Money In The Bank 2020 Review

Original Airdate: Sunday, May 10th, 2020
Orlando, Florida & Stamford, Connecticut
WWE Performance Center & WWE Headquarters

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Fatal 4-Way Match For The SmackDown Tag Team Championship
The New Day vs. Lucha House Party vs. Miz & John Morrison vs. Forgotten Sons

Kofi and Metalik start things off and I have to say that I'd love to see a 15 minute one-on-one match between these two. Wesley Blake makes a blind tag and knocks Kofi out of the ring. The Forgotten Sons then double team on Metalik. Morrison tags in and eats a dropkick in the corner. Miz distracts Metalik and Morrison hits a Spanish Fly off the top rope to a group of the other competitors on the floor. I'm kind of done with large groups just standing there waiting for someone to jump on them, but the Spanish Fly was awesome. Jaxson Ryker knocks Metalik off the top rope and Steve Cutler takes advantage. Metalik knocks Cutler out of the ring with a hurricanrana and he finally gets out of the match by tagging in Lince Dorado. He explodes with some offense, but then Morrison hits a springboard kick on Kofi, as the ref has lost control. Kofi recovers and hits the Boom Drop on Miz. Cutler and Big E are in now and Cutler is all over Big E. Kofi tags in and they hit a stomp/powerbomb combo off the top rope. Lots of quick tags and big moves are hit and Morrison ends up hitting a Starship Pain on Big E, but Lucha House Party breaks up the pin. Lucha House Party hit some high flying offense including a splash and an elbow both off the top rope. The Forgotten Sons are in here again, but Big E is able to dump both of them over the top rope. Big E goes for the spear through the ropes, but Ryker pulls down the rope and Big E falls to the outside. Back in the ring and Big E hits the Big Ending on Metalik and the New Day retain. That was a good opener and I thought both the Lucha House Party and Forgotten Sons looked good in defeat.

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

Lacey Evans lets us know that she has memorized her way through headquarters and that she will win the briefcase. Evans is one of my least favorite competitors in current day WWE.

Drew McIntyre says that he is going to break Seth Rollins' jaw tonight.

R-Truth vs. MVP Bobby Lashley

Truth does his whole "What's up?" gimmick to hear some noise from the WWE Universe. MVP and Truth argue about ballin' and then Lashley's music hits. Lashley tells MVP he can have the night off. Truth slaps him and tries to avoid Lashley. Lashley gets a hold of him and tosses him across the ring. Lashley hits a spinebuster and goes for a suplex, but Truth counters. Truth goes off the ropes and Lashley hits a spear for the victory. Lashley is a great athlete and all, but I have a hard time finding time to care about his character here in 2020. They have never really booked him properly and that continues here.

Match Rating: 1/2*

First Evans, now Baron Corbin. He says he will win Money In The Bank for the second time.

Sasha Banks and Bayley are asked if Bayley blamed Sasha for their loss on Friday. Bayley cuts in and takes exception to it.

SmackDown Women's Championship Match
Bayley vs. Tamina

I'm really not understanding why Tamina is getting a push in 2020? I see that Bayley's arrogance has been turned up a notch since I last watched. She slaps Tamina around a little, but Tamina hits a clothesline from behind. Tamina does all the 1990s power wrestler offensive moves until Bayley trips her up and slams her leg on the ring post. Tamina fights back and hits a splash in the corner and then a knee in the corner. Tamina goes for a superkick, but Bayley catches it and puts her into a knee bar. Bayley goes for a Samoan Drop, but Bayley is unable to hold her up and both women are down. Bayley grabs a bottle of water and splashes it in Tamina's face. Tamina throws her off the ropes from the outside and hits a clothesline. Tamina hits a superkick, but Bayley falls to the outside. Tamina throws Bayley on and over the announcer table. Tamina hits a superkick and Samoan Drop combo, but Sasha comes in the ring to distract her. She chases after Sasha, but Bayley comes from behind. Tamina picks her up for the Samoan Drop, but Bayley counters it into a pinfall and gets the victory. Well, for whatever it's worth, that may have been the best Tamina singles match I have seen. So there's that.

Match Rating: **

Seth Rollins says that it his destiny to defeat McIntyre tonight.

Universal Championship Match
Bray Wyatt vs. Braun Strowman

We are not getting the Fiend tonight. Maybe Lashley can come in and give Wyatt the night off tonight too? Strowman runs him over and the sit and talk to each other, which is what I was really hoping for. I wonder if IRS has a matching back of the head tattoo with his son? Wyatt rolls out of the ring after another shoulder tackle and Braun throws him into the steps and ring post. Wyatt avoids a charging Strowman and pushes him into the announce table. The pig puppet comes in and cheers Wyatt on.. Wyatt hits a senton on Braun and now he rolls out of the ring. Wyatt hits a tornado DDT and hits Sister Abigail, but Bruan kicks out. He goes for Sister Abigail again, but Braun hits a chokeslam. We get the Strowman Express and he knocks hi into the barricade. Wyatt kicks Strowman on his way back into the ring. Wyatt pops up with the black sheep mask that he used to wear in the Wyatt Family. Wyatt says this is what is supposed to be and they both get down on their knees. They embrace and all the puppets are shown celebrating. Braun pushes Bray away and takes the mask off and stomps on it. Bruan hits the running powerslam and gets the victory. This was absolutely awful. I know I am harsh on Wyatt's character and that a lot of people enjoy it. To each their own. However, I'm thinking that most of his fans didn't dig this one.

Match Rating: 0 Stars

WWE Championship Match
Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre

McIntyre hits a clothesline and sends Rollins over the top. McIntyre has his way with Rollins and then hits a vertical suplex. Rollins hits two dropkicks to the knee of McIntyre. Rollins follows it up with a suicide dive and tosses McIntyre back into the ring. Rollins works on the leg with a half crab and then turns it into a STF. Rollins then hits a second STF. Rollins hits a knees of both the barricade and announce table. Rollins goes for another suicide dive and this time McIntyre catches him and hits an overhead belly-to-belly suplex onto the table. Rollins is able to snap McIntyre's head over the top rope and hits a kick. He misses with a springboard leap and McIntyre hits a spinebuster. Rollins hits an enzuigiri and then a superkick, but McIntyre kicks out at 1. Rollins hits the frog splash and again McIntyre kicks out with authority. I will say the in ring booking has been solid for McIntyre. It will be interesting to see what the crowd reaction to him will be once we have crowds again. Rollins goes for the Stomp, but McIntyre counters. This match is severely missing the crowd interaction, as this has a big fight feel. McIntyre goes up top, but Rollins leaps up and hits a superplex, bounces back up and hits a Falcon Arrow This time McIntyre kicks out at 2. McIntyre counters another Stomp attempt into a Future Shock and gets a 2 count. McIntyre goes for a superplex, but Rollins takes out his leg and he's in the tree of woe. McIntyre sits up and and tosses Rollins with an amazing display there. Rollins comes back and hits the Stomp, but again McIntyre is able to kick out. They trade big impact moves until McIntyre hits the Claymore Kick and that finishes Rollins off. The last five minutes of that match were extremely good. This was a match that was made for a full arena.

Match Rating: ***1/2

After the match, McIntyre offers to shake hands and Rollins reluctantly does. Apparently not even a pandemic can stop handshakes in pro wrestling.

R-Truth is interviewed out back and claims that he beat MVP tonight. He says that he's going to go get his baby back, the 24/7 Championship. He says that he's going to sack Tom Brady and take back his title.

Women's Money In The Bank Match
Lacey Evans vs. Nia Jax vs. Carmella vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Dana Brooke vs. Asuka

Men's Money In The Bank Match
AJ Styles vs. Otis vs. Aleister Black vs. King Corbin vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Daniel Bryan

They introduce each individual and Asuka is up on the balcony dancing. The men start in the weight room. Asuka then is shown leaping off the balcony taking out all five opponents. She opens the elevator and it closes before anyone else can get in, so they take the stairs. Corbin destroys a mirror with a weight. Rey and Aleister are brawling together and are the most innovative. Otis puts a barbell on top of AJ and it doesn't even look like it's touching him. Rey walks into the mens restroom and Brother Love is in there. The men begin brawling in the elevator, while some of the women are racing up the stairs. Otis chants "Yes!" as Bryan delivers the Yes Kicks to Corbin and then turns and does the same on Otis. Someone in Doink's wig and facepaint creeps over a chair. Nia and Shayna begin brawling in a conference room until Dana hits Nia in the back with a chair. There's a briefcase for some reason hanging over the conference table and Dana grabs it and kind of pretends like she won. Stephanie McMahon is shown telling her that the real briefcase is on the roof. Carmella comes in and cracks a picture over Dana's head. As Carmella is strutting out of the room, she gets a Woman's Right from Lacey. AJ is shown walking by a photo of Undertaker while looking for Rey. He opens a door and it's lit like Undertaker's entrance with a casket on the floor. They show flashbacks of the Last Ride Match and then he eats a kick from Aleister and he closes the door. Paul Heyman is shown eating at a large catering table when the majority of the competitors walk in. Otis mimics John Belushi and calls for a food fight. Otis and Nia both sandwich Rey, while food continues to fly. Nia then powerbombs Carmella through the table. Nia and Otis then have a stare down while Otis eats a sandwich. Otis walks into the cafeteria and John Laurinaitis is there, so Otis shoves a pie in his face. Asuka is frantically running around through headquarters, while the others try to keep up. AJ and Bryan are brawling and come into Vince's office, who proceeds to kick them out. Bryan and AJ fix the chairs and walk out of their office and Vince puts on hand sanitizer. They begin brawling until Corbin comes in and attacks them with a weapon. Aleister tries to join in, but Corbin lays them up and says that he is going to the roof. Nia and Asuka are the first two up to the roof, followed by Lacey. Nia takes them both out and brings a ladder into the ring. Nia begins the slow climb until Asuka grabs her down. If anything, I will say the shot of the ring on the roof is pretty cool. Asuka and Lacey are both climbing until Asuka hits her with an elbow, knocking her onto Nia. In walks Baron Corbin and he tries to stop Asuka for some reason. She kicks him off the ladder and grabs the briefcase. Well, that was a flat finish for the women. In walks Otis and Corbin attacks him and then uses the ladder. Otis avoids Corbin and hits the Caterpillar. Aleister and Rey are both in and they take out both men. They begin climbing the ladder until AJ pushes it over and off the ladder. Corbin then comes in and throws Rey off the roof and then does the same to Black. And it feels like no big deal, since there are no announcers to sell it and AJ also does a no sell. Bryan joins in and now the four remaining men are battling. AJ hits a Phenomenal Forearm on Otis and starts climbing the ladder. AJ and Corbin both are climbing and take the briefcase off the clip. They are fighting over the briefcase when Elias smashes a guitar on the back of Corbin, causing them to drop the briefcase and Otis catches it. Otis is your winner and that's it? Well, as someone who hated both of the special matches at WrestleMania, this was a slight improvement. I like some fun in wrestling, but too much of it just looked too phony and nothing was really all that memorable. They threw two people off the roof and it wasn't even a big deal. The concept was cool, but the execution was lackluster.

Match Rating: **

Well, this certainly wasn't anything to go out of your way to see. I enjoyed the opener and the McIntyre matches, but neither are something I would call must see matches. The biggest positive was the run time. They kept things short, but I will say all of the ads still made the show feel longer than it should have. They certainly have had worse shows, but you can file this one under middle of the road.

Overall Rating: 54%

Monday Night Raw 8-29-05 Review

Monday, August 29th, 2005
St. Pete Times Forum
Tampa, Florida

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We are kicking things off this week with Carlito's Cabana. His guest this week is Shawn Michaels. Carlito says that it's ironic that he used to look up to Shawn Michaels and now it's Michaels that is looking up to Carlito. Michaels tells him to take it easy, he's been through a lot the last month. Shawn questions when the last time Carlito actually defended the Intercontinental Championship. This all leads to Chris Masters to come out and Michaels attacks both of them. The numbers game obviously get the better of him until Ric Flair comes out and makes the save. Not Shawn's strongest promo here, but Flair and Michaels in the same ring makes it all worth it.

Carlito and Masters are in Bischoff's office and they are all fired up. Bischoff says they will get Flair and Michaels in a tag team match tonight.

Handicap Match
Big Show vs. Buck Quartermain & Steve Madison

Imagine if this was just a normal match. We wouldn't get a double headbutt or a double suplex or a double chokeslam. This felt very choreographed as Big Show gets the easy win. After the match, Snitsky attacks Show and hits him with the ring bell. Is there anyone buying that Snitsky is a threat to Big Show?

Match Rating: 1/4*

Torrie Wilson and Candice Michelle are out here and want to apologize to Ashley for their actions last week. Ashley accepts and they let her know that Ashley is going to have her first match tonight. Ashley assumes that she is facing one of them, but out comes Victoria instead. Ashley knocks Torrie and Candice down and then attacks Victoria.

Ashley vs. Victoria

Victoria regains control and quickly hits the Widow's Peak for the victory. The acting in this segment sure was something.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Cade & Murdoch get another vignette that really doesn't give you much reason to care.

Edge is in the back hanging out with Alter Bridge, who are doing an acoustic jam. Todd Grisham interrupts them and Edge isn't happy about it. After tonight, Edge says Matt Hardy can go back online and make more posts because his career will be over.

Matt Hardy is shown getting ready and in walks Lita. She asks him how it feels to know that he'll never be able to experience her again. Matt says that he's going to hell and he's taking Edge with him.

Shawn Michaels is rushed over to Ric Flair, who is laying down in a pool of his own blood. They really pulled this out for Chris Masters and Carlito?

Street Fight
Edge vs. Matt Hardy

The action quickly spills outside the ring and into the crowd. Matt throws Edge back over the barricade and hits an ax handle. Edge gets a trash can lid to the head and then Matt pulls out a ladder. Edge uses a baseball slide to drive the ladder into Matt. During the break, Matt was able to avoid a ladder to the head and then hit a superplex. Both men are now up the ladder, but Hardy knocks Edge off. Hardy then hits a leg drop from near the top of the ladder. Matt now grabs a chair, but Edge hits him with a Singapore cane first. Edge goes for another chair shot, but Hardy is able to knock him over first. Edge hits a flapjack on Hardy into the ladder. Edge shoves Matt's head between the chair and the ring and kicks it, but he doesn't get all of it. Hardy fights back, but Lita hits Matt in the back with the briefcase. Matt turns his attention to Lita and we all know how that will work out. Edge attacks him from behind. The intensity picks up again and now Matt drives a ladder into Edge and sets him on top of the ladder. He goes for a moonsault, but Edge is able to roll out of the way and both men are down. They roll to the outside and Edge hits Matt with a garbage can to the head. They start fighting up the entrance ramp and Matt throws Edge into the set. Matt once again turns his attention to Lita and it backfires again. Edge tries to body slam Matt off the stage, but it's countered. Edge just misses with a spear and then Matt hits a Side Effect off the stage and into the electrical area setting off WWE pyro. The medical staff is getting quite the workout tonight between these two and Ric Flair. Even Coach and Lawler are checking on them. Back from commercial break and they are still trying to get them stretchered off. So obviously this one is a no contest. They got a lot of time here tonight as opposed to their match at SummerSlam and spent it well. They were able to keep up the intensity for the majority of the match and it ultimately sets up a big match at Unforgiven.

Match Rating: ***1/2

The Champ is here and he is fired up tonight. We are getting cartoony serious Cena tonight and he calls out Kurt Angle. Angle comes out and shows the highlights of him attacking Cena last week. He says that he's not coming down to the ring and risking his opportunity at Unforgiven. Angle says that at Unforgiven he is going to end Cena's charade. Cena says that Angle may be the baddest man alive, but he's still calling him out. Angle teases coming down but turns away. Cena tells him he knows he only likes to jump people from behind, so he turns his back. Angle jumps him and tries to go for the Ankle Lock, but Cena is able to kick out of it.

Tyson Tomko vs. Rosey

They show a highlight reel of Tomko's recent squash matches on Heat. Rosey goes off the second rope and Tomko greets him with a kick to the gut and the referee calls the match. He then hits Hurricane with a boot to the face. That was one of the weaker ref stoppages that I can think of.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Shawn Michaels (& Ric Flair) vs. Chris Masters & Carlito

Due to the attack earlier on, Shawn is on his own to start here. Shawn outsmarts them at first, but Carlito and Masters quickly take advantage of the situation. Carlito is able to move out of the way from a charging Michaels, who rams into the ring post instead. Michaels is able to fight back and hits a body back drop on both men, sending them to the outside as we go to commercial break. Masters and Carlito have Shawn cornered, but Michaels knocks Masters out of the ring and then hits a flying forearm on Carlito. Michaels hits a top rope elbow and starts tuning up the band. Masters grabs his leg to pull him out of the ring and then hits a clothesline on him. Of all the long heel heat segments I could watch, Carlito and Masters would be towards the bottom of that list. Michaels hits a DDT and down comes a bandaged Ric Flair. Michaels makes a tag to him and he starts chopping both opponents. Carlito hits a low blow behind the ref's back and Michaels knocks Carlito out of the ring. Masters then puts Flair into the Master Lock and that's it. This was given a lot of time, but it was definitely disappointing. Michaels could do no wrong here in '05, but this was one of the few matches I didn't really enjoy with so much time.

Match Rating: **

While I give them credit for trying to push some newer stars, it hasn't taken off quite yet. The Matt Hardy and Edge segment was well done, even if it was a little over the top. The main event was a bit of a letdown, which kind of changed my overall opinion of the show.

Overall Rating: 50%

NXT 5-22-13 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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Curt Hawkins vs. Sami Zayn

This is Sami Zayn's NXT wrestling debut. Within a minute, Zayn already shows off his unique charisma, a characteristic lacking here in 2013 on NXT. Hawkins continues to try and slow it down, but Zayn keeps firing back. He hits a pop up dropkick for a 2 count. Zayn walks up the ropes and hits a DDT and gets the easy victory. If that was all the time they were going to get, I'm not really sure why Hawkins kept going for headlocks here. Zayn looked like a star here.

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

Corey Graves gets a vignette shown and he will be facing Bray Wyatt in the main event.

Antonio Cesaro vs. Yoshi Tatsu

The announcers hype up Tatsu's guitar skills and Twitter following. Cesaro quickly hits a big uppercut and then the Neutralizer for the victory. That wasn't even a minute long. After the match, Cesaro grabs a mic and asks if this is the best competition there is? He says that there is no competition on NXT, which prompts Sami Zayn to return and answers Cesaro's challenge. So I guess we're getting another match.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Antonio Cesaro vs. Sami Zayn

After the brief opening of the match and a commercial break, Cesaro hits a clothesline and is in control of the match. Zayn is making a comeback and goes for a crossbody off the top rope, but Cesaro catches him and hits a backbreaker for a nearfall. Cesaro hits a running uppercut in the corner. Zayn goes for a small package, but Cesaro counters it into a suplex. However, Zayn counters that into a roll up and gets the surprise victory here. After the match, Cesaro attacks Zayn and hits the Neutralizer. I don't think there was anyone arguing about this feud lasting longer. Good debut for Zayn here.

Match Rating: **

Renee Young is with Emma backstage. The interview is actually supposed to be for Audrey Marie, who then starts arguing with Emma about it. Emma finally leaves and pokes her hand in Audrey's face while doing her dance. Renee was trying her best to hold herself together here.

We now get a Bray Wyatt vignette.

Enzo Amore vs. Mason Ryan

We get Enzo's NXT debut here and he does his whole entrance shtick, which I did not know was a thing so early on in his career. Ryan tosses Enzo across the ring and then hits a short arm clothesline. He hits snake eyes and then hits another clothesline. He hits a Torture Rack into a neckbreaker and gets the easy victory. Enzo did not have as impressive of a debut as Zayn.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Corey Graves vs. Bray Wyatt

Graves hits a drop toe hold and puts Wyatt into a front facelock. Graves hits a dropkick and Waytt takes a breather outside the ring. Wyatt hits his aggressive crossbody as we go into a commercial break. That is honestly the best move he has in his arsenal. Graves ducks under a charging Wyatt and it sends him to the floor. Graves tries a baseball slide, but Wyatt avoids him and throws him into the steps. I'm not sure what the point of Wyatt wearing his mask is, as it keeps falling off. With the mask off, Graves is going after the face with fists and a high knee. Luke Harper and Erick Rowan start to get involved as Graves is going for Lucky 13 and help break the hold. Wyatt hits Sister Abigail and that is all. This was going along pretty fine and then sort of transitioned to the go home spot seemingly out of nowhere. After the match, the Wyatts continue the attack on Graves until Kassius Ohno comes down. They are able to take him out and Bray hits Sister Abigail on him as well.

Match Rating: **

Well, this episode gets bonus points for having the debut of Sami Zayn and starting a feud with Cesaro. The rest is pretty simple, but certainly not bad thanks to the short running time.

Overall Rating: 48%

March To WrestleMania IX Review

Original Airdate: Sunday, March 28th, 1993
Fayetteville, North Carolina

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We instantly get the classic WrestleMania theme song, so bonus points already. We then get a highlight package of the contract signing between Bret Hart and Yokozuna. Yokozuna pushed the table into Bret and then hit him with the Banzai Drop.

Vince McMahon and Bobby Heenan now introduce us to the show just one week before unquestionably the greatest WrestleMania of all time. Fingers crossed.

Yokozuna vs. Randy Savage

Man, do I miss the days where the announcers are driving home the fact that Yokozuna is taking on someone like Savage so close to WrestleMania. This was taped three weeks before it aired. I know it has been said that Savage had wanted to slow down and work in the office and announce, but imagine having Savage on your roster and not having him wrestle at WrestleMania. Especially when your roster is the worst it has been in years and possibly ever. Keep in mind he won the WWF Championship just one year prior at WrestleMania VIII. Yokozuna gets the early advantage, but Savage fights back with some right hands. However, all it takes is one blow from Yoko and Savage is down. Yokozuna hits the big leg drop, but misses the splash in the corner. Savage goes up top and hits the double ax handle. He goes up again, but this time Mr. Fuji uses the Japanese flag to push Savage off. Yokozuna hits a belly-to-belly suplex and that is all. These guys accomplished more with about six moves than so many matches do with 100. The hot crowd ate it all up too, which is always a bonus. After the match, Yokozuna sets him up for the Banzai Drop, but Savage is able to move out of the way. Savage then hits him with a knee to the back and it sends Yoko to the floor. Officials come out to hold him back from getting back in the ring.

Match Rating: ** (out of 5)

They show a recap of The Narcissist's debut at Royal Rumble along with some clips of him hitting his loaded forearm on jobbers.

Skinner vs. Mr. Perfect

Skinner attacks Perfect from behind and then slams him into the steel steps. Perfect returns the favor and then throws him into the ring post. Back in the ring, Skinner uses his belt on Perfect and for some reason it is not a disqualification. Mr. McMahon makes the mistake of saying Skinner "could care less". This is the man who gets mad when people have to sneeze. Perfect battles back and hits an atomic drop and then we get 10 right hands in the corner. Skinner now uses his alligator nail into Perfect, but it doesn't matter as Perfect hits the Perfect Plex for the victory. This was obviously a competitive squash, but it was good to see Skinner again on TV. He would have a bigger role at WrestleMania than most people would have ever imagined.

Match Rating: *1/2

Kamala vs. Kim Chee

Reverend Slick introduces Kamala and he tells us that he is going to take Bam Bam Bigelow down at WrestleMania. I bet he doesn't. Slick has to go to the back to help Kamala find his way to the ring. Kim Chee of course is Steve Lombardi. He immediately goes after Kamala. After a slap, Kamala wakes up and puts him in a bear hug. He hits a thrust kick and follows it up with the splash. Slick gets the crowd to try and help Kamala on getting Kim Chee in pinning position. Half of the match is him trying to figure that out. After the match, he attacks Kim Chee with his deadly hat. I can't imagine why this didn't get over.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get the most 1990's music video ever here with the newer WrestleMania theme song along with some clips of Superstars talking through it. Ironically, a lot of the guys featured weren't around much longer. The Nasty Boys, Big Boss Man and Hacksaw Jim Duggan.

We now get the highlights leading up to the Money, Inc./Mega Maniacs match. I would have to think that for any Hulk Hogan fan that this has to be pretty close to rock bottom, at least for his WWF run.

Money, Inc. vs. Jerry Sabin & Reno Riggins

IRS knocks one of the jobbers out of the ring, allowing DiBiase to attack him while the referee isn't looking. They follow it up with a double elbow and then DiBiase hits a back body drop. DiBiase puts on the Million Dollar Dream and that's it. When it comes to Money, Inc., keep it short and it's watchable. I have a hunch that won't be t he case at WrestleMania.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Mean Gene is here and he introduces the Mega Maniacs with Jimmy Hart. Hogan tells a story so boring, that it seems as if he's even boring himself. Good grief, this is terrible. They are all trying to one up each other here. I love Jimmy Hart, but he has no business being anything but a heel. This interview ended in 1994.

Next up we get some clips of the Shawn Michaels and Tatanka feud.

Tatanka vs. George South

Bobby Heenan reminds us that George South is not on Shawn Michaels' level. Tatanka hits a hip toss and some chops. South gets in his five seconds of offense, but Tatanka starts doing the war dance and hits a tomahawk chop. Tatanka hits the End of the Trail for the victory. Out comes Michaels to remind Tatanka that he has no chance of beating him at WrestleMania. Tatanka responds and tells Michaels that he doesn't want to wait until WrestleMania. He wants Michaels to put the title on the line right now. Michaels does the long tease, but ultimately heads to the back. Didn't see that one coming. The fans were definitely into it though.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We head to Mean Gene for a WrestleMania IX Report. Bret Hart is sick of hearing people talk about how Yokozuna is going to run him over at WrestleMania. Crush is ON A BOAT and then we get underwater footage of him killing an octopus. I am 100% serious. The Steiner Brothers tell the Headshrinkers to start saying their prayers.

The Beverly Brothers & Little Louie vs. The Bushwhackers & Tiger Jackson

After about three minutes of stalling, we finally get some action. I've seen some love for Mike Enos on Twitter lately and I'm 100% in favor of that. He is definitely an unsung hero of the early 90's. We get some butt biting, because of course we do. They follow that up by marching around for the twelfth time. Blake asks Butch to shake his hand and they somehow turn this into a two minute ordeal. Butch focuses on the crowd too much and Blake attacks him from behind. Butch hits a knee to the midsection and a modified bulldog. Beau comes off the top to attack Butch while the referee is distracted with the action outside the ring. Beau goes up top again and hits another double ax handle. Luke tags in Butch and now all six men are in the ring. The Bushwhackers lift Tiger Jackson to the top rope and he hits a crossbody for the victory. This was exactly what you would expect it to be.

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show the clips of Giant Gonzalez attacking Undertaker at the Royal Rumble.

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. The Undertaker

Bam Bam tries his luck with some right hands, but Taker gets him on the ground pretty quickly. Bam Bam lures him outside and attacks him on the way back in. He sends Taker off the ropes, but it backfires as Taker hits a DDT. Taker hits Old School and then a clothesline, but Bam Bam is still standing. He goes for another one, but Bam Bam ducks. Back from commercial break, Bam Bam hits a body slam outside the ring and then slams him into the steps. This is the quickest paced early 90s Undertaker match that I can think of. Bam Bam deserved better during this run and I would have loved to have seen these two have a proper feud. Bam Bam hits a back suplex, but Taker sits up. Bam Bam continues the assault, but Taker keeps sitting up. Bam Bam goes for the diving headbutt off the top rope, but Taker sits up and then follows it up with a chokeslam. Bam Bam decides to save himself for his huge match against Kamala and head for the shower. Undertaker wins by countout. Out comes Giant Gonzalez and Undertaker goes after him in the aisle. Paul Bearer keeps grabbing Taker by his hair, which is kind of weird. The match was actually a lot of fun and the aftermath was probably the best part of the entire feud.

Match Rating: **1/4

Vince and Heenan send us off with one last quick sell of WrestleMania.

As far as nostalgia trips go, this was quite the ride. The Yokozuna and Undertaker matches were fun for what they were and set the stage for their matches at WrestleMania. On the other hand the Mega Maniacs promo was one of the worst I can ever remember and did absolutely nothing for their pointless match at WrestleMania. The hot crowd helped make some of the action seem a little bit better than it was and that's always a bonus. It's not a strong recommendation, but if you like this era, I don't know why you wouldn't want to watch it.

Overall Rating: 57%

SmackDown 8-25-05 Review

Original Airdate: Thursday, August 25th, 2005
Greensboro Coliseum
Greensboro, North Carolina

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Bob Orton is in the ring to kick off the show. He introduces Randy to the ring. They embrace and apparently we aren't getting a promo here.

Randy Orton vs. Hardcore Holly

This is a perfect role for Hardcore Holly here and I'm not sure why he isn't being used more here. They get through feeling out process and Holly knocks Orton down with a shoulder tackle. Surprisingly, we are getting a mostly mat-based match here so far. Holly hits a suplex from the apron and back into the ring. Orton follows it up by dumping Orton to the floor, but Holly lands on his feet. He gets back in the ring and eats a dropkick from Orton. Orton props Holly up in the corner, but Holly pushes him away, but gets a boot to the face as he comes off the second rope. Back on their feet, Orton hits a big uppercut for a 2 count. Holly hits an elbow to the face and a back body drop. Holly then goes for a full nelson slam and gets a nearfall. Holly is up top and hits a clothesline for another nearfall. Holly hits his vicious chops and then goes for the Alabama Slam, but Bob Orton gets on the apron to distract Holly. It backfires and Holly hits a dropkick. Bob Orton distracts again and this time it pays off. Orton hits the RKO and gets the victory. Interestingly, Holly was treated as if he was on Orton's level here and it took a distraction to defeat him. I'm fine with that, but I'm just surprised. It started slow, but finished fairly strong.

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

Teddy Long is backstage and questions some guy in his office. He introduces himself as Palmer Canon, who is from the network. In two weeks, SmackDown is debuting on Friday night. He says that they need something huge for the Friday debut and that he's come up with a great idea for the main event. He says that they should have JBL vs. Batista in a rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship. They shake hands and look forward to working with one another.

It's Peep Show time and his guests tonight are Booker T and Sharmell. Christian asks them if they are still on speaking terms after last week's argument. He compares Booker to Tommy Lee and then tries to come up with a list of accomplishments for Booker, but is at a loss for words. Sharmell then agrees with Christian. Booker reminds them that he beat Christian at Great American Bash and then also beat up Kurt Angle. Sharmell apologizes, but says that Christian makes a good point. She says that she is a beauty queen and that he needs to start looking out for himself and remembering who he really is. Booker starts to do the "Five Time" routine, but out come the Mexicools. Christian jumps off the apron and knocks Psicosis off the tractor. Juvy starts attacking Christian, but Booker makes the save. Booker than dumps Super Crazy and Psicosis over the top rope. Christian takes care of Juvy and they retreat. Booker and Christian look at each other to try to make sense of what just happened.

Jillian Hall is in the ring holding a copy of SmackDown Magazine with MNM on the cover and introduces them.

Johnny Nitro vs. Heidenreich

After a little bit of Heidenreich offense, Nitro avoids a charging Heidenreich and hits a superkick. Heidenreich fires back with a clothesline and a side slam. Animal, Jillian and Melina are all on the apron distracting the ref. Mercury grabs a chair and hits Heidenreich, but the ref sees it and calls for the disqualification. Nitro hits a missile dropkick to take out Animal. The intros were longer than the match.

Match Rating: 1/4*

The new United States Champion, Chris Benoit is here and reminds us that he beat Orlando Jordan in 25 1/2 seconds. They do a split screen of the match and Benoit getting a cup of coffee to see which one takes longer.

JBL is backstage with Jordan and he's making fun of him losing so quickly. JBL says he can barely walk and that he needs Jordan for longer than 25 1/2 seconds.

Booker T & Christian vs. Super Crazy & Psicosis

Wow, the Mexicools get two entrances in one night. They start the match off right away and it's Christian and Super Crazy starting things off. Christian hits a powerslam and gets some right fists in. Juvy distracts Christian, but Christian recovers and hits an odd fall away slam before making the tag to Booker. After some shenanigans, Super Crazy is able to hit a missile dropkick on Christian. He then hits a low dropkick to a seated Christian, which then leads to the pace picking up. Super Crazy misses with the moonsault and both men make tags. Booker cleans house with some kicks and a spinebuster. Booker goes for the scissor kick, but Juvy holds onto Booker, allowing Psicosis and Super Crazy to attack him. Sharmell starts yelling at Christian for not helping Booker out. Booker explodes for a double clothesline, while Christian walks to the back. The Mexicools hit a double back suplex and get the victory. Christian is sporting a bloody nose as he walks to the back. Sharmell is back in the ring telling Booker what happened. The match was pretty entertaining, but definitely too much on the short side.

Match Rating: **1/4

The Ortons are backstage and says that they fooled the Undertaker. This somehow leads to him promoting how he signed an Undertaker DVD and it's going up for sale on wwe.com and the proceeds will go to the Undertaker's retirement fund.

Palmer Canon is telling Teddy that he is loving this episode tonight. He says that this show needs to have more of Randy Orton. Teddy says he has a surprise announcement to make and heads to Gorilla position.

His big announcement is that there will be a lingerie pillow fight and that Stacy Keibler is now on SmackDown. He then announces that Christy Hemme is also on SmackDown. He tells the ladies to get ready and then Palmer Canon comes out to stop the match. He says that the demographic that they are trying to attract does not want this.

Ken Kennedy vs. Funaki

Kennedy comes out to no reaction here, since he hasn't had any vignettes. They say that he has been on Velocity, so I do a quick check and it looks like he has wrestled on the last two episodes. Kennedy grabs the mic from Tony Chimel and does ring introductions for both Funaki and himself. Kennedy definitely shows more character in about 30 seconds here as guys like Jindrak and Luther Reigns ever did. Kennedy ducks a crossbody and Funaki goes out of the ring. Kennedy fakes throwing Funaki into the barrier, but throws him in the ring instead. Kennedy misses a boot to the face and Funaki comes back with an enzuigiri. Funaki goes for the tornado DDT, but Kennedy throws him back on the top turnbuckle and Kennedy hits the impressive Green Bay Plunge off the second rope. He then grabs the mic and announces himself as the winner. I know he didn't turn out exactly how they had hoped for him, but Kennedy would definitely become one of the better upper mid-card acts here for the next couple of years.

Match Rating: *

JBL, Orlando Jordan & Eddie Guerrero vs. Batista, Chris Benoit & Rey Mysterio

I honestly don't know why they don't book 6 man tag matches more often for TV shows. It's an easy way to continue a feud without someone getting pinned and the entrances alone give you over five minutes of TV time. Benoit and Jordan start things off and he's already lasted longer than he did at SummerSlam. During the commercial break, Rey was going for the 619, but Eddie grabbed him as he was going off the ropes. Eddie tags in JBL, which prompts Rey to tag in Batista. He takes down JBL and then tosses Eddie at Orlando Jordan. Benoit continues the offense by going after JBL's taped ribs. Benoit goes for the Sharpshooter, but JBL kicks him off and sends him over the ropes with an assist from Jordan. Jordan attacks him behind the ref's back. The heels cut the ring in half on Benoit. Benoit hits an enuigiri and makes the tag to Batista, who hits a spinebuster on Jordan. He goes for the Batista Bomb, but Eddie hits a dropkick from behind. Benoit is in and hits a German suplex until JBL breaks up a Sharpshooter attempt. Mysterio makes the save and Batista clotheslines JBL over the top rope. 619 on Jordan, followed by a German suplex and a Batista Bomb finishes it off. That was exactly what you would want out of this match. This was a good way to end the show as they build towards the Friday night debut.

Match Rating: ***

This was a really solid episode for the blue brand. Kennedy showed a lot of promise as a personality in his debut, Booker is starting to show some heelish tendencies and the main event was a good time. The rest of it for the most part was good enough to recommend this episode.

Overall Rating: 60%

Monday Night Raw 8-22-05 Review

Monday, August 22nd, 2005
Hampton Coliseum
Hampton, Virginia

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Following a SummerSlam highlight package, Shawn Michaels is out to the ring. Shawn hates to admit it, but Hogan was the better man last night. Shawn now says it's back to reality, which means Hogan is on a plane home to Florida until the money comes his way to come back again. Shawn on the other hand is here to give the fans what they want. Chris Masters music hits. He tells Shawn that guys like him and Hogan don't know when to step aside. Shawn tells objects to him being lumped with Hogan. They go back and forth until Michaels attacks him and explodes off the ropes with a forearm, knocking Masters out of the ring. It's pretty amazing that Michaels was pretty much a jerk the entire interview and was the heel in the Hogan feud and yet, he was still cheered here. After just kind of floating around here doing nothing, Masters finally has his first feud of note.

Chris Jericho is backstage with Eric Bischoff. He tells Bischoff he had Cena beat last night. Bischoff lets him know that he's going to get a rematch and it's going to be a "You're Fired" match, where the loser is immediately fired. They get a couple of bro hugs in for good measure.

Kurt Angle vs. Shelton Benjamin

I think this is a match that we can all get behind here. After some mat wrestling, Shelton lands on his feet out of a German suplex and ducks a charging Angle, sending him to the outside. During the commercial break, Angle hit a German suplex that sent Shelton over the top rope. Shelton is able to dodge Angle's spear attempt and then hits a spinebuster. Shelton follows up with a couple of clotheslines and a Samoan drop. Shelton misses with a dropkick and Angle goes for the Ankle Lock. Shelton kicks out of it and hits a spinning heel kick. Shelton goes up to the top rope, but Angle runs up the ropes and hits a suplex. The straps are down and he goes for the Angle Slam, but Shelton counters with a big DDT for a third nearfall. Shelton tries to go for the T-Bone suplex, but Angle counters into the Ankle Lock and Shelton taps. I could watch these two go at it all day. Those last couple of minutes were really good and the crowd was into all of it. After the match, Angle grabs a chair and sets it up in the middle of the ring. He has Chad Patton place the medal around his neck.

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

Kerwin White is backstage riding around on his golf cart. He says that he is the official spokesman of middle class America. They play up the race card here and yeah, this was off in '05 and even worse 15 years later.

Snitsky approaches Maria and plays with her feet. Big Show comes in and sticks his feet in his face. Show slaps him and calls him a pervert. Maria asks Show what a pervert is and walks away with him.

Matt Hardy vs. Rob Conway

I'm not sure that I agree with Hardy fighting here tonight after his fight with Edge last night. It is amazing how much Conway just sucks the air out of a building. It goes absolutely silent as soon as music hits no matter who he is facing. As soon as the bell rings, Edge's music hits and he and Lita are out on the ramp. Conway attacks him, while they sit on the announcer table. Hardy makes his comeback and hits him with a series of forearms. They are battling up on the second rope and Conway knocks him off. Conway nervously hits the elbow drop off the top rope and gets the victory. You can say whatever you want about it, but this booking is terrible. There was no story as to why Matt had this match tonight and he instantly goes from something special to just another guy. After the match, Edge attacks him and sandwiches his head between the steps and the ring post. Meanwhile, Conway continues to be disappointing.

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's time for Carlito's Cabana. His guest tonight is Ric Flair. Flair welcomes Carlito to Flair Country. Carlito brings up the fact that Flair is a 16 time champion, which means he's lost 16 times. Carlito says that he is a 1 time Intercontinental Champion, meaning he's never lost it. Pretty deep stuff there. Carlito spits his apple all over Flair's suit, so he hits him with a thumb to the eye and a fist. Flair takes Carlito out and then drops an elbow on his sport coat.

Big Show vs. Snitsky

Show hits some open palm slaps to the chest to start things off. King lets us know that Snitsky's back looks like the backside of a Nestle Crunch bar. Snitsky avoids Show, who then hits the ring post. Back in the ring, Snitsky goes for a suplex, but Show counters with one of his own. Show clotheslines him to the outside and Snitksy retreats up the ramp. Show gets the victory by count out, but he's not happy about it. Next.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Bischoff approaches Cena from behind and tells him that he's going to fire him. TWIST. Cena is wearing headphones and didn't hear him.

We get a Cade & Murdoch promo putting all of the teams in WWE on notice. Yeah, all two of them.

Torrie Wilson and Candice Michelle are out to the ring. They inform us that they have been traded to Raw. They bring out Ashley, who says it is such an honor to be out with both of them. Torrie then kicks her and slams her to the ground. If they play it right, this could headline WrestleMania.

Jericho says he is ready to get rid of Cena.

You're Fired Match For The WWE Championship
Chris Jericho vs. John Cena

Cena hits his variation of a hip toss, but then Bischoff grabs his leg and that allows Jericho to take control. The crowd tonight is very much behind Cena. Jericho sends Cena into the turnbuckle, but misses with a crossbody and it sends him over the top and to the floor. Cena throws Jericho back in, but Bischoff hits Cena with a low blow behind the referee's back. Back from the commercial break, Jericho has Cena in a headlock. During the break they show a clip of Bischoff slapping Cena in the face. Cena hits a back suplex, but Jericho is able to stay on offense. Jericho hits a spinning heel kick and gets a 2 count. This match is a good example of how that even when the ending is predictable, if the fans are invested in both characters it doesn't matter. Jericho props Cena up on the top rope, but Cena counters the superplex and drops Jericho face first to the mat. Cena goes for a flying crossbody, but Jericho ducks and Cena hits the mat hard. The "Let's go Jericho" chants are starting now, but it took awhile. Cena explodes with a shoulder block and two clotheslines. Cena goes for a FU, but Jericho fights out of it and goes for the Walls of Jericho and gets it. Bischoff pulls the bottom rope away from Cena and then Jericho drags him to the center of the ring. Cena is finally able to make it to the bottom rope, but was in the hold for a long time. Jericho is arguing with Mike Chioda and it allows Cena to scoop up Jericho into a FU. He struggles, but eventually is able to hit it and now both men are down. Cena is able to get a pin attempt, but Bischoff puts Jericho's foot on the rope. He then hands Jericho brass knuckles while Chioda is checking on Cena. Jericho hits a right hand, but Cena miraculously kicks out to a big pop. Bischoff is on the apron now and is distracting Chioda. Cena hits a slingshot and it knocks Bischoff off the apron. Cena hits a FU and he gets the victory. While that wasn't quite as good as their SummerSlam outing, they put on a second good match in as many nights. This would be Jericho's last match for over two years. After the match, Bischoff tells him that he's fired. Jericho pleads his case, but Bischoff continues the verbal assault on him and tells him to get out of his ring. While they watch Jericho walk to the back, Angle comes from out of nowhere and hits a German suplex. He hits the Angle Slam and Bischoff informs Cena that Angle is the #1 contender. Angle picks up the WWE Championship and holds it up in Cena's face. Angle stares him down as Cena struggles to get to his feet.

Match Rating: ***1/2 

Like many episodes of Raw, this one started and finished hot and had a lot of filler in between. From a booking standpoint, they planted the seeds for every single match at Unforgiven with the exception of one. Not all of them were effective, but at least they were getting things started tonight rather than on the go home show like we have seen many times over the years. We got two matches that were over ***, so that to me is almost always an automatic thumbs up in the 2 hour era. The rest was mostly skippable, but we did get one of the more memorable television matches of the year.

Overall Rating: 68%

NXT 5-15-13 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, May 15th, 2013
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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Natalya vs. Summer Rae

This was set up last week when Summer Rae insulted Natalya for hanging out with Khali. We start off with some solid wrestling and Natalya unsuccessfully tries to put on the Sharpshooter. Natalya is able to hit a spinning clothesline for a 2 count. Summer tricks Natalya into coming her way and pushes her out of the ring. Summer gets a kick to the head for a nearfall. Summer hits a DDT and then follows it up by slamming Natalya's head into the mat repeatedly. It's starting to feel like Natalya is really having to slow down so that Summer can hit all of her moves. Paige makes her way out and gets on the apron, but Summer pushes Natalya into her and gets a roll up for the victory. Summer is then chased to the back. This was not a particularly strong effort.

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

Sami Zayn is here to speak with Renee Young. This is Zayn's debut on TV. He will be making his in ring debut next week.

Bray Wyatt vs. Danny Burch

Wyatt is wearing a mask here and Burch is making his NXT debut. Wyatt hits his crossbody and then drags Burch to the corner. He hits a splash in the corner and hits Sister Abigail and that is all. This was Wyatt's rebound match after losing to Jericho.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Bo Dallas comes up to Adrian Neville backstage. Wyatt quotes Cena because he was in the same Royal Rumble that Dallas was in by telling him to "Never give up". They both say that they have entered themselves in a NXT battle royal.

Conor O'Brian vs. Sakamoto & Briley Pierce

This was set up when O'Brian interfered in Pierce and Sakamoto's match last week. O'Brian slams Sakamoto face first and then hits Pierce with a big boot. Pierce eats a big vertical suplex. O'Brian takes both men on and hits a double splash in the corner. He then hits a double face plant and gets the victory. They still have no clue what to do with O'Brian.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Corey Graves is backstage and says that his life has always been a series of ups and downs. He too has entered himself in the battle royal. Bray Wyatt walks in and Graves tells him that him and his family will all stay down.

NXT Championship Match
Damien Sandow vs. Big E Langston

They are hyping up how Big E was at WrestleMania. Things get off to a bit of a slow start here, with Big E methodically dominating Sandow. Sandow gets an opening and hits a nice dropkick on Big E. After some rest holds, Big E hits a bell to belly suplex. The straps are down now, but Sandow counters from behind and slams him back first to the mat. Side Russian leg sweep by Sandow, but he misses the Elbow of Disdain. Sandow is able to hit a neckbreaker and then connects this time with the Elbow of Disdain for a 2 count. It should be noted again that Brad Maddox is not a good wrestling announcer. Out of nowhere, Big E hits the Big Ending and gets the victory. I was really looking forward to this one, but I have to say this one was disappointing. After the match Big E hits another Big Ending and counts to 5.

Match Rating: *1/2

This was a promising looking show, but it did not deliver at all. The hot streak is officially over. In positive news, Sami Zayn is coming and should breathe some new life into the show and hopefully we'll continue to get more of Neville.

Overall Rating: 35%