Off The Grid, Volume 63: The Main Event IV Review

Original Airdate: Friday, November 23rd, 1990
Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
Fort Wayne, Indiana

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Off The Grid, Volume 63:

I had planned on watching The Wrestling Classic this month and then I realized how much I hated that show, so I pivoted to this one. I have never seen this show despite being a fan at this time. We start off with Ted DiBiase with Mean Gene. They show some of his early shenanigans, highlighted by the twin referees. We get lots of laughing from Ted and that everyone has a price. He's a little more fired up than usual but says all his usual stuff. We go to Sean Mooney and Ultimate Warrior. Warrior says the power of his warriors can't be bought. He asks DiBiase what price is he willing to pay to be champion. 

WWF Championship Match
Ted DiBiase vs. Ultimate Warrior

Vince McMahon and Roddy Piper are your announcers here tonight. This show was taped on October 30th for those curious. It's also kind of strange that this aired the day after Survivor Series. We get things underway with Warrior shoving DiBiase around the ring. Warrior clotheslines DiBiase out of the ring and Virgil is there to check in on him. Warrior slams their heads together and then slams both of their heads into the ring apron. Warrior runs into a knee in the corner and DiBiase is able to hit a clothesline. He follows up with a second rope double ax handle for a 2 count. DiBiase hits a piledriver and gets another 2 count. He goes for a second one but Warrior hits a back body drop to counter out of it. Warrior runs the ropes but Virgil grabs his foot and Dibiase knocks him out of the ring. We go to commercial break as DiBiase goes outside. When we come back, DiBiase is going to work in the middle of the ring. We quickly get a Warrior comeback that is stopped short by a DiBiase clothesline. Warrior is able to pull off a backslide for a 2 count before DiBiase hits a suplex. He goes for another one but Warrior blocks it and hits a sunset flip for a 2 count. Interesting that they are going with Warrior as the plucky underdog here. DiBiase goes for another suplex and this time Warrior counters with one of his own. They collide in the middle of the ring and DiBiase is the first man back up. DiBiase goes off the second rope but Warrior hits him in the midsection. Warrior starts shaking the ropes and DiBiase sells it well. Warrior hits clotheslines and the flying shoulder tackle. He goes for the cover and in runs Virgil for the disqualification. Warrior nails him with a clothesline and the crowd is very much into this. He goes for the press slam but in runs Randy Savage and hits him with a scepter in the midsection. He hits a top rope elbow drop and starts throwing referees around the ring. This is all just absolutely nuts and I love it. Savage has the title and holds it up as Sherri gets in some cheap shots. After the dust settles, Warrior wills his way back up and holds up the title belt to his music. I really liked this a lot more than I thought I would. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

We go to Mean Gene, Savage and Sherri. Savage is doing a lot of his whisper talk, so much so that I have to crank up the volume to understand him. He talks about being champion and then we see Nikolai Volkoff in the ring waiving the US flag. We then go back to Mean Gene with Sgt. Slaughter and General Adnan. We get a commercial break and then see Slaughter walk down the aisle for about 15 seconds before another commercial break. 

Nikolai Volkoff vs. Sgt Slaughter

Slaughter attacks Volkoff before the bell and puts on the Camel Clutch. They continue the attack until Jim Duggan is out with the 2x4. Slaughter retreats and we don't have a match. I don't think anyone is too upset about that. Duggan waives the flag around. 

Big Boss Man is with Mean Gene and we're in the middle of the don't make fun of my mama storyline. 

Mr. Perfect vs. Big Boss Man

Perfect is without Heenan here. Perfect bumps around for Boss Man, who is at his peak as an in ring performer here. Perfect does the spot where he slides into the ring post below the belt. Boss Man comes back with a backbreaker before climbing the ropes. He misses with an ugly looking splash and Perfect is in control. It doesn't last too long and Perfect is back to bouncing around the ring. Bobby Heenan comes running out and Perfect hits a Perfect Plex. Boss Man somehow kicks at 2 and surprisingly there isn't much of a pop from that. Heenan holds down the top rope but Boss Man reverses and Perfect goes flying. Boss Man then goes chasing after Heenan and Heenan runs for his life. Boss Man goes back to the ring, but it's too late and Perfect wins by countout. Perfect then runs out of the ring with Boss Man furious. This was pretty good but Heenan running away was the highlight. 

Match Rating: **

Heenan is with Mean Gene and he's begging and pleading for Mean Gene to help him. 

We get the Playboy Buddy Rose weight loss vignette. They show him eating whatever he wants and that you pour a bunch of powder on yourself and use a fan to blow it all off. This was something. 

Rick Martel vs. Tito Santana

I'm always down to see these two wrestle. Martel attacks Tito before the bell and we are underway. They talk about the Jake Roberts incident with Martel and Tito is getting the better of Martel so far. Martel goes on offense before climbing the rope and Santana meeting him there. Tito fights back and is all fired up. He hits a dropkick and a backbreaker. A clothesline gets a 2 count. Martel goes for an atomic drop but Santana counters that into a Figure Four which Martel counters into a small package for a 2 count. Martel slaps on the Boston Crab and Santana has to quit. That was a really good final segment there. How can you not love these two? 

Match Rating: ***

Mean Gene is with Jake Roberts, who is wearing sunglasses. They show the Brother Love show where he was sprayed. Jake's sunglasses were never cool, not even in 1990. He says that Martel gambled and rolled the dice and says that he came up snake eyes while removing his glasses and revealing the affected eye. I was very much into this storyline as a kid. 

We go back to Roddy and Vince to recap the show. We then go to Ultimate Warrior backstage and he gives his whisper interview before screaming about his rage. 

Yeah, so this show was really good. The Warrior era is often remembered as being a failture, but tonight, this was all really good. Everything had a purpose and it all had great pacing. This is a big thumbs up from me. 

Overall Rating: 80%

Monday Nitro 1-22-96 Review

Monday, January 22nd, 1996
Caesar's Palace
Las Vegas, Nevada

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We are welcomed by Eric Bischoff, Bobby Heenan and Steve McMichael welcoming us as usual here. Randy Savage will take on Ric Flair tonight. Konnan walks up to the booth and introduces himself and says that he will be destroying Psychosis tomorrow night. 

WCW Championship Match
Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair

Savage is led to the ring by a bunch of women including Woman. Another looks to be Debra McMichael. Hulk Hogan comes out because of course he does. Since he and Savage are best friends, he wishes him good luck. Flair is out with Jimmy Hart. They start brawling outside the ring to start the match and Flair throws Savage into the guardrail. Back in the ring, Savage hits a clothesline and a 2 count. They go outside again and once again Flair throws Savage into the guardrail. Savage hits a back body drop on the mat outside the ring and Savage misses with a double ax handle off the top rope into the guardrail right as we go to commercial. When we come back they are once again slamming each other into the guardrail. I don't think I have ever typed that word more in a one match review than I have in this one. Bischoff says that Miss Elizabeth will be with Hogan and Savage tomorrow night. The Road Warriors and Kevin Greene are also going to be here tomorrow. Meanwhile, Flair has the Figure Four in the middle of the ring and starts using the ropes for leverage. Savage is out and makes his comeback. Jimmy Hart is on the apron and distracts Savage. Out comes Arn Anderson and he accidentally hits Flair in the face with the brass knuckles in front of the referee. The bell rings as if it is a disqualification but Savage hits the top rope elbow drop and the referee counts 3 and awards Savage the championship. Typical WCW. Oh and of course Hogan is out here too. Savage says to stop the music and Mean Gene is in the ring. Savage says that Hogan is celebrating like he won the match but Savage is the one who won. He tells Hogan not to embarrass himself like that. Hogan says that he won with a little help from his best friend which is debatable. Savage says that he's not Nick Bockwinkle and doesn't name #1 contenders but when it's his turn, he'll take him on and hopefully in Las Vegas. Hogan says he'll do what he has to do to become the #1 contender. Savage says he would shake Hogan's hand if he won but if he wins, which is probably going to happen, he wants Hogan to shake his hand too. The match itself was pretty cookie cutter but you got the rare world title switch on free TV, so that counts for something.

Match Rating: **1/2

Brian Pillman vs. Dean Malenko

Heenan never hit the highs of his comedy in WCW that he hit with WWF, but he is still so good at getting wrestlers over and is so valuable to their television product. We get mostly stalling here to start. Malenko gets the first bit of offense in and gets a 2 count with a reverse neck breaker. Pillman hits a tilt-a-whirl DDT and the announcers get on him for not going for the cover there. Malenko hits a variation of a powerbomb and we get an awkward spot where Pillman doesn't make it over the top rope after a dropkick. Pillman goes up top and Malenko is up there to try to stop him. Pillman headbutts him off and then goes for another DDT. This time Malenko counters it and hits a gutbuster that draws some cheers. We then get another weird spot where Malenko's foot gets caught in the rope and I don't see how the referee wouldn't have seen that. Pillman capitalizes and jumps on top of him and holds him down for a 3 count. I like both of these guys a lot but this wasn't good. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

They hype up WCW Saturday Night and for some sick reason, I wish I could watch all of those as well. 

WCW Tag Team Championship Match
Harlem Heat vs. Sting & Lex Luger

We get a commercial break before the match begins. We get a commercial for SuperBrawl, which is less than 3 weeks away and we have 0 matches that I'm aware of. Booker kicks Luger in the back while he's running the ropes and the distraction allows for Stevie Ray to take control. Luger fires back with a double clothesline and makes the tag to Sting. We get some Stinger Splashes in the corner and he goes for the Scorpion Death Lock but gets hit by the scissor kick from Booker. Sting runs into a boot in the corner and hits a modified bulldog from the second rope for a 2 count. Bischoff really can be annoying as a face announcer. It's probably for the best that he turned heel. Harlem Heat hit a double face-first suplex on Sting and Booker goes up top. He misses with the somersault off the top and Sting makes the tag to Luger. Jimmy Hart is out and hands something to Luger. This whole spot is so awkward. Why does WCW suck at this stuff so badly? The tag to Luger is treated as if it never happened I guess because the referee didn't see it but you'd have to be a moron to think that Sting didn't tag him since he was about 10 inches the last time the ref saw. Luger stands in the corner with his hand behind his back just to make it even more obvious. He gets tagged in and hits him with it and the quarters burst and the referee thinks nothing of that. Anyway, we have new tag champions and this was just so poorly executed that it's hard to give it a good rating. 

Match Rating: *

One Man Gang vs. Hulk Hogan

This is your reminder that One Man Gang was somehow the US Champion in 1996. Only in WCW would you have two title matches that end up in titles changing hands and still main event a show with Hulk Hogan and One Man Gang. Hogan knocks Gang off the apron and they start "brawling" outside the ring. I use that term lightly. Back in the ring, Gang hits a body slam and hits the big splash. Hogan of course bounces right back up and throws Gang into the corners and hits a clothesline. Hogan hits the slowest looking big boot ever and hits a body slam. Leg drop is enough to end this match and put us all out of our misery. This sucked worse than you probably even expected. If you think it can't get worse, Zodiac comes out and tries to attack him. Then Chris Benoit comes out and Arn Anderson follows. Randy Savage is in there to help. None of them get any offense in because why would 10 people be able to take care of 2? Giant comes out but everyone holds him back. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Mean Gene is in the ring with Hogan and Savage...again. They basically give the same interview as they did earlier. They hype up Kevin Greene being in their corner tomorrow and same with Miss Elizabeth. Gene is excited about that. 

The crew recaps the show and hypes up Clash Of The Champions. 

On paper, this should have been an amazing show. Instead, this one showcased all of WCW's flaws instead. Their stupid loyalty to Hogan, giving title changes away just because and poorly executed finishes. The first match was fun but everything after was not great. 

Overall Rating: 41%

Review #1,000! Smack 'Em Whack 'Em Review

Release Date: Wednesday, April 21st, 1993

After doing 999 reviews of mostly weekly TV and pay per view shows, I thought I might do something a little fun here. I haven't watched one of these videos in a long time, so I figured let's go with this one. This one is famous for the Ric Flair/Bret Hart match, but let's see what else it has to offer. 

Lord Alfred Hayes is here in an old looking house and that we are going to get some tips from the Bushwhackers on remodeling. Hayes was always horrible, but he looks particularly disinterested here. The Bushwhackers get Hayes all dressed up for construction work and then we are being told we will see our first match. 

Berzerker vs. Crush

Gorilla Monsoon welcomes us to Erie, Pennsylvania and we're stuck with more of Hayes here. Berzerker has always been an old favorite of mine as far as gimmicks that didn't catch on. Crush, on the other hand, is terrible. They do a test of strength and Crush no sells the cheap kicks Berzerker uses and he then shoves him over the top rope. A shoulder tackle from Crush sends Berzerker over the top rope again. We get lots of "Huss" in this match, in case you were wondering. Berzerker is back in and hits a side Russian leg sweep. Crush fights back with right hands but he runs into a big boot. They keep talking about Mr. Fuji not being the manager of Berzerker anymore. The crowd is dead for this, by the way. You'd think you'd want to pick a match that the crowd is into for the opener of a tape where you pick the matches. Berzerker hits a piledriver and it gets a 2 count. Naturally, Gorilla is all over him for the nonchalant cover. Berzerker ties Crush up in the ropes and hits some boots to the face. They kind of just keep crapping on Berzerker most likely because he doesn't work here anymore. Crush comes back with an inverted atomic drop and a backbreaker. Berzerker misses with a dropkick and Crush puts on the stupid finisher and eventually the referee calls for the bell. This wasn't awful, but it also wasn't anything beyond a Superstars match. This was also just a really odd selection for this tape. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

We're back with Hayes and the Bushwhackers. The Bushwhackers are measuring for a window and they start smashing the wall with a sledgehammer. 

Repo Man vs. Earthquake

Gorilla alludes to the reason this match exists is due to the fact that Repo Man beat Typhoon. Repo gets the early advantage and hits a second rope clothesline. The interesting thing with Repo is that if he were Smash here, you wouldn't consider him an underdog here. Quake comes back and steps on him but then misses with the elbow drop. Repo goes off the top rope and kind of slips. Earthquake is ready for him and then he hits a powerslam. He sets him up for the big splash and nails it for the quick victory. This was another Superstars match. This match was from Dayton, Ohio. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

We get more Bushwhackers and they find some electrical behind the wall they are trying to demolish. This leads to Hayes being electrocuted with some terrible acting from Hayes. They turn on a light and Hayes appears to be dead, so they pass it on to Mean Gene and Yokozuna. Yes, this is real. 

Mean Gene is with Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji at a teppan edo restaurant and Gene tells us that Yokozuna eats 1,500 calories a day. We now go over chopsticks and sushi, which in 1992 was a much more foreign concept to Americans than it is now. Gene eats some wasabi and then we get a video of mostly Yok chowing down on sushi. Yoko polishes off two plates of sushi and that's just an appetizer according to Mr. Fuji. The chef comes out and we get lots of classic Gene reactions here. The chef does many of the tricks you see at a teppan edo restaurant until Fuji says that Yoko wants his food. I can't believe that this is as long as it is. We watch him cook and cut up the meal and lots of Mr. Fuji encouraging Yoko's eating. Gene calls Yoko eating 11 ribeye steaks the most incredible display he has ever seen in his life. Next up is the shrimp. This feels like it is at least 45 minutes long. Fuji calls for dessert and Gene sells it and we're finally done here. 

It's time for the profile on Bret Hart. We go to Gorilla, who is with Bret, who seems really uncomfortable here. He talks about the ladder match with Shawn. This feels very much like public access television. 

Ladder Match For The Intercontinental Championship
Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart

We're coming to you from Portland, Maine. This is the first ever WWF ladder match (I believe). Shawn gets the early advantage and then goes to get the ladder. He drags it to the ring and then Bret attacks him. We get our first ladder action with Michaels driving it into the gut of Bret in the corner. He tries to get a little momentum and Bret is able to move out of the way. We get our first climb with Bret reaching, but he doesn't get high enough before Shawn is able to pull him off. Bret hits a second rope clothesline to a nice pop from the crowd. Bret then hits a slingshot into the ladder in the corner. Bret tries to climb again and Gorilla is all over him again for not climbing high enough and now both men are down. Both men climb the ladder and the ladder tips over. Bret runs the ropes and Sherri grabs Bret's foot. That allows Shawn to hit the superkick. Shawn grabs the ladder but Bret dropkicks it and sends Shawn to the floor. Bret climbs the ladder and grabs the title to pick up the victory. This was obviously tame by modern standards, but it was very well worked and a good match for a new concept. The crowd was into all of it and that helped as well. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

Gorilla talks to Bret about having more title defenses than any champion in history. He talks about the upcoming match against Kamala. Bret says that he would take on all contenders. 

WWF Championship Match
Kamala vs. Bret Hart

Why would they pick this match? Kamala comes out to an introduction by Dr. Harvey Wippleman and gets absolutely no reaction from the crowd. We also have Sean Mooney instead of Gorilla Monsoon for this match. Bret gets most of the offense here. Kamala decides to ask Bret for a test of strength. Really? Bret steps on his foot instead. Kamala gets his turn for some offense here and everything about this feels cheap. Hayes is such a terrible announcer and Mooney is not meant to be a play-by-play guy. Bret catches a kick and hits a Russian leg sweep. Bret hits the second rope elbow drop and now we have shenanigans. It leads to Kamala accidentally hitting Kimchee and Bret rolls him up for the victory. Kamala attacks him with the weakest looking chops that you'll ever see. He goes for a splash but hits Wippleman instead and Bret clotheslines Kamala over the top rope. This was all bad and I say this as a Bret Hart fan. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Gorilla says that people have been writing into Coliseum Video saying that we want to see the match where Bret won the belt. Can you imagine now if they did a major title change and no one saw it for months? Bret says that he knew he only had one chance to get the title and that there was nothing Ric Flair could do to stop him. He even sprained his ankle and dislocated his finger in this match and it still wasn't enough to stop him. 

WWF Championship Match
Bret Hart vs. Ric Flair

We are in Saskatoon and at least we have Gorilla back here. Hayes and Gorilla both really hype up how good Bret is and that's a rare win from the commentary here on this tape. We get a pretty slow start to the match and some stalling from Flair. If you ever wanted to see Flair's butt, well this is the match for you. It wakes up the crowd and Bret destroys Flair after working on the arm of Flair for a few minutes. Bret goes to work on the leg and then slaps on the Figure Four. After getting out of that, Flair finally gets some offense and quickly puts on the Figure Four himself. Bret also escapes but Flair is still working on the leg of Bret. Flair goes up top and that of course doesn't work out well for him, as Bret slams him to the mat. Big back body drop and Bret gets a 2 count. Bret hits the second rope elbow drop and gets another 2 while Gorilla wonders why he doesn't go for the Sharpshooter. Flair tries some chops and Bret pulls down the straps and starts leveling him with right hands. Bret props Flair up o the top and hits a superplex. Bret slaps on the Sharpshooter and Flair gives up for a pretty non-WWF Championship match finish there. I have seen a lot of love for this match and of course it was pretty good, but I certainly did not love this nearly as much as most. Having someone win the title at a house show, even in 1992, was a really dumb idea. 

Match Rating: **3/4

Bret promises that he'll always be the people's champion. 

Back to the Bushwhackers and Hayes, who is alive. We get lots of yelling and water. 

Razor Ramon vs. Undertaker

This is very much still the old school Undertaker. Razor throws the toothpick to the back of Taker's head and heads outside the ring. Taker goes after him and Taker falls for the oldest trick in the book. Taker naturally no sells any of Razor's offense and chokes Razor in the corner. Razor runs into a boot in the corner and hits Old School before it was called that. Taker misses with an elbow drop and Razor clotheslines him to the outside, where Taker of course lands on his feet. Taker snaps Razor's neck on the top rope as the announcers speculate what is in the urn. Razor comes back with a second rope bulldog and Razor decides to hit Taker with a chair to the back and for some reason it's not a DQ. Razor throws him into the steps and back into the ring. Razor hits a body slam and Taker sits right back up. Razor hits a side slam and Razor hits six elbow drops. Paul Bearer is on the apron and Razor snags the urn out of his hands. Razor hits Taker with the urn behind the referee's back but Taker kicks out of the pin attempt with authority. Taker is back on his feet and hits a chokeslam. Razor rolls out of the ring and heads to the back for the countout finish. Undertaker's lack of selling was pretty annoying at this point. The crowd was also pretty dead for this, pun intended. 

Match Rating: *1/2

We had back to the Bushwhackers one last time and they have a wet Hayes sit down in an ugly chair and set up a TV for Hayes to watch some Coliseum videos. Hayes sends us off and we hear some noises and the Bushwhackers say "Oh, no". What an ending.

Well, if you're a Bret Hart fan, this is a must watch because you get to see his non-televised first WWF Championship victory and the first ever WWF ladder match. The ladder match in particular is worth a watch. However, the Yokozuna segment feels like an eternity and Hayes, who is a terrible announcer and actor, is on this tape WAY too much. I don't understand how WWF thought anyone wanted this guy to announce any match. The Bushwhacker segments aren't even fun. One would have been enough. This tape gets a mild recommendation because of the two aforementioned matches, but nothing more than that. 

Overall Rating: 50%

Monday Night Raw 1-22-96 Review

Monday, January 22nd, 1996
Stockton Civic Auditorium
Stockton, California

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We get a warning about the graphic nature of the show followed by Sunny putting chalk on a pool cue. We then get a Royal Rumble video narrated by both Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler. They announce that Bret Hart will face Goldust, Hunter Hearst Helmsley will square off against Razor Ramon and we'll hear from Shawn Michaels. By 1996 standards, that is a huge card. 

After the show intro, we go to the arena (probably putting it nicely calling it that) and Vince and Lawler are talking over Savio Vega's music. We then hear from Jim Cornette in the ring and he says that the most important question is "What time is it?" It's Vader time. 

Savio Vega vs. Vader

The crowd likes Vader probably more than Vince wants them to here. Vader hammers away on Savio in the corner and gets a lot of cheers. Savio fights back and hits Vader with a kick that sends Vader over the ropes but Vader lands on his feet. Savio it out after him and Vader drops Savio on the guardrail. I know Vader was injured at this time but he still looks good all things considered. Vader hits the avalanche in the corner and hits the Vader Bomb for the easy victory. That was an impressive win. 

Match Rating: *1/2

After the match, Vader hits a body slam on Savio and sets him up in the corner. He hits a second Vader Bomb and then headbutts the referee before throwing him out of the ring. Another referee is out and Vader hits him with a right hand and gives him a powerbomb. Gorilla Monsoon is now out and gets in his face. In case you forgot how big Monsoon is, he is standing toe to toe with Vader here. Monsoon talks to the ring announcer and he lets us know that Vader has been indefinitely suspended. Monsoon takes off his glasses and they get into each other's faces again. Cornette tries to calm Vader down and it doesn't work. Monsoon hits some chops and Vader is stunned. Gorilla is checking on the referee and Vader hits an avalanche. He hits him with an elbow drop and drags him to the corner. He hits the Vader Bomb and out comes Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon. Vader heads out of the ring and even Vince is getting into it with him, wondering how he could have done that to Gorilla. 1996 me was VERY into this and looking back at it, this is still such an awesome way to introduce this character to the WWF audience. We go to commercial with Gorilla laying there. When we come back we get a recap and they show Gorilla being helped. Gorilla was 58 years old here for those wondering. We see Vader and Cornette arguing in the back and Vader tells that Vader is waging war on every wrestler and every official and that includes Mr. McMahon and Mr.....AHHHHH! That's one of the few times up to this point where a wrestler has said Vince's name as something other than an announcer. 

Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Razor Ramon

This is the beginning of Helmsley bringing out a random valet to his matches. We get some still photos of Razor losing his Intercontinental title to Goldust with the help of 1-2-3 Kid at Royal Rumble. We get an interview from 1-2-3 Kid and Ted DiBiase who say that when you have a baby, you shove a bottle in their mouth and change their diaper, complete with props. Yes, this is real. Razor is dominating the early going into a quick commercial break. When we come back, we see Razor outside the ring and Helmsley hits a baseball slide. Helmsley tries to suplex Razor into the ring, but it's blocked. Razor tires one as well and that is blocked before Helmsley tries again and it's kind of blocked but it ends up with Razor being crotched on the top rope. Lawler tries to interview the valet. They do announce her name but does it really matter? Helmsley hits a clothesline and is showing a little bit more of an edge here tonight than normal. 1-2-3 Kid comes out and dumps a big baby bottle in his face. This actually fires Razor up and he hits some right hands on Helmsley before chasing Kid around the ring. Kid spits at him and that leads to more chasing and the eventual countout defeat. The match itself was going along pretty well but this was only here to give Helmsley a victory and for the feud of Kid/Razor to continue. Razor goes back into the ring and goes for a Razor's Edge but Helmsley escapes and heads to the back with his lady. 

Match Rating: *3/4

For comedic reasons, we're going back to Billionaire Ted's. Ted says that he's bought everything and he challenges his team to come up with one original idea. Scheme Gene says to call his hotline and all of the people at the table call it. Be careful what you wish for, Vince. 

They show Dok Hendrix and the Raw band playing live in the arena. I would have completely forgot this was ever a thing. Vince is in the ring and brings out Shawn Michaels, winner of last night's Royal Rumble. He says he told us so on winning the Royal Rumble and that WrestleMania is going to happen. But for the time in between, he wants to take care of the guy going around saying that he took him out and that's Owen Hart. He references the thugs that attacked him and that he will take care of them at another time. Out comes Cornette and he gets Shawn into putting up his WrestleMania title shot so that he can wrestle Owen. Shawn asks the crowd and they give him the thumbs up. 

They hype up next week's Raw with British Bulldog taking on Diesel and Shawn Michaels against Yokozuna. This crowd definitely got their money's worth in terms of seeing a Raw taping. 

Goldust vs. Bret Hart

A rare televised title vs. title match at this time. We get a pre-taped promo from Goldust as he's entering the ring, giving his performance last night two thumbs up. We get some stalling and a promise to try to get an update on Gorilla before our commercial break. When we come back, we're still not doing much. We get just a little bit of action and another commercial break. When we come back Goldust is in control of the match. Bret gets in some offense, Razor Ramon comes out and we get ANOTHER COMMERCIAL. Bret goes for the Sharpshooter and gets it on and that's it. This may be the most difficult lengthy match for me to grade up to this point. Why did they schedule so many commercials? Why would you have Goldust lose here? Vince comes in the ring and Bret blames Diesel for robbing us of a winner last night. He's sick of Diesel and he wants him in the steel cage match. Bret says that Taker will get another rematch. Bret's music is playing through all of this for some reason. 

Match Rating: *1/2

The match ratings here are nothing special, but believe me, this was a great episode of Raw. I know it's not sustainable to have this good of a show with anything that is weekly, but this is something that should happen much more often than it probably does. Lots of energy here coming off a pretty poor pay per view and that's very encouraging. 

Overall Rating: 80%