Razor Ramon/Shawn Michaels Ladder Match. That one could be pretty good. They both cut their promos about who the real champ is. They also announce Men On A Mission will face the Quebecers and Alundra Blayze against Debra Combs. 

Rick Martel vs. Randy Savage

I'm not sure I've ever seen these two go at it one-on-one. Apparently Savage has an article about being 100% drug-free. No comment. Savage's attire is giving Sparky Plugg a run for his money today. Savage hits a spirited hip toss and a clothesline that sends Martel out of the ring. Savage blocks a hip toss from Martel and turns it into a backslide for a nearfall. Martel gets in a cheap shot on the apron and tosses Savage out of the ring. He meets him on the floor and hits a body slam on the mat. Martel then suplexes Savage in the ring and gets a 2 count. Savage sneaks in a sunset flip, but Martel is immediately back on the attack. Savage then gets a small package in, but this time maintains momentum and hits a top rope double ax handle to the floor. Savage almost gets the victory and then Martel misses in the corner, hitting his shoulder on the ring post. Savage goes up top and hits the top rope elbow drop for the victory. That was a very spirited match by Superstars standards by two very good professional wrestlers. 

Match Rating: **1/2

It's Jim Ross again and they are really hyping the closed circuit viewing. We get an interview with the Quebecers and Johnny Polo talks about his complicated strategy to win their match at WrestleMania. It's odd that they announced this match this week since they are defending their titles on the next Raw. 

Next week it's Earthquake, Alundra Blayze vs. Heidi Lee Morgan and Owen Hart vs. Marty Jannetty. We also get the return of the Funeral Parlor and then go to Paul Bearer, who tells us that Yokozuna will be his guest. By 1994 standards, this sounds like a pretty packed episode. 

This was the best episode of Superstars so far in 94 thanks to the Martel/Savage match. The squashes were mostly quick and the pacing was just better overall. This wasn't a home run or anything, but it was better than the norm. 

Overall Rating: 51%

Monday Night Raw 2-7-94 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, February 7th, 1994
Fernwood Resort
Bushkill, Pennsylvania

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

After a lengthy recap of last week, we are stuck with Bastion Booger as the guest announcer. 1994, y'all.

Smoking Gunns vs. Barry Horowitz & Reno Riggins

We get a spirited start to the match, with Billy looking extra motivated today. The jobber team gets in some illegal double teams, but Bart comes in with a top rope crossbody. Billy with his moustache kind of looks like a better looking version of Randy Johnson. The Gunns hit a drop toe hold/elbow drop combo, but then Riggins makes a little comeback. Bart uses his strength to lift him up and Billy hits the top rope slam for the victory. The Gunns were really underrated, particularly in 93/94. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

We get a recap of the Owen/Bret saga at the Royal Rumble. They then show a clip from All American of Owen talking about how good it felt to kick Bret's leg. Then it's Bret's turn and he says that unfortunately it's time for him to do something about Owen. 

Owen Hart vs. John Paul

Booger's announcing reminds of me when you go to a live event and you have that guy behind you who thinks he knows a lot, but only kind of does and just talks through the whole show. When Paul gets his one move in, the crowd is pretty behind him for a job guy. Owen cuts it short and hits his leaping spin kick. Owen celebrating an enzuigiri is classic Owen. He locks in the Sharpshooter and that is all. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We then go from Booger choking to more of the Undertaker crap. 

IRS vs. Marty Jannetty

For as long as IRS was in the WWF, why didn't they ever try a Scrooge type babyface run? IRS attacks Jannetty from behind, but Jannetty is able to overcome it and IRS regroups outside the ring. IRS is able to throw Jannetty into the steel post. Right before we go to commercial break, the Quebecers start to make their way out to ringside. Both guys look pretty gassed here and a little off. Marty did already have a match earlier in the taping. Johnny Polo is at ringside with a pool cue and then out comes Razor Ramon. The Quebecers are back again and Marty has a sleeper on. Honestly, this match is putting me to sleep. Polo interferes when Marty goes to launch himself back in and IRS gets the pinfall victory. Razor comes in to help Marty out and the Quebecers attack him. We get a big brawl with Razor and Marty on the winning side. Razor hits the Razor's Edge on Jacques. This was not very good. 

Match Rating: *

Thurman "Sparky" Plugg vs. Duane Gill

Two guys that played a much bigger role in the Attitude Era than you would have ever guessed by looking at them here. If you were able to vomit out 1994 fashion, it would turn out like Holly's ring attire. Holly looks like a good talent, but he would go on to do absolutely nothing in 1994. He hits a top rope knee drop for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's time for the WrestleMania Report, which is exclusive for Monday Night Raw. Even though it isn't. Oh goody, it's time to watch the coin toss again. After watching Lex win it for the 10th time, Todd then tells us that Lex won it. Cornette cuts a promo that ends in a "Banzai". 

Crush vs. Dave Thornberg

Crush tries to show off his skillz by using an arm bar and then a reverse kick. Crush hits a Hogan leg drop and gets the victory. Excitement personified. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Vince interviews the Quebecers in the back and we get lots of loud noises. There's no Raw next week, but in two weeks we will get Razor Ramon and Marty Jannetty vs. the Quebecers and Tom Prichard vs. Bret Hart. I'm actually pretty excited for that episode. Booger then eats a dog bone. We then get a random video of Doink, Dink, Men On A Mission and the Bushwhackers celebrating. Huh? 

This was a 1994 Raw. There was nothing really worth seeing here, but it was nowhere near the worst episode either. We're just kind of stuck in that holding pattern before the WrestleMania hype really begins. 

Overall Rating: 40%

NXT TakeOver: In Your House 2021 Review

Sunday, June 13th, 2021
WWE Performance Center
Orlando, Florida

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Todd Pettengill is introduced and welcomes us to In Your House. 

Winner Takes All Six Man Tag Team Match

MSK & Bronson Reed vs. Legado del Fantasma

This match has a lot of potential to be incredible. We get the fast-paced beginning that you would expect from these guys. Bronson gets tagged in and Escobar decides to tag out. Reed uses his size and power to dominate his opponents and that leads to a triple team senton splash from Reed. I don't even know how people feel about them, but I love MSK. We get the cliched aerial assault from all six guys that I could probably do without and it ends with a Reed suicide dive. Fantasma does a nice heat segment with the constant tags leading to somersault elbows in the corner. Reed does a double Samoan Drop, but why in the world did Wilde get on his shoulders? Escobar somehow hits a Michinoku Driver on Reed, but Carter makes the save. Wes Lee then makes an awesome dive to break up a pin attempt on Carter. Escobar is on the outside making funny faces and Reed just steamrolls him through the barricade. MSK hits some fantastic double teams and Reed hits a top rope splash for the victory. That was a really awesome opening match that probably could have used a few more minutes, but it still delivered the goods. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

Mercedes Martinez vs. Xia Li

I feel like I can't remember the last time I saw either of these ladies wrestle. Li drives Martinez into the ring post early on and tosses her back in the ring. After a dropkick knocks Martinez out of the ring, Li misses with knees and hits the post. Martinez goes on the offense and shows off some rage. She hits a nice Razor's Edge into a Dominator for a nearfall. Boa gets involved, but Martinez isn't having it and continues the attack. Back in the ring though, Li hits a beautiful spin kick and that is all? Um...wow? I did not expect that one to be as quick. They were having a nice match, but it's hard to kick into the next level when it's that short. After the match, Li goes to attack Martinez with the chair, but she kicks it away and then wails on Boa. Up next is Li and she wails away. Apparently Tian Sha is the Fiend of the women's division and she tries to intimidate Martinez. She no sells Martinez and tosses her off the ring apron. Obviously there is more to come here. 

Match Rating: **1/4

Ladder Match For The Million Dollar Championship

LA Knight vs. Cameron Grimes

Grimes is such a good example of a guy who got over by staying the course and committing to his character. Grimes pulls out a hurricanrana, but it allows Knight to grab the first ladder. We get a ladder duel and it leads to Grimes delivering the big boot to the face of Knight. Grimes drives Knight into the barricade with the ladder from the apron and then delivers a big kick. Knight is able to fight back and shows off to DiBiase. Back in the ring, Grimes hits a German suplex into the ladder, but he telegraphs sliding the ladder into the crotchal region. It ends with a brutal looking neckbreaker on the ladder standing on it's side. Grimes hits a big back body drop onto the ladder and Grimes is trying to make his comeback. He then tosses Knight over the top rope onto a ladder set up on the ring and barricade. Grimes heads out to the stage and grabs the gold ladder. Knight meets Grimes up on the ladder, but Grimes shoves him off. Knight immediately tips the ladder and knocks Grimes off. They start battling outside and Grimes climbs a ladder. Knight lands on one of the pillars and then leaps off of it for the big spot of the match. The cameras do a poor job of not getting off both competitors, as you could immediately see them talking to one another. That definitely took away from the moment. Grimes climbs the ladder, but Knight comes in and tips him over and onto another ladder in another big spot. Knight climbs the ladder and grabs the Million Dollar Championship. I expected Knight to win here, as it just makes sense for a heel to carry this title. We'll see what they do from here. This was a good ladder match, but not anywhere near the top. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

We get some more Pettengill shenanigans and more brawling backstage between the main eventers. 

NXT Women's Championship Match

Ember Moon vs. Raquel Gonzalez

Moon explodes early on giving Gonzalez everything she has, but all it takes is a brief Dakota Kai distraction for Gonzalez to take over. Gonzalez impresses with some nice offense. Moon is finally able to get Gonzalez off her feet with a big forearm. Kai again gets involved, so Moon hits a suicide dive onto Gonzalez. Moon goes up top, but Gonzalez meets her up there and hits a superplex. Moon counters the one-armed powerbomb into a nearfall. We really need to cool it on the frustrated reactions after nearfalls. Moon counters a suplex into an Eclipse. She then hits a Codebreaker off the second rope. She heads up to the top rope and hits the Eclipse. Kai tosses Gonzalez's leg on the rope to break the pin attempt. Out comes Shotzi Blackheart and she attacks Kai and brings her to the back. Moon hits a tornado DDT onto the entrance ramp. Moon goes for another Eclipse, but Gonzalez catches her. We get a little bit of a sloppy spot and it leads to Gonzalez hitting the one-armed powerbomb for the victory. They worked hard here, but Gonzalez never really felt like she was in jeopardy to me and it just felt like more of a TV main event. 

Match Rating: **3/4

We get some Karate Fighters and Dexter Lumis is Pettengill's opponent. We also see more of the brawl between Dakota Kai and Shotzi.

Fatal 5-Way Match For The NXT Championship

Johnny Gargano vs. Pete Dunne vs. Kyle O'Reilly vs. Adam Cole vs. Karrion Kross

After the four challengers battle first, Dunne is the first to face Kross and he's tossed out. O'Reilly is up next and he gets hit with a kick to the head. Gargano now is next and he gets suplexed. Cole sneaks in and takes Cross down with a low dropkick. Dunne then drags Cole out and the other three attack him. They are doing everything they can to put Kross over here, but I'm still not feeling it. The action spills outside and Kross gets thrown through the door of the house set. Gargano tosses Dunne into his opponents in the corner. Kross is back and he starts dominating again. Things start picking up with Gargano doing what he does best and he gets a nearfall on Cole. Dunne and Gargano hit some awesome combo moves. I'm not sure what's up with them hyping up the largest crowd thing when it's such a small crowd. All five men are down now after a hard hitting sequence. Kross is the first man up and he starts firing up some German suplexes. O'Reilly and Cole work together and powerbomb Kross onto the table and it somehow doesn't break. The other four men start brawling and I can't help but think about how much better this match would be without Kross. Gargano and Cole hit a double superkick on Dunne off the top rope, but I don't agree with Dunne kicking out there. That was one fall that absolutely needed to be broken up. Cole hits Panama Sunrise on Gargano but Dunne pulls him out. Dunne invites Kross into the ring and he gives Kross everything he has. Kross puts Dunne in the Kross Jacket, but Dunne works the fingers to get out. Gargano hits One Final Beat on Dunne, but then gets put in the Kross Jacket. Cole breaks it up and then O'Reilly attacks him. O'Reilly hits a top rope knee drop, but he gets hit with a superkick from Cole. We get a double submission, but O'Reilly is fading and he releases his hold. The referee calls for the bell and Kross retains. Why would you have O'Reilly take the loss there? Also, I'm done with Kross as champion. For me, it's time to move on. This was a great main event, but probably not in the top tier of TakeOver matches just because the bar is too high. 

Match Rating: ****

If a TakeOver isn't nearly flawless, it's on the bottom of the rankings. This was another up and down show, but still extremely enjoyable. It was bookended by two action-packed matches, but I was a little let down with the middle three matches. This show definitely gets a recommendation, even if it wouldn't be at the top of the list for NXT. Somehow, it keeps seeming like I didn't like this show, but I swear I did!

Overall Rating: 79%

Superstars 2-5-94 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, February 5th, 1994
Cumberland County Memorial Auditorium
Fayetteville, North Carolina

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We get a Quebecers and Steiner Brother pre-tape to start the show off. 

Shawn Michaels vs. Gary Sabough

Sabough has "Italy" written on his trunks. Sabough gets off to a quick start, but it is short-lived. Michaels fights back and hits a dropkick. Michaels hits the superkick and gets the pin. We are getting closer to the Sweet Chin Music finish here for Shawn. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go to Jim Ross in the studio. I'm really not a fan of this format. He interviews Jim Cornette and Fuji and it goes nowhere. This feels dated in a not fun way. 

Earthquake is returning, even though he already did. 

Marty Jannetty & 1-2-3 Kid vs. Barry Horowitz & Fidel Sierra

So apparently Kid's knee is good now? Kid launches himself over the top rope to Sierra on the floor and we get a "Vintage Kid" from Vince. I don't know, this is Superstars, so is it really worth a recap? Kid and Jannetty look good here though and get the easy victory. Slightly better than your normal squash.

Match Rating: 1/2*

It's WrestleMania Report time featuring Todd Pettengill and the dorkiest looking hat brim I've ever seen. I honestly don't know how many more times I can listen to them explaining the Yokozuna/Lex Luger/Bret Hart situation and it's only been 1 week. I'm a big fan of Bret Hart promos, but this is one of the worst ones I can remember. They announce Randy Savage vs. Crush and explain the rules of a Falls Count Anywhere match. 

Kwang vs. John Paul

Vince is just enamored by Kwang and his thrusts. Vince is so impressed, which is code for we're going to bury this guy and his stupid gimmick. In case you care, Kwang wins. At least it was quick.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get more of Undertaker and Paul Bearer stuff. Please make this end. 

Non-Title Match With A 10 Minute Time Limit

Quebecers vs. Steiner Brothers

So basically the only reason this is a non-title match is because the Quebecers weren't the champions when this was taped? Scott hits a suplex and goes for the pin and baits the Quebecers twice into accidentally hitting their partner instead of himself. Jacques hits a missile dropkick and then goes up top again. This time Rick kind of catches him and flips him over on the way down. The Steiners are outsmarting the champs, until they finally nail Scott with a clothesline right in front of the referee. The Steiners make their comeback and Scott hits a Frankensteiner. When he goes for the pin, Johnny Polo rings the bell, which confuses Scott and the ref. They announce there is time left in the match and it will continue. Polo gets in the ring and they hit their top rope bulldog on him. The bell rings and we have hit our time limit. I was hoping for a little bit more here, but this felt like a house show match. 

Match Rating: *1/2

We get an Owen Hart promo. 

Doink vs. George South

South chases Dink around and Doink hits him with a clothesline. He hits a German suplex and gets the victory. I'll stop complaining about them turning Doink face. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Crush cuts a bad promo on how much he hates Savage's stinkin' guts. Savage is lit. I am bored.

Next week we get Crush, the Bushwhackers, Ludvig Borga and Randy Savage vs. Rick Martel. Martel calls Savage an insult to the fashion industry. So long, everyone. 

This show is really hard to watch. Even with a sort of decent match today, the rest is just terrible. The roster is so bare at this point and there are so few guys that are even really worth watching that it's sad. 

Overall Rating: 28%

Monday Night Raw 1-31-94

Monday, January 31st, 1994
Fernwood Resort
Bushkill, Pennsylvania

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Oh, great. IRS is your guest announcer this week. 

Marty Jannetty vs. Johnny Polo

Instead of the 1-2-3 Kid today, we are getting a rematch with Jannetty due to injury. The Kid joins Vince and IRS on commentary. Polo is running down the Kid before the match, so Jannetty ties his feet up with the microphone cord much to Vince's delight. The briefly brawl out in the aisle and Polo takes a back body drop to the floor. Jannetty is able to hit a top rope crossbody, but then Jannetty is able to attack him from behind when he is talking to the ref. When they come back from commercial, Jannetty is trying to make a comeback and then they have a botched spot that Vince refers to as sloppy, yet effective. Jannetty tries to make another comeback and this time it's effective. Marty eventually hits the Rocker Dropper and that's all. This one was nowhere near as good as their first match. After the match, IRS and Kid start arguing and IRS pushes him over. Jannetty comes and makes the save and Kid limps away with the briefcase. 

Match Rating: *1/4

Back from commercial break and Pat Patterson is telling IRS to go back to the announce booth, but he wants to know where his briefcase is. He starts heading to the back and then out comes Razor and Jannetty. Razor has his gold chains around his neck and Marty has the briefcase. So that was the payoff to that angle? 

They show Jack Tunney's speech again about the coin toss. 

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Miguel Rosado 

We have angry Bam Bam tonight and he destroys poor Rosado here with a trio of falling headbutts. Bam Bam hits a unique version of a dropkick and then another falling headbutt and that is all. Short and sweet. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Vince is out with Jack Tunney and the usual stooges. Tunney actually gets a polite reaction from the fans. They bring out both Bret and Luger. Luger gets to make the call and he wins. So it will indeed be Bret vs. Owen and Luger vs. Yokozuna at WrestleMania. Bret isn't happy about having to face Bret, but he wishes Luger luck and says that it would be an honor to face him in the main event. 

Kwang vs. Rich Myers

Kwang hits a nice spinning kick that spends himself over to the floor, where he sprays red mist into the air. They get Owen on the phone and he says that he is the big winner tonight because he gets to face his brother. If you ever wondered how big of plans they had for Kwang, this is a pretty good indicator. Myers misses with a reverse crossbody off the second rope and Kwang hits a kick for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's time for the WrestleMania X Report with Todd Pettengill. Todd tries to convince us that the actual coin toss was pure excitement. 

The Undertaker will return despite dying. 

Corey Student vs. Earthquake

Big John Tenta is back and Student attacks him from behind. Quake catches him and hits a belly-to-belly suplex. Tenta was such a unique talent. They announce that Jannetty has accepted IRS's challenge for next week. He hits his finisher and that is all. The crowd seemed somewhat disinterested, but Quake did look good. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go back to Razor and Marty, where Marty cuts a promo that makes no sense. Next week, we get Thurman Plugg, Owen Hart and Smoking Gunns. 

Despite the "historic" coin toss, the Raw slump continues. The feature match was pretty disappointing and nothing else really stood out. It was good to see Earthquake back, but we know he won't be around long. 

Overall Rating: 46%

Superstars 1-29-94 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, January 29th, 1994
Cumberland County Memorial Auditorium
Fayetteville, North Carolina

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Vince McMahon recaps the Royal Rumble and we now get Jack Tunney's announcement. For the first time in WrestleMania history, the WWF Championship will be defended twice in the same night. It will either be Lex Luger vs. Crush and Yokozuna vs. Bret Hart, with the winner facing Lex Luger. The other option will be Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart and Yokozuna vs. Lex Luger, with the winner facing Bret Hart. There will be a coin toss to determine the route they go and there will be guest referees assigned to both matches. 

Men On A Mission vs. Joey Stallings & Terry Austin

Vince will not shut up about what happened to the Undertaker at the Royal Rumble. Then Stan Lane goes on and on about it. Meanwhile, Mabel hits a big vertical suplex on Austin and clotheslines the poor guy over the top rope. Stallings just comes in and bumps around for Mabel. Mo hits the bulldog on Mabel onto Stallings for the victory. Next.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go to Jim Cornette, Mr. Fuji and Yokozuna celebrating the fact that he is still the WWF Champion. 

Brooklyn Brawler vs. Thurman Sparky Plugg

This is the "debut" but also not the debut for one of the lamest gimmicks ever. I will say that Holy's wrestling ability was really pretty good during this era. He has a lot more speed than he did in the attitude era. His top rope splash could use some work, but he used it as his finish here anyways. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get another look at Alundra Blayze, which features about two seconds of her wrestling. 

We go to Jim Ross, who promotes WrestleMania tickets. Owen Hart is still sick of hearing about his family. Meanwhile, Bret is heartbroken over the situation. 

Diesel vs. Tommy Angel

Vince makes fun of the girl who was picked to be the guest announcer this week for her reading ability. Diesel continues his dominance by defeating poor Angel here with Snake Eyes. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Next week, it will be the Steiner Brothers against the Quebecers in a non-title match with a 10 minute time limit. If the Steiners are able to win, they will get a title match.

Tatanka vs. Austin Steele

Steele gets in a knee to the mid-section and he tries to continue his offense, but Tatanka is starting to hulk up and then hits the Samoan drop for the victory. Pretty much every Tatanka squash is exactly the same. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Todd Pettengill is here to go over the WrestleMania coin toss situation.

Jeff Jarrett vs. Tyrone Knox

Stan Lane is really bad as an announcer. Jarrett allows Knox a few small moments in the match, but then Jarrett gets the win by holding the ropes right in front of the ref. I'm not sure what that's supposed to do for him, but I do give him credit for really pushing on those ropes for realism. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Paul Bearer is here and he wheels out the Undertaker's casket. So they taped this before the Rumble? 

Headshrinkers vs. Sid Garrison & Larry McGill

I think the Headshrinkers will win. They hit a double Skull Crushing Finale and then Fatu hits the top rope splash for the easy victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

IRS says he got cheated and JR keeps talking about Rush Limbaugh. Razor Ramon admits IRS was tough and that Shawn Michaels is going crazy. 

Lucky us, we get Kwang on both Raw and Superstars. The Steiners are ready for their big match next week.

That's it's for this week and what a relief that is. This show was not good...at all. They are just treading water here. 

Overall Rating: 31%

Monday Night Raw 1-24-94 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, January 24th, 1994
Richmond Coliseum
Richmond, Virginia

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It's 2 nights after the Royal Rumble...uhhh actually it's taped almost 2 weeks before the Rumble. How lame is that? Jim Ross is the guest announcer here this week. 

Lex Luger vs. Austin Steele

Vince is bragging about Raw being the top cable show last week. Luger for whatever reason decides to use actual wrestling here while JR talks about him being on the Dean's List. Luger hits a back suplex and then a vertical suplex. Luger takes it up a notch and then hits a superplex and that is all. Luger waives the flag, as JR describes the upcoming Headshrinkers/Men On A Mission match as a slobberknocker. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go to Todd Pettengill, who recaps the Royal Rumble. 

Jeff Jarrett vs. John Paul

Jarrett hits a big clothesline, but almost gets beat with an inside cradle. Jarrett hits a fist off the second rope and it sure looked like Paul was maybe supposed to move or get his boot up. Jarrett ends up getting the victory by holding the tights while performing a roll up. After the match, he gives Paul a DDT for good measure. I do appreciate that Jarrett tries to make things interesting. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Next week, it's 1-2-3 Kid vs. Johnny Polo. 

Men On A Mission vs. Headshrinkers

This was supposed to be the Headshrinkers against the Harts. Yeah, okay. Mo starts off hot against Fatu and as a result we get some stalling. Mo slams Fatu face-first into the mat and celebrates it, but of course Fatu pops up and hits a superkick. Mabel gets tagged in and body slams Fatu. He hits a suplex and then Mo is back in and hits a clothesline. Samu hits Mo in the back with a kick as he running the ropes and we have a shift in the momentum at the commercial break. When we come back, the Headshrinkers hit a double clothesline. The Headshrinkers have been working for over a year and have they ever gotten a tag title match? Mo finally makes a hot tag to Mabel and he hits a couple of clotheslines, including a leaping clothesline. He hits one of the weaker double noggin knocker you'll see, which isn't supposed to work on the Headshrinkers. The referee stops the pin attempt to get Samu out of the ring. Things have broken down and Mable is knocked to the floor by Samu. Fatu hits the big splash on Mo and the Headshrinkers pick up the victory. After the match, Mabel hits a double clothesline and Vince just talks over that with what's coming up next. This was a decent match, but not something that really stood out in an way.

Match Rating: **

Adam Bomb vs. Tommy Angel

JR sings the praises of Angel for some reason. Angel gets a couple of dropkicks in, but ducks for the back body drop and that's all Bomb needs. Bomb hits a dropkick of his own and Bomb hits a top rope clothesline The crowd is absolutely dead for this, but it also doesn't help that this is probably very deep into the taping. Bomb hits the Atom Smasher for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Sparky Plugg vignette time. So bad. 

Doink vs. Joey Stallings

Stallings falls for Dink's invisible dog and why did we ever get rid of evil Doink? Stallings looks like he walks in mud and even Vince calls him slow. Stallings misses with a dropkick, so Doink hits him with one. This is not a good squash match. Doink hits the Whoopee Cushion and puts us out of our misery.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Lord Alfred gives a recap of Royal Rumble. Don't forget to order the encore!

Shawn Michaels vs. Tyrone Knox

Michaels toys with Knox while Vince talks about Fox getting the NFL TV rights. Knox fights back with some headbutts but then eats a pretty stiff looking superkick. Michaels hits a piledriver and that is all. This episode pretty much defines pointless. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Don't forget next week, it's Johnny Polo vs. 1-2-3 Kid and Kwang debuts. 

Well, when you tape a show before your pay-per-view and air it after, this is what you get. A bunch of meaningless matches with no real story because you didn't want to give anything away. Next week should hopefully provide a much needed spark as we head into WrestleMania season. 

Overall Rating: 36%

Royal Rumble 1994 Review

Saturday, January 22nd, 1994
Providence Civic Center
Providence, Rhode Island

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Vince McMahon kicks off the show and announces Ted DiBiase as his co-host. This is his first appearance since losing to Razor Ramon at SummerSlam 1993. 

Tatanka vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

They start brawling right away, which is kind of an odd choice for a match that was changed at the last minute. Tatanka gets the better of Bam Bam in the early portion and hits a DDT. Tatanka heads out to the top rope, but Bam Bam is able to duck the crossbody. Tatanka is able to buy some time and tries for a top rope sunset flip, but Bam Bam ends up just sitting on him instead. Bam Bam puts on the dreaded bearhug in the middle of the ring. Tatanka finally makes his comeback and hits a body slam and then both men collide with a double crossbody. Bam Bam is the first man back to his feet. Tatanka begins to hulk up, but Bam Bam hits him with a kick to the head and mocks him to some cheers. Bam Bam climbs upstairs, but misses with his moonsault attempt. Tatanka hits a crossbody from the top rope and gets the victory. That was actually quite a bit better than I remembered. I'm not sure why they still felt like Tatanka needed the win here, but what do I know? 

Match Rating: **1/2

We get a lengthy recap on the story of Bret and Owen. 

WWF Tag Team Championship Match

Quebecers vs. Bret & Owen Hart

Bret and Pierre start the match off, with Bret able to take control and tag in Owen. Owen shows off his skills and in comes Jacques. The Hart brothers are emphasizing their teamwork and scoring multiple nearfalls. Pierre comes in illegally and breaks up their momentum. It doesn't last long and the Quebecers go outside to collect their thoughts and hug, of course. The Quebecers are able to isolate Bret and double team while Owen accidentally keeps distracting the referee. Bret gets the hot tag to Owen takes care of both opponents. Owen gets the Sharpshooter on, but Pierre again illegally breaks the hold. The Quebecers drop Owen on the top rope, but Owen comes back with a double dropkick. Bret is tagged in and it almost feels like maybe it was a little early, as the Quebecers don't really seem ready for it. Bret hits them with a double noggin knocker and then sends Pierre over the top rope. Owen holds Jacques, but when Bret goes off the ropes, Johnny Polo holds them open and out goes Bret. Pierre then jumps off the ring steps and onto Bret's leg/knee. Bret is really selling the injury and the Quebecers are all over the attack. The Quebecers miss with their somersault off the top rope. Bret is able to put on the Sharpshooter, but Bret sort of collapses and the referee rings the bell. DiBiase is selling that he should have tagged in his brother. The crowd hates the finish and so do I. Owen is furious and then starts sharing his frustration with Bret. Owen then attacks Bret and then Owen heads to the back, yelling at the camera. Officials are all checking in on Bret and out comes Raymond Rougeau to conduct an interview. They don't let him and it's clear that Bret may not be able to be in the Royal Rumble match later tonight. The finish was bad, the match was good and the story was great. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

Owen is back with Todd Pettengill and he tells his side of the story. This all leads to the "kick your leg out of your leg" comment that is legendary. 

Intercontinental Championship Match

IRS vs. Razor Ramon

Jim Ross and Gorilla Monsoon are the announcers for this match. I still think one of my favorite random facts is that Razor Ramon was never in the Royal Rumble match. IRS tries to get things going, but Razor attacks him with a series of right hands. Razor catches a kick and counters it with an atomic drop and a clothesline. Razor charges and IRS is able to throw him over the top rope. IRS goes off the top rope, Razor gets his boot up, but IRS counters that and then hits an elbow drop. I'm no IRS fan, but that was a nice little touch there. Well just as I compliment the guy, we get the typical too long rest hold. Razor is able to fight his way up and hits the spinning right hand. Rrazor hits the fall away slam and gets a 2 count. Razor accidentally hits the referee, so IRS grabs the briefcase. Razor sees him coming, blocks the shot and hits IRS with it. He goes for the pinfall, but the ref is still out cold. Razor sets IRS up on the top rope and hits the back superplex. Razor goes for the Razor's Edge, but in runs Shawn Michaels and he nails him in the back with his Intercontinental belt and now all three men are down. The referee eventually wakes up and IRS pins him for the victory. In runs Earl Hebner to tell him what went down. Razor hits the Razor's Edge and the ref counts the pin and Razor is announced as the winner. That was a pretty unnecessary finish to this match. Regardless, this may be my favorite IRS match if I had to pick one. 

Match Rating: **1/2

After a long and mostly terrible video package, we are finally ready for this "match".

Casket Match For The WWF Championship

Yokozuna vs. Undertaker

After what seems like half of my life, this match is finally starting. Taker hits Old School, but misses with the leaping clothesline. Yoko rolls out and grabs a chair. Taker steals it away and hits him in the head with one. Yoko is able to grab some salt and throws it right in the eyes of Taker. Yoko then returns the favor and hits Taker in the back of the head with a chair. That one didn't look as nice. Yoko is able to roll him in the casket, but Taker stands up and they start exchanging right hands. Yokozuna then hits a belly-to-belly suplex, but Taker sits up. Taker then hits a "chokeslam", which really just looks like Yokozuna fell down. Yoko is rolled all the way in the casket, but out comes Crush to make the save. Taker is able to fight him off and out come Great Kabuki and Tenryu. Taker hits them with a double clothesline, so now Bam Bam Bigelow is out and the numbers are catching up. Adam Bomb and Jeff Jarrett are both joining the party and Taker is somehow fighting all of these opponents off. Diesel and the Headshrinkers join the party. The urn opens up and a bunch of smoke comes out of it. They eventually roll him in and close the casket. The match portion before the ending was better than I remember, but the rest is just so dumb. Oh, and we're just getting started. The heels start wheeling his casket to the back when the casket starts smoking.  and then the Undertaker is shown on the screen in the casket. He says that soon everyone will witness the re-birth of the Undertaker and then it's implied that he dies. Then a video of his ghost rises off the screen and out comes Paul Bearer to raise the urn. I'm not sure they could have come up with a worse idea than this garbage. Like I said, the match was more spirited than I remember, but unfortunately the heel attack feels like forever and the rest is just trash. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

We get some old school Royal Rumble comments from a bunch of the competitors. The most notable thing is that Diesel and Shawn Michaels are interviewed separately. 

Royal Rumble Match

We start things off with #1 Scott Steiner and #2 Samu of the Headshrinkers in a half of a rematch from WrestleMania IX. The crowd is surprisingly dead for this, which just kind of goes to show how badly they wasted both of these teams. I 100% completely forgot that they actually showed the Casio logo over the countdown clock for this Rumble. #3 is Rick Steiner and it's still pretty dead. Maybe it's because they just saw someone die. Samu comes off the ropes, but the Steiners avoid him and he gets his head stuck in the ropes. The Steiners unceremoniously eliminate him as #4 Kwang comes down to no reaction. He sprays the green mist and attacks. Out at #5 is Owen Hart to some boos. I really don't understand why it took so long for them to start using the entrance music for each entrant. Owen eliminates Rick in a pretty dull fashion and goes to work on Scott. Out at #6, it's Bart Gunn and nothing happens. Out at #7 is Diesel to finally add some life to this match. Diesel attacks everyone and then dumps out Bart. He then dumps Scott, Owen and Kwang, which wakes up the crowd. #8 is Bob Backlund, who runs out to the ring. He tries to lift up Diesel and almost eliminates him, but Diesel is able to retaliate and then gets rid of Backlund. Billy Gunn is in there next and before you know it, he's gone. We go to the back and it's Tenryu and Kabuki attacking Lex Luger backstage. Our tenth competitor is Virgil, who Vince says is an alternate for Kamala. Diesel looks a little irritated by Virgil and then dumps him over quickly. At #11, it's Randy Savage and he brings it to Diesel. Jeff Jarrett and his dorky headband are next and he goes after Savage. He dumps Savage over, but he's able to hang on and Savage eliminates Jarrett. That's a little surprising. Lucky 13 is Crush and he runs down to go after Savage. Crush eventually gets Savage out and now Doink is in at #14. He watches Crush and Disesl go at it, but then turn their attention to him .Doink sprays Diesel with water, but the big men team together and hit a double clothesline. #15 is Bam Bam Bigelow and he of course goes after Doink. Bam Bam gorilla presses him out of the ring and then Crush and Diesel attack Bam Bam from behind. It's now Mabel's turn at 16 and he gets his chance to knock around the other huge men in the ring. Up at #17, it's Sparky Plugg, who is filling in for 1-2-3 Kid. He tries to go after Diesel's knee, but he no sells it and just starts choking him. In at 18, it's Shawn Michaels as we finally are getting some star power in here. There's a Mount Rushmore of mullets in there with Shawn, Diesel, Holly and Crush. Diesel is eliminated and I really can't emphasize how poor of a job they are doing with the eliminations in this match. It doesn't help that McMahon and DiBiase aren't doing a very good job either. #19 is Mo and both Men On A Mission members are in there. Imagine thinking that a guy named Sparky Plugg would be successful. Not having Razor Ramon in this match was a mistake. #20 is Greg Valentine and he gets one of the better pops of the night, no joke. Out at #21 is Tatanka and we're up to 8 competitors in the ring. Make it 9 with the addition of Great Kabuki. This match is desperately in need of Luger and Hart and Luger is indeed next. Luger is not selling anything from his attack prior to the match and throws out Kabuki. How are there still 30 minutes left in this show? #24 is Tenryu and no one cares. He and Luger have an uninspired exchange and Michaels teases an elimination. The buzzer rings for #25 and no one comes out, which Vince assumes is Bret Hart. Spoiler alert: It's actually Bastion Booger. Out at #26, it's Rick Martel in his last pay-per-view match for WWF. Lex Luger and Tatanka start brawling and for some reason Michaels breaks it up and meanwhile Tenryu is fighting with Sparky. This match makes no sense. #27 is out and it's a limping Bret Hart. Crush immediately goes after him and works on the knee. The ring is pretty full when Fatu comes out at 28. Crush finally gets eliminated by Luger and Marty Jannetty is out at 29 and he starts brawling with Shawn immediately. Shawn was going for the superkick, but Tenryu accidentally gets involved, notices it and then Marty ducks it and hits one on Shawn. Valentine seems to be on a mission to prove he is relevant still, as he seems to go after anyone while we all wonder why he is still in there. The final competitor is Adam Bomb and he is Vince's pick. If my count is right, there are 13 people left. Why? Sparky is eliminated by Michaels and meanwhile I am still wondering why Mo is in there. Martel finally dumps Valentine out of the match and then Model is eliminated by old rival Tatanka. Adam Bomb was eliminated by Luger and he tries to get in a few cheap shots on his way back to the ring. Bam Bam gets revenge on Tatanka from earlier and throws him over the top rope. More has happened in the last 90 seconds than in the whole rest of the match. Bam Bam misses Luger in the corner and he ends up on the apron and Luger is able to eliminate him. Marty was also apparently eliminated. Bret and Luger throw Michaels and Fatu into each other and then Tenryu goes after Luger. Luger and Bret work together to dump out Tenryu. Your final four are Luger, Bret, Michaels and Fatu. They do a nice sequence where Fatu and Michaels both end up getting thrown over the top at the same time. This leads to the finale with Bret and Luger, where they famously both fly over the top rope together and land at the same time. The referees don't know what to do and as Fink is about to announce it, they play Luger's music. They cut Fink off and then do the same thing with Bret. Both referees then hold up each competitor's arms and then out comes Jack Tunney. Thank God. They finally start showing some replays, but of course none that actually show their feet land. Fink is about to announce it again and then stops to ask Tunney if he's sure. Meanwhile, the crowd is chanting for Bret. Vince then claims that this next replay will be the one and then it's' the worst angle they've shown so far. Fink then takes forever to spit it out that both men are declared the winners. The WrestleMania music plays as both men are trying to get some clarity. After some time, Luger and Hart semi-reluctantly shake hands and head to the back. This was not a good Rumble and I remember actually liking it last time. This was just a glorified battle royal with no flow at all. The final four saved it from being absolutely terrible, but it was far from good. Kudos to Bret and Luger for nailing the finish though.

Match Rating: **

I really wanted to like this show, but it's one of the most frustrating ones in history. The Yokozuna/Undertaker is among the dumbest things in WWF history, the finishes to the other title matches are mind boggling bad and the Rumble is really boring and uninspired until the last 3 minutes. It's a shame because there was some good action in the undercard, but it just isn't enough to overcome the booking.

Overall Rating: 40%