Monday Night Raw 9-11-06 Review

Monday, September 11th, 2006
Madison Square Garden
New York, New York

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We kick off the show with a moment of silence for the lives lost on 9/11 before introducing some members of the Marines and Lilian Garcia to sing "America The Beautiful". This is a pretty cool moment with it being in Madison Square Garden. 

Ric Flair vs. Umaga

Flair attacks Umaga on his way in, but he just shoves Flair away. Flair hits a chop block on him and then some chops to the chest. Umaga grabs him by the throat, but Flair hits a few low blows behind the ref's back. Flair hits Umaga in the head with a steel chair (ugh) and the match is over. The action continues outside the ring and Umaga hits a Samoan Drop to the floor. Out comes Kane and Umaga hits a belly-to-belly suplex on him before hitting him in the back with the chair. Kane sits up and hits Umaga with the chair and then throws the steel steps at him over the top rope to the floor. Hethen rams the steps into him and Umaga goes over the barricade. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Vince and Shane are talking about the Walk Of Fame at MSG and he shows off his name. Then I'm stuck listening to Kane's terrible entrance music.

The Highlanders are out with the NYPD Pipes and Drum and then out comes Roddy Piper to a big pop. They all start slapping each other and then are interrupted by the Spirit Squad. They call them a bunch of girls and Piper responds by saying they replaced their testicles with pom-poms. Piper challenges them to a 6 man tag right now. 

Roddy Piper & Highlanders vs. Spirit Squad

We come back from the commercial break and the match is underway. The Squad mostly dominates Robbie here with their vanilla offense. Robbie hits a back body drop and tags in Piper. Piper is only 7 years older than AJ Styles is in 2022. He takes care of most of the Squad and the Highlanders hit the Scott Drop for Piper to pick up the victory. Outside of Piper wrestling in MSG, this wasn't great.

Match Rating: 3/4*

Johnny Nitro is interviewed backstage and he takes offense to Jeff Hardy saying his press conference was like watching paint dry. Jeff Hardy is shown behind him painting. Nitro knocks over the painting, so Nitro throws paint in Nitro's face. 

I didn't mention it earlier, but they are showing Hell In A Cell highlights from previous matches. We are just 6 days from Unforgiven. 

Edge and Lita are here and he says that today marks the final Raw appearance for John Cena. He thinks Cena can go back to his roots on SmackDown and cut some raps. Edge has one of his own for us tonight and makes fun of New York.

Edge, Randy Orton & Johnny Nitro vs. Jeff Hardy, Carlito & John Cena

Nitro is still covered in paint. Somewhat surprisingly, they are letting Carlito and Orton go at it as well as Nitro and Hardy. Edge gets tagged in and eats a hurricanrana by Carlito for a 2 count. Cena tags in and Edge is out of there. Orton hits a vertical suplex and tags in Nitro. Cena's had enough of that and drives him into the corner, tagging in Carlito. Carlos Colon is shown in the crowd. Good to see that youngster. The heels work on Hardy for a little bit until he hits Whisper In The Wind. This all eventually leads to Cena coming in and exploding with some clotheslines. He's going for the Five Knuckle Shuffle, but Orton is behind him. Carlito comes from behind and hits an awkward looking Back Stabber. Cena ends up putting the STFU on Nitro while Edge and Lita head up the ramp. Cena picks up the victory and that's all. Last week's match was more fun, but I won't complain about something like this on Raw. 

Match Rating: **3/4

After showing Anthony Michael Hall, it's time for another Cryme Tyme vignette. 

Vince talks to Shane about this being bigger than anything ever or something. I don't know, I wasn't really listening. I figure if I were talking to him, he probably wouldn't listen to me either.

Chris Masters vs. Super Crazy

We get a rematch of Super Crazy's unannounced debut and upset on Raw last week. The crowd is really dead for this. We kind of get a sloppy back and forth to start until Super Crazy hits a nice missile dropkick. Masters tries to counter a hurricanrana, but Crazy counters that into a pin attempt and picks up a second victory over Masters. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Mickie James vs. Trish Stratus

This is Trish's last match on Raw ahead of her farewell match at Unforgiven. They are trying their best to wake up the crowd with some solid action. They start going back-and-forth with some right hands and forearms. Out comes Lita on the apron, but Trish uses Lita instead of the ropes for Stratusfaction and picks up the victory in a quick match. I mean why would they give her more than 3 minutes here? After the match Trish and Stratus shake hands and hug. Trish grabs the mic and thanks the fans for joining her on this awesome ride. Lawler then ruins it with a sexist comment.

Match Rating: *

After a SmackDown Rewind, highlights of Kevin Nash/Triple H in Hell In A Cell and running down the Unforgiven card, they whos Cade and Murdoch attacking Triple H. Shane McMahon and Big Show join in. They slam his head in the limo door and then Vince comes out and says their match is No Holds Barred.

Vince McMahon vs. Triple H

Triple H is bleeding from his ear and comes out with the doctor trying to stop him from fighting. Triple H's balance is off, as he swings wildly and Vince takes advantage. Vince starts choking him with a belt and the crowd is pretty indifferent. Vince hits the Pedigree on Triple H, but he kicks out at 2. Triple H is trying to hulk up as he no sells Vince's offense. He hits the spinebuster and then knocks Shane off the apron. He goes for the Pedigree, but Shane hits Vince from behind. Shawn Michaels comes down and hits an inverted atomic drop on Shane and then Big Show hits a powerbomb on Michaels. Triple pulls out the sledgehammer but Shane knocks him out before he can use it. Shane hits Triple H with a chair shot and then Vince hits Triple H with the sledgehammer. Vince covers Triple H and picks up the victory. Talk about a flat way to end the show. They can try all they want, but pretty much no one cares about this. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

DX/McMahons needs to end. It hasn't been as bad lately, but tonight brought it right back to where no one cares again. The six man tag was decent enough, but nowhere near good enough to save the show or anything. This was a disappointing way to head into Unforgiven, which actually has a pretty solid card.

Overall Rating: 45%

NXT 10-2-14 Review

Original Airdate: Thursday, October 2nd, 2014
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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NXT Women's Championship Match
Bayley vs. Charlotte

It's safe to say that this episode has a lot of promise. Bayley goes for some nearfalls and gets in some offense before Charlotte rolls out of the ring to regroup. Even after the break, Bayley continues on the offense. Charlotte gets an opening and starts working on Bayley's knee. Bayley makes a nice comeback, but misses in the corner and Charlotte takes out the knee. Charlotte is able to slap on the Figure Four in the middle of the ring. She turns it into the Figure Eight before it was called that for a little bit until Bayley is able to reverse it. The hold gets broken and Charlotte misses her in the corner. Bayley is able to hit a reverse elbow off the second rope. Charlotte hits a neckbreaker though and hits Natural Selection for the victory. This was a solid rematch between these two rising stars. The two of them embrace after the match.

Match Rating: ***1/4

Viktor vs. Hideo Itami

Before the match, Itami is attacked by both Viktor and Konnor attack him. A group of referees try to stop them, but it obviously doesn't work. So we have no match here, as the Ascension head to the back and the medical staff checks on Itami. 

We get more of the Carmella training video with Enzo and Big Cass. This is pretty creepy especially since Enzo ended up being a creep. 

Baron Corbin vs. Troy McClain

It's so weird to hear people chant Baron Corbin's name. This was definitely his best persona, unless you were a fan of the Olive Garden host look. He hits the End Of Days and that is it.

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show a WWE.com interview with Tyson Kidd where he walks away when they ask him if he only got this chance because of his wife. 

The Legionnaires challenge Enzo and Cass to a match next week.

Vaudevillains vs. Jason Jordan & Tye Dillinger

Jordan and Dillinger get an actual entrance here. The Vaudevillains are starting to develop some nice chemistry here. Dillinger rolls down his knee pad and hits English with some knee strikes to the head. English hits the tag to Gotch and puts Jordan in the airplane spin. He follows up with Dillinger in the airplane spin as well. English hits the senton off the second rope and picks up the victory. That was a spirited little tag team match.

Match Rating: *1/4

Titus O'Neil is shown in the crowd and in the first row. 

Hideo Itami is being checked on in the back and Funaki walks in. He tells him he has Itami's back against the Ascension.

Bayley gets interviewed backstage and she says that if she quits, her fans quit. She then is attacked by Sasha Banks. 

NXT Championship Match
Tyson Kidd vs. Adrian Neville

Things start off a little slowly until Neville hits Kidd with a big kick to lay him out on the floor in front of Titus headed into a commercial break. Kidd gets back into control until Neville is able to deadlift Kidd into a powerbomb. Neville gets a burst after that, but it's ended abruptly with a kick to the head. Kidd hits a seated dropkick, but gets hit with a kick to the head while seated on the top turnbuckle. Neville goes for a superplex, but Kidd counters into a sunset flip bomb. Neville lands on his feet and hits a dropkick and a sitdown powerbomb for a 2 count. Neville goes up top, but Kidd goes up and grabs his leg. Neville knocks him off, but Kidd rolls out of the way and Neville rolls through. Kidd counters a Codebreaker and slaps on the Sharpshooter. Neville is able to get to the bottom rope to break the hold, but gets hit with a back elbow. Kidd goes for a dive, but Neville hits a kick to the head instead. Titus then nails Neville outside the ring from his seat. Out comes Sami Zayn and he hits him with a Helluva Kick. Neville is able to break the 10 count, which I'm not really quite sure why Kidd was allowing him to wait that long. Neville hits the Red Arrow and picks up the victory. Another solid match here.

Match Rating: ***1/4

This show felt like a mini TakeOver, with two big time title matches that both mostly delivered. Neither were classics, but they didn't need to be, as they furthered along the stories they were trying to tell. This was a very strong episode overall.

Overall Rating: 70%

Off The Grid, Volume 25: SummerSlam 1989 Review

Monday, August 28th, 1989
Meadowlands Arena
East Rutherford, New Jersey

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Off The Grid, Volume 25: 

This one starts off so odd in the sense that we have Tony Schiavone as an announcer (definitely not a bad thing, although Gorilla is my favorite) and this is still the Royal Rumble music to kick things off in the intro. 

Hart Foundation vs. Brain Busters

The original Hart Foundation music was always 100 times better than the Bret Hart solo version. The Busters having no music is so on brand too. This being a non-title match will always stand out as a terrible booking decision. In an era where there were only 4 pay-per-views, why would they not want this to be a championship match? Even Schiavone agrees and asks it out loud. No wonder he was gone soon. I can't even pretend to be a novice when it comes to 1980s NWA/Crockett, but I have a really strong appreciation for how good Tully Blanchard is. As you would expect, this match starts off with a hot crowd and some great wrestling. I'm not sure anyone throws a better working punch than Bret Hart. I typically try to recap a little bit of the action as I write these, but this one just has me sucked in wanting to watch the action. The Busters are eventually able to single out Neidhart for a little bit, but he collides with Anderson in the center of the ring. Anderson is able to get up first, but gets hit with an illegal kick to the back by Bret when he runs the ropes. In comes Tully, but Bret gets a tag too. Bret's able to take care of both opponents and hits an elbow off the second rope. Bret also hits one of the nicest vertical suplexes in the business. All four men are in the ring and Bret hits a clothesline on Tully. Neidhart goes out of the ring after Anderson and Bret hits an inverted atomic drop on Tully. The Harts hit the slingshot from the apron. Heenan is up on the apron while Neidhart powerslams Bret onto Tully. Neidhart gets distracted and Anderson hits a double ax handle off the top. Tully rolls him over and picks up the victory. The ending was a little sluggish, but other than that, this was top notch. Absolutely two of the best tag teams of all time in their primes. What else could you ask for? 

Match Rating: ****

Dusty Rhodes is with Mean Gene wearing a police hat and Gene is trying his hardest not to crack up. 

Honky Tonk Man vs. Dusty Rhodes

Honky Tonk Man is like an actor from a TV show where they are so good in their role, but once it's over, they can't find anything as special because they are so associated with that role. He was so good as being the crappy Intercontinental Champion, that he was never able to recreate that magic. Dusty messes up Honky's hair and hits an atomic drop. Jimmy Hart trips up Dusty and it leads to Honky hitting him with the megaphone in the midsection behind the referee's back. Honky puts on a rest hold and we get a lengthy struggle by Dusty. Finally Dusty gets out of it and here comes the shenanigans. Jimmy goes for a guitar shot, but Dusty ducks and he hits Honky. A big elbow and that is all for Honky. After the match, Sean Mooney interviews Honky in the aisle and he does a cartoonish concussion spot. The rest hold was way too long here and the rest was pretty standard. 

Match Rating: *1/2

Demolition and Jim Duggan give a fun interview with Mean Gene backstage. 

Mr. Perfect vs. Red Rooster

Two of the newcomers facing off here, but Perfect is rightfully portrayed as the favorite here. Schiavone tries to give us the impression that Rooster is over with the fans, but his entrance is about 10 levels lower than Dusty's. Perfect hits a standing dropkick and Jesse claims that he was the first one to ever do that move. Rooster appears to hurt his knee and it leads to a quick victory via the Perfect Plex. That was too short to really matter much.

Match Rating: *1/4

Rick Rude cuts a good promo on the Warrior before their highly anticipated rematch.

Rockers & Tito Santana vs. Fabulous Rougeaus & Rick Martel

These are 6 of my favorites from this era. The Rockers and Santana are flying all over the ring and the Rougeaus and Martel go outside the ring to regroup with Slick and Jimmy. This is another match that is sucking me into the action. The crowd almost loses it for a Tito nearfall off a sunset flip. Tito is just so good at that underdog babyface role, which is one of the hardest roles to play. He finally is able to make the hot tag to Shawn Michaels and the place is unglued. After a suplex, Michaels goes up top and hits the fist. In comes Marty and he drops him on Martel and then Jacques comes in and hits Martel on accident. All 6 men are in and Tito hits an awesome flying forearm, knocking Martel out of the ring. Jimmy Hart gets involved again, leading to Martel interfering and getting the pin on Marty. This match was fantastic action. Seriously, this match ruled. 

Match Rating: ****

After a lengthy recap of their feud, Warrior and his very neon face paint, cuts a typical nutso promo.

Intercontinental Championship Match
Rick Rude vs. Ultimate Warrior

These two have the crowd in the palm of their hands and they are milking it for all that it's worth. Warrior is able to get his hands on Rude and he gorilla presses him to the floor in a pretty impressive bump there from Rude. Warrior goes out to the ring and hits Rude in the back with the Intercontinental belt. Ventura is rightfully going nuts as to how that isn't a disqualification and the only thing Schiavone can come up with is that it's outside the ring. Warrior throws him back in the ring and climbs to the top and hits a double ax handle. I'm surprised that Savage was okay with him using that. Warrior mocks Rude and goes up top again, but this time Rude is able to crotch him before he can make the leap. Rude goes to work on the back of Warrior and goes for the Rude Awakening. Warrior is able to muscle out of it, but he's able to jump on his back and apply the sleeper. Warrior is able to get out of it and they then collide, which also knocks out the referee. Both men are up and Warrior is getting the better of the exchange, but the ref is still out. Warrior hits a piledriver and the referee wakes up. Warrior goes for the pin, but Rude gets his foot on the bottom rope. Warrior hits a running powerslam, but Rude gets his knees up for the big splash. Rude hits a really dangerous looking piledriver/powerbomb and then Warrior kicks out at 2. Rude goes off the top and hits a top rope fist. Out comes Roddy Piper to a big pop. Rude gets distracted by Piper and Warrior hits him with a German suplex. Warrior hits the gorilla press and splash and we have a new Intercontinental Champion. This was so much better than the WrestleMania match and a lot better than I had remembered too. They did keep Rude strong with the distraction finish too. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

Sean Mooney is in the crowd and really doesn't accomplish much. 

Mr. Perfect is with Mean Gene to talk about his victory over Red Rooster. Roddy Piper is next to join the party and he does his thing. Ronnie Garvin is next and he's wearing a tuxedo. He says that he has a special assignment and then an angry Bobby Heenan comes in and is hot. Rude says he had the Warrior beat until Piper came out.

Mean Gene welcomes us back from intermission and we get a recap of the main event feud. 

Andre The Giant & Twin Towers vs. Jim Duggan & Demolition

Andre the Giant coming out to "Jive Soul Bro" is a pretty interesting little nugget of history. It's always been so strange to me that there were two 6 man tag matches on this show back in a time that it seemed like there weren't many on pay-per-views. The faces are able to single out Akeem in the early going and then move onto Boss Man. In comes Andre and the tide has officially shifted. Smash gets tagged in and hits body slams on both Akeem and Boss Man, but again Andre shifts the momentum. The match breaks down and Duggan hits Akeem in the back with the 2x4 and Smash is able to pick up the victory. That was quicker than I thought. The heels hardly got any offense in there at all. 

Match Rating: **

Ted DiBiase cuts one of his typical promos about Jimmy Snuka.

Ronnie Garvin is announced as the ring announcer for the next match. He throws some pretty weak insults at Greg Valentine that still infuriate Valentine. 

Hercules vs. Greg Valentine

The distraction allows Hercules to attack Valentine and gets a couple of nearfalls. Valentine tries to go off the top rope, but Herc hits him in the midsection. Hercules makes the usual mistake of going for a back body drop, but then is able to counter the vertical suplex into one of his own. We then get a little bit of a sloppy finish where Valentine gets a cheap pin by putting his feet on the ropes. Garvin comes in and announces that the winner in his mind is Hercules. He then says Hercules won by DQ and Valentine attacks him. Valentine and Hercules start going at it until Garvin gets back in and gets Valentine out of there. Ventura then makes sure that we know that Valentine actually did win. I'm not sure why the match was so short again, they don't seem to be running short on time. 

Match Rating: *

We now get the famous Randy Savage, Sherri and Zeus cauldron of madness promo. Savage calling Beefcake the weak link is about as honest as a promo gets in 1989. 

Ted DiBiase vs. Jimmy Snuka

DiBiase tries to attack him, but Snuka sees it coming and knocks DiBiase out of the ring. DiBiase misses again and this time it knocks Virgil out of the ring. We get an awkward spot with Snuka missing with the reverse leapfrog and actually hitting DiBiase. DiBiase is able to hit the Stun Gun and goes to work. He misses with a second rope reverse elbow and Snuka hits him with a headbutt. Snuka now climbs to the second rope and hits a headbutt. This time he goes up to the top and for some reason the referee keeps checking on DiBiase and Virgil catches the attention of Snuka. This allows DiBiase to throw Snuka into the ring post. We have a countout, which is a terrible finish here. Snuka was already a jobber at this point and going nowhere fast. Snuka attacks Virgil and DiBiase after the match to get his revenge. He hits the Superfly splash on Virgil to end things. 

Match Rating: *1/2

Sean Mooney is up in the cheap seats and tells us that the main event is still left. They then show a kid with a sign that says "Hulk and Burtus (yes, Burtus) Rule!". Then we go to Hogan and Beefcake, who apparently have been "hangin' and bangin'". 

The Genius is here to give us a poem on the main event. 

Randy Savage & Zeus vs. Brutus Beefcake & Hulk Hogan

Kudos to the kid brave enough to dress up like Beefcake Barber. Miss Elizabeth gets her own entrance and a huge pop. All four men start brawling, but Hogan can't budge Zeus. Beefcake tries going off the second rope, but he gets caught and only gets let go of when Hogan hits him from behind. It still doesn't phase him and he locks on a bear hug. Savage hits Hogan in the back while in the hold and then hits a body slam. Let it be clear, Zeus is not good. Especially when you see all of these celebrities come in like Pat McAfee and Bad Bunny and tear the house down, Zeus looks like a 7 year old playing soccer with the high school team. There truly is no worse move in wrestling than a bear hug. Savage is in and snaps Hogan's neck over the top rope and spits at Beefcake. Savage's tights here are underrated. I dig the black and white variation of his classic orange. Hogan's finally able to make a tag, unfortunately it's to Beefcake. I kid. He comes in and hits a clothesline and a high knee for a 2 count. Beefcake slaps on the sleeper, but Savage is able to get out. In comes Zeus, but Beefcake rakes his eyes and jumps on his back to put on the sleeper. Savage comes in from behind and hits him in the head with Sherri's purse. Hogan finally gets the tag in and goes after Savage. Hogan hits the big boot and it sends Savage over the top to the floor. Hogan tries to suplex him back in the ring, but Sherri trips Hogan's leg and Savage gets a nearfall. Savage hits the top rope elbow drop, but Hogan no sells it and hits an atomic drop. Zeus is now in and we have the big showdown. Hogan hits a series of right hands and a clothesline and Zeus is down to one knee. Beefcake throws Savage off the top rope and now Hogan has the purse. Hogan hits Zeus with it and body slams him. He hits the big leg drop and gets the victory before Sherri can break it up. Schiavone is just losing it here. He then advocates for Hogan to hit her in the face and Ventura calls him out on it. He hits an atomic drop and Elizabeth knocks her down. Hogan then threatens to stab Savage and Zeus with the hedge clippers. Beefcake then cuts off part of Sherri's ponytail. The "babyfaces" then celebrate in the ring while the crowd erupts. Once this got past the bearhug portion of the match, this was pretty good. 

Match Rating: **3/4

This was a really good show and so much better than I remembered. It has to be close to a top 5 SummerSlam and if you would have asked me last week, I would have said maybe top 15-20. This was everything that WrestleMania V wasn't. I guess having a crowd full of people who actually want to be there helps out a little bit. 

Overall Rating: 82%

Monday Night Raw 10-10-94 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, October 10th, 1994
Utica Memorial Auditorium
Utica, New York

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Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Lex Luger

I would say this one qualifies as a pay-per-view quality match. Bam Bam is joined by Nikolai Volkoff and Tatanka, along with Ted DiBiase of course. This disgusts Vince McMahon. Bam Bam knocks Luger down with a shoulder tackle and goes to work on the back. Luger quickly fights back with a reverse elbow and then sends him over the top and to the floor. Luger goes to work on the arm for whatever reason. Bam Bam comes back with a powerslam for a 2 count. He heads up to the top rope, but misses with the diving headbutt. Luger fires back at Bam Bam and the corporation and then goes back to the arm. Out comes King Kong Bundy to check things out and it allows Bam Bam to hit the Stun Gun into the commercial break. I'm not really sure why they couldn't have shown that whole move on a TAPED SHOW. When we come back it's Adam Bomb and Mabel out to try to help even the score. Bam Bam puts on the sleeper, but when Luger attempts to come back, Bam Bam sends him right back down. Luger finally explodes with some clotheslines, but DiBiase gets on the apron. Tatanka attempts to interfere, but Bam Bam runs into him and Luger rolls him up for the pin. The Corporation looked like a bunch of goofs and Bomb and Mabel did nothing. The crowd did pop huge for the Luger win though, continuing the trend of me realizing that Luger was more popular than I thought he was. This match was pretty standard, even though they got over a third of the show. 

Match Rating: **

They show us the Heartbreak Hotel with Bob Backlund from Superstars 2 days ago. 

Mabel vs. Reno Riggins

The always dependable Riggins gets up on the second rope and hits Mabel with some right hands. Mabel hits a body slam, but avoids an elbow drop. What is going on here? Mabel comes back with a back suplex and this time hits the leg drop for the victory. For some reason Oscar is not there, so Mabel raps. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show Randy Savage at the Columbus Day parade. 

Next week, it's Jeff Jarrett vs. Doink. Ooooh, baby.

Owen Hart vs. John Crystal

It's starting to feel like they just have no vision for Owen any more. He keeps delivering in squash matches though, as he is definitely in the top tier on the roster. Meanwhile, Vince is failing at humor and rambling on and on. Owen hits a nice suplex and snaps on the Sharpshooter for the victory.

Match Rating: 1/2*

Now we get to see the Undertaker and Paul Bearer interview from 2 days ago.

Mike Khoury vs. King Kong Bundy

Ladies and gentleman, the New Generation. Bundy does the schtick where he could keep pinning Khoury, but lifts him up instead. He hits a splash in the corner and gets a 5 count for the thrilling victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get highlights of the Jerry Lawler/Doink and Dink shenanigans from 2 days ago. This leads to a King's Court with Lawler making short jokes. This all leads to Lawler introducing us to Queasy. He lets us know that he is going to squash Dink like a bug. 

Headshrinkers vs. Corey Student & JS Storm

This is the cousin Sione version of the team. Student and Storm's ring gear is top tier jobber stuff. Storm runs into a big boot from Sione and that's all. They're all in on Sione now, with Savage calling them the new and improved version. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Doink and Dink come out with Burger King hats. Doink says he has a little surprise next week. Can't wait.

Raw is not always great, but it is typically easy to digest. This was one of those episodes that I will probably forget I watched tomorrow, but I also enjoyed watching it. 

Overall Rating: 55%

Superstars 10-8-94 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, October 8th, 1994
Browns County Veterans Memorial Arena
Green Bay, Wisconsin

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Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Duke Droese

Vince is now full blown in his talk louder than is necessary phase of announcing. Duke tries to work on the arm of Bam Bam, but he throws him through the ropes and then knocks him off the apron when he tries to get back in. I know I keep beating a dead horse, but Bam Bam had some momentum and they did nothing with it. Bam Bam hits a couple of shoulder tackles, but on the third attempt Duke hits a body slam. He hits a leg drop for a 2 count and Ted DiBiase is on the apron. Bam Bam tries to attack from behind, but Duke avoids it. Duke hits an Irish whip, but Bam Bam is able to roll up Duke and holds the tights for the victory. This was a match where basically nothing happened and if they were serious about the Million Dollar Corporation, they would have let Bam Bam win big here.

Match Rating: 3/4*

We see Paul Bearer at a video store and then Jim Cornette cuts a promo about Yokozuna's match with Undertaker. 

British Bulldog is shown doing pushups backstage. 

British Bulldog vs. Ben Jordan

Jordan gets a taste of the vertical suplex with the IcoPro banner hanging proudly in the background. The running powerslam isn't far behind and Bulldog picks up the easy victory. It's kind of interesting that it really took them about a year to do anything with Bulldog.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Mr. Bob Backlund is the guest on the Heartbreak Hotel. He talks about how he never lost the WWF Championship and how he has been waiting for his chance since then. He eventually storms off, but this felt pretty long for what it was. 

Jeff Jarrett vs. Billy Joe Eaton

If you ever wanted to hear Vince talk about Stone Temple Pilots, here's your opportunity. Jarrett attacks Eaton from behind and dominates the entire match for once. He slaps on the Figure Four and that's all for Eaton. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Headshrinkers vs. Barry Horowitz & Ron Higgins

We get Vince talking about how the Headshrinkers having 3 partners. Of course Samu is actually gone and Sione isn't actually here today. This is the usual Headshrinker face squash here and they win with the splash off the top rope. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Vince lets us know that Arnold Skaaland will be here next week to give his side of the story of throwing the towel in on Backlund.

King Kong Bundy vs. Mitch Bishop

I can already tell you that just by watching this squash, Bundy wasn't going to work out here. He did absolutely nothing extra to make himself stand out. This just felt like a bare minimum squash. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show the Bushwhackers at a Chicago sports event. I'm pretty sure that was the only reason they were kept around as long as they were. 

Doink shows up on the video screen and calls out Lawler. While Doink is distracting him, Dink put a pie on his seat. Lawler sits on the pie and acts as if was the worst thing that could have happened to him. 

This was another downer of an episode in a series of them. I just want this show to be fun again, but nothing really ever seems to happen on here any more. 

Overall Rating: 37%

SmackDown 9-8-06 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, September 8th, 2006
Columbus Civic Center
Columbus, Georgia

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Rey Mysterio vs. Finlay

This seems like a pretty good way to kick off a show to me. Finlay tries to get under the skin of Mysterio and he acts accordingly. We get a fairly early commercial break and when come back, Mysterio makes a comeback with a dropkick. He goes up top and Finlay is able to trip him up. Finlay continues to dominate the "distracted" Mysterio. The commentary is 100% focused on the drama between Mysterio and the Guerreros. Finlay slaps in a Boston Crab. Mysterio ducks a charging Finlay and hits him with a kick to the face. Mysterio hits the seated senton for a 2 count. Mysterio goes for a springboard, but slips on the ropes. That was an intentional botch and it leads to Finlay hitting the Celtic Cross and picks up the victory. JBL then tells us that he's going to go talk to Mysterio. JBL then insults Mysterio repeatedly, with Mysterio choosing to walk to the back emotionally rather than retaliate. This was more about Mysterio and his anguish rather than the actual match. 

Match Rating: **1/2

Mr. Kennedy vs. Gia Mondo

Kennedy hypes up his opponent as a 6 time NCAA champion and silver medalist in the Olympics, amongst other things. The only thing is that he actually looks more competent than a typical jobber. Kennedy steamrolls Mondo here, hitting the Green Bay Plunge for the victory. He calls out Teddy Long after the match. Kennedy tells him that if Cena could potentially come to SmackDown, he could potentially go to Raw. Teddy says that there is still a competitor that he hasn't taken on and at No Mercy, he will take on the Undertaker. I certainly didn't remember that this was how the feud started. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Ashley, Paul London & Brian Kendrick vs. Michelle McCool, KC James & Idol Stevens

The champions get off to a hot start until Stevens lowers the middle rope and London goes flying to the floor. Stevens and James are a little bit sloppy here tonight, just seeming a step off. London fights back and hits the hot tag to Kendrick. Kendrick goes for a dive, but McCool gets in his way. He charges anyway and hits the dive and then Ashley attacks McCool. James tries to get Ashley off McCool and Kendrick hits a sunset flip off the top rope with an assist from London for the victory. They didn't get a ton of time here, but I'm not sure there was much more needed to get to where they wanted to go.

Match Rating: *3/4

Vito is out to join the announce team. William Regal comes down to the ring and says that he was originally supposed to take on Vito, but he threatened to sue for sexual harassment due to Vito's previous actions. 

William Regal vs. Bobby Lashley

So he gets Lashley instead. Vito refers to Regal as Steven multiple times before shaking his butt in his face. Regal is finally able to make a move after tripping Lashley up on the ring steps. Vito does not come across as a guy who has a lot to say. The interaction between him and Cole is just awful. Lashley already makes his comeback and goes for a running powerslam, but Regal counters out. Lashley hits a Spear instead and that's all. Vito congratulates Lashley, but JBL then refuses to shake his hand afterwards. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Miz vs. Matt Hardy

Michael Cole hypes up Miz as undefeated and JBL refers to him as the new Red Rooster. Keep in mind Miz is a heel. Miz runs up the back of Hardy and leaps over the ropes to snap Hardy's neck. That was actually pretty nice. Hardy comes back with a second rope elbow and the Side Effect for a 2 count. Hardy hits a move to the outside and when he throws Miz back in the ring, he rolls into the referee. Gregory Helms attacks Hardy and Miz is able to get the sneaky victory. Miz is 2-0.

Match Rating: *3/4

Jimmy Wang Yang gets another vignette tackling Asian stereotypes. 

Chavo Guerrero vs. Tatanka

Vickie Guerrero introduces Chavo, as they put over that she is his business manager. Tatanka gets in a good amount of offense here, including get hit with a series of chops. Tatanka goes up to the top rope and hits another chop for a 2 count. Tatanka hits the End Of The Trail, but Chavo gets out of the pin attempt. Chavo hits a Frog Splash and picks up the victory. This wasn't particularly impressive for Chavo. 

Match Rating: *1/4

MVP is backstage and tells Teddy Long that he wants to make a dollar more than John Cena. He then asks for some tickets and Teddy said he better buy some. 

World Heavyweight Championship Match
King Booker vs. Batista

Booker tells Batista says that he can bow down and walk away if he chooses to and Batista responds by asking him if he prefers his body buried or cremated. That was a little awkward. Batista hits a vertical suplex for the first nearfall of the match. Booker gets a few shots to the midsection in and hits the Book End for a 2 count before the commercial break. When we come back, they are brawling on the outside. Sharmell distracts Batista and it allows Booker to throw him into the ring post. Booker hits a big kick and gets another close call. Batista fires back with some clotheslines and hits a Jackhammer. He signals for the Batista Bomb, but Booker grabs his trunks and throws him through the ropes to the floor. Batista is shown hitting someone in the crowd and it's William Regal. Sharmell comes in the ring with a chair, which distracts the referee and allows Finlay to hit Batista with the shillelagh and Booker retains his title. These two were famous for not having chemistry, but this was a big step up from their SummerSlam match. After the match, Finlay continues the attack on Batista and he's busted open. Finlay then cracks him over the head with a chair and some more shillelagh shots. Finlay drives his head into the exposed turnbuckle and then tells Batista that he's his worst nightmare. 

Match Rating: **1/2

When it comes to all three shows (Raw, ECW, SmackDown), this was one of the best weeks I can remember in terms of all three shows delivering. None of them were all timers or anything, but they delivered quality matches and storylines that made you want to tune in again next week. Progress. 

Overall Rating: 67%

ECW 9-5-06 Review

Tuesday, September 5th, 2006
Columbus Civic Center
Columbus, Georgia

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We get a DX SummerSlam recap, followed by DX entering the arena and making a bingo hall joke. 

Extreme Rules Tag Team Match
Sabu & Rob Van Dam vs. Test & Mike Knox

It's never a great thing when one team comes out to a big reaction and the other comes out to complete silence. RVD hits a running spin kick on Test in the corner and RVD goes flying over the top rope. He hits a Rolling Thunder/somersault leg drop combo and then a double leg lariat. Test tries for a press slam on Sabu, but RVD hits him with a kick off the top rope. We have a table set up outside the ring now. Test, Knox and RVD are battling on the apron and Sabu dives and sends all four of them through the table into the commercial break. Sabu was going for the triple jump moonsault, but Test trips him up and he goes face-first into the chair. RVD hits a skateboard kick with the chair into the face of Test. I'll give these guys credit here, they are putting in the effort here tonight. Knox hits a superplex on RVD, but then Sabu hits him with a leg drop to the face with a chair. Sabu hits the triple jump moonsault, but Test kicks out at 2. Sabu and RVD bring in a table to the ring and Sabu chucks a table at Knox's face. They knock Test off the apron and Sabu climbs up top. RVD joins him and they hit a double leg drop through the table for the victory. That was a really hard fought match for a weekly TV opener. Kudos to all four guys there, as this was one of the best matches ECW has had since the revival. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

Big Show was shown getting ready in the back. 

Kevin Thorn and Ariel make out.

Matt Striker does his schtick, then Sandman interrupts and does his schtick. 

Balls Mahoney vs. Stevie Richards

Kevin Thorn and Ariel come out first to join the announce team and Ariel gets all up in Joey Style's face. Balls misses a splash in the corner and Richards gets a 2 count out of it. Balls takes controls and starts doing his punch schtick, when Thorn and Ariel get on the apron. He knocks Thorn off the apron, but the referee is still distracted and Thorn hits him with a low blow. Stevie covers him and gets the surprise victory to set up the biggest feud of the fall. This was nothing.

Match Rating: 1/4*

DX is on their way. 

Shannon Moore is still really coming, we promise. CM Punk interrupts him, calls him a poseur and slaps him in the face. 

Extreme Rules Handicap Match
Big Show vs. DX

Paul Heyman comes out before DX's entrance and announces that this will no longer be an Extreme Rules match. Credit where credit is due, DX is doing a good job of Show look like a monster threat here. After getting jacked with an elbow to the jaw, Triple H is able to hit a spinebuster. They knock the security team off the apron and Michaels hits a dive to take them out. Triple H is about to give Big Show a Pedigree and out comes...Hardcore Holly? Michaels takes care of him, but Show shoves Michaels to the ground. Holly, Show and the security goons take the fight to Michaels until Triple H brings in the sledgehammer to clear them out. That was quicker than I expected and I certainly didn't remember Holly being the one to cause the DQ. I'm not sure how that really fits into the storyline, but whatever. 

Match Rating: **

This was a lot better than what we have been accustomed to on Tuesday nights so far. The opener was a very good match and the main event at least felt important. The middle was throw away, but they just don't have the roster yet to make people care about the entire show.

Overall Rating: 60%

Monday Night Raw 9-4-06 Review

Monday, September 4th, 2006
Philips Arena
Atlanta, Georgia

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Edge is in the ring on a ladder, letting us know that the John Cena is out of his life countdown is on. It was nice of Edge to plus the CW. He makes fun of Cena before showing us a hype video of his match at Unforgiven. Out comes Cena and he attacks him, putting him through a table. All in all, this was an effective start to the show. 

Jeff Hardy is backstage painting a wall and Maria comes and I'm really not sure what the point of this was. 

Intercontinental Championship Match
Jeff Hardy vs. Johnny Nitro

Things start off a little bit slower than I anticipated and we get a quick commercial break. When we come back, Nitro is in control of the match. The crowd is definitely into Hardy though. Nitro props Hardy on the top rope, but Hardy counters the superplex attempt and hits an electric chair. Hardy looks a step slow here, which I know he eventually snaps out of. Hardy rolls through a crossbody and gets a 2 count to some boos. He misses with a dropkick, but he is able to hit a Whisper In The Wind. He goes up top, but Nitro knocks him off the top. Hardy still hits a Twist Of Fate, but Melina comes in and jumps on the referee, causing the disqualification. Hardy hits a Swanton, but Melina grabs the title and checks on her man. Hardy looks to be still getting back into ring shape here, so it wasn't quite up to what you would expect from these two. 

Match Rating: **

Trish Stratus is on her way to the ring, but Lita interrupts her. Trish is happy because she was going to call her out to the ring. She challenges Lita to a championship match at Unforgiven for her last match. Lita accepts and slaps Trish. They start brawling and then Randy Orton and Carlito get involved as well. They show Lita at Shane McMahon's office and he makes a mixed tag team match between Edge, Lita and Randy Orton against Trish, Carlito and John Cena. 

Chris Masters is out and issues an open challenge and Super Crazy accepts, who apparently came over from SmackDown as a free agent.

Chris Masters vs. Super Crazy 

They again reference the leaner and meaner Masters. The once hot crowd, doesn't care about this one. That's kind of a shame because Crazy is a lot of fun. He gets a 2 count off a top rope sunset flip, but misses with a reverse crossbody. Masters signals for the Master Lock, but Crazy is able to get out of it before he locks it in. Masters nails him with a clothesline, but Crazy comes back with a low dropkick. He hits a moonsault and picks up the victory. The Masters burial continues. This was decent enough, but it didn't really do either guy much with the booking. 

Match Rating: *1/2

Maria is still backstage watching the paint dry. 

They show highlights of DX/McMahons. 

The McMahons are out with security around the ring. The Big Show is out after them. He talks about teaching them a lesson tomorrow night on ECW when he faces DX in a handicap match. Vince then talks about the Hell In A Cell match and of course DX comes out with a chair and a sledgehammer. Triple H thanks them for reminding them who they are. They march to the ring and hit a security guy with a chair. We have a big brawl in the ring, but Big Show and the McMahons are able to get out of there and let security take the beating. This was better than most DX/McMahon segments, so I'll take it. 

Triple Threat #1 Contender Match
Highlanders vs. Cade & Murdoch vs. Viscera & Charlie Haas

What a tag team division they've built themselves here in 2006. The Spirit Squad's music hits before the match starts and they're here to be spectators. Cade and Murdoch dominate with some double teams on one of the Highlanders. They have 3 men in the ring at a time for this one. Viscera and Haas hit their drop toe hold/leg drop combo and get a 2 count. Viscera hits a splash on both Cade and Murdoch in the corner. A clothesline sends Viscera and Cade over the top. The Highlanders take advantage and win with a sunset flip. They tried to make it meaningful, but no one cared. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Carlito is backstage with Trish and he's sick of Randy Orton. 

Ric Flair interrupts the Kiss Cam with Maria. JR reminds us that we normally only get this on WWE.com. Ric then wants a kiss from Maria and they make out. Flair then sells it with a faceplant. Flair tries to start talking about Mick Foley, but out comes Armando Alejandro Estrada. He asks that Flair declares Umaga the man, but Flair refuses. Umaga comes out, but we are in for a treat because Kane is here to attack him. Kane sucks the life out of the show like he normally does and Umaga retreats. 

We get our first Cryme Tyme vignette. They show them attacking a cashier at a smoothie shop and steal money out of the cash register. 

Teddy Long is shown walking into a suite. Maria is back to watching paint dry. JR and Lawler run down the Unforgiven card including the just added Umaga/Kane and Nitro/Hardy matches. 

We go backstage to the McMahons and Big Show, where Vince announces he will take on Triple H next week. 

Edge, Lita & Randy Orton vs. Carlito, Trish Stratus & John Cena

This is a fun main event and it looks like they are going to get some time. Carlito hits a big dropkick on Edge and tags in Cena. Edge retreats and tags in Lita, so Trish is in now. Trish attacks Lita and then slaps Orton. We get a quick brawl with the faces standing tall into the commercial break. Carlito hits a springboard back elbow to the face of Orton. The thing with Carlito is that he never really had a good flow in the ring. He could do every move, but it always felt a little bit like it was his first time doing some of them. I guess that I should reference that the reason Teddy Long is there is that if Cena loses at Unforgiven, he will move to SmackDown. The heels work on Carlito until he makes the tag. We get a brawl and it eventually turns into Trish and Lita. Trish hits the handstand hurricanrana from the corner. Carlito saves Trish from Edge, but then Orton hits the RKO on Trish, allowing Lita to pick up the victory. This was exactly what you want out of a TV main event. It wasn't an all time classic, but it was entertaining with a hot crowd and the heels leave the faces chasing until next week. Well done.

Match Rating: ***1/4

This is the type of energy that Raw needs more often. Not everything worked, but everything meant something in some fashion. I get it. You have 5 hours of TV to fill every week and a pay-per-view every month. Not everything is going to be great. But you could tell the roster was into the storylines and the crowd reacted accordingly. 

Overall Rating: 66%

NXT 9-25-14 Review

Original Airdate: Thursday, September 25th, 2014
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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Mojo Rawley vs. Bull Dempsey

Opening with this match is certainly a choice. They start brawling right away and we are underway. Bull reverses an Irish whip, but gets hit with an elbow. He comes back though and flattens Mojo. He goes up top and hits a top rope splash/headbutt for the victory. Well that was quick and you won't hear a complaint from me. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Tyler Breeze's music hits and he attacks Mojo. Apparently he will be in action after the commercial break. 

We get a Baron Corbin vignette. 

Tyler Breeze vs. Justin Gabriel

A rare heel vs. heel match here. Breeze is showing off a more aggressive side. Gabriel goes on the attack and hits a springboard moonsault for a 2 count. Breeze is able to move out of the way of a 450 splash, hits a superkick and follows up with the Beauty Shot for the victory. I basically wrote as much as I did for the 45 second opener, but this one was about 4 minutes. Sorry, guys. This is starting to look like the end for Gabriel. 

Match Rating: *

William Regal is backstage and is approached by Natalya. She doesn't want Tyson Kidd to know that she's approaching him, so she decided to do it on camera. She wants another match for Tyson and Regal reluctantly accepts, but says it is his last chance. 

Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley

Now we have a face vs. face match featuring a high five. This feels a little bit like an exhibition, with neither showing off an aggressive side. Alexa misses with the moonsault and Bayley catches her for a Bayley-To-Belly for the victory. That was another quick matchup tonight. Bayley grabs the mic and calls out Charlotte. Bayley says she let herself down and everyone else down and she wants one more shot. Charlotte says that Bayley didn't let her down and she actually earned her respect. Charlotte says the second verse will be the same as the first and that she'll see her next week. Yes, please. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

They show Enzo, Big Cass and Carmella on their home video. Enzo tells Carmella she needs to get into shape, so she shows off her body and Enzo falls off the treadmill. These continue to be terrible. 

Marcus Louis vs. Enzo Amore

Marcus is wearing the Kurt Angle wrestling helmet/hair and the announcers have to pretend like it's the first time they've seen it. Louis slowly dominates at first until Enzo snaps his neck on the top rope, ripping off the wig in the process. He's so embarrassed, Enzo is able to roll him up and get the victory. We are the real winners here. It's over. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Tyson Kidd says that he is the next NXT Champion.

NXT Tag Team Championship Match
Lucha Dragons vs. Ascension

The Dragons use some double teams until Kalisto gets hit with a double elbow. Kalisto is able to tag in Sin Cara and they hit a cool hurricanrana/seated clothesline combo. We go into our usual Ascension domination with Kalisto trying to survive. He makes a hot tag and Cara comes in with a springboard crossbody and then a moonsault. Viktor hits a reverse elbow and tosses Cara out of the way, then Hideo Itami's music hits. He stands up on the ramp, providing a distraction. Kalisto hits Salido del Sol and gets the victory. Itami attacks Viktor and we are out of time. This was a decent main event and the Itami entrance was fun. 

Match Rating: **

This episode was mostly filler with a lot of TakeOver repeats being set up. It feels like they're still trying to figure out how to book the show when there are no TakeOvers around. I have to think that will get easier once the roster gets built up a little bit better. 

Overall Rating: 48%

SummerSlam 2022 Review

Saturday, July 31st, 2022
Nissan Stadium
Nashville, Tennessee

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After being forced to listen to some country music, we get a cool look at the stadium that looks impressive for a SummerSlam. I am a huge fan of SummerSlam. I started my fandom with SummerSlam and I often think it ends up being the best show of the year. I'm not sure how I feel about it being in July, particularly the year I decided to take a vacation that week. I've only heard good things about this one, so I'm hoping I agree.

Raw Women's Championship Match
Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair

I guess I should mention that this is the first major show without Vince McMahon in charge of the company. I would love to have access to the meetings that happened after he stepped down, just to see all of what changed and what stayed the course. Anyway, Lynch takes control to start things off by workig on the arm of Bianca. Bianca catches Becky and drops her sort of awkwardly, face-first. They spill outside and Becky is able to pull her arm into the barricade and hits a guillotine leg drop. Becky goes for another leg drop inside the ring a few minutes later, but Bianca catches her and slams her down. That was a clever counter. We get a series of counters outside the ring that leads to a Bianca suplex. Things start to heat up and Bianca hits a KOD on the outside. Becky barely beats the count. She counters out of a KOD, but ends up getting hit with a spinebuster. Bianca climbs up top, but Becky gets there and pulls her down by her hair and hitting the Manhandle Slam. Bianca is able to kick out and then Bianca goes for some quick pinfall attempts. Becky tries to hit a Manhandle Slam from the second rope, but Bianca counters with a Spanish Fly. She hits the KOD and gets the decisive victory. This one just didn't have the flow of some of their previous matches. It was of course still very good, just far from their best. After the match, Becky's right arm is injured and she reaches out with her left hand. Bianca accepts and they embrace. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

Out comes Bayley to a pretty big reaction. She's then followed out by a returning Dakota Kai and then Io Shirai. They eventually enter the ring and Becky comes to join in defense of Bianca. They back down and head to the back. 

Now they are forcing me to listen to Kid Rock. 

Miz vs. Logan Paul

Ciampa and Miz is such an odd pairing. I also don't understand how Logan Paul is supposed to be a babyface. We get an opening segment designed to show off Paul's skills and he hits a moonsault off the apron to the floor. Miz is able to hit a Codebreaker and Ciampa gets in a cheap shot for good measure. Paul comes back with the It Kicks and slaps on the Figure Four, the two moves that Miz stole from other people. Paul hits a top rope crossbody and a standing moonsault for a 2 count. Ciampa is then ejected by the referee. He of course argues the decision and then AJ Styles' music hits and attacks him from the crowd. He brawls with him through the crowd and Paul hits a Phenomenal Forearm for a 2 count. Paul kindly cleans off the announce table and hits a top rope Frog Splash through the table. Maryse distracts Paul, but he ducks Miz's attempt and hits the Skull Crushing Finale for the victory. This was all about making Paul look like a million bucks and the company man, Miz, does it again. Paul clearly has a bright future in the ring. The match itself was really all about Paul, so it didn't really have a solid flow, but it was entertaining. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

We then get an ad featuring the Maximum Male Models. At least this one makes sense. 

United States Championship Match
Theory vs. Bobby Lashley

I really enjoyed the match these two had at the last show. It will be interesting to see if Theory's push continues with Triple H and Stephanie in charge. If anything, maybe he'll have a first name again. Lashley gets fireworks for his entrance. Theory attacks Lashley from behind with the briefcase before the bell rings. It does him know good, as Lashley just destroys him anyway. Theory tries to leave with his briefcase, but Lashley is there to continue the beating. Theory is able to leap a Spear attempt, but Lashley blocks a Theory attempt at offense and slaps on the Hurt Lock for the decisive victory. This feels like Vince McMahon booking, so we'll see where Theory goes from here. The match was basically a squash match. 

Match Rating: *

No Disqualification Match
Judgment Day vs. Rey & Dominik Mysterio

As you would expect, this one gets started right away. Judgment Day dominates Dominik, who has kind of been floundering on the roster. Rey gets the hot tag and does what he does. The crowd already feels tired at this point. He uses a chair on both opponents, but when he sets up Priest for the 619, Balor blind tags and nails Rey with a clothesline. Judgment Day takes control back and then the lights go out. Out comes Edge with flames and stairs. I'm still not really sure why he's not in the faction he created like 2 months ago. He hits a Spear on both Priest and Balor and has woken up the crowd. He sets up Balor for a 619 and he gets a double one, leading to a Mysterio victory. This was all about the return of Edge. The match itself was more like a TV match.

Match Rating: **3/4

Happy Corbin vs. Pat McAfee

Corbin is greeted by a chorus up in the concourse mocking him before McAfee makes his way out. McAfee hits a superkick to start things off and a leaping hurricanrana from the turnbuckle. It truly is pretty amazing how good some of the non-wrestlers really are. Look at how much work went into Lawrence Taylor putting on a good match. Now it's just like everyone that goes in there is able to put on an entertaining match. Corbin fights back and hits a Deep Six. McAfee does the leap up to the top rope and hits a superplex for a 2 count. I am a little surprised that McAfee doesn't have better ring gear. McAfee goes up top, almost falls, but then hits a senton to Corbin standing on the floor. He goes up top again, leaps over Corbin and we end up with the referee down. McAfee kicks him below the belt, hits a weak Panama Sunrise and picks up the victory. This was definitely the worst match of McAfee's short career. 

Match Rating: **

They show highlights of Drew McIntyre beating Sheamus to become the #1 contender at Clash At The Castle. He comes out, panders to the crowd and basically just kills a few minutes.

They now bring out Jeff Jarrett as the guest referee. Why would you have him come out to his boring music instead of "With My Baby Tonight"?

Undisputed Tag Team Championship Match
Street Profits vs. Usos

The Street Profits get some Tennessee Titan cheerleaders for their entrance. Things start off pretty slowly until Ford is able to get on offense and then hits a nice Blockbuster. Dawkins hits a leaping senton over the top rope on both Usos. I'm not really quite sure why Jarrett is the referee in this match. The Profits hit a cool pounce into a German suplex. The Usos fight back and hit some superkicks. They hit the double splash, but Ford is able to break up the pin attempt. Jarrett catches a superkick from the Usos and it allows Ford to hit a Frog Splash, but Jey kicks out at 2. Ford kind of loses his cool at Jarrett, even though it was a fair count. Ford runs into a double superkick and gets thrown into the crowd. Dawkins then gets hit with a double superkick and back in the ring they go. The Usos hit the 1D and that is all. That was kind of a flat finish to a match that never kicked into second gear. It wasn't bad, but just nothing special overall. 

Match Rating: ***

They show Kid Rock in the crowd. They are just trying to torture me. Out comes Riddle, who is not medically cleared and he calls out Seth Rollins. Rollins answers the call and they start brawling with officials trying to break them up. Rollins is able to hit the Stomp in the middle of the ring and the crowd sings his entrance music. That was pretty brief. 

SmackDown Women's Championship Match
Ronda Rousey vs. Liv Morgan

Rousey is able to catch Liv with a running knee early on and I don't expect this one to be very long. We get kind of an awkward submission spot that turns into Liv putting on the Rings Of Saturn. Rousey is able to put on the arm bar in the center of the ring, but Liv is able to get her foot to the bottom rope. Ronda is able to slap on the arm bar again and Liv gets to the rope again. They have a trainer check on Liv and after telling her to leave, Ronda slaps on the arm bar again. Liv pushes Ronda's shoulders down and gets the pin while she taps out at the same time. The referee calls it a victory for Liv, but when they show the replay, she tapped out at 2. Rousey attacks her from behind and puts the arm bar on again. Rousey then attacks the ref and puts the arm bar on him. This whole thing just didn't work. It's unfortunate, but they just had zero chemistry and were set up to fail with the way it was booked. This was just a total bummer of a match.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Last Man Standing Match For The Undisputed Universal Championship
Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar

Apparently this is Lesnar's 9th SummerSlam main event. After his fireworks and on his way down to the ring, Lesnar puts on some flannel and gets on a tractor. He drives it to the ring and then stands on it above the ring. Lesnar introduces himself and then leaps on Reigns with a Lou Thesz Press during his intro. It's time for suplexes and we spill out into the crowd. Lesnar pulls out a table, but then Paul Heyman distracts Lesnar and Reigns hits a Samoan Drop through the table. Reigns hits two Superman punches and a Spear, but Lesnar is back up at 8. Brock counters a Spear with a F5, which Reigns counters and Lesnar throws him out of the ring. He then throws Reigns through a piece of a table in a spot that looks like it hurt. Lesnar goes back to the tractor, but then leaves to hit Reigns with the steps. Lesnar tosses Reigns into the front of the tractor and dumps him in the ring. Lesnar hits a F5, but Reigns is up. Lesnar goes for another one, but Reigns gets him in the Guillotine. Lesnar bounces out and puts on one of his own. Reigns gets back to his feet before the count and Lesnar goes back to the tractor. This time he starts ramming the ring with it and then lifts up the corner of the ring with Reigns in it. I can honestly say this is something I expected to see. Out come the Usos, but Lesnar suplexes both of them. Heyman then comes and hands Lesnar the titles and tells him to leave Reigns alone. Lesnar then gives Heyman a F5 through the table, allowing Reigns to hit him with a Spear. Both men are down and out comes Theory. He hits Reigns in th ehead with the briefcase, but Lesnar hits him with a F5. The Usos hit a sort of double superkick and Lesnar is down again. Lesnar is up at 9, but gets hit with another Spear, but he's up again. Reigns starts destroying Lesnar with the briefcase and Michael Cole is losing it when Lesnar is up again. Reigns hits him with the title belt to the head and again Lesnar is standing. Reigns hits him in the head again and now he and the Usos are burying Lesnar with pieces of the table and other parts of the ring set up. This time he can't get up and Reigns retains. Outside of the tractor stuff, this was pretty much a standard big man no DQ match. The tractor spot will make you remember it forever, but it wasn't enough to make this a classic or anything. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

This was a pretty middle of the road show here. It probably was more fun for those in attendance, but there just seemed to be a lot of matches that didn't gel tonight. It wasn't a bad show by any means, just not one that I would go out of my way to watch again. 

Overall Rating: 60%

Monday Night Raw 10-3-94 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, October 3rd, 1994
Utica Memorial Auditorium
Utica, New York

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We get an intro hyping up the British Bulldog/Jim Neidhart match tonight. 

British Bulldog vs. Jim Neidhart

Bulldog gets fireworks and some weird sound effects to go along with them. Bulldog gets distracted by Owen and that gives Neidhart the opening he needs. Bulldog fights back with a shoulder tackle, knocking Neidhart out of the ring. We get a test of strength and Neidhart wins by kicking Bulldog in the midsection. Bulldog battles back up and hits a dropkick to break it. Owen pulls down the top rope and Bulldog flies over the top. Out comes Bret and we head into a commercial break. Neidhart slaps on my favorite hold, the bear hug. Bulldog is able to get out, but now Neidhart slaps on the Camel Clutch. For some reason he releases the hold and goes up to the second rope. He misses and Bulldog comes back with a couple of clotheslines. We get the big vertical suplex for a 2 count and now Bob Backlund is out. He confronts Bret and in comes Owen to drop a knee on Bulldog. Bret comes in and we have a brawl, with Bulldog and Bret standing tall. The match was pretty good considering who was involved, but it was ultimately pretty useless. 

Match Rating: **

We then get a lame WWF ad about never going on strike and a kid crying because there is no World Series this year. Yes, we are better because we never give our employees an offseason. 

Doink vs. Barry Horowitz

Horowitz gets in a little bit of offense here, but honestly who cares? Doink hits the Whoopee Cushion, we get the fart noise added in and we all lose. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get Paul Bearer and Undertaker again talking about the Hart Attack Tour. 

It's time for the King's Court with Jerry Lawler. His guest today is Yokozuna, Mr. Fuji and Jim Cornette. Cornette tells us that it isn't true that Yokozuna isn't afraid of Undertaker, it's the opposite. They talk about their series of house show matches with Taker. 

Next week, it's Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Lex Luger.

Luna Vachon & Bull Nakano vs. Alundra Blayze & Heidi Lee Morgan

Morgan shows off her athleticism early on with some quick pin attempts that get 2. Luna eventually grabs her hair and hits a face-first slam. Nakano comes in to dominate and Savage lets us know about his attraction to Nakano. Luna comes back in and Morgan hits her with a dropkick. She tags in Alundra and she takes down Luna multiple times. Luna tags in Bull and they try to double team, but Alundra hits a double crossbody. Alundra goes for a suplex and in comes Morgan illegally to help, but Nakano hits a double suplex instead. Alundra hits a second rope reverse crossbody for a 2 count. Luna goes for a missile dropkick, but misses and hits Luna instead. Alundra hits a German suplex into a bridge and gets the victory. I just assumed Morgan was in here to allow the heels to win. This match was all action, as they crammed in a lot in a short amount of time. 

Match Rating: ***

Bob Backlund vs. Gary Scott

Scott actually appears to be a fairly decent wrestler. However, we mostly get a bunch of nothing until Backlund puts on the Chicken Wing. Backlund leaves it on longer before finally releasing the hold. I'd rather just listen to Backlund talk. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get a quick backstage interview with Bret Hart and he says that he has already beaten Backlund. He says he respects him, but he needs to get in line. 

The women's match was a real standout compared to what we typically get on Raw. The opener was decent enough, but it really didn't end up having much importance because the feud was already over in most people's mind. Decent show overall.

Overall Rating: 55%