Monday Night Raw 5-8-95 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, May 8th, 1995
Omaha Civic Auditorium
Omaha, Nebraska

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

We get a recap of Sid/Razor Ramon from last week before the intro. When we go to the arena, Jerry Lawler is ecstatic about getting to wrestle Bret Hart at In Your House (only $14.95). Tonight it's Owen Hart vs. Bart Gunn, Hakushi in action and an interview with Sid.

Jeff Jarrett vs. Doink

This is a non-title match. Jarrett's attire tonight is something I don't think I have ever seen him wear before and probably for good reason. Not that any of his gear was ever really that good. Doink runs into a boot in the corner after having control of the early portion of the match. Jarrett almost runs into Roadie, but while he brags about his intelligence, Doink snaps Roadie's neck on the top rope and almost gets a quick win over Jarrett. Jarrett has Doink in trouble when we go to commercial break and when we come back he is working on the leg. Doink makes a comeback and then Dink bites Jarrett's butt. Roadie takes out Doink's leg and that allows Jarrett to put on the Figure Four and Doink submits. This was a perfectly acceptable TV match. 

Match Rating: *1/2

We get a Body Donnas vignette and then go into a pre-taped interview with an apologetic Bam Bam Bigelow. He talks about his mistake of doing what he did at Royal Rumble, which led to him losing to one of the greatest football players of all time. This whole thing makes him look like a total dweeb. 

We get a Sid/Diesel video for In Your House. 

We now go to an in ring interview with Sid and Ted DiBiase. Ted gives his usual predictable promo and then Sid just starts yelling before going down low and then into more yelling. 

Hakushi vs. Gary Scott

It's Michael's brother, Gary. The crowd is chanting "We want Bret" and just in case you didn't know that Bret has two matches at In Your House, you'll know by the end of this show. They have only mentioned it 16 times already. Hakushi remains undefeated here with an easy pinfall victory, but I suspect it won't last for long. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's the final In Your House Report because it's this Sunday. Diesel talks about being a big man or something. For some reason, there is no replay of In Your House. I thought the replay was a standard thing by this time?

Owen Hart vs. Bart Gunn

Bart fights off an early distraction from Mr. Fuji and hits a top rope crossbody for a 2 count. Bart continues on offense until Fuji trips Bart up and now Owen takes advantage of it. We get some more shenanigans after the commercial break and it leads to Billy crotching Owen on the top rope. Bart then is able to roll up Owen and picks up the victory ahead of their rematch at In Your House. It should be noted that Yokozuna was not at ringside for whatever reason. I didn't type much, but this was a good 1995 style WWF match for Raw.

Match Rating: **1/2

They show Todd and Stephanie from Mania giving us a tour of the house. How did we ever think that kitchens that looked like that were nice? Todd is in full annoying trying too hard mode here. 

They show a clip of Bret Hart accepting Jerry Lawler's challenge and then Lawler tells us that he's going to bring his mother to the show. If that doesn't make you want to buy it, I don't know what will.

This was a decent enough show. This era is infamous for its quality, but the shows are well paced and don't usually overstay their welcome.

Overall Rating: 49%

Superstars 5-6-95 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, May 6th, 1995
Veterans Memorial Auditorium
Des Moines, Iowa

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

WWF Tag Team Championship Match
Headshrinkers vs. Owen Hart & Yokozuna

The Headshrinkers are here without both Lou Albano and Afa. I have to think that this is their last TV appearance here? Owen tries to slam Fatu's head on the turnbuckle, but he no sells it and does some dancing before hitting a headbutt to Owen's abdomen. The Headshrinkers are very much not the Headshrinkers any more. Owen tags in Yoko, so Fatu tags in Sione. Sione is able to yank Yoko's hair and slam him on his back. Sione then hits a big boot and knocks Yoko out of the ring and into the commercial break. When we come back, Yoko and Owen have Sione trapped in their corner. Fatu tags in and he suffers from the same luck. Fatu counters Owen and hits a piledriver and both men tag in their partners. Sione ducks a clothesline and hits one of his own. Sione hits a second one, but Yoko is still teetering. Fatu illegally runs in and they hit a double clothesline to knock him down. Owen runs in and Sione takes care of him. Sione hits a big boot and Fatu hits the top rope splash. Owen is not the legal man, but Cornette and Fuji have the ref distracted. Yoko hits a leg drop on Fatu and then throws Fatu over the ropes and he gets his head stuck in between the ropes. Yoko then hits the Banzai Splash and picks up the win for his team. This was a really good match for Superstars and I'm loving this team of Yoko and Owen. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

We go to Todd Pettengill for the In Your House Report. He compliments Yoko and Owen on their teamwork before hyping up the show's value. He hypes up that Bret Hart will now have double duty, facing both Hakushi and Jerry Lawler.

Adam Bomb vs. Rock Warner

You're looking at your next King Of The Ring, I assure you. There's no way they'd be dumb enough to let Mabel even qualify, let alone win it, right? Bomb hits the top rope clothesline and easily disposes of Warner. He then tosses out some footballs to the Bomb Squad. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Next week, it's Diesel vs. Henry Godwinn on Superstars. Yes, please.

Bertha Faye vs. Jessica Rivera

Faye has some peppy music here, as I guess her and Harvey aren't quite in love just yet. Rivera does a nice job of bumping around and then even hits a top rope clothesline to knock Bertha down. Bertha recovers and crushes her with a clothesline in the corner. She blows Harvey a kiss and then skips over to hit a sit down powerbomb and a victory. Bertha was pretty impressive here and at least breathes a little bit of life into a dead division.

Match Rating: 1/2*

They show highlights of the Bob Holly/Jeff Jarrett storyline on Action Zone.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Sonny Rogers

This is his debut here, as he now will be appearing on both of my timelines that I am covering. Helmsley hits a spin kick, which I don't think I've ever seen him hit before. He debuts the Pedigree and that's all for Mr. Rogers.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go back to Todd in the studio and he shows highlights of Sid's rise to #1 contender. 

Tatanka vs. Kevin Krueger

Freddy's cousin taking on Tatanka here. Krueger hits a crossbody and gets a 2 count. Tatanka tries a back body drop, but Krueger hits a sunset flip for another nearfall. Tatanka actually hits a back body drop this time in retaliation and then hits the End Of The Trail for the victory.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go to Sunny and Skip making fun of people watching their Zony TV. 

Dave Sigfrid vs. Undertaker

Sigfrid tries to attack Taker and it doesn't work. Taker hits him with the Tombstone and this one is over in close to a minute here. After the match, Paul Bearer pulls out the body bag, which is something we haven't seen in a long time. They don't even show him finishing up putting him in. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Henry Godwinn says that he knows what the outcome of his match next week is going to be. 

This was a fun episode with a really rock solid feature match. The rest of it flew by and I thought Bertha and Helmsley both looked good here. We're getting closer to the whirlwind of Sunny in her prime arriving and the downfall of pay per view wrestling with monthly shows. There's a lot going on without there actually being a lot going on, if that makes sense.

Overall Rating: 58%

Off The Grid, Volume 39: Saturday Night's Main Event XVII Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, October 29th, 1988
Baltimore Arena
Baltimore, Maryland

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Off The Grid, Volume 39:

As usual, we start with the standard SNME promos to kick off the show. Jake Roberts and wife Cheryl are first and then we go to a zoomed in face of Cheryl on Rick Rude's tights. Slick and Big Boss Man talk officer talk before going onto Hart Foundation talking about reconstuction that goes into Demolition, who is with Jimmy Hart and Mr. Fuji. Hulk Hogan then tells Haku that he's been sitting on his throne long enough and then brings in Miss Elizabeth to help knock him off his throne. 

After the intro music, we head to Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura to run down the card. The first match is Jake Roberts/Rick Rude and they show the clips of the feud. All I hope is that it's better than their match at WrestleMania IV. We then go to Mean Gene Okerlund who is now with Rick Rude and Bobby Heenan. They do a pretty cheesy bit here about a snakecharmer before yelling about a Rude Awakening. Mean Gene is then with Jake and Cheryl. 

Rick Rude vs. Jake Roberts

I can't believe they can't just figure out a way to pay for Rick Rude's real music. Jake goes right after Rude and then hits him with a knee lift. Jake goes for an early DDT attempt, but Rude counters and is on offense. Rude loses focus on Jake and shifts to dancing for Cheryl, which allows Jake to make a comeback. Jake holds Rude down and Cheryl gets to slap him in the face. This really is a great upper midcard storyline. When we come back from commercial break, Rude drives Jake's shoulder into the ring post. Jake gets back into the ring and hits him with some fists and a back body drop. For some reason, Ventura is talking like he's announcing golf. Jake signals for the DDT, but Rude counters with a back body drop. Rude then hits a knee drop from the top rope and gets a 2 count. We get kind of a neat segment where Rude ducks a punch and Jake hits a DDT on him. Jake rips off his tights instead of going for the pin with Heenan signaling to the back. Heenan runs in and kicks Jake to cause the DQ and then out comes Andre The Giant. This I guess all sets up their absolutely horrific WrestleMania V match. Andre and Heenan are checking on Rude and then out comes Damien. Andre is afraid and yelling for Heenan to help him. Jake throws him onto Andre and let me tell you, there's not a chance that this would happen now. Andre then passes out from fright as Damien slithers all over him. I wouldn't want to mess with that snake after that whole schtick. I'm not really a huge fan of how this big storyline just kind of went onto set up something else. Was all of the payoff from the Rude feud just done on the house show circuit? Heenan is pounding on Andre's chest and freaking out. The match itsel was fine. 

Match Rating: **

It's the Hart Foundation's turn with Mean Gene. They talk about how sick of Jimmy Hart they are and they blame him for losing their titles. Neidhart says that the only way Jimmy can hurt someone is to manage them. The whole Andre thing is still going on. I mean we are 24 minutes into this show and they're still cleaning up from the first match. 

We go to Jesse and he's with Demolition, Mr. Fuji and Jimmy Hart. Jimmy has aligned with Demolition and Fuji to prove that the Hart Foundation is nothing without him. 

WWF Tag Team Championship Match
Hart Foundation vs. Demlolition

After the Harts have the hot start, we get the signature Bret being thrown into the turnbuckle sternum first. They are working at a pretty frantic pace for 1988, which tells me they aren't getting as much time as they probably should be. Bret ducks a clothesline from Smash and hits him with a leaping one. Bret makes the hot tag to Neidhart and takes care of both opponents with some dropkicks to the midsection. Neidhart hits a running powerslam, but Ax breaks up the pin attempt. Out come the Rougeau Brothers to check in on the action. The referee has lost control and it leads to the Rougeaus helping Demolition use the megaphone and retain their titles. The action was good here, but they definitely could have easily gone another 5 more minutes. 

Match Rating: **3/4

We get a clip of the former king, Harley Race, falling on the table on Saturday Night's Main Event against Hulk Hogan. We then go to Bobby Heenan and King Haku, who trick Mean Gene into bowing before Haku.

Hulk Hogan talks about whatever. Honestly, I wasn't really listening. 

King Haku vs. Hulk Hogan

Haku attacks Hogan right away and bites his nose. Hogan of course battles back, breaking the rules and leading to an argument over who is breaking the rules more. Hogan tricks Heenan and it leads to him getting injured and he's heading to the back into the commercial break. Hogan prances around with the crown while this is going on. We come back and Hogan basically just destroys him while Ventura tries to convince us that this wouldn't happen if Heenan was there. This one was never in doubt and I don't think anyone bought for a second that Haku was a threat. After the match, Elizabeth celebrates with Hogan and he hoists her on his shoulder. 

Match Rating: *1/4

We go to Dino Bravo and Frenchy Martin, who claim that Olympians and Ken Patera are cheaters.

Ken Patera says that he would rather die than dishonor his country while looking like the biggest dork possible.  

Dino Bravo vs. Ken Patera

These two are easily two of the worst wrestlers of the late 80s WWF roster. Bravo has to regroup out of the ring after being dominated in the early going. He comes in and throws his slow and unimpressive kicks. Some stuff happens and then Bravo hits the side suplex for the win. This stunk up the joint as you would expect.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Slick and Big Boss Man are here and man, do I love listening to Slick. I don't even care what he's talking about, he's just good.

Big Boss Man vs. Jim Powers

Powers is the only guy to not get an interview, so that tells you all you would need to know about this match. Boss Man destroys him and hits the Boss Man Slam for the quick win.

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show clips of Boss Man attacking Hulk Hogan. We get another Hogan interview and he talks about juries and stuff. I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention. 

We go to Jesse Ventura in the locker room with Andre The Giant and Heenan. Ventura tries to get it out of him that Andre is afraid of snakes. Andre does a pretty good job here as far as Andre promos go. 

Don't forget about Survivor Series and that's all.

This was just an average episode this time around. Nothing really grasped me like some of the other shows that I have watched from this era. It certainly wasn't bad, but nothing really noteworthy happened.

Overall Rating: 59%

SmackDown 2-16-07 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, February 16th, 2007
KeyArena
Seattle, Washington

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

We have a big double main event with John Cena and Shawn Michaels taking on MVP and Mr. Kennedy, while Batista and Undertaker will take on Rated RKO.

Boogeyman vs. Finlay

Finlay sneak attacks Boogeyman and throws him into the steel steps. Finlay tries to take off the turnbuckle, but the ref stops him. He then tries to go for his usual grab the shillelagh, but this time the ref is wise to it. However, this allows Hornswoggle to come in and try to attack, but now the Mini Boogeyman is out and that distraction allows Boogeyman to use his staff on Finlay and pick up the victory. That was what you would expect from a Boogeyman match. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

We get a Raw recap of the garbage Vince McMahon/Donald Trump segment. They cut out 90% of it and it still sucks. 

Deuce vs. Brian Kendrick

They announce the switch in the card where Deuce 'N Domino will get the title shot instead of the ladder rematch we were told about. Deuce uses his physical punch and kick style early on until Kendrick quickens the pace. We get some distraction from the partners and it allows for Domino to throw Kendrick off the top rope (seemingly right in front of the ref) and he is able to once again steal a victory from the champs. This was a little too quick to really be much of anything.

Match Rating: 3/4*

We get a recap of the main event from Raw and then go to Shawn Michaels and John Cena in the locker room. Shawn tells Cena that his only goal right now is to make sure nothing happens to John Cena. We then see Mr. Kennedy and MVP headed to the ring.

Shawn Michaels & John Cena vs. MVP & Mr. Kennedy

Shawn and Mr. Kennedy feel each other out until Michaels ends up hitting a dive over the top rope onto both Kennedy and MVP. After the commercial break, Michaels is still in control and they double team him. We get a weird spot with the referee and then it all leads into MVP and Mr. Kennedy illegally working on Shawn while Cena accidentally distracts the referee. They cut the ring in half and continue to work on Michaels. Kennedy misses with the Kenton and Michaels is able to tag in Cena. Kennedy comes in and tries to use a steel chair, but he's stopped by Sweet Chin Music. Cena hits the FU on MVP and they pick up the win here on SmackDown. They are having these two look like a strong team ahead of their main event at No Way Out. The match was pretty good, but they are capable of more. 

Match Rating: **1/2

We go to Teddy Long and he's with Kristal and Jillian. Jillian starts "singing" and then leaves, with Kristal saying that she has no talent. Kristal then tells Teddy that she has a secret talent and then starts undressing into the commercial. 

We see the Dusty Rhodes Hall Of Fame vignette again.

Kristal is topless in Teddy's office and in walks Bobby Lashley. Mr. Kennedy comes in upset about what happened in his match. Kennedy says that he has beaten everyone on SmackDown, including Lashley. Kennedy says that maybe he should beat him again and that it's ridiculous that the future of sports entertainment isn't competing at No Way Out. Teddy says that he'll talk to ECW officials to see what he can do and Lashley tells him to make it happen. 

Out comes Ashley and she debuts the cover of her Playboy issue. Do these ever get the reaction that they are hoping for? 

We get more Trump and Vince garbage.

Gregory Helms vs. Scotty 2 Hotty

Here's your reminder that Scotty is still on the roster. Helms attacks him while he's still doing his entrance  and is showing off an aggressive side. Helms misses a splash in the corner and gets hit with a bulldog. Scotty starts going for the Worm, but then he's attacked by Daivari. In comes Funaki, followed by Jamie Noble and Shannon Moore, leading to Helms attacking Moore. Then Jimmy Wang Yang is out and attacks Helms before hitting a moonsault. Obviously we're getting a thrown together Cruiserweight Championship match at No Way Out.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Maryse welcomes us back to SmackDown in a bath tub. Then Big Dick Johnson does the same. 

Rated RKO tell their plan in front of a camera, which is always a good idea. 

Rey Mysterio will be on SmackDown next week since it is in San Diego.

Rated RKO vs. Batista & Undertaker

They show Michaels and Cena watching the match backstage. Taker quickly hits Old School on Edge before tagging in Batista. They double clothesline both opponents over the top and into the commercial break. When we come back, Batista hits a clothesline in the corner on Edge. Batista throws both over the top, but it leads to Orton hitting his variation of the backbreaker on Batista to slow him down. After a pretty brief heat segment, Undertaker gets the hot tag and hits the leaping clothesline. Undertaker accidentally throws Edge into the referee. Taker hits Snake Eyes inside the ring, but on the outside Orton throws Batista into the steel post. Taker kicks Orton off the apron, but Edge hits him with a Spear. Edge grabs two chairs and sets him up for the one man con-chair-to. Taker grabs him by the throat, but then Orton hits him with a low blow. Orton grabs the chair and hits Taker in the head. Why are we still doing this? Orton goes and grabs the referee, but then a new referee comes down, but Taker kicks out at 2. Batista comes in and hits clotheslines on both opponents before hitting a spinebuster on Edge. Batista has Orton up for the Batista Bomb, but then Edge Spears him. Taker then hits a chokeslam on Edge and then gives him a Tombstone for the win. This match had a little bit more energy than the previous one, but had more outside stuff. Right after the match, Cena and Michaels come out and attack them both. They stand tall to end the show.

Match Rating: ***

This was a pretty good go home episode, even if the upcoming show it was promoting feels pretty weak. The main event was good, but there was a lot of fluff here too.

Overall Rating: 49%

Monday Night Raw 2-15-07 Review

Original Airdate: Thursday, February 15th, 2007
Rose Garden
Portland, Oregon

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

This was still taped on Monday, but aired on Thursday. What a missed opportunity to call this Thursday Raw Thursday again. Not really.

We have a huge SmackDown and Raw tag team main event plus Roddy Piper is here. 

Vince McMahon is out to kick off the show and he introduces Donald Trump. Ashley and Torrie Wilson come out with him. He's as big of an awkward doofus as he is now. Vince then makes Ashley and Torrie leave. Vince brings up how he dropped money on the crowd and Trump says that they're doing it again tonight. Vince says that this audience isn't deserving. Vince hired security to prevent it from happening tonight. Vince is having to walk Trump through this entire promo. He challenges Vince to a match in WrestleMania. Yes, "in" WrestleMania. Vince says that he's still injured from his last match, which was Hell In A Cell. Vince turns down his offer, but counters with them both finding a representative. Trump says he doesn't like it. He wants to raise the stakes and says that the loser has to have his head shaved. Now we get Trump saying he had an article written about how great he is, but that he wears a hairpiece. He shows his scalp and says he doesn't wear one. This is thrilling. The crowd likes the idea, so Vince declines. Trump says that he always thought Vince had guts and then starts insulting Rosie O'Donnell again. Vince then accepts and thankfully ends this segment. Putting my personal thoughts on Trump to the side, he was absolutely awful here as a performer. Obviously this went on to do huge business, so it didn't matter and that's all the goal is. On a personal level, this angle didn't interest me one bit and at the time, I really didn't have any opinion on Trump because I didn't watch The Apprentice or really follow anything to do with him. The whole Rosie O'Donnell thing was obnoxious and was just a preview of what was to come with him. 

Johnny Nitro & Melina vs. Super Crazy & Mickie James

Melina and Mickie go right at each other and have to be pulled away by their partners. Nitro shoved Crazy into Mickie and she falls off the apron. Crazy hits a headscissors and then Nitro tags in Melina. Mickie has to come in and she slams her by the hair. Mickie hits the Thesz Press and a series of right hands. Crazy catches Nitro with some dropkicks when he tries to interfere. Mickie dumps Melina through the ropes and into the arms of Nitro. Mickie and Crazy hit a double baseball slide and the women go back into the ring. Nitro is able to throw Crazy into the ring post and then Melina throws Mickie's back into her knee and grabs the tight to steal the victory. This was a spirited match that was a good continuation of their stories. 

Match Rating: *1/2

We get a recap of last weeks match between Shawn Michaels, Edge and Randy Orton. 

Eugene vs. Great Khali

I do love that Eugene still uses the jacket and boots with the DX paint on it. Eugene tries to give Khali his Ric Flair bear, but he slaps it into the crowd. Khali obviously just manhandles Eugene here. He hits him with a chop and then the double handed slam for the squash.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Shawn Michaels is with Maria, but on the phone with Triple H. He plugs the new DX DVD and then runs down his 4 previous WrestleMania main events. 

We go to Ric Flair and Todd Grisham. They show the highlight of him scolding Carlito and when we come back, Carlito is there to confront him. Carlito says he'll show Flair he has passion and he'll do it by challenging him to a match tonight. 

Jeff Hardy vs. Chris Masters

Masters goes right after Hardy and we're under way. Hardy is super over here tonight. Hardy goes up top, but Masters crotches him and puts Hardy in the Master Lock. If Masters wins the match, he gets a title shot. Hardy goes for the Bret Hart finish, but can't make it happen. Hardy is able to make his way to the ropes and breaks the hold. Masters argues with the ref and Hardy rolls him up for the victory. I honestly kind of forgot Masters still worked here in 2007, so I'm thinking this story didn't do much for him.

Match Rating: *

Jerry Lawler comes out and introduces Roddy Piper, fresh off beating cancer. He comes out and then introduces Dusty Rhodes as the first inductee for the 2007 WWE Hall Of Fame. Dusty is cutting a promo and then out comes Umaga and Armando Alejandro Estrada. Roddy gets out of the ring, but Dusty decides to see what he's got. It doesn't end well. Roddy tries to help, but that doesn't end well either. 

Carlito vs. Ric Flair

So when they book an angle like this, do the agents tell Carlito to wrestle like he normally does, but with passion? We get the usual rushed TV match here to start. Lots of chops until Flair gets thrown sternum first into the turnbuckle. Carlito dropkicks Flair into the corner and then goes for the Backstabber. Flair blocks it and then looks to try to use the ropes for pin, but mus have been too far away so he just pins him normally for the win. After the match Carlito shakes Flair's hand and walks out back. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Johnny Nitro and Melina are in the interview area and wondering where everyone is. Melina says she has a huge announcement that she will be facing Mickie James next week on Raw. She wonders who would be more important than her and they go to Ashley who is with Todd. She's going to unveil the cover on SmackDown but she's here tonight to give fans a sneak peak. We get a quick video package of the photo shoot. Ron Simmons interrupts the interview and does his thing after checking Ashley out. 

Mr. Kennedy and MVP are in the locker room and approached by Randy Orton and Edge. They welcome them to the A show. They take offense to it, but Edge rallies the troops by saying that anything can happen between now and WrestleMania and encourages them to injure their opponents. 

They recap the Vince/Trump segment and then hype up No Way Out.

Batista, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels & John Cena vs. Mr. Kennedy, MVP, Randy Orton & Edge

I do have a soft spot for these types of matches. Even though they are usually each guy hitting their big moves, it's a fun way to get a bunch of big names involved. For the most part, the faces get the better of the heels here in the first segment. After the commercial break, Cena hits the 5 Knuckle Shuffle on Edge. He goes for the FU, but Orton helps him escape and tags in. After a heat segment, Undertaker gets the hot tag. He goes for a double chokeslam, but Orton and MVP kick out. He hits them with a double clothesline and Michaels tags himself in to hit the top rope elbow drop. Everything breaks down and all 8  men are in. Michaels goes for Sweet Chin Music, but Orton ducks and almost hits Undertaker, but he blocks it. We get some tension and Orton shoves Michaels into Undertaker. Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music on Orton and that's all. As soon as the match is over, Taker hits a chokeslam on Michaels. Cena comes in and attacks him, but Batista comes to his side. Taker hits a big boot on Cena and then Batista hits the Batista Bomb. Like I said, I love these matches. The crowd is usually hyped for them and you get small doses of top performers. I wish the heels would have gotten a little bit more love here, but it is what it is.

Match Rating: ***1/4

The Trump/Vince segment was death and I still can't believe it even drew a dime, let alone as much as it did. Everything else was pretty standard Raw until the main event, which delivered a good go home segment for the otherwise meh pay per view coming up on Sunday.

Overall Rating: 52%

ECW 2-13-07 Review

Tuesday, February 13th, 2007
KeyArena
Seattle, Washington

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

We get a recap of Hardcore Holly and Snitsky. If that doesn't make you want to watch this show, I don't know what will.

Extreme Rules Match
Bobby Lashley vs. Hardcore Holly

Lashley takes it to Holly early on and hits a belly to belly suplex outside the ring. Lashley goes under the ring and grabs a table. Holly levels him with a clothesline while he's setting up the table. Holly then folds the table back up and slides it back under the ring. Lashley hits a clothesline and then struggles to push Holly over the barricade and it results on Holly falling on his head on the concrete. Lashley throws him back in the ring. Lashley goes for a powerslam, but Holly escapes an uses the top rope to snap Lashley's neck and then crotches him on the ring post. During the commercial, Holly dropped Lashley's neck and head on a steel chair. Lashley is able to throw Holly into a chair propped between the top two ropes and then hits an exploder suplex. Lashley hits the delayed vertical suplex and the crowd is very much into Lashley here tonight. He puts Holly up in a Torture Rack and then slams to his knees for a 2 count. Lashley goes to pull the table back out from under the ring and Holly hits him with a baseball slide. Holly goes for an Alabama Slam on the chair, but Lashley reverses it and hits the running powerslam on the chair for the victory. That was a hard fought match and a good showcase for Lashley here. This was one of the most enthusiastic crowds for Lashley up to this point in his career. 

Match Rating: ***

Extreme Exposé perform for a minute before being interrupted by Kevin Thorn's entrance.

Kevin Thorn & Marcus Cor Von vs. Tommy Dreamer & Sandman

They really couldn't have found someone better than Thorn for this spot? Cor Von is a million times the prospect that Thorn is. This is a brawl right away and Cor Von hits a Pounce on Dreamer quickly and knocks him out of the ring. Thorn and Cor Von isolate Dreamer in their corner until Dreamer is able to get a boot up on Thorn and tag in Sandman. Sandman hits a hurricanrana and then the cane is introduced into the match. Thorn is able to use his cane while the referee is getting rid of Sandman's and that's enough for the victory. This was too quick to be much. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Teddy Long comes into Lashley's locker room and we get a lovefest. Long invites Lashley to SmackDown and he accepts. 

CM Punk vs. Mike Knox

It feels like these two have fought 38 times on ECW. In other news, I guess Mike Knox is still a thing. I do like Knox better than Thorn, he just has nothing really going for him character wise. Punk leaps and grabs Knox's head with his legs, but Knox slams him face first into the mat in a unique counter. Knox hits a big dropkick and looks to have a little more motivation here. Punk catches him with an enzuigiri before hitting the running knee/bulldog combo. Knox ducks the springboard clothesline, but Punk puts on the Anaconda Vice for the submission win. As soon as the match is over, Snitsky is in the ring and drives him into the corner. He hits him with a clothesline and a boot to the face. Nevermind the Snitsky stuff, this was a spiritied 3 minute match. 

Match Rating: *1/4

We get some more of Lashley's story prior to WWE. They really wanted him to be their next huge star and this was a nice way to approach it. 

Rob Van Dam & Sabu vs. Elijah Burke & Matt Striker

Sabu is able to plant Striker with a DDT and then a somersault leg drop. Striker then tags in Burke, who is reluctant to get in there with RVD. RVD hits him with a monkey flip and some kicks. Striker tags in and he suffers the same fate. The heels are able to use a ref distraction to allow Burke to illegally clothesline Sabu from the apron to finally get things going their way. Striker hits a running kick to the head in the corner on Sabu, but can only get a 2 kick. Sabu is able to hit a hot tag to RVD and he hits the rolling monkey flip on Burke and a kick to the head of Striker. RVD hits the windmill kick on Burke and hits Rolling Thunder. Sabu was looking for the combo, but Striker pulls him to the floor. RVD hits a dive onto Striker. Sabu goes for a springboard move, but Burke kicks the middle rope and Sabu falls. Burke covers him and uses the rope to steal the victory. As they celebrate the victory, Thorn and Cor Von come out to join them. This was another fun match with the veterans putting in a really good effort here.

Match Rating: **1/2

This was one of the best episodes in a long time for ECW. All of the matches told a story and everyone really gave nice efforts. The crowd was more into this than usual as well, which always helps. Thumbs up.

Overall Rating: 70%

NXT 4-22-15 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Finn Balor vs. Tye Dillinger

Dillinger is slowly getting to the gimmick that would help him make a name for himself, but he's still essentially a jobber here. Balor runs through his greatest hits of moves, hitting the Sling Blade and then the running dropkick. He climbs up top and hits the Coup de Grace for the quick win.

Match Rating: 1/2*

Tyler Breeze is then shown backstage saying that he doesn't love Finn Balor. He says that it's about time that he faces someone like himself as Balor watches on the big screen.

Dana Brooke then talks about her debut being the re-birth of the women's division. She cuts a generic heel promo that she never really improved upon in her lengthy run.

Kevin Owens says that he's better than Alex Riley and that's why he's NXT Champion. 

NXT Women's Championship #1 Contender Triple Threat Match
Bayley vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte

Let's see if they actually give the ladies some time here tonight. Charlotte and Bayley take turns on Lynch to start and then get her out of the ring. Charlotte then takes it to Bayley and uses that Figure Four headlock before twisting Bayley around. That is probably my favorite spot that Charlotte does and she should do it more often. Becky is back in and we go to commercial. We're now in the Becky/Bayley portion of the match, with Becky going to work. Becky puts on a submission hold, but in comes Charlotte with Natural Selection. Bayley hits a Doomsday Device with Charlotte holding up Becky in a powerbomb position. Bayley hits a suplex on Charlotte and then the Bayley To Belly on Becky. Charlotte then puts on the Figure Four on Bayley. Bayley grabs the ropes, but there is no rope break. Charlotte lets go for some reason and then slaps it back on, turning it into the Figure Eight. Becky then leans on Bayley while she's in it and picks up the pin victory to Charlotte's chagrin. It's still very clear that they think a lot higher of Charlotte compared to both Bayley and Becky at this point and the finish shows that. They kind of went with a pretty standard match here, which I'm a little surprised with. Beck is the right winner though, as she hasn't gotten her shot yet. 

Match Rating: **

CJ Parker vs. Hideo Itami

Itami hits Parker with a kick, but Parker is able to snap Itami's neck on the top rope to slow him down. It doesn't take too long for Itami to comeback and hits him with a series of kicks. He hits the running corner dropkick to a seated Parker before hitting the Shotgun Kick for the quick victory. Itami looked good as per usual. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Sasha sarcastically congratulates Becky Lynch before they get into a war of words. 

Rhyno vs. Jesus de Leon

This is the usual hit a move, hit the Gore, go home for Rhyno. The crowd loved it, so why not?

Match Rating: 1/4*

Blake and Murphy serenade Carmella with song before Enzo and Cass come to make them leave. They then criticize her for wearing jewelry they got her. 

Alex Riley vs. Kevin Owens

The first match between these two was much more of a squash than expected. Let's see where they go here. Riley is able to hit an early dropkick and Owens rolls out of the ring for some stalling. Riley misses with a baseball kick and Owens slams him into the steel ramp ahead of the commercial break. Not that I think Riley would have been main eventing pay per views, but I really don't understand why they thought he should be announcing. Riley tries to go up top, but Owens knocks the rope and then gets hit with a clothesline in the corner. Owens hits a cannon ball and then a pop up powerbomb for the victory. Owens steps on him after to celebrate. Riley looked like a complete jobber again here and I'm just not really I understand the story they are trying to tell here. After the match, Owens dumps Riley out of the ring and is looking to do some more damage. Out comes Sami Zayn to make the save and they start brawling. Zayn then hits a senton from the top rope to the floor on top of Owens and a bunch of security in a fun spot. Owens retreats to the back.

Match Rating: 1/2*

This was another disappointing episode of NXT. This one just felt like it could have been more. I don't understand the Alex Riley story and I'm not sure there's going to be much more to it. I have little doubt that NXT will get back on track here soon, as it typically is a very consistent thumbs up.

Overall Rating: 46%

Monday Night Raw 5-1-95 Review

Monday, May 1st, 1995
Omaha Civic Auditorium
Omaha, Nebraska

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

We get a lengthy recap of Bam Bam being attacked last week by the Million Dollar Corporation and being saved by Diesel. Tonight, it will be Razor Ramon vs. Sid. They hype up Sid a lot here in the intro. 

Allied Powers vs. Ron Hagan & George Anderson

Hagan's ring gear is a sight to be seen. The Powers seem to be pretty over. They hit their usual power moves. Anderson misses in the corner and Bulldog scoops him up for the running powerslam for the easy victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show highlights of the Bob Holly vs. Jeff Jarrett match on Action Zone where Jarrett cheated to successfully defend his title. A second official came out to have the match restarted and Holly picks up the win, but Jarrett had the foot on the bottom rope. Jack Tunney then decided that no one was the champion and we're going to get a rematch next week on Action Zone. 

Bob Holly vs. Butler Stevens

It looks like we're going to have a fun group of jobbers here tonight. Stevens is wearing capri pants. Holly hits a dropkick and then goes up top to hit a crossbody for the quick victory. I still can't believe this guy was ever a babyface.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go to Todd Pettengill to talk about In Your House, only $14.95! They talk about 1-2-3 Kid's injury and that Razor Ramon has opted to make it a handicap match against Jeff Jarrett and Roadie. 

Next week it will be Owen Hart vs. Bart Gunn and Jeff Jarrett against Doink. No wonder WCW saw an opportunity.

Mantaur vs. Sonny Rogers

Mantaur is still a thing and Jim Cornette is still with him for some reason. He misses a splash in the corner and Rogers almost gets a rollup victory. Mantaur hits a press slam into a powerslam and gets yet another quick squash here tonight.

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show a Nick Turturro video like the ones for WrestleMania, but this time with Man Mountain Rock. He then proves to him that he's both a musician and a wrestler. I'd argue he's neither.

Sid vs. Razor Ramon

Sid attacks Razor during his pyro and hits him with a powerbomb. He hits a second one and then out comes Diesel to make the save. Sid then walks to the back while Diesel checks on him. We come back from commercial and they show the other angle, so I guess we're not getting a match? Cool.

Adam Bomb vs. Dave Sigfrid

It looks like this may be the televised debut of the Bomb Squad footballs. Sigfrid may win jobber of the night in a very tight competition. What's with the capri pants in Omaha? I love how Bomb has been in just about zero storylines forever and now they have to hype him up as a King Of The Ring contender only for him to get squashed. Bomb runs into a boot, but Bomb rolls through the crossbody attempt and gets a 2 count. Bomb hits a couple of clotheslines and then a top rope clothesline for the win. I think Bomb's one of the rare guys who seemingly got worse as he gained more experience.

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show Razor back in the locker room getting checked on with Diesel by his side. They talk to Earl Hebner and he says he doesn't know what happened, it just all happened so fast. We all know exactly what happened, so I'm not sure what the controversy is there. 

We go to Hunter Hearst Helmsley and it's the same vignette from Superstars. 

Men On A Mission vs. Kevin Krueger & Bill Duke

Krueger goes for a sunset flip, but Mabel goes for a splash and Krueger moves. They try a double dropkick, but Mabel swats them both away. Mo gets tagged in and hits a DDT on Duke, but pulls his head up during the pin attempt. I love that Mo still has "Whoomp There It Is" on his tights for some reason. Mabel splashes Duke in the corner with the assist from Mo and then hits a belly to belly suplex for the 3 count. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Vince and Lawler hype up next week and then Vince brings out Bret Hart. Bret says that Lawler is lying about challenging him first. Bret then says that he will beat Hakushi first and then he'll beat Lawler at In Your House. Bret says that he'll send Lawler straight to the outhouse. 

This was a completely inessential episode of Raw this week. It was basically a bad episode of Superstars. They have done a nice job of building Sid as unpredictable, but that's about all that was accomplished here tonight.

Overall Rating: 34%

Superstars 4-29-95 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, April 29th, 1995
Veterans Memorial Auditorium
Des Moines, Iowa

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Let me tell you what, there is no way to get people excited to watch your show than to promise Aldo Montoya vs. Sycho Sid. On the plus side, this show was only taped 4 days prior to it airing, which is a minor miracle in 1995. 

We go to Vince McMahon and Dok Hendrix and they show us highlights of Diesel vs. Bam Bam Bigelow from Monday Night Raw. 

Sid vs. Aldo Montoya

Sid attacks right away and throws him over the top by his throat. Montoya lands on his feet and hits a crossbody off the top rope. Montoya tries a dive to the outside, but Sid catches him and drops him on the hardest part of the ring. Sid throws him back in the ring over the top rope and then leaps up to show off his agility. Sid hits the powerbomb and that's enough to prove that Montoya is back to being a jobber to the stars. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

We go to Todd Pettengill for our In Your House Report. Diesel tells Sid that no one is his master. Todd then announces a King Of The Ring qualifying match that will feature Mabel vs. Adam Bomb. We also get another newly announced match in Owen Hart and Yokozuna defending their titles against the Smoking Gunns. Todd does throw in there that the King Of The Ring will be taking place in Philadelphia.

We see the Allied Powers awkwardly interacting with the kids chosen to walk out with the flags for their entrance.

It's time for more Bob Backlund on Spring Break. 

Allied Powers vs. Black Phantom & Brooklyn Brawler

Lots of clotheslines here as Dok tries to sell us on the stacked tag team division. Davey Boy hits the running powerslam on Phantom to pick up the easy victory. We are only about 4 months away from one of Luger's most historic moments. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go to Hunter Hearst Helmsley and he asks if we are listening. He doesn't think so. Gripping.

Hakushi vs. Kwang

This is certainly an odd choice of a match and I have to guess this is going to be Kwang's last televised match before the swap to Savio Vega. Hakushi attacks Kwang as he's walking into the ring and there is no Harvey Wippleman here today. Hakushi hits his handspring reverse elbow in the corner. He misses with a somersault splash and Kwang makes a comeback. Kwang hits a side suplex, but misses with a spin kick in the corner. Hakushi hits a body slam and hits a senton splash from the top for the victory. 

Match Rating: *

Next week, it's Owen Hart and Yokozuna vs. the Headshrinkers, which is a pretty good match for this show. 

When we come back, Hakushi is watching his highlights on his way back to the locker room. Jimmy Del Ray and Bret Hart are getting ready for their huge match as we go to commercial break. 

Man Mountain Rock. Remember him?

Gary Scott vs. Jean Pierre Lafitte

Obviously Lafitte destroys Scott here, as Dok and Vince argue about the eye patch. He hits a top rope swanton for the quick victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Back to Todd to talk about them giving away a house...again. He runs through the entire card this time with the new matches. We then go to Jerry Lawler and he says that he challenged Bret Hart to a match at In Your House before Hakushi, but he hasn't accepted because he's afraid of him. 

Jimmy Del Ray vs. Bret Hart

I believe this is Bret's first Superstars match of 1995. It's always good to see Jimmy here too. Hitman dominates as per usual in this era. Jimmy tries to get something going, but Bret keeps outsmarting him. Del Ray finally gets some offense, but then misses him with the top rope moonsault. Vince claims that no one plays possum like the Hitman. Bret hits the second rope elbow drop and is furious with Tim White that it wasn't a 3 count. Del Ray goes for a monkey flip, but Bret blocks it and slaps on the Sharpshooter for the victory. That was a fun squash overall.

Match Rating: *1/2

Next week we get the debut of Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Bertha Faye, Undertaker and of course the Headshrinkers against Owen Hart and Yokozuna. 

Dok is in the ring with Bret and he asks him if he's a coward or a liar. Bret says that it's a stupid question and says that he'll confront Jerry Lawler about it on Raw. 

This was a fun enough show that featured three matches that were actually between people on the roster. The pacing was good on this one with little downtime, which always helps as well. 

Overall Rating: 49%

SmackDown 2-9-07 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, February 9th, 2007
Qwest Center
Omaha, Nebraska

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

We get a lengthy Undertaker Royal Rumble decision video package before Taker comes out to the live crowd. 

Undertaker vs. Miz

They show a little recap of Miz bragging about not losing to Undertaker about a month ago. Taker quickly hits Old School. Miz tries to bring it to Taker in the corner, but Taker isn't having it and dishes it right back. Taker hits Snake Eyes and a chokeslam, as it's pretty apparent this is going to be a glorified squash if you had any doubt. Taker hits the Tombstone and that's all. This was just to continue the build to WrestleMania for Taker and took advantage of a minor plot point they set up awhile ago. After the match, Taker clears off the announce table and gives Miz a Last Ride through the table. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

We get a vignette saying that in 2 weeks, Rey Mysterio returns to the 619 on SmackDown to update us on his condition. 

Deuce 'N Domino vs. Paul London & Brian Kendrick

This is once again a non-title match. They announce that we will have a rematch of the ladder match from Armageddon at No Way Out. I do not remember them announcing that. The newcomers dominate the early going and Deuce hits a big kick on Kendrick for a 2 count. London comes in and is able to shift the momentum. Deuce is able to push London off the top rope and hit a double team move for the victory. They've now beaten the champs twice in a row. This wasn't as good of a match as the last one, but that was mostly because it was more one sided. 

Match Rating: *

We get a Kane/King Booker recap and then go to King Booker and Queen Sharmell with Teddy Long. Booker wants an apology and Kane to be suspended. Teddy announces that they will square off at No Way Out. 

Matt Hardy vs. Joey Mercury

I don't mind these two wrestling still, but they really haven't given much for Mercury to do on his end of the story. Hardy dumps Mercury out of the ring and hits him with a slingshot dive into a commercial break. I wonder what percentage of in match commercial breaks have a dive as the move right before the break? When we come back, Mercury drops Hardy on his knee from the second rope and then goes to work on it. After a lengthy heat segment, Hardy does make a minor comeback. He goes for the Side Effect, but Mercury counters it into a pin attempt and picks up the victory. Well, they had to have him get a clean win eventually if they are going to keep fighting.

Match Rating: **

51 days until WrestleMania.

Mr. Kennedy is out because he has an issue with everyone saying that the main event of WrestleMania is going to be Batista against Undertaker. He's here to tell us that he's going to be the buzzkill because he's tired of being overlooked. He knows that he deserves to be the World Heavyweight Champion and he will prove it tonight. Out comes Batista to interrupt and they start brawling. Multiple officials are out to try and break it up. Batista charges at Kennedy and he ducks, causing Batista to run into the ring post. Kennedy retreats through the crowd. 

Boogeyman vs. Finlay

It's matches like this where it's very apparent how good of a professional wrestler Finlay is. Just this little opening segment with Boogey is better than what most would be able to get out of this guy and I love Finlay for it. I also think that it's worth noting that there is over 90 years of life experience between the two performers. Finlay actually gets to do some offense and when it's time for Boogeyman to get in his stuff, the crowd is pretty quiet for it. Out comes Hornswoggle and Boogeyman grabs him and throws him in the ring. Boogeyman grabs some worms and that distraction allows Finlay to club him in the knee with the shillelagh and pick up the victory. After the match, he lets Hornswoggle out from under the ring and lets him run to the back. Boogeyman seems to not be phased by the loss, as he just sucks down some worms. I'm not sure why they keep putting Boogeyman in the ring, but you know what the result is going to be.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Daivari vs. Gregory Helms

Apparently Daivari is returning to SmackDown to compete in the cruiserweight division. So naturally they just have him wrestle the champ here in a cold match between two heels. This is the type of booking I just don't understand, as I'm not sure how this is going to help either guy. JBL criticizes him for leaving the walking ATM machine that is Great Khali. Helms goes up top, but Daivari is able to hit the top rope to knock him off. Daivari misses with a top rope leg drop and JBL notes that you can hear a pin drop because people don't like Helms and fans aren't used to watching Daivari in a SmackDown ring. Something like that. Helms hits a spinning backbreaker, but Daivari kicks out at 2. Helms rolls up Daivari, but it gets reversed and he grabs the middle rope to steal the victory. I didn't realize that Daivari was only 23 years old here. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Maryse says more SmackDown is coming. 

Teddy Long tells Jillian and Kristal that at No Way Out there's going to be a Divas Talent Invitational. They then run down the card for No Way Out, which now includes Finlay vs. Boogeyman. \

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Mr. Kennedy vs. Batista

So now that they just ran down the card of No Way Out and it includes Undertaker and Batista on a tag team, would it be Mr. Kennedy and Undertaker if he wins? JBL names a bunch of wrestlers who never got to main event a WrestleMania and for some reason includes Greg Valentine and Haku in the list. We get a pretty standard pre-commercial start that eventually leads to Kennedy throwing Batista into the steps. Kennedy makes the mistake of going up top and Batista meets him there. Kennedy is able to knock him off and hits the Kenton Bomb for a 2 count. The underrated part of Kennedy is that his offense is less boring than a lot of the current heels. He gets a nice nearfall after a belt shot and a boot to the face. Kennedy, now frustrated, hits a running boot to a seated Batista in the corner. Batista battles back and hits a spinebuster, but Batista is too hurt to really follow up on it. Batista continues to regain his strength and hits a powerslam and two more spinebusters. The Batista Bomb is next and he retains his championship in a hard fought match. These two had much better chemistry than you would ever think and it usually made for compelling television. 

Match Rating: ***

As Batista is celebrating, Undertaker's music hits and he rises up on the stage. Batista is selling it for some reason, but then raises up his title belt. 

We got some decent action here tonight and they did build towards No Way Out, even if it's looking like kind of a dud overall. I didn't recall the ladder match being announced and am curious why they pivot away from that, but I would hardly call that me having interest in the show. SmackDown continues to be the more consistent show over Raw and ECW and I'm not sure it's particularly close at this point in time. 

Overall Rating: 61%

ECW 2-6-07 Review

Tuesday, February 6th, 2007
Qwest Center
Omaha, Nebraska

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

After a lengthy recap of Vince McMahon naming Elijah Burke the new face of ECW and the attack on him afterwards, Vince is making his way to the ring with the ECW Originals already in the ring. Vince talks about all of their criminal records. I know another guy with a criminal record. Vince then calls them dinosaurs and that they're about to be extinct. He says that some of them will be in action and warns them to not put their hands on any officials and that there better not be any interference or they are fired. 

If you thought ECW couldn't get any worse, think again. Snitsky is coming. Now with 100% less eyebrows.

Kevin Thorn vs. Tommy Dreamer

Dreamer was literally just in the ring. Did he really need to go back and then come back out? Right before the match starts, Matt Striker is introduced as the referee for the match with Vince watching in the back. Dreamer hits a sit down spinebuster and when Striker goes to make the count, he "hurts" his knee. Dreamer gets up to argue it and Thorn hits him with a clothesline over Striker's back for the victory. This was exactly what you were expecting after the opening promo. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Hardcore Holly is with Rebecca and says that he's sat back and watched Bobby Lashley defend that title to everyone but him. Tonight he's going to prove why he should be ECW Champion.

They show a little biography piece on Bobby Lashley with his family and growing up. 

Hardcore Holly vs. Bobby Lashley

We get a little bit of Holly maybe egging Lashley on in the corner and he hits him with some seemingly stiff shots. Lashley hits a delayed vertical suplex, but Holly quickly is able to throw Lashley's shoulder into the ring post. They go outside and Holly throws him into the ring post and steps. He drives him into the ring and then throws him back into the ring to work on the back. Lashley is able to hit Holly with an overhead belly to belly suplex before hitting some clotheslines. Lashley hits a back body drop and a clothesline in the corner. He hits the press slam into the powerslam and that's all. That was at least more compelling than his match with Kenny, as they continue to just try and give him victories. Then out of nowhere, Lashley is attacked by Snitsky. Is he the first person to get a vignette and then debut the same night? Holly then hits Lashley with an Alabama Slam. 

Match Rating: *3/4

Balls Mahoney vs. Marcus Cor Von

Matt Striker is your guest timekeeper for this one. They show Mahoney getting destroyed by Umaga last night on Raw and he's sporting a neck brace. Cor Von quickly attacks Mahoney and hits a clothesline. He rips off the neck brace and throws it out of the ring. Mahoney hits the Balls punch thing, but then Cor Von hits a swinging neckbreaker. Cor Von hits the Pounce and then puts on the Cobra Clutch for the victory. They need to get rid of that. Striker then repeatedly just rings the bell and that's his contribution to his role there. Mahoney can't bump around that well, so this was probably Cor Von's least impressive squash so far. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Extreme Exposé does their thing until Matt Striker interrupts. He then announces that Marcus Cor Von is the guest announcer and Kevin Thorn is the guest timekeeper. He is the ring announcer for this match.

Rob Van Dam vs. Elijah Burke

We join the match in progress after the final commercial break. Burke snaps RVD's neck on the top rope and RVD is snapped into the barricade. Burke hits leaping double knees to RVD in the corner. They are really hyping up the New Breed name because it's WWE and that's what they do. RVD comes back and hits a spin kick in the corner. He hits the 5 Star Frog Splash, but Thorn rings the bell while he's in the air. Striker tries to announce Burke as the winner, but the ref stops him. This distraction allows for Burke to hit a low blow and pick up the pinfall victory. This was rushed, so it didn't work as well as they had probably hoped. After the match, the New Breed attacks and the Originals come out to make the save. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Well, like most things, this show is even worse with Vince's involvement. I am all for them trying to build new stars, but I don't think anyone was asking for Kevin Thorn to get a push. I'm not sure why I religiously watched this over SmackDown, but it's easy to see why I was in the minority.

Overall Rating: 36%

Monday Night Raw 2-5-07 Review

Monday, February 5th, 2007
Tyson Event Center
Sioux City, Iowa

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

After a quick recap of the finals of the Royal Rumble match, Undertaker's music hits and he's out to start the show. After his usual 20 minute entrance, out comes John Cena. He holds up his title and Bobby Lashley is now out. As you would expect, Batista is out here next. We're about 8 minutes into the show and all we've had are entrances and a recap. Taker stares into each man's eyes before signaling to his throat in front of Batista. Out comes Shawn Michaels immediately after to gloat over Taker's decision. It leaves John Cena without an opponent at WrestleMania and now Randy Orton is out to crash the party. He talks about how he will be the next WWE Champion and unless you've never seen this show before, you'd know that Edge is now out to interrupt. He talks about never losing at WrestleMania, which they will ruin in a couple of months for no reason. Out comes Mr. McMahon and makes fun of Iowa. He notices that no one is out challenging Lashley. Vince speculates that it may be because he's the best champion in the ring. He says that someone will challenge Lashley here tonight on Raw. He then announces that Randy Orton, Edge and Shawn Michaels will face off tonight in a triple threat match to face Cena at WrestleMania. Vince then says that he's not going to drop money from the ceiling, but that main event is value. After Vince leaves, Batista feels Taker still staring at him in the ring. He turns around and holds up his title. Taker hits him with a chokeslam and signals for the title before leaving to the back. This was your usual multi-man interruption promo to kick off the show. 

Carlito & Cryme Tyme vs. The World's Greatest Tag Team & Chris Masters

We get shortened entrances, so the opening segment probably ran long. They all start brawling until it comes down to Shelton and JTG. JTG hits a Lou Thesz Press, but Shelton quickly turns things around. He eventually tags in Carlito so that he can hit some of the least impressive clotheslines you will see. The match breaks down quickly and it leads to Carlito rolling up Haas. Masters distracts the referee and it allows for Benjamin to hit a leaping neckbreaker and they steal the victory. This was rushed, but it at least is helping build Benjamin and Haas as contenders. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

They show a recap of the two morons fighting over what the WWE fans want. Kenny Dykstra then interrupts Vince and Coach, saying he wants a match with Bobby Lashley tonight. So I guess that's happening. Coach then gives Vince a letter from Trump saying that he'll be on Raw next week to give him a business proposal that will change Vince's life forever. Vince then says that maybe Trump will join an exclusive club next week.

We go to Maria with Ric Flair. He rambles on something about taking on Jeff Hardy and if he wins he fights him at WrestleMania.

Candice Michelle and Melina are talking about Candice's Super Bowl commercial. In comes Johnny Nitro and he tells her that he will take care of Super Crazy. He tells her that the paparazzi will be ready for her tonight after her match with Mickie James.

Balls Mahoney is in the ring and out comes Coach. He says that Vince has had some issues with ECW originals lately, so he has picked someone to take care of Mahoney.

Balls Mahoney vs. Umaga

This all just leads to Jerry Lawler making an Umaga playing with Balls joke. Umaga hits the butt bop. He hits the Samoan Spike and that's all. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Johnny Nitro vs. Super Crazy

I don't like that both women are out for this match so close to their title match later tonight. Super Crazy rolls through a sunset flip and hits a low dropkick on Nitro. Melina grabs Crazy's leg and that lets Nitro get control. Mickie returns the favor and that gives him a brief opening. He tries going up top, but Nitro meets him there. Crazy elbows him off and hits a moonsault for the victory. It's pretty wild to look back and see Crazy getting a little bit of a push here in 2007. Obviously, it didn't last. This was way too short to mean anything.

Match Rating: 1/2*

WWE Women's Championship Match
Melina vs. Mickie James

Well, I guess after the commercial break we are going right into this match. I guess that explains the women coming out. I'm sure they will get 20 minutes here. They have some pretty spirited action to start, with Melina getting a nearfall after a kick to the head. The crowd is very much into this one too. Mickie fights back. Nitro tries to interfere, but Crazy is able to stop that from happening. Mickie hits a kick to the stomach, but then gets tossed through the ropes to the floor. Mickie tries a sunset flip off the top, but Melina blocks it. She uses the ropes and gets caught by the ref. Mickie reverses it and retains her title. This was pretty good for the time given. After the match, the paparazzi Nitro promised comes out to watch her have a meltdown. 

Match Rating: *

Shawn Michaels and John Cena are backstage. Michaels says he knows why Cena is coming back here and it's to wish him luck because he knows they will have a classic at WrestleMania. Cena disagrees and says that he's hoping Edge will win because he knows he can beat him. 

Apparently next week, Raw is on Thursday. I guarantee I forget that.

Jeff Hardy vs. Ric Flair

Hardy sells an accidental knee injury after leaping over Flair in the corner and Flair goes after it. Hardy eventually is able to hit an enzuigiri and battles back with a limp. He sort of hits Whisper In The Wind and follows it up with a Twist Of Fate. Hardy goes up top, but Flair rolls out of the way of the Swanton. Flair goes after the knee again. He struts around and wants to go for the Figure Four, but Hardy rolls him up and is victorious. It's getting harder to watch Flair and he still has over a year left. After the match, Flair gets in Hardy's face, but then grabs his arm and shakes it.

Match Rating: 1/2*

Todd Grisham is backstage with Batista. He talks about payback and successfully defending his title against Undertaker. He tells him that he also has no problem teaming up with him at No Way Out.

ECW Championship Match
Kenny Dykstra vs. Bobby Lashley

I can assure you that there is not one person watching this that thinks Kenny will win. Lashley knocks Kenny out of the ring, but when he goes after him, he gets hit by a low dropkick on the ramp. Back in the ring, Kenny hits a leaping reverse elbow and slows things down. Lashley battles back and hits a T-bone suplex. Kenny is able to hit a dropkick and Lashley is out to the floor into a commercial break. When we come back, Lashley quickly hits his powerslam from a press slam for the victory. This was about the usual from a Kenny match.

Match Rating: 3/4*

Randy Orton and Edge are backstage and Edge says that they need to make sure it's not Shawn Michaels going to WrestleMania.

They show Carlito and Torrie leaving the arena and Ric Flair is there. Flair chastises Carlito for leaving before the main event. Flair then calls him lazy and that's why he's not in the main event and that he's lucky to be here. Flair says Carlito has no passion or guts. Flair says guys like him are taking his spot and Vince told him he still has to prove himself. This was a good promo from Flair, but there's no way they had to think that was good for Carlito, even if it was true. 

#1 Contender For The WWE Championship Triple Threat Match
Edge vs. Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels

Edge and Orton immediately double team Michaels to kick things off. Michaels hits a double clothesline and then two inverted atomic drops. Michaels goes up top, but Orton shoves him off and into the ring. They knock Michaels out of the ring and then are shown arguing as we go into the last commercial. When we come back, Michaels is able to hit a back suplex on Edge after sending Orton over the top rope. Michaels hits a baseball slide that sends Orton into the announce table. Edge is able to hit a kick on Michaels and get a 2 count. Edge goes up top, but Orton throws Michaels into him and he is crotched on the top rope. Michaels does his Garvin stomp on Michaels and has Michaels in trouble. Orton hits a dropkick and gets a nearfall. Orton hits a RKO but Edge is able to pull him off the top. Edge tries to get the pin and now the argument begins. They start shoving each other but then shake hands. That lasts about 2.3 seconds and they start brawling. Orton goes for a RKO, but Edge shoves him in the corner. Orton leaps over a Spear and Edge runs into the turnbuckle. They hit a double crossbody and both men are down. Michaels climbs back into the ring. Michaels hits a top rope elbow on Edge. Michaels goes for Sweet Chin Music, but Edge ducks and Orton catches it. He throws Edge into Orton and hits Edge with it. He then pins Orton and will face Cena at WrestleMania. This was actually on the disappointing side, as I was expecting them to deliver a pay-per-view worthy match here and it fell short of that. After the match, Cena is in the ring and they go face to face. Batista's music then hits, followed by Undertaker's. Batista and Taker go face to face on the ramp before turning their attention to Cena and Michaels. Cena's music plays and that's all.

Match Rating: **3/4

We got a lot of wrestling on this show, it's just that most of it was pretty forgettable. I don't think anyone was clamoring to see Kenny Dykstra face Bobby Lashley, but here it is. The opening segment was the usual, but it was entertaining and it set the stage for WrestleMania. The other memorable spot here was the Flair ripping on Carlito promo, which didn't end up doing either guys any favors. 

Overall Rating: 48%

Fastlane 2023 Review

Saturday, October 7th, 2023
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, Indiana

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

We get a Pat McAfee intro to kick it off. 

Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Match
Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso vs. Judgment Day

The entrances are just so long these days. Not everyone needs the Undertaker length. We get the standard tag start with the faces looking good until Damian Priest hits an illegal kick to the head from the apron of Jey Uso. They isolate Jey until it's time to make the hot tag to Cody. He hits the Disaster Kick on Finn Balor, but it's not enough for the 3 count. We get a sequence of counters between of Finn and Cody, with Finn getting the best of it. He hits a running dropkick in the corner and climbs up top. Cody is able to get there before he gets all the way up and hits him with a superplex. Now it's time for Jey and Priest, with Jey looking a tad slower than usual for whatever reason. He hits a top rope crossbody, but Priest kicks out at 2. Priest connects with a kick to the head and a flatliner for a nearfall. Jey hits a dive to the outside on both opponents and then hits a Uso Splash that barely gets saved. Cody hits a Cody Cutter on Finn and Uso hits a Spear on Damian. Jey goes up top, but then out comes Dominik and Rhea Ripley. The distraction allows Priest to hit a hurricanrana and Balor hits a Coup de Grace, but Cody breaks up the pin. Cody tries to hit a superkick on a diving Damian, but they mis-time it and we get an awkward spot. JD McDonagh is out now and he gets a superkick. Jey gets hit in the face with the Money In The Bank briefcase, but he's able to kick out of the roll up by Finn. Cody ducks JD McDonagh and he hits Priest in the knee with the briefcase and then Cody hits Cross Rhodes on the table. Back in the ring, we get some chaos that leads to Cross Rhodes on Balor and new Undisputed Tag Team Champions. This was a pretty good opener and I'm a little surprised that Judgment Day lost here. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

Wade Barrett and Booker T are talking about the show and in walks Xavier Woods. He's about to order some Pizza Hut in our product placement segment of the night. 

Bobby Lashley & Street Profits vs. Rey Mysterio & Santos Escobar 

So I guess we are just having a handicap match. It looks like Lashley eats a lot of Pizza Hut, so it makes sense that they sponsored this match. Escobar hits a beautiful top rope hurricanrana on Montez Ford, who of course makes it look even better. They do a spot where Lashley catches the 619 from the ground and slams him to the mat. They work on Rey for a bit until Rey avoids a Lashley Spear, but then Montez rips Santos off the apron before he can make the tag. Zelina Vega then hits a dive on Montez  behind the ref's back. Rey still has no one to tag until Carlito's music hits. He's out and makes the tag in. We get some six man chaos and Carlito hits the Backstabber on Ford for the victory? That seems like a bad start for Lashley's new crew. The match was solid, but nothing to write home about. 

Match Rating: **1/2

Triple Threat Match For The WWE Women's Championship
Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka vs. Iyo Sky

Charlotte immediately gets mist to the face courtesy of Asuka and then my computer decides to be stupid and restarts. Charlotte sells the mist like it's death and has to go off to the side to get assistance wiping it off her face. I didn't pause the show, so that's all I can recall off the top of my head. Charlotte hits a double crossbody off the top rope and then hits some chops to both opponents. Charlotte then hits a double suplex and then hits a front walkover into a double clothesline. Asuka sends Iyo off the ropes and she decides to dive onto Charlotte instead. Asuka then hits a sliding kick on Charlotte and then Sky trips Asuka up on the apron. Sky hits a springboard moonsault, but barely touches her if at all. Enough so that the announcer make note of it. Charlotte then climbs up and hits a double moonsault. We then get a tower of doom spot, with Asuka orchestrating it. The pace and big time moves start to pick up here and Charlotte hits a Spear to get a nearfall. Out comes Bayley and she puts Sky back in the ring. Charlotte knocks her out of the ring and then Asuka almost picks up the victory after a top rope Codebreaker. Charlotte puts the Figure Eight on Asuka and Bayley distracts the referee. Sky hits a moonsault on Charlotte and retains her title. They worked hard here, I just didn't think the flow was as good as some of the classic these have been in. After the match, Bayley and Sky hug. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

Pat McAfee is out now and he basically just gets the crowd hyped up. He mentions that Indianapolis deserves a WrestleMania before introducing John Cena.

John Cena & LA Knight vs. Solo Sikoa & Jimmy Uso

I kind of thought this might be the main event here tonight. Cena basically gets destroyed from the get go and they play it for quite a long time. Out of nowhere, Cena hits an Attitude Adjustment on Jimmy and he starts crawling to his corner, but Solo gets there first. Knight finally gets the hot tag and the crowd is with him for it. Solo hits a Samoan drop on him, but then Cena hits a top rope crossbody. In comes Jimmy with an Uso Splash and all four men are down. Knight is up and hits multiple fists on his opponents. He gets dumped out of the ring and Cena goes for an AA, but they counter out of it with a superkick from Jimmy. Jimmy goes up top and Knight leaps up there and hits a superplex. It's time for the 5 Knuckle Shuffle on Jimmy and then Knight hits the BFT for the victory. Paul Heyman is not happy and this leads into Roman Reigns' return on SmackDown this Friday. The match was about what you would expect from these four. The goal was to get Knight even more over and they probably did, so mission accomplished.

Match Rating: **1/2

They show the Judgment Day backstage and Damian says that tonight's the night. Rhea Ripley says it isn't and takes his briefcase away. 

Last Man Standing Match For The World Heavyweight Championship
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Seth Rollins

The story has been very good for these two and they have done a nice job of re-building Nakamura. I'm also loving that this isn't going to be a 4 hour show. They go outside quickly and Rollins lifts up the pads. He goes for a powerbomb, but Nakamura counters out. Seth throws him face first into the steps though. Seth tries to go for some big blows, but Nakamura is able to avoid them. He hits a diving knee with Rollins hanging over the apron. Nakamura then starts hitting Rollins with nunchucks. They set up a table in the corner and Rollins is able to avoid a charging Nakamura and he goes through it. Rollins hits the Stomp, but Nakamura is able to beat the 10 count. Rollins goes under the ring and pulls out a ladder and rams it into Nakamura. They battle up into the crowd and up on the stairs. Nakamura hits a low blow and then kicks Rollins to the floor. Rollins is able to break the count and then Nakamura hits him in the back with a chair. Nakamura sets up Rollins on a table and hits a double knees off the apron through Rollins chest. The ladder comes back into play and they both start climbing. Nakamura blows the red mist in Rollins face and he then pushes Rollins off the ladder and through the announce table. Rollins is able to get up at 9 despite Michael Cole's plea for him to stay down. It's kind of surprising that they did 2 mist spots in the same night. Nakamura then hits Kinshasa and sends Rollins through a table. Rollins is able to roll out of the ring and land on his feet this time to break the count. They go back out in the crowd. They battle up on a crate and Rollins hits both a Pedigree and a Stomp. Rollins then hits a Falcon Arrow through a couple of tables next to the crate. Rollins beats the count and Nakamura isn't able to to give Rollins the victory. They kept up a really good pace for the type of match it was. They didn't overdo the count either, which is nice. This was a very good main event and better than their first match.

Match Rating: ****

This one didn't quite live up to my expectations, but it was a good show. The main event was the must see match and everything else ranged from pretty good to good. The only thing that really baffled me was Lashley and the Street Profits losing. The Bloodline losing should make for an interesting next step in their story and we'll see where LA Knight goes from here. 

Overall Rating: 76%

NXT 4-15-15 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, April 15th, 2015
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

CJ Parker vs. Solomon Crowe

I'm Team Parker here after the disappointing debut from Crowe. They are playing up Parker's frustration as he continues to lose. Crowe hits a leaping 2nd rope clothesline from inside the ring on Parker, who was standing on the apron. He falls to the floor and Crowe hits him with a suicide dive. Parker gets a boot up on a charging Crowe and slows things down. Parker hits a nice scissors kick, but this match has lost my interest. Crowe comes back and gets hit with a back elbow. Crowe goes up top and hits a splash on the leg of Parker. He then puts on a unique leg submission that is basically a half crab where he bends it around his neck instead of standing up. This wasn't particularly good. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

After the match, Crowe gets on the microphone and says to stay tuned because this is just the beginning. Sure. 

Baron Corbin vs. Steve Cutler

Corbin hits a clothesline and hits End Of Days for the win. That was one of the worst of his squash matches that I can think of. This show is not off to a great start. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Sami Zayn says that he still seems to have a target on his back despite not having the NXT Championship. He says that Kevin Owens used him to get to the top and Rhyno is trying to do the same thing.

Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. Sawyer Fulton & Angelo Dawkins

Enzo goes up top, but Fulton is able to shake the ropes to crotch him. Out comes Parker and Murphy to give Carmella flowers. Meanwhile, Enzo is still being dominated, failing to make the hot tag. He then sneaks in some sort of a jawbreaker and makes the tag. Cass hits the usual big guy offense before hitting the Stinger Splash and spinning Boss Man Slam. He launches Enzo off the top rope and that's enough for the finish. As the are celebrating, Enzo notices the flowers. They argue a little bit.

Match Rating: 1/2*

Alex Riley then asks us if we thought that was it? He's telling Kevin Owens that he'll be in the ring next week and Kevin Owens better be there.

Blue Pants vs. Dana Brooke

This show is just on fire. Dana Brooke doesn't look much like 2023 Dana Brooke. She does all of the heel 101 stuff you would expect and hits her finisher after a few offensive moves from Blue Pants.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Next week it's a Triple Threat #1 Contender's Match when Charlotte, Bayley and Becky Lynch all square off. Alex Riley will face Kevin Owens. 

Sami Zayn vs. Rhyno

Things start off slowly until Zayn hits a headscissors. We get a commercial break and when we come back, Rhyno is in control. Rhyno is able to hit a spinebuster for a 2 count. They really are going for the slow burn here so far. After what feels like 20 minutes, Zayn desperately fights back and hits the Blue Thunder Bomb. That of course does not win him the match, so he goes up top. Rhyno catches the crossbody and hits a neckbreaker. Zayn knocks Rhyno off the apron with a forearm and hits a dive. Back in the ring, Rhyno shifts the momentum but misses with the Gore. Sami hits the Helluva Kick and picks up the victory here. I assumed they might go with an interference finish here, so that was a pleasant surprise. The match was a little on the dull side, which is a rarity for any Zayn match. 

Match Rating: **

This was one of the weaker episodes of 2015 so far and is most likely just a one off. Nothing really clicked for me on this one and I have no doubt that next week will be much better. 

Overall Rating: 39%

Monday Night Raw 4-24-95 Review

Monday, April 24th, 1995
Omaha Civic Auditorium
Omaha, Nebraska

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

We get a recap of Bam Bam Bigelow's rough start to 1995. 

Smoking Gunns vs. Barry Horowitz & Brooklyn Brawler

The legendary jobber team of Brawler and Horowitz here with us tonight. The Gunns hit the double side Russian leg sweep on the Brawler. I would love to figure out the travel schedule here back in the day. Raw has a much better energy live in front of a much bigger crowd than normal for Raw. The Gunns hit a variation of a double team neckbreaker for the easy victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go back to Ted DiBiase and Bam Bam Bigelow. Bam Bam says that he's bringing the jewel to the Corporation tonight. Bam Bam has a black eye here, but he doesn't let us know how he got it when asked by Vince

Vince and Lawler talk to Diesel real quickly about his match with Bam Bam tonight. He said he promised to be a fighting champion and Bam Bam wanted a match, so he's got it. 

Bertha Faye vs. La Pantera Serena

Bertha has upbeat music here rather than her slow love ballad that she'll eventually have. A lot of her offense is very telegraphed. Serena gets a few small opportunities and it leads to a botched spot from the top rope that even Vince calls a "miscommunication", which seems like a botch in its own right. This all leads to them talking about Duckman. Bertha hits a sit down powerbomb and for some reason that's not it. She hits a press slam and falls on her for the victory. As far as debuts go, this was a bit of a flop. It was too long and was sloppy. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's time to go to Todd Pettengill for the In Your House Report. Have you seen the price of popcorn lately? No new matches are announced here and lots of house talk. Sid then says the only thing that will make him happy is winning the WWF Championship.

WWF Championship Match
Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Diesel

They do a commercial break after each entrance and then it looks like the entire match is commercial free, so I'll take that as a win. Diesel has an energetic start to the match, hitting some running forearms in the corner before throwing Bam Bam around. Two things of note so far are that these guys are running a pretty quick pace for big guys and the crowd is very much behind Diesel. Bam Bam drives Diesel into the ring post to slow things down. Well, there is a commercial break, but Peacock isn't making me take one, so I guess my theory was incorrect. When we come back they collide off the ropes and both men are down. Diesel hits a splash, but Bam Bam kicks out at 2. I'm not sure that I've ever seen a Diesel splash until this moment. Diesel runs into an elbow and then eats the top turnbuckle. Bam Bam tries to hit a vertical suplex, but Diesel blocks it and hits one of his own. Bam Bam is eventually able to hit one and gets a 2 count out of it. Out comes Tatanka and also a cotton candy vendor in the crowd. Diesel hits a back suplex and they are both down again. We get another commercial break and this time I am forced to take it too. So that's technically four commercials for this match. Tatanka accidentally trips up Bam Bam and it allows Diesel to hit a boot. Diesel hits a Jackknife and that's all. That was a very quick post-commercial finish. I actually liked this match quite a bit. The put in a very strong effort and kept up a quick pace for big men, especially in 1995. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

After the match, Ted DiBiase gets on the microphone to recap how embarrassing Bam Bam has been. DiBiase says 3 strikes and you're out and he fires him. Tatanka attacks him from behind, but Bam Bam hits a clothesline before throwing him to the floor. Bam Bam grabs the mic and says that DiBiase can't fire him because he quits. Out comes IRS and he attacks him from behind. Now Sid is out and he hits him with some boots to the gut while the other two jobbers hold him. Sid then hits a dangerous looking powerbomb. Out comes Diesel and he attacks Tatanka while the other head to the back. 

Next week on Raw, it's Sid vs. Razor Ramon in a pretty big marquee match. 

Aldo Montoya vs. Black Phantom

Speaking of big marquee matches, it's Justin Credible vs. Gangrel. Montoya hits a hip toss and a dropkick before hitting a dive to the outside. There's no canned crowd noise here, so it's dead silent for this. Phantom comes back in and hits a DDT. Montoya hits a reverse crossbody and a running dropkick. He hits a second rope bulldog and that's all. The squash matches have stunk.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We see a glimpse of Hunter Hearst Helmsley. 

Vince and Lawler recap the Bam Bam saga and then we see what happened during a commercial break. Diesel and Bam Bam shook hands and Vince talks about us not seeing enough of that in sports today. Okay, Vince. 

Well this was a one match show and the match took up about a third of the show. The angle after was fine in turning Bam Bam face as well. The squash matches lacked pizazz, particularly the Bertha match. 

Overall Rating: 51% 

Superstars 4-22-95 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, April 22nd, 1995
Glens Falls Civic Center
Glens Falls, New York

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

We get a recap of the historic first match between Aldo Montoya and Jeff Jarrett that sent Montoya to the upper echelon of all time WWE performers. 

Owen Hart & Yokozuna vs. John Crystal & Leroy Howard

Owen misses some elbow drops and Crystal takes advantage. Howard hits an ax handle off the second rope, but then gets hit by a clothesline from Owen. In comes Yoko and they hit a double clothesline. Yoko honestly looks like he has no interest in being in the ring today. Yoko hits the Banzai Splash for the victory. I like this team, but this had no oomph to it. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get a Smoking Gunns vignette to remind us that they exist. 

We go to an interview with Jeff Jarrett and Roadie to remind us that he's great. 

Razor Ramon vs. Mark Starr

Starr is kind of a cheap imitation of Flyin' Brian and gets hit with a fall away slam. Razor just toys with him and kind of like the last match, Razor seems to not really want to be here. He hits the back suplex off the second rope and then the Razor's Edge to pick up the easy win. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's time for Hunter Hearst Helmsley, but he ignores Vince and we quickly go away from that. That was strange. 

Stephanie Wiand is here with the In Your House Report. We have two new matches added to the card with Bret Hart vs. Hakushi and Razor Ramon teaming up with 1-2-3 Kid taking on Jeff Jarrett and Roadie. Don't forget, it's only $14.95 and is a tremendous value in family entertainment.

Aldo Montoya has all the confidence in the world and then speaks Portuguese. 

We see the Sid attack on Shawn Michaels again, which led to Ted DiBiase adding Sid to the Million Dollar Corporation. 

Kama vs. Tony Roy

If you think the other two matches were uninspired, this one literally put me to sleep. Kama hits a sloppy looking top rope elbow drop to pick up the win and no reaction. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go back to Bob Backlund on Spring Break. He visits a wet t-shirt contest and there is lots of yelling. He has a big announcement on May 15th. Dok Hendrix claims that it's that Backlund is marrying Janet Reno.

Intercontinental Championship Match
Jeff Jarrett vs. Aldo Montoya

The Portuguese Man O' War Aldo Montoya has to be an all time worst name contender, right? His mask is also up there for worst headgear. At least he got a second chance with a great name as Justin Credible. Nothing really noteworthy happens until Jarrett hits a nice DDT for a 2 count and a classic call from Vince before we go to commercial break. Aldo is able to sidestep Jarrett and he accidentally hits Roadie. We get lots of canned crowd noise for his short-lived comeback, as Roadie trips him up. Razor is now out and he chases Roadie out to the back. This distracts Jarrett and Montoya rolls him up twice for 2 counts. Montoya hits a reverse crossbody for another 2 count. He goes up top, but Jarrett throws him off and puts on the Figure Four for the victory. This wasn't bad, but I actually was expecting a little bit more. Montoya just doesn't seem to have much left in the tank as a character. 

Match Rating: **

We go back to Stephanie and she reminds us that Sid doesn't liked to be called psycho. I guess that's why he ended up going with Sycho. They show the same footage again from Action Zone that they showed earlier. 

Duke Droese vs. Roy Raymond

Raymond gets in more offense than in a typical Droese match and it leads to Vince making fun of how bad he is. Droese hits a leg drop, but Raymond kicks out. He hits the Trash Compactor and that's all. This was another weak squash today.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Next week Hakushi faces Kwang. Hunter Hearst Helmsley is going to talk to us and then he realizes that it's just us, so he doesn't.

This was not an inspiring episode of television. Superstars continues to go downhill a bit here in recent weeks, as Raw continues to be the much better show.

Overall Rating: 39%