Off The Grid, Volume 37: SummerSlam 1988 Review

Saturday, July 29th, 1989
Madison Square Garden
New York City, New York

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Off The Grid, Volume 37:

We start off with the music that ends up being the music for the Royal Rumble and then we go to Gorilla Monsoon and Superstar Billy Graham (ugh). 

Fabulous Rougeaus vs. British Bulldogs

The crowd is hot and Davey Boy Smith uses the turnbuckle to bully Jacques. He throws him in his own corner and allows him to tag in Raymond. The Bulldogs limit the Rougeaus to no offense whatsoever in the first few minutes of the match. Jacques trips up Davey Boy running the ropes and the Rougeaus finally get their opening. They go to work on the leg of Davey Boy and slow things down. Davey Boy comes back and hits a running powerslam, but Jacques breaks up the pin. Jacques slaps on the abdominal stretch, with both Graham and Gorilla talking about him not putting it on properly. Davey Boy runs in and breaks it up, but now Raymond comes in and puts it on. Davey is able to break out of it. The Rougeaus hit an inverted atomic drop/splash combo for a 2 count. Dynamite gets a small package, but the referee was distracted and he only gets a 2 count out of it. The Bulldogs make the tag, but the referee didn't see it and doesn't allow it. Davey Boy gets Jacques up for the gorilla press and drops him on the top rope, crotching Jacques to a huge pop. Davey Boy press slams Davey Boy on top of Jacques and then the bell rings for the time limit expiring. There's no better way to start a pay-per-view than with a time limit draw. The match was a good one though and the crowd was into it from bell to bell. Both teams start going at it after and the Bulldogs end up chasing them into the locker room. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

Gorilla announces that Brutus Beefcake is unable to wrestle tonight. I'm sure that won't have any impact on the show. They show the clips of Ron Bass attacking him. Interestingly, they have the "Of Wrestling" blurred out on Superstars Of Wrestling. We also get the big X with "censored" written on it. Even though you can still kind of see it. 

Bad News Brown vs. Ken Patera

Oh boy, babyface Ken Patera. Even elementary school me who rented this years after it happened thought this guy was a dork. Brown attacks him right away and hits a body slam. Ken makes a quick comeback and has a worse haircut than most grandmothers during this era. This match already has worn out its welcome. They have sucked the life out of the building already. What better way to get them back than by putting on a bear hug? Are you kidding me? They have a miscommunication on the Irish whip that makes this even worse. On the second one, Bad News sidesteps him and he hits his shoulder. Bad News hits the Ghetto Blaster and that's all. To say this was terrible would be an understatement.

Match Rating: 0 Stars

We go to Mean Gene and he's with the Mega Powers. They hype up the secret weapon, who is Miss Elizabeth and she looks as uncomfortable as ever.

Rick Rude vs. Junkyard Dog

This just feels like such a bizarre pairing. Rude tries to attack JYD, but Rude gets hit with a huge back body drop and some headbutts. Rude regroups and hits a clothesline and a double ax handle from the top rope. Let me tell you, two back to back 6 minute matches that have rest holds is quite the choice. JYD gets in an Irish whip, but runs into a big boot in the corner. JYD gets in a headbutt but then immediately gets distracted by Heenan and Rude attacks from behind. Rude hits a fist from the top rope after rolling down his pants to expose Cheryl Roberts on his trunks. Jake Roberts runs in and attacks him to cause the DQ. Maybe they should have just wrestled each other? This stunk.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go to Mean Gene who is now with Honky Tonk Man and Jimmy Hart about the news of Brutus Beefcake. Gene hypes up the mystery man, but Honky doesn't care.

Bolsheviks vs. Powers Of Pain

Speaking of bizarre pairings, this is easily one of the weirdest booked matches in WWE pay-per-view history. Like every other match tonight, they are brawling right away. Nikolai Volkoff trips up the Barbarian, but Zhukov still gets hit with a double clothesline right after. We get one of the most telegraphed back body drop attempts I have ever seen and a total miscommunication after that. This is as bad as I was expecting. Barbarian gets a nice little sequence to help save this match from being complete garbage. They hit a double leaping shoulder tackle. Warlord then hits a powerslam and a diving headbutt by the Barbarian for the victory. The last 45 seconds really saved this one.

Match Rating: 3/4*

It's now time for The Brother Love Show. His special mystery guest is Hacksaw Jim Duggan. If I remember right, there were a lot of rumors of big names that were supposed to be the guest here and instead got Duggan. Things escalate quickly, as they often do here. Duggan threatens to hit him with the 2x4 and swings at him, but Brother Love escapes. This was stupid. 

Intercontinental Championship Match
Honky Tonk Man vs. Ultimate Warrior

I have a feeling the show will pick up here. The Ultimate Warrior comes out and blows the roof off the building. Warrior hits all 4 moves that he has and we have a new champion. As a kid, this was about as good of a moment that I had ever seen. I probably rewatched this 10 times the first time I rented it. Despite knowing the Warrior was not the person you wanted him to be, the moment is still priceless. A lot of credit goes to Honky for this too, being the great heel for a long time and putting over the hot new babyface in convincing fashion. It's a squash, so I can't rate it much higher, but the moment is a 5 star moment.

Match Rating: 1/2*

Don Muraco vs. Dino Bravo

As you'd expect from these two, it's mostly power stuff to start. Dino gets in about 45 seconds of offense and then Muraco hits a neckbreaker. Bobby Heenan joins the announce team while Muraco starts hitting right hands. Muraco goes for a body slam, but Bravo blocks it after they possibly accidentally hit the referee. Dino hits the dreaded side suplex and picks up the victory. Whatever.

Match Rating: 1/2*

Sean Mooney is with Jesse Ventura and questions the decision Jack Tunney has made to handpick Ventura to be the referee tonight. It doesn't really make sense. Mooney then brings up how Ventura accepted money from Ted DiBiase and he plays it off that if someone's willing to give him money, he's going to take it. 

WWF Tag Team Championship Match
Hart Foundation vs. Demolition

The 1990 sequel is the more talked about match and to be honest, I don't really remember this one. I've really grown to like Demolition though and the Hart Foundation has always been a favorite. They start the match off with a really nicely paced seesaw opening. Bret gets thrown into the ring post and Demolition goes to work on his shoulder. I should note that Jimmy Hart is joining Mr. Fuji in the corner of Demolition here. It's interesting because the crowd isn't into this match as much as you would expect. That's not to say they aren't, but just not as much as I would have expected. Bret gets his leg up on a charging Smash and finally gets the tag to Anvil. He clears the ring and now the crowd is to their feet. I spoke too soon. Bret slingshots Anvil over the top and onto Demolition. Neidhart hits a powerslam, but Smash is able to get the shoulder up during the pin attempt. Bret throws Neidhart into Smash in the corner, but it's still not enough. Bret tries to hit a piledriver, but Ax gets Jimmy Hart's megaphone and hits Bret in the back with it behind the referee's back and that's all for the champs to retain. This was a good match from these two with the expected interference finish. 

Match Rating: ***

We go backstage to an irate Honky Tonk Man with Jimmy Hart and crew. He says that he'll always be the greatest of all time and that he will get his belt back if it's the last thing he does.

Big Boss Man vs. Koko B. Ware

Boss Man was pretty much brand new here. Koko hits a dropkick and it ties up Boss Man in the ropes. Andre couldn't have liked that. Boss Man is able to hit a splash in the corner and then the splash with Koko draped on the second rope. Boss Man goes up to the top rope, but Koko barely rolls out of the way. Boss Man then misses in the corner and crotches himself. Koko starts hitting some right hands and hits an effortless missile dropkick. He goes for the cover, but as Gorilla says, he pushed him off of there like yesterdays garbage. He hits the Boss Man Slam and that's all. This was essentially a squash, as Koko seemed to always have that spot on the card during this era. After the match, he drills Koko with the nightstick in the ribs.

Match Rating: *

Sean Mooney is with Ultimate Warrior and he cuts his usual gonzo promo about spaceships or something. 

Hercules vs. Jake Roberts

This is our final weird pairing of the night. They decide to work a snail's pace to start things off. THey have already completely lost me here. I'm not really sure why they decided to put this on right before the main event, as it seems like the Boss Man squash would have probably worked better. Jake is able to dump Herc over the top rope, but then Herc snaps Jake's neck on the top rope. Jake goes for a DDT, but Herc dumps him on his back. Jake misses with a knee lift and falls hard. Herc gets in a little offense, but Jake hits a DDT out of nowhere to pick up the victory. That was a 10 minute match that felt 10 minutes. Damien comes out and is dumped on Hercules. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

We get a video package about the main event feud.

Mega Bucks vs. Mega Powers

I hate that DiBiase didn't have his entrance music here yet. The Mega Powers come out to Savage's music, as they should. We get a ton of stalling prior to the match with Jesse Ventura getting ready for the match. Hogan and Savage dominate the early part of the match and there continues to be a lot of confusion created by Elizabeth, Virgil and Bobby Heenan outside the ring. The Mega Bucks get their opening and Andre starts to work on Hogan. Andre seems to be in a good mood tonight. After a lengthy rest hold from DiBiase on Hogan, Hogan gets up and they hit a double clothesline. Savage gets a hot tag and is a house of fire. It doesn't last overly long and before you know it, Andre is shoving his butt into Savage's face. Now Hogan gets the hot tag and he has both opponents down. Savage goes up to the top rope, but runs into the boot of Andre. Hogan has a sleeper hold on DiBiase until Andre grabs him from behind and throws him out of the ring. Elizabeth gets up on the apron and rips off the bottom of her dress, which exposes her bikini bottom essentially. They try to make a huge deal of this, but it is very much just cheesy 1980s WWF. Hogan and Savage hit their finishers and Savage has to help push Ventura's arm down to count 3. The crowd was crazy hot for this one and they mostly delivered here. It was a good storyline that leads to another good one. As they celebrate, this is where the jealousy will begin with Savage accusing of Hogan lusting over Elizabeth. 

Match Rating: ***

This wasn't a complete dud or anything, but it is nowhere near as good as the following year's event would be. There is just a lot of pointless stuff here including the turkey of Bad News/Patera, JYD/Rude and Bolsheviks/Powers Of Pain. The Ultimate Warrior title change is far and away the moment that most people associate with this event and we also got three good tag team matches.

Overall Rating: 51%

Monday Night Raw 1-22-07 Review

Monday, January 22nd, 2007
Cajundome
Lafayette, Louisiana

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They show a graphic that they are dedicating the show to Bam Bam Bigelow. I can't believe he died so long ago. Very sad. 

We then get a lengthy recap of last week's angle with Rated RKO and Shawn Michaels. Shawn is now out and talks about how last week made him realize that he can take on any bully that wants to stand in his way. He's going to win the Royal Rumble and go to WrestleMania to win the WWE Championship. Out comes Edge to interrupt. He obviously doesn't agree, so they start brawling. They do a good convincing brawl, spilling over the barricade and into the crowd. Skinner does his best to try and break it up and we go to commercial break. That was a passionate promo by Michaels and a good brawl to kick off the show this week. 

When we come back, they are still brawling backstage. Michaels is a total maniac compared to what we are used to from him. Almost a Randy Savage-esque performance here. 

Raw vs. SmackDown Challenge Match
Jeff Hardy vs. Joey Mercury

Jeff dives over the top on both Mercury and Johnny Nitro as they are walking to the ring. Nitro rips up the mat outside the ring and it causes the referee to eject both Melina and Nitro. Jeff is able to hit Whisper In The Wind and Twist Of Fate and that's all. Mercury is selling injuries to his face, but that was way too quick that I'm not even sure why they booked it. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Ah yes, here's Vince McMahon to ruin the show. Coach runs in and says he wants to throw Edge and Michaels out of the arena. Coach asks Vince what he would do and he says Michaels vs. Edge in a Street Fight tonight. He then announces that he's making his way to the ring. 

Vince and Coach are out to the ring. Last week, Vince tortured us by reading a letter supposedly written by Donald Trump and this week he's returning the favor by making us sit through a letter that he supposedly wrote. He suggests to make the ratings for The Apprentice better, they should have him on the show. Out comes John Cena to call him out for acting like Brother Love and saying he loves everyone. Honestly, I zoned out and didn't even realize Vince was doing that. This is the Cena that tries a little too hard to be funny. This segment couldn't interest me any less than it already is. This finally ends with Vince saying that Cena will fight Coach tonight. 

Chris Masters vs. Super Crazy

We get a pre-taped interview old school style from Super Crazy telling us that he's super and crazy. These two seem a little off, including an awkward spot where they kind of just run into each other. Crazy hits a couple of running dropkicks and then a missile dropkick. He hits a standing moonsault and gets a 2 count. Masters slaps on the Master Lock, but Crazy uses the ropes to push him on his back and pick up the victory. Masters is unable to grasp the concept. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

We get more Vince and Coach because no one asked for it. Vince says the match is still on. 

Shawn Michaels is backstage taping his wrists. 

Maria is here to interview Kenny Dykstra. Yep, still using that stupid name. Kenny says he'll be the youngest person to ever win the Royal Rumble and main event WrestleMania. Maria doesn't believe him. 

Edge has his ribs taped up and is getting ready. In walks Randy Orton with makeup, I mean bruises and marks all over his face. He's yelling at Edge for not helping him out last week. Edge asks him if he'll have his back tonight and Orton says we'll just have to see what happens. 

John Cena vs. Jonathan Coachman

Coach comes out and says that he can't change the match that he made, but he can add a match before their match. He says random Superstars will come down in an over the rope challenge.

Over The Top Rope Challenge

Trevor Murdoch and Lance Cade are out first to no one's delight. They double team Cena and Coach signals for someone else to come out. Cena turns into Super Cena and dumps Murdoch over the top with a FU. He hits a 5 Knuckle Shuffle on Cade and out comes The World's Greatest Tag Team, followed by Viscera. They all attack Cena and then out comes Great Khali. Shelton tries to tell him what to do and Khali attacks him and anyone in his way. He throws Shelton over the top, followed by Haas. He clotheslines Cade over the top rope and then dumps Viscera. Cena comes off the top rope and hits a shoulder tackle, but Khali no sells it and clotheslines Cena. Khali then throws Cena over the top and wins the match. This wasn't entertaining television. After the match, Khali throws Cena into the steps. Khali hits the chop and runs in the ring.

Match Rating: 1/2*

John Cena vs. Jonathan Coachman

Cena kicks out of the chop and then in runs Umaga to attack Cena. The ref rings for the bell, but Umaga keeps attacking. The bring in a table and Coach and Armando Estrada hold onto Cena on the table. Umaga goes off the top and hits a splash through the table just 6 days before their rematch at Royal Rumble. 

Match Rating: No Rating

When we come back from commercial, Cena is still selling the injuries suffered and is being helped to the back by officials and the medical staff. 

Candice Michelle & Mickie James vs. Melina & Victoria

They show highlights of Candice getting hurt nose broken 2 months ago by Victoria. Candice eventually gets tagged in and gets about 15 seconds of offense before being put up for the Widow's Peak. Mickie comes in and saves her and she hits a Lou Thesz Press from the apron. Candice hits a reverse elbow from the second rope to pick up the victory on Victoria. Sure. This was your usual women's match that they presented during this era. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

At this point, I feel like I have to give the Street Fight 1/2* just to stick with the gimmick. It looks like I forgot about Carlito and Kenny.

Carlito vs. Kenny Dykstra

Carlito tries to go off the second rope, but Kenny grabs his hair and throws him down. Carlito makes a comeback, showing a little more fire than usual. He hits a hurricanrana and a springboard reverse elbow. We get a quick spot of them reversing pin attempts and Kenny grabs the tights to pick up the victory. Not a single person cares. 

Match Rating: 1/2* (Why not?)

We get a mostly mean spirited interaction between Cryme Tyme, Super Crazy and Eugene. I will say that I laughed when Eugene pulled the money out of his trunks. Then there's Faarooq to close it out. 

Street Fight
Edge vs. Shawn Michaels

They come dressed in their jeans and shirts, old school style. Michaels uses the trash can early and clotheslines Edge over the top rope. He leaps over the top, but Edge hits him with the trash can lid. I have a feeling I will have to break the 1/2* streak here. Michaels is busted open when we come back from the commercial break. Edge uses the ladder off the second rope, dropping it on Michaels. Michaels comes back, using a chain to slow down Edge. Michaels hits a body slam on top of a ladder propped up on 2 sets of ring steps. Michaels slowly tires to climb to the top rope, but Edge greets him with some right hands. He tries for a superplex, but Michaels blocks it and drops Edge on top of the ladder. Michaels hits a top rope elbow drop and the crowd is going legit crazy. Edge ducks Sweet Chin Music and goes for an electric chair, but they tip over and Michaels takes an ugly looking bump. Edge sets him up for the Spear, but Michaels hits a Lou Thesz press before hitting him in the head with a chair. Ugh, it's 2007 and we're STILL hitting each other in the head. Michaels lays Edge's head on a chair and grabs another. Out comes Randy Orton and hits a RKO. Edge rolls over and picks up the victory after an entertaining main event. Obviously Orton was going to interfere in some fashion. After the match, Orton throws Edge over the top rope and then grabs a chair. Out comes Ric Flair and he hits a low blow on Orton. Kenny Dykstra is now out and dumps Flair over the top. Carlito attacks Kenny and now Michaels is back up and hits Sweet Chin Music on all of them. I'll never complain about an ending like this, especially when the crowd is this hot. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

The beginning and end of this show were tremendous. It's just a shame the other 60 minutes or so had to exist. Having to watch this Vince/Trump stuff for the next two months is going to be absolutely horrible. 

Overall Rating: 48%

NXT 3-25-15 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, March 25th, 2015
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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We get a very lengthy recap of NXT in Columbus last week. 

NXT Women's Championship Match
Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks

It's nice to see them push Bliss a little bit here, as they need to add some more names to the division. Sasha quickly shows why the put the belt on her, as she as really has improved her character work. She hits the double knees to the abs of Bliss. Bliss is able to throw Sasha through the ropes and to the floor. Bliss shows some fire with a few right hands and a sweep kick. She almost picks up the victory with a sunset flip powerbomb. She climbs the top rope, but Sasha throws her to the mat and puts on the Bank Statement for the victory. She keeps the hold on for a few extra seconds for good measure. This was pretty brief for a title match, but Bliss was still lacking experience at this time. Sasha was as good as expected.

Match Rating: **

Kevin Owens says that he and Finn Balor have a lot in common. He says they both came in around the same time, but while he came in and destroyed Sami Zayn to win the NXT Championship, Finn decided to paint himself up. He says to bring the Demon because it wont' matter. 

Emma tells Bayley that I told you so. She says that she needs to be more aggressive. Bayley disagrees and says that the NXT Universe helped her out. Emma slaps her for disagreeing. 

Tyler Breeze calls the interviewer Barbara Walters in a funny moment. Hideo Itami walks in and challengs him to a 2-out-of-3 falls match next week. 

They run down the WrestleMania card before going to Finn Balor. He says he does his talking in the ring and he doesn't need the Demon to beat Owens. 

Blake and Murphy apologize to Carmella for last week and give her a bracelet as a gift. Enzo and Cass aren't impressed.

NXT Championship Match
Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens

There's a lot of time left in this episode, so we're getting a lengthy match here. Balor hits a dropkick and Owens rolls out of the ring as we go into an early commercial break. Owens goes for the rear chin lock as his rest hold of choice today and we get our second commercial break. Owens goes for a powerbomb outside the ring, but Balor hits a back body drop instead. Balor goes for a crucifix, but Owens falls on his back and gets a 2 count. Owens throws Balor into the corner with a hard Irish whip. Owens is starting to show frustration that he's not able to put Finn away. Owens puts on another rear chin lock and we get a third commercial break. Balor is able to hit a back body drop over the top rope and follows it up with a senton over the top rope to the floor. Balor gets Owens back in and hits a Coup de Grace to the back of the head. Balor hits a Sling Blade and then a big clothesline, but it's not enough to put Owens away. Balor misses with a running dropkick in the corner and hurts his knee. Owens is aware and goes after it right away. Owens goes for a powerbomb, but Balor gets out of it and hits a double stomp. Balor goes for a superplex, but Owens hits a package suplex instead. Owens hits a cannon ball and Owens hits another one to the knee. He misses a third one, but Balor is still in pain. Balor hits the running dropkick and then the Coup de Grace. He sells his knee after hitting it and can't make the cover. Owens hits the Pop Up Powerbomb and that's all. The commercial breaks hurt the flow here, but the last segment was good as you would expect from these two. They gave them plenty of time and they told the story of Balor's knee effectively.

Match Rating: ***1/2

This was obviously just a two match show, but they delivered a memorable main event and the women's match solidified Sasha as the Boss. Weekly shows are always at their best when they are focused and this was no different.

Overall Rating: 70%

Monday Night Raw 4-3-95 Review

Monday, April 3rd
Mid-Hudson Center
Poughkeepsie, New York

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Vince McMahon gives us a quick recap of WrestleMania XI before bringing us to the live crowd. 

Bob Holly vs. Hakushi

Holly gets in a couple of early dropkicks to frustrate Hakushi and the 1-2-3 Kid is now on the outside to help keep an eye on Shinja. Holly misses with a crossbody off the top rope and out comes Owen Hart and Yokozuna as we go to a commercial break. Hakushi is working a rest hold on Holly in the ring and outside the ring Kid hits Owen with a kick. Yokozuna comes up very slowly and nails Kid from behind. Holly knocks Hakushi from the top and this time hits the top rope crossbody. Holly really wasn't much of a babyface outside of being an underdog. He hits a dropkick and a clothesline. Holly gets tripped up while running the ropes and Hakushi gets a disappointing victory here. I was expecting a lot better here.

Match Rating: 3/4*

We go to Todd...no...it's Jim Ross for your WrestleMania Report. We get lots of still photos of the Lawrence Taylor/Bam Bam Bigelow match. They show Bam Bam in a post-match interview where he is disappointed, but the world goes on for Bam Bam. They then show photos of Bret Hart/Bob Backlund and Undertaker/King Kong Bundy. 

Vince is now in the ring to introduce Diesel. Diesel basically blames Sid for Shawn Michaels not winning and says that Shawn deserves a rematch. He basically ignores the feud he has had with Shawn the last months and talks about their friendship. This is a bizarre interview. Obviously it is setting up a Sid feud, which is fine, but it makes no sense. 

Well Dunn vs. Allied Powers

I still don't understand the point of having Harvey Wippleman managing Well Dunn. Luger and Bulldog dominate early until a distraction allows an elbow to the back of Luger's head. Luger tags in Bulldog and he throws Dunn around. Or is it Well? I just don't care. They hit a Hart Attack for the victory. This was a squash, as it should have been.

Match Rating: 1/2*

Jenny McCarthy, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Pamela Anderson and Nicholas Turturro talk about how much fun they had at WrestleMania. 

WWF Women's Championship Match
Bull Nakano vs. Alundra Blayze

Here's a reminder that the women's division still exists despite it not being brought up in weeks (months?). I honestly forgot that Alundra wasn't even the champion any more. Jim Cornette announces that Bret Hart, 1-2-3 Kid and Bob Holly will face Owen Hart, Yokozuna and Hakushi next week on Raw. Meanwhile, Nakano attacks Blayze and throws her across the ring by her hair. Alundra makes her comeback and hits a spin kick. She hits a dropkick off the second rope twice, but Nakano kicks out at 2. Alundra tries for a sunset flip, but Nakano squashes her for a 2 count. Nakano goes up top, but Alundra kicks her off and to the floor. She then hits a high flying move to get the crowd into it. Nakano hits a powerbomb back in the ring, but Alundra kicks out. Nakano hits a top rope leg drop, but Alundra somehow kicks out. Alundra hits a couple of German suplexes into a bridge, but Nakano keeps kicking out. This time Nakano kicks Alundra to the floor, but misses with a dive through the ropes. Alundra hits a German suplex on the outside, but Nakano is right back up and throws her into the steps. Nakano misses a top rope moonsault and this time Alundra picks up the victory with the German suplex into a bridge after a really entertaining match. The psychology wasn't the strongest, but this was a very good battle otherwise.

Match Rating: ***1/4

After the match, Alundra is attacked by a mystery woman. She annihilates Alundra until referees pull her off. 

Don't forget to order the WrestleMania XI Encore.

Men On A Mission vs. Ben Jordan & Tony Roy

Men On A Mission attack Jordan and Roy, as the full heel turn is in effect. Oscar is gone now and yet they are still wearing purple and gold. Get your paper and pencil ready because WWF is giving away a house. Mabel hits a belly to belly suplex and picks up the quick victory here. A lot of focus on the tag team division tonight. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's time to see the house they are going to give away and the address to send your entries into. The first In Your House at the first event.

Vince brings out Shawn Michaels and Sid. He puts over the beating he took at WrestleMania and accepts the challenge. He then says that he can live without a bodyguard and then blames the loss on Sid. Shawn says that he's going to give him the night off when he has his rematch. Sid doesn't like what Shawn is saying and Vince tries to end the segment so they can cool off. We actually go to a commercial break in the middle of it. Are you kidding me? When we come back, Michaels is laid out and Diesel is out to his rescue. I guess they are going for a cliffhanger ending here, which you never see any more. 

This is still a ways off from what we think of as the Raw after WrestleMania, but it still was a pretty good show. They are starting to have more feature matches and the pacing is much better as a result. 

Overall Rating: 58%

WrestleMania XI Review

Sunday, April 2nd, 1995
Hartford Civic Center
Hartford, Connecticut

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Just in case you weren't sure from the months of build up, this year's WrestleMania is 100% all about the celebrities and they are proud of it. We get a botched introduction for "America The Beautiful". Special Olympian Kathy Huey is your vocalist instead of the at one time advertised Fishbone.

Allied Powers vs. Jacob & Eli Blu

This is one of the more random WrestleMania matches of the more modern era where there weren't 15 matches on a card. Both teams start brawling and the Blu's are thrown into each other before a double powerslam. Bulldog hits a double clothesline, but then runs into an illegal knee while running the ropes. Jacob and Eli hit a double boot on Bulldog to some boos. One of the twins misses with a second rope elbow drop and in comes Lex Luger. Things quickly break down with Zebekiah distracting Luger and Bulldog distracting the referee. The twins switch up and that allows him to kick out of the previous forearm. We then get a random top rope sunset flip that picks up the victory in a really strange finish. The action was actually pretty good here, but the ending made no sense to me. 

Match Rating: **

Uncle Zebekiah is interviewed after the match and he says he knew he would be hornswoggled once he got to the big city. 

We try to go back to Nicholas Turturro and Jenny McCarthy but the audio isn't working. Off to a great start here. 

Intercontinental Championship Match
Jeff Jarrett vs. Razor Ramon

While Jarrett is entering the ring, 1-2-3 Kid tells us that Razor is ready tonight. Razor comes down to the ring and clears the ring of Jarrett before getting his pyro. We get some good action to start the match, with Razor outsmarting Jarrett at every turn. Razor goes for the Razor's Edge, but Roadie grabs Jarrett's leg and pulls him out of the ring. Jarrett tries to head for the back, but 1-2-3 Kid and his dorky outfit prevent him from doing so. Jarrett finally gets his chance with a neckbreaker and a couple of dropkicks. Razor battles out of a headlock and hits a back suplex. Kid tries to interfere by crotching Jarrett on the post, but Jarrett kicks out of it. Razor goes to the second rope, but misses with a second rope bulldog. Jarrett goes after the injured knee and puts on the Figure Four. After a lengthy battle, Razor is able to roll over and counter the hold. Razor gets Jarrett up for the Razor's Edge, but in comes the Roadie and he takes out Razor's knee. Great, a disqualification at WrestleMania. 1-2-3 Kid comes in and evens the score until Jarrett drops him to the amt. He slaps on the Figure Four and Roadie attacks him while in the hold. Razor is back up and starts throwing haymakers at Jarrett. They have a nice brawl sequence that keeps the crowd happy, but the finish is not ideal for a big show. The match itself was entertaining as I continue to become a bigger and bigger Scott Hall fan.

Match Rating: ***1/4

Jim Ross interviews Jarrett on his way back to the locker room and he is bleeding from the nose. 

Nicholas Turturro is with Jenny McCarthy and the Million Dollar Team. In walks Shawn Michaels and he asks him where Pamela Anderson is. Sid then starts making loud noises. 

King Kong Bundy vs. Undertaker

Todd Pettengill and his headphones are in the crowd with Neal Anderson of the Bears. He thinks LT is going to pull it off tonight. This is the match that Larry Young, an umpire that no one knows, is the referee. Undertaker dominates and goes for not quite Old School very early on. He gets Bundy off his feet with a clothesline, so there goes that part of the story. Bundy is up and clotheslines Taker over the top rope, but he lands on his feet. Taker grabs the urn and gives it to Paul Bearer. DiBiase then brings out Kama and he kicks Paul Bearer and takes away the urn. Taker grabs him by his nose and that allows Bundy to attack from behind. JR interviews Kama in the aisle and he says that he's going to melt the urn down into a chain. Meanwhile, Bundy hits another clothesline. Bundy hits a scoop slam and a knee drop, but it's not enough. There is just no power behind anything Bundy does any more. After a lengthy rest hold, Bundy hits an avalanche. Undertaker no sells it and hits a slam. He hits a leaping clothesline and that's all. This felt like a Superstars match at best. That may be too kind.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Nicholas Turturro is trying to find Pamela Anderson. He finds Steve McMichael and he wants Kama. Reggie White is looking for King Kong Bundy. Carl Banks calls out Nikolai Volkoff and Chris Spielman wants Tatanka. Turturro finds Bob Backlund and Jonathan Taylor Thomas playing chess. JTT wins and then answers all of Backlund's trivia and Backlund storms off in a rage. 

WWF Tag Team Championship Match
Owen Hart & Yokozuna vs. Smoking Gunns

I feel like they didn't hype up the mystery partner angle enough on TV. Yokozuna was a pretty good choice though. Dorky gimmick aside, the Gunns remain a very solid option in the tag division and I'm glad they finally got their WrestleMania match here. They actually dominate most of the early portions of the match. Yoko tags in here and there, but isn't in for long. Owen takes the sternum first turnbuckle spot and Bart gets a 2 count. Owen is able to get a drop toe hold in on Billy and Yoko squashes him with a leg drop. Owen then drives him into the ring post and drops him to the floor before throwing him back in the ring. Owen goes up for a missile dropkick, but Billy moves out of the way and he hits Yokozuna. Bart gets the hot tag and is able to pull Yoko's hair and slam him to the mat. Owen pulls down the top rope and Bart falls to the floor. Yoko hits the Banzai Drop on Billy, but Bart comes in before he can pin him. Yoko disposes of him and tags in Owen. He gets the pin and gets the east coast heel pop before he starts jumping for joy. Good for Owen. The match was pretty good, but you're obviously a little bit limited with Yoko in there. 

Match Rating: **

Vince and Lawler figure out what a blimp is and then we go to Todd with Bam Bam Bigelow. 

I Quit Match
Bob Backlund vs. Bret Hart

Roddy Piper is the special guest referee, making this quite a trio of personalities. Bret's not messing around here and thankfully they're not giving us another 30 minute match like we got at Survivor Series. This is the infamous "Whattaya say?" match and if you like grunting Backlund, this one is for you. Bret runs shoulder first into the ring post and this allows Backlund to put on the Cross-Face Chickenwing. Bret is able to reverse it and put Backlund's hold on him and Backlund eventually quits. This wasn't as bad as I remember, but it certainly wasn't near the level of match we had come to expect from Bret at this time. There's a reason it's one of his personal least favorite matches.

Match Rating: **

JR attempts to interview Backlund after the match, but gets mixed results.

Nicholas Turturro says that Pamela Anderson is gone. 

Todd is now with Diesel and he says he's going to show everyone why he's the WWF Champion. 

WWF Championship Match
Shawn Michaels vs. Diesel

Shawn enters with Jenny McCarthy and Diesel has the "missing" Pamela Anderson. Jenny looked to be having a lot more fun. After all of the celebrity shenanigans, we finally have ourselves a match and Shawn goes a million miles an hour to start. Shawn makes Diesel look like a million bucks, bouncing around like a pinball. Sid really was perfect for the bodyguard role, it's just too bad that it was not the best run for him. Shawn is able to duck a big boot, leaving Diesel's leg on the top rope. He hits him with a clothesline over the top and then a top rope crossbody. He comes back with a baseball slide dropkick and Diesel is in trouble for the first time in the match. Michaels slaps on the sleeper hold after a long heat segment. Diesel's arm drops twice, but he's back before the third and now is back in control. Michaels rolls out of the ring after a series of forearms. The referee jumps out of the ring to prevent Sid from coming and he hurts his knee. Back in the ring, Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music, but the referee is hurt. Sid throws him in the ring and he finally counts, but Diesel kicks out at 2. That was kind of a weak kickout for Diesel in terms of timing. Sid rips off the top turnbuckle, but Diesel hits a back suplex. Diesel catches Michaels off the second rope and hits a side suplex. Diesel hits a catapult, but Shawn isn't able to reach the exposed top rope and has to hit the second turnbuckle instead. Diesel hits a big boot and then the Jackknife to pick up the victory here. This is a very underrated match and one that would have been very worthy of going on last here. After the match, Sid says that Shawn isn't finished with Diesel. Sid really didn't do anything in this match, which didn't make much sense. Other than that, I thought it was extremely entertaining. After the match, both ladies, Nicholas and JTT join Diesel in the ring for some pyro. 

Match Rating: ****

Shawn and Sid aren't happy in the locker room with Todd. 

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Lawrence Taylor

All of the individual Million Dollar Team and NFL All Pro Team get an introduction before getting into a little bit of pre-match shenanigans. I should add again that the WWF actually did a really good job of getting big name NFL players here. Pat Patterson is the referee, as he is basically the most trusted man in WWF history. LT gets in a huge slap and we are underway. LT clotheslines Bam Bam over the top rope and the crowd is very much into this. Bam Bam comes in and LT hits him with a bulldog for a 2 count. We almost get a big brawl on the outside and when they get back in, Bam Bam gains control. Bam Bam hits a body slam, but misses with the headbutt. After some back and forth, Bam Bam is able to put on the Boston Crab. LT is able to crawl to the bottom rope, but is selling the back. Bam Bam pulls him back into the middle of the ring and works on the legs. LT once again gets to the ropes and then fires with a right forearm. Bam Bam basically no sells it and then gets hit with a back suplex. Bam Bam is able to go on the offensive again and hits a spinning splash off the top rope. He tries to pin him, but his knee is hurting him. He sells it for a few moments and then tries to pin again, but LT gets up at it. That was a flat false finish for some reason. LT hits a variation of a Jackknife, but Bam Bam is able to kick out. For some reason the crowd is a little out of it now. Bam Bam comes with a spin kick and wants to go up top, but LT's crew slow him down a little. It doesn't matter, as he still hits a top rope headbutt for a 2 count. LT fires back with a second wind and hits a huge forearm. He follows up with another one and then goes up to the second rope to hit another forearm. That's enough for the victory and gets a good reaction. His All Pro Team raises him up on his shoulder and then they go to Ted DiBiase yelling at Bam Bam on the way to the back. There was a little bit of a lack of psychology, but the action was good enough and LT brought it. 

Match Rating: ***

WrestleMania XI is considered to be one of, if not, the worst WrestleMania's of all time. It certainly is one of the worst locations and just lacks that special WrestleMania feel. Even WrestleMania IX is helped out by the odd venue, but I kid you not, I'd rather watch this than WrestleMania V. You may laugh or even just think I'm an idiot, but that show is so long and so full of meaningless matches, that by the time I get to the giant main event, I've lost interest. This one is quickly paced and compact. The bad matches are over fairly quickly and there are a few underrated matches and moments. I'm not saying this isn't a bottom tier show, I'm just saying it's not nearly as bad as its reputation. Diesel/Shawn Michaels is very underrated for the era and is at the very least worth a watch if you haven't seen it. 

Overall Rating: 52%

SmackDown 1-19-07 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, January 19th, 2007
Alltel Arena
Little Rock, Arkansas

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After a recap of Undertaker losing his chance at a Royal Rumble title shot thanks to Mr. Kennedy, the latter is out to boast about it. He goes on and on until Teddy Long is out. He lets him know that he's going one on one with the Undertaker tonight. If he loses, his match at Royal Rumble will be a Triple Threat Match.

Matt Hardy vs. Joey Mercury

You would think this would be a flat out brawl, but they never really get there. Matt gets in a shot in on the broken nose, with JBL complaining about it. Mercury is able to dump Hardy from the floor and out of the ring. Mercury gets in a little bit of offense before Hardy gets the quick pinfall victory. This was all just a setup for what was next. Johnny Nitro is out immediately to attack Matt. They go out of the ring and pull up the mat from around the ring. They hit the Snapshot on the concrete floor and celebrate to the back. 

Match Rating: *3/4

Miz is bragging to Layla and Ashley about his match with Undertaker last week, but they aren't buying it. In walks Kane and they all walk away.

Vickie Guerrero is with Kristal backstage. Kristal asks her about the Chavo Guerrero/Chris Benoit match tonight, but Vickie says that she has to talk to something private instead. 

William Regal, Dave Taylor & MVP vs. Brian Kendrick, Paul London & Vito

They all start brawling, with the champions coming out on top. That quickly changes though and you can already tell that this one won't last too long. They single out Vito in their corner and I guess I'm wrong because this heat segment is about three times longer than I expected. I really didn't think Vito even lasted this long as a character. Vito goes to the corner and somehow doesn't make a tag. That was pretty bad. He eventually gets a tag into Kendrick and he's a house of fire. Kendrick goes for Sliced Bread #2, but MVP catches him and hits a powerslam for the victory. This was not bad, but way too much Vito.

Match Rating: **

No Disqualification Match For The United States Championship
Chris Benoit vs. Chavo Guerrero

Chavo hits a low blow right off the bat and we have to listen to Michael Cole and JBL tell us how legal it is about 15 times. Chavo tries for a chair shot, but Benoit ducks and Chavo hits the ring post. Chavo tries again to hit him with it, this time in the ring. Benoit counters it into a Crossface in the center of the ring. Chavo is able to roll over and punch his way out of it. Chavo is finally able to hit Benoit with the chair and then uses it to drop Benoit's arm on it. Benoit is able to dump Chavo out of the ring and hits him with a baseball kick. Chavo uses the United States title to regain control. Chavo hits the Three Amigos landing on both the title and the chair. Chavo goes for the Frog Splash, but Benoit moves out of the way and he lands on the chair. Benoit tries to come back, but misses with the top rope headbutt and is screaming in pain. He comes back with the Sharpshooter though, but Chavo grabs a chair. He's not able to use it and instead taps out to give Benoit the victory. This was by far their best match of the series. 

Match Rating: ***

Batista is interviewed backstage and he doesn't know if he's facing one or two men at Royal Rumble. He does know that he'll be ringside to watch the match though.

Mr. Kennedy is talking to Jillian Hall and she gets him all worked up about Teddy Long screwing him over all the time.

Deuce 'N Domino vs. Adam Roberts & Patrick Bentley

These two got absolutely no hype for their debut, but I do remember a little bit of buzz on the internet prior to it. This was a fun gimmick for what it was. They ham it up big time here. Deuce hits a big boot to a seated Bentley and that's enough for the finish. This was all it needed to be for an introduction to the team.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Teddy Long doesn't like Kennedy's disrespectful attitude towards him. He says his match with Undertaker is still going to happen tonight. Kennedy isn't happy.

Kane vs. Miz

The beginning of this one is the beginning to every Kane match ever. The rest of the match is every Kane squash match ever too. So they were starting to build up Miz as the crafty heel and like usual just have him get squashed by Kane or Undertaker. He probably wasn't quite ready for a huge role just yet, but Kane is so stale and had been for about 7 years at this point. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

King Booker tells Teddy that he never received his rematch against Batista. He says that he will reclaim his title by winning the Royal Rumble. Teddy says he'll help him get ready by having a 6 man over the top rope challenge next week. This leads to JBL and Cole running down the Royal Rumble card. 

Batista is now out to check out the main event. 

Mr. Kennedy vs. Undertaker

After just finishing Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 the other day, it is crazy to see the difference in confidence between Batista here and in that film. I think we can put this feud to rest after this match. It always feels like all of Undertaker's feuds are always at least a month too long. Undertaker dominates the entire opening of the match until Kennedy hits a dropkick to the knee. Kennedy goes after the knees and throws Taker into the steel steps. Taker comes back right away because of course he does. He hits a leg drop with Kennedy draped over the ring. We get into a back and forth segment that leads to Taker hitting Snake Eyes. Taker throws Kennedy over the top and Kennedy takes a cheap shot on Batista before rolling into the ring. Taker has Kennedy ready for the chokeslam, but Batista comes in and Spears Kennedy. That causes a disqualification and keeps his title match a one on one affair. Knowing what's going to happen, this was a nice bit of storytelling to set up the next few months. This was a pretty good match because it was kept shorter and they never really slowed it down to a crawl. 

Match Rating: **1/2

This was a good episode for the blue brand. We got a debut of a desperately needed new tag team, two good feature matches and some solid action from the secondary matches. Thumbs up here.

Overall Rating: 70%

ECW 1-16-07 Review

Tuesday, January 16th, 2007
Alltel Arena
Little Rock, Arkansas

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Kelly Kelly is introduced and she says that Kelly will not be dancing alone starting next week. She gives a sneak peak, but is interrupted by Matt Striker. He makes a bunch of sexist comments and then calls out CM Punk and we have a match.

Matt Striker vs. CM Punk

It's been fun to watch CM Punk get over organically despite being on the afterthought brand. Striker is getting a little too much offense for my liking here. I mean, I know they are also trying to build him up, but he had no main event potential with this gimmick. He hits a running kick to the head in the corner, but the crowd is absolutely silent for this. I didn't type much, but Striker has been dominating for at least 5 minutes of this match. Kelly Kelly gets up on the apron and flashes Striker. Punk uses a backslide and picks up the victory. Who in the world thinks that Punk needed to win this match like that? This is just bad booking. Striker's offense was methodical and dull for most of the match.

Match Rating: 3/4*

Marcus Cor Von vs. Cassidy Riley

Tazz says that he's heard a lot about this guy and then says his name wrong. He's announced as being from the Animal Kingdom. I love that a guy like Rene Dupree got weeks of vignettes, but not a word was even mentioned about Cor Von. I'm not quite sure why Tazz thinks it is Van and not Von. Cor Von looks pretty sharp here and nails him with the Pounce. He puts on a Fujiwara Arm Bar for the submission victory. Pretty impressive debut despite no hype. After the match, he grabs a mic and says that he is here to destroy and dismantle anything that's put in his path. He's getting the "What?" treatment, which is annoying. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

We go back to Bobby Lashley and he has no respect for Test, saying he has no business being in the match tonight. He says that he's walking in and walking out tonight as the ECW Champion.

We get a WrestleMania Recall with Roddy Piper and Morton Downey at WrestleMania V.

Elijah Burke talks about the Elijah Experience as Sandman heads to the ring.

Sandman vs. Elijah Burke

Sandman hits Sylvester Terkay before the bell rings and then Burke attacks Sandman. Sandman comes back with a bulldog but is still in pain. Burke tries to go up top, but gets crotched. Sandman goes for a back suplex, but Burke shoves him off. Burke goes down and pins him, but struggles to grab the jeans on the pin attempt. Either way, they count to 3 and that's all. That was an ugly finish. Why wouldn't you just have a cheap shot from Terkay be the finish here?

Match Rating: 1/4*

Kevin Thorn and Ariel pretend like they have a chance at winning the Royal Rumble.

Triple Threat Match For The ECW Championship
Rob Van Dam vs. Test vs. Bobby Lashley

Lashley goes right to Test and starts brawling while RVD is in the ring alone. Van Dam then drops Test on the barricade and hits the helicopter leg drop. This leaves Lashley and RVD to go at it for the third week in a row. After the commercial, Test is back in the ring and attacking both opponents. Test is able to throw RVD out of the ring and to the floor. He then throws Lashley into the ring post. RVD is back in and hits a couple of kicks. Lashley and Test battle up on the top rope and Test shoves Lashley to the mat. Test hits an elbow drop, but Lashley kicks out at 2. RVD then surprises Test with a single legged kick. RVD hits Rolling Thunder on both guys and then hits a 5 Star Frog Splash over Lashley and onto Test. Test rolls out of the ring and Lashley hits a Spear on RVD. Lashley hits a running powerslam on RVD and picks up the victory. What was Test doing while he pinned him? After the match, they show Test holding the ECW title, but bending over as if he was hurt. Lashley goes to get it, but he nails him in the face with it. We go off the air with him standing over Lashley. The match was decent, but nothing special. 

Match Rating: **

This was a pretty dull episode despite them continuing to try to put over new talent. Cor Von looked really solid in his debut, but Punk was booked poorly and Burke had a sloppy and meaningless victory. The main event was good enough, but nothing you had to see.

Overall Rating: 45%

Monday Night Raw 1-15-07 Review

Monday, January 15th, 2007
CenturyTel Center
Bossier City, Louisiana

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We get a quick Martin Luther King Jr. video before the WWE intro. John Cena's music hits and he's out for our opening segment. I have to say that I have never heard of Bossier City, Louisiana. Jonathan Coachman is already in the ring with a table and two chairs. Coachman then introduces Umaga to the chat. Coach says that it can't be any old match at Royal Rumble, so he let Armando Estrada choose the type of match. He announces that his decision has been made and that it's a Last Man Standing match. Cena says that he's full of surprises and leaps over the table to attack Umaga. These guys had such underrated chemistry. He hits Umaga with the steel steps and then hits a FU on Estrada through the table. The crowd absolutely loved this and honestly, so did I. 

Mixed Tag Team Match
Melina & Johnny Nitro vs. Maria & Jeff Hardy

Maria is full of spunk to start, even hitting a bulldog. Melina fakes an injury and Nitro distracted Maria enough to take control of the match. Melina puts on a camel clutch, but Maria kind of hits a headscissors that makes her tag in Nitro. Hardy comes in and hits Whisper In The Wind. He climbs up top, but Melina grabs his leg. Maria comes in and knocks her off the apron, but it gave Nitro enough time to get up there. Hardy knocks him off and hits the Senton for the pinfall victory. I have to say that was a little surprising. I assumed they'd just have Melina pin Maria here. This was really short, but a lot of fun. This has been a hot start to the show for once.

Match Rating: **

We go back to Coach and Vince McMahon. Vince is trying to get a hold of Donald Trump, but isn't able to. He leaves a message with an assistant and tells him it's urgent. He almost gives out his phone number, but then says that he knows it. 

Edge and Randy Orton are out and they play the intro of the DX music followed by the sound of when you die at the hospital. They face Shawn Michaels in a handicap match and talk about Triple H being at home in a wheelchair. Orton says he has something to check on backstage, leaving Edge to say that Michaels' last match will take place here tonight. Edge goes to help Orton backstage. They drag out Jim Duggan and he's bleeding and injured. Edge hits the One Man Con-chair-to despite officials trying to stop him. 

Ric Flair vs. Kenny Dykstra

Oh boy, I was dying to see this one again. Flair chops away to start until Kenny hits a dropkick to the knee of Flair. Kenny goes for the Figure Four and locks it in despite Flair attempting to block it. Flair grabs the bottom rope, but Kenny drags him in the middle to try it again. This time Flair kicks him out of the ring and then Flair hits a back body drop. Flair goes up top and he actually hits a clothesline for the rare success. Kenny rolls Flair up, but he had the rope and the ref catches him. Flair tries a pin by using the tights, but Kenny kicks out. Flair rolls up Kenny and uses the rope with one leg and this time it works. This wasn't great or anything, but it was shorter and more entertaining than the New Year's Revolution match.

Match Rating: *

After a SmackDown Rebound, we see Shawn Michaels arriving. Todd Grisham informs him that Rated RKO took out Jim Duggan and he says that he didn't want anyone else involved. Ric Flair comes up and says he's not letting him go out alone, he'll be his partner. 

Vince is wondering why Trump hasn't called him. Coach asks him why he needs to speak to him so badly. Vince pulls out a letter from Trump from last week that criticizes the fake Trump/Rosie O'Donnell segment. He then hyped The Apprentice. Vince says that if Trump wants some compelling television, he's about to give him some compelling television. 

Here comes Vince to ruin the show. He goes on and on about last week and I've already tuned out. He talks about something with Miss USA and that's how Rosie and Donald's feud started. He brings out Miss USA, but after a few introductions, it's Torrie Wilson who comes out. He makes her say that she's been a bad girl, which leads to Carlito coming out. He makes fun of the skit last week and says Vince isn't cool. Vince acts as if he's going to fight him, but instead introduces Great Khali. He obviously destroys Carlito and puts this segment out of its misery. 

WWE Women's Championship Match
Mickie James vs. Victoria

It seems like it would have been a natural fit to do a specialty match of some sort of this feud at Royal Rumble. Mickie gets hit with a baseball slide dropkick before throwing her across the ring by her hair. Mickie battles back with a headscissors takedown. Victoria hits a spinning side slam, but Mickie kicks out. Mickie hits a spin kick out of nowhere and that's enough for her to retain her title. This was too short to be anything memorable.

Match Rating: *

Chris Masters is out and mentions the Royal Rumble, as if anyone in the world thinks he has a chance. He then says that he has a signed document from Vince McMahon saying that due to interference, the Master Lock was never broken in Iraq. He then challenges people in the crowd, but Ron Simmons comes out instead. Simmons shoves him down before going through with the challenge. Super Crazy is out and he attacks Masters with a flurry of offense. Simmons then does what he does and that's that. They're claiming Simmons broke the Master Lock. 

We get a WrestleMania Recall and it's the Money In The Bank match from WrestleMania 22. 

JR announces that once again the Master Lock is being declared as being not broken. We then go backstage to see Flair on the ground and getting medical attention. 

JTG vs. Shelton Benjamin

I guess they're giving JTG a chance to see what he can do against a proven competitor. JTG hits a couple of dropkicks, but Shelton is able to come back with a kick. Shad rips off the turnbuckle pad behind the ref's back. Charlie Haas goes over there to put it back on, which distracts the referee. Shad then goes to Shelton and trips him up so that JTG falls on top of Shelton and picks up the victory. This was way too short. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Todd Grisham updates us on Flair's condition until interrupted by a mad Michaels. He then hits Sweet Chin Music on Grisham. 

We get a video package on Triple H's injury.

Rated RKO are out and they mock the DX intro. Orton then orders security to get rid of all of the DX signs. 

Handicap Match
Rated RKO vs. Shawn Michaels

Shawn starts off hot, but the numbers game catches up to him. Edge pulls down the top rope while Michaels is running the ropes and he's down to the floor. Edge levels him with a clothesline and then later gets in a ton of closed fists to the head of Michaels. Michaels is now busted open and Orton hits him with his modified backbreaker. Michaels makes his comeback and hits the top rope elbow drop on Edge. Michaels goes for Sweet Chin Music, but he's hit by Orton with a Thesz Press. They continue to double team and are disqualified. After the belll rings, they set up Michaels for a One Man Con-chair-to, but he counters out of it. Instead, it's Orton who gets hit by one courtesy of Michaels. The match was your usual Michaels TV match with some blood sprinkled in. 

Match Rating: **1/4

I was really liking this episode and then Vince had to go and ruin it. The crowd was really into the first half and the main event, which made the show more enjoyable as well. The Vince/Trump stuff is just really going to suck this show down for the next couple of months.

Overall Rating: 57%

NXT 3-18-15 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, March 18th, 2015
LC Pavilion
Columbus, Ohio

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This week's episode I believe is the first one to not take place at Full Sail University. We are coming from Columbus, Ohio this week. 

Kalisto vs. Tyler Breeze

We have a Madison Square Garden type setup here, with the entrance directly in the background. Kalisto shows off some of his unique crazy athleticism early on and Breeze rolls out of the ring. Kalisto goes for a springboard move, but Breeze hits him with a dropkick for a 2 count. After a commercial break, Kalisto hits a modified hurricanrana to Breeze on his knees, driving his head into the mat. Kalisto goes for a springboard move, but gets hit with the Supermodel Kick for a nearfall. Kalisto goes for the STS, but Breeze counters it and hits the Beauty Shot for the victory. This was a solid opener, with both guys getting a chance to show off what they can do. 

Match Rating: **1/2

We get a Kevin Owens/Alex Riley video package. 

Alexa Bliss is excited to show her hometown what she's all about. 

We get a video package of NXT at the Arnold Sports Festival. They show Triple H being honored to be put in the International Sports Hall of Fame. Hulk Hogan, Jimmy Hart and Ric Flair were also there to hype up NXT. I truly feel like this was the proof that was needed that NXT was capable of selling out arenas outside of Florida.

Finn Balor approaches Alex Riley and says that he'll watch his back. Riley says that he's going to humiliate Owens tonight. Balor warns him not to overlook Owens or there will be no tomorrow for him. 

Wesley Blake vs. Big Cass

The crowd is very much into Enzo and Cass. Cass throws Blake around the ring in the early going until Blake is able to snap Cass's neck on the top rope. Cass makes a comeback with a splash in the corner and a side suplex. Buddy Murphy gets up on the apron and Cass gives him a boot off the apron. Blake rolls up Cass and picks up the victory. Well, that was certainly quick. Carmella also got knocked off the apron and is selling her knee. It's really interesting how they book Cass. It's almost unlike any big man that I can remember and that is very un-WWE like.

Match Rating: 3/4*

Dana Brooke is coming soon to NXT.

Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks

They hype up the hometown crowd for Bliss, but Sasha is very much over too. Sasha hits the double knees in the corner early on. Alexa battles back and hits a standing moonsault for a 2 count. She does a variation of a sunset flip that doesn't pick up the victory and then hits a dropkick to knock Sasha out of the ring. Alexa leaps off the apron and starts taking it to her. Sasha is able to fight back and throw her into the hardest part of the ring. Alexa throws Sasha into the ring post and rolls into the ring for the countout victory. That was an interesting way to book this one. They hardly had any time and the babyface gets the heel victory. 

Match Rating: *1/4

Kevin Owens addresses Alex Riley tonight and Finn Balor for next week. He says that no one is taking his NXT Championship away from him and his family. 

Alexa Bliss talks about beating Sasha Banks and Sasha comes into argue. William Regal says that next week Sasha will defend the Women's Championship against Alexa. 

Alex Riley vs. Kevin Owens

Owens hits some clubbing blows early in the match. Riley is able to get a dropkick in, but Owens is back at it and hits a cannonball. Owens goes for another one and this time Riley is able to move. Riley hits a spinebuster and gets a 2 count. Owens quickly is back and hits a trio of sentons before dumping him outside. Owens picks him up and throws him into the elevated metal rail. Back in the ring, Owens hits the Pop Up Powerbomb for the victory. That was basically a complete squash. I'm not really sure what they were going for with the weeks of build on this story if Owens was just going to completely bury him. The match wasn't much.

Match Rating: 3/4*

After the match Owens goes for another one, but Finn Balor's music hits and he's out to tell him to stop. Balor leaps off the apron and they start brawling. Balor gets the best of him and Owens retreats to the back. 

The booking on this show was kind of interesting. It was cool to see them out of the NXT Arena, this one just wasn't their strongest effort. 

Overall Rating: 50%

SummerSlam 2023 Review

Saturday, August 5th, 2023
Ford Field
Detroit, Michigan

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I was lucky enough to be in attendance for my first ever SummerSlam. The luckiest part of it all was that Kid Rock was only in the introduction and not performing live. The intro itself is pretty good, but kind of weird that they mention only 1988, 1995 and 2013. Who came up with that idea?

Logan Paul vs. Ricochet

Logan had a ton of heat throughout the match. Obviously it was the opener, so the crowd energy was high, but I think it would have been close to the same had this match happened later in the evening. The first big move of the night is a reverse neckbreaker by Paul onto the hardest part of the ring. He then kisses his fiancé in the front row. Logan mocks Samantha Irvin while he's at it. Logan hits the Hogan Paul and Ricochet follows it up with the People's Moonsault. Logan is able to hit a huge back body drop to regain control. Logan hits a Spanish Fly off the apron, but they kind of land on their feet. They start hockey brawling and then Ricochet hits a Spanish Fly on the floor. Logan trips him up back in the ring and pulls him to the floor. Logan hits a Buckshot Lariat from the ring to the floor. Logan hits a crossbody and gets a 2 count. Logan runs into the ring post and Ricochet brings Paul up top and he hits a leaping neckbreaker. Ricochet hits a springboard clothesline, but that's not enough for the victory. Logan goes for a second rope moonsault, but Ricochet catches him. Logan counters that and hits a tornado DDT for another close call. Ricochet goes for the Shooting Star Press, but Logan gets his knees up and gets a 2 count. Logan hits a springboard Frog Splash, but Ricochet is still able to kick out. Ricochet rocks him with a superkick and hits a springboard moonsault, but Logan kicks out. Both guys are doing a nice job of selling, which is always a criticism of modern wrestling from the old timers. Ricochet goes for the 630, but Logan rolls out of the way. One of Logan Paul's buddies sneaks up and hands Logan brass knuckles and he rocks Ricochet with a right hand to pick up the tainted victory. They did a really nice job of making Ricochet look strong here though, which he really needed. Logan also gets a big win after a few losses. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes

Cody goes right after Lesnar, but Lesnar hits him with a quick suplex in retaliation. Cody comes back with two Disaster Kicks that connect, but the third one is blocked by Lesnar. Lesnar hits his shoulder on the ring post and Cody then hits a suicide dive. The crowd was probably about 80% behind Cody, but there was a strong amount of respect for both of these guys. It's hard to argue with that, as both guys have given a lot for the fans over the years. Lesnar just dead lifts Cody and throws him. I love when Brock does some of the stuff that just looks a little rough around the edges, as it adds to the realism that he brings. Cody is among one of the best on the roster at selling, so it's no surprise that he was a natural choice to face Brock. Lesnar is now firmly in Suplex City and just manhandling Cody here. They're now doing the story where Brock destoys him and Cody goes out of the ring and he barely beats the count back into the ring. Brock tells Cody that it's only going to get worse if he keeps crawling back in. After a few times of doing that, Brock goes outside and hits a F5 to the floor. Brock isn't pleased with Cody, so he hits another F5, this time through the announce table. Michael Cole pleads with Cody to stop getting back in there. He doesn't listen, but when he's about to get suplexed again, he rips off the top turnbuckle. For some reason, the announcers don't even make mention of it. Cody goes to use the steel steps, but Brock kicks the out. He goes for another F5, but Cody shoves him into the steel post. He picks the steps up and this time connects. Cody hits a Disaster Kick and then a Cody Cutter. He then hits a double jump Cody Cutter, but Brock kicks out. That was sweet. Brock then slaps on the Kimura and Cody is struggling. He finally gets to the bottom rope and Brock releases the hold. Brock goes for the F5, but this time Cody shoves him into the exposed turnbuckle. Cody now puts on a Kimura lock of his own. Lesnar is able to power his way out of it by driving Cody into the mat. Both man slowly get up. Lesnar goes for another F5, but Cody counters and hits a Cross Rhodes. He hits a total of 3 of them and picks up the victory. A lot can be said about Brock Lesnar, but he should absolutely be remembered as one of the all time greats because of matches like this. He was 100% invested in putting Cody over tonight and he accomplished that. That's not to take anything away from Cody because he was also great here tonight and has proven to be worth every penny that WWE has paid him. Not quite an classic, but it was quite awesome. After the match, Brock shakes hands with Cody and raises his arm.

Match Rating: ****

25 Man Slim Jim SummerSlam Battle Royal

Just as the match is about to start, MVP announces that they still need one more man and it's the man who is going to win it, Omos. Omos quickly eliminates a few guys like Rick Boogs. Otis is eliminated quicker than I expected here, but it leads to a really strong performance from Chad Gable. Tommaso Ciampa is able to dispose of both Viking Raiders and then Shinsuke Nakamura. Ciampa then gets dumped himself by Bronson Reed. The #1 contender for Austin Theory's United States Championship, Santos Escobar eliminates the champ, but then is quickly eliminated by Working The Network favorite Karrion Kross (I kid). Ludwig Kaiser is eliminated by a reverse hurricanrana by Chad Gable. Omos is able to eliminate both Matt Riddle and Butch at the same time. LA Knight takes his turn at Omos, but it ends with him running into a boot. The rest of the field starts to attack Omos. They get him stunned and then all team up to eliminate him to a nice pop. Miz almost eliminates LA Knight and celebrates it, which leads to Knight dumping him out. Miz is furious and Sheamus then eliminates Grayson Waller. Bronson Reed knocks both Sheamus and Knight down. AJ hits the Pele Kick on Kross and eliminates him. Reed knocks Gable out, leaving us with our final four. LA Knight is able to drag Reed over the top and we are down to Knight, Sheamus and AJ Styles. AJ is looking good until he goes for the Phenomenal Forearm and Kross grabs his leg. This allows for Sheamus to eliminate him. Knight and Sheamus now go at it. Sheamus has him up for the Celtic Cross, but Knight gets out and almost knocks him out. Sheamus goes up top, but Knight leaps up and hits a suplex. Knight clotheslines him and picks up the victory for the biggest pop of the night. I knew Knight was crazy over, but it's much more than I even knew. The best way for a battle royal to be good is to actually have wrestlers who are over in it. This one had a handful of that and the crowd was invested in it as a result. They went with the obvious result because it was the right result and thankfully didn't go for the swerve.

Match Rating: ***

MMA Rules Match
Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler

Well after the huge reaction for Knight, these two were already at a disadvantage. It was absolutely dead silent when this started and the crowd never got invested. Ronda has fallen out of the fans good graces and Baszler has been a lifetime heel. Baszler connects with a roundhouse kick to the head. Ronda is able to come back with a leaping knee to the face of Baszler. Ronda puts on a submission and Baszler is forced to dump both of them over the top rope to break the hold. Medical officials are out to check on her, but Ronda throws them out of the way. They start trading punches and Baszler puts on the Kirifuda Clutch. Ronda gets out and puts on the Arm Bar. Baszler rolls out and puts on an Ankle Lock. Ronda swaps out of it and puts on a choke hold. Baszler has the Kirifuda Clutch on and Rousey is out to put us out of our misery. This went over worse than a fart in church. Considerin that this show went past midnight, this should have been cut. Rousey's second run with WWE has been everything the first one wasn't.

Match Rating: 1/2*

Intercontinental Championship Match
Drew McIntyre vs. Gunther

This was the match I wanted to rewatch the most. After the last stinker, the crowd was pretty quiet to start. They eventually won the crowd over, but it wasn't until the end. I saw a lot of rave reviews for the match, but it didn't feel that way live. If there is one guy that I'm surprised is on the WWE roster, it's Gunther. They have booked him strongly now, so it's easy to see why he is still here, but I was very surprised when he originally signed. The first big moment in the match comes when they are brawling outside and Gunther drops McIntyre on top of the steel steps. We eventually get to the manly men beating each other up spot of the match. McIntyre rolls out from the German suplex and hits a clothesline. McIntyre hits a couple of belly to belly throws. Drew gets ready for the Claymore Kick, but Gunther ducks and hits a double dropkick into the corner. Gunther goes for the powerbomb, but McIntyre counters and hits one of his own. McIntyre hits a Future Shock DDT, but Gunther kicks out. McIntyre wants to go for a Claymore, but Gunther rolls out of the ring. McIntyre decides to hit a somersault dive over the top instead. He goes for the Claymore again, but Gunther hits a dropkick and then a powerbomb for a 2 count. Gunther goes up to the top and hits a splash, but McIntyre kicks out again. Gunther starts smacking McIntyre in the back of the head which leads to them smacking each other. McIntyre hits the Claymore Kick but Gunther kicks out. This was when they had the crowd all the way. McIntyre goes for a powerbomb on the second rope. Gunter blocks it and they start just beating each other some more. Gunther knocks Drew off and crotches him. Gunther is moving fast and furious and hits the powerbomb for the victory. This was much better on TV than live, as I had hoped. It will be very interesting to see what else is in store for Gunther. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins

Balor attacks Rollins before the bell and they are quickly trading blows. Balor dominates the early part of the match, working a methodical pace. Rollins gets some momentum and grabs Balor by the beard and hits him with some blows to the head. Rollins hits a trio of suicide dives, with the final one driving Balor into the announce table. Rollins goes up top, but Balor is able to get to him first and throws him into the ring post. Balor then hits the buckle bomb into the barricade, just like Rollins did to him 7 years ago. Back in the ring, Rollins is able to hit a superkick but Balor is right back at it. Rollins powers out of the submission and hits two buckle bombs of his own. Rollins hits a huge Frog Splash, but Balor gets the shoulder up. Balor gets a fury of offense before being greeted by Rollins up top for a superplex. Balor counters the Falcon Arrow into a pin attempt, but Rollins is out at 2. Both men are down and the crowd applauds in appreciation. They trade right hands until Balor hits a running dropkick. Balor misses with the Coup de Grace and Rollins hits the Pedigree. Rollins lays on him for the pin attempt and that allows Balor to get the shoulder up. Out comes Damian Priest with his briefcase. Balor kicks out of a pin attempt and right into a right hand from Priest. Balor hits a Pedigree of his own, but Rollins kicks out. Both Balor and Priest are in disbelief. Priest starts waiving and out comes Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio. Priest tries to give Balor the briefcase, but they sort of argue over it. This leads to Balor getting the Stomp from Rollins, but he somehow kicks out. Rollins goes up top, but Dom goes up there. Rollins then leaps and hits Priest instead. Rollins hits the Stomp on Dom, but gets hit with the Sling Blade from Balor. He hits the Coup de Grace, but Rollins kicks out. I'll be honest, they had me there. Priest leaves the briefcase in the ring and then distracts the ref. Rollins gets up and hits the Stomp onto the briefcase before Balor got to it and that's all. This storyline was a lot of fun and Rollins and Balor killed it here. Good stuff.

Match Rating: ****1/4

Triple Threat Match For The WWE Women's Championship
Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka vs. Bianca Belair

We get some nice action to start off that follows the usual triple threat formula. I've mentioned it before, but since literally no one reads any of my reviews, I'll say again that I like triple threat matches more than most fans. Asuka is able to catch Bianca with a knee, but Askua is able to pull Charlotte off. Charlotte hits a top rope crossbody that takes both opponents down. She hits a double Natural Selection and covers both, but only gets 2. Bianca gets a little bit of shine, but both Charlotte and Asuka get their knees up when she goes for the handspring moonsault. Charlotte and Asuka go at it and this time Bianca is able to hit it this time. Bianca is selling her knee afterwards, but she climbs up top anyways. Asuka knocks her down and then Charlotte knocks Asuka down. I hate how long Charlotte took here because I always hate when they all just stand there waiting for her to jump. She didn't really connect Bianca on that one. Asuka escapes out of the KOD but gets kicked off the apron by Charlotte. Charlotte is able to escape a KOD, but ends up in an arm bar by Asuka. Asuka then gets the Asuka Lock on Bianca, but Charlotte comes in and turns that into a pin and Asuka has to break the hold. Charlotte hits a moonsault, but it's still not enough. Bianca charges at Charlotte, but she tosses her over the top rope and falls to the floor and hit the steps on the way down. She is selling an injury and medical staff is checking on her. Meanwhile, Asuka and Charlotte are battling up on the second rope. Asuka hits a superplex and Bianca is heading towards the back. Charlotte hits a Spear, but Asuka kicks out. Charlotte locks in the Figure Eight and now Bianca is limping her way back to the ring. She climbs to the top and hits a 450 splash on Charlotte. That was awesome and I don't think anyone would have been mad if that was the finish. Bianca gets Charlotte up for the KOD, but again gets out of it and we gets some quick action that leads to Charlotte slapping on the Figure Eight on Bianca with the bad knee. Asuka comes in and spits the green mist in Charlotte's face. Bianca gets an inside cradle on Asuka to pick up the victory and become the new champion. That was a fantastic finish and a very good match between three of the best. But that would not be all...

Match Rating: ***3/4

Out comes Iyo Sky and Bayley. They use the briefcase and attack Bianca with it. She cashes it in and here we go. 

WWE Women's Championship Match
Bianca Belair vs. Iyo Sky

Iyo hits the moonsault and we have our second new Women's Champion of the last 60 seconds. Out comes Dakota Kai to also celebrate with her. The crowd absolutely loved all of this. This wasn't a match, so I can't really rate it, but it was a great moment.

Tribal Combat For The Undisputed WWE Universal Championship
Jey Uso vs. Roman Reigns

I should note that there is no reason this match should have started so late, nor should the show have run as long as it did. As with most Roman matches, there's a lot of stalling to start things out. After some Roman dominance, Jey gets his burst of offense and hits a suicide dive. The crowd wants tables, so Jey pulls one out and sets it up outside the ring. Roman is able to stop him before he gets to use it and hits him with the Drive By. Jey goes for a dive, but Roman hits him with a kendo stick. Roman did have more heat on him than I expected. I thought he'd have a little more fan support. Jey finally gets his hands on the kendo stick and he unleashes. He uses it to knock Roman over the top and hits a somersault dive over the top. Jey goes off the top, but Roman nails him with a Superman punch. Roman goes for the Spear, but Jey rolls him up for a 2 count. He hits a superkick and an Uso Splash, but Roman kicks out. Jey uses a chair before throwing in a handful of chairs. They battle up on the ropes and it ends with Roman hitting a powerbomb on the chairs, but Jey kicks out. The biggest problem with this match is that everyone expected interference. As a result, the false finishes aren't working as well and it hurt the drama a little bit. We have a table set up in the corner of the ring now as well. They battle by the apron and it leads to Jey hitting a Samoan drop through the table. Jey then starts whipping Roman with a leather strap. Roman goes out through the crowd, but Jey is out to follow him. They brawl, but out comes Solo Sikoa to attack Jey and put him through a table. They go back to the ring and continue the beatdown until Jey is able to sidestep the Spear and Roman accidentally hits Solo. Jey hits a Spear of his own, but Roman gets his shoulder up. Jey now starts attacking them both with a chair. Solo and Roman seem to be having an argument and Jey hits Roman with a Spear through the barricade. Solo starts attacking Jey, but Jey superkicks him on the table and then hits a splash off the barricade through the table. Jey hits another Spear in the ring on Roman and hits the Uso Splah, but someone pulls him out of the ring. Of course, it's Jimmy. Jey is disgusted and after some time to let it play out, Jimmy hits him with a superkick. Roman then hits a Spear through the table in the corner and picks up the victory. This was the usual lengthy Roman main event match. Jey did a nice job here and picked his spots well. With that being said, they could have easily sliced 10 minutes off of it and no one would have cared. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

I thought this was a great show both live and on the replay. I've been fortunate to go to a lot of wrestling events over the years and this one is pretty high up there. 

Overall Rating: 88%

Monday Night Raw 3-27-95 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, March 27th, 1995
Stockton Memorial Auditorium
Stockton, California

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Tonight, it's Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart in a No Holds Barred Match.

Gorilla Monsoon and Jim Ross are at the arena with Vince McMahon and Todd Pettengill are in the studio. This is a hybrid show, with it being more of a WrestleMania hype show that happens to have a match on it. 

We start off with the Diesel/Shawn Michaels story. They do a nice job with the video package here and honestly this is an underrated feud. Todd then hypes up going into Prodigy chat rooms to talk about the match. 

We see some Salt-N-Pepa for about 10 seconds before going to another commercial break. 

It's now back to Vince and Todd to talk about Lawrence Taylor/Bam Bam Bigelow. Vince says that unlike the Super Bowl, the WWF always delivers on the hype. He obviously hasn't watched WrestleMania XI yet. We get another good video package telling the story. I really have enjoyed Bam Bam's work throughout the feud. It's too bad that this is really all WWF ever did with him that was noteworthy. On a sidenote, Todd's ponytail is just out of control. They then awkwardly talk about how NFL owners are worried that the players may get hurt at WrestleMania. 

The 2nd annual WWF Fan Festival is this weekend. Vince says that no other group cares more about their fans than the WWF. Jim Ross is with Bob Backlund and he yells about Bret Hart.

We then move onto Jeff Jarrett and Razor Ramon. They also show the ending of the Jarrett/Backlund Sunday Night Slam match, where Backlund and Razor got into it. 

Vince attempts to be funny and then transitions that to talk about King Kong Bundy/Undertaker. Why am I going to make myself watch that match again? Undertaker says that it's time for Bundy to meet his maker. 

Vince again tries to be funny and fails. He sends us over to Bret Hart talking about one of his four feuds going on. So Saturday it was all about Hakushi, now it's about Owen and Backlund both times is an afterthought. Such strange booking. Todd actually does a good job of explaining why he thinks that Bret is going to use all of this negativity to his advantage. He is so goofy, but then gives you these little nuggets here and there that show that he actually is pretty good at his job.

No Holds Barred Match
Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart

It's always so nice to hear Gorilla on the announcing, even if it's without Heenan. They start brawling right away and the action spills out to the entrance ramp. They do a quick spot where they go backstage to some boos and then quickly come back out. Bret hits a body slam onto the concrete and then throws Owen back in the ring. JR declares this to be a slobberknocker as Owen gloats. Owen slams Bret into the steel steps while Gorilla yells about him wasting too much time. He throws Bret into the steel guardrail as we go into a commercial break. Bret makes a comeback with Gorilla now criticizing Bret. Owen slows down the momentum by throwing Bret into an exposed turnbuckle sternum first. Bret is able to hit a catapult into that same turnbuckle. He slaps on the Sharpshooter and Owen finally taps. After the match, Bret will not let go of the hold and we never see him release the hold as we go back to Todd and Vince. This was Bret and Owen, so of course it was good. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

Jonathan Taylor Thomas talks about his accomplishments and says that he's excited to interview some wrestlers at WrestleMania.

We get some clips of LT and then back to Vince and Todd. We get a pre-taped interview with the Million Dollar Team. IRS and Nikolai Volkoff are nowhere to be found. Bam Bam calls LT a squirrel trying to get a nut. They then hype up both Raw and Mania being live next week. 

This was actually a lot better than I was expecting it to be. Todd in particular did a nice job here making the matches feel important. They squeezed in a solid match between Bret and Owen, gave me a little Gorilla Monsoon and an overall good flow to the show. I'm more excited to watch WrestleMania than I anticipated.

Overall Rating: 62%

Superstars 3-25-95 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, March 25th, 1995
William Bell Auditorium
Augusta, Georgia

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

They show Lex Luger slamming King Kong Bundy and then Tatanka attacking him. 

Tatanka vs. British Bulldog

This episode was taped 52 days before it was airing. Can you imagine them doing something like that now? After a slow start, Bulldog knocks Tatanka out of the ring. Bulldog hits a vertical suplex and gets a 2 count. They continue to hype up the individual "feuds" between the Million Dollar Team and the NFL players. Tatanka's guy is Chris Spielman, one of my all time favorite Detroit Lions. We get a commercial break from this disappointing match. Tatanka hits a vertical suplex and then climbs to the top rope. He hits him with a chop to the top of the head, but Bulldog kicks out at 2. Tatanka gets knocked out of the ring and tries to walk to the back. Bulldog throws him back in. Tatanka is out of the ring again and Bulldog chases him around. DiBiase trips Bulldog, Tatanka gets back in the ring and wins by countout. This wasn't a very good match and the finish made Bulldog look dumb.

Match Rating: 3/4*

They show the highlights of the scuffle between Steve McMichael and Kama. That leads us to a WrestleMania XI Report. 

We once again see the Men On A Mission attack of the Smoking Gunns.

Smoking Gunns vs. Chic Donovan & Rip Rogers

You would never expect this, but the Gunns are all over the historic team of Donovan and Rogers. They hit the Sidewinder and that's all ahead of their title match at WrestleMania. They looked sharp as usual.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Aldo Montoya vs. Hakushi

After a cartwheel by Hakushi, he hits a superkick while McMahon can't stop talking about the writing all over his body. Montoya goes for the quick pinfall attempts before hitting a dropkick to knock Hakushi out of the ring. Shinja distracts Montoya and Hakushi slowly walks behind him and kicks him in the back of the legs. Hakushi then hits the handspring elbow in the corner. Hakushi hits a Bronco Buster as we go into a commercial break. When we come back, Hakushi hits a dropkick and then hits a shoulder tackle off the top rope. Montoya fights back and hits a missile dropkick for a 2. He goes for a reverse crossbody, but Hakushi hits him with a fist to the jaw. Hakushi hits a moonsault and that's all. It looks like Montoya got hit pretty hard in the head with Hakushi's knee there. I really like Hakushi, but it did seem like he was still trying to get comfortable to the style here. 

Match Rating: *3/4

Back to Todd to talk about WrestleMania. We're only a week away and he talks some more about LT/Bam Bam Bigelow.

We get our WrestleMania moment and surprisingly it's Hulk Hogan/Andre The Giant at WrestleMania III.

They show clips of Bob Backlund and Jeff Jarrett in their bizarre pre-WrestleMania feud.

Henry Godwinn vs. Mark Starr

Godwinn hits a big clothesline and then rams Starr's head into the turnbuckle. Godwinn hits the slop drop and picks up a quick victory here. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go to Jim Ross, who introduces Bret Hart to receive his Japanese media award. He is with four members of the Japanese media and reads the award to Bret. Bret says that it's a shame that all it takes is one person these days to ruin someone's character. If you only knew what 2023 was going to be like, Bret. After Bret accepts it, Shinja and Hakushi are out. Shinja says that Bret hates Japan and yells at the media. Hakushi then attacks Bret and kicks him off the platform. He then hits a moonsault off the platform. This is all so weird with WrestleMania just 8 days away. After a commercial break, out comes Bob Backlund and he attacks Bret as we go off the air.

The Bulldog/Tatanka match was about as dull as that could have possibly been. The rest of the show had a good pace to it though and was an easy watch. It was nice to see a new character get some airtime after kind of just showing up here and there with Hakushi.

Overall Rating: 42%

SmackDown 1-12-07 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, January 12th, 2007
Peoria Civic Center
Peoria, Illinois

Beat The Clock Sprint Match
Finlay vs. Matt Hardy

The time to beat is 5:07. Finlay starts off quickly, trying to catch Hardy off guard. Mr. Kennedy is watching backstage and we have a collision between the two men here. Both men are down with 2:30 left until Hardy gets a backslide for 2. Hardy hits a Side Effect and again Finlay kicks out at 2. Hardy goes up to the second rope, but Hornswoggle is out and the distraction allows Finlay to hit a shillelagh to the knee, but Hardy kicks out. We are under a minute and Finlay puts on a leg submission hold. He leaves Hardy in the hold, but he doesn't tap and the match is over. Out comes Joey Mercury with a facemask on and he attacks Hardy. He puts a chair over his face and is going up top, but officials get in the way to block Hardy. The match was limited due to the amount of time they were able to work here, but it was entertaining.

Match Rating: *3/4

Mercury says that he wants to make Hardy's face hurt worse than his does.

Jimmy Wang Yang vs. Tatanka

They really want to do this again, huh? Tatanka pulls out a tree of woe, which I don't think I've ever seen him use before. Yang makes a comeback by working on the left knee of Tatanka. Yang hits a swinging neckbreaker and a standing moonsault for a 2 count. He follows that up with a heel kick that connects. Tatanka catches Yang off the second rope and hits a spinning slam for the victory. JBL declares that Tatanka is a force to be reckoned with. This wasn't terrible or anything, but neither guy is going anywhere.

Match Rating: *1/4

We get Maryse in a towel speaking French.

They show highlights of the tag team ladder match at Armageddon. Paul London and Brian Kendrick are backstage when William Regal and Dave Taylor remind them that their match tonight is not a ladder match, it's a standard match.

Chris Benoit is on his way to the ring backstage. 

They show a WrestleMania 23 Recall and it's Triple H/Chris Jericho from WrestleMania X-8. 

Mr. Kennedy vs. Chris Benoit

Benoit gets off to the quick start, but Kennedy shifts the momentum by throwing Benoit through the ropes. Benoit hits some German suplexes and now Chavo Guerrero is out and we're headed to a commercial break. When we come back, Chavo is at the announce table. Benoit hits a suplex that sends both men over the top and to the floor. Kennedy puts on the abdominal stretch and uses the top rope for leverage. Kennedy hits a superplex and goes to work on the back. Benoit makes a comeback, hitting a top rope headbutt. It doesn't last long, as Kennedy is able to hit a hot shot for a 2 count. Kennedy hits a rare missile dropkick, but Benoit gets his foot on the bottom rope. Benoit hits the series of German suplexes and puts on the Sharpshooter. Up comes Chavo and Benoit gets to him before he can do anything. He goes for the Sharpshooter on him, but Kennedy rolls him up and gets the victory. This kind of felt like a long match just for the sake of having a long match. After the match, Benoit attacks Chavo, but Chavo throws him into the ring post and runs through the crowd.

Match Rating: **1/4

We see part 2 of Batista's story with him attacking Mark Henry. 

WWE Tag Team Championship Match
Paul London & Brian Kendrick vs. William Regal & Dave Taylor

Well. we're finally getting the proper title match between these two. Not that they've had a lot of memorable feuds, it still is surprising to me that London and Kendrick were able to retain the titles for as long as they did. They get the hot start before Regal and Taylor slow things down. Regal tries to block the tag, but the momentum sends him to his back and in comes Kendrick. He hits a big boot to the face and gets a 2 count on Regal. Regal almost steals a victory, but London comes from out of nowhere to save it. Kendrick puts on a backslide and picks up the victory. That one was definitely disappointing. I know these two can do better.

Match Rating: *1/2

They show highlights of MVP getting burned at Armageddon.

We get more Maryse.

Beat The Clock Sprint Match
MVP vs. Vito

Vito. Still a thing. MVP is selling his injuries from Armageddon on his way down to the ring. 5:07 is still the time to beat here. Vito goes after the burned back of MVP and Michael Cole is all excited about it. These guys are having a really weird match, with the selling of the burned back just really being all there is to this one. The fake crowd noise is also very noticeable in this one. We're down to a minute and MVP hits the big running boot in the corner. We don't get too much drama at the end and the match is over. MVP attacks Vito after the match, as is often the case here. Vito gets the best of him though by throwing him into the steps. This wasn't a good match.

Match Rating: 1/2*

We get a lengthy Raw Rebound and find out that next week Chavo Guerrero will face Chris Benoit. 

We then get a Batista backstage interview. He says that he would never look past facing Mr. Kennedy and then says facing Undertaker would be a first. I love that they don't even give Undertaker's "mystery" opponent a chance.

Undertaker vs. Miz

Miz walks out petrified and is dominated early on. Taker hits a big clothesline and gets a 2 count. Out comes Mr. Kennedy to provide a distraction. This allows Miz to get his split second of offense in before getting dominated again. We're down to a minute left and Taker hits Snake Eyes. I'm not sure why he wouldn't have just hit the Tombstone there. Jimmy Korderas gets knocked down and Kennedy gets knocked off the apron. Taker hits a chokeslam, but Korderas is still hurt. Taker grabs him and that allows Kennedy to grab Miz out of the ring. Taker has Miz back in and takes too long to hit the Tombstone and just misses the victory as the buzzer goes off. The storytelling was solid here, even if Miz looked like a complete jobber.

Match Rating: *1/4

This was a big improvement over last week, even if it wasn't anything spectacular. The action was mostly decent and we at least have Kennedy's moment coming up at Royal Rumble. 

Overall Rating: 53%