SmackDown 3-24-05 Review

Original Airdate: Thursday, March 24th, 2005
FedEx Forum
Memphis, Tennessee

Tazz introduces Big Show to the ring. Apparently Memphis loves Big Show. Yes, they are still doing the match with Akebono at WrestleMania. Show is interrupted by Luther Reigns and his Jeep? Reigns is here to talk trash on behalf of Akebono. Reigns says that he should be the one facing Akebono, not Show. Reigns says he's going to lift up the 4,400 pound Jeep, but fails miserably. Reigns then tries to attack Big Show and also fails miserably at that. On his way to the back, Show attempts to push the Jeep over. After two attempts and smashing the windshield, he finally pushes it over. If you were on the fence about ordering WrestleMania, you aren't anymore!

Chavo and Eddie are arguing in the back. Chavo tells him that Rey Mysterio is holding him back and stole the victory from Eddie last week.

Sylvester Stallone is not just a good friend of Hulk Hogan's, he's a really good friend.

Orlando Jordan JBL vs. Scotty 2 Hotty

JBL insults Taylor and slaps Scotty with his cowboy hat. Scotty kicks both men and JBL is furious and inserts himself into the match. Fall away slam and a series of elbow drops by JBL. Clothesline From Hell and that's all. Scotty could always make guys look good and this was no different. I highly recommend listening to his appearance on the E&C Pod of Awesomeness, as he seems like a genuinely good dude.

Match Rating: 1/4* (out of 5)

Kurt Angle says that he has a real blast from the past for Shawn Michaels tonight.

Theodore Long is out to introduce an Elvis impersonator and it's Carlito. He hits a few bad chords and sings one line from "Jailhouse Rock" and then leaves.

Eddie approaches Rey backstage. Eddie says they don't have a match at WrestleMania, but they should. Eddie proposes a match between the two of them, but Rey thinks he is joking. Eddie says he's serious, but Rey says they have to defend their titles right now and that they will talk about it later.

Charlie Haas and Hardcore Holly are on their way to the ring and then the lights go out and Undertaker is on the screen. Undertaker announces that tonight there will be a sacrifice.

WWE Tag Team Championship Match
Charlie Haas & Hardcore Holly vs. Eddie Guerrero & Rey Mysterio

Hey, SmackDown finally realized they have more than 6 guys on their roster. First Scotty, now Holly and Haas. Holly hits his big dropkick on Eddie. The champs turn the tide on Haas and Rey gets him in position for the 619. Then the lights go out and everyone hesitates and as a result Haas and Holly are in control after the commercial break. It doesn't last long, as Rey hits the hot tag to Eddie and he hits the Three Amigos on Haas. Eddie rolls through on the frog splash attempt since Haas moved, but then Holly attacks him from behind. Eddie sends Haas off the ropes and it bumps Rey off the apron. Haas puts Eddie in the Haas of Pain, but Mysterio breaks it up. Rey hits a headscissors on Holly to the outside. Eddie tosses up Rey to hit a hurricanrana on Haas, who is sitting on the top rope and then launches Rey onto Holly on the outside. The champs get the pinfall victory. Man, if WWE had a tag team division, it would have been great fun to watch these two have a long run.

Match Rating: **1/2

After the match, Rey accepts Eddie's challenge for WrestleMania.

Kurt Angle comes to the ring in Shawn Michaels wrestling attire and with his entrance music and pyro. He then brings out Sensational Sherri. Kurt then does his own version of Shawn's music and this is now legendary. Shawn is up on the big screen an insults Sherri, which is kind of a low blow. He says that since the fans of Raw had to watch a highlight video of Kurt, the fans of SmackDown are going to see a highlight video of Shawn. After the video, Angle pushes Sherri down and puts her in the ankle lock.

Cat Fight
Dawn Marie vs. Michelle McCool

Marie immediately takes down McCool repeatedly. If you told most fans that Dawn Marie was never on the WWE roster, they'd probably believe you. McCool kicks Dawn out of the ring and slams her head on the guardrail. Dawn begins to rip off McCool's shirt and then the lights flicker again for the Undertaker. Dawn shoves McCool's head to the exposed 2nd turnbuckle and then puts her feet up on the ropes during the pin for the win. That was about as terrible as you would expect.

Match Rating: 0 stars

Funaki is backstage to interview Carlito. Carlito says that if Elvis were here right now, he would spit in his face.

They show the Taxi Driver spoof again for WrestleMania.

Booker T vs. Rene Dupree

Dupree gets in some early offense including a body slam for a 2 count that the announcers sell as if it was really almost the end of the match about 45 seconds in. The lights go out and this time, when come back on there is smoke and Undertaker is right behind Dupree. Despite him looking right at the big screen, he somehow takes a moment to realize that he's there and Taker starts destroying him. Taker hits him in the head with the ring steps and then delivers a Tombstone on them. No rating for this one, since it really was just storyline.

Match Rating: N/A

Teddy Long is back to introduce JBL and John Cena for their debate. JBL reminds us that if Cena lays a hand on JBL, he loses his title match at WrestleMania. JBL gives the same promo he always gives. Cena then asks why JBL would drive down to the ring in a broke down limo. JBL says it isn't broke down, but Cena goes to check it out and slices his tire. Cena then spraypaints "JBL Sucks" on it. JBL then makes fun of Cena's financial status and attire. Cena  then cuts off JBL's tie and tucks it into his jersey. Cena then steals JBL's hat and pours water in it and dumps it on his head. Cena then spraypaints FU on JBL and thankfully this segment is over.

Well, this was the total opposite of the Raw three days prior. While the Eddie/Rey and Shawn/Angle stuff was entertaining, the show had no flow to it whatsoever. It felt longer than two hours. To top it off, we got less than 15 minutes of wrestling, which to me is just unacceptable. There have been worse episodes of this show recently, but this one wasn't significantly better than any of those.

Overall Rating: 42%

Monday Night Raw 3-21-05 Review

Monday, March 21st, 2005
Jefferson Civic Center
Birmingham, Alabama

Shawn Michaels vs. Robert Conway

You will never hear me complain about starting the show off with a match. They show highlights of the Rockers reunion the previous week. Michaels quickly outsmarts La Resistance by sliding under Conway and pulling him to the outside and then slugging away on Grenier. Michaels then launches himself over the ropes and takes out both guys. Conway sends him Michaels into the turnbuckle and he Ric Flairs himself over the top rope and Grenier blindsides him with his flag. Conway hits a weird looking jaw breaker after the commercial break. I remember a lot of people were high on Conway back in this time, but he always just screamed jobber to the stars to me. Michaels fights back and then blows his nose in the flag before hitting a top rope elbow drop. Sweet Chin Music to a big pop and that is all. This is the exact type of match they should be booking before a big pay per view. Conway didn't look overly strong, but also didn't look like a complete buffoon while Shawn looked sharp before his big match.

Match Rating: **1/4

They show a really well done Kurt Angle hype video. Peak Kurt Angle was so, so good.

Christy Hemme is backstage with Lita, William Regal and Tajiri talking about their upcoming match.

We get the Indecent Proposal spoof commercial.

Christy Hemme, William Regal & Tajiri vs. Molly Holly, Maven & Simon Dean

Trish comes down to ringside to check out the match. Dean and Regal start things off. The champs hit a couple of double team moves, but then Maven trips up Tajiri behind the referee's back. Christy finally gets in after a couple of minutes and hits a couple moves and the Twist of Fate for the victory. The match was nothing, but again it was another wisely booked match heading into a big show.

Match Rating: 3/4*

Triple H is backstage and bumps into Chris DeJoseph and stares him down as he looks frightened to death. Look out, Hunter's in a mood tonight.

Triple H's music hits and he grabs a chair and brings it to the ring. Triple H talks about how hard it was to make Batista and Randy Orton great. He makes fun of Orton and how desperate he is for going after Undertaker and that if he would have stayed in Evolution, he would still be a star. Much like Batista. We're kind of getting a middle ground Triple H here, somewhere in between his super serious and joking personas. He takes a shot at JBL for calling himself a wrestling god. He announces that Batista's match with Kane will be a lumberjack match. Triple H then says Batista broke his heart by leaving. At WrestleMania, he is going to put the Animal down.

Chris Jericho & Shelton Benjamin vs. Edge & Christian

Back to back weeks that my two favorite tag teams of all time reunite. Edge tries to illegally double team Jericho, but it backfires and Christian knocks him off the apron. Shelton then hits a somersault dive over the top rope and as awesome as that looked, I can't wait to re-watch his performance at WrestleMania. Jericho hits a double bulldog and then tries a double Lionsault, but Edge moves, but he still hits Christian. Tomko gets involved and the numbers game catches up to him going into the commercial break. Benjamin is in and takes care of both men. Edge goes down for Christian to hit Poetry In Motion, but Shelton jumps off Edge's back and hits a nice leaping clothesline.After a quick paced segment, Tomko distracts Benjamin and Christian nails him with the Intercontinental belt and Edge hits the spear for the victory. Shelton looked really good here and yet again, another wisely booked match.

Match Rating: **1/2

After the match, Edge and Christian attack Benjamin and Benoit comes out to make the save but gets hit by a ladder by Tomko. Ric Flair gives a speech to all the heel lumberjacks and tells them Batista screwed them by not going to SmackDown and for them to treat tonight as their WrestleMania. He tells them that there is an opening in Evolution that they are looking to fill. This was a fun little segment that only Flair could pull off this effectively.

Batista is backstage and Bischoff comes into his room apologizing about the lumberjack match saying he has nothing to do with it. Bischoff says he would be so proud to have Batista be his champion. Batista says that he would make a great politician, or better yet, a used car salesman.

Stacy and Orton are backstage and Orton asks her to join him to the ring. Orton said he has proven that he is not afraid and that his confidence is at an all time high. He opens up a box that contains a Randy Orton Legend Killer t-shirt that lists all of the legends on the back, including the Undertaker. After he shows a hype video of himself he then kisses Stacy. I remember none of this. After that, he gives her the RKO.

Tyson Tomko vs. Chris Benoit

This match was made after the two brawled earlier tonight. Benoit comes out to a big pop and has his ribs wrapped here. Tomko attacks Benoit as he's walking in the ring, but Benoit quickly turns it around and hits three German suplexes. The diving headbutt makes me cringe every single time. For every big man that Vince pushes, it feels like there are two big guys like Tomko who are booked like goofs. Lawler is basically begging Tomko to work on Benoit's ribs, but instead he decides to punch him in the head. Benoit quickly gets Tomko into the Crippler Crossface and after a struggle, Tomko taps. The crowd was really into Benoit here. This did a good job of reminding everyone that Benoit is a big threat in the Money In The Bank match.

Match Rating: 3/4*

Muhammad Hassan approaches Shawn Michaels backstage and tells him that he knows nothing about the discrimination Hassan faces every day. Hassan says he has yet to be pinned on Raw and he should have a match at WrestleMania. Michaels challenges Hassan to a match on Raw next week.

We get the Taxi Driver WrestleMania spoof.

Triple H and Ric Flair make their way down and introduce all of the lumberjacks. Triple H joins the announcers. JR announces that next week we are getting a Triple H/Batista Face Off.

Lumberjack Match
Kane vs. Batista

These two never had the best of chemistry, but I also don't really recall them having many matches together once Batista improved. The lumberjacks slow down Batista and Kane greets him with a big boot. Kane kicks down Snitsky, which allows Batista to counter Kane's top rope attempt. Kane once again goes after Snitsky, then he takes down Simon Dean and Viscera. The other lumberjacks start destroying Batista. Tomko hits Kane with a big boot and Edge and Christian attack him. Meanwhile, Batitsta starts taking care of the men who were all attacking him. Batista takes care of Tomko, Edge and Christian. Kane gives Batista a chokeslam, but only gets a 2 count and Triple H is furious. Batista counters the Tombstone attempt and hits a big spinebuster. Batista Bomb and that is all. As expected, they used smoke and mirrors to make this one entertaining and also protected Kane. It was what it was.

Match Rating: *

This was just such a great example of what a well booked show looks like. It didn't drag on, everything served a purpose and it got you more excited for WrestleMania. The only thing it was really missing was a standout match, but the matches we did get were all entertaining enough. Well done.

Overall Rating: 72%

NXT 10-24-12 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, October 24th, 2012
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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From earlier today, they show Heath Slater approach Dusty Rhodes. He wants a title shot against Seth Rollins and Dusty tells him he has to earn his shot. Vickie Guerrero comes in and says Heath is the future of WWE and somehow that convinces Dusty to give him a match against Seth and if he wins that, he'll get a title shot.

Brodus Clay vs. Camacho

We have a new announcer this week in Tony Luftman, but after a little research it looks like it won't last long. Camacho was a staple of the first few episodes of NXT, but hasn't been on in what seems to be awhile. Brodus comes out and dominates until he goes up to the second rope and Camacho kicks his legs out from under him. Camacho puts on the dreaded nerve hold of doom. The crowd today seems to be a little bit more female and youth oriented based on the chanting in this match. The Funkadactyls distract Camacho, giving Clay time to recover. Clay hits a suplex and then a big splash for the victory. I sometimes try to remember why Clay didn't work out, but this match was a reminder of why he didn't. He wasn't a terrible worker considering his experience, but he just kind of looked sloppy too often. A bunch of kids come in the ring after to celebrate.

Match Rating: 1/2*

We get a little Paige hype promo.

Byron Saxton is now here live with Richie Steamboat and announces that he is not medically cleared to compete tonight. Steamboat can't even get a full sentence before Kassius Ohno interrupts. He basically said that Steamboat is soon going to be swinging on the porch with Papa Steamboat.

Kassius Ohno vs. Trent Barreta

This could be a fun match if it gets some time. Barreta hits a nice pop up hurricanra and then sends Ohno over the top rope with a clothesline. Barreta then hits a swanton over the top rope. Ohno quickly turns it around and works on the neck of Barreta. Barreta goes for a springboard elbow, but Ohno hits him first with an elbow. Steamboat comes in and throws a towel in Ohno's face, allowing Barreta to hit the running knee for the victory. That's kind of a rare babyface distraction type of victory there. Not a bad little match. Barreta looked really crisp there.

Match Rating: **1/4

Layla & Alicia Fox vs. Paige & Audrey Marie

Layla is somewhat surprisingly looking pretty smooth here. Alicia Fox, not so much. Audrey Marie has been in most of the match, but finally makes a tag to Paige, but Layla quickly takes over Paige. Layla accidentally kicks Alicia Fox and Paige capitalizes. Audrey Marie makes a blind tag back in and Paige is furious. Audrey Marie goes for a pin, but Layla counters it for a victory. Paige shows her frustration after the match.

Match Rating: *1/2

Seth Rollins is backstage and says he may need to bring some earplugs to the ring for his match. Rollins says that Slater's 15 minutes of fame are up.

We get a promo for Bronson, who is up next.

Bronson vs. Lincoln Broderick

Well, it's clear that this is a Bronson squash, but Broderick is a jacked dude and not your usual jobber. Bronson is basically a MMA type fighter and quickly gets a victory by submission. It's hard to say how good he is after a 1 minute match. I will say that he doesn't have the look of a star though.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Ohno is show backstage tearing up what looks to be a classroom.

Antonio Cesaro comes out in a suite with the United States Championship and a messenger bag. Cesaro says he is the champion of everyone here and then asks them all to stand up for the national anthem. Most of the people don't stand up and then he asks for the Swiss national anthem. Instead, Tyson Kidd's music hits. He makes fun of Cesaro's man purse. Kidd wants a title match. Kidd slaps him and Cesaro goes up the ramp. Not a bad little segment and it's definitely a match I'm looking forward to seeing.

Heath Slater vs. Seth Rollins

"Excuse me!" It's been way too long since I've heard that. Rollins shows off his athleticism early on and this is the closest to the modern day Rollins that I've seen him thus far on NXT. Back from commercial break and Rollins is still dominating with a half crab. Slater takes control and hits a nice kick for a nearfall. Slater is always an entertaining character, regardless of what role he is in. While running the ropes, both men go for the cross body and both men are down. Rollins hits Slater with a kick to his head and back body drops him over the top rope. He then follows up with a suicide dive. Slater hits a kick to the gut and drives Rollins face first, but only gets a 2 count. Slater then hits a different finisher than usual for the victory. That was easily one of the best matches on NXT up to this point. Slater looked good here and Rollins put in a really nice performance.

Match Rating: ***1/4

Well, that was possibly the best episode of this show to date. With the exception of the opener, everything served a purpose and made sense. We also got a nice main event match, which is always a plus. More of this please.

Overall Rating: 64%

Superstars 8-29-92 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, August 29th 1992
Von Braun Civic Center
Huntsville, Alabama

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We immediately get shown some clips of the Ultimate Warrior & Randy Savage vs Nasty Boys match from Prime Time. After Brian Knobbs pushed Warrior into Savage, both men began to push and shove and Vince tells us that we won't be getting a technical match at SummerSlam.

Ric Flair vs. Joey Maggs

I love that Flair almost always lets the jobbers get some offense in. Maggs hits a couple of dropkicks, but thanks to a Mr. Perfect interference, Flair is back in control. I still don't quite understand how you have the second biggest show of the year and don't have Ric Flair in a match. Yes, I understand he is included in the main event story, but still. Flair gets the Figure Four for the victory.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Ultimate Warrior gives a semi-coherent interview, by his standards, about his match at SummerSlam. Unfortunately, it also seems to take an eternity to get through it. We then go to Macho Man and he basically says the same thing, just from his side of the story. This whole thing has got to be like 10 minutes long and just feels never ending. It has actually made me want to see that match less, which I'm sure was not what they were going for.

Pat Rose vs. Tatanka

I find it kind of humorous that if you would have asked me back in 1992 who the best actual wrestlers were during this time, I probably would have listed Tatanka. Tatanka hits his usual followed by a chop off the top rope and then the Samoan drop for the victory.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Sean Mooney time and we first get an interview from Rick Martel, who emphasizes their deal to not hit each other in the face. Crush and his mullet give his usual terrible promo. It's easy to see why he never got over.

Jeff Daniels vs. Kamala

Seems odd to throw away a huge opportunity at a huge moment by giving away Jeff Daniels on a Superstars. Kamala isn't messing around here, well until he does THE SAME THING AGAIN by not knowing how to pin his opponent. Okay, we get it.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Hey, did you know that SummerSlam is Monday? Just in case you didn't here are interviews from Nailz and Virgil in what would be a main event in any city in the world. Money, Inc. say they will beat LOD for the second time.

Mr. Perfect claims that Papa Shango has put a curse on Bret Hart and they show the footage from last week where Shango came out during Bret's match.

Bret Hart vs. Louie Spicoli

I love seeing the future talent that are on these old Superstars episodes. Let's see how Spicoli looks here. He is about as generic looking as they come here, but his selling is fun. Bret hits the majority of his signature moves here and in 1992, there's no doubt in my mind that he was the best wrestler in America. Vince thinks we are going to see the most scientific wrestling matches in history with Bulldog and Bret. What a goof. Bret locks in the Sharpshooter for the victory.

Match Rating: 1/4*

SummerSlam Report time and Mean Gene is on the phone plugging the hotline. Undertaker promises a future of darkness to Kamala. Legion of Doom teach us about different teeth and how they are going down Money, Inc's throat and out their sphincter. You can't make this up.

Justin Taylor vs. Rick Martel

So Martel still has Tatanka's feathers, but he's fighting Shawn Michaels at SummerSlam. Taylor is a pretty good sized dude, but it looks like this is only one of two matches he ever had with the company. He does a pretty good job here, but Martel of course gets the victory with the Boston Crab.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go back to Sean Mooney one last time to make sure we hype up Repo Man vs. Crush again. Oh yeah, the Tag Team Championships are on the line too.

Mr. Perfect then says he is going to tell us whose corner he will be in and then stalls and that is all for this week. I am looking forward to watching this show, but this episode didn't make me any more excited. I'm sure some people may dig the nostalgia of the Warrior/Savage interviews, but I personally was bored to tears during those. That's really all that was memorable during this infomercial, I mean episode, of Superstars.

Overall Rating: 29%

SmackDown 3-17-05 Review

Original Airdate: Thursday, March 17th, 2005
Savannah Civic Center
Savannah, Georgia

Kurt Angle grabs a mic and tells Marty that there's no way to prepare for an Olympic athlete. He knows Marty can rock, but wants to see how he'll tap. They show highlights from their match on Raw.

Kurt Angle vs. Marty Jannetty

We get a "Marty" chant before they even lock up. Jannetty is 45 years old here for perspective. He looks a tad slow, but they still have a nice competitive opening segment. Angle sends Jannetty over the top rope, but Jannetty skins the cat and pulls Angle over with a headscissors. Jannetty then hits a double ax handle off the top rope. After the commercial break, Angle has Jannetty in a waist lock. During the break Angle countered a bulldog attempt and shoved Jannetty into the ring post. Given his past, I truly am a little surprised that they are letting Jannetty be this competitive in this long of a match. Angle goes for the Angle slam, but Jannetty counters it into an arm drag. Jannetty hits some nice offense including a hurricanrana. Jannetty heads up top and hits a cross body, but Angle rolls through and gets a 2 count. Angle then hits a German suplex. Angle goes for the Angle Slam, but Jannetty counters into a roll up and a nearfall. After another nearfall, Jannetty is in disbelief and Angle takes advantage and puts him in the Ankle Lock. Jannetty rolls through and sends Angle into the turnbuckle. Jannetty goes for the Rocker Dropper, but Angle gets the Ankle Lock again. Jannetty is trying his best to roll out, but Angle is doing everything he can to hold on and after a lengthy time in the hold, Jannety finally taps. For a 45 year old who hasn't been in the big time for a long time, Jannetty was really booked strong and held up his end of the bargain. That was a good TV match that likely caught most people by surprise in 2005.

Match Rating: ***1/4

Teddy Long is about to announce a punishment for John Cena until JBL interrupts him and says that he had to be here for the moment that Long suspends Cena. Long says that Cena will not be suspended, but instead he is unable to lay a hand on JBL. If he does, he will no longer fight JBL at WrestleMania unless it is during a match. Long then lets JBL know that he will be him and the Basham Brothers against Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio and of course John Cena.

Eddie Guerrero is backstage when Chavo comes up to him and asks Eddie what happened to him. Chavo says that he used to look up to Eddie, but now he is a disappointment. Chavo reminds him that a year ago he was the WWE Champion and that Rey Mysterio is holding Eddie back. Chavo tells Eddie that if he's going to keep acting this way, that he should stop calling himself a Guerrero.

Joy Giovanni and Torrie Wilson are in the crowd dressed in green for St. Patrick's Day.

Booker T vs. Luther Reigns

Before the match, we see the debut of Booker's new wife, Sharmell. Heidenreich then comes out before the bell rings and joins Tazz and Michael Cole. Heidenreich doesn't respond to any questions they ask him. I don't care about this match enough to even recap most of it. Booker hits a spinebuster and hits a superkick. Spinaroonie time and then hits the scissors kick and gets the pinfall. The Luther Reigns burial tour continues.

Match Rating: 1/2*

After the match, Heidenreich stands on the announcers table and reads a poem for Booker. He said that Heidenreich is going to show the world his true self and thanks Booker for that.

We get the most memorable of the WrestleMania Hollywood commercials with the When Harry Met Sally spoof. Kurt Angle wearing that Billy Crystal hair is awesome.

Teddy Long is trying to announce the contract signing for the Undertaker and Randy Orton match, but here comes Eric Bischoff to interrupt. He basically just says that it's another match that Raw is going to win. Orton tells Taker that he will soon be 12-1 because he refuses to be afraid. Orton signs his name and then slaps Taker. Taker takes off his hat and the lights and screen begin to flicker. Orton backs away towards the entrance and Taker unleashes his magical powers to spook Orton.

We get more Divas wearing green and taking pictures with the crowd. Thrilling television.

Paul London vs. Billy Kidman

I really don't get why these guys aren't on the show more than they are. I know they need to fill up time on Velocity, but still. London goes for a springboard move, but Kidman hits a dropkick and London falls to the outside. Kidman works on the back until London fights back and hits his signature moves including the dropsault. Kidman goes for a superplex, but London counters and then hits the 450 splash for the victory. I expected this to be a little bit more energetic, especially since it was under 5 minutes, but it certainly wasn't a bad match.

Match Rating: *3/4

They then show one of the concession stands and the employee is complaining to Carlito that he is supposed to be helping. Carlito sells a hot dog to a kid. The kid asks for change, but Carlito squirts the kid with ketchup and eats the hot dog and spits it onto another customer.

Michael Cole introduces The Big Show down to the ring. Show gives a generic promo for a match that nobody cares about. I still don't get why this is even happening. Because like a month ago they stared each other down and then did nothing to follow up on it?

Orlando Jordan is consoling JBL backstage. The hits just keep on coming.

Dawn Marie and Michelle McCool are in the crowd and Dawn begins yelling at McCool. They then begin to brawl over the guardrail. Did they really have no better way to spend their TV time than with Dawn Marie?

After they run down the WrestleMania card, JBL confronts Cena backstage and talks about how he hates rap music or something. He then makes a bunch of stereotypes that aren't true about John Cena whatsoever.

They show the Christy Hemme Playboy video again. Why does this show always have so much time to kill?

JBL & The Basham Brothers vs. John Cena, Eddie Guerrero & Rey Mysterio

Cena goes right after Danny Basham and then is trying to force him to make a tag to JBL, which of course he doesn't do. Back from a commercial break and Doug Basham is working on Eddie, but not for long as he hits a tag to Mysterio. JBL comes in for the first time once the Bashams have Mysterio grounded in their corner. Rey hits a 619, but then gets thrown face first into the guard rail. The Bashams work on Rey. Cena comes in and destroys all three Cabinet members. They go outside and JBL throws Cena into the steps, but here comes Rey flying over the top rope. Guerrero hits the Three Amigos and then Mysterio drops the dime and gets the pinfall victory.

Match Rating: **1/2

After the match, Cena is about to hit JBL with a chair but has to restrain himself so he won't lose his title shot. He then starts hitting one of the Bashams with it instead. He sets it down and does a "You can't see me" in JBL's face.

Well, that show had a ton of filler. It was bookmarked by entertaining segments, but the rest was absolute garbage. With that being said, compared to the Raw that aired three days prior, this was nowhere near that one in terms of quality. SmackDown desperately needs some new talent on their show and quickly.

Overall Rating: 48%

Monday Night Raw 3-14-05 Review

Monday, March 14th, 2005
Gwinnett Center
Duluth, Georgia

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We go right into the Highlight Reel with Chris Jericho. Jericho introduces Randy Orton who gets a nice reaction. Orton says that he wants to be a Hall of Famer and to do that, he needs to beat the Undertaker at WrestleMania. Jericho says that he has a surprise for Orton and it's Jake Roberts, who faced Undertaker at WrestleMania VIII. Jake looks better in 2019 than he does here in 2005. Jake and Randy shake hands. Jake says that he is here to do a favor for Randy by reintroducing his brain to his mouth. He tells him not to bite off more than he can chew. Orton asks Jake how he felt after he lost to Undertaker at WrestleMania. Orton says that when he beats Undertaker that he will make a bigger impact than Jake did his entire career. Jake reaches for his snake, but Orton grabs him. Roberts pulls off a short arm clothesline and is going for a DDT. Orton reverses it and gives Jake the RKO. This wasn't peak Jake Roberts, but this was a good opening and did a good job of making the match feel important. No complaints from me.

Kane vs. Christian & Tyson Tomko

Let's see how we can bury Christian this week. Christian was the original John Moxley, he just didn't have a cool organization to go to. Tomko distracts Kane, allowing Christian to attack him from behind. Of course that only works for about 5 seconds and Kane is in control. Christian and Tomko are taking advantage of the handicap by making quick tags. Christian hits an inverted DDT for a 2 count. Kane fights back and Christian begins to retreat up the ramp. Chokeslam by Kane on Tomko is enough for the victory. I'm not sure how that is supposed to help Christian?

Match Rating: *

After the match, Christian tries to sneak under the ring and grab a ladder. He gets it, but then retreats again. Kane then uses it on Tomko and stares down Christian. Tomko got busted open pretty good.

Ric Flair is backstage with Snitsky and is giving him a speech full of "It's not your fault's". Snitsky says when he hurts Batista tonight that it will be all his fault. What a gimmick.

Lita is talking with Christy and wants to go over kicks. Tajiri and William Regal are here to help. Regal gives her some tough love and then Christy accidentally kicks him south of the border.

Marty Jannetty and Shawn Michaels are on screen for the first time together for the first time in over a decade. Shawn says that he and Marty are going to take on La Resistance for a Rockers reunion.

Shelton Benjamin is on his way to the ring to have a match with Edge, but Edge attacks him from behind and is destroying him down the ramp. After a huge beating the referee asks Shelton multiple times if he is okay to start the match.

Edge vs. Shelton Benjamin

Edge instantly knees Shelton and he is on the floor as we head to commercial break. Shelton is able to fight back a little bit and gets Edge knocked down with a shoulder tackle. Shelton is now firing back with a flurry of right fists and follows it up with a running knee lift. Edge ducks Shelton's leap, but Shelton jumps and lands on the top rope and then hits a sunset flip for a 2 count. Shelton does a springboard, but Edge catches him for a body slam. That was a really nice sequence. Edge is getting ready for the spear, but Shelton leaps over him. Shelton goes for a roundhouse kick, but Edge ducks that and Shelton gets the referee with it. Edge hits a super stiff spear, but the referee is still down. Edge goes and grabs a ladder, but as he is bringing it in the ring, Jericho runs down and pulls down on it and it hits Edge in the face. T-bone suplex and Shelton gets the victory. That was a really enjoyable TV match that really made Shelton look good and did a good job of making Money In The Bank that much more interesting.

Match Rating: **3/4

The Rockers (!) vs. La Resistance

Even 14 years later, I am excited to see this reunion. Rockers are pretty much in sync, which is pretty incredible. They hit a lot of tandem offense, until Conway lowers the top rope while Michaels is running the ropes and it allows La Resistance to take over. La Resistance hit the Hart Attack, but Jannetty is able to break up the pin attempt. Michaels finally hits the hot tag to Jannetty  and looks pretty good. Jannetty hits a Rocker Dropper and Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music and that's all she wrote. That was a lot of fun. It really is a shame that Jannetty wasn't able to have a better career, because he was always a really good worker.

Match Rating: **1/4

Triple H is back with his championship. Flair reminds him that it's been a year since he lost to Benoit at WrestleMania. Flair is acting weird tonight on both backstage spots tonight.

Trish tells Maria is going to eat Christy alive. Maria makes a comment about the Twist of Fate and Trish attacks her and throws her into some garbage cans.

Speaking of garbage, Flair is back with Snitsky. Flair continues to hype up Snitsky. Flair realizes that Snitsky isn't paying attention and it's because Batista is standing right behind him. Batista says he is going to take away Triple H's championship.

Triple H vs. Chris Benoit

Benoit gets the better of Triple H early on. Benoit goes for a couple of Crippler Crossface attempts, but Triple H is able to get to the ropes both times. Benoit tries to grab Triple H and pull him back in the ring, but Triple H gives him a big right hand. Benoit hits a few chops and a snap suplex and again Triple H goes to the outside. After the break, Triple H hits a big spinebuster for a 2 count. During the break, they show that Triple H threw Benoit into the steel steps. Benoit goes for the headbutt off the top, but is stopped by Triple H and he hits a nice superplex for a 2 count. Pedigree attempt is turned into a slingshot by Benoit and both men are down. Benoit hits the 3 German suplexes and is signaling for the Crossface. Benoit instead hits 3 more German suplexes. He is going up top and hits the diving headbutt and gets a 2 count that the crowd definitely thought might be the end. Benoit goes for the Sharpshooter, but Triple H counters into the Pedigree which Benoit then turns into a Crippler Crossface. Triple H gets out and Benoit hits a seventh German suplex. Triple H blocks the next attempt and goes for the Pedigree yet again and Benoit puts him in the Sharpshooter. Flair helps Triple H get out of it and he is sent to the back and gives us classic Naitch on his exit. While the ref is distracted, Triple H low blows Benoit and hits the Pedigree for the win. Man, that was just a really well executed match by two guys that have really good chemistry. Say what you will about Triple H, but he made Benoit look like a million bucks just a few weeks before headlining WrestleMania.

Match Rating: ****

Muhammad Hassan is ere with Daivari to complain about not being on the WrestleMania card. He doesn't only blame WWE, he also blames the racist fans.

Christy and Lita are back talking and Christy makes Lita promise that she'll show her how to beat Trish. Lita then runs into Snitsky and he promises to finish what he started with her. Make it stop.

Batista vs. Snitsky

Triple H and Flair are on their way to the ring. Triple H gives Snitsky some advice, but it must not have been good because Batista hits some shoulder blocks to Snitsky. Batista is distracted and it delays his charge and Snitsky is able to get his foot off. Snitsky slams Batista's knees against the ring post. Snitsky hits a few power moves, but then Batista is back in control. Then out of nowhere, Flair comes in and chop blocks Batista and ref immediately calls for the bell. Flair and Triple H come in and attack Batista.

Match Rating: 1/2*

All three men grab steel chairs and surround Batista. Kane is out to make the save on Snitsky. Batista Bomb on Snitsky. Triple H and Flair want nothing to do with him. Triple H then announces that Batista's opponent is going to be Kane, which draws a "huh?" reaction from the crowd as the show ends.

That was a really good episode of Raw. They did a nice job furthering the storylines for WrestleMania and had some good matches. The Triple H/Benoit match was one of the best of 2005 so far and definitely worth going out of your way to watch. Big time thumbs up and proof that SmackDown really needs to pick up it's game.

Overall Rating: 80%

NXT Takeover: XXV Review

Saturday, June 1st, 2019
Webster Bank Arena
Bridgeport, Connecticut

Roderick Strong vs. Matt Riddle

Matt Riddle completely won me over at the last Takeover event. If Bruce Prichard has any pull in his current role, I know he will be a big advocate for him. Riddle starts off with some nice mat wrestling followed by some suplexes. Riddle launches himself off the steps and hits a flying forearm. Interesting (only to me) to see that they do not have the modern day padded rails. Instead they have the old school steel rails. Strong hits a suplex on the side of the ring. Not surprisingly, these guys are laying it in with some stiff shots. Riddle gets a nice reversal into a small package for a 2 count. Riddle hits a nice flurry of offense including a exploder suplex and a penalty kick. Riddle hits Go To Sleep and a German suplex into a bridge and only gets a 2 count. Strong hits a step up enzuigiri onto Riddle as he is sitting on the top rope and then hits a superplex for a 2 count. I'm not even going to attempt to recap that back and forth sequence between these two. Awesome stuff. Riddle hits a powerbomb and follows up with a knee strike and it still isn't enough. Strong gets his knees up off the dive from the top rope and then Roddy only gets a 2 count after hitting the backbreaker. Strong locks in the Strong Hold, but then Riddle escapes and hits some elbows and then puts him in the Bromission. More elbow strikes by Riddle and then a version of the Tombstone piledriver and that is enough for the victory. We say this every Takeover, but how do you follow that? Yet, somehow they always do. Back to back awesome matches for Riddle at Takeover and Roddy continues to be one of the most consistently awesome in ring performers in all of American wrestling.

Match Rating: ****1/2 (out of 5)

Shawn Michaels and Road Dogg are shown in the crowd. Talk about two totally opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of in ring skill.

NXT Tag Team Championship Match
Ladder Match
The Street Profits vs. The Forgotten Sons vs. Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan vs. The Undisputed Era

As one would expect, all eight men go right at it to get it started. The Undisputed Era get the early advantage by taking out the Forgotten Sons. In come Burch and Lorcan and they are able to clear them out as well and go headed out to grab a ladder. In a somewhat surprisingly telegraphed move, the Undisputed Era both hold a ladder together and walk towards the ring and Wesley Blake does a suicide dive into the middle of the ladder, which definitely looked like it would hurt him the most. Angelo Dawkins then hits a huge dive off the top rope. The Street Profits start climbing the ladder, but in come Fish and O'Reilly and they are climbing but then the Forgotten Sons take them out and start using the ladder as a battering ram to take everyone out. Oney and Lorcan then hit stereo German suplexes while the Forgotten Sons had the ladders over their heads. The ladder apparently hit O'Reilly on the release. Montez Ford hits a huge frog splash and are now working on a bloodied Blake. Shades of The World's Greatest Tag Team as Ford hits the leap frog onto Blake draped across the ladder. Undisputed Era hits a codebreaker/German suplex combo that is awesome. Kyle O'Reilly is then powerbombed into the ladder while Fish is climbing. Awesome spot there. The Forgotten Sons set up the ladder over O'Reilly, but O'Reilly grabs the leg of Cutler and puts him in a submission match. Cutler then hits a big stomp to the chest of Fish as Blake slams him back to the mat. The Forgotten Sons are both climbing but Lorcan and Burch and the Street Profits break it up. This match is pure chaos with both the Forgotten Sons and Street Profits stepping up. The top rope blockbuster by Ford was pretty sweet. Jaxson Ryker now comes down and is taking everyone down. After watching these eight guys lay it all on the line, this spot is coming off a little weak. The Undisputed Era start it off, then the other two teams come in and all out attack Ryker. The Undisputed Era then turns on them and is about to set up the ladder, but they then decide to knock out Ryker with the ladder. Montez Ford then hits a swanton over the ladder onto Ryker and then Lorcan hits a suicide dive. The Street Profits get sandwiched by two ladders by Lorcan and Burch and then they throw the ladders onto the Forgotten Sons. Lorcan and Burch are climbing but again here come the Undisputed Era. Is there anyone who plays their roles better than Undisputed Era? They are now both on two ladders brawling on their way up. The Forgotten Sons are there to tip the ladders and are now alone in the center of the ring. Here come the Street Profits. Springboard by Ford onto the ladder and he is all alone and the Street Profits are the new champions. That was a star making performance for Montez Ford. The Undisputed Era were awesome in their roles and the Forgotten Sons did a nice job of doing their share of spots. Lorcan and Burch seemed a little out of their element and didn't really play that much into the match, especially early on. Back to back amazing matches here tonight.

Match Rating: ****1/4

The Forgotten Sons party out in the crowd after the match. Great moment for these guys.

NXT North American Championship Match
Tyler Breeze vs. Velveteen Dream

It's good to see Tyler Breeze back in NXT and it sounds like it will be for the long haul too. After going back and forth with taunts and then moves, Breeze uses the post to hit Dream below the belt and then slams his knee on the post. Flying forearm by Breeze, but then gets hit with a forearm from Dream on the second attempt. Breeze is able to lock in a single leg crab on the bad knee. A dropkick sends Dream to the outside, but Dream greets him with a superkick. Dream looks slightly off tonight, but not necessarily a huge negative. He just isn't as crisp. After slamming Breeze repeatedly into the announcers table, he grabs Breeze's phone and the North American title and takes a selfie. It's pretty easy to see why he's as popular as he is. Would Vince allow him to do all of this on Raw or SmackDown? Dream Valley Driver by Velveteen gets a 2 count. Breeze is fighting back with some kicks and superkick gets a 2 count. It's so nice to see Breeze in a match longer than 3 minutes again. Dream DT gets a nice nearfall. He absolutely nailed him with that one. Breeze has blood coming out of his ear. They've told a nice story of Breeze not allowing to hit his top rope offense here. Dream goes up again and once again blocked by Breeze. Breeze follows up with a knee strike and both men are down. They do the Undertaker Tombstone reversals, but no one hits it. Dream goes up top but Breeze goes for a dropkick before he jumps. Not sure if that was on purpose or not. Dream then hits the Unprettier for a nearfall. Purple Rainmaker attempt is blocked by Breeze's knees. Supermodel Kick and an Unprettier by Breeze for a nearfall that even made me think that he may actually win. Small package by Dream for a 2 count. Breeze then hits the Beauty Shot, but Dream is able to roll out of the ring before he can go for the victory. Breeze is unable to get Dream back into the ring and pleads with the ref to stop counting. Dream goes to hit Breeze with the belt, but Breeze grabs it and the ref has to take it away. Dream Valley Driver and Purple Rainmaker off the distraction and Velveteen Dream is still the champion. That was a really entertaining match, but I think my expectations were maybe a little too high. There were a few "sloppy" moments, but they helped make it feel real as opposed to when guys blow things and it exposes it as being choreographed.

Match Rating: ***3/4

After the match Dream is taking a selfie in the ring, but Breeze is behind him. Dream gives it to him and tries to walk away, but Breeze blocks him and then asks him to take a selfie with him. They put the selfie on the big screen and Dream walks out of the ring as only he can.

NXT Women's Championship Match
Io Shirai vs. Shayna Baszler

Shirai takes it right to Baszler with a nice stomp-like dropkick. Baszler is right back at it and hits the stomp to the arm, which really should be a set up for her finish as opposed to something so early in the match. Baszler isn't necessarily one of my favorites, but she has a unique look and style that to me she should be a shoe in for success on the main roster. However, we know how that goes. Baszler continues to work on the arm. Shirai hits a German Suplex and is back with some double ax handles. Shirai then hits the 619 and follows it up with a springboard dropkick for a 2 count. Shirai has Baszler in the Crippler Crossface, but Baszler picks her up and slams her on her back. Nice dropkick by Shirai sends Baszler to the floor and then hits a moonsault to the floor. Baszler's goons are on their way down, but Candice Lerae is out and goes nuts with a kendo stick. Shirai goes for a moonsault, Baszler moves, but Shirai lands on her feet. After a nice sequence, Baszler has the Kirifuda Clutch locked in and after a long battle by Shirai, she taps out and Baszler is still your champion. That was a solid match, but I feel like Baszler's matches never get to that next gear like the top women do.

Match Rating: ***

After the match Shirai, the babyface, is attacking Baszler, the heel. Shirai gets a chair from Lerae and uses it for a moonsault that had to hurt.

NXT Championship Match
Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano

I would say it is nearly impossible for them to top their first match, but with these guys being my two current favorites, I'd say there's a good chance they can. I have to say this has to be one of the few times, if ever, that I can think of where the original match had a stipulation and the sequel did not. That to me speaks a lot about how highly regarded these two are that they don't need a gimmick to tear it up. Once again, to recap some of these segments is nearly impossible. Even if you don't love this style, you have to be amazed at the pace these guys are able to keep throughout a long match. Gargano hits a big stomp onto Cole's arm as it is draped on the apron and immediately goes to work on the arm. Cole is able to wiggle out of a hold and hits a superkick on Gargano's calf, which allows him to work on Gargano's leg. Cole goes for another dropkick from the top rope, but Gargano catches him into a sit down powerbomb. Cole hits a nice backstabber counter as Gargano was leaping off the second rope for an elbow. They trade superkicks and then Gargano hits one on a leaping Cole and both men are outside the ring now. Cole goes for a chop block, but Gargano leaps and stomps on him, but then Cole rolls out again. Gargano was thinking about the suicide dive, but decided not to because of the knee, which allows Cole to regain the advantage. Gargano Escape is put on, but Cole is able to get out and put on the Figure Four in the middle of the ring. Gargano is able to flip it, but Cole immediately grabs the rope. There is no sign of crowd fatigue, as they are still very much into what has been an awesome show. Cole spikes Gargano's injured knee into the mat and then pulls down Gargano's knee pads and hits him with a series of kicks. Gargano sends Cole out of the ring and then hits a DDT as he tries to get back in. Gargano then goes for a suicide dive and is decapitated by a superkick! Cole then jumps off the apron and hits a Panama Sunrise. Cole rolls him in the ring, but Gargano is able to kick out. Cole rolls down his own knee pad and goes for a knee strike, but Gargano avoids it but Cole puts Gargano into the Gargano Escape. Gargano gets out and hits the Last Shot and gets another nearfall. Both men are on their knees and are hitting each other with forearms. They are up and Cole hits a a few kicks, but Gargano hits a big lariat. Superkick by Cole, but then a superkick by Gargano. Reverse hurricanrana by Gargano and then Cole hits the Last Shot and Gargano somehow kicks out. Good lord. Cole is getting into it with the ref and decides to go grab a chair. The ref tries to stop him and Gargano leaps over the top rope and hits the ref instead of Cole. Gargano knows he's in trouble, but ducks the chairshot and hits a superkick into the chair into Cole's face. He rolls him into the ring, but there's no ref. Gargano limps to the ref and throws him back into the ring. Cole is calling out to the back, but no one comes. Cole hits a DDT, but again it's not enough. Cole sets up Gargano for the Last Shot, but Gargano falls face first. Gargano locks in the Gargano Escape again. Cole tries to reach for the ropes, but Gargano rolls him back into the center of the ring. Cole hits elbows into Gargano's injured knee. Panama Sunrise off the second turnbuckle is blocked, but Gargano, but it's not enough. Cole goes up again and hits it this time and then the Last Shot. New champion! What a match! That was the goosebump worthy sequel that I was hoping for and that may have even topped the original. Hard hitting, reversals galore, drama and surprisingly no interference. What a performance by both men and it's just been so great watching both of these guys make their way to the main events of these shows. I love that both men got their big moments against each other.

Match Rating: *****

The Undisputed Era comes out to celebrate and that is all for tonight.

The only thing I can count on in wrestling is that when I sit down to watch a NXT Takeover, I will be entertained. These performers have so much to be proud of, as they continue to be the best thing going in WWE by a mile. Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano have so much to be proud of with their two matches. The ladder match and Riddle/Strong could have been match of the year candidates in a pre-NXT world. I can't say enough good things about this show. If you haven't already, watch it now. I can't believe I am giving another NXT show in 2019 the perfect score, but here I am.

Overall Rating: 100%