Original Airdate: Friday, October 14th, 2005
SBC Center
San Antonio, Texas
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Randy and Bob Orton are here to kick off the show. He lets us know that Undertaker is dead and his legacy has been erased. He says that the World Heavyweight Championship is next for him, which brings out Eddie Guerrero. Randy reminds Eddie that he actually won his match at No Mercy. Eddie dares Randy to give him a RKO and see what happens. Eddie wants one more match with Batista, but Randy says that he is going to go to Teddy Long right now and demand a title shot. This of course brings out Batista. Batista proposes that Orton takes on Eddie tonight to determine the #1 contender. After the commercial break, Michael Cole lets us know that it's official.
United States Championship Match
Chris Benoit vs. Orlando Jordan
At least they aren't doing another 30 second match. Benoit of course tries to put on the Crossface, but Jordan gets the early advantage. Benoit again goes back to the Crossface, but Jordan this time has a counter for everything. Out of the ring, Jordan throws Benoit into the steps and puts him back in the ring. Jordan puts him in the dreaded abdominal stretch. Benoit avoids a charging Jordan and hits two German suplexes, but then goes for the Crossface again. Jordan counters, but Benoit puts him in the Sharpshooter and Jordan taps. The match had some potential, but then it just ended.
Match Rating: *(out of 5)
Sharmell confronts Teddy Long, who is with Palmer Canon. She is wondering why Orlando Jordan got a title show, not Booker T. Teddy tells her that tonight it will be Booker T vs. Christian vs. JBL vs. Rey Mysterio to determine the #1 contender for the US Championship.
William Regal, Paul Burchill & MNM vs. Animal, Heidenreich & Mexicools
So apparently the Mexicools aren't heels any more? Psicosis hits a nice spin kick off the second rope on Mercury. MNM uses teamwork to regain control. The heels get lots of tags into keep Psicosis out his corner. They finally get a tag in and LOD dominates. Christy calls for the Doomsday Device. Heidenreich goes up top, but he is interfered with. Animal hits a side suplex and Super Crazy hits a moonsault for the victory. This was a good example of how thin the tag team division was. After the match, two unknowns attack the Mexicools and leave them lying there. The match was spirited, but far from remarkable.
Match Rating: *1/2
Christian is here for The Peep Show and introduces Stacy Keibler. Christian asks her what it was like fooling around with Jennifer Aniston's boyfriend. Apparently, this was a thing that was in the tabloids at the time. Stacy says that isn't the case and as she is about to plead her case, out comes Jillian Hall. She lets Stacy know that there is no shame in losing your boyfriend to Jennifer Aniston. The crowd is completely dead for this. Stacy then asks Jillian what that thing on her face is and Jillian tries to punch her. Stacy blocks it and smacks her. Again, I'm not sure why a babyface would bully someone for the way they look, but that's just me.
Fatal 4-Way Match To Determine The #1 Contender For The United States Championship
Christian vs. JBL vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Booker T
This falls under Texas Tornado rules, so everyone is in the ring at the same time. Booker T gives JBL a back body drop and some chops in the corner. Mysterio leaps in and hits a seated senton for a 2 count on JBL. JBL catches Christian and hits a fall away slam, but JBL immediately eats a missile dropkick from Booker. Booker goes after Christian, but he pokes him in the eye and then JBL takes Booker out of the ring. Christian hits a gutbuster on Rey and this is a feud that I am really disappointed we never got. Christian hits a face-first suplex and then a baseball slide dropkick on JBL. Mysterio is up on Christian's shoulders and starts fighting off JBL in a fun spot. After the commercial break, Rey hits a DDT on JBL as Booker tries to climb back in the ring. JBL is up and steamrolling people and then hits a vertical suplex on Christian for a 2 count. Christian dumps Mysterio on the top rope while Booker throws JBL into the stairs outside of the ring. Booker is in the ring and starts taking it to Christian. Christian counters a Scissor Kick attempt into an inverted DDT. Rey comes off the top, but Christian avoids it and he hits Booker. In comes JBL and he hits a Clothesline From Hell on Mysterio. Booker hits a kick on JBL, then Rey sets up Booker for the 619, but Sharmell pulls Mysterio's legs. Booker hits the Scissor Kick and gets the victory. That was an extremely well worked and entertaining match. It's not surprising considering who was involved, but that was really well done. It's a shame that they didn't get a few more minutes, but what we got was very good.
Match Rating: ***3/4
Sharmell and Booker are celebrating next week. Chris Benoit is here to congratulate him and let him know that he hopes what happened to Mysterio is going to happen to him. Booker is unaware that Sharmell helped him win. Sharmell distracts Booker and they continue to celebrate. That match will be featured on next week's show.
Mr. Kennedy is out and does his introduction. He says that he doesn't have an opponent tonight because obviously everyone is afraid to face him.
Bobby Lashley vs. Nunzio
Lashley hits Nunzio with an belly-to-belly overhead suplex and then tosses him over the top rope. Big Vito didn't bother trying to catch Nunzio there. Vito hits Lashley from behind, but Lashley levels him. This distraction allows Nunzio to hit a dropkick and he hits a series of right hands. Lashley catches him off the second rope and hits a modified backbreaker and then throws Nunzio into Vito. Lashley hits the Dominator and that is all. Lashley was a lot more impressive here in 2005 than I remembered.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Teddy Long and Palmer Cannon are talking. Palmer reminds Long about the Boogeyman and thinks he would be a great addition to SmackDown. Boogeyman walks in and smashes a clock over his head. I do not remember this being his debut. Why would you debut a character like that in a backstage segment?
Randy Orton vs. Eddie Guerrero
This definitely feels like a pairing that could have had legs for 2006 on SmackDown. Guerrero hits a beautiful dropkick to get started. Eddie uses the tag rope to choke Orton right in front of Bob. Eddie goes for the Three Amigos, but Bob Orton distracts him after the first one and Randy capitalizes and hits a dropkick of his own. After the commercial break, Orton has the dreaded chinlock on and turns it into his variation of the backbreaker. Orton begins losing his temper and dumps Eddie out of the ring. Orton slams Eddie into the table and then into the steel steps. Eddie starts firing back and this time hits all three suplexes. Eddie is heading up top and Bob Orton is on the apron. Eddie kicks him down, but he gets back up and throws him off the top rope. The bell rings for a disqualification and they begin to beat Eddie down. Out comes Batista to make the save and then raises Eddie's arm. Out comes Teddy Long and he announces that next week Eddie and Batista will take on Bob and Randy. They did a good job of giving the match a big match feel, but this felt a little bit like just a teaser of bigger things to come.
Match Rating: **3/4
SmackDown finally has a lot going for it at the moment and even though it felt like they maybe tried to cram a little bit too much into this episode, it still made for some good television. I loved the fatal 4-way match and thought it was one of the better SmackDown matches of the year. Lashley and Mr. Kennedy continue to look good as well, which gives the roster a little bit of a fresher appeal than that of Raw. Thumbs up here this week.
Overall Rating: 65%
Monday, July 13, 2020
Sunday, July 12, 2020
Monday Night Raw 10-10-05 Review
Monday, October 10th, 2005
American Bank Center
Corpus Christi, Texas
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
After a lengthy recap of Homecoming, Stephanie McMahon is here to kick off the show. She insults the crowd and then tells the men that she has bigger balls than all of them. She then goes up to one of the production crew and slaps him for trying to give her a cue. She then goes to Lilian Garcia and slaps her too. She says that Vince is on his way to the building and that someone is going to get fired. On her way to the back, she stands up on the announcer table to remind us that she is back.
Doink vs. Rob Conway
After Conway getting destroyed by a ring full of legends, he now gets to take on Doink. Doink goes for a sunset flip and purposefully tries to pull Conway's trunks down. Doink blocks a kick and pokes Conway in the eye. Conway loses his temper and hits a clothesline. Conway hits a neckbreaker and it's safe to say the crowd does not care about this. Conway hits the Ego Trip and that is all. This has not been a promising start to this week's episode. After the match, Conway calls all WWE legends a joke and then continues to beat on Doink until Eugene comes out to a mild pop. Eugene turns his back on him and Conway hits the Ego Trip on him too.
Match Rating: 1/4*(out of 5)
After a recap of Triple H turning on Ric Flair, we go to Carlito's Cabana. Carlito tries to start rambling, but Kurt Angle comes out. Before he can finish his first sentence, Shawn Michaels is out to interrupt. They argue about being the #1 contender and then out comes Big Show. You'll never guess what happens next? Edge comes down to make his claim. John Cena is naturally the next person out of the curtain. We get battle rap Cena this time, cutting down everyone in the ring. Cena says that he would fight them all.
Trish Stratus is getting ready for her match tonight. During the break, Eric Bischoff made a 6 Man Tag with everyone claiming to be the #1 contender.
Chris Masters vs. Tajiri
Tajiri attacks Masters during his entrance. Tajiri of course gets the early advantage and puts Masters in the Tarantula. Tajiri hits a reverse kick, but Masters ducks the next kick and slaps on the Master Lock. No one gets out of the Master Lock, so Masters obviously gets the victory here. That could have been a fun match if they had more than two minutes.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Triple H is walking in with everyone staring at him. Michaels confronts him and tells him, it was too much. Triple H just laughs it off. Next to stop him is Big Show and he tells him that someday he will get his. This has Triple H a little concerned. He then bumps into John Cena, who tells him that he's lost some respect. Triple H tells him that the last thing he would do if he was Cena, was to get his attention. There's your first teaser for WrestleMania. Triple H then throws an employee around backstage for effect.
Back from commercial and it's time for Triple H to come out. Triple H says that no one was a bigger mark for Ric Flair than he was. Triple H says that he was the most excited person to see Flair arrive four years ago, until he saw him. He then watched him win the Intercontinental Championship and celebrate his mediocrity, so he put him out of his misery.
WWE Women's Championship Match
Trish Stratus vs. Victoria
Both Trish and Victoria are out here alone. Trish does the Ma-Trish and hits a headscissor. Trish goes for Stratusfaction, but Victoria counters it with a backbreaker. Victoria hits a snap suplex and sets Trish on the top rope. Trish hits her with some right hands, but Victoria hits her with a gorilla slam. Victoria puts Trish in a modified Boston Crab and then gets a nearfall. Trish runs into a reverse elbow in the face. Victoria counters a handstand hurricanrana into a Boston Crab. Trish goes for a Chick Kick, but Victoria blocks it. Trish hits a Northern Lights suplex into a bridge and gets the win out of nowhere. After the match, Victoria attacks Trish, but out comes Ashley to try and make the save. It doesn't last long and then out comes a mystery woman comes out and makes the save for both of them. That woman of course is Mickie James. The match was too short to be anything of note, but they typically have entertaining matches.
Match Rating: 3/4*
Trish and Ashley are walking backstage and Mickie James introduces herself to them. Trish recognizes the name and Mickie tells her that she's her biggest fan and has written her a thousand times. She gives her a hug and Trish is a little creeped out.
Carlito, Kurt Angle & Edge vs. Shawn Michaels, Big Show & John Cena
This is a main event I can get behind. Cena hits a back body drop on Carlito and tags in Big Show. Big Show then manhandles the entire team including a splash in the corner. Back from commercial break and Cena and Angle are in there. Angle hits a forearm and tags in Edge. Cena makes a hot tag to HBK and he hits a big top rope elbow drop on Carlito. He goes for Sweet Chin Music, but Angle comes in and hits him with a clothesline. Angle hits a German suplex with a release and gets a 2 count. Michaels fights out of a body scissors, but Carlito pulls down the top rope and Michaels falls to the floor. He is immediately greeted with a spear from Edge on the floor behind the referee's back. Angle hits a big belly-to-belly overhead throw and tags in Carlito. Michaels begins to fight back, but Carlito hits a standing dropkick. They both collide and Michaels makes the hot tag to Big Show who hits a double clothesline on Edge and Angle. He tells Angle "You can't see me" and tags in Cena, who hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle for a nearfall. Edge grabbed a chair, but Big Show kicks it out of his hands. Cena goes for the FU, but Carlito interrupts. Michaels takes both he and Carlito over the top rope. Angle puts Cena in the Ankle Lock, but he counters it and puts him in the Ankle Lock of his own. Angle rolls Cena up and gets the rare victory over Cena here. I have to say, I didn't remember that happening. This was a good match, although below my lofty expectations. Still, this was the highlight of the show.
Match Rating: ***1/4
We get a vignette for Kane letting us know that he'll be back next week. Mick Foley is the guest next week on Carlito's Cabana.
Out comes Mr. McMahon and in classic WWE fashion, we get shown a sign that says "Your Fired". He of course reminds us that Austin last week stunned the entire McMahon family. He blames the fan for this and tells us that he wants to hire all of us and then tells us we're fired. He then calls out JR, Jerry Lawler and Coach to the ring. He makes them apologize to him for letting his family get stunned. God, this segment is dragging on and on and on. Just as JR is finished, he calls him back and has Stephanie come out and he creepily talks about his daughter. JR apologizes again and Stephanie slaps him. He calls out Shane, but out comes Linda instead. Linda fires JR and kicks him in the crotch. How is Vince clapping here not a meme? What a terrible ending to the show.
Well, this show was pretty awful and I would say one of the worst of 2005. The McMahon segment was 19 minutes of my life that I will never get back. While the main event was good stuff, the rest of the show had nothing worth even discussing again. Add in the fact that they did absolutely nothing in the way of Taboo Tuesday and the show is only three weeks away.
Overall Rating: 34%
American Bank Center
Corpus Christi, Texas
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
After a lengthy recap of Homecoming, Stephanie McMahon is here to kick off the show. She insults the crowd and then tells the men that she has bigger balls than all of them. She then goes up to one of the production crew and slaps him for trying to give her a cue. She then goes to Lilian Garcia and slaps her too. She says that Vince is on his way to the building and that someone is going to get fired. On her way to the back, she stands up on the announcer table to remind us that she is back.
Doink vs. Rob Conway
After Conway getting destroyed by a ring full of legends, he now gets to take on Doink. Doink goes for a sunset flip and purposefully tries to pull Conway's trunks down. Doink blocks a kick and pokes Conway in the eye. Conway loses his temper and hits a clothesline. Conway hits a neckbreaker and it's safe to say the crowd does not care about this. Conway hits the Ego Trip and that is all. This has not been a promising start to this week's episode. After the match, Conway calls all WWE legends a joke and then continues to beat on Doink until Eugene comes out to a mild pop. Eugene turns his back on him and Conway hits the Ego Trip on him too.
Match Rating: 1/4*(out of 5)
After a recap of Triple H turning on Ric Flair, we go to Carlito's Cabana. Carlito tries to start rambling, but Kurt Angle comes out. Before he can finish his first sentence, Shawn Michaels is out to interrupt. They argue about being the #1 contender and then out comes Big Show. You'll never guess what happens next? Edge comes down to make his claim. John Cena is naturally the next person out of the curtain. We get battle rap Cena this time, cutting down everyone in the ring. Cena says that he would fight them all.
Trish Stratus is getting ready for her match tonight. During the break, Eric Bischoff made a 6 Man Tag with everyone claiming to be the #1 contender.
Chris Masters vs. Tajiri
Tajiri attacks Masters during his entrance. Tajiri of course gets the early advantage and puts Masters in the Tarantula. Tajiri hits a reverse kick, but Masters ducks the next kick and slaps on the Master Lock. No one gets out of the Master Lock, so Masters obviously gets the victory here. That could have been a fun match if they had more than two minutes.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Triple H is walking in with everyone staring at him. Michaels confronts him and tells him, it was too much. Triple H just laughs it off. Next to stop him is Big Show and he tells him that someday he will get his. This has Triple H a little concerned. He then bumps into John Cena, who tells him that he's lost some respect. Triple H tells him that the last thing he would do if he was Cena, was to get his attention. There's your first teaser for WrestleMania. Triple H then throws an employee around backstage for effect.
Back from commercial and it's time for Triple H to come out. Triple H says that no one was a bigger mark for Ric Flair than he was. Triple H says that he was the most excited person to see Flair arrive four years ago, until he saw him. He then watched him win the Intercontinental Championship and celebrate his mediocrity, so he put him out of his misery.
WWE Women's Championship Match
Trish Stratus vs. Victoria
Both Trish and Victoria are out here alone. Trish does the Ma-Trish and hits a headscissor. Trish goes for Stratusfaction, but Victoria counters it with a backbreaker. Victoria hits a snap suplex and sets Trish on the top rope. Trish hits her with some right hands, but Victoria hits her with a gorilla slam. Victoria puts Trish in a modified Boston Crab and then gets a nearfall. Trish runs into a reverse elbow in the face. Victoria counters a handstand hurricanrana into a Boston Crab. Trish goes for a Chick Kick, but Victoria blocks it. Trish hits a Northern Lights suplex into a bridge and gets the win out of nowhere. After the match, Victoria attacks Trish, but out comes Ashley to try and make the save. It doesn't last long and then out comes a mystery woman comes out and makes the save for both of them. That woman of course is Mickie James. The match was too short to be anything of note, but they typically have entertaining matches.
Match Rating: 3/4*
Trish and Ashley are walking backstage and Mickie James introduces herself to them. Trish recognizes the name and Mickie tells her that she's her biggest fan and has written her a thousand times. She gives her a hug and Trish is a little creeped out.
Carlito, Kurt Angle & Edge vs. Shawn Michaels, Big Show & John Cena
This is a main event I can get behind. Cena hits a back body drop on Carlito and tags in Big Show. Big Show then manhandles the entire team including a splash in the corner. Back from commercial break and Cena and Angle are in there. Angle hits a forearm and tags in Edge. Cena makes a hot tag to HBK and he hits a big top rope elbow drop on Carlito. He goes for Sweet Chin Music, but Angle comes in and hits him with a clothesline. Angle hits a German suplex with a release and gets a 2 count. Michaels fights out of a body scissors, but Carlito pulls down the top rope and Michaels falls to the floor. He is immediately greeted with a spear from Edge on the floor behind the referee's back. Angle hits a big belly-to-belly overhead throw and tags in Carlito. Michaels begins to fight back, but Carlito hits a standing dropkick. They both collide and Michaels makes the hot tag to Big Show who hits a double clothesline on Edge and Angle. He tells Angle "You can't see me" and tags in Cena, who hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle for a nearfall. Edge grabbed a chair, but Big Show kicks it out of his hands. Cena goes for the FU, but Carlito interrupts. Michaels takes both he and Carlito over the top rope. Angle puts Cena in the Ankle Lock, but he counters it and puts him in the Ankle Lock of his own. Angle rolls Cena up and gets the rare victory over Cena here. I have to say, I didn't remember that happening. This was a good match, although below my lofty expectations. Still, this was the highlight of the show.
Match Rating: ***1/4
We get a vignette for Kane letting us know that he'll be back next week. Mick Foley is the guest next week on Carlito's Cabana.
Out comes Mr. McMahon and in classic WWE fashion, we get shown a sign that says "Your Fired". He of course reminds us that Austin last week stunned the entire McMahon family. He blames the fan for this and tells us that he wants to hire all of us and then tells us we're fired. He then calls out JR, Jerry Lawler and Coach to the ring. He makes them apologize to him for letting his family get stunned. God, this segment is dragging on and on and on. Just as JR is finished, he calls him back and has Stephanie come out and he creepily talks about his daughter. JR apologizes again and Stephanie slaps him. He calls out Shane, but out comes Linda instead. Linda fires JR and kicks him in the crotch. How is Vince clapping here not a meme? What a terrible ending to the show.
Well, this show was pretty awful and I would say one of the worst of 2005. The McMahon segment was 19 minutes of my life that I will never get back. While the main event was good stuff, the rest of the show had nothing worth even discussing again. Add in the fact that they did absolutely nothing in the way of Taboo Tuesday and the show is only three weeks away.
Overall Rating: 34%
Friday, July 10, 2020
NXT 7-17-13 Review
Original Airdate: Wednesday, July 17th, 2013
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Triple Threat #1 Contender Match For The NXT Championship
Leo Kruger vs. Antonio Cesaro vs. Sami Zayn
I am counting down the days until Zayn gets his proper entrance music. Cesaro quickly goes after Zayn, but it doesn't work out as Zayn is able to take care of both opponents early on. Cesaro gets some knees in, but Kruger comes from behind and dumps him to the floor. Zayn sends Kruger off the ropes, but Cesaro grabs him and pulls him to the floor. Zayn then hits a somersault dive over the top rope. After a commercial break, Cesaro catches a leaping Zayn and counters it into a backbreaker. Cesaro hits a double suplex on both men as a reminder how freaky strong he is. Zayn gets a couple of close calls, one off of a pop up hurricanrana into a pin on Cesaro. Cesaro hits a Neutralizer on Zayn, but Kruger comes in and throws Cesaro out of the ring and steals the victory. Not every triple threat has to end this way. This was pretty good overall, but I would have preferred to have just seen Cesaro and Zayn.
Match Rating: ***(out of 5)
Corey Graves approaches Adrian Neville. He says that he isn't looking for a friend, he's looking for a tag team partner.
Scott Dawson vs. Bo Dallas
Sylvester Lefort comes out to introduce Scott Dawson. Both men get a little bit of offense in to start things off. Dawson gets in a clothesline and quickly hits series of moves. Bo fights back with some running forearms and a knee lift. Dallas hits the bulldog and not his best belly-to-belly suplex and gets the victory. Well, that sure made Dawson look like a geek. After the match Leo Kruger attacks him from behind and rubs his goatee on the NXT Championship as the crowd thanks him.
Match Rating: 1/2*
We get an Ascension vignette telling us that they will rise again.
Bayley vs. Charlotte
Ric Flair comes out first to introduce his daughter for her debut match here on NXT. Charlotte looks and carries herself very differently than the 2020 version we all know. Bayley is playing up the fangirl gimmick here. Charlotte quickly shows off her athletic ability early on, but Bayley is holding her own. We get lots of nearfalls and then Ric throws off his jacket for basically no reason. Bayley hits an overhead suplex. Charlotte flips out of a Irish whip and hits Natural Selection for the victory. That was all you could ask out of a 2 minute debut for Charlotte. Bayley made sense as a pick from a storyline point of view, but it obviously made her continue to be an enhancement talent.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Sheamus is backstage and he will competing next week. He doesn't know who, so that means someone is going to attack him from behind and it's the Wyatt Family. This is NXT's favorite way to set up a match.
Tyler Breeze is backstage and this is the debut of his Zoolander gimmick. He won't let the camera see his face. Next week is when we will get to see the debut of gorgeous.
NXT Tag Team Championship Match
Adrian Neville & Corey Graves vs. The Wyatt Family
Graves and Luke Harper start things off. Graves pulls Haper out of the ring and hits him with a series of right hands. Back in the ring, he pulls Harper to his corner and they hit a dropkick variation of Poetry In Motion. Neville hits some fast paced offense, but Graves gets hit with a big boot to the face. The Wyatt's cut the ring in half and use their hoss offense. Graves tries to fight back, but Harper hits an impressive dropkick. Graves kicks out of a pin attempt after a spinning Rock Bottom. Graves avoids a charging Harper and makes the tag. Neville explodes and hits a springboard moonsault on both men right in front of Bray Wyatt. Neville then hits a second rope moonsault corkscrew (I'm making moves up), but Harper makes the save. Bray trips up Neville on the top rope. Out comes Sheamus and he attacks Bray and is cheering on the challengers. Neville goes up top, hits the Red Arrow and we have new champions. That was a good match, as all four men looked motivated here. The Sheamus spot came off nicely as well. NXT's arrow is definitely pointing up.
Match Rating: ***1/4
Well, that was a good episode of wrestling. A good opener and a memorable main event are usually enough for a thumbs up, but this one also has the historical significance of Charlotte making her debut as well.
Overall Rating: 70%
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Triple Threat #1 Contender Match For The NXT Championship
Leo Kruger vs. Antonio Cesaro vs. Sami Zayn
I am counting down the days until Zayn gets his proper entrance music. Cesaro quickly goes after Zayn, but it doesn't work out as Zayn is able to take care of both opponents early on. Cesaro gets some knees in, but Kruger comes from behind and dumps him to the floor. Zayn sends Kruger off the ropes, but Cesaro grabs him and pulls him to the floor. Zayn then hits a somersault dive over the top rope. After a commercial break, Cesaro catches a leaping Zayn and counters it into a backbreaker. Cesaro hits a double suplex on both men as a reminder how freaky strong he is. Zayn gets a couple of close calls, one off of a pop up hurricanrana into a pin on Cesaro. Cesaro hits a Neutralizer on Zayn, but Kruger comes in and throws Cesaro out of the ring and steals the victory. Not every triple threat has to end this way. This was pretty good overall, but I would have preferred to have just seen Cesaro and Zayn.
Match Rating: ***(out of 5)
Corey Graves approaches Adrian Neville. He says that he isn't looking for a friend, he's looking for a tag team partner.
Scott Dawson vs. Bo Dallas
Sylvester Lefort comes out to introduce Scott Dawson. Both men get a little bit of offense in to start things off. Dawson gets in a clothesline and quickly hits series of moves. Bo fights back with some running forearms and a knee lift. Dallas hits the bulldog and not his best belly-to-belly suplex and gets the victory. Well, that sure made Dawson look like a geek. After the match Leo Kruger attacks him from behind and rubs his goatee on the NXT Championship as the crowd thanks him.
Match Rating: 1/2*
We get an Ascension vignette telling us that they will rise again.
Bayley vs. Charlotte
Ric Flair comes out first to introduce his daughter for her debut match here on NXT. Charlotte looks and carries herself very differently than the 2020 version we all know. Bayley is playing up the fangirl gimmick here. Charlotte quickly shows off her athletic ability early on, but Bayley is holding her own. We get lots of nearfalls and then Ric throws off his jacket for basically no reason. Bayley hits an overhead suplex. Charlotte flips out of a Irish whip and hits Natural Selection for the victory. That was all you could ask out of a 2 minute debut for Charlotte. Bayley made sense as a pick from a storyline point of view, but it obviously made her continue to be an enhancement talent.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Sheamus is backstage and he will competing next week. He doesn't know who, so that means someone is going to attack him from behind and it's the Wyatt Family. This is NXT's favorite way to set up a match.
Tyler Breeze is backstage and this is the debut of his Zoolander gimmick. He won't let the camera see his face. Next week is when we will get to see the debut of gorgeous.
NXT Tag Team Championship Match
Adrian Neville & Corey Graves vs. The Wyatt Family
Graves and Luke Harper start things off. Graves pulls Haper out of the ring and hits him with a series of right hands. Back in the ring, he pulls Harper to his corner and they hit a dropkick variation of Poetry In Motion. Neville hits some fast paced offense, but Graves gets hit with a big boot to the face. The Wyatt's cut the ring in half and use their hoss offense. Graves tries to fight back, but Harper hits an impressive dropkick. Graves kicks out of a pin attempt after a spinning Rock Bottom. Graves avoids a charging Harper and makes the tag. Neville explodes and hits a springboard moonsault on both men right in front of Bray Wyatt. Neville then hits a second rope moonsault corkscrew (I'm making moves up), but Harper makes the save. Bray trips up Neville on the top rope. Out comes Sheamus and he attacks Bray and is cheering on the challengers. Neville goes up top, hits the Red Arrow and we have new champions. That was a good match, as all four men looked motivated here. The Sheamus spot came off nicely as well. NXT's arrow is definitely pointing up.
Match Rating: ***1/4
Well, that was a good episode of wrestling. A good opener and a memorable main event are usually enough for a thumbs up, but this one also has the historical significance of Charlotte making her debut as well.
Overall Rating: 70%
Wednesday, July 8, 2020
Monday Night Raw 5-17-93 Review
Monday, May 17th, 1993
Manhattan Center
New York City, New York
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
They show the entire Mr. Perfect/Shawn Michaels brawl and then cut to Lord Alfred Hayes in the same spot. He says that there is a big surprise tonight.
The Smoking Gunns vs. Tony Vadja & Glen Ruth
I wish I loved anything as much as Vince loves the Smoking Gunns' guns. This is the Raw debut of the Gunns. The Gunns execute a number of quick tags to go to work on their dangerous opponents. They continue their quick tags and hit their leg drop finisher for the victory. They looked good here, which I would assume was the point.
Match Rating: 1/4* (out of 5)
Vince McMahon is in the ring to interview Shawn Michaels. Michaels says that he is a man of his word and that he has been defending his title all over the world. He debunks rumors that he is a reluctant champion and says that he will take on anyone anywhere. Someone walks into the ring in sunglasses and a hood and it's none other than Marty Jannetty. Vince is all excited and wants the match tonight. This is Vince at his absolute dorkiest.
Razor Ramon vs. The Kid
Razor hits the Kid with some stiff chops and then throws him across the ring. Razor catches him and then hits the fall away slam. Kid ducks under Razor and he hits his face in the ring post. The Kid hits a moonsault and gets the surprise victory and the crowd is stunned. This is obviously one of the more famous moments in early Raw history. Razor is livid and the Kid quickly runs to the back. The match was too short to be good, but this was tremendous.
Match Rating: 3/4*
Tatanka vs. Scott Taylor
Tatanka hits a running clothesline and follows that up with a back body drop. Taylor ducks a chop, but Tatanka tosses him over the top rope. Tatanka hits a scoop powerslam and continues to chop poor Scotty 2 Hotty. I'm not quite sure why this match got more time than the Razor one? Taylor gets in his 10 seconds of offense until he hits the Samoan drop for the easy victory.
Match Rating: 1/4*
It's time for Mean Gene with the King of the Ring Report. They go over the brackets with Bret Hart taking on Razor Ramon, Lex Luger against Tatanka and Jim Duggan against Bam Bam Bigelow.
Kamala vs. Yokozuna
After a whole lot of nothing, both men charge at one another and Yoko sells losing his balance. They charge a second time and once again Kamala almost causes Yoko to lose his balance. They talk about Yoko gaining weight for the match with Hogan, which causes Vince to chime in that Hogan is getting leaner. I can't imagine why? Kamala hits a series of chops and almost knocks Yoko down until Mr. Fuji grabs his leg and allows Yokozuna to take control and then splash him in the corner. Banzai Drop from Yokozuna and that is all. Well, it was short and better than you would think it would be.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Intercontinental Championship Match
Shawn Michaels vs. Marty Jannetty
They go at right away, knowing that time is most likely on their side here. Marty gets a quick roll up for a close call. Marty is on fire and clotheslines Shawn over the top and then hits him with a baseball slide. He then launches himself over the top rope. One can only wonder what Marty's potential was in an alternate universe where he isn't his own worst enemy. Marty ducks a superkick and hits a flying headscissor into a pin attempt. Michaels does the Ric Flair flip over the rope on the Irish whip from Marty. Shawn grabs his title and begins to walk away, but Mr. Perfect is there to stop him as we go to commercial break. When we get back Marty brings Shawn in the hard way. He goes for another flying headscissor, but this time Shawn counters it and hangs him up on the top rope. Michaels slows things down and hits a dropkick. Marty counters another dropkick into a slingshot and gets a 2 count. Marty hits a leaping reverse crossbody and gets yet another nearfall. Shawn gets a close call and the moon is out in NYC, but Marty kicks out. Shawn hits a superkick, but gets distracted by Mr. Perfect. Perfect throws the towel in his face and Marty rolls him up and gets the victory. Marty Jannetty is your new Intercontinental Champion. That match had another 5-10 minutes in it, but what we got was very good.
Match Rating: ***1/4
Well, as far as memorable episodes in 1993 go, this one had it all. The return of Marty Jannetty, the crowning of a new Intercontinental Champion and the big upset of Razor Ramon. There's not much else you could ask for in 1993 WWF on a 46 minute show.
Overall Rating: 74%
Manhattan Center
New York City, New York
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They show the entire Mr. Perfect/Shawn Michaels brawl and then cut to Lord Alfred Hayes in the same spot. He says that there is a big surprise tonight.
The Smoking Gunns vs. Tony Vadja & Glen Ruth
I wish I loved anything as much as Vince loves the Smoking Gunns' guns. This is the Raw debut of the Gunns. The Gunns execute a number of quick tags to go to work on their dangerous opponents. They continue their quick tags and hit their leg drop finisher for the victory. They looked good here, which I would assume was the point.
Match Rating: 1/4* (out of 5)
Vince McMahon is in the ring to interview Shawn Michaels. Michaels says that he is a man of his word and that he has been defending his title all over the world. He debunks rumors that he is a reluctant champion and says that he will take on anyone anywhere. Someone walks into the ring in sunglasses and a hood and it's none other than Marty Jannetty. Vince is all excited and wants the match tonight. This is Vince at his absolute dorkiest.
Razor Ramon vs. The Kid
Razor hits the Kid with some stiff chops and then throws him across the ring. Razor catches him and then hits the fall away slam. Kid ducks under Razor and he hits his face in the ring post. The Kid hits a moonsault and gets the surprise victory and the crowd is stunned. This is obviously one of the more famous moments in early Raw history. Razor is livid and the Kid quickly runs to the back. The match was too short to be good, but this was tremendous.
Match Rating: 3/4*
Tatanka vs. Scott Taylor
Tatanka hits a running clothesline and follows that up with a back body drop. Taylor ducks a chop, but Tatanka tosses him over the top rope. Tatanka hits a scoop powerslam and continues to chop poor Scotty 2 Hotty. I'm not quite sure why this match got more time than the Razor one? Taylor gets in his 10 seconds of offense until he hits the Samoan drop for the easy victory.
Match Rating: 1/4*
It's time for Mean Gene with the King of the Ring Report. They go over the brackets with Bret Hart taking on Razor Ramon, Lex Luger against Tatanka and Jim Duggan against Bam Bam Bigelow.
Kamala vs. Yokozuna
After a whole lot of nothing, both men charge at one another and Yoko sells losing his balance. They charge a second time and once again Kamala almost causes Yoko to lose his balance. They talk about Yoko gaining weight for the match with Hogan, which causes Vince to chime in that Hogan is getting leaner. I can't imagine why? Kamala hits a series of chops and almost knocks Yoko down until Mr. Fuji grabs his leg and allows Yokozuna to take control and then splash him in the corner. Banzai Drop from Yokozuna and that is all. Well, it was short and better than you would think it would be.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Intercontinental Championship Match
Shawn Michaels vs. Marty Jannetty
They go at right away, knowing that time is most likely on their side here. Marty gets a quick roll up for a close call. Marty is on fire and clotheslines Shawn over the top and then hits him with a baseball slide. He then launches himself over the top rope. One can only wonder what Marty's potential was in an alternate universe where he isn't his own worst enemy. Marty ducks a superkick and hits a flying headscissor into a pin attempt. Michaels does the Ric Flair flip over the rope on the Irish whip from Marty. Shawn grabs his title and begins to walk away, but Mr. Perfect is there to stop him as we go to commercial break. When we get back Marty brings Shawn in the hard way. He goes for another flying headscissor, but this time Shawn counters it and hangs him up on the top rope. Michaels slows things down and hits a dropkick. Marty counters another dropkick into a slingshot and gets a 2 count. Marty hits a leaping reverse crossbody and gets yet another nearfall. Shawn gets a close call and the moon is out in NYC, but Marty kicks out. Shawn hits a superkick, but gets distracted by Mr. Perfect. Perfect throws the towel in his face and Marty rolls him up and gets the victory. Marty Jannetty is your new Intercontinental Champion. That match had another 5-10 minutes in it, but what we got was very good.
Match Rating: ***1/4
Well, as far as memorable episodes in 1993 go, this one had it all. The return of Marty Jannetty, the crowning of a new Intercontinental Champion and the big upset of Razor Ramon. There's not much else you could ask for in 1993 WWF on a 46 minute show.
Overall Rating: 74%
Monday, July 6, 2020
No Mercy 2005 Review
Sunday, October 9th, 2005
Toyota Center
Houston, Texas
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MNM & Melina vs. Animal, Heidenreich & Christy Hemme
Heidenreich throws Nitro in the ring while he is still wearing his jacket and the match is underway. Heidenreich turns Nitro inside out with a clothesline. MNM turns the tide on Animal by working on his injured shoulder. MNM hits the Snapshot, but Nitro doesn't get out of the ring and it delays the pin. That was just an awkward way to allow someone to kick out of finisher. Not to mention that they hit it about two minutes into the match. Mercury goes up top, but Animal catches him and hits a body slam. Heidenreich breaks up the pin attempt and Nitro dumps him over the top rope. Nitro jumps off the apron, but Heidenreich moves out of the way. Melina tags herself in and goes off the top rope. Animal catches her and tags in Christy. She hits a Hart Attack clothesline. Christy then hits the scariest looking hurricanrana I've ever seen. Christy goes up top for the Doomsday Device. She barely can get her pinned, but it eventually happens and they get the victory. It's really a little scary how they were trotting out women like Christy and Ashley for wrestling matches when they clearly weren't ready yet. The match was okay for what it was and the crowd seemed to enjoy it for the most part.
Match Rating: *1/2 (out of 5)
Eddie Guerrero and Batista are back in the locker room together. Eddie tells Batista good luck and Batista wishes him the same.
Simon Dean vs. Bobby Lashley
Simon Dean is out with writer Chris DeJoseph, who is carrying out a tray of hamburgers. Before the match, he talks about Houston being the fattest city in America. He says that he is so sure that he'll beat Lashley tonight, that if he doesn't, he will eat all 20 cheeseburgers on the tray. Dean goes for a cheap shot, but Lashley catches him into a double underhook suplex. Dean avoids a charging Lashley in the corner and Dean starts throwing cheeseburgers at the ref. With the ref distracted, he smacks the tray on the head of Lashley, but that just makes Lashley mad. He pulls up Dean by his feet and tries to catch him into the Dominator, but they lose their balance. He picks him back up and hits it and gets the easy victory. Dean continues to be perfect in his role as an enhancement talent and Lashley continues to show more promise than I remember back in 2005. Lashley then shoves one of the burgers in his face.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Jillian Hall introduces JBL backstage for his interview. He talks about Raw potentially invading the show tonight. He says that underdogs simply do not win, but in walks Rey Mysterio. He offers JBL a mask, but then hands it to Jillian Hall.
Fatal 4-Way For The United States Championship
Booker T vs. Christian vs. Orlando Jordan vs. Chris Benoit
Christian and Booker go after one another while Jordan and Benoit do the same. Benoit gets knocked out of the ring and Jordan starts working with Christian on Booker. Booker hits a double leaping clothesline and then throws Christian out of the ring. Christian trips up Booker and throws him into the steel steps. Benoit sneaks in and puts Jordan in the Crippler Crossface, but Christian makes the save. Benoit hits a suplex on Christian and then suplexes Jordan on top of Christian. He then hits a drop toe hold into Jordan below the belt. Benoit puts Christian in the Sharpshooter, but Jordan is right there to break it up. Booker makes his way back and hits a missile dropkick on Christian. Booker hits a slingshot on Jordan and he hits Christian. Benoit then dumps out Jordan and now Benoit and Booker are in there alone. By the time they really get started, Christian and Jordan make their way back in. Benoit hits a belly-to-belly suplex over the top rope and Jordan again gets rid of Benoit. They hit a double clothesline and both men are down. Benoit comes in and goes up top, but Christian slows him down. They are battling on the second rope and Jordan pushes Booker into them, sending both men to the floor. Booker gets a pin attempt and gets a really close call. Booker takes out all three opponents and hits the scissor kick on Jordan, but Christian breaks it up. Christian throws Benoit into Booker. Christian goes for the Unprettier, but Benoit counters that into a German suplex. He goes for a second one, but Jordan I guess blocks it? It sure looked like he and Christian hit heads pretty hard there. Benoit disposes of Jordan and hits another German suplex on Christian. He signals for the headbutt, but instead hits three more German suplexes and then heads up top. Christian moves out of the way and goes for a pin, but Benoit counters it and goes for the Crippler Crossface. After a fight, he gets it in. Jordan comes in an finally breaks it up. Booker again sends him out of the ring with a clothesline and Benoit puts Christian in a Sharpshooter and Christian taps. I wonder why Christian left for TNA? There were probably a few too many instances of guys getting thrown out of the ring here, but this was a hard fought match with a non-stop pace. I liked this a lot better than what I originally rated this match over a decade ago. After the match, Sharmell is telling Booker that Benoit is not his friend.
Match Rating: ***1/4
Lashley is backstage now making Dean eat his cheeseburgers. Dean is claiming how gross they are since they were on the mat. He isn't wrong. Lashley isn't buying it though and Dean tries to choke them down.
Mr. Kennedy vs. Hardcore Holly
Holly brings in Kennedy the hard way and then hits a vertical suplex. Holly then hits his signature suplex, which leads to some chops. Holly's tights look exactly like the new logo for Extreme Rules 2020. Kennedy hits Holly's shoulder into the ring post and goes to work on the shoulder. Kennedy hits a back suplex and the crowd isn't really into this match so far. Holly gets a few chops in, but again Kennedy goes to work on the shoulder. Holly battles out and hits a back body drop. Holly is able to hit a full nelson slam and follows it up with a clothesline in the corner. He sends him to the other corner and hits another clothesline. Holly hits is "completely legal" kick below the belt. Kennedy tries to go for a wheel kick, but Holly swats it away and hits a big boot. He climbs up to the top rope, but Kennedy gets there and gets Holly up on his shoulders. He hits the Green Bay Plunge and gets the victory. His finisher is definitely over. I thought the match would be a little bit better, but it ended up just being pretty good.
Match Rating: **1/4
After the match, Holly is selling his injuries, but refusing medical help. Out comes Sylvan and he attacks him. Holly had to be thrilled to be putting two guys over here tonight.
They go back to Dean eating his burgers and finds a hair in one of them.
Sharmell is backstage yelling about Benoit again. Mr. Kennedy comes in and interrupts and lets them know that he won his first pay-per-view match in his own obnoxious way. Sharmell tells Booker that his problem is himself, not Kennedy or Benoit.
JBL vs. Rey Mysterio
Tazz and Cole talking about the growth on Jillian's face continues to be one of the worst parts of 2005. JBL takes Rey down into a headlock to start. Rey starts using his speed to make JBL chase him around the ring. Rey mocks him by doing jumping jacks and then hits him with a dropkick. Rey starts working on the leg, but JBL gives him a thumb to the eye. Rey hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissor, but JBL is able to avoid a 619. Rey hits a leaping bulldog off the apron and both men are struggling to get back in the ring. JBL trips up Rey as he is climbing up the steps and he falls face first into them. JBL hits a fall away slam from the second rope. Mysterio battles back with a tornado DDT, but is struggling to capitalize. He's able to hit a bronco buster, but the Jillian climbs up to the apron. JBL almost runs into her, but is able to stop. Mysterio hits a moonsault for a nearfall. Mysterio hits a dropkick and follows it up with the 619. JBL ducks the seated senton and hits the Clothesline From Hell and gets the victory. These two have good chemistry and it made for a good match. Then again, who doesn't have good chemistry with Rey Mysterio?
Match Rating: ***
Handicap Casket Match
Bob & Randy Orton vs. Undertaker
Taker gets the druid entrance, so that means it's 24 minutes long instead of 18. The Ortons immediately try to corner Taker, but it's pro wrestling, so it doesn't work. They eventually are able to get Taker down after Bob hits him with a low blow. It doesn't last long and Taker is able to throw Bob into the casket. He quickly gets out and Randy is able to throw Taker into the steps. They team up to get Taker in the casket, but he never leaves his feet and fights his way out of there. Taker is able to hit Old School on Randy. He tries the same on Bob, but Randy knocks him off his feet and they hit a double superplex. They try to suplex him into the casket, but Taker counters it with a double DDT. Undertaker hits Snake Eyes and follows it up with the running boot. Meanwhile, Bob on the outside has a fire extinguisher. Taker drives Randy spine-first into the ring post. As he's trying to put Randy in the casket, Bob is trying to sneak up behind him, but he eats a boot to the face. Taker grabs a chair and drills Orton in the back with it. Bob misses with the extinguisher and puts on the triangle choke on him. Both Ortons are in the casket, but Randy prevents Taker from closing the lid. Taker and Randy begin exchanging fists while Bob is beneath him. Taker closes the casket on Bob and apparently that means it is now a one-on-one match. Randy hits a scoop powerslam and tries to get Taker into the casket. As it opens, he is distracted by his dad in there and Taker hits him with a low blow. Orton gets a little bit of a comeback after a dropkick, but he gets too cocky and Taker hits a Last Ride. He goes to throw Randy in the casket, but Bob pops out with the extinguisher and Randy hits him with a RKO. Bob goes to roll Taker in the casket, but Taker gets up and tries for a chokeslam. Randy comes over and hits him in the head with the extinguisher and it knocks Taker in the casket. Taker pulls Orton in the casket and the lid is shut with both men are in there. When it opens up, Taker goes for a chokeslam, but Bob attacks him. They hit him with a chair to the head and close the door. Who knew a fire extinguisher was Taker's Achilles' heel? This wasn't as bad as I thought, but the casket match certainly is not the best stipulation when it comes to match entertainment. After the match, the Ortons wheel the casket to the top of the ramp. Randy starts chopping the casket with an ax. Out comes Bob with gasoline and a lighter. Randy sets the casket ablaze until the pyro crew puts it out. They find the one person in the crowd who thinks that it's real and then Cole and Tazz try to sell the smell of the smoke and fumes. Meanwhile, the kids behind them seem to not be the least bit bothered by it.
Match Rating: **1/4
Cruiserweight Championship Match
Juventud vs. Nunzio
Remember those three weeks where they pretended to care about the Mexicools? This match was made as a result of Juventud winning a battle royal on Velocity. Nunzio was always an underrated worker. These guys are in the death spot on the show, as the crowd is completely out of it here. Juvy goes up top, but Nunzio pulls him off and gets a 2 count. Juvy is a good worker, but at this point in time Super Crazy was the best of the three and the guy that I would have put in a better spot than he is here. Both men are up top and both end up getting slammed face-first. Michael Cole reminds us that we can only see the cruiserweights on SmackDown. I can't remember the last cruiserweight match that was featured. Nunzio misses with a Sicilian Slice. Juvy goes for a springboard move, but Vito holds his leg. He fights him off and goes for a sunset flip. He ends up hitting Vito with a head scissors. He then hits a top rope crossbody, but Nunzio rolls through for a nearfall. Juvy hits a Northern Lights suplex and rolls through into a Juvy Driver and Juventud is your new Cruisweight Champion. There was nothing wrong with this match, but it just felt like a bunch of moves.
Match Rating: **1/2
Back to Simon Dean and he claims to have eaten all of the burgers. Lashley said that it was only 19 and brings him the 20th, which causes Dean to go puke. I am legitimately surprised that this story got as much time as it has here tonight.
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Eddie Guerrero vs. Batista
Sadly, this is the last time Eddie would ever wrestle on pay-per-view. They take their time to start, which is wise, as the crowd is definitely into both competitors. The story to start with is Batista using simple wrestling moves and Eddie having a hard time finding a way out of them. Eddie runs out and grabs a chair, which gets Michael Cole all in a tizzy. Eddie drops the chair and Batista grabs him by the throat and tries to bring him back in. Eddie is able to snap Batista's neck on the rope and goes for the Frog Splash and gets a close call out of nowhere there. Now it's Eddie's turn to use some wrestling holds and focuses on Batista's back. Eddie grabs the tag rope from the turnbuckle and again thinks the better of it, so he hits him with a dropkick instead. Eddie struggles to turn Batista over for a Texas Cloverleaf and he counters it into a small package for a 2 count. We get our ref bump and Eddie immediately grabs a chair. Eddie is struggling to hit Batista with it and Batista takes advantage of it. Batista hits a spear. He goes for a Batista Bomb, but Eddie rolls over and goes for a sunset flip. Batista counters that and turns it into a spinebuster. Eddie gets his knees up on an elbow drop in a little bit of an awkward looking spot. Eddie hits the Three Amigos. Eddie rolls through when Batista avoids his Frog Splash attempt, but Batista immediately hits a spinebuster and gets the victory? That was a little bit of an anti-climatic finish there. It felt like they still had a couple minutes there at the end that would have probably improved this one. After the match Batista helps Eddie up and we get the delayed handshake. Batista turns his back and Eddie stares him down and then walks away.
Match Rating: ***
There were a couple of pretty good matches, but there was no standout and nothing really happened of importance. This was always the issue with the brand split shows and this one is no different. The card itself was good, but it just ended up feeling like a 160 minute episode of SmackDown instead. I wouldn't call it a terrible show, but it's definitely not a good one.
Overall Rating: 49%
Toyota Center
Houston, Texas
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MNM & Melina vs. Animal, Heidenreich & Christy Hemme
Heidenreich throws Nitro in the ring while he is still wearing his jacket and the match is underway. Heidenreich turns Nitro inside out with a clothesline. MNM turns the tide on Animal by working on his injured shoulder. MNM hits the Snapshot, but Nitro doesn't get out of the ring and it delays the pin. That was just an awkward way to allow someone to kick out of finisher. Not to mention that they hit it about two minutes into the match. Mercury goes up top, but Animal catches him and hits a body slam. Heidenreich breaks up the pin attempt and Nitro dumps him over the top rope. Nitro jumps off the apron, but Heidenreich moves out of the way. Melina tags herself in and goes off the top rope. Animal catches her and tags in Christy. She hits a Hart Attack clothesline. Christy then hits the scariest looking hurricanrana I've ever seen. Christy goes up top for the Doomsday Device. She barely can get her pinned, but it eventually happens and they get the victory. It's really a little scary how they were trotting out women like Christy and Ashley for wrestling matches when they clearly weren't ready yet. The match was okay for what it was and the crowd seemed to enjoy it for the most part.
Match Rating: *1/2 (out of 5)
Eddie Guerrero and Batista are back in the locker room together. Eddie tells Batista good luck and Batista wishes him the same.
Simon Dean vs. Bobby Lashley
Simon Dean is out with writer Chris DeJoseph, who is carrying out a tray of hamburgers. Before the match, he talks about Houston being the fattest city in America. He says that he is so sure that he'll beat Lashley tonight, that if he doesn't, he will eat all 20 cheeseburgers on the tray. Dean goes for a cheap shot, but Lashley catches him into a double underhook suplex. Dean avoids a charging Lashley in the corner and Dean starts throwing cheeseburgers at the ref. With the ref distracted, he smacks the tray on the head of Lashley, but that just makes Lashley mad. He pulls up Dean by his feet and tries to catch him into the Dominator, but they lose their balance. He picks him back up and hits it and gets the easy victory. Dean continues to be perfect in his role as an enhancement talent and Lashley continues to show more promise than I remember back in 2005. Lashley then shoves one of the burgers in his face.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Jillian Hall introduces JBL backstage for his interview. He talks about Raw potentially invading the show tonight. He says that underdogs simply do not win, but in walks Rey Mysterio. He offers JBL a mask, but then hands it to Jillian Hall.
Fatal 4-Way For The United States Championship
Booker T vs. Christian vs. Orlando Jordan vs. Chris Benoit
Christian and Booker go after one another while Jordan and Benoit do the same. Benoit gets knocked out of the ring and Jordan starts working with Christian on Booker. Booker hits a double leaping clothesline and then throws Christian out of the ring. Christian trips up Booker and throws him into the steel steps. Benoit sneaks in and puts Jordan in the Crippler Crossface, but Christian makes the save. Benoit hits a suplex on Christian and then suplexes Jordan on top of Christian. He then hits a drop toe hold into Jordan below the belt. Benoit puts Christian in the Sharpshooter, but Jordan is right there to break it up. Booker makes his way back and hits a missile dropkick on Christian. Booker hits a slingshot on Jordan and he hits Christian. Benoit then dumps out Jordan and now Benoit and Booker are in there alone. By the time they really get started, Christian and Jordan make their way back in. Benoit hits a belly-to-belly suplex over the top rope and Jordan again gets rid of Benoit. They hit a double clothesline and both men are down. Benoit comes in and goes up top, but Christian slows him down. They are battling on the second rope and Jordan pushes Booker into them, sending both men to the floor. Booker gets a pin attempt and gets a really close call. Booker takes out all three opponents and hits the scissor kick on Jordan, but Christian breaks it up. Christian throws Benoit into Booker. Christian goes for the Unprettier, but Benoit counters that into a German suplex. He goes for a second one, but Jordan I guess blocks it? It sure looked like he and Christian hit heads pretty hard there. Benoit disposes of Jordan and hits another German suplex on Christian. He signals for the headbutt, but instead hits three more German suplexes and then heads up top. Christian moves out of the way and goes for a pin, but Benoit counters it and goes for the Crippler Crossface. After a fight, he gets it in. Jordan comes in an finally breaks it up. Booker again sends him out of the ring with a clothesline and Benoit puts Christian in a Sharpshooter and Christian taps. I wonder why Christian left for TNA? There were probably a few too many instances of guys getting thrown out of the ring here, but this was a hard fought match with a non-stop pace. I liked this a lot better than what I originally rated this match over a decade ago. After the match, Sharmell is telling Booker that Benoit is not his friend.
Match Rating: ***1/4
Lashley is backstage now making Dean eat his cheeseburgers. Dean is claiming how gross they are since they were on the mat. He isn't wrong. Lashley isn't buying it though and Dean tries to choke them down.
Mr. Kennedy vs. Hardcore Holly
Holly brings in Kennedy the hard way and then hits a vertical suplex. Holly then hits his signature suplex, which leads to some chops. Holly's tights look exactly like the new logo for Extreme Rules 2020. Kennedy hits Holly's shoulder into the ring post and goes to work on the shoulder. Kennedy hits a back suplex and the crowd isn't really into this match so far. Holly gets a few chops in, but again Kennedy goes to work on the shoulder. Holly battles out and hits a back body drop. Holly is able to hit a full nelson slam and follows it up with a clothesline in the corner. He sends him to the other corner and hits another clothesline. Holly hits is "completely legal" kick below the belt. Kennedy tries to go for a wheel kick, but Holly swats it away and hits a big boot. He climbs up to the top rope, but Kennedy gets there and gets Holly up on his shoulders. He hits the Green Bay Plunge and gets the victory. His finisher is definitely over. I thought the match would be a little bit better, but it ended up just being pretty good.
Match Rating: **1/4
After the match, Holly is selling his injuries, but refusing medical help. Out comes Sylvan and he attacks him. Holly had to be thrilled to be putting two guys over here tonight.
They go back to Dean eating his burgers and finds a hair in one of them.
Sharmell is backstage yelling about Benoit again. Mr. Kennedy comes in and interrupts and lets them know that he won his first pay-per-view match in his own obnoxious way. Sharmell tells Booker that his problem is himself, not Kennedy or Benoit.
JBL vs. Rey Mysterio
Tazz and Cole talking about the growth on Jillian's face continues to be one of the worst parts of 2005. JBL takes Rey down into a headlock to start. Rey starts using his speed to make JBL chase him around the ring. Rey mocks him by doing jumping jacks and then hits him with a dropkick. Rey starts working on the leg, but JBL gives him a thumb to the eye. Rey hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissor, but JBL is able to avoid a 619. Rey hits a leaping bulldog off the apron and both men are struggling to get back in the ring. JBL trips up Rey as he is climbing up the steps and he falls face first into them. JBL hits a fall away slam from the second rope. Mysterio battles back with a tornado DDT, but is struggling to capitalize. He's able to hit a bronco buster, but the Jillian climbs up to the apron. JBL almost runs into her, but is able to stop. Mysterio hits a moonsault for a nearfall. Mysterio hits a dropkick and follows it up with the 619. JBL ducks the seated senton and hits the Clothesline From Hell and gets the victory. These two have good chemistry and it made for a good match. Then again, who doesn't have good chemistry with Rey Mysterio?
Match Rating: ***
Handicap Casket Match
Bob & Randy Orton vs. Undertaker
Taker gets the druid entrance, so that means it's 24 minutes long instead of 18. The Ortons immediately try to corner Taker, but it's pro wrestling, so it doesn't work. They eventually are able to get Taker down after Bob hits him with a low blow. It doesn't last long and Taker is able to throw Bob into the casket. He quickly gets out and Randy is able to throw Taker into the steps. They team up to get Taker in the casket, but he never leaves his feet and fights his way out of there. Taker is able to hit Old School on Randy. He tries the same on Bob, but Randy knocks him off his feet and they hit a double superplex. They try to suplex him into the casket, but Taker counters it with a double DDT. Undertaker hits Snake Eyes and follows it up with the running boot. Meanwhile, Bob on the outside has a fire extinguisher. Taker drives Randy spine-first into the ring post. As he's trying to put Randy in the casket, Bob is trying to sneak up behind him, but he eats a boot to the face. Taker grabs a chair and drills Orton in the back with it. Bob misses with the extinguisher and puts on the triangle choke on him. Both Ortons are in the casket, but Randy prevents Taker from closing the lid. Taker and Randy begin exchanging fists while Bob is beneath him. Taker closes the casket on Bob and apparently that means it is now a one-on-one match. Randy hits a scoop powerslam and tries to get Taker into the casket. As it opens, he is distracted by his dad in there and Taker hits him with a low blow. Orton gets a little bit of a comeback after a dropkick, but he gets too cocky and Taker hits a Last Ride. He goes to throw Randy in the casket, but Bob pops out with the extinguisher and Randy hits him with a RKO. Bob goes to roll Taker in the casket, but Taker gets up and tries for a chokeslam. Randy comes over and hits him in the head with the extinguisher and it knocks Taker in the casket. Taker pulls Orton in the casket and the lid is shut with both men are in there. When it opens up, Taker goes for a chokeslam, but Bob attacks him. They hit him with a chair to the head and close the door. Who knew a fire extinguisher was Taker's Achilles' heel? This wasn't as bad as I thought, but the casket match certainly is not the best stipulation when it comes to match entertainment. After the match, the Ortons wheel the casket to the top of the ramp. Randy starts chopping the casket with an ax. Out comes Bob with gasoline and a lighter. Randy sets the casket ablaze until the pyro crew puts it out. They find the one person in the crowd who thinks that it's real and then Cole and Tazz try to sell the smell of the smoke and fumes. Meanwhile, the kids behind them seem to not be the least bit bothered by it.
Match Rating: **1/4
Cruiserweight Championship Match
Juventud vs. Nunzio
Remember those three weeks where they pretended to care about the Mexicools? This match was made as a result of Juventud winning a battle royal on Velocity. Nunzio was always an underrated worker. These guys are in the death spot on the show, as the crowd is completely out of it here. Juvy goes up top, but Nunzio pulls him off and gets a 2 count. Juvy is a good worker, but at this point in time Super Crazy was the best of the three and the guy that I would have put in a better spot than he is here. Both men are up top and both end up getting slammed face-first. Michael Cole reminds us that we can only see the cruiserweights on SmackDown. I can't remember the last cruiserweight match that was featured. Nunzio misses with a Sicilian Slice. Juvy goes for a springboard move, but Vito holds his leg. He fights him off and goes for a sunset flip. He ends up hitting Vito with a head scissors. He then hits a top rope crossbody, but Nunzio rolls through for a nearfall. Juvy hits a Northern Lights suplex and rolls through into a Juvy Driver and Juventud is your new Cruisweight Champion. There was nothing wrong with this match, but it just felt like a bunch of moves.
Match Rating: **1/2
Back to Simon Dean and he claims to have eaten all of the burgers. Lashley said that it was only 19 and brings him the 20th, which causes Dean to go puke. I am legitimately surprised that this story got as much time as it has here tonight.
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Eddie Guerrero vs. Batista
Sadly, this is the last time Eddie would ever wrestle on pay-per-view. They take their time to start, which is wise, as the crowd is definitely into both competitors. The story to start with is Batista using simple wrestling moves and Eddie having a hard time finding a way out of them. Eddie runs out and grabs a chair, which gets Michael Cole all in a tizzy. Eddie drops the chair and Batista grabs him by the throat and tries to bring him back in. Eddie is able to snap Batista's neck on the rope and goes for the Frog Splash and gets a close call out of nowhere there. Now it's Eddie's turn to use some wrestling holds and focuses on Batista's back. Eddie grabs the tag rope from the turnbuckle and again thinks the better of it, so he hits him with a dropkick instead. Eddie struggles to turn Batista over for a Texas Cloverleaf and he counters it into a small package for a 2 count. We get our ref bump and Eddie immediately grabs a chair. Eddie is struggling to hit Batista with it and Batista takes advantage of it. Batista hits a spear. He goes for a Batista Bomb, but Eddie rolls over and goes for a sunset flip. Batista counters that and turns it into a spinebuster. Eddie gets his knees up on an elbow drop in a little bit of an awkward looking spot. Eddie hits the Three Amigos. Eddie rolls through when Batista avoids his Frog Splash attempt, but Batista immediately hits a spinebuster and gets the victory? That was a little bit of an anti-climatic finish there. It felt like they still had a couple minutes there at the end that would have probably improved this one. After the match Batista helps Eddie up and we get the delayed handshake. Batista turns his back and Eddie stares him down and then walks away.
Match Rating: ***
There were a couple of pretty good matches, but there was no standout and nothing really happened of importance. This was always the issue with the brand split shows and this one is no different. The card itself was good, but it just ended up feeling like a 160 minute episode of SmackDown instead. I wouldn't call it a terrible show, but it's definitely not a good one.
Overall Rating: 49%
Sunday, July 5, 2020
NXT 7-10-13 Review
Original Airdate: Wednesday, July 10th, 2013
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
NXT Women's Championship Tournament Semi-Final Match
Summer Rae vs. Emma
Brad Maddox is back on announcing duties this week...yep. Emma continues to be a fan favorite. Summer starts off on the attack slamming Emma face first into the turnbuckle and then into the mat. Summer starts working on arm of Emma and then hits a dropkick after Emma gets out of the hold. Emma hits a drop toe hold on Summer into the second turnbuckle and a seated dropkick for a 2 count. Summer goes for a sunset flip, but it leads to a few back and forth pin attempts and Emma ends up getting the win out of it. As soon as the match is over, Summer attacks Emma from behind. Out comes Paige and Summer heads to the back. The right woman won, but again they got no time and they didn't have much chemistry.
Match Rating: 1/2* (out of 5)
Bayley is backstage with Dusty Rhodes. He lets her know how proud he is of her. Bayley is starting show off her WWE fan gimmick. In walks Charlotte and Ric Flair. Bayley offers to wrestle Charlotte next week for her debut. Bayley wants a "Woo" and Ric gives her one.
Sami Zayn vs. Leo Kruger
Maddox is confused as to why the crowd is chanting "Ole" for Zayn. Things start off a little slowly, but Zayn picks up the pace and hits some classic El Generico offense. Zayn goes for the dive, but Kruger catches him with a forearm and both men are down. Back from a commercial break, Kruger is beating Zayn with come clubbing blows. Kruger hits a huge spinebuster for a nearfall. That was nice. Zayn makes a comeback with a huge dropkick. Zayn hits a flying crossbody and gets a close call. Kruger catches Zayn with a knee and throws him shoulder first into the ring post. Zayn catches Kruger for a spinning sit down powerbomb. He heads up top, but Kruger meets him up there and hits a top rope superplex. Kruger goes back to work on the shoulder and puts Zayn in the GC3 and Zayn taps out. I'm a little surprised with that ending. This was a solid match and both men looked good here.
Match Rating: **3/4
Adrian Neville, Corey Graves and William Regal are back with Renee Young. Regal is in rare form here.
Handicap Match
Mason Ryan vs. Enzo Amore & Big Cass
Enzo and Cass start off in control until Ryan hits them with a double shoulder tackle. Ryan has Amore up for a body slam, but Cass hits a big boot for a 2 count. It's really weird to me that they undersell how big Cass is. Enzo hits a chop block and Cass falls on him for the victory. At least it was short.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Dusty Rhodes announces that next week Sami Zayn, Leo Kruger and Cesaro will square off to determine a #1 contender.
The Wyatt Family vs. Adrian Neville, Corey Graves & William Regal
The faces start off the match working on Rowan. Rowan is able to knock Graves down and get a tag into Harper. Graves hits a dropkick and puts him in a submission hold where he is draped over the top rope. Regal then hits some kicks behind his back to Harper. He tags in Neville and he follows suit. Neville explodes on Harper, until Harper gets his fingers in the eyes of Neville. Wyatt gets a big cheap shot in and then tags in for the first time. Rowan hits a pump handle backbreaker on Neville for a 2 count. Neville tries to hit a comeback until he goes for a crucifix and Wyatt counters it with a Samoan drop. Neville finally makes a tag to Regal and he hits Harper with a series of forearms. He hits an exploder suplex and hits a bunch of knees to the face. Rowan breaks up a pin attempt and Graves comes in and knocks both he and Rowan out of hte ring. Neville hits a dive over the top rope, while Harper tags in Wyatt. Wyatt hits Sister Abigail and gets the victory. Well, that sure was an anti-climatic ending. The rest of the match was entertaining and it's fun seeing Regal in there with the younger guys.
Match Rating: **3/4
We had two pretty good matches on this show, so in the world of NXT in 2013, that's a good show. The women continue to get shortchanged on time, but hopefully Emma and Paige gets a fair amount of time to tell their story. Neville and Zayn continue to look like the stars of the brand and are just on a different level in the ring compared to the rest of the roster. This wasn't a classic, but it certainly was a good effort.
Overall Rating: 60%
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
NXT Women's Championship Tournament Semi-Final Match
Summer Rae vs. Emma
Brad Maddox is back on announcing duties this week...yep. Emma continues to be a fan favorite. Summer starts off on the attack slamming Emma face first into the turnbuckle and then into the mat. Summer starts working on arm of Emma and then hits a dropkick after Emma gets out of the hold. Emma hits a drop toe hold on Summer into the second turnbuckle and a seated dropkick for a 2 count. Summer goes for a sunset flip, but it leads to a few back and forth pin attempts and Emma ends up getting the win out of it. As soon as the match is over, Summer attacks Emma from behind. Out comes Paige and Summer heads to the back. The right woman won, but again they got no time and they didn't have much chemistry.
Match Rating: 1/2* (out of 5)
Bayley is backstage with Dusty Rhodes. He lets her know how proud he is of her. Bayley is starting show off her WWE fan gimmick. In walks Charlotte and Ric Flair. Bayley offers to wrestle Charlotte next week for her debut. Bayley wants a "Woo" and Ric gives her one.
Sami Zayn vs. Leo Kruger
Maddox is confused as to why the crowd is chanting "Ole" for Zayn. Things start off a little slowly, but Zayn picks up the pace and hits some classic El Generico offense. Zayn goes for the dive, but Kruger catches him with a forearm and both men are down. Back from a commercial break, Kruger is beating Zayn with come clubbing blows. Kruger hits a huge spinebuster for a nearfall. That was nice. Zayn makes a comeback with a huge dropkick. Zayn hits a flying crossbody and gets a close call. Kruger catches Zayn with a knee and throws him shoulder first into the ring post. Zayn catches Kruger for a spinning sit down powerbomb. He heads up top, but Kruger meets him up there and hits a top rope superplex. Kruger goes back to work on the shoulder and puts Zayn in the GC3 and Zayn taps out. I'm a little surprised with that ending. This was a solid match and both men looked good here.
Match Rating: **3/4
Adrian Neville, Corey Graves and William Regal are back with Renee Young. Regal is in rare form here.
Handicap Match
Mason Ryan vs. Enzo Amore & Big Cass
Enzo and Cass start off in control until Ryan hits them with a double shoulder tackle. Ryan has Amore up for a body slam, but Cass hits a big boot for a 2 count. It's really weird to me that they undersell how big Cass is. Enzo hits a chop block and Cass falls on him for the victory. At least it was short.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Dusty Rhodes announces that next week Sami Zayn, Leo Kruger and Cesaro will square off to determine a #1 contender.
The Wyatt Family vs. Adrian Neville, Corey Graves & William Regal
The faces start off the match working on Rowan. Rowan is able to knock Graves down and get a tag into Harper. Graves hits a dropkick and puts him in a submission hold where he is draped over the top rope. Regal then hits some kicks behind his back to Harper. He tags in Neville and he follows suit. Neville explodes on Harper, until Harper gets his fingers in the eyes of Neville. Wyatt gets a big cheap shot in and then tags in for the first time. Rowan hits a pump handle backbreaker on Neville for a 2 count. Neville tries to hit a comeback until he goes for a crucifix and Wyatt counters it with a Samoan drop. Neville finally makes a tag to Regal and he hits Harper with a series of forearms. He hits an exploder suplex and hits a bunch of knees to the face. Rowan breaks up a pin attempt and Graves comes in and knocks both he and Rowan out of hte ring. Neville hits a dive over the top rope, while Harper tags in Wyatt. Wyatt hits Sister Abigail and gets the victory. Well, that sure was an anti-climatic ending. The rest of the match was entertaining and it's fun seeing Regal in there with the younger guys.
Match Rating: **3/4
We had two pretty good matches on this show, so in the world of NXT in 2013, that's a good show. The women continue to get shortchanged on time, but hopefully Emma and Paige gets a fair amount of time to tell their story. Neville and Zayn continue to look like the stars of the brand and are just on a different level in the ring compared to the rest of the roster. This wasn't a classic, but it certainly was a good effort.
Overall Rating: 60%
Wednesday, July 1, 2020
Monday Night Raw 5-10-93 Review
Monday, May 10th, 1993
Manhattan Center
New York City, New York
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
They show Shawn Michaels earlier talking about his match tonight with Hacksaw Jim Duggan and then Mr. Perfect comes from out of nowhere and attacks him. They have a fun brawl out in the street. That's a fun way to start the show.
King Of The Ring Qualifying Match
Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Typhoon
Randy Savage wonders who has the weight advantage here. That's great foreshadowing to his 1994 King of the Ring experience. After they try to knock one another over, Typhoon hits a body slam. Bam Bam then gives Typhoon one of his own. Bam Bam hits a back suplex, but Typhoon pops up and hits a clothesline that sends Bam Bam out of the ring. Bam Bam tricks him into following him back into the ring and he slams Typhoon into the ring post. It should be noted that once again the NYC crowd is very much behind Bam Bam. After the commercial break, Bam Bam impressively hits a Samoan drop. He goes up top and hits the headbutt from the top rope and qualifies for the King of the Ring. I love Bobby Heenan's reaction to winning the match, making the tournament feel important. The match was nothing special, but Bam Bam looked impressive.
Match Rating: 3/4* (out of 5)
We get another Smoking Gunns vignette.
Yokozuna vs. P.J. Walker
Heenan says that he feels sorry for how Yokozuna was "jobbed" at WrestleMania. Yoko steamrolls Walker here, as one would expect and I still love the crowd reaction that he gets every time he hits the Banzai Drop. This was exactly what it was supposed to be.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Mean Gene is here for the King of the Ring Report. There are three spots left and two will be filled when Doink faces Mr. Perfect and Tatanka takes on Giant Gonzalez.
Mr. Perfect vs. Iron Mike Sharpe
Perfect gets a dropkick in early on and then hits some open palm slaps. Vince refers to Sharpe as "one tough hombre". They once again recycle the announcer watching a different channel thing with Heenan. This absolutely makes no sense. Perfect hits the Perfect Plex and that is all. Squash.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Mr. Hughes vs. Cannonball Kid
Mr. Hughes is now with Harvey Wippleman and Cannonball Kid is of course Sean Waltman. Hughes throws Kid all around the ring and then hits a big boot. He hits his chokeslam finisher and gets the easy victory.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Lumberjack Match For The Intercontinental Championship
Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs. Shawn Michaels
Hacksaw goes after Yokozuna during his entrance. Michaels comes out on crutches and is wearing a shirt with Ultimate Warrior and Legion of Doom on it. I'm almost positive I had that shirt in white from Kids R Us. Perfect attacks Michaels and it exposes that his leg is fine. The bell rings and Duggan hits a big atomic drop. Duggan hits a big suplex for a 2 count. Michaels is a bumping machine here for Duggan. Michaels is thrown out of the ring. Hughes at Terry Taylor gently try to get Michaels up until Perfect comes over. Michaels tries to escape, but Perfect carries him back as we head into a commercial break. When we come back, Duggan misses a knee drop and Michaels then uses his boot to the face of Duggan. Duggan counters the back body drop attempt by slamming Michaels face first to the mat. Duggan catches Shawn off the turnbuckle and slams him down for a nearfall. I'm not sure I can think of another Duggan WWF match that is as long as this one. Duggan hits hits running clothesline, but Michaels is able to roll out of the ring. Michaels misses with a splash in the corner, but Bam Bam distracts Duggan and Shawn nails him in the back. Yokozuna splashes Duggan on the outside. Shawn goes for the cocky pin attempt by standing on Duggan, but Perfect comes in and attacks Michaels. They call it a disqualification, which makes no sense because you are able to attack from outside the ring. Everyone is brawling now and Duggan clears the ring with his 2x4. We go off the air with Duggan standing tall. That was a fun main event with Michaels going above and beyond with his bumping.
Match Rating: **1/2
This was a pretty entertaining show. Everything felt like there was a purpose behind it and the show went by quickly. I still don't get the finish of the main event, but the match itself was better than expected.
Overall Rating: 56%
Manhattan Center
New York City, New York
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
They show Shawn Michaels earlier talking about his match tonight with Hacksaw Jim Duggan and then Mr. Perfect comes from out of nowhere and attacks him. They have a fun brawl out in the street. That's a fun way to start the show.
King Of The Ring Qualifying Match
Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Typhoon
Randy Savage wonders who has the weight advantage here. That's great foreshadowing to his 1994 King of the Ring experience. After they try to knock one another over, Typhoon hits a body slam. Bam Bam then gives Typhoon one of his own. Bam Bam hits a back suplex, but Typhoon pops up and hits a clothesline that sends Bam Bam out of the ring. Bam Bam tricks him into following him back into the ring and he slams Typhoon into the ring post. It should be noted that once again the NYC crowd is very much behind Bam Bam. After the commercial break, Bam Bam impressively hits a Samoan drop. He goes up top and hits the headbutt from the top rope and qualifies for the King of the Ring. I love Bobby Heenan's reaction to winning the match, making the tournament feel important. The match was nothing special, but Bam Bam looked impressive.
Match Rating: 3/4* (out of 5)
We get another Smoking Gunns vignette.
Yokozuna vs. P.J. Walker
Heenan says that he feels sorry for how Yokozuna was "jobbed" at WrestleMania. Yoko steamrolls Walker here, as one would expect and I still love the crowd reaction that he gets every time he hits the Banzai Drop. This was exactly what it was supposed to be.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Mean Gene is here for the King of the Ring Report. There are three spots left and two will be filled when Doink faces Mr. Perfect and Tatanka takes on Giant Gonzalez.
Mr. Perfect vs. Iron Mike Sharpe
Perfect gets a dropkick in early on and then hits some open palm slaps. Vince refers to Sharpe as "one tough hombre". They once again recycle the announcer watching a different channel thing with Heenan. This absolutely makes no sense. Perfect hits the Perfect Plex and that is all. Squash.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Mr. Hughes vs. Cannonball Kid
Mr. Hughes is now with Harvey Wippleman and Cannonball Kid is of course Sean Waltman. Hughes throws Kid all around the ring and then hits a big boot. He hits his chokeslam finisher and gets the easy victory.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Lumberjack Match For The Intercontinental Championship
Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs. Shawn Michaels
Hacksaw goes after Yokozuna during his entrance. Michaels comes out on crutches and is wearing a shirt with Ultimate Warrior and Legion of Doom on it. I'm almost positive I had that shirt in white from Kids R Us. Perfect attacks Michaels and it exposes that his leg is fine. The bell rings and Duggan hits a big atomic drop. Duggan hits a big suplex for a 2 count. Michaels is a bumping machine here for Duggan. Michaels is thrown out of the ring. Hughes at Terry Taylor gently try to get Michaels up until Perfect comes over. Michaels tries to escape, but Perfect carries him back as we head into a commercial break. When we come back, Duggan misses a knee drop and Michaels then uses his boot to the face of Duggan. Duggan counters the back body drop attempt by slamming Michaels face first to the mat. Duggan catches Shawn off the turnbuckle and slams him down for a nearfall. I'm not sure I can think of another Duggan WWF match that is as long as this one. Duggan hits hits running clothesline, but Michaels is able to roll out of the ring. Michaels misses with a splash in the corner, but Bam Bam distracts Duggan and Shawn nails him in the back. Yokozuna splashes Duggan on the outside. Shawn goes for the cocky pin attempt by standing on Duggan, but Perfect comes in and attacks Michaels. They call it a disqualification, which makes no sense because you are able to attack from outside the ring. Everyone is brawling now and Duggan clears the ring with his 2x4. We go off the air with Duggan standing tall. That was a fun main event with Michaels going above and beyond with his bumping.
Match Rating: **1/2
This was a pretty entertaining show. Everything felt like there was a purpose behind it and the show went by quickly. I still don't get the finish of the main event, but the match itself was better than expected.
Overall Rating: 56%
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