Monday Night Raw 10-16-06 Review

Monday, October 16th, 2006
Staples Center
Los Angeles, California

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Lillian Garcia is about to announce the opening match, but she's interrupted by DX's match. JR says that they are scheduled to have a major announcement tonight. Instead though, we get Randy Orton and Edge dressed up as Shawn Michaels and Triple H respectively. They come out and insult the crowd and insult DX, so of course DX comes out. Triple H makes fun of both and eventually Orton wants Triple H tonight and after some more cringe jokes, Triple H accepts. It turns into a brawl and DX wins that battle. 

In somewhat of a sad timing issue, they show Nick and Aaron Carter in attendance. 

Spirit Squad vs. Cryme Tyme

Apparently this was an open challenge and so Cryme Tyme finally gets to make their debut. This is WWE's favorite story trope. JTG hits a nice counter into a double neckbreaker before tagging in Shad. He cleans house and the crowd is starting to respond. They hit their finisher and that's all. They tried to portray it as they stole the match because they hit their finisher behind the back of the ref, but it was a pretty standard finish. Cryme Tyme looked solid enough here though in their debut.

Match Rating: 3/4*

During the commercial break, Kenny is upset and storms off. 

Johnny Nitro and Melina are with Todd Grisham to talk about their A list celebrity friend that they're going to unveil. They say that we'll find out when they want us to find out. 

King Booker and Queen Sharmell are with Jonathan Coachman. Coach tells them to take advantage of his office and food. In walks Cryme Tyme to also take advantage of the free food and steal Booker's wallet. 

Fatal Four Way For The Intercontinental Championship
Chris Masters vs. Super Crazy vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Jeff Hardy

After some brawling, we get a cool spot where Hardy goes for his mule kick in the corner, but Super Crazy catches him and throws him to the floor. Crazy then goes to the top, but Shelton leaps up and goes for the superplex. Masters is up though and they hit the tower of doom spot as we go into the commercial break. When we come back, Hardy is going for a Twist Of Fate on Masters, but he shoves him right into a Shelton superkick. Masters dumps Hardy out of the ring and he and Shenton start to brawl. Super Crazy interrupts with a missile dropkick on Shelton and a nearfall on Masters. Masters locks in the Master Lock on Super Crazy, but Shelton hits a springboard blockbuster on Masters to break the hold. Hardy comes back to the action and hits a Whisper In The Wind. Benjamin is dumped out and then Super Crazy on top of him. He hits the Twist Of Fate and Swanton Bomb on Masters and retains his title. That was a good TV match that was built around the biggest star of the match. 

Match Rating: ***

Booker is with police until Big Show walks in. They do a little bit of jarring until Vince walks in. He wants to know where John Cena is and tells them that he thinks they will be very interested to know what his announcement is. 

Johnny Nitro and Melina are here to announce their A list guest. It's Kevin Federline and I think he comes out to boos, but I can't tell because of the overdubbed entrance music. He tells the crowd to start treating the three of them with respect. Federline is just loving this and honestly is a pretty natural heel here. Melina asks him to debut one of his songs, but Federline tells them they have to wait until October 31st when the album comes out. As they are leaving, Cena's music hits. Cena says he's rusty and not up to the standards of a Federline, but he's going to give us a rap tonight. He and Nitro go at it and he tosses him out of the ring. Out comes Big Show followed by King Booker and then Mr. McMahon. He announces that fans will be voting for which title will be on the line at Cyber Sunday. Everyone leaves except Cena and Federline. He invites him back into the ring to ask him which title he will be voting for and he says Cena's. Cena shakes his hand and gives him a FU. 

Rob Conway vs. Carlito

Remember Rob Conway? Carlito hits a springboard reverse elbow and eventually the Backstabber for the easy victory. After the match he takes a bite of the apple and spits it in the face of Conway. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Edge and Lita compliment Vince about his idea for the main event. Vince sees he and Orton in a match with DX at Cyber Sunday. Edge proposes that the fans should vote for the referee for the match. They give Coach, Eric Bischoff and Vince as options. 

They bring out Steve-O and Chris Pontius in the ring. Armando Alejandro Estrada comes out and they tell him that they will do anything, so he brings out Umaga. Umaga of course destroys them and then Steve-O starts to laugh. So Umaga comes back in and beats him up some more. He hits a top rope splash and Steve-O is still laughing. Umaga comes in and beats him up some more. This is kind of a more infamous moment from this era. 

WWE Women's Championship First Round Fatal Four Way Bra & Panties Match
Candice Michelle vs. Maria vs. Victoria vs. Torrie Wilson

How many more stipulations could they cram into this? Candice quickly takes Maria's top off and Victoria hits a spinning side suplex before ripping off Torrie's top. Candice holds down Victoria and Torrie rips off Victoria's pants. Candice dances for some reason and Maria rips off Torrie's pants to pick up the victory. Torrie walks away disappointed in Maria as she celebrates. It will be Mickie vs. Melina and Lita vs. Maria in the second round. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Triple H vs. Randy Orton

Triple H sidesteps Orton and throws him over the top, with Orton selling his knee as we go into the commercial. When we come back, Triple H hits a suplex and a knee drop for a 2 count. Lita is on her way to the ring and it distracts Triple H enough for Orton to take advantage. Edge then hits a DDT on the outside behind the referee's back. Triple H mounts a comeback and hits the high knee. Orton counters that with a thumb to the eye, but gets hit with a knee to the face. Orton hits his inverted backbreaker and he is still selling the knee injury from earlier. He goes for the RKO, but gets hit with a spinebuster instead. Edge comes from behind while Lita is distracting the referee and hits a low blow. Michaels is now distracting the ref and Orton has a chair. Lita tries to get in, the ref goes to her and Shawn hits a low blow. Triple H grabs the chair and hits Orton with it and picks up the victory. I'm sure that he didn't hear the chair shot. This was a very basic match with even basic interference. 

Match Rating: **

This was a pretty good show with the Intercontinental match providing some good in ring action, the infamous Steve-O/Umaga segment and Kevin Federline both being memorable. There wasn't a lot of storyline to sink your teeth into, but it was a lively show that did it's job. 

Overall Rating: 60%

Survivor Series 1994 Review

Wednesday, November 23rd, 1994
Freeman Coliseum
San Antonio, Texas

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They show all of the teams getting ready for their matches. Vince McMahon and Gorilla Monsoon are your hosts tonight. 

The Teamsters (Diesel, Shawn Michaels, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart & Jeff Jarrett) vs. The Bad Guys (Razor Ramon, 1-2-3 Kid, British Bulldog & Headshrinkers)

Considering that this is 1994, these are actually two pretty solid teams. I think we all can agree it's better than a team of masked wrestlers that no one knows and a substitute captain. Kid and Neidhart start things off here. Kid gets in some fun offense in before tagging in Sione and he press slams Jarrett. Owen gets tagged in and he gets some big boos and Sione tags in Bulldog to a nice pop. Bulldog catapults Owen into his corner and his teammates join in to get a shot in and then Bulldog press slams him. Owen fights back with an enzuigiri and tags in Neidhart to hit a double clothesline. Bulldog is back with the delayed vertical suplex and he tags in Fatu, who immediately climbs to the top and hits a headbutt. Fatu was having troubles climbing the ropes because he is wearing boots, so he tries to take them off. The distraction only helps for a minute, as he's immediately back on offense and tags in Razor. We get a huddle in the corner of the Teamsters and some stalling from Jarrett. Razor clotheslines him over the top rope and Shawn Michaels has to calm Diesel down. Razor hits the fall away slam and tags in the Kid. He gives the Kid a fall away slam onto Jarrett for a 2 count. Jarrett slaps on the abdominal stretch on the Kid, using Shawn for extra leverage. The pace picks up with the Kid and Owen and then we get some previews of making a difference Fatu with some dancing. Owen tries a DDT, but Fatu no sells it, but is greeted by Diesel. This is the first time he's been in the match. He hits the Jackknife and Fatu is gone. Kid races in and hits him with a dropkick. Kid runs up top and goes for a sunset flip, but Diesel picks him up and chucks him to the ground. He gives him a Jackknife and Kid is gone too. Sione takes his chance and it ends up with him taking a Jackknife as well and he's gone. We're down to 5 on 2. Diesel hits a big boot on Bulldog and out of the ring. Razor rolls up Diesel and almost gets a pinfall. Apparently Bulldog was counted out and it's just Razor Ramon now. Razor hits a bulldog off the second rope, but Diesel is able to kick out. Shawn has yet to be in the ring, but is barking orders to Diesel. Razor is able to make a comeback and signals for the Razor's Edge. Diesel counters out of it with a back drop and both men are down. Shawn is in and he has Diesel hold Razor up. He goes for Sweet Chin Music, but Razor ducks and he nails Diesel. Michaels begins to yell at Diesel and Diesel goes nuts. He starts throwing his teammates around trying to get to Shawn. He chases him to the back and all of the team is counted out, meaning Razor Ramon is your lone survivor here. This was actually a really entertaining match that also gave us the Diesel face turn (for better or for worse, you decide). The crowd was into this and so was I.

Match Rating: ***1/2

After the match, Michaels has his bags and is telling Todd Pettengill in a cowboy hat to follow him in the car. Michaels said that he wants nothing to do with Diesel ever again because he made him. Michaels speeds out of there. 

The Royal Family (Jerry Lawler, Cheesy, Sleazy & Queasy) vs. Clowns Are Us (Doink, Dink, Wink & Pink)

Doink and Lawler kick this one off. I could be missing something, but I think this is basically the beginning of the end for Doink. We get some shenanigans where Dink, Wink and Pink all run over Lawler when he's down and then Cheesy, Sleazy and Queasy chase after him and run over him as well. Lawler does the same thing to Doink and it leads to his teammates tripping and falling at the end. If you couldn't tell, this is a comedy match. Doink puts Dink on his shoulders for a chicken fight, so Lawler tries to do it with Sleazy, except Lawler goes on his shoulders and he instantly tips over. Lawler and Doink go for a test of strength and then the teammates come in for a crisscross. It leads to the clowns hitting a double dropkick. Lawler hits Doink with a foreign object to take control. Doink throws Lawler into his three teammates and then everyone begins chasing each other on the apron. They all start brawling and Doink hits a crossbody, but Lawler rolls through and grabs the tights to eliminate Doink. So Lawler is now technically not allowed to be in the ring. Queasy is the best, but after biting Dink's fingers, he gets bit in the butt. Dink hits a monkey flip on Cheesy. Wink tries for one, but Lawler grabs onto Cheesy and he gets the pinfall. Lawler drops Cheesy onto Pink and he is eliminated. Pink slides under the ring after being eliminated. It's left to just Dink here and he heads up to the top and hits a crossbody, but Lawler breaks up the pin. Queasy comes in and flips them over and Dink is gone. The Royal Family gets the clean sweep here. Dink also goes under the ring as Lawler is celebrating. Lawler grabs the mic and starts insulting his teammates and tells them they need to get on their knees and kiss his royal feet. Sleazy, Cheesy and Queasy continue to celebrate, so Lawler kicks them out of the ring. They still are celebrating and Lawler chases after them. They try to fight him, but now we have Dink, Pink and Wink all attacking Lawler. They chase him around the ring and all the way to the entrance. Then from behind, it's Doink and he hits him with a pie in the face. Some of this match was fun enough, it was just way too long for what they were trying to accomplish.

Match Rating: *

After we see Todd crack up at the pie in the face, they show highlights of Bull Nakano winning the WWF Women's Championship. Todd interviews her and she speaks in Japanese. 

Submission Match For The WWF Championship
Bob Backlund vs. Bret Hart

Bret is on the offense in the early going and we get lots of headlocks to hammer home that it's a submission match. Bret tries to lock in the Sharpshooter, but Backlund is able to kick out. Backlund finally gets an opening and starts working on the arm. Backlund goes for the Crossface Chickenwing, but Bret is able to block it. Stu and Helen are at ringside, as are Bret's kids. I will give them credit, they are keeping the crowd interested. I'm somewhere in the middle so far. Bret is able to slap on the Figure Four, but Owen has the towel on the steps and says they are staying right there. Backlund reverses it and Owen rejoices. Backlund hits a piledriver and both men are down. Bret eventually mounts a comeback and hits a backbreaker. It's time for the second rope elbow drop and then he goes for the Shaprshooter. Owen tries to come in, but Bulldog chases him around the ring. He gets it on and the referee tries to get Bulldog out of the ring and Owen attacks Bret to break the hold and some good heat from the crowd. Bulldog charges at Owen and Bulldog ends up running into the steel steps and is knocked unconscious. Bret goes to check on him and and locks in the Crossface Chickenwing. We get a split screen of Owen showing concern about Bulldog and Bret being locked in the hold. Bret has been in the hold now for at least a few minutes, which has to be a joy for him. Owen eventually goes over to his parents and starts begging for her to throw in the towel. This is all taking place over a little bit too much time for my taste. In wrestling we are conditioned to see "unconscious" people get up and mount a comeback within a matter of minutes, yet Bulldog hasn't moved and yet no one has checked in on him. Owen is finally able to convince Helen to throw in the towel and Owen runs to the back gloating. We have a new WWF Champion and the crowd is in shock. Bret is helped to the back and Backlund is awarded the title belt. I got back into wrestling about 6 months after this and was completely shocked when I saw that Bret lost to Backlund. The match was actually pretty good until the ending. The ending was good, but it just took way too long. 

Match Rating: ***

We go back to Todd with Owen and he says that Bret is down in the gutter now. He says that Bret's a quitter and he would never quit. 

Gorilla and Vince are in shock that they fell for Owen. Gorilla even has his arms crossed in disgust. He calls Owen a first class creep. 

The Million Dollar Team (Tatanka, Bam Bam Bigelow, King Kong Bundy & Heavenly Bodies) vs. Guts And Glory (Lex Luger, Mabel, Adam Bomb & Smoking Gunns)

After a little bit of Tatanka offense, Luger cleans house. Bundy walks in the ring and Mabel is right there. We get Prichard and Mabel now while Gorilla wonders why IRS is not on the team. He's too busy trying to find out if dead people were tax cheats. Mabel hits a crossbody splash off the second rope and Prichard is already gone. Del Ray tries a clothesline, but it doesn't bother Mabel and he hits a Rock Bottom. In comes Bundy now and we have the big guys. Mabel is able knock Bundy down with a shoulder tackle and in comes Bam Bam. Mabel hits his spin kick and climbs up to the top rope. Bam Bam meets him there and slams him off. Bam Bam then goes for a top rope sunset flip, but Mabel squashes him instead. Mabel hits a clothesline and both men tumble to the floor. Bam Bam is able to get back in the ring and Mabel has been counted out. Del Ray hits a superkick on Billy before Adam Bomb and Bam Bam are in there. Bomb counters out of a suplex, but then misses with a dive. Bomb comes back in with the slingshot clothesline. He runs the ropes, but Bundy hits him in the back of the head. Bam Bam hits a bulldog and then hits a spinning splash to eliminate Bomb. Luger comes right in and gets a nearfall. Del Ray is in there and Luger hits a clothesline to eliminate Del Ray. The Gunns work together to wear down Tatanka. They hit their leg drop/side suplex combo, but Tatanka kicks out. Bart goes for a crucifix, but Tatanka catches him and hits the End Of The Trail for the pinfall. Luger gets some more time in with Tatanka before tagging in Billy. Tatanka catches Billy in midair and hits a spinebuster. He tags in Bundy, but he misses with an elbow drop. He is able to squash him in the corner and then hits an elbow drop to eliminate Billy. It's now Luger by himself. Tatanka distracts Luger, which gives Bundy his opening. The Million Dollar Team continues to work on Luger, but can't eliminate him. Tatanka hits a series of elbow drops, but when he goes for the body slam, Luger rolls him up and gets the pinfall. Bundy immediately comes in and hits the elbow drop and gets the victory for his team. This had a lot more action than I was expecting. After the match, they attack Luger until Luger's team comes running down and we now have ourselves a big brawl. After Guts And Glory clear the ring, they check in on the injured Luger. 

Match Rating: ***

Pettengill is with Bob Backlund and he says that he's been the champion since 1978 because he never lost. He cuts a pretty psychotic promo here. I'm surprised that doesn't pop up more often. 

Chuck Norris is introduced here to a pretty good ovation. I have to say I never understood any of the appeal of Norris. 

Casket Match
Yokozuna vs. Undertaker

Yoko is playing up his fear of the casket and is quickly knocked on top of it in front of Paul Bearer and Norris. Taker slams Yoko into the steps and then hits Old School. Yoko comes back and hits a Samoan drop, but Taker sits up. Yoko follows up with a clothesline and Taker again sits up, but this time a little bit slower. He tries to get Taker in the casket, but he gets his neck snapped on the ropes instead. Yoko does get Taker in the casket, but he gets his arms up to block the lid. They both end up in the casket and are trading blows. Mr. Fuji comes from behind and grabs the hair of Taker. He goes after Fuji and he tries to set up a sneak attack from Cornette, but it backfires and Taker takes a shot at him. Yoko does take advantage though and knocks him back to the outside. After some slow offense from Yoko, Taker comes back and hits a top rope clothesline. It should be noted that Norris has done absolutely nothing to this point. Taker tries to roll Yoko into the casket and out comes King Kong Bundy. Bam Bam Bigelow comes out and joins him. The distraction allows for IRS to come in from behind and attack Taker. He slaps on the sleeper hold and Chuck hasn't taken his eyes off of Bam Bam and Bundy. IRS dumps Taker into the casket. They all escape without getting involved with Norris. Yoko is trying to get himself up to close the lid. He tries to reach and finally gets it, but Taker grabs him by the throat. Out comes Jeff Jarrett, but he's hit with a kick from Norris. Taker hits a leaping clothesline and a DDT. Taker hits a boot to the face that sends him in the casket. Taker grabs the Japanese flag, cracks it on his knee and throws it in the casket before closing it and winning the match. Really? The interference made no sense here, Chuck Norris hardly did anything and the match was boring. I mean, I wasn't expecting a thrilling match, but I thought it would be a little bit better with some good interference. Instead we get IRS. 

Match Rating: *

You know what? I didn't mind this show. Yeah, the main event was bad, but I mean who thought it would be good? Three out of the five matches were pretty good, with the opener coming close to greatness. I'm not saying this is a good show, but I can see how some would have nostalgia for it. Not great, but not terrible.

Overall Rating: 51%

Off The Grid, Volume 28: Survivor Series 1991 Review

Wednesday, November 27th, 1991
Joe Louis Arena
Detroit, Michigan

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Off The Grid, Volume 28:

I begged to go to this show, but with us hosting Thanksgiving the next day, it wasn't meant to be. I was able to order it on pay-per-view and of the shows where the recording actually worked, this was probably the one I watched the least. Let's see how this one holds up. 

We start the show off with them showing one of the most memorable moments of my childhood where Jake Roberts had a snake bite the arm of Randy Savage. This is still one of the craziest moments in company history. They then show Jack Tunney's announcement that he can't let Randy Savage wrestle at Survivor Series. All reptiles are now banned from ringside. He then announces that Randy Savage is reinstated and will face Jake Roberts at This Tuesday In Texas, making their Survivor Series match a 3 vs. 3. 

Ted DiBiase, Mountie, Warlord & Ric Flair vs. Bret Hart, Virgil, British Bulldog & Roddy Piper

A Flair distraction allows DiBiase to attack Piper, but he quickly hits a clothesline and then crotches him on the top rope the he delight of the crowd. Sherri gets dragged into the ring and gets on the back of Piper. Somehow it's not a DQ and Piper kisses her and sends her out of the ring. We then get quick tags by the faces and they work on the arm of DiBiase. Bret and DiBiase have a nice little nearfall segment together until DiBiase hits a hip toss and tags in Flair. Flair misses an elbow drop and Bret hits him with the inverted atomic drop and tags in Bulldog. He hits a slingshot on Flair and follows up with a press slam before tagging in Piper. The crowd is super hot for this match. Piper unloads on Flair and then slams him into the steel steps. Flair is able to tag in Warlord and Piper asks him for a test of strength. Piper decides to tag in Bulldog instead and he hits him with a dropkick. Bulldog gets hit with a boot to the face and tags in Mountie. Mountie accidentally allows a tag to Bret and he runs out of the ring. We now have Bret and DiBiase again and Bret hits a backbreaker and second rope elbow drop. Bret and DiBiase collide in the middle of the ring and both are down. Mountie and Bulldog both get tagged in and Bulldog hits some elbows. He hits a press slam and things break down. Bulldog double clotheslines DiBiase and Flair and hits the running powerslam on Mountie, but the referee can't count due to the other participants coming in the ring. Flair is able to hit Bulldog and he is eliminated. Piper is in and he's under attack in the wrong corner. Piper is able to slap on the Figure Four on Flair and we get more shenanigans that allows the heels to break the hold. DiBiase goes to work on the knee of Piper and tags in Mountie. Mountie puts on the Boston Crab, but Piper is able to drag him over and tag in Virgil. Virgil takes care of Flair and in comes DiBiase. DiBiase hits a powerslam and tags in Warlord. He dumps Virgil out of the ring and Flair attacks him. Warlord slaps on the Full Nelson, which leads to more guys interfering. Bret hits him off the second rope and Piper scores the pinfall. DiBiase almost gets immediately eliminated, but is able to kick out at 2. Piper hits a suplex and tags in Virgil. Virgil slaps on the Million Dollar Dream, but DiBiase is able to drive Virgil's head into the top turnbuckle. Flair gets tagged in and hits a back suplex. It eventually goes back to Flair and Piper. Piper is unloading on everyone and powerslams Flair off the top rope. He sends Flair over the top and the rest of the men are all in the ring. They are all brawling and the ref rings the bell. They announce that every man has been disqualified except for one, Ric Flair. That is an all time copout finish. They really couldn't have had Virgil and Mountie eliminated? I don't mind Flair winning cheaply, but I don't think they had to do it like this. The match otherwise was really good and one of my favorite traditional Survivor Series matches. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

We go to Mean Gene and he brings out the reinstated Macho Man Randy Savage for an interview. This is the giant feather in his hat version of Macho Man. It's kind of cool that there's a giant snake poster for Jake Roberts right behind Savage in this interview. They talk about reptiles being banned from ringside, but Savage informs us that Roberts is the biggest snake of them all. Gene asks what Elizabeth thinks of all of this and Savage says for him to ask her himself. They bring out Miss Elizabeth and she thanks everyone for reinstating her husband. 

Col. Mustafa, Skinner, Berzerker & Hercules vs. Texas Tornado, El Matador, Jim Duggan & Sgt. Slaughter

Hercules is a sub for Big Bully Busick, who didn't last long here in 1991. Even with that, we have one of the most random teams in Survivor Series history. El Matador also replaced Ricky Steamboat in a swap of two huge 80s stars that Vince felt the need to repackage. Tito is able to hit the flying forearm on Skinner, but he is knocked out of the ring. I feel like this is a good time for me to talk about how much I love Berzerker. Tito misses with a crossbody and Berzerker misses with a second rope stomp. In comes Texas Tornado and they brawl in the corner. Berzerker misses with both a clothesline and a dropkick. We now get everyone's two favorite punchers in Hercules and Hacksaw in there. The heels cheat and hold Duggan in the corner to attack him. Mustafa is in and uses his illegal but legal boots to the face of Duggan. This one is starting to get a little sloppy. Mustafa just wasn't in ring shape in 1991. Duggan hits a suplex and makes a tag to Slaughter. He hits a clothesline on Mustafa and he's eliminated. Berzerker hits Slaughter's face into an exposed turnbuckle and follows up with a boot for a 2 count. Hercules then throws Slaughter face-first into the ring post and it's still not enough. Berzerker gets crotched and taken for a ride and in comes Duggan. He clotheslines Berzerker over the top and then he comes back in and back body drops him over the top. He comes back with a headbutt to the midsection. Duggan hits a blind tag to Tornado and he hits a spinning punch. It feels like we're at the point of the match where no one knows what is going on in there. Tito gets tagged in despite being nowhere near the corner. He hits the flying forearm and eliminates Herc. Skinner is in and he and Berzerker single Tito out in the corner. Slaughter makes a blind tag and rolls up to eliminate Skinner. It's left to just Berzerker. Slaughter launches Berzerker into a Duggan clothesline and he's gone, with all four men surviving. As much fun as it is with the random grouping of wrestlers here, things got sloppy quickly and it ruined the flow. 

Match Rating: *

Now it's time for Jake Roberts to get his interview segment promoting his match that's not on this pay-per-view. I'm surprised no one has stolen Jake's taste in sweaters. Gene brings up that snakes are barred from ringside, but Jake says that he's always been the snake you should worry about. Gorilla informs us that This Tuesday In Texas will be on TV on a pay-per-view basis. 

We get the Undertaker/Hulk Hogan video, which features a whole lot of Ric Flair. 

WWF Championship Match
Undertaker vs. Hulk Hogan

I was never a Hulk Hogan fan, so I was 100% behind Undertaker here, which is kind of ironic since I don't really like him either. Hulk takes casket Undertaker brought out and chucks it on the ground. After the feud with Sgt. Slaughter, this feud just felt so different and Undertaker looked the part as the monster who could actually beat Hogan. I remember many lunch table arguments over this one. We get lots of stalling to start things off and lots of slow Undertaker offense. Hogan finally gets some offense, but can't knock him off his feet. He then gives him the softest looking clothesline to gently knock him over the top rope and Taker lands on his feet. Taker slams Hogan into the steps and then goes back to his slow, boring offense. Paul Bearer joins in on the fun and Heenan plays up that his monitor keeps going out. Taker slaps on the claw to the face for what feels like an eternity. Did they think it was still 1971 here? Hogan fights it off like he always does and hits some shoulder blocks, but Taker fights back with a leaping clothesline. Taker gets him up and hits the Tombstone. Hogan no sells it and is right back on his feet. Taker hits him with a series of right hands and finally gets him down to one knee. Out comes Ric Flair while Hogan hits a body slam. Paul Bearer distracts Hogan and then he sees Flair and greets him with a right hand. Hogan hits the big boot, but when he goes for the leg drop, Bearer grabs his leg. Taker attacks him and puts him up for another Tombstone. Flair slides a chair and he hits the Tombstone on it and picks up the victory. Gorilla is having a fit that it took 3 guys to beat Hogan. This should have been a big heavyweight battle, but so much of the offense looked to have no fire behind it. Add in the fact that half the match felt like it was Hogan in a claw hold, this one was an absolute dud of a match. The moment is historic, the match is garbage.

Match Rating: 1/2*

After the long sell from Hogan, we go to Mean Gene and he's eventually joined to Roddy Piper. He cuts a promo on Flair and how it's a terrible day. We then go to Sean Mooney with Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect and they declare Hulkamania as dead. Now IRS, Earthquake, Typhoon and Jimmy Hart are with Mean Gene. Jimmy thinks this should have been 4 on 3 since he only got bit by a tiny snake. Mooney draws LOD and Big Boss Man and lots of loud noises. Mean Gene has never seen anything so disgusting as Jack Tunney. Oh, he means the Hogan finish. Tunney says Taker's win is final, but Hogan will get his rematch This Tuesday In Texas and Tunney will be ringside. As a youngster who thought wrestling was still real at this point, even I knew Hogan was going to win his title back.

Beverly Brothers & Nasty Boys vs. Bushwhackers & Rockers

Only the Rockers really get a good ovation here. Danny Davis's hair is a sight to behold. After a bunch of nothing, Knobbs all of a sudden jumps off the second rope onto Luke and pins him. No one tries to save him and no one in the building thought he would get pinned from that. This one just has no flow to it so far. They do a weird spot where Marty barely touches the referee but he checks on him and Beau regains control. The Nasty Boys really lost their heat after losing to LOD at SummerSlam. These guys were also at a tough spot in the card after Hogan lost and then a long intermission. The Beverly Brothers hit their finisher and Butch is gone. I don't care what anyone says, the Beverly Brothers were great. I still don't get the gimmick, but they were fun in the ring. The heels now have the 2 on 4 advantage and have Michaels singled out. Michaels counters out of a backbreaker and hits a backslide to eliminate Beau. Blake comes right in and hits a powerslam. Michaels is able to dropkick Sags out of the ring and hits a flying shoulder tackle off the apron. He hits a superkick on Knobbs. They are selling the fact that Michaels isn't making the tag though. He goes flying off the top rope, but gets hit by Sags. Blake hits a big leg drop, but gets hit in the face with a kick. Gorilla is begging for a tag and he finally does. Sags hits a pump handle slam on Marty and he's really proud of himself. Marty is able to make the tag and Michaels hits a clothesline on Sags. All 5 men end up in the ring and Blake gets sandwiched by the Nasty Boys. Marty accidentally hits Michaels with one of the Nasty Boys legs and he gets pinned. Michaels is furious and chews out Marty. He calms down and walks away, but Gorilla doesn't realize that he was eliminated. Marty gets dumped out of the ring and the heels gloat. Marty is able to throw Knobbs into the ring post and then leaps off the top rope onto both Nasty Boys. He goes for an inside cradle and they roll Sags over and he picks up the victory. There were just a lot of awkward spots in this one with some good action sprinkled in between. The crowd was pretty dead and it probably should have been the opener, but wasn't because of the Rockers angle. 

Match Rating: **3/4

After the match they still are claiming that Michaels left the match. 

IRS & Natural Disasters vs. Big Boss Man & Legion Of Doom

I know that this is not technically the main event, but in general terms it is the last match on the card. With that being said, has there ever been a more random final match on a pay-per-view than this match? I love this era of Boss Man. There were no big men moving like he was here in 1991. Earthquake is tagged in and calls for Animal to get tagged in. Quake catches him and hits a backbreaker. Animal moves out of the way on the splash and hits a dropkick. After the others get in a little bit of action, we eventually get back to Boss Man and IRS again. The ref is distracted by the LOD on the outside and that allows IRS to hit Boss Man with a briefcase and he eliminates him. Gorilla loves Detroit because his good friend, Bobo Brazil lives here. Hawk hits Typhoon with a leaping shoulder tackle, but then IRS attacks him from behind. Earthquake hands him the briefcase, but Hawk ducks and he hits Typhoon. Typhoon is eliminated and we're even now. Earthquake is not happy with IRS. The Natural Disasters are the original bromance. Earthquake decides to leave with his buddy, so now it's just IRS vs. Legion Of Doom. Hawk misses him in the corner and rams his shoulder into the ring post. IRS on the outside then throws Hawk into the steps. We get a really awkward spot where they run into each other. IRS goes for a suplex, but Hawk blocks it and hits one of his own. IRS starts to head to the back for the countout loss, but Boss Man comes out and makes him go back to the ring. Animal suplexes him back in the ring and Hawk hits a clothesline off the top rope for the victory. The first half of the match was fun, but it lost all of it's steam after the Boss Man elimination. 

Match Rating: **1/4

Sean Mooney basically just tells us that Hulk doesn't want to talk to us. Gorilla has breaking news and Mean Gene has found the Undertaker. He says that Hulkamania died at the Survivor Series.

This was the Survivor Series that confirmed that this gimmick was dead. The brought in a championship match to help make it more intriguing and while the finish is historic, it didn't really accomplish much else. The opening match is one of my more favorite traditional Survivor Series match, but everything else is skippable. 

Overall Rating: 46%

Survivor Series War Games 2022 Review

Saturday, November 26th, 2022
TD Garden
Boston, Massachusetts

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We get an Ozzy Osbourne appearance for the hype video for War Games. This is pretty sweet. The sirens are sounding and the cages are lowering. Michael Cole talks about Crockett Promotions and lists off the competitors of the debut match. 

Women's War Games Match
Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Mia Yim & Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley, Nikki Cross, Dakota Kai, Iyo Sky & Bayley

Dakota Kai and Bianca are starting the match off and Bayley's team has the advantage. They go back and forth until Kai is able to hit a running boot to the face and into the cage to a seated Bianca. Bianca is able to slow her down and hits a vertical suplex. Dakota hits a handstand kick, but Bianca catches her and slams her face first into the mat. She starts using the cage and out comes Sky. Sky hits a dropkick and eventually hits a leaping headscissors. Bianca is now in between the two rings with opponents on goth sides. Sky hits a crossbody through the ropes and they hit her with a series of moves in the corner. Sky has two odd mistakes where she isn't able to hit her kick because of the cage. Even when she hit it, it looked off. Sky comes back with a springboard missile dropkick and now it's time for Asuka to make her entrance. Her and Sky battle and Sky is just off today. Asuka isn't and she hits a hip attack and a series of kicks and spinning backhands. Asuka and Dakota start to battle on separate top ropes and then Bianca press slams her into the cage. Nikki Cross is the next partner in and she grabs some kendo sticks and garbage can lids. Asuka tries to come over, but she gets her head slammed by the door. Nikki hits a tornado DDT on Bianca. They dominate until it's time for Alexa Bliss to make her entrance. She makes a quick impact and she and Asuka team up to knock out Sky and Cross. Cross grabs a stick, but Bianca takes it away and cracks it on her knee. Cross starts to climb the cage while everyone starts swinging kendo sticks. Cross hits a flying crossbody off the top rope to knock out every single woman in the ring. It's now time for Bayley to make her entrance. She goes under the ring and grabs herself a ladder. After tossing that one in, she goes ahead and grabs a second ladder. The crowd chants for tables and Bayley delivers. They set up a table in between the two rings and slide it into the midsection of Bianca. Mia Yim comes down and tosses in a couple of garbage cans. She chucks one at a leaping Kai and slams Sky on a lid to her throat. Yim hits a suicide dive through the ropes into Bayley. All 8 women are battling up on a corner and Bianca hits a superplex and then Yim, Bliss and Asuka follow. It's now time for Rhea Ripley. She catches a diving Bliss and turns it into a vertical suplex. Yim is able to kick out Ripley's legs and then hits a somersault dive into a trash can in the corner. Sky hits Yim in the head with a trash can lid and now it's time for Becky Lynch. The match has officially begun. Becky puts a trash can on Sky and hits a guillotine leg drop. Becky duels Bayley and gets the best of her, but now she tries to go after Ripley. Bayley is able to assist and we have our first pinfall attempt. Bayley is able to hit the Rose Plant on the steel between the rings for a 2 count. Sky is trying to climb up the corner and it leads us to tower of doom spot, but Cross stops it from happening with a kendo stick shot to Bianca. Bayley takes an ugly looking spot from Bianca and then Sky hits a moonsault from the top rope on Bianca and Yim. Cross grabs some handcuffs and puts them on Bliss. Bliss blocks her from putting her on the rope and handcuffs herself to Nikki before hitting an electric chair onto a garbage can. Asuka hits a Code Breaker, but then Riple catches her and slams her into the cage. Yim is on the back of Ripley and she drives her into the ladder in the corner and it breaks in a cool spot. We now have a face off between Damage Control and Becky and Bianca. They start brawling and Bianca goes for the KOD. Dakota gets out but Becky hits the Man Slam. Bianca hits the KOD on Sky and now they set up a table. Becky climbs up to the top while Bianca holds Dakota on the table. Bayley starts climbing, but Bianca pulls her off and hits a KOD into the cage. Becky hits a leg drop onto Sky and Kai through the table and picks up the victory. That was a pretty crazy spot there. The match itself was a little all over the place. They put in the effort to make this entertaining and as far as that goes they succeeded. With any match like this, there were plenty of sloppy spots and moments where it was just too unnatural. It was entertaining, but I wouldn't necessarily be dying to watch this again soon.

Match Rating: ***1/2

They show a clip of Jey Uso spying on a conversation between Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens from SmackDown. Jey and Roman Reigns talk about it backstage with Paul Heyman just sitting in the background. Roman asks Heyman to bring in Zayn. 

Finn Balor vs. AJ Styles

First we get a Crockett Promotions recap and now we're getting Kushida references. This match is essentially the equivalent of Roddy Piper/Hulk Hogan at Starrcade 1996 as far as their age goes. Styles goes for a sunset flip, but Balor is able to roll through and hits a dropkick. After some wearing down done by Balor, AJ hits a forearm to a seated Balor. Styles is able to snap Balor's leg on the middle rope and he's looking for the Phenomenal Forearm. Dominik Mysterio gets involved and we have a brawl on the outside. They go through the crowd and we have some pin attempts in the ring. Balor hits a Sling Blade and we get some more back and forth action. Balor goes for a Styles Clash, but Styles counters it into a Calf Crusher. We get some Pele kicks and both men are down. It's not even 9:30 yet and I'm battling to stay awake here. Balor catches Styles and hits a gut buster for a 2 count. They continue to go at it and honestly, I'm enjoying just watching this one. AJ hits the Phenomenal Forearm and that's all. I'm not sure where they are going with the story, but I am surprised that Styles won here. The match featured a lot of good action and I'm glad they got the interference out of the match.

Match Rating: ***1/2

SmackDown Women's Championship Match
Shotzi vs. Ronda Rousey

This one just feels like a time filler on a card that's already going to run long with only 5 matches. Shotzi starts off hot and goes for a dive through the ropes, but Shayna Baszler moves Ronda and takes the blow. Shotzi hits a weird looking dive off the top rope and Ronda kind of hits a suplex off of it. Ronda puts on the Ankle Lock, but Shotzi hits an enzuigiri. Shotzi hits a right hand on the apron and stuns Rousey. She then hits some sort of awkward looking move. We get some shenanigans with Baszler and Shotzi takes them both out and into the crowd. Shotzi hits a dive onto both of them and they land on some "fans" in the front row, knocking them all to the floor. I'm pretty sure Shotzi should have lost by countout there. Ronda shifts the momentum and locks in the arm bar for the victory. I don't think Shotzi will be getting many more pay-per-view title matches any time soon. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Sami Zayn is finally there to talk to Roman. He asks Sami if he was talking to KO and he confesses that he did. Roman asks why he lied to Jey and Sami says it was because he didn't want that on Jey's mind before his match. He says that it was really Owens talking to him and he was only listening and that's all. It leads to the two hugging. 

Triple Threat Match For The United States Championship
Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Theory vs. Seth Rollins

It feels like Rollins may be the most over person on the roster. Lashley sends Theory to the floor instantly and we have Rollins and Lashley going at it now. Theory trips Rollins up off the apron and throws him into the barricade. Theory tries to take it to Lashley, but he ends up eating a vertical suplex. Lashley is able to take care of Rollins too and then hits a combo move on them both at the same time. We get some brawling on the outside and it leads to Theory bringing it to Rollins in the ring. He sneaks outside and makes sure Lashley is still down and out. If you didn't know that Theory had a new attitude, Michael Cole has let us know 372 times. Rollins hits a somersault dive onto both (sort of) and the crowd loves it. Rollins hits a sit down power bomb, but Theory kicks out. I'll be honest, I'm enjoying just watching this one and not really feeling like typing. We're getting lots of fun spots though where all three men are involved. Rollins runs off the back of Theory and hits the Stomp on Lashley. Rollins and Theory are up top and Rollins hits a superplex. Rollins rolls through for the Falcon Arrow, but Lashley hits the Spear. Theory falls on top and picks up the victory. Once again, I will live up to my self-proclaimed reputation of Mr. Triple Threat. 

Match Rating: ****

Men's War Games Match
Roman Reigns, Usos, Solo Sikoa & Sami Zayn vs. Sheamus, Ridge Holland, Butch, Drew McIntyre & Kevin Owens

It's Jey and Butch to kick this match off and Sheamus's team has the advantage. Before I know it, the countdown is over and Ridge is in. I wonder if he played rugby with Antonio Cesaro? The Brawling Brutes are double teaming Jey and the crowd isn't really as into it as they should be. It's time for Jimmy Uso to come out, but Roman decides that it's going to be Zayn instead. The crowd starts chanting "Sami Uso", which is music to my ears. Zayn geos after Holland and hits a frantic series of stomps while basically running on him between the two rings. Zayn and Uso work together, but they don't trust each other. Butch hits a moonsault on both men and then Ridge flips both men over at the same time. Sami pulls Jey out of the way of a charging Ridge and he hits the cage. Drew McIntyre is coming out next and he is attacked by both opponents, but he fends them off and starts throwing Jey into the cage. He catches Zayn off the top rope and hits a belly-to-belly overhead suplex. He hits a big spinebuster on Jey and then sets him up top. He goes for a superplex, but Sami makes the save. Ridge throws Zayn into the cage and Drew ends up being in the tree of woe, but pulling himself up to throw Jey off the top. Jimmy Uso makes his way down to the ring now. He goes under the ring and grabs a table. Make it three. Not a whole lot happens in this segment and now Kevin Owens is out to grab some chairs. I was kind of hoping they'd go weapon free in this one. He unloads on the Usos with the chair and then hits a cannonball on Jey. He follows it up with the Swanton and then throws a chair at Jimmy. Owens slams Jimmy through a table in what feels like a premature spot. Michael Cole is having a rough time on this match with Corey correcting him a lot. Solo Sikoa is out to even the score. This is my first time watching Solo wrestle. He hits a Samoan drop and then he and Owens meet between the rings and start nailing each other with right hands. Owens slams him into the cage and then gets hit with two superkicks. Owens goes for a powerbomb, but Sikoa hits a back body drop. Drew invites Solo to come his way. McIntyre and he clash and now everyone in the ring is on the mat. Out comes Sheamus as the final member of his team. Zayn grabs the door before Sheamus can get in, but he ends up getting the door slammed on him. Sheamus hits a double clothesline off the top rope on both Usos. Sheamus hits White Noise off the second rope and now it's time for Roman Reigns. The all out brawl has begun. Roman hits a big uppercut on everyone and then hits the Superman punch on Sheamus. He goes for the Spear, but Sheamus kicks him in the face. Sheamus's team all hit the Ten Beats Of Bodhran in a fun spot. Sheamus hits a Brogue Kick, but then gets hit with a Spear for a 2 count. Butch ducks and Zayn gets hit by a superkick. The Usos hit a 1D off the second rope, but Ridge makes the save. He gets hit with a double superkick and then gets hit with a Roman Spear through the table in the corner. Solo hits a suplex through a table on Drew and Owens hits a Stunner on him for a 2 count. Now Owens and Reigns square off. They start slugging it out and Reigns hits the Superman Punch. Owens blocks a Spear and hits the Pop Up Powerbomb and Stunner, but Zayn stops the referee's count. Zayn and Owens stare each other down. He blocks an Uso superkick, but Zayn gets on his knees and hits him with a low blow. Zayn is second guessing himself, but then hits the Helluva Kick on Owens. Jey hits a top rope splash and that's all. I didn't think a turn was happening here, as the story is going too well for them to pull the trigger here. I'd really love for them to trim a little bit of time off of these War Games matches, especially if they are going to do two in one night. Sami Zayn continues to be the best character on WWE TV and he hugs Roman after the match. He celebrates with the Usos and Zayn is on fire. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

This was a really good show that really was only weighed down by the Women's match and the fact that there were two really lengthy matches that were similar. The main event featured fantastic storytelling and was the more memorable one as a result. The triple threat won't get any hype, but I loved it. This was the best show of the Triple H era by quite a bit.

Overall Rating: 80%

SmackDown 10-13-06 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, October 13th, 2006
Veterans Memorial Arena
Jacksonville, Florida

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We get a No Mercy recap before the introduction and pyro. 

United States Championship Match
Mr. Kennedy vs. Chris Benoit

Kennedy talks about how he beat the Undertaker last night and that it wasn't good enough for Teddy Long. He now has to face another man that he's never beat. If he beats him, he gets to go to Raw. Benoit gets to make two surprise matches in one week. Kennedy attacks him on his way to the ring, but it's only a matter of seconds until Benoit is hitting a snap suplex. We get a stiff battle with Kennedy on the apron that leads to Kennedy being thrown back in and Benoit hitting the top rope headbutt. Benoit locks in the Sharpshooter and then switches to the Crippler Crossface, but Kennedy is able to grab the bottom rope. After the commercial break, Kennedy is able to hit the WWE's favorite spot by hitting Benoit's shoulder into the ring post. Kennedy is able to hit his shoulder in the post a second time and Benoit is in pain. Benoit tries to sneak on a Sharpshooter, but Kennedy is able to block it and keeps on with an aggressive attack. Undertaker's music hits and the smoke starts to fill the entrance. Benoit is able to start battling back and hits a German suplex. Kennedy battles out of a second one, but Undertaker is out now and Benoit finishes the trio and adds a fourth. He slaps on the Crippler Crossface and Kennedy taps. We have a new United States Champion and now Undertaker is gone. This was a good way to kick off the show and a better match than his match with Regal at No Mercy.

Match Rating: ***1/4

They show Vince McMahon's return on Raw and his announcement of the main event of Cyber Sunday. King Booker is not happy about having to defend his championship next week on SmackDown. 

William Regal vs. Vito

They highlight Regal's rough night at No Mercy. Regal pulls Vito out of the ring and hits a nice boot to the face that sends him into the steps. Vito tries to get some offense by mooning the crowd, but misses from the top rope. Regal goes for a sunset flip, but Vito counters it, shoves his junk in his face and wins. This just continues to never end. 

Match Rating: *

Bobby Lashley talks about earning his way to the #1 contender. He says that he welcomes the pressure. 

MVP is out to talk about his match at No Mercy and how vicious of an opponent that was selected for him. The crowd chants "Power Ranger" again at him. He says that he wants some real competition here and that brings out Teddy Long. His opponent is the man who lost on Raw and now is on the SmackDown roster, Kane. 

MVP vs. Kane

MVP keeps delaying the start of the match to do some stretching in the corner. He claims to get some sweat in his eye and rolls outside. Kane is out there to attack him, but the match has not officially started yet. After taking a beating, MVP rakes the eyes of Kane and heads to the back. There was never a match here. 

They show the John Cena Marine video again. 

Jamie Noble vs. Rey Mysterio

Chavo and Vickie Guerrero come out before the bell rings. He promises that they are just going to stand there and not interfere in his match. We come back from commercial and the match has started. After a tilt-a-whirl headscissors by Mysterio, Noble is able to throw Mysterio into the turnbuckle. Noble hits a little bit of an awkward running knee for a 2 count. Mysterio hits a roll through kick to the head and follows it up with a springboard moonsault. Rey hits a seated senton, but takes too long to capitalize and gets hit with a powerslam. Mysterio comes back and trips him up and hits the 619. He follows it up with the springboard leg drop and that is all. After the match, Chavo congratulates Rey and asks if he's proud of himself for driving Chavo to the low point of his career. Chavo says that the only way they're going to finish this is if one of them quits. Chavo challenges Rey to an I Quit match next week. Vickie interjects and says that the difference between Eddie and Rey wasn't in the last name, it's that Eddie had balls. Rey accepts and says that those words will be coming out of Chavo's mouth. The match was decent, but only designed to continue the feud with Chavo.

Match Rating: 3/4*

Maryse welcomes back to SmackDown. 

Brian Kendrick, Paul London & Jimmy Wang Yang vs. Idol Stevens, KC James & Sylvan

All 6 men are in the ring almost instantly and the faces clear the ring. London and Yang hit stereo dives and then hold up James ad Stevens for Kendrick, but Sylvan comes from behind and gets to him before he can. The heels single out Kendrick and go to work. Well, I'm guessing this is going to be a quick one because he already makes the hot tag to Yang. London ducks and James and Stevens fly out of the ring. London hits a dive, Kendrick hits Dr. Teeth on Sylvan and Yang hits a moonsault to finally pick up a victory. This was spiritied, but short.

Match Rating: *3/4

After a Raw Rebound, they talk to Finlay and he says he's going to knock Lashley's teeth out and beat Batista tonight. 

After commercial, it's Batista's time to talk. He says he doesn't want anything handed to him and he's on his way to winning back his World Heavyweight Championship.

Out comes King Booker and Queen Sharmell. 

World Heavyweight Championship #1 Contender Triple Threat Match
Bobby Lashley vs. Finlay vs. Batista

We get a double boot to the face between Lashley and Batista, so in comes Finlay to take advantage. He dumps Batista out of the ring and goes to work on Lashley. Lashley comes back at him and hits the running powerslam. In comes Hornswoggle and jumps on the referee. It leads to Lashley chasing him around the ring and then clotheslining Finlay. Batista comes back in the ring and hits clotheslines on both men. He clotheslines Finlay over the top and hits a spinebuster on Lashley. He goes for the Batista Bomb on Lashley, but Finlay runs in and hits a clothesline. Back outside the ring, Batista slams both men's heads into the steps and starts clearing off the announce table. Batista tries to powerslam Finlay through the table, but for some reason, Lashley stops him. He and Finlay then work together and slam Batista through the table. Finlay and Lashley battle now and it leads to Finlay hitting the Celtic Cross. Batista is able to crawl back in and break up the pin attempt. Finlay takes a piece of the table and throws it at Batista's head. Batista goes for a press slam on Lashley, but Batista hits him with a Spear and all 3 men are down. Finlay ducks a clothesline and Batista hits Lashley. Finlay then hits a DDT on Batista for a 2 count. Hornswoggle throws in a chair and even though it's legal, the referee steps on it before he can get to it. Finlay grabs the shillelagh and hits Lashley with it. Batista avoids it and hits the Batista Bomb for the victory. They gave these guys a lot of time and they had mostly a standard match until the final few moments when it kicked into the next gear. So next week, we are getting Batista vs. King Booker again. 

Match Rating: **3/4

This was a strong episode for the blue brand. They came off of a decent pay-per-view and put together a good show. It started off hot and ended with a crowd pleasing finish. They also set the stage for a really big episode next week, as they go into a lengthy period of no pay-per-view.

Overall Rating: 63%

ECW 10-10-06 Review

Tuesday, October 10th, 2006
Kansas Coliseum
Wichita, Kansas

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Balls Mahoney is here to introduce us to the first ever Extreme Strip Poker. The women introduce themselves and this feels like public access quality production and acting. This is truthfully embarrassing to watch. I will also admit here that I have no idea how to play poker. Ashley loses her top and thankfully we're going to the arena. 

CM Punk vs. Rene Dupree

I kind of forgot Dupree made it this far into ECW. They do a split screen of the strip poker game. Punk gets knocked off the apron by a Dupree dropkick and lands on the edge of the announce table. Despite the disruptions, these two are actually having a pretty competitive and entertaining match. Punk hits the running knee/bulldog combo. Punk misses with the springboard clothesline, but hits a powerslam. Punk is able to slip on the Anaconda Vice and picks up the victory. I thought Dupree actually looked pretty good here. 

Match Rating: **

Back to strip poker. Kelly and Maria both lose before the commercial. We come back from commercial for more of this. What a great episode so far. It's now dealer's choice and Balls gets to pick which article of clothing is removed. Kristal loses and removes her skirt. 

Kevin Thorn vs. Tommy Dreamer

I will say that the live crowd seems to care a little bit more about the ECW roster than most of the shows up to this point. Dreamer takes a little bit of a beating before hitting a variation of a sit down powerbomb. Dreamer misses with an elbow drop and eats Thorns variation of a sit down powerbomb. Dreamer snaps Thorns back on the top rope and then hits a DDT for the victory. That was Thorn's first loss at this point. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Back to the poker table. Trust me, this is worse than you are probably remembering it. 

We get a Hardcore Holly/Rob Van Dam video package and then it's back to poker. They talk about how hot John Cena is and how he's a movie star now. I am voluntarily spending my Saturday night watching this. They ask Kelly about CM Punk, but Balls cuts them off. Kelly decides to take off more than just one item and takes off her top before the commercial break. 

They show The Marine premiere again.

Rob Van Dam, Sabu & Sandman vs. Big Show, Matt Striker & Test

We get a little bit of vintage RVD/Sabu teamwork with the Rolling Thunder/leg drop combo. The heels take control into the commercial break and after. Sabu eventually hits a DDT on Big Show, but is unable to make the tag. In comes Test and he puts on my favorite move, the bear hug. He hits a big boot and tags in Striker, Sabu is able to hit an enzuigiri and tag in RVD. He hits a series of kicks and then Test tries to interfere, but it backfires. We get Air Sabu which leads to a RVD 5 Star Frog Splash on Striker. Sandman wants to get tagged in and he does. He hits a series of left hands to the face and a top rope somersault for the victory. This was a pretty good main event even with the poker distractions. 

Match Rating: **3/4

Somehow there is still more poker left. Candice loses, but then accuses Maria of cheating. They rip of each others bras and then fight in the nude. Balls chants "E-C-W" and we go off the air. 

This was actually a good wrestling show, but they went ahead and ruined it with all the strip poker stuff. I'm sure there is still a demographic who would enjoy that, but I am not one of them. If not for all of that, it would have been one of the best episodes of this variation of ECW to date. 

Overall Rating: 58%

Monday Night Raw 10-9-06 Review

Monday, October 9th, 2006
Colonial Center
Columbia, South Carolina

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We have a new intro song to kick things off and as much as it pains me to say, it is a big improvement. I mean both songs aren't good, but this one is less bad and fits the era. This is the season premiere for whatever reason. Most premieres tend to take place in September, no? Michael Cole and JBL are also here tonight on behalf of SmackDown and Joey Styles and Tazz from ECW. 

John Cena's music hits to kick off the show and he gets a huge pop. Not that anyone reads a single word that I write on here (and I can't blame you). But if for some reason you just happen to be reading this sentence, I do really recommend watching the cage match between Edge and Cena on the previous Raw. Before Cena can get to talking about much, out comes King Booker and Queen Sharmell. Cena starts mocking his accent and tells him that this isn't a renaissance fair. Cena wants to throw down and Booker takes off his robe and is ready to go until Big Show's music hits. He says that he is the champion of champions and the most dominant in the ring. They argue over each other's movies and rip on Booker for Ready To Rumble. Cena says they need to stop talking about movies and goes after Big Show. Big Show clears the ring after the very brief action. 

Paul Heyman, Teddy Long and Jonathan Coachman are show arguing backstage. We come back to Heyman hyping up Big Show, which leads to Coach to say that Big Show will fight Jeff Hardy tonight. Heyman says that if his champion is fighting tonight, then both of theirs is also. Heyman says it will be King Booker against Rob Van Dam. Coach suggests that Cena take on Miz, but Teddy says it will be ONE ON ONE WITH THE UNDERTAKER.

Loser Leaves Raw Match
Umaga vs. Kane

Trust me, there's only one loser. They go at it right away with a 50/50 start. Kane is able to throw Umaga into the top of the turnbuckle and then goes up top. Umaga gets to him first and shoves him to the floor into the commercial break. Umaga goes for the splash in the corner, but Kane catches him. Umaga counters and hits a belly-to-belly suplex. Kane sits right up, so Umaga hits him with a flatliner. Umaga goes up top and hits a huge splash. Kane comes back and hits a top rope clothesline. We get a distraction and Armando Estrada hits him with a weapon and Umaga hits the Samoan Spike for the victory. Back in 2006, this was a great day since I didn't watch SmackDown very often and was done with Kane. Unfortunately, I have to watch it all now. This was about as good as this match was going to be to their credit. 

Match Rating: *3/4

Steve Spurrier is announced by Lilian Garcia since we are in South Carolina. 

Kane is shown walking in the back and gets introduced to the Highlanders. They tell him that he put his heart and soul into everything he did and wants to shake his hand. Kane greets him with a right hand and destroys them both. 

We now get DX in front of a podium for an apology. They bury the tag team division, make a bad joke about the Spirit Squad, make fun of Coach and Chris Masters, interfering with Edge and then for beating Cade and Murdoch before it happens. They then promote their merch. 2006 is mostly miss for DX. 

Big Show vs. Jeff Hardy

Hardy tries to chop down Show's legs, but he quickly is being hit with a slap to the chest. Show slams Hardy in the corner and goes up to the second rope. Hardy is able to roll out of the way and starts clubbing away on Show. Hardy goes for a DDT, but Show dumps him over the top rope. Hardy gets right back up and hits a Whisper In The Wind. Hardy goes up top again and hits the Swanton, but Show kicks out. That's a little surprising that they let him kick out of that so early in Hardy's run. Show hits the Big Sleep and the Show Stopper for the victory. Well, that was quick. One week you're winning the Intercontinental Championship, the next you're getting a fraction of the minutes that Sandman gets. After the match, Johnny Nitro comes in and attacks Hardy. Show comes back in the ring and hits the Big Sleep and tosses him out of the ring. 

Match Rating: *1/2

Street Fight
D-Generation X vs. Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch

Before the match, we get more Gamecock jokes than you would ever want in your life. Cade and Murdoch are able to get the best of DX and throw Triple H into the steps. They hit the inverted atomic drop/boot to the face combo on Michaels and then start whipping him with a belt. DX shifts the momentum when Triple H pulls down the top rope and Cade goes over the top. Triple H hits a suplex onto the rampway and then hits Cade in the head with a chair. When does it stop? DX sets up a table and put Murdoch on it. Michaels hits an elbow drop off the top rope through the table. Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music, Triple H hits the Pedigree and that's all. That seemed like a lot of unnecessary punishment for a feud that no one cared about. 

Match Rating: **

Edge is interviewed backstage and he says that he will be bringing back his show tonight, The Cutting Edge. 

Shelton Benjamin vs. Chris Benoit

Shelton is from South Carolina, so we know he's going to lose here. Benjamin tries to claim that Minnesota is where he's from and says he's not leaving here until he gets an opponent. Benoit is out and we have a match. Shelton hits a nice Samoan drop, but only gets 2. Benoit comes back with some Germans, but misses the headbutt off the top rope. Shelton hits a splash in the corner, but then Benoit slaps on the Crippler Crossface for the victory. So we have 3 hours to fill, but only have like 3 minutes for this match? 

Match Rating: *3/4

Teddy tells Heyman that SmackDown is getting some victories here tonight. Super Crazy is brought in for some reason and starts speaking English. Teddy is shocked and JBL says he never cared. 

Chavo Guerrero, Finlay & William Regal vs. Rey Mysterio, Bobby Lashley & Batista

This match starts off at a frantic pace, so this will probably be about 5 minutes long. We get an early commercial break after Finlay does the ring apron gimmick. We see that during the commercial break, Hornswoggle drags Mysterio under the ring. After getting beat on for a couple of minutes, Batista gets the hot tag and powerslams Finlay onto Regal. Lashley comes in and hits a double spear. The match breaks down and it leads to a Frog Splash from Mysterio on Chavo for the victory. 

Match Rating: **

They show John Cena training for The Marine.

King Booker says that he must take care of this RVD.

WWE Women's Championship Tournament First Round Lumberjack Match
Melina vs. Torrie Wilson

Moolah and Mae Young were announced before the Cena vignette. The lumberjacks are are the women who are going to be in the Extreme Strip Poker on ECW tomorrow. They start with all the typical tropes of a lumberjack match, but the ladies on the outside aren't experienced in this, so it doesn't work well. They start having a pretty normal match. Kristal trips up Torrie and it provides a distraction for Melina to roll her up and grab the tights. After the match, Torrie gives Kristal the stinkface. This was as bad as you would expect it to be. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show the WrestleMania 23 press conference highlights. 

King Booker vs. Rob Van Dam

RVD gets his shoulder thrown into the ring post pretty early on and that allows for a little bit of offense from Booker. It definitely feels like they are phoning it in a little bit here, but I can't really blame them. Sharmell crotches RVD and that allows Booker to hit the Scissor Kick for the victory. That was pretty uninspired. 

Match Rating: *

Mitch says he sucks but he has the backing of his friends. 

The GMs are together again and Vince is there now too. He proposes that they have all 3 champions square off to name the champion of champions. 

Mitch vs. Ric Flair

Flair brings out some backup with him and it's Roddy Piper, Ted DiBiase, IRS and Arn Anderson. Flair gets some chops, a chop block and puts on the Figure Four for the less than 60 second victory. Just remember, he had a wrestling match that you had to pay for 16 years after this. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Edge and Lita are out for The Cutting Edge. He brings out his special guest and it's Randy Orton. He tells Orton that he's been impressed with him, but that he's lost a lot of big matches. He shows when Triple H turned on Orton in Evolution and then the cage match last week where Edge lost. They agree to join forces and take on DX. 

John Cena vs. Undertaker

It takes about 60 seconds or so for Michael Cole to call Undertaker the best pure striker in WWE. We get a pretty surprisingly intense start to the match and it leads to Cena hitting a superplex. Taker then catches Cena in a bearhug for some reason. Cena bites his way out of it and hits a shoulder block. He goes for the Five Knuckle Shuffle, but Taker grabs him by the throat. Cena is able to come back with an awkward looking DDT for a 2 count. We get a tease for both finishers, but it leads to an Undertaker chokeslam. Out comes Big Show and King Booker and they attack Undertaker. They clothesline him out of the ring and then out comes Mr. Kennedy. He gets hit with a boot and Taker goes after him. That leaves the main event for Cyber Sunday in the ring. Cena puts the STFU on Big Show and he taps until Booker breaks it up. Cena gives him a FU to end the show. They did what they could with their couple of minutes, but in the end, that's all it was. 

Match Rating: **

I feel like this show took me 15 sittings to get through. It actually was a mostly entertaining show, but unfortunately nothing was overly memorable. 

Overall Rating: 59%

NXT 11-13-14 Review

Original Airdate: Thursday, November 13th, 2014
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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After recapping the debut of Finn Balor, he's here to introduce himself. The roster is getting closer and closer to getting towards the golden era of NXT. He says that he is the future and then is immediately interrupted by Tyson Kidd, who is with Natalya. Kidd says that Balor lacks respect and then out comes Justin Gabriel. He says that all of these international stars come in here, get some cool music and think they are top guys. They need to get through them first and they go after Balor. Out comes Itami and I think Teddy Long would be excited about what's about to transpire here. Gabriel and Kidd leave the ring and then a referee comes out to inform the crew that we have ourselves a tag team match.

Tyson Kidd & Justin Gabriel vs. Finn Balor & Hideo Itami

Balor hits the running dropkick on Gabriel. He goes up top, but Kidd grabs Gabriel out of the ring, so Balor hits a dive to take both opponents out as we go into a commercial break. I know there were a lot of reasons, but I still can't believe Itami wasn't a star. Kidd and Gabriel come back and hit a double kick for a 2 count on Balor. Kidd hits some aggressive forearm smashes in the corner, but their offense doesn't last long. Balor hits the Pelé kick and tags in Itami. Itami hits an awesome dropkick, but runs into a boot in the corner. Gabriel is tagged in, but gets hit in the midsection on his way down from a springboard leap. Things break down and all 4 men are in the ring. They hit the stereo dropkicks in the corner and Balor hits the Coup de Grace on Gabriel for the victory. This was a good way to show them off and kick off the show. 

Match Rating: **1/4

We get a little history on the Sami Zayn/Adrian Neville rivalry and Zayn joins us for a backstage interview. Zayn says that tonight just feels different for him and that the road to redemption is not some cliché, it's destiny. 

Sasha Banks vs. Alexa Bliss

Becky Lynch is with Sasha here. After a quick start for Banks, Alexa is able to sneak in a headscissors and a sunset flip for a 2 count. Sasha quickly recovers, hits the Backstabber and puts on the Bank Statement for the victory. That was a quick match considering Bliss has been gaining a little bit of a following. After the match, she tells Charlotte that she wants the NXT Women's Championship. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Adrian Neville is interviewed backstage and says that he loves Sami, but he can't win the big one. We get it, they've only had him give the same promo for the last month.

Lucha Dragons vs. Wesley Blake & Buddy Murphy

This is a non-title match. Alex Riley talks about Blake and Murphy as if they were going for the Revival's gimmick before they became a thing. Murphy enters on a blind tag and catches Kalisto into a suplex. Blake hits a top rope stomp on the arm of Kalisto as it's being held by Murphy. Murphy hits a sweet move where he drove the face of Kalisto into the mat off the second rope. I'm not going to pretend like I know what that one was called. Murphy hits a monkey flip, but Kalisto uses it to hit a sunset flip on Blake. He's able to get the hot tag to Sin Cara and he takes care of both opponents. He hits a springboard back elbow on Blake for a 2 count. Blake accidentally catapults Cara into Murphy on the apron. Kalisto then hits a tremendous dive onto Murphy. Credit Murphy for adjusting to save Kalisto from injury. Cara hits the senton for the victory. That was a fun little 5 minute match here and the challengers looked legit.

Match Rating: **3/4

The Vaudevillains congratulate the Lucha Dragons on their continued success, but their titles will be going home with them. 

NXT Championship Match
Sami Zayn vs. Adrian Neville

This is about as big as it gets for 2014 NXT right here. We get the we're both babyfaces and friends start to the match. We get an early commercial break, as is par for the course here on NXT main events. We get a first burst, as Neville is sent over the top rope and Sami hits the Senton over the top rope. Sami goes for a top rope cross body, but Neville counters and gets a 2 count. Zayn is able to hit a sit down powerbomb, but Neville kicks out. Zayn hits 2 German suplexes and another suplex for a 2 count. Neville is able to get his boot up before Zayn does on the Helluva Kick attempt and gets a roll up for another 2. Neville goes up top, but misses the Red Arrow. Neville is selling his knee and Zayn is gearing up for the Helluva Kick. Neville falls to the ground and the referee gives the X signal that he's hurt. Neville tricks him and hits the inside cradle for the pinfall victory. The crowd is stunned and Neville puts his arm around him real quick and crawls away. Zayn is still in shock and hasn't moved since the loss. A trainer comes down to check on Neville and they show the replay. If he was actually injured, you could see a legit case with the way he came down there. That was well done. The match felt like they were just scratching the surface and that greater things were to come. 

Match Rating: ***

This was a really nice episode of NXT. Everything clicked and felt important. The stars that were meant to look good here, all shined. Well done.

Overall Rating: 76%

Monday Night Raw 11-21-94 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, November 21st, 1994
Fernwood Resort
Bushkill, Pennsylvania

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Razor Ramon is on his way down to the ring to face Diesel and he is attacked by the Teamsters and we go right into a commercial. When we come back Vince McMahon is with Jim Cornette and in front of a green screen. 

Tatanka vs. Chris Kanyon

They finally changed Tatanka's music to just play his intro and then it goes into Ted DiBiase's music. Kanyon tries to spidce the match up and gets a top rope crossbody for a 2 count. He gets a couple other nearfalls, but then gets hit with a clothesline. Tatanka hits the top rope chop and then the End Of Trail for the victory. Kanyon on Superstars is always fun.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Adam Bomb vs. Jason Arndt

Bomb hits a side suplex and Vince and Cornette inform us of Bull Nakano defeating Alundra Blayze at the Egg Dome. Meanwhile, Bomb hits a back body drop and the pump handle slam for the victory. Bomb even has 2 fans in the crowd. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show Yokozuna vs. Undertaker on the new Monday Night Raw video game. 

We get a video recap of the Doink/Jerry Lawler feud. Now it's time for the King's Court, he has his Royal Family with him. Doink's team are under the ring and sneak out to secretly squirt them with water guns. Then Doink comes out too and they all start squirting. What a segment. 

Like always, we get a repeat of the IRS vignette from Superstars. 

IRS vs. Matt Hardy

We are getting so close to the end of IRS and I love it. Hardy gets dumped out of the ring and DiBiase shoves some money in his face. Hardy gets a sunset flip for a 2 count, but then gets hit with a double underhook suplex. Remember, no one has more technical skills than IRS. He hits the running clothesline and gets the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's time for Survivor Series Report and this ain't another wrasslin' show according to Todd. We get hype videos for the two main events. 

Diesel vs. Razor Ramon

Diesel is out with the entire Teamster team. Razor has his backup here as well. He races to the ring and goes after anyone who gets in his way. These guys have had some really good matches here in the last 6 months or so. Diesel charges at Razor and hits a knee in the midsection to go on the offensive. Diesel slaps on a sleeper hold, but Razor counters with a back suplex. Razor gets sent flying over the top rope as we go into a commercial break. Michaels grabs Razor's leg and that allows Diesel to club him from behind. The two teams start to tease a brawl, but Razor comes out and gets Diesel back in the ring. After some pretty impressive Irish whip bumps by Diesel, he hits another knee into a side suplex for a 2 count. Diesel hits a big boot to the face and Snake Eyes, but Razor gets his foot on the bottom rope to break up the pin attempt. Shawn gets involved again and we get another tease of some action on the outside of the ring. Diesel goes for the Jackknife, but Razor hits a back body drop to counter out of it. Razor hits a knee lift and some right hands. Jarrett gets up on the apron and Razor throws him into the ring. Razor goes for the Razor's Edge, but Owen is on the top rope. Razor throws him off and now we have a big brawl to close out the show. I think we all knew that was the end game here. The match was pretty good, but nowhere near their other matches.

Match Rating: **

This was a pretty good show that, unlike Superstars, actually felt like it was building for Survivor Series. The squash matches were solid enough and the main event delivered enough for this to be a mild recommendation.

Overall Rating: 50%

Superstars 11-19-94 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, November 19th, 1994
Burlington Memorial Auditorium
Burlington, Vermont

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Jim Neidhart vs. Undertaker

Undertaker takes a boot to the face and then drives him in the corner by his throat. He hits Old School and continues to slog his way through this match as Owen Hart looks on. Neidhart hits a clothesline and knocks him down, but he quickly sits up. He hits another one, but wouldn't ya know it, he sits up again. Neidhart catches him off the ropes and hits a powerslam for a 2 count. Paul Bearer is leaving ringside as Neidhart continues on offense. He hits a vertical suplex, but after the pin attempt, Taker sits up again. Out comes Bearer with the jumbo casket and brings it to ringside. Taker makes his comeback and he ends up kicking Neidhart and he falls into the casket. He freaks out and gets counted out. You have to protect Neidhart since they have such big plans for him. I will say that the match was slightly better than I expected. 

Match Rating: *

It's the highlight of 1994, IRS at a cemetery. He looks like he's going to fall asleep just delivering his lines. 

Adam Bomb vs. Reno Riggins

Lawler claims that Bomb's career has been downhill since he dropped big time manager Harvey Wippleman. Bomb clotheslines Reno and turns him inside out. Reno is feisty here today with some big right hands. Bomb comes back with a back suplex and then hits the top rope clothesline. He hits the pump handle slam and that's all. It seems like they continue to forget Bomb exists. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Charlie Minn reminds us that Survivor Series is this Wednesday and shows us clips of their match at Royal Rumble. 

Jeff Jarrett is getting ready in a bathroom looking at himself in the mirror. 

Jeff Jarrett vs. Mike Bell

You could argue that Jarrett looks more like a clown than Doink does with his outfit today. Jarrett hits a dropkick and a suplex, as we find out he will face Fatu on the Action Zone. Bell misses with a top rope leg drop and Jarrett puts on the Figure Four for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's time for the Survivor Series Report with Todd Pettengill. There is nothing left to announce here, so it's no fun. We hear from the Heavenly Bodies to talk about Chuck Norris. We see Tatanka's same one from last week and then an ultra cheesy Diesel one. 

Razor Ramon vs. Nick Barberry 

Razor hits the fall away slam and Lawler compares Barberry's hair to Kramer in a rare timely reference. Razor sets Barberry up on the top rope and hits the super back suplex. He hits the Razor's Edge and that is all. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's time for the Heartbreak Hotel and the guests today are British Bulldog and Bret Hart. Shawn cuts off Bret before he can start talking, but then out come Backlund and Owen. Backlund cuts another nutso promo here. Bret says he's going to be carrying the flag for the New Generation.

King Kong Bundy vs. Ben Jordan

Every now and then, you catch lightning in a bottle. King Kong Bundy in 1994 was not one of those times. Bundy hits the running splash in the corner and puts his knee on Jordan and gets the 5 count. I can't wait to see more of this.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Live Event News time again and they show clips of Luna Vachon's wedding at some asylum and everyone dressed up in costumes. They show Gangrel here quite a bit. 

Vince and Lawler are now standing with the casket that will be used at Survivor Series. Vince keeps rubbing it and saying how cool it is. 

They really didn't do a whole lot to build for Survivor Series outside of the Heartbreak Hotel. This one definitely felt like the end of the tapings, as the crowd was pretty dead and it felt like leftover matches. 

Overall Rating: 39%

No Mercy 2006 Review

Sunday, October 8th, 2006
RBC Arena
Raleigh, North Carolina

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Matt Hardy vs. Gregory Helms

Considering where we are here tonight, I'd say that this is about as much of a no brainer to open the show as there is. They start off with a 50/50 beginning here to fit the theme that they are evenly matched. Hardy is able to clothesline Helms over the top rope and follows it up with a dive. Hardy goes up to the second rope, but Helms gets there before he can finish climbing and hits a side Russian leg sweep. Hardy is able to come back with an inverted DDT to slow Helms's momentum down. Hardy hits a bulldog and gets a 2 count. He comes back with the second rope leg drop and tries to follow it up with a Twist Of Fate, but Helms counters with a Vertibreaker. He follows it up with 2 more, but it still is not enough. Hardy comes back with some Side Effects and a moonsault, but Helms gets the knees up. Helms misses with the Shining Wizard, but Hardy ducks and rolls him up for 2. Helms hits the Shining Wizard this time, but Hardy is able to kick out. They battle up top and Hardy is able to headbutt him down. Helms recovers and crotches Hardy on the top rope. Helms climbs up and hits a Shining Wizard from the top but Hardy is able to get his foot on the bottom rope. Hardy is able to sneak in a Twist Of Fate and that is all. On a side note, when I went to the WrestleMania 23 Access, there was a booth where you could be an announcer and this was the match they gave me to call. They were determined to have a good match and they accomplished that here. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

King Booker and Queen Sharmell are with William Regal backstage and he wants him to get Finlay to be his ally tonight. 

WWE Tag Team Championship Match
KC James & Idol Stevens vs. Paul London & Brian Kendrick

The champions start out with the early advantage and are able to slow down the challengers early attempts to get something going. James and Stevens go out of the ring to regroup and get hit with stereo dives on opposite sides of the ring. London is climbing the ropes, but Michelle McCool distracts him and London is thrown all the way to the floor. The challengers isolate London for a little bit and when London gets his chance, Stevens pulls Kendrick off the apron so that he's unable to get the tag. London comes back with a kick and rolls under Stevens to make the tag. Kendrick has the hot tag and hits a series of dropkicks. James stops Kendrick, but London runs and takes care of Stevens. James hits a superplex on Kendrick and gets a nearfall. James misses Kendrick in the corner and Stevens ends up hitting James. We get some shenanigans and Stevens hits Kendrick illegally from behind, but Kendrick is still able to kick out. McCool again gets involved and seeminly has a wardrobe malfunction and Ashley is over to attack her. Kendrick hits Sliced Bread #2 and London hits a moonsault off of Kendrick's back for the victory. This felt kind of like a good TV match, as the challengers still need some work. Unfortunately, they never really got the opportunity to do so. 

Match Rating: ***

William Regal is looking for Finlay and runs into Vito jump roping. He pulls up his dress to wipe his face, which disgusts Regal and he runs into a condiment cart, getting ketchup and mustard all over him. 

Teddy Long is out in the ring with a big birthday present in the ring. It's Miz's birthday and he's brought out and JBL still hates him. Gosh, I wonder what it could be. Teddy says that Miz has been making advances towards Layla and brings her out here. Miz plays the role of every stupid rich suburban kid at a strip club and says his one birthday wish is him. She grabs a chair and sets him down and starts dancing. She starts stripping down and then blindfolds him. The big present opens and wouldn't you know it, it's Big Dick Johnson. Layla takes off the blindfold and Miz is disgusted. I'd say this was for an audience of one, but Michael Cole is legit laughing. Layla dances with him afterwards. This was on pay-per-view, folks. 

MVP vs. Marty Garner

After MVP gets his big entrance with the inflatable entrance, he grabs the mic and talks about how he is the MVP of SmackDown. The crowd is chanting "Power Ranger" at his ring attire. He brings out his opponent and it's good old Marty Garner. MVP slaps him and the ref calls for the bell. The crowd isn't really quite getting what they are going for here, but I appreciate it. I'm just not sure I would have put this right after the Miz segment. Garner leaps over MVP, but MVP hits a big clothesline and slams his head into the mat. He hits the Playmaker and that's all. It's still one of the worst finishers there is, but I appreciate the character development here. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Back to William Regal in the locker room in a towel. He sees Vito and asks him if his father was a donkey. Regal's towel falls down on his way out and is running through the hallway. Teddy catches him and tells him that he better get dressed because he has a match tonight. 

Mr. Kennedy vs. Undertaker

Kennedy is a little feisty on the mic tonight, yelling at the crowd. Kennedy comes out swinging, but gets hit with a big boot by Taker. Kennedy tries to get away and rolls out of the ring, but it quickly backfires as Taker slams his hand on the steel steps. Taker continues to target the left arm and goes up for Old School, but Kennedy leaps on the second rope and arm drags him down to the mat. It doesn't last long and he hits Old School this time and follows it up with a flatliner. Behind the referee's back, Kennedy unties the top turnbuckle, but Taker hits a clothesline for a 2 count. Taker goes for a boot and misses and Kennedy is able to knock him off the apron into the barricade. Kennedy leaps off the apron, but Taker catches him and rams him into the ring post. Kennedy is able to catch him and lower the rope to dump him back out of the ring and this time finally gets a chance to get in some consistent offense. Since Taker is the Triple H of SmackDown, he's able to come back and hit a guillotine leg drop. Back in the ring, Kennedy hits a scary looking piledriver. Yeah, they shouldn't have allowed him to do that one. After a rest hold, they trade right hands until Taker explodes for a leaping clothesline. He comes back and hits Snake Eyes and a leg drop for another 2 count. Taker goes for the chokeslam, but Kennedy grabs the referee to get out of it. He hits a swinging neckbreaker, but that's not enough. Taker tries it again and this time he hits it. Kennedy escapes the Last Ride and hits Taker in the face with the exposed turnbuckle. Kennedy hits a clothesline and goes up top. He hits the Kenton Bomb, but Taker is able to kick out. Kennedy goes out and grabs the United States Championship. He and the referee battle over it until Taker is able to knock it out of his hand. Taker grabs it and hits him in the face for the ridiculously stupid finish. After the match, Taker hits the Tombstone and then hits one on Charles Robinson. Taker looked like he had no interest in putting Kennedy here, but Kennedy did look pretty good in my opinion. 

Match Rating: ***

Falls Count Anywhere Match
Chavo Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio

This one starts quickly, as you would expect from a bitter feud. After a little bit of standard action in the ring, they make their way to the entrance ramp. Rey is able to grab onto the steel arch over the entrance and uses it to hit a headscissors onto the steel and gets a 2 count. Chavo uses the hockey boards around the arena and drops Mysterio on them. Rey uses a steel guardrail and hits a guillotine leg drop for a 2 count. Chavo picks up Rey in a wheelbarrow position and starts swinging him into chairs and the hockey boards. They're into the arena seats now, but Rey is able to kick Chavo back down the steps. He hits the seated senton back into the floor section. Chavo throws Rey into a rail, but Rey is able to swing around the rail and hit a 619. Rey climbs up top of the rail to the steps and hits a dive to the floor. Chavo lands sort of awkwardly, which takes away from the pin attempt, especially since this is the finish. After the match, Rey continues to stomp on Chavo. Vickie gets in there and starts yelling at Rey to get out of here. This one was pretty good, but they didn't get a lot of time and it felt more like a TV main event. 

Match Rating: ***

William Regal vs. Chris Benoit

Everybody just kind of assumed that it would be Vito here, but then Benoit's music hits. They talk about Benoit wanting to take a sabbatical and to get off the road. This is going to get harder and harder, isn't it? The problem with this match is that Regal is continually portrayed as a joke no matter how much respect the announcers always show him. It's a shame he wasn't given a better run. We start off with some mat wrestling to start and in doing so, they have completely killed the crowd. I'm not saying I don't appreciate it, just saying that the buzz from the return is now gone here. Benoit wakes them up with some hard chops to the chest and a German suplex. Benoit hits the diving headbutt and Regal kicks out at 2. Benoit goes for a German off the apron, but Regal holds on and sends Benoit to the floor. Regal hits a running knee and gets a couple of 2 counts from it. We get some more submission wrestling until Benoit is able to hit a full nelson suplex. He gets him into the Crippler Crossface and that's all. I know a lot of it is due to the fact that it is Benoit, but I didn't enjoy this. It was nice not having to review matches of his for awhile. I have enjoyed some along the way, but it's getting closer to the inevitable and it's going to be a little bit of a rough ride. 

Match Rating: **

King Booker confronts Regal and asks if he accomplished his mission. Booker yells at him despite the fact that he's bloodied and fatigured. Finlay walks up and tells him that he came here to fight and take his World Heavyweight Championship. Booker blames Regal for this and slaps him in the face. Regal comes back and slugs him with a left hand. Booker is beside himself. 

Bobby Lashley and Batista are talking to each other about it being every man for themselves tonight. 

Fatal 4-Way For The World Heavyweight Championship
Finlay vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Batista vs. King Booker

Batista and Lashley double team Booker as Finlay wisely rolls out of the ring. Lashley is able to catch Booker on his shoulders, but he escapes, so Lashley hits him with a spinebuster instead. Finlay pulls Booker out of the ring to help him out. They double team Lashley outside the ring and drive him into the apron. They turn their attention to Batista know and Booker hits a crescent kick. Finlay quickly turns on Booker as he told him earlier he would. Finlay goes back to Batista and throws him into the steps. He goes back into the ring to work on Booker. Batista and Lashley both make their way back to the ring and Finlay does some submission holds on both. Lashley gets some momentum going, but Hornswoggle hits him with a low blow. That distracts Lashley and Finlay hits him in the head with the shillelagh. He goes for the cover, but Booker breaks it up. Batista hits a Jackhammer on Booker and it's down to Batista and Lashley. Batista charges and hits him with a Spear for a nearfall. They battle a little bit more and Lashley hits a spinebuster. I'm not sure where it happened, but Batista is busted open. Lashley clotheslines him over the top rope and then tosses Finlay out too. Booker hits the Book End from behind, but Lashley kicks out. He sets him up for the Scissor Kick, but Finlay hits him with a clothesline. Lashley throws Finlay into the corner shoulder-first. Batista comes and hits a spinebuster on all 3 opponents. He hits the Batista Bomb on Finlay, but then Lashley hits the Spear on Batista. Booker crawls over and pins Finlay to retain his title. This felt like a good SmackDown main event rather than something you would go out of your way to see. It was solid, but unspectacular. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

On one hand, this is probably a better show than you remember or would think. The problem is, there's a reason no one talks about it. Nothing important really happens and even though the in-ring work is solid throughout the entire night, it just felt like a free episode of SmackDown rather than something you have to pay $30 for. 

Overall Rating: 60%

NXT 11-6-14 Review

Original Airdate: Thursday, November 6th, 2014
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

NXT Championship #1 Contender Match
Tyler Breeze vs. Sami Zayn

They showed a pre-match video on Zayn and how he hasn't been able to win the big one. After a feeling out process, Breeze is able to snap Zayn's neck on the top rope and then stomps a mudhole in the corner. We get kind of an odd commercial break spot in the middle of Breeze's heat segment. When we come back, Zayn tries to shift the momentum, but a kick to the midsection slows him down. Breeze hits an elbow in the corner and gets a 2 count. Zayn again goes for the comeback, but Breeze hits a nice neckbreaker. They battle up on the top rope and Zayn is able to knock Breeze off. Zayn goes off the top rope and eats a dropkick by Breeze, but Zayn is able to kick out of the pin attempt. We get a bunch of reversals and it leads to a Supermodel Kick by Breeze and the announcers give away the false finish. Zayn comes back and hits the exploder in the turnbuckle. He runs and hits the Helluva Kick and picks up the victory to become the new #1 contender. They made Breeze look strong here, but it was obvious that this was Zayn's story here. Good match.

Match Rating: ***1/4

Renee Young is with Adrian Neville backstage. He says that he will give Zayn a title shot any time, any place and that Zayn can't win the big one. 

Dash Wilder vs. Tyson Kidd

Wilder gets an entrance here and they mention that he's working with Scott Dawson at the Performance Center. Kidd hits a catapult with Dash's head under the turnbuckle. I'm not sure why someone doesn't steal that. After hitting an elbow on a charging Kidd, he catches him for a powerslam and gets a 2 count. Kidd comes back with his neckbreaker and puts on the Sharpshooter for the victory. They tried to make this a little more competitive than the typical squash, but Wilder just didn't get enough offense in. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

They show Marcus Louis backstage in a dark room with a towel over his head talking about how they won't stop making fun of him. 

Renee Young is now with Sami Zayn, who says he feels like the Count Of Monte Cristo. He wants to take on Adrian Neville next week. 

Sasha Banks & Becky Lynch vs. Bayley & Charlotte

Bayley hits a slam and a knee drop on Sasha before tagging into Charlotte. Sasha weasels her way over to the corner to tag Lynch. We get another anti-climatic commercial break. Charlotte forces Lynch into her own corner and tries to get Sasha to tag in. She chases Sasha around the ring and it eventually backfires when Sasha is able to pull her down by her hair behind the back of the referee. They get Bayley in the ring and go to work on the hugger. Bayley is able to hit a suplex on Sasha and throw Becky out of the ring, but that slight distraction allows Sasha to hit a clothesline. Sasha clotheslines Charlotte of the apron, but Bayley rolls up Sasha from behind. Sasha reverses the roll and grabs a little bit of the tights and gets the victory. This was a pretty standard match, but the backstory made it a little more enjoyable. 

Match Rating: **1/4

Renee Young is with William Regal and announces that Sami Zayn will take on Adrian Neville next week.

The Ascension is out and they say that Hideo Itami just isn't getting the message. They call him out and his music hits. Next, out comes Finn Balor to help him in his fight and making his NXT TV debut. They come to the ring and we have a brawl. They hit double dropkicks in the corner not once, but twice. Finn hits the Coup de Grace off the apron onto Konnor and then the Pele kick on Viktor. Balor then hits a Coup de Grace to the back of Konnor back in the ring. Finn and Itami stand strong to end the show. 

This was a strong episode for NXT. They continued the feud in the women's division, got Sami Zayn where he needed to be and debuted Finn Balor. That's a pretty good way to present your brand in an hour.

Overall Rating: 68%