Monday Night Raw 7-10-95 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, July 10th, 1995
Danville High School
Danville, Pennsylvania

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork22

We get a lengthy recap of the Sid/Diesel feud to kick off the show and hype up the Lumberjack Match at In Your House. 

Roadie vs. Jerry Flynn

Flynn gets a little bit of offense, but this one is kept short. Roadie catches Flynn in midair and hits a powerbomb for the victory. I certainly didn't expect that as the finish. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get a lot more Jeff Jarrett for those of you who were looking for that sort of thing. He's in Nashville getting kicked out of a record company and in Las Vegas with Rip Taylor. Then we get the music video again. 

Savio Vega vs. Mike Khoury

They sure are shoving Savio down our throats compared to some of their other new talents. I will say he is showing some good energy in this match considering he already wrestled on this taping. He hits a weird pinfall thing for his victory. Him and Kid are both using something like this. Who thought this would be a good finisher?

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show some more footage at the Special Olympics. 

Sid and Ted DiBiase is out for an in ring interview with Vince McMahon. They bring out Sid's lumberjacks and it's just basically the entire heel roster. Ted rambles on and on until we get to the "I'm the master and the ruler of the world". 

They show clips of Barry Horowitz beating Skip on Action Zone. It's kind of a bummer that they had that match on that show. I didn't realize how little Skip had wrestled prior to this match either. This is likely when I started watching and I just assumed he was around longer. 

Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Matt Hardy

I'm surprised that both Matt and Jeff got to keep their names here. Hunter hits a vertical suplex and is very much playing up the snob aspect of his character. Matt misses with a moonsault and Hunter hits the Pedigree for the win. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go back to Todd with another In Your House Report. The card is all set and it's still $14.95.

Next week on Raw, it's Shawn Michaels vs. IRS.

Henry Godwinn & Tatanka vs. Allied Powers

We get right to the match, with forever foes Luger and Tatanka starting things off. We get an early commercial break with the new team of Tatanka and Godwinn in control. When we come back, Luger finally makes the tag to Bulldog and he hits a couple of clotheslines and gets Tatanka up on his shoulders. Tatanka grabs the top rope and falls on top of him for a 2 count. Bulldog catches him with the delayed vertical suplex. I do have to say that Bulldog here was pretty over. Tatanka goes up, but takes too long. Bulldog puts him up on his shoulder and hits the running powerslam for the abrupt finish. The match was pretty basic and just seemed to end with little effort from DiBiase or Godwinn to interfere.

Match Rating: *1/2

Next week, we will have Owen Hart and Yokozuna in action and a special interview from Diesel. Plus, Jean Pierre Lafitte will be here. 

We go back to Isaac Yankem's office. It's Yankem working on some lady while Lawler just keeps yapping. Lawler asks the lady her favorite Superstars and she of course answers with Diesel, Razor Ramon and Bret Hart. Yankem goes back to drilling and we go off the air.

This was about as non-essential as you could get. Nothing was actively bad outside of the Yankem segment, but nothing happened that made any progress towards any storyline.

Overall Rating: 37%

Superstars 7-8-95 Revivew

Original Airdate: Saturday, July 8th, 1995
Stabler Arena
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

They open up showing the heel turn of Men On A Mission when they attacked the Smoking Gunns. Dok Hendrix tell us that he was there when King Mabel knighted Sir Mo.

Bob Holly vs. Mike Bell

Bell hits a backbreaker/side suplex combo because why not? They announce that Jack Tunney is retiring. Who will fill his shoes? Holly comes back with a dropkick and then a small package for the victory. That's a very convincing way to win a squash match. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show Henry Godwinn drinking his slop and the brawl between him and Adam Bomb last week. Bomb says that Godwinn has made the biggest mistake of his life. Godwinn says he slops all his hogs just the same. Boy, this is riveting. 

Jean Pierre Lafitte vs. Nick Barberi

Lafitte hits a big clothesline and then dumps Barberi over the top and to the floor. He then hits a somersault dive over the top rope. Lafitte deserves more air time. He ties Barberi in the ropes and hits a couple of crossbody dives into him. Lafitte is getting some cheers here. Probably because he's good. It's time for the Cannonball and that's all. Good stuff. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

It's time for the In Your House Report with Todd Pettengill. Diesel brags about not having to buy his lumberjacks. 

They show highlights of Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Sid from Raw. By highlights, I mean pretty much the entire match. 

They show the Special Olympic video package from Raw. 

Hakushi vs. Jeff Hardy

Man, I think we all would have loved to have seen this match in 1999. Ah yes, this is the old Bret Hart head in a bag moment. Hardy gets caught with a superkick right to the chin after a little bit of a burst to start the match. I'm surprised they went with such a slow paced match here. Hakushi hits a springboard shoulder tackle and rolls into an arm bar for the victory. That was sort of an odd squash match. We even get a commercial break after the win and come back to Hakushi leaving the ring. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We now get an encore of the Jeff Jarrett music video.

Next week, it will be Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Duke Droese in a culture clash on Superstars. 

Men On A Mission vs. Smoking Gunns

Oddly, the recently crowned King Mabel does not get an entrance here. We get a competitive matchup here, which makes this an odd choice for Mabel. I guess I just assumed they strapped the rocket to Mabel's back after King Of The Ring. The Gunns get a few close calls on Mabel. Mo interferes and they take care of him too. Mo breaks up a pin attempt and that leads to Mabel squashing Billy in the corner. He hits the belly to belly suplex and that's all. The match was pretty well paced considering Mabel was involved. 

Match Rating: **1/4

We go back to Todd and he announces Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Henry Godwinn at In Your House. We get a 7 second promo from the Allied Powers about their title match. 

Vince and Dok hype up next week with Duke vs. Hunter and Dok is going to unveil his list of candidates to replace Jack Tunney. We then get the same Isaac Yankem video from Raw. 

This was a pretty good episode this week. Lafitte looked really good and the feature match was strong by Superstars standards. The Hakushi match was odd, but not so much that it ruined anything.

Overall Rating: 51%

NXT 6-24-15 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, June 24th, 2015
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

We start the show with Triple H and the entire roster on the stage to address the loss of Dusty Rhodes. We get the 10 bell salute and fade to black. 

Hideo Itami is out to the ring for an interview. They show the video of him being attacked in the parking lot. He says he will be in Japan for the NXT title match and says it doesn't matter who wins, he will face them. Out comes Kevin Owens to insult Hideo. He stumbles over his words and compares it to how Hideo speaks. He says that he is walking out of Tokyo with the NXT Championship. He addresses the rumors that he's the guy who injured Itami. He says that if it was him, he'd be gone for good. Hideo says that Owens is a great champion, but a terrible human being. Out comes Finn Balor and they start brawling until Rhyno comes out and attacks Balor. He knocks him off the stage and is holding his hand. 

Enzo & Big Cass vs. Jason Jordan & Sylvester Lefort

I guess the tag partner for Jordan storyline is still continuing. This is your typical Enzo and Cass match that leads to a roll up on Lefort for the win. After the match, Jordan is upset with Lefort while the victors celebrate. This was nothing.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Samoa Joe makes a lot of loud noises. 

Dana Brooke vs. Cassie

Cassie has been getting a lot of TV time lately. Cassie hits a flying headscissors, but then gets her midsection snapped on the ropes. Emma is in Dana's corner. After a weak submission hold, Cassie comes back with a spin kick. That doesn't last long and Dana hits her finisher for the win. Meh.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Charlotte doesn't like Dana either.

They hype up the Beast In The East special. This leads to the next part of the Finn Balor behind the scenes video. They focus on his journey to Japan and all the success he gained there. 

They show Bull Dempsey's Instagram story of him trying to lose weight and it's mostly making fun of him. 

Hype Bros vs. Angelo Dawkins & Sawyer Fulton

It's just so great to have Mojo back in action. He does some stupid dance before hitting a sit down double fist to the face. That will certainly catch on. Ryder makes things a little more interesting, but it's safe to say this was a waste of time for him. He hits a super Rough Ryder off of Mojo's shoulders the win. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Eva Marie walks into William Regal's office and says that she's been working really hard, so she wants a match. She obviously hasn't been working on her acting. Regal says he needs to see more. This episode is making me sad.

Finn Balor vs. Rhyno

Kevin Owens is out for commentary. Balor gets off to a hot start and hits a senton over the top rope and to the floor. Back in the ring, Rhyno hits a spinebuster for a 2 count. Rhyno stays on offense until getting hit with the Pelé Kick. Owens comes to the ring, so Balor dropkicks him off the apron. He hits the Sling Blade and the Coup de Grace for the win. As soon as it's over, Owens steamrolls him and unloads with some right hands. Samoa Joe comes out to make the save and Owens retreats with Rhyno. The finish to this one was never in doubt.

Match Rating: **

NXT just continues to not really click with me. Really the only thing that was interesting was the Finn Balor Japan video. They have to have some better talent than Dana Brooke and Mojo that they can showcase. 

Overall Rating: 41%

Monday Night Raw 7-3-95 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, July 3rd, 1995
Danville High School
Danville, Pennsylvania

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork22

They let us know that we'll find out what happened after Raw went off the air (if you didn't already watch Superstars) and the main event is Sid vs. Bam Bam Bigelow. Jerry Lawler is back announcing and has his mouthwash with him. 

1-2-3 Kid vs. Mike Bell

Bell is going for the popcorn box look. Kid goes for a dive to the outside, but Bell sees it. He turns his back, so Kid runs off the apron and shoves his crotch in Bell's face. He hits a big kick back in the ring and then does the lame roll up thing he does for the win. Kid is always fun despite my sarcasm. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

It's time for the In Your House Report. No new matches are announced here, but they do announce the Lumberjacks. It will be IRS, Kama, King Mabel, Jacob Blu, Eli Blu, Adam Bomb, Razor Ramon, Savio Vega and the Smoking Gunns. There will be more to come on the remaining participants. We then are shown the post-Raw segment from last week with Jeff Jarrett and Shawn Michaels. 

It's now time for the "Alone With My Baby Tonight" Raw debut. It doesn't get much better than this.

Bob Holly vs. Brooklyn Brawler

Holly hits some hip tosses and arm drags before getting clotheslined by Brawler. Brawler runs into a boot and gets hit with a clothesline. Holly hits a dropkick, but Brawler kicks out at 2. Holly hits a top rope crossbody and that's all. Nothing to see here. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Next week it will be the Allied Powers against Tatanka and King Kong Bundy. I guess Bundy still works here. 

They show a recap of the Adam Bomb/Henry Godwinn match on Superstars that ended quickly in a double countout. Seeing it again, it was a pretty uninspiring performance during the brawl from Bomb. 

Henry Godwinn vs. Barry Horowitz

We are getting closer and closer to Horowitz's big moment. They actually take a commercial break between the entrances and the match starting. Horowitz hits a big arm drag, but then eats a forearm. They are now really playing into the fact that Horowitz has never won a match before. Godwinn hits a second rope knee drop, but Horowitz avoids Godwinn charging in the corner. Horowitz misses a dropkick and Godwinn hits the Slop Drop for the victory. They are clearly setting up the Horowitz win here. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

You guys want a Bam Bam Bigelow shirt? How about an Adam Bomb shirt? Shawn Michaels face all over your shirt? Only $20 each!

Sid vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

Henry Godwinn stays out around the ring during Sid's entrance and it's implied that he's being paid by Ted DiBiase. After the commercial, he is shown getting in the way of Bam Bam Bigelow on his way to the ring. They start brawling, which kind of looks ridiculous with Bam Bam's flame jacket thing. Bam Bam gets the better of Sid at the beginning and so that of course leads to DiBiase getting involved. Bam Bam catches a boot from Sid, but misses with his wheel kick and we go to commercial. Sid has Bam Bam in a modified camel clutch, but Bam Bam counters out with an electric chair. Bam Bam runs into a boot and Sid hits a pretty weak looking chokeslam. Sid goes for the powerbomb, but Bam Bam hits a back body drop. He goes up to the top rope, but out comes Godwinn and he shoves him off while DiBiase is distracting the ref. That's enough for the victory and the big win for Sid. After the match, he hits a powerbomb for good measure. This match was pretty solid considering it was two big guys in 1995.

Match Rating: *3/4

They show highlights from the Special Olympics. 

Waylon Mercy vs. Jeff Hardy

Jeff Hardy main eventing Raw here. He's a perfect bumper for a guy who can barely move. A clothesline turns Hardy inside out before taking an overhead German suplex. They announce that Henry Godwinn will take King Kong Bundy's spot next week to team with Tatanka. So I guess Bundy is gone. Mercy hits a brainbuster and then slaps on the sleeper for the victory. Jeff did a nice job here. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go back to Isaac Yankem's office with Jerry Lawler. He cuts a promo on two kids in the waiting room. A guy walks out of the office holding his mouth in pain. Yankem comes out and they zoom in on his rotten teeth. Who thought this was good? 

Next week, Savio Vega and Roadie will both be in action. Plus, the Allied Powers will take on Henry Godwinn and Tatanka. 

We come back from commercial and they show the finish of the Bam Bam/Sid match. Sid really struggled on that powerbomb. 

This was another typically decent episode from this era. Nothing remotely memorable, but nicely paced. 

Overall Rating: 43%

Superstars 7-1-95 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, July 1st, 1995
Stabler Arena
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

They open the show with the same softball highlight package they showed before. We have a big episode today with the debut of Jeff Jarrett's music video, Waylon Mercy's debut and Henry Godwinn vs. Adam Bomb.

Dok Hendrix is dressed in an American flag jacket and is grilling hot dogs.

1-2-3 Kid vs. Ken Raper

Kid made his comeback at King Of The Ring at the historic King Of The Ring show. Kid hits a pretty stiff looking powerbomb. Kid hits some pretty stiff looking kicks here too. He rolls him up and picks up the victory. That finisher never caught on. I can't imagine why?

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go to Todd Pettengill and he shows us a bunch of still photos from that huge, epic main event at King Of The Ring. He talks about the Lumberjack Match at In Your House. Diesel guarantees that he'll finish it this time. Sid and Ted DiBiase ensure us that Sid is not a coward. 

They show Henry Godwinn getting his slop bucket ready and then he drinks it.

We come back to Kama verbally attacking the Creatures of the Night.

Kama vs. Jason Arhndt

Kama comes out firing and slugs him with a pretty big right hand. Kama uses the ropes to slow him down and then slugs him back. He hits the second rope reverse splash and that's all. He goes back to teh "fans" and yells at them some more and they continue to no sell it. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We now get still photos of the Kiss My Foot Match last week. That really was a fantastic show. This leads to them showing the Isaac Yankem vignette with Lawler again. 

They show highlights from the Savio Vega/Jeff Jarrett match on Raw. They show a good amount of the match including the post-match brawl with Shawn Michaels in there. They show the footage that happened after Raw went off the air and it leads to us getting Shawn/Jarrett at In Your House. They then show the world premiere of "Alone With My Baby Tonight" and I'd say it's the best moment of 1995. 

Allied Powers vs. Billy Mack & Lloyd Anoai

Dok lets us know that the Allied Powers will be facing Owen Hart and Yokozuna at In Your House. We're already seeing the downfall of doing monthly pay per views, as this match would have been on King Of The Ring if there was no In Your House. The champions along with Jim Cornette are out to get a closer look at their challengers. Bulldog hits the delayed vertical suplex and Luger hits the running forearm for the victory.

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show highlights from the Hall Of Fame cermony. It's fun to see this before it became a spectacle. 

It's time for Waylon Mercy, ya know what I mean?

Waylon Mercy vs. Bill Weaver

Well, we finally made it to the debut of the beloved gimmick that just wasn't meant to be. Spivey looked the part here, but just was in no condition to pull it off in the ring. He slaps on the sleeper hold and gives a great sadistic look before the referee calls for the bell. It's definitely a shame that it didn't work out. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's time for more still photos and this time it's of the actual King Of The Ring tournament. Todd then runs down the three previously aforementioned title matches at In Your House. 1-2-3 Kid also is going to take on Roadie. The card is legitimately 5 times better than King Of The Ring's.

The Smoking Gunns will take on Men On A Mission next week on Superstars. We finally get that match.

Adam Bomb vs. Henry Godwinn

We join the match in progress and it quickly turns into a brawl outside the ring. Just as Godwinn is throwing Bomb into the steel steps, the bell already rings for a double countout. Godwinn then dumps his bucket on Bomb. What was the point of this? They could have at least had a couple of minutes to lead into this. Bomb then runs to the back to go after Godwinn.

Match Rating: No Rating

We go back to Dok and Vince. Dok burnt the hot dogs. They talk about the tag team match next week and we get some fireworks.

I will say the squashes had spunk this week, but the feature match was a letdown. The Jeff Jarrett video helps make up for that a little bit and they've actually put together a decent card for the first time since Royal Rumble. 

Overall Rating: 40%

WrestleMania 23 Review

Sunday, April 1st, 2007
Ford Field
Detroit, Michigan

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Well, I finally made it to the first WrestleMania (of three total to date) that I have attended live. My excitement for this day was out of control. I don't think I would have cared what the card was, I just wanted to go to WrestleMania. As a little kid who watched WrestleMania VII over and over, I never thought in a million years would have guessed that I would actually be able to attend it. Looking back on this event nearly 17 years later, there are some mixed feelings towards it. I didn't really care for the Vince/Trump stuff as it was happening, but it has been insufferable to watch all of the build up for that. Watching two people I have absolutely no respect for as human beings are going to be featured here and it sucks. Not to mention Chris Benoit being on here now. I try to separate reality from entertainment, but it is definitely going to be a little challenging here. When I left Ford Field that night, it was a pure adrenaline rush and a major event checked off my bucket list. Let's see how it holds up here now.

Aretha Franklin kicks things off with "America The Beautiful" and does a fantastic job, as you would expect from the Queen of Soul.

This of course leads into the intro for the show, which are typically good. We then get some huge pyro that I would have to think is still the most in Ford Field history. We hear from all of the announce teams and now it's time for Money In The Bank.

Money In The Bank Ladder Match
Jeff Hardy vs. King Booker vs. Finlay vs. CM Punk vs. Mr. Kennedy vs. Matt Hardy vs. Randy Orton vs. Edge

I almost never make signs for wrestling shows, but I did make huge cutout letters of CM Punk in hopes of making it on TV. It didn't work. It doesn't help when you're in the third level. I do think I did find myself on the DVD, but only with really searching and pausing. The first big spot is when Finlay hits a dive off the top rope to the floor where a group are brawling. Edge tries to take advantage and climb up, but Matt is there to stop him. Booker gets the comedy spot with the step ladder, which CM Punk then uses on him. CM Punk gets busted open when Edge throws the small ladder into his head. Booker does a throwback Spinarooni and then gets hit by a ladder courtesy of the Hardys. The Hardys try to get something set up but Finlay tosses Jeff off the top rope. Edge then suplexes Matt onto the ladders set up. Kennedy goes for a Kenton to Matt on a ladder, but Matt rolls out of the way. Jeff then hits a Swanton on Kennedy. The Hardys clear the ring and then climb the ladder before getting shoved off by Finlay. Edge hits a bunch of Spears, which leads to CM Punk/Terry Funk spinning ladder spot. Edge then Spears him and takes out a whole group from it. Edge brings in the big ladder and starts climbing. Orton grabs his ankle and then pushes him off and to the floor. Matt then puts Edge on the ladder propped between the ring and guardrail. Jeff climbs the giant ladder and dives right onto Edge and collapses the ladder. There is no way that didn't hurt. The medical team is out and Orton starts hitting RKOs on everyone. Orton does the annoying thing where he keeps moving the ladder like it's rocket science. Punk comes from behind and hits him with another ladder and sets it up next to the other one. Meanwhile, Edge is being wheeled to the back. Punk and Orton are battling on the two ladders and Orton hits a RKO off the ladder. Orton goes for another one on Booker, but Booker hits a Book End instead. Matt comes into climb, but Sharmell comes in and grabs Matt off. Matt threatens to hit a Twist Of Fate and Booker comes down to save her. Matt hits a Twist Of Fate on Booker and is climbing alone. In comes Finlay to tip him off. Finlay is bleeding badly from the top of his head. He hits a Celtic Cross on the ladder to Matt. Out comes Hornswoggle and he offers to climb for him. In comes Kennedy and he hits a Green Bay Plunge from the ladder on Hornswoggle. Finlay is now climbing until CM Punk dropkicks the ladder. Punk gets to the top until Kennedy meets him up there and they start brawling. Punk shoves him off and gets his hands on the briefcase, but Kennedy shoves a ladder in his face. He grabs the briefcase and is Mr. Money In The Bank. This was the obvious and correct choice to open the show. It had a lot of star power in it and also did a good job of showing Punk and Kennedy were on the same level. This was definitely the most memorable match on the card in terms of moments, but will it be the match of the night? 

Match Rating: ****

They show highlights of The Condemned premiere. 

Mr. Kennedy cuts a promo and it's pretty weak. I think he'd want that one back. 

Great Khali vs. Kane

It seriously does not get much worse than this. I've watched two minutes and it feels like an hour. Plus Kane and that stupid hook. Kane uses it to crotch Khali and then hits a body slam for a 2 count. Trust me, Kane. We wish it was over too. Khali hits the double handed chokeslam and gets the win. The real winners are us, as it is finally over. After the match, Khali chokes Kane with the chain. Why not use the hook instead? Oh yeah, because it's stupid.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Cryme Tyme is with Eugene backstage. Remember them? They have a surprise for him and it's Extreme Exposé. Eugene is then more excited because there is also Moolah and Mae Young. In comes Slick and he starts dancing with them. Next up, it's Dusty Rhodes, Sgt. Slaughter, Jimmy Hart, IRS, Mean Gene and Jack Brisco. Ricky Steamboat brings it to a halt and then gets it going again. This is all here just for Ron Simmons to do what he does. 

United States Championship Match
MVP vs. Chris Benoit

This one just didn't have the build up that it needed to make it feel like a WrestleMania worthy match. They give us a little bit of mat wrestling to start. MVP mostly dominates the match here, which is a little telling as to how the finish will go. Benoit comes back with the German suplexes and then hits the top rope headbutt. That's enough to win? This was kept under 10 minutes and just didn't have that big fight feel to it. The action was clean and well worked, it just didn't mean much. 

Match Rating: **1/2

The most embarrassing president in the history of this country is in a skit with Boogeyman and it's a reminder that he's almost as horrible at acting as he is being a human. 

We get some highlights of the Hall Of Fame ceremony. This was a really great event to get to be part of. I was way up in the nosebleeds, but still had a great time. I also remember being very impressed by Cody Rhodes here. 

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Batista vs. Undertaker

Teddy Long is your guest ring announcer here. Batista goes right at Undertaker to start things off. I was not excited for this match at all back in 2007. I had not been a fan of the Undertaker character in many years (and still am not). Today I think he's better than I had given him credit for, but he's still not a favorite. I did not like Batista either, but did prefer when he was more of a heel. Batista goes off the top rope in a rare moment. I don't care what the podcasts say about being in the main event and all that, there's no way these two guys didn't go into this match with a chip on their shoulders. Batista also had the extra motivation of having to miss last year's WrestleMania. Undertaker hits Snake Eyes and the big boot. Taker hits Old School and goes for the chokeslam, but Batista blocks it. These two are working a great pace for a big man match. Taker hits the big leg drop over the ring apron and slows things down. He uses that as the perfect opportunity to hit the dive over the top rope and to the floor. Batista is able to throw Taker into the guardrail and through some chairs in the area. Batista puts Taker up on the announce tables and hits a running powerslam through another table. I honestly forgot that spot was in this match. Taker battles back and hits the Last Ride, but Batista kicks out. He then hits a chokeslam and that is still not enough. Batista hits a Spear and the Batista Bomb with Michael Cole declaring the streak is over, so Taker kicks out at 2. Taker comes back and hits a Tombstone in the middle of the ring and we have a new champion. That was a big pop for that victory. This was much better than I remember and it's kind of surprising how little of this I remembered. It's not like I didn't re-watch this show after the fact either. This was smartly worked and they maximized their minutes. Taker gets the firework treatment before heading to the back.

Match Rating: ****

Stephanie brings her daughter in to wish her disgusting and despicable father good luck in his match against another piece of garbage. We then get a stroller cam and see Vince cutting a promo to them. It wasn't funny in 2007 and it sucks even worse now. 

Sabu, Sandman, Tommy Dreamer & Rob Van Dam vs. Elijah Burke, Matt Striker, Kevin Thorn & Marcus Cor Von

The ECW Originals come through the crowd. Sabu and Striker start the match, with Sabu hitting some springboard moves to kick it off. Sandman hits a leg drop on Striker, who was draped over the top rope. They are working a quick pace here even though there is seemingly a ton of time left on this show. Cor Von comes in and tosses Dreamer around a little bit. We're getting lots of quick tags here to make sure everyone gets their moment. Elijah hits the double knees to the back of Dreamer, but the pin attempt is broken up. Thorn hits a sit down spinebuster and again the pin attempt is broken up. RVD is finally in with a hot tag and hits a top rope single leg kick on Thorn. He hits Striker with the monkey flip and Rolling Thunder. Cor Von pulls him out of the ring and hits him with a clothesline. He's then hit with a dive from Sabu. Dreamer hits a DDT on Striker before being attacked by Burke. Sandman clotheslines Burke out of the ring. RVD climbs back in and hits the 5 Star Frog Splash on Striker for the victory. This was very much a TV match, but the energy was WrestleMania level and the ECW Originals got their moment. 

Match Rating: **1/2

I should probably at least note that they have been showing "All Grown Up" commercials throughout the evening. The Steve Austin one they show here is probably the best of the bunch. 

They then announce that WrestleMania will be in Orlando next year. Maybe I should go to that. 

Battle Of The Billionaires Hair Vs. Hair Match
Umaga vs. Bobby Lashley

I am just so ready to get this match out of my system. Trump came down to $100 bills falling and was escorted by a former Miss USA or something. I try not to gag every time I see his face. Steve Austin is the guest referee and gets brought out last. Look, I underrstand that this match is often credited for the huge buyrate for the show. As someone who was in the stadium for the show, I can tell you that this match had nowhere near the reaction that the other two main events had. It was not even in the same ballpark. The first big spot of the match is Lashley ducking a charging Umaga and him flying over the top rope. Lashley ends up with a similar fate just moments later and goes through the ropes and to the floor. Umaga doesn't break a count, so Austin grabs him by his hair and gets in his face. Umaga clocks Lashley with a big clothesline and goes to work on the injured Lashley. Umaga hits his signature Samoan drop, which gets a nice reaction from the crowd. Other than that, the crowd is mostly in the middle in terms of reactions so far. Lashley decides to go for a body slam, but he falls on his back and Umaga gets a 2 count. Vince gets up on the apron and Lashley accidentally knocks him to the floor when running the ropes. Umaga goes up top, but Lashley gets there and powerslams him off the top. He then turns him inside out with a clothesline. Both men are down and Austin begins to start. He almost gets to 10, but stops counting and tells both men to get up. Shane McMahon has found his way out to ringside now. Umaga again is not listening to Austin, so Austin grabs him by his eye. Shane gets up on the apron, but jumps off when Austin sees him. This distraction allows for Umaga to hit the Samoan Spike on Austin. Shane is now in there to make it a 2 on 1 and Umaga hits the butt bop in the face. They get out the trash can and Shane hits coast to coast. You would think that the disgraced former president would have tried to help out his competitor, but he just watches instead. Shane takes off his dress shirt and has a referee shirt on. Umaga goes up to the top rope and hits a big splash. Shane starts counting, but Austin pulls him out of the ring and throws him into the steps. Umaga then hits a shot to the throat from Umaga. Trump comes over and hits Vince with what you maybe could call a clothesline on Vince. Austin hits a Stunner on Umaga and Lashley hits the Spear for the victory. I didn't think that the match did a very good job of making Lashley look super strong here. Obviously they stacked the deck on him, but he needed help to overcome it. Obviously in hindsight, this match didn't accomplish the long term plan of making either of these guys top guys. Lashley didn't even make it until the end of the year and Umaga's story had a sad ending. Lashley did eventually become a top guy, but way further down the line. Onto the post-match shenanigans. Vince tries to escape, so Lashley chases him down the entrance ramp and carries him to the ring on his shoulder. Austin hits a Stunner on his and into the barber chair he goes. They buzz him and then slap on some shaving cream to actually shave him bald. Lashley shows Vince a mirror and Vince sells it like a buffoon and heads towards the back. Austin gets some beers and celebrates with Lashley. Austin then gives Trump a Stunner, showing off how absolutely unathletic Trump is with one of the worst sells ever. Austin heads to the back and Lashley checks on him. The match itself felt like an Attitude Era main event, which is obviously what they were going for. It wasn't as interesting since it's been done a million times. It was entertaining for what it was, but nothing super memorable. I also had zero investment in the hair angle and it just felt like a ton of time that could have been given to something else. 

Match Rating: **3/4

They show highlights of the untelevised Carlito and Ric Flair vs. Chavo Guerrero and Gregory Helms lumberjack match. 

Lumberjill Match For The WWE Women's Championship
Ashley vs. Melina

Mickie James vs. Trish, this is not. Having read more about the whole Ashley story does not make this match any more enjoyable. Ashley misses a top rope elbow drop, but kicks out at 2. Ashley rolls her up and gets 2 before Melina reverses it and gets the win in a little bit of an awkward finish. This was hardly a match. It was a few moves and a finish. Ashley goes after Melina and then all the Lumberjills come in and brawl. None of this was good unfortunately. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

WWE Championship Match
Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena

Michaels gets his usual DX entrance and Cena gets the driving a car super fast through WrestleMania glass entrance. Michaels is aggressive to start and the crowd is seemingly 100% behind him winning. The first big move of the match is Michaels hitting a springboard moonsault. I'm not sure if he was hoping for a table break there, but it didn't and the landing as a little awkward there. Michaels slams Cena's knee into the ring post and now is targeting that left knee here. Cena was able to avoid a charging Michaels and Michaels busted his head open on the ring post. Cena goes after it and then hits some shoulder tackles and his modified powerbomb. He hits the 5 Knuckle Shuffle. Michaels ducks a right hand and goes for Sweet Chin Music, but Cena ducks that and he knocks out the referee with it. Cena goes for the FU, but Michaels counters that into a DDT. They go outside the ring and Michaels hits a piledriver onto the steel steps. Michaels hits the top rope elbow drop and starts tuning up the band. Cena explodes for a clothesline to a chorus of boos. Cena goes for the FU and this time Michaels counters it into a pinfall and gets a 2 count. Cena comes back and hits the FU again, but takes too long to cover him and Michaels kicks out. Cena goes for a super FU on the second rope, but Michaels battles out and knocks Cena to the mat. Michaels goes off the top rope with a crossbody, but Cena catches him and rolls through. We get a bunch of counters and Michaels almost gets a victory with an inside cradle. Cena is able to put on the STFU. Michaels struggles, but makes it to the bottom rope. Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music and both men are knocked out. Michaels is able to crawl over, but Cena gets his shoulder up before 3. Cena is able to get the STFU on again and this time Michaels has to tap after a great battle between the two. Cena gets the pyro celebration and he has now stood tall at the last four WrestleMania shows, with the last two being the last match of the night. Cena goes up to Michaels in the walkway, but Michaels heads to the back. Cena gives him a salute before going back into the ring. 

Match Rating: ****1/4

There is a lot of mixed emotions with this show for me. No matter how you look at it though, there were three four star matches here and it was the first WrestleMania I ever attended. The two bad matches could have easily been deleted from the show, but at least they were short. The whole Vince/Trump garbage is hard to watch, but the match itself was fine. This is definitely a memorable WrestleMania outside of those three and one of the better ones up to this point. Thumbs up. 

Overall Rating: 87%

NXT 6-17-15 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, June 17th, 2015
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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This one is in honor of Dusty Rhodes and we get a music video of him. I feel like everyone loved Dusty and that usually speaks volumes. I would have loved to have met him, as I'm sure he's one of those guys that anyone could have a conversation with. 

Enzo, Big Cass & Carmella vs. Blake, Murphy & Alexa Bliss

I usually am into a mixed tag match, but I'm not really feeling this one so far. The action is mostly just the usual from Enzo and Cass. The women only get a short amount of time. Cass hits a splash in the corner, a big boot and a side suplex. He then launches Enzo off the top rope and that's enough for the win. They just really don't seem to trust Enzo and Cass to work a match longer than a few minutes. 

Match Rating: *1/4

We get a backstage interview with Samoa Joe. He doesn't like Kevin Owens because he uses intimidation tactics and that makes him weak. 

We get a Finn Balor behind the scenes vignette talking about his upbringing. Becky Lynch also talks about how important he was in her career. This was a cool look back and much longer than I was anticipating. 

Cassie vs. Charlotte

Cassie does get in a few moments to show off her skill. This is actually a pretty solid squash, with it mostly going back and forth. Charlotte hits a Spear and then locks in the Figure Eight for the victory. Kudos to them allowing Cassie to look legit. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

We go back to my favorite, Dana Brooke. For some reason she's looking in a different direction than the camera for the entire interview, as if she is reading off a card. She tells Charlotte that she'll shove her out a door or something. She does the lame pat on the head after. Next.

We then get a Finn Balor demon commercial for The Beast In The East show. 

Kevin Owens vs. Samoa Joe

Well, this is a pretty big one for NXT TV. After some fury at the beginning from Joe, Owens slows things down. This of course leads to Joe fighting back and hitting Owens with a running kick to the head. This all leads into them brawling outside the ring and a double countout. I mean, did you really think we were going to get a finish here? That's not me criticizing the finish either, it's what had to be done when booking a match like this. It leads to the classic pull apart brawl, with both guys being pushed in the corner with them both getting chances to charge at the other. Owens eventually rolls out of the ring and then elbows the security. The match was very basic, as they were only teasing what it to come. 

Match Rating: *3/4

This was a much better effort from NXT than the more recent episodes, but I always tend to enjoy the show more when Bayley and Sami Zayn are on it. Regardless, there was a nice spunk to the episode and maybe this is what gets it back on track. 

Overall Rating: 59%

Monday Night Raw 6-26-95 Review

Monday, June 26th, 1995
Danville High School
Danville, Pennsylvania

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After the terrible show last night, what better way to celebrate it than by having a show in a high school gym? They recap the Kiss My Foot match and then bring out Shawn Michaels as the guest commentator since Jerry Lawler is still gagging. 

Smoking Gunns vs. Phantom & Jason Arndt

They had people like Smoking Gunns and Allied Powers not on the card last night, but Roadie needed to be on? Not to mention Owen Hart and Yokozuna. Anyway, they hit the Sidewinder and that's all. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Ah yes, it's Isaac Yankem time. He's a better dentist than he is a mayor. I mean, what did Bret Hart do to deserve the trio of Bob Backlund, Jerry Lawler and Isaac Yankem at three of the five big shows in 1995? This is so bad. Even 1995 me knew this. 

They show "highlights" from King Of The Ring to get you to order the encore. 

They're giving us one more chance to buy the King Of The Ring hat and shirt. Get your Bret Hart sunglasses and hat now!

Skip vs. Scott Taylor

This one probably could have been a good match on the indies. Taylor is able to hit a dropkick on Skip when he's gloating. He then hits a baseball dropkick through the ropes, sending Skip into the guardrail. Skip is quick to recover and then hits a sort of awkward looking dive from the top rope to the floor. Then you have Shawn Michaels drooling over Sunny. Skip then hits the top rope hurricanrana for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

They show highlights of a celebrity charity softball game for the Oklahoma City bombings featuring Herschel Walker and Tony Danza. Oh and Diesel. 

We go to Todd Pettengill to talk about how great King Of The Ring was. They're certainly trying to beat us into submission. He does announce that Diesel will face Sid in a Lumberjack Match at the next In Your House on July 23rd in Nashville. 

Savio Vega says he is going to bring the Intercontintal title home tonight. 

Next week on Raw, it's Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Sid. 

This show just keeps coming at us, as now it's time for Man Mountain Rock to jam. 

Man Mountain Rock vs. Phil Apollo

I will say that if this is actually a high school gym, it's a fairly big one. You can call the hotline to find out about Razor Ramon's status. Or you could just wait to hear about it on TV. MMR puts on the Whammy Bar and that's all. The shorter, the better.

Match Rating: 1/4*

King Mabel vs. Kenny Kendall

Mabel is carried out on a wooden throne, which is no easy task. I mean, does anyone care what happened in this match? Mabel won. Next.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go to Waylon Mercy sitting in a lifeguard chair. Ya know what I mean? 

We then get clips of the WWF Hall Of Fame ceremony. 

The greatest moment of 1995 is finally coming, it's the debut of "Alone With My Baby Tonight" on Superstars next weekend.

Intercontinental Championship Match
Jeff Jarrett vs. Savio Vega

No night off for Savio after having four matches last night. Roadie distracts him and Jarrett is able to attack him from behind. Savio does get in a second rope double ax handle, but Jarrett kicks out at 2. We get more Roadie shenanigans and it leads to Jarrett bumping Roadie off the apron. When we come back from commercial, Jarrett hits a swinging neckbreaker. Roadie grabs Savio's ankle when he's running the ropes and it leads to Shawn Michaels getting involved. Jarrett tries to attack Michaels, but Michaels catches him and starts unloading. Somehow that's not a disqualification. Roadie then runs in and clotheslines Savio while he has Jarrett rolled up and that is a disqualification. Shawn comes in and evens the score and gets a huge pop. The match was going along pretty well until the abrupt ending. When we come back from commercial, we get the clip of Michaels dancing shirtless on the table that they showed a lot over the years. 

Match Rating: *3/4

Jarrett comes back out to the ring and grabs a mic and we go off the air before he says anything. 

There was a lot of bad 1995 stuff here. The main event was pretty good, but not like a show saver or anything. 

Overall Rating: 42%

King Of The Ring 1995 Review

Sunday, June 25th, 1995
CoreStates Spectrum
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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We get an overhead shot of Philadelphia and then go to Stephanie Wiand. She lets us know that we are getting the bonus match of IRS vs. Savio Vega, which means that we are getting the Coliseum Video version of the show.

Bonus Match
King Of The Ring Qualifying Match
IRS vs. Savio Vega

For the 0 of you that care, this will not factor into the final grade. Even with this bonus match, the show is only 2 hours and 36 minutes. I will say that they do a nice job of presenting that if either of these two want to win it all, they will have to win 4 matches tonight. Savio then wisely is going for a quick victory. We get some decent action and then all of a sudden it kind of just ends with a kick. This was decent for what it was. 

Match Rating: *3/4

King Of The Ring Quarterfinal Match
Yokozuna vs. Savio Vega

Savio gets to do the 10 slams into the turnbuckle spot, which I didn't expect to see. This just feels very much like 1995. What kind of president makes a guy wrestle two matches in a row rather than have the other matches go first? I didn't mention it in the previous match, but Razor Ramon is in Savio's corner. This match is already longer than I anticipated. The crowd starts chanting "USA" for the guy who isn't born in the USA. Savio tries to give everything he can to knock Yoko down. He hits the spin kick and that does the trick. Out comes Owen Hart in a suit and he attacks Razor from behind. Razor goes after him and Yoko gets involved. It all leads to Savio winning by countout in a weak finish. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

We get a live interview with Jerry Lawler and more feet jokes. 

King Of The Ring Quarterfinal Match
Roadie vs. Bob Holly

It really is amazing that they had almost 17,000 people in attendance for this show. No wonder Philadelphia folks are so salty. They show Bob Holly beating Mantaur and that was 6 weeks ago. Can you imagine them doing a qualifying match 6 weeks before anything these days? Holly goes for a series of quick pin attempts right off the bat and the crowd already doesn't care. To their credit, it's not because the action isn't good. They battle up on the ropes and Holly is able to knock Roadie off. He leaps off the top rope and Roadie is able to get his foot up. That surprisingly is enough for the victory. I assumed that they'd at least have Jeff Jarrett hold a leg or something. This was a good enough TV style match with minimal heat. 

Match Rating: **

Todd Pettengill is with Shawn Michaels and they show highlights from him beating King Kong Bundy. Michaels is acting a little heelish, but also talks about some "chin music". I doubt this is the first time him saying it, but it's the first time I can remember it. 

King Of The Ring Quarterfinal Match
Kama vs. Shawn Michaels

This was really a transformational time for Michaels here. He lost significant weight since 1993, hardly wrestled in 1994 and is now a babyface learning his character. Kama on the other hand has shown nothing to make anyone interested in his character. It's mostly Michaels in the beginning and then Kama hits a kick to the ribs and clotheslines Michaels to the floor. Kama sets Shawn on the top rope and kicks him, with Shawn bouncing around for him. Shawn is on the floor again and this time Ted DiBiase takes a few cheap shots at him. They show a countdown timer and we are close to 2 minutes left. Michaels fires back with a clothesline and then hammers away with some right hands. Michaels hits the double ax handle off the top rope, but Kama kicks out at 2. Michaels hits a reverse crossbody off the second rope, but Kama rolls through and gets a nice nearfall. Michaels rolls Kama up in a small package and he kicks out at 2. Their timing is a little off on a sunset flip, but the ref recovers decently and the count stopped at 2 before time expires. This was another decent enough match, but again more of a TV match. I'm more surprised that Shawn agreed to this. Undertaker must have sat him down backstage. Kama tries to attack him, but then Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music and for some reason Dok Hendrix is upset he didn't win. 

Match Rating: **1/4

After hyping up the Mabel/Undertaker match, we go to Bob Backlund in Philadelphia. Vince likes this more than anyone.

King Of The Ring Quarterfinal Match
Mabel vs. Undertaker

They try to tell us that Mabel is going to win this thing, as he gets an interview down to the ring. Taker quickly takes Mabel down with a clothesline and hits Old School. Mabel gets his chance and hits a belly to belly suplex before putting on a chin lock. The action spills outside and Mabel throws Undertaker face first into the steps. Mo gets in a cheap shot, but is almost caught. Undertaker is able to get his boots up in the corner, but Mabel comes back with a piledriver. Mabel looks gassed already. They then collide in the middle of the ring. We get a referee bump spot and then Taker hits a leaping clothesline. Taker then hits a chokeslam and then knocks Mo off the apron. The ref is still down, but Taker covers him anyways. Out comes Kama and attacks Kama from behind. Mabel hits a leg drop and Mabel wins. I mean, how did they think this would get over? Mabel, Roadie and Savio Vega are your final 3. Undertaker then follows Kama down the aisle and to the back. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

They show a recap of the WWF Hall Of Fame ceremony. 

King Of The Ring Semifinal Match
Savio Vega vs. Roadie

They are obviously hyping up the fact that this is Savio's third match tonight. Todd Pettengill is with Roadie and Jeff Jarrett as Savio is entering and they cut a generic promo. The crowd is sitting on their hands for this one, as you would expect. Roadie and Savio Vega have had about a combined 10 matches in the WWF before this show, so why would anyone care? Plus, they already know Mabel is winning and not a single person wanted that to happen. Roadie misses with a second rope splash. Savio comes back with a big boot for a 2 count. Jarrett grabs the leg of Savio while he is running the ropes. Jarrett gets up on the apron and Roadie stops short of running into him. Savio pushes Roadie into him and rolls him up for the victory. Savio celebrates with Razor after the match. This was pretty meh. Savio cuts a promo in Spanish and Dok "translates" it. 

Match Rating: *

We get a Bret Hart backstage promo and this really is the worst version of Bret unfortunately. I am just a few days/weeks away from becoming a fan of wrestling and Bret was my favorite. This was easily his biggest down period as a character that I can recall. 

Lawler gets a quick interview on the way to the ring. 

Kiss My Foot Match
Jerry Lawler vs. Bret Hart

Bret goes right after Lawler with some right hands. Lawler is able to throw Bret into the steps and Dok reminds us that Bret hurt his shoulder "earlier today" on the Action Zone against Henry Godwin. Back in the ring, Lawler hits the piledriver in the middle of the ring. He doesn't cover him and instead plays to the crowd. He hits a second piledriver and gloats some more. He hits yet another piledriver and nonchalantly covers him, but Bret kicks out. Bret tries to battle back, but Lawler rakes his eyes and throws him out of the ring. The referee hits Bret with his boot, which I'm not sure why that would hurt any more than a kick. Bret kicks out of that too. Lawler takes off his boot again and tries to shove it in Bret's face. He blocks it and trips him up so that he can hit a headbutt to the midsection. Lawler once again jabs the boot into Bret's face. He hits the dreaded fist off the second rope and Bret again kicks out at 2. Bret battles back and out comes Hakushi and Shinja. Shinja distracts the referee and Lawler hold Bret. Bret ducks and Hakushi hits Lawler. He throws Lawler back in the ring and hits the side Russian leg sweep. Bret slaps on the Sharpshooter and gets the victory. He holds on after the bell and breaks the hold just in time to beat the referee's count. Between this and his match with Backlund, I would say they are probably the two weakest matches in his pay-per-view career for WWF. After the match, Bret gets up on the turnbuckle and takes off his boot. Lawler tries to crawl away, so Bret attacks him. Out come Hakushi and Shinja again and it once again leads to Hakushi hitting Lawler. Bret throws him out of the ring. Lawler then gets Bret's foot right in his face, with a little bit of toe getting into his mouth. Bret then takes Lawler's boot off and makes him kiss his own stinky foot. What a time to be alive. 

Match Rating: *1/2

King Of The Ring Finals
Mabel vs. Savio Vega

Well, if you didn't think Savio got a great reaction the other 3 matches, let me tell you, this time was no better. They show the Rocky statue outside the arena and compare Savio to Rocky. This is the type of role that maybe a guy like Tito Santana or a guy like that where the crowd was always invested in but never won the big one could pull off. Savio is just some guy that came out of nowhere a few weeks ago. Savio gets off to the hot start and clotheslines Mabel over the top rope. He's then able to slam Mabel into the steps. Mabel is able to just toss Savio into the steps. Lots of steps today. Mabel slows it down to a crawl and it's time for this one to just end. Vince hears the crowd chanting and says "Listen to this" and it's an "E-C-W" chant. Not only is Vince a horrible human, he's also a moron. Savio rolls up Mabel, but only gets a 2. He hits the spin kick, which is very similar to the one that Kwang would hit. Once again, Mabel kicks out. Mabel catches Savio and hits a slam, but Savio gets his shoulder up. Mabel hits a splash and this time that's it. All hail, King Mabel. Mo gets in Razor's face after the match, so Razor hits him with a right hand. The numbers game catches up and they go after Razor's injured ribs. Mabel hits him with a second rope elbow drop. Out comes 1-2-3 Kid and he attacks them both. Again, the two on one catches up. They try for the same thing, but this time a group of referees stop him. This was all awful.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get the coronation ceremony and I'm sure this will go over well with the live crowd. There is some trash thrown at the stage, with a cup hitting Mabel in the head. Mo takes forever to read the scroll, as the trash continues to be thrown. As Mabel is finally crowned, they show Savio Vega being restrained by referees. Then they show 1-2-3 Kid and Razor Ramon as well. Apparently the referees in 1995 were pretty tough. 

We then go back to Jerry Lawler in the back using mouth wash, gagging on toothpaste and barfing. 

We go to Stephanie Wiand with Sid, Tatanka and Ted DiBiase. They tell us tonight that they're actually going to tell us their plan and it's to attack Diesel's injured elbow. 

Todd Pettengill is with Diesel and Bam Bam Bigelow, who are still in street clothes while Sid and Tatanka are on their way to the ring. So obviously live.

Sid & Tatanka vs. Bam Bam Bigelow & Diesel

They quickly go after Diesel's elbow with Sid slamming it into the ring post. Diesel does tag in Bam Bam and he hits a second rope splash. DiBiase had the referee distracted as if the match was going to end 2 minutes into it. Tatanka and Sid are able to slow down Bam Bam's momentum and I still can't believe that they thought this was a main event of a pay-per-view. Diesel is in for a little bit and hurts his elbow again on an elbow drop and tags Bam Bam back in. Diesel does get another crack at it and hits Tatanka with a big boot. I will give the Philly crowd some credit here, even after this dumpster fire of a show, they are still very much into Diesel. Diesel hits the Jackknife on Tatanka, but then pulls him up in the middle of the pin. He says that he wants Sid. Sid then heads to the back and he too is pelted with some garbage. Diesel hits an elbow on Tatanka and pins him for the victory. What a terrible ending to a show. The match wasn't good, but it certainly wasn't terrible or anything. There just wasn't much interesting about it and it certainly was not something that should have been the main event of a big show. Diesel and Bam Bam celebrate to some fireworks and we're all done.

Match Rating: *1/2

There's no way that you can tell me that when they were putting this show together that they didn't realize it was going to suck. I mean Roadie, Savio Vega and Mabel? Come on. The only thing nice I can say about this show is that it moved along at a decent pace compared to like a December To Dismember, which felt like it dragged. Other than that, this is an absolute turd of a show. 

Overall Rating: 16%

Superstars 6-24-95 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, June 24th, 1995
Wheeling Civic Center
Wheeling, West Virginia

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Shawn Michaels vs. Brooklyn Brawler

Shawn's in his usual joking 1995 mode here. He hits Brawler with a slap to the face when he stops before a leapfrog. He ends up getting Brawler outside the ring. He does a baseball slide and lands on his feet. He hits Brawler with Sweet Chin Music and counts along with the ref before rolling in to beat the count. There's nothing like a countout victory for the heck of it. 

Match Rating 1/4*

We get a Waylon Mercy vignette about potato salad or something. He debuts on Superstars next week. But today we're all winners because we are getting Mantaur vs. Bam Bam Bigelow.

Men On A Mission vs. Jerry Flynn & Mike McReynolds

We join this match in progress for whatever reason and it's even as if Dok Hendrix is in mid-sentence. Flynn gets in a couple of moves until Mabel squashes him with a big leg drop. Mo comes in and makes the pin. It sure doesn't feel like they are grooming him to win tomorrow.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get a King Of The Ring Report with Todd Pettengill. He makes the announcement that Razor Ramon will not be able to wrestle in the tournament. Jack Tunney has announced that IRS will face Savio Vega on Sunday to determine his replacement. Todd says that we'll kick ourselves all year if we make the mistake of not ordering this show. Less true words have never been spoken. 

Undertaker vs. Barry Horowitz

We are inching closer to Barry's run, but he has no chance here. They interview Mabel during the match and he says that he'll do whatever it takes to beat Undertaker tomorrow. Horowitz tries to attack Taker, but just gets squashed instead. He hits the Tombstone and that's all. After the match, we see the Creatures of the Night and then out comes Mabel. Mabel says he's going down. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get Bob Backlund ranting on Man Mountain Rock. Did they really think this feud was going to work? I mean, in theory, it makes sense. It's just that not a single person cared about Man Mountain Rock, so that's a problem. 

Skip vs. John Crystal

Sunny talks over the guest ring announcer in a good heat spot. They then insult the disgusting people in the audience. Skip hits the second rope leg drop and a gut wrench suplex. Skip hits the top rope superplex and pins him while doing push ups on Crystal's chest. The gimmick is lame, but I actually think they did a pretty good job with it. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get a beautiful recap of the friendship between Bam Bam and Diesel. I just don't know how they expected anyone to be excited about this tag team match. 

Mantaur vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

I can't believe that Jim Cornette is still stuck working with Mantaur. Mantaur attacks Bam Bam as he's taking off his super cool jacket. This match is as dull as you would expect it to be. Bam Bam battles back with some headbutts, but fails on the body slam attempt. Mantaur hits a suplex, which is pretty impressive. Bam Bam counters an Irish whip in a weird way and then hits a top rope headbutt for the win. The ending was a little oddly executed, as Mantaur kind of grazed his head because of the timing. This was whatever.

Match Rating: 1/2*

It's time to go back to the Toddster for more King Of The Ring talk. We get lots of feet talk and go to Bret Hart, who is doing some of his weakest stuff of his career on the mic here. 

Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Mike Khoury

They show the cover of the WWF Magazine issue that got me back into wrestling. Yep, that's wright. This is the time period that I got back into WWF. Anyway, Hunter hits the Pedigree and wins. Whatever.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go to Jerry Lawler and see the same video we've already seen. They then show the Aldo Montoya footage again. They weren't even trying on this one. 

This wasn't a good episode and it's no surprise that King Of The Ring ends up being terrible. 

Overall Rating: 28%

SmackDown 3-30-07 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, March 30th, 2007
Van Andel Arena
Grand Rapids, Michigan

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Edge is out to talk about how he's going to win the Money In The Bank because he's won more ladder matches than his other 7 opponents combined. Out comes Matt Hardy for the match that 100% is not going to get changed. Edge then announced that instead of him, it's going to be Great Khali.

Matt Hardy vs. Great Khali

Hardy wisely attacks Khali on his way into the ring, but it does nothing. Khali is choking Hardy in the corner and then Kane's music hits. No one comes out, so Khali leaves the ring and tries to find him. He's on the screen and he holds his hook and laughs like the moron that he is. We just leave with that. What a terrible start to the show. 

Match Rating: 1/4* (I guess?)

Teddy Long is on the phone ordering champagne and in walks Kristal. No one cared about this. Sorry, Teddy.

Mr. Kennedy vs. Finlay

At this point, I've become a little distracted and am reading more about some of the past WWF scandals. Sorry. A ladder gets involved, then Hornswoggle. He jumps off his stepstool and hits a swanton from it in a fun spot. Finlay then hits Celtic Cross and gets the last minute win to try to make you think he has a shot Sunday (he doesn't). It also welcomed the possible interference from Hornswoggle and I'm more than fine with that. 

Match Rating: *3/4

We get a hype video for Bobby Lashley vs. Umaga. Don't care.

Maryse welcomes us back to SmackDown.

MVP vs. Viko Batomango

They really have not had MVP and Chris Benoit interact almost at all during this feud. There's nothing that will allow me to take my mind off the Vince accusations than a racist stereotype here. Not to mention that MVP is about to wrestle a murderer. MVP wins. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy

We have a future main event here. The first big moment here is when Hardy hits a face first sit down suplex and Orton takes an awkward landing. Orton is able to bounce back and hits a big clothesline and we get a commercial break. Orton hits his variation of a backbreaker and gets a 2 count. Jeff makes his comeback and hits Whisper In The Wind. Orton rolls out of the way before Jeff can even go for the Swanton. He leaps down and Orton dumps him through the ropes. Out comes Edge and he kicks Jeff in the ribs. Orton gets in Edge's face, but then gets back in the ring. He gets distracted by Edge and that allows Randy to get rolled up and pinned. I honestly forgot about all of this between Edge and Orton. The match was pretty standard, but it did give us one more layer for WrestleMania.

Match Rating: **1/2

We get a recap of the Batista and Undertaker match with King Booker and Finlay last week. 

Jillian, Kristal, Melina, Michelle McCool & Victoria vs. Ashley, Candice Michelle, Mickie James, Maria & Torrie Wilson

With all of the disgusting info on Vince, it seems like a good time to remember Ashley here, who was a victim of Vince's stupidity. Just absolutely awful to think about. The Melina/Ashley match is a Lumberjill match, so this is our last minute promotion for that. Jillian goes for a powerbomb and Ashley reverses it into a pin and gets the victory. They did the usual everybody gets 30 seconds to do something before that.

Match Rating: 1/4*

King Booker vs. CM Punk

Most of the match here consists of JBL being disgusted that Punk doesn't drink. CM Punk makes his comeback with a reverse neckbreaker. He starts hitting his kicks until Booker is able to hit back with a kick of his own. All of this leads to Booker going for a suplex, Punk countering it and rolling Booker up for the victory. It took them a long time to get over the fluke victories for Punk. 

Match Rating: *1/2

We get a recap video of the press conference for the two scumbag billionaires and it's not worth recapping.

It's time for the biggest interview in sports entertainment history according to JBL. JBL is bragging and then is about to bring out Batista and Undertaker until Steve Austin's music hits. He comes down and hits the Stunner on JBL and does the usual beer bath celebration. Teddy Long is out and tells us that the interview will go on as scheduled. They have security to divide them. It all leads to a big brawl between the two with security failing to hold them back. Batista then keeps yelling 48 hours and we go off the air. 

This was your usual useless go home show that doesn't really do much other than fill up time. The Hardy/Orton match was decent, but the rest I have pretty much already forgotten about. 

Overall Rating: 41%

Off The Grid, Volume 43: The Main Event II Review

Friday, February 3rd, 1989
Bradley Center
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Off The Grid, Volume 43:

We get the usual introduction to the show, with all of the focus on the Mega Powers vs. Twin Towers. We eventually go to Mean Gene Okerlund and he's with Akeem, Big Boss Man and Slick. I'll still never really understand why Boss Man thought he was a police officer when he was actually a prison guard. We now get an extremely cheesy music video of the Mega Powers' friendship and they sprinkle in a little bit of the attack by the Twin Towers. Mean Gene is now with the Mega Powers. Hulk compares the love between he and Elizabeth as loving her like a sister. He keeps talking about love. Vince and Hogan both suck. 

Twin Towers vs. Mega Powers

Hogan wants Boss Man and surprisingly we get that to start off. Hogan of course cleans house and the crowd loves it. Savage joins in on the fun and it's all Mega Powers to start. The Towers get their opportunity and Boss Man hits a piledriver on Hogan. It doesn't last too long and in comes Savage again. He snaps Akeem's neck on the top rope and then hits the double ax handle from the top rope. Slick gets involved and it once again shifts the momentum in the favor of the Towers. We then get the most notable spot of the match where Savage gets thrown into Elizabeth. Big brother Hogan is there to check in on Elizabeth and Savage is a little upset about it. Hogan then takes her to the back to get medical attention. They show her on the stretcher with Hogan freaking out rather than the actual match. I know this storyline is considered one of the greatest of all time, but I just never have gotten into it. Hogan's acting is so terrible and he's in the wrong as a character. The Warrior/Savage storyline to me was 100 times better and so well executed. After a commercial, we go back to the match where Savage is getting worn down as a result of the 2 on 1 advantage. We go back to Hogan and Elizabeth and some more horrible acting. Hogan finally leaves her side and is on his way back to the ring. Savage is able to make a comeback and dumps both opponents over the top. Hogan is begging for the tag, but instead Savage slaps him in the face. Hogan's in the ring now and piece of garbage Vince can't understand why Savage would be upset. Savage now leaves the match and Hogan is getting double teamed. Savage comes back down and they have some words. Savage grabs his title belt and this time leaves. Hogan is Superman, so of course he just wins the match any way with his boot and leg drop. As soon as the match is done though, Boss Man attacks Hogan from behind and tries to handcuff him to the top rope. Hogan instead handcuffs Boss Man to Slick and makes them look like a bunch of goofs. We then go to the back and Hogan confronts Savage backstage, who is with Elizabeth. We get lots of yelling at each other and Savage says that the reason Hogan has never asked him for a title shot is because he knows he can't beat him. Savage then attacks Hogan with the belt and Elizabeth checks on him. Savage then pulls Elizabeth off of her and throws her out of the way. Brutus Beefcake tries to stop Savage and he throws him out of the way. This just shows you that his reaction to Hogan weren't wrong because they had to have him go way over the top to make him the heel in this scenario. The match itself was nothing and no one seemed to think the Twin Towers had a chance. Like I said, I know this all went on to do a ton of big business, but I just don't care for it. 

Match Rating: **

Hercules vs. Ted DiBiase

Hercules attacks DiBiase as he's walking into the ring and before he even takes off his jacket. He throws him out of the ring and then goes after Virgil. The story here is that DiBiase bought the contract for Hercules from Bobby Heenan and Herc didn't like that. Herc then hits a press slam and hits an atomic drop that sends DiBiase out of the ring. DiBiase takes control and slows the match down. Herc comes back with a big powerslam, but misses with a charge and hits his head on the turnbuckle. Virgil gets up on the ring apron and ties Hercules's chain into the turnubuckle. Hercules blocks it and hits DiBiase's head into the chain. DiBiase kicks out of the pin attempt, so Herc goes and does it again. Virgil gets the attention of the referee while Hercules has him up in the Torture Rack. The referee goes to check on the chain and this allows DiBiase to get out of the hold and roll up Hercules for the victory. Hercules attacks DiBiase after the match and then grabs the chain. DiBiase and Virgil head to the back as Hercules swings his chain over his head. The match was actually a little bit better than I expected here. 

Match Rating: **1/4

We go back to Mean Gene and he wants a word with Hogan, but he's in so much pain that we instead just watch Hogan moan and groan in frustration. 

We go back to Jesse Ventura and the human garbage. Jesse stands up for Savage, as you would expect. We then go back to Hogan looking all over the place for Savage, grabbing wrestlers such as Bret Hart and throwing them to the side when they say they don't know where he's at. 

I'm a little conflicted on this one. On one hand, the show was mostly entertaining. On the other hand, Hulk Hogan gives one of the worst performances in a major role that I can think of. Hogan was obviously the favorite of the generation and one of the most popular wrestlers in history, but Savage is just better in every way you can break it down. The DiBiase match was better than I expected, but of course it was just secondary to what was going on. 

Overall Rating: 66%

ECW 3-27-07 Review

Tuesday, March 27th, 2007
Van Andel Arena
Grand Rapids, Michigan

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This is the first show that I am watching after the Vince McMahon news and I'm still disgusted. Knowing that I'm right in the middle of a storyline featuring two of the biggest pieces of garbage in America today, it was already a hard watch. This is only making it harder. However, I am also almost to WrestleMania 23 and it was the first one I ever attended live. Maybe I'll take a break from this timeline after that, I guess that's to be determined. 

Rob Van Dam vs. Elijah Burke

This feels like this will be Burke's first real test on WWE TV if they give him time. Both men are out alone surprisingly. RVD hits the first big move of the match with a leaping single leg kick to Burke, who was crotched on the top rope. Burke falls to the floor and RVD hits a somersault dive into the commercial break. RVD goes for Rolling Thunder but Burke is able to get his knees up. Elijah hits his signature corner elbow and goes to work on the back of RVD. He misses with the Elijah Express and RVD hits the 5 Star Frog Splash for the victory. Burke definitely still needed some seasoning here, but he was able to keep up for the most part here. As soon as the match is over, the New Breed comes out and attack RVD. Out come the ECW Originals to make the save. I think we all knew that was coming. 

Match Rating: **

It's time for Extreme Exposé. They dance.

The Hardys are with CM Punk and in walks Edge. Edge says he doesn't want to tag with them any more than they want to tag with him, but he thinks they need to work together tonight and take a couple of their opponents out, their chances on Sunday will look a lot better. 

Balls Mahoney vs. Snitsky

What a time to be alive. Snitsky comes charging in and knocks Mahoney to the floor. Snitsky then drives him into the ring post. He hits a big boot and that's all. The shorter, the better. Maybe next time they'll just forget to put him on the card. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Finlay lies to Booker and says that Mr. Kennedy and Randy Orton were saying some bad things about him. Booker says that they should watch each others back, but Finlay says that you can't trust him either. 

We go live to Bobby Lashley and Vince McMahon in different locations. This is useless and Vince is trash.

Mr. Kennedy, Randy Orton, King Booker & Finlay vs. Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, CM Punk & Edge

We join the match in progress, but there is plenty of time left in the episode here. This is exactly what you would expect of this match and that's exactly what it should be. Each of the eight stars here will get their spots and chances to show off a little bit before the ladder match. We finally get to the drama when Edge is about to give a Spear to Booker, but instead decides to leave. We then get a brawl. During the chaos, Finlay hits CM Punk in the back while he's running the ropes with a shillelagh. Booker covers Punk and picks up the victory for his team. I remember thinking this might mean that Punk was going to win at WrestleMania, even though Kennedy was the favorite. All of a sudden, the heels turn on each other and we're back to a brawl. The ladders are out and Finlay is bleeding from the eye. The Hardys both climb the ladder and go for the briefcase and they share some words. The main event was good enough for what it was meant to be.

Match Rating: **1/4

This was a decent enough episode of ECW. It usually flies by and they kept Snitsky and Vince quick. Peace out, Vince. 

Overall Rating: 50%