King Of The Ring 1993 Review

Sunday, June 13th, 1993

Nutter Center

Dayton, Ohio

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King Of The Ring First Round Match

Razor Ramon vs. Bret Hart

These two had a fantastic match at the Royal Rumble earlier this year. I'm a huge fan of Razor's green gear here. We get some back and forth action to begin. The ring tonight has a little extra pop to it here tonight. Hart runs into a knee from Ramon and then gets thrown shoulder first into the ring post. The crowd is starting to chant "1-2-3" in reference to Razor's loss to the Kid. Back in the ring, Razor hits a fall away slam for a 2 count. Bret avoids a couple of elbow drops and Bret starts firing away with some right hands. Bret brings out the inverted atomic drop and the side Russian leg sweep. The elbow drop off the second rope gives us our closest pin attempt. Bret goes for the bulldog, but Razor is able to shove him into the turnbuckle. Bret counters out of the Razor's Edge, uses the ropes to leap over Razor and gets a small package for an awesome nearfall. Bret gets into it with the ref, allowing Razor to attack him. Razor goes for the back suplex from the second rope, but Bret falls on Razor and gets the victory. They really should have gone back to this feud at some point. 

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

They show us clips from Superstars with Mr. Hughes and Giant Gonzalez beating on Undertaker. 

King Of The Ring First Round Match

Mr. Hughes vs. Mr. Perfect

Perfect takes Hughes down with a hip toss and then follows it up with a dropkick that Hughes doesn't sell. Hughes then rocks Perfect with a right hand. Hughes then slows it down more than anyone would ever want it to. We get an in-match interview with Bret, who says that he would rather take on Perfect next. Hughes gets crotched on the second rope and Perfect fights back with a hip toss and then snaps the neck of Hughes. Hughes grabs the urn and nails Perfect in the face with it and gets disqualified. What a stupid finish. I get you are protecting Hughes here, but why book this then?

Match Rating: 1/4*

Mean Gene is in the locker room with Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji. Fuji claims that Hogan cheated against Yokozuna and that tonight he will see a better Yokozuna. Banzai!

King Of The Ring First Round Match

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Hacksaw Jim Duggan

I remember renting this VHS years after it happened and being really excited for this one. Heenan goes off on Jim Ross when he's talking about his football accolades by telling him it's all about cash. They start slugging it out and Bigelow misses a splash in the corner. Duggan is selling his ribs though and Bam Bam takes advantage. Duggan fights out of a bear hug, but Bam Bam takes him down again. Bam Bam misses with a headbutt. Duggan for some reason goes for a body slam, but Bam Bam falls on him for a 2 count. Duggan goes for a body slam again and this time it works. He misses the shoulder tackle into the turnbuckle and Bam Bam hits the top rope headbutt and gets the victory. There were some flaws in the psychology, but they were smart to keep this quick and to the point. Bam Bam was the man.

Match Rating: *3/4

We go back to Terry Taylor (?), who is with the Smoking Gunns and the Steiner Brothers. Terry is really going all out cheesy here. This was really lame.

King Of The Ring First Round Match

The Narcissist vs. Tatanka

I don't care what anyone says, I think the Narcissist gimmick was the way to go with Luger and he could have been a legit main eventer. The referees try to put a pad on his arm for his loaded forearm. The Fink announces that if he doesn't put it on, he will be eliminated. Luger attacks Tatanka as he comes in and the mirror is still in the middle of the ring. Tatanka pushes the mirror over on Luger and somehow that isn't a disqualification? Tatanka hits a chop on Luger and sends him over the top. Tatanka gets a nearfall after a back body drop and a clothesline. Savage declares that the WWF Champion and the King Of The Ring winner are equal. Bam Bam says that he wants to get his hands on Tatanka next. Luger finally gets in on offense and hits a backbreaker. Luger argues with the ref's count and Tatanka gets a close call with a roll up. Mike Chioda's mullet is really something. Tatanka gets his second wind and starts taking down Luger with three minutes remaining. Tatanka hits a powerslam and gets another close call. He hits a top rope chop and once again it's not enough. Tatanka goes up one more time, but Luger gets out of the way. Luger hits a big clothesline and a powerslam and gets another 2 count with a minute to go. Luger hits a vertical suplex and it's really weird that they aren't having the Fink announce how much time is left. As a result, the match just ends and both competitors really weren't rushing at the end. Luger is furious with the result and grabs the mic. Luger says that he wants five more minutes and the crowd agrees. Luger takes the pad off his arm and clubs him with the loaded forearm. This was a 15 minute match that featured Luger and Tatanka, so it obviously wasn't great. However, it probably wasn't far off from the best case scenario given their skill sets.

Match Rating: *3/4

Mean Gene is standing back with Bret Hart and Mr. Perfect. Mean Gene tries to stir the pot since Hart said he'd rather take on Mr. Perfect over Mr. Hughes. Bret then claims that Stu beat Larry and they start arguing over that. Perfect says that he will do what he has to do to win. Bret says that he couldn't do that at SummerSlam. This was neither guy's best work, but still good fun. 

King Of The Ring Semifinal Match

Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect

You may have heard of this one before. After some mat wrestling, Bret Hart gets the early advantage with a side headlock. Bret sneaks in a few pin attempts and then goes back to the side headlock again. Perfect is finally able to get some offense in, using a dropkick to knock Bret out of the ring. Perfect welcomes him back in and lowers the rope for him. However, Perfect shows off some heel tendencies and kicks him on the way in. Perfect pushes Bret off the apron and he lands on the concrete and hits the fencing. Perfect hits the missile dropkick, but Bret is able to get his foot on the rope to break the count. Perfect begins showing some urgency and sends Bret sternum-first into the turnbuckles. Perfect goes up top again, but Bret meets him up there and hits a superplex. Bret goes for the Figure Four and has it in the middle of the ring. Perfect is able to get to the ropes and then is able to get Bret put into the sleeper hold. Jim Ross lets us know that we are at the 15 minute mark, meaning we are at the halfway point of the second round time limit. Bret is able to break the hold and then slugs Perfect with a big forearm. We then get the classic Perfect spot where he's tossed across the ring and gets crotched on the ring post. Bret follows with an inverted atomic drop and a side Russian leg drop for a 2 count. Bret hits the backbreaker and hits the second rope elbow drop, but again Perfect gets his shoulder up. Bret goes for the Sharpshooter, but Perfect grabs Bret's hurt hand and is able to get out of it. Perfect goes for the Perfect Plex, but Bret blocks it. Perfect tries to go for a vertical suplex instead, but Bret counters that and hits a suplex of his own and it sends them both over the top rope to the floor. They get back in the ring and Perfect gets a small package for 2 before Bret shifts his weight and turns it into a pinfall victory. Perfect confronts Bret after the match, but calms down and shakes his hand and heads to the back. This was fantastic wrestling, but I still prefer the SummerSlam match.

Match Rating: ****

Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart are with Mean Gene. WWF definitely had to have sent out a memo about making sure they refer to Dayton as the heartland of America, because I feel like it's been said about 20 times here tonight.

WWF Championship Match

Yokozuna vs. Hulk Hogan

There are a lot of photographers documenting this match. You have to wonder if that's going to play a role? Nah, that would never happen. Kudos to Heenan for reminding us that the WWF Championship is more prestigious than winning the Super Bowl or the NBA Finals. Yokozuna shows off his strength and throws Hogan to the ground. Yoko goes into full monster Hogan heel mode and hits the slow paced offense. Hogan is able to avoid a charging Yoko and starts hitting him with some right hands. Hogan goes for the body slam, but Yoko clubs him in the back. Hogan is able to hit a couple of clotheslines, but Yoko is still standing. On the third attempt, Yoko hits him first, but then misses with the splash. Both men are up and Hogan charges at Yoko, but Yoko still knocks him done. That was actually a really nice sell by Hogan there. Yoko puts on the dreaded bear hug. Hogan gets his arm up on the third drop and starts wailing on Yoko. Hogan is still selling the back and Yoko is able to hit him with a back elbow. Yoko hits the belly-to-belly suplex, but Hogan kicks out with authority. It's Hulking up time now. Two kicks and Yoko is still not down. Hogan hits a third one and it finally knocks him down. Hogan hits the leg drop, but Yoko kicks out. Hogan knocks Fuji off the apron and signals for the body slam. There's a photographer up on the apron and he hits Hogan with the exploding camera. Yoko hits the splash and we have a new WWF Champion. After the match, Yoko hits the Banzai Splash to end Hulkamania. Jimmy Hart rolls Hogan out of the ring. Despite the cheap ending, Hogan does deserve credit here for really putting Yoko over here hard. This wasn't good, but it was a lot better than I remembered it being. 

Match Rating: *

Terry Taylor is back now with Mr. Perfect, who is frustrated with his loss. Mean Gene is with Shawn Michaels and Diesel. Michaels says that lightning won't strike twice because Hogan isn't in his league. Shawn officially lets us know that his insurance policy is known as Diesel.

The Steiner Brothers & The Smoking Gunns vs. Money Inc. & The Headshrinkers

DiBiase and Scott are starting things off. Scott hits a dropkick and then clotheslines DiBiase over the top rope to the floor. Rick is there to throw him right back in, which leads to Scott to clothesline him over the top again. Rick again throws him in and DiBiase tags in Fatu. In comes Bart, who hits a drop toe hold. He tries slamming Fatu face-first to the mat, but up pops Fatu and he hits a superkick. The heels are using quick tags to isolate Bart. The Headshrinkers hit a double back body drop and Bart is in trouble. This is a tough spot for these guys, coming off Hulkamania pretty much officially dying here just moments before. IRS hits a top rope right hand and gets a 2 count. IRS and Bart hit a double clothesline and tag in Billy and DiBiase. Billy gets some quick offense, but DiBiase hits him with a Stun Gun and slaps on the Million Dollar Dream. For some reason DiBiase lets go of the hold and Billy gets a small package and steals the victory. Did Rick even get in the match? After the match, they all start brawling until the heels retreat. Well, that was a little disappointing. They hardly got any time and they got the death spot on the show. 

Match Rating: **

Yokozuna is backstage with Jack Tunney, who congratulates him on the victory. Fuji confirms that Hulkamania is over. 

Intercontinental Championship Match

Crush vs. Shawn Michaels

You may never see another match that features a better mullet representation than this one if you include Diesel in the mix. Michaels shows off his athleticism and sneaks in a left jab to make Crush mad. Crush then gets a chance to show what he can do, who hits two dropkicks after a leapfrog. Crush hits a military press, which wakes up the crowd a little bit. He then hits the tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, leading Diesel to pulling Michaels out of the ring. Diesel distracts Crush and Michaels sends Crush into the ring post. Diesel then gets in a cheap shot. Michaels then repeatedly hits Crush's head into the ring post. Michaels gets him back in the ring, but Crush is able to kick out. Michaels puts on the front face lock and Crush finally is able to toss Michaels across the ring. He then tosses him over the top rope and to the floor. Savage is just obsessed with thinking that Crush can slam Yokozuna. Michaels goes up top and Crush pushes him face-first into the mat. Crush gets a close call after a backbreaker and then follows it up with a big boot. Crush hits a clothesline over the top rope and Crush heads up to the top rope. Two Doinks come out, causing Crush to come down and turn his attention to them. Michaels hits a super kick to the back, which causes him to hit the turnbuckle and Michaels picks up the victory. Crush goes and chases the Doinks to the back. Both guys looked good and the result was a fairly entertaining match. However, Crush continues to get booked to look like an idiot. 

Match Rating: **1/2

Mean Gene is with Bam Bam, who is fresh as a daisy. 

King Of The Ring Finals

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Bret Hart

Bret tries to match right hands with Bam Bam and it doesn't work out for him. Bam Bam tosses Bret over the top rope and Bret is in bad shape. Bigelow begins working on Bret's lower back. Bam Bam goes methodical and slowly beats on Bret. Hart finally fires back and hits Bam Bam into the guardrail. Bam Bam catches Bret out of the air and drives him into the ring and then slams him on the floor. Out comes Luna Vachon and shes hits Bret with a chair to the back while Bam Bam has the ref distracted. Bam Bam tosses him in the ring, hits a body slam and follows it up with the top rope headbutt. Bam Bam makes the pin and gets the victory...or does he? Out comes Earl Hebner, who tells the official that Luna interfered. Fink first announces that they will reverse the decision, but comes back and says that the match will be re-started. Bam Bam continues the assault once the match gets going again. Bam Bam once again gets Bret in a bear hug. Bret is able to get out and hits a back suplex. Bret can't capitalize, as Bam Bam throws him into the turnbuckle. Bret is able to slap on a sleeper hold in the middle of the ring. Bret hits a dropkick and then tips Bam Bam over the top. Hart then launches himself over and then starts leveling Bam Bam with right hands. Bret hits a second rope elbow drop and is unsuccessful in his attempt to put on the Sharpshooter. Bret gets a knee up on Bam Bam, who was charging at him in the corner. Bret gets up on Bam Bam's shoulders and gets a victory roll and becomes the first ever King Of The Ring. I liked this match, but not quite as much as I thought I would. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

Bret heads to the coronation stage and gets the king costume on. Out comes Jerry Lawler and he tells Bret that he is the only king in the WWF. Lawler says that he'll let Bret be a prince if he gets down and kisses his feet. Bret then says that Lawler is the Burger King. Lawler attacks him from behind with the sceptre. Lawler says he's going to make Bret kiss his feet and then hits him with a boot to the face. Ross, Heenan and Savage sign off.

This was a good show pretty much from top to bottom. There were a couple of clunkers, but other than that, the show was quickly paced and an enjoyable way to spend nearly three hours. This is not an all time classic by any means, but one that is definitely worth re-watching.

Overall Rating: 78%

SmackDown 11-4-05 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, November 4th, 2005
Staples Center
Los Angeles, California

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Since we are in Hollywood, MNM get a big entrance into the building. Teddy Long interrupts it by saying that they will take on Eddie Guerrero and Batista for their newly won championships.

Rey Mysterio & Matt Hardy vs. JBL & Christian

Hardcore Holly is the special referee for the match. With Taboo Tuesday obviously being on a Tuesday, this was actually taped on Sunday. This is also Christian's last WWE match before heading out to TNA. Mysterio and Hardy tore it up at Taboo Tuesday as a team. Hardy takes down Christian with a clothesline and then sends him over the top rope. Hardy is caught from his dive, but Mysterio comes flying and knocks all three men down. JBL and Holly get into it a little bit and it almost costs JBL the match. Christian takes control after some heel tactics and it leads to Hardy accidentally hitting Holly. They start arguing as we head into the commercial break. Mysterio hits a couple of low dropkicks and a hurricanrana on JBL. Mysterio sets him up for the 619, but Christian moves him out of the way and then JBL pulls Mysterio out to the floor. Mysterio hits a hurricanrana on Christian out of the electric chair position, but he can't make the tag. JBL goes for the superplex, but Hardy distracts JBL and Rey knocks him off. JBL is back up before Mysterio can capitalize and he hits a fall away slam off the second rope. Mysterio counters another fall away slam into a DDT and this time he makes the tag to Hardy. Hardy hits the Side Effect for a close call. Hardy hits the second rope leg drop, but JBL breaks up the pin attempt. Rey hits Poetry In Motion on both men, but JBL retaliates with a big boot to the face of Hardy. Mysterio hits a drop toe hold on JBL into the steps. Holly pulls away a chair from Christian, which leads to Christian attacking Holly from behind. He misses with the chair on Hardy and Holly then hits him with the Alabama Slam. Mysterio hits 619 and Hardy hits the Twist of Fate for the victory as JBL runs to the back. That was a really, really entertaining match. I'm not surprised since it features three of my favorite wrestlers of all time and it got the time it deserved. This was one of the my favorite TV matches of 2005.

Match Rating: ***3/4 (out of 5)

Teddy Long says he is waiting for Eric Bischoff, leaving Josh Matthews confused.

Sharmell is out to the ring and introduces the United States Champion, Booker T. He insults the crowd for falling for his act and shows clips of them cheating. Teddy Long comes out and announces that he will face Chris Benoit next.

United States Championship Match
Booker T vs. Chris Benoit

They start off chopping each other back and forth, but Benoit ends up chopping Booker out of the ring. Booker snaps Benoit's neck over the top rope. Sharmell gets involved again and grabs Benoit's leg. Benoit fights it off and still hits Booker with a knee to the midsection. Booker then hits a stun gun on the top rope to slow Benoit down. Booker goes for a vertical suplex, but Benoit counters and hits the three German suplexes. Benoit goes up top, but Sharmell distracts Benoit just long enough for Booker to move out of the way. Benoit bounces back and hits two more German suplexes, but Booker grabs the ropes on the third attempt. Benoit gets the Crippler Crossface on, but Booker immediately grabs the bottom rope. Booker then books it out of there and we have ourselves a countout. The match itself was decent enough, but it's obvious this story is not ending anytime soon.

Match Rating: **

Bob Orton vs. Roddy Piper

I hate that Orton wrestles in clothes. He attacks Piper and gains the early advantage. Orton actually gets some vicious offense in and fights off everything Piper gives him. Orton has a cut on his face and is bleeding. Orton goes for the suplex, but Piper gets him in the sleeper. Piper has him down, but out comes Randy and he attacks Piper. Piper took a beating here tonight. Randy then tells him that if it weren't for his dad, he would have been nothing. The crowd kind of doesn't really know what to think of this segment.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Handicap Match
Bobby Lashley vs. Nunzio & Vito

All three men are allowed to be in the ring at the same time in this match. Vito hits a kick to the face and Nunzio follows it up with a dropkick. Vito throws Nunzio at Lashley, but he catches him and then uses him to squash Vito in the corner. Lashley throws Vito out of the ring and then hits the Dominator on Nunzio and gets the easy victory. The crowd was not as into Lashley as they have been here.

Match Rating: 1/2*

Eric Bischoff has arrived and runs into the Boogeyman. 

Teddy Long is in the ring and introduces Bischoff. Bischoff challenges SmackDown to a 5-on-5 match at Survivor Series and then starts insulting the blue brand. Teddy accepts, but then also wants a match himself with Bischoff. Thrilling television here. 

Mr. Kennedy vs. Scotty 2 Hotty

Kennedy comes out stomping away on Scotty and sends him out of the ring. Scotty gets a kick in and a flying forearm. Kennedy crotches Scotty on the top rope and then hits the Green Bay Plunge for the easy victory.

Match Rating: 1/2*

MNM is shown headed towards the ring and boy, do they look worried.

WWE Tag Team Championship Match

MNM vs. Eddie Guerrero & Batista

MNM tries to double team Batista, but he clotheslines them both out of the ring into the commercial break. Eddie gets some offense in, but then heads out and grabs both a chair and the hammer for the ring bell. The ref takes away the chair, but then Melina takes away the hammer. Melina distracts the challengers and it allows Nitro to jump off the apron onto Eddie. MNM use some quick tags and isolate Eddie in their corner. Eddie makes a comeback and nails Mercury with a stiff looking backbreaker. Batista is in and we get power moves galore. He tags Eddie back in and he hits the Three Amigos. Melina grabs a pair of brass knuckles and goes in the ring. Eddie hits a Frog Splash on Melina, but then gets knocked out by Mercury with the brass knuckles and the champions retain. That was an entertaining enough match that probably could have easily gone another 10 minutes. 

Match Rating: **1/4

This show started out fantastic, but the rest felt very rushed. Outside of the quick Bischoff/Long segment, everything was entertaining and the current stories being told on Friday nights continue to be well done. The SmackDown momentum continues.

Overall Rating: 60%

Taboo Tuesday 2005 Review

Tuesday, November 1st, 2005
iPayOne Center
San Diego, California

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Edge Snitsky & Chris Masters vs. Matt Hardy & Rey Mysterio

This year feels like it was the most telegraphed voting out of all the Taboo Tuesday/Cyber Sunday events. I do find it a little surprising that Christian didn't get more votes. I am a mark for the keyboard entrance ramp. Joey Styles is also the announcer along with Jerry Lawler here. Edge and Lita get on the mic and say that he will not wrestle here tonight. He doesn't care about anyone other than himself. Snitsky is the replacement and he attacks his opponents from behind when he is making his entrance. We now have two referees in the ring and they are arguing over who is counting the pinfalls. Meanwhile, Masters is working the back of Mysterio. Mysterio hits the hot tag to Hardy, who hits a Side Effect for a 2 count. Hardy hits a scary looking superplex on Snitsky and Masters makes the save. Hardy and Mysterio have their working boots on here tonight though. Hardy gets distracted and eats a boot the face from Snitsky. Masters hits a huge clothesline on Hardy, but Mysterio makes the save. Snitsky hits a big spinebuster and a catapult throat first into the bottom rope. Snitsky catches Hardy in the air, but Hardy is able to counter it into an inverted DDT and he finally makes the tag to Msyterio. He hits the seated senton on Snitsky and then a springboard crossbody on Masters. Snitsky tosses Mysterio into the arms of Masters and he immediately puts him in the Master Lock. We get some shenanigans with the referee, so Hardy hits a leg drop on Masters and he breaks the hold. Both Hardy and Mysterio hit leaps off the top rope to Snitsky and Masters on the floor. Snitsky trips up Mysterio and Masters hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Hardy comes in and hits a big DDT on Snitsky. Drop toe hold by Hardy allows Mysterio to hit the 619. Hardy hits a Twist Of Fate and then Mysterio finishes him off with a springboard leg drop. That match was so much better than it had any right to be. The team of Hardy and Mysterio was fantastic and they brought the best out of this match. Good opener.

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

Mick Foley is in the back, holding some lingerie. He thinks his and Maria's luggage got mixed up, as she is wearing the Mankind mask. She then gets undressed and Mick says that he had a nice day.

Rob Conway & Tyson Tomko vs. Eugene & Jimmy Snuka

Consider me surprised that Snuka won even 15 years later. I'm thinking he wouldn't have had his episode of Dark Side of the Ring aired prior to it. I can't believe this is a match on a pay-per-view. Conway now has a picture of himself on his tights. They are trying everything with him, but it just isn't clicking. He does hit a nice standing dropkick though. After a boring heat segment, Eugene hits a clothesline on Conway, but he is unable to make a tag. Eugene hits a jawbreaker and then he and Snuka hit back and forth headbutts. Eugene hits the Rock Bottom and then Snuka goes up top and hits the splash. After the match, Tomko attacks the victors, but Duggan and Kamala come out and make the save. This would have played a lot better on Raw.

Match Rating: 1/2*

Carlito vs. Mankind

The WWE Network has a weird edit where it goes from Hacksaw's celebration right into the match, so they obviously edited something out. I know I would have voted Dude Love, who got massacred. We get heel era Mankind music, which makes me happy. Carlito hits a big dropkick, but Mankind stays on his feet. Mankind hits a back elbow and then puts him in the tree of woe. He then hits a baseball slide and a reverse neckbreaker on the floor. Carlito though hits another dropkick and Mankind falls back into the steel steps. Mankind fights off a weak looking headlock and they hit a double clothesline. Mankind hits a big running knee and then clotheslines Carlito out of the ring. He hits the elbow off the apron and gets a 2 count once he got him back in the ring. Double arm DDT and then Foley pulls out Mr. Socko, who is sporting a Carlito wig. The Mandible Claw is in and the ref calls for the bell. That was basically a squash match. If I remember correctly, Foley thought this was a waste of a return for him and it's hard to argue it. Carlito was not worthy of being in this spot and the creative did them no favors. This was just a match.

Match Rating: **

Eric Bischoff is on the phone complaining about Teddy Long, when in walks Mr. McMahon. Vince said he's late, but he can't wait for the Raw vs. SmackDown match. Bischoff tells him that Raw lost and blames Long for it all. Vince tells Bischoff that he's disappointed in him and then gives a negative pep talk. Vince tells Bischoff that he's on his own from now on.

World Tag Team Championship Match
Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch vs. Kane & Big Show

Shawn Michaels wins the main event spot, thus giving us a Kane and Big Show tag team. Who are the 38% of people who voted for Kane? They start brawling to start things off. The two big men dominate as most would expect. The champs get a little bit of offense in, but they end up getting even more slaps to the chest from Big Show. Murdoch shoves Kane off the top rope to the floor and they hit Sweet and Sour on the outside. The big men clean house and then hit a double chokeslam on Cade and we have new tag team champions. Say what you will about this match, the crowd absolutely loved the team of Big Show and Kane. After the match, we get a post-match interview, which leads to them hit a double chokeslam on Murdoch.

Match Rating: *1/2

Vader and Goldust are in the back getting ready.

They then announce that the Diva battle royal will be a lingerie themed.

Street Fight
Johnathan Coachman vs. Batista

When you throw in the fact that Vader and Goldust are both basically part of this match as well, this has to be one of the most random matches in WWE pay-per-view history. Coach and the gang start whipping Batista with a belt, but Batista quickly fights back, hits some spinebusters and hits the Batista Bomb on Coach for the victory. Yep.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Shawn Michaels is back with Todd Grisham talking about how he was picked two years in a row to be in the main event at Taboo Tuesday. In walks Kurt Angle and he wants Michaels to help him take Cena out and leave it to the two of them. Michaels lets him know that he'll think about it.

Fulfill Your Fantasy Battle Royal For The WWE Women's Championship
Ashley vs. Candice Michelle vs. Mickie James vs. Victoria vs. Maria vs. Trish Stratus

Trish and Victoria have a nice spot in the corner, where Mickie saves her hero. Maria is thrown out by Trish and Mickie, who then try to dump Victoria but are unsuccessful. Candice hits an upside down choke with her legs, but when she releases the hold, she celebrates on the apron and Ashley knocks her out. Victoria hits a side slam on Trish, but Mickie then makes the save. Her and Ashley try to dump Victoria, but she lands on the apron. Victoria then catapults Ashley over the top and out of the match. Trish and Victoria tease being eliminated and again Mickie makes the save. Mickie drives Victoria through the ropes, but in doing so eliminates herself as well. Trish is the last woman standing and retains her championship. While this was obviously not anything great, once it was down to Victoria, Mickie and Trish, it was pretty well done. After the match, Todd interviews Trish, but Mickie interrupts her as Trish tries to keep her composure.

Match Rating: 1/2*

Steel Cage Match For The Intercontinental Championship
Triple H vs. Ric Flair

This is such a good example of a feud being rushed simply because there are so many pay-per-views on the calendar. This could have easily been stretched out to WrestleMania if they wanted to. Obviously the plan was for Triple H to take on Cena, but they could have made it last to New Year's Revolution. They start brawling immediately and Flair gets the first knockdown via a chop. Triple H comes right back with a high knee. Triple H hits a big spinebuster and he is now taking his time here. Flair is already busted open and Triple H hits him with a calculated knee drop. Triple H starts using the cage as a cheese grater on Flair's face. Triple H starts climbing, but Flair gets up there and starts chopping him. They both fall and get crotched on the top rope. Triple H now has a chain and goes off the top rope, but Flair gets his foot up. Flair goes for a Figure Four, but Triple H uses the chain to break the hold before he can get it on. Flair is a bloody mess now, as Triple H hits a knee to the back of the head. Triple H now puts Flair in the Figure Four in the middle of the ring. Flair is able to reverse it, but Triple H quickly reverses it back and is into the ropes. Triple H goes for it again, but this time Flair is able to kick him face-first into the cage and he is now busted open. Flair hits a chop block, as he goes after Triple H's left quad. Flair gets the Figure Four locked in now and Triple H is screaming in pain. Both Joey Styles and Jerry Lawler have done a nice job calling this match and telling the story. Flair hits a big low blow and both men are down. Flair begins to crawl towards the door, but Triple H grabs his foot. Flair grabs a chair on his way back in. Triple H stomps on the chair, injuring Flair's hand. As Triple H goes to swing it at Flair, Flair uses the testicular claw. He sends Triple H off the ropes, but Triple H goes for the Pedigree. Flair hits a back body drop onto the chair and then hits Triple H in the head with said chair. He hits two more chair shots and again crawls to the door and makes it out. This was a little plotting, as Triple H matches often tend to be, but it was still good entertainment.

Match Rating: ***3/4

Triple Threat Match For The WWE Championship
Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena

Most people really don't care for triple threat matches, but I am in the minority. Each competitor gets a quick chance to dominate right off the bat. Michaels goes to work on Cena, as Angle is on the outside. In comes Angle and he hits German suplexes on both men and then follows it up with belly-to-belly overhead suplexes. Michaels counters the Angle Slam into a sunset flip, which Angle counters into the Ankle Lock. Cena breaks the hold and then almost gets a pinfall on Michaels. Michaels and Angle start working together and beating Cena down. Angle and Michaels throw Cena shoulder-first into the ring post. Michaels begins to clear the Spanish announce table and they hit a double face-first suplex through the table. They then begin slugging it out and head back into the ring. Michaels hits a powerslam and gets a 2 count. Angle hits a vertical suplex and then puts Michaels into the body scissors. Angle hits another belly-to-belly overhead suplex. He goes for a superplex, but Michaels counters. Angle comes running back up the ropes and hits a super Angle Slam off the top rope for a near fall. The straps are down, but in comes Cena and he takes Angle out of the ring. These are probably the most audible boos for Cena other than SummerSlam. Cena goes for the Five Knuckle Shuffle on Michaels, but Angle trips him up and throws him into the crowd. In comes Michaels with a somersault dive over the top rope! That was awesome. Michaels hits an inverted atomic drop on Angle and hits a couple of clotheslines. In comes Cena and Michaels greets him with some chops. He hits the flying forearm, but as he nips up, Angle catches him and hits a belly-to-belly over the top rope. Cena comes from behind and hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle on Angle. Cena has Angle up for the FU, but Angle counters it into the Ankle Lock. Cena tries to roll through, but Angle hangs on. Michaels goes up top and hits an elbow drop on Angle and he breaks the hold. Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music on Angle, but Cena hits the FU on Michaels and gets the victory. This is an absolutely underrated gem of a match. This was non-stop action from start to finish and all three men were awesome here. The story they told made a lot of sense and it still leaves room for the Angle/Cena feud to continue. Big thumbs up here.

Match Rating: ****1/2

This is one of those tough shows to grade. On one hand, it featured one of my favorite matches of the year, a great brawl and a fun opener. Unfortunately, everything else was barely Raw quality. Still, I can't recommend the main event enough and I'm sure there are people who would enjoy the cage match much more than I even did. The last hour is absolutely worth your time and the rest is a decent diversion.

Overall Rating: 75%

Monday Night Raw 10-31-05 Review

Monday, October 31st, 2005
Arrowhead Pond
Anaheim, California

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Eric Bischoff is out with Chris Masters to kick off this Halloween edition of Raw. They call out Rey Mysterio for the Master Lock Challenge and he is accompanied by Teddy Long. Masters makes fun of Mysterio's height and then Mysterio hits him in the head with the microphone. He then smashes his head into the chair and Bischoff is calling out his Raw guys. Long then signals to the crowd and out come the SmackDown stars. Again, this really makes no sense with JBL and Christian working with Matt Hardy and Rey Mysterio. Rey hits the 619 on Masters and Raw retreats.

Bischoff is livid backstage and says that they can't lose their match on a Raw pay-per-view.

Kurt Angle vs. Tajiri

I will never understand how the Raw roster can be so small and yet they never have anything for Tajiri to do. Angle hits a clothesline and then a vertical suplex. The Anaheim crowd is pretty into Angle here. Tajiri gets a boot up Angle and then he flips out of suplex attempt. He hits a superkick and gets a 2 count. Tajiri hits a seated dropkick and then his cartwheel springboard elbow. Angle is a machine and still puts him in the Ankle Lock and that is all for poor Tajiri. After the match, Angle grabs the mic and says that he doesn't care who the third man is tomorrow night because he is walking out the new champion. He shows the footage of him "beating" Cena last week. Out comes Cena and he unleashes on Angle. Angle heads to the back as we go to commercial.

Match Rating: * (out of 5)

We get a highlight package of the history of the relationship between Ric Flair and Triple H. They always do such a good job with these and this one is no different. Ric Flair is out and he says that the game has just begun.

Rob Conway vs. Eugene

Eugene comes running down the aisle and attacks Conway right away. Conway could not be any less over. Eugene starts hulking up and hits a Rock Bottom, but Conway gets his foot on the rope. Conway has a chair on the outside and destroys him with a nasty shot to the head. Out comes Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Kamala and Jimmy Snuka to make the save. Duggan does all the work since he can get to the ring the fastest. Kamala hits a splash and then Superfly hits the top rope splash. Meanwhile, Jerry Lawler with the Burger King King mask on hits a flying fist.

Match Rating: 1/2*

Todd Grisham, who is dressed up as Harry Caray, tries to interview Gregory Helms, but he just walks away. He then interviews Mick Foley, who says he prepared a surprise for Carlito in the TV production truck.

Carlito is in the ring to let us know that it doesn't matter which face of Foley he is facing, because he is going to win. They then show a promo of Foley doing all three personalities. It's crazy that Foley is only 40 years old here. This leads to Coachman, who is dressed like Austin, calling Austin out. Coachman then brings out Goldust and announces he will in his corner tomorrow night. 15 years later and Rhodes is still an active competitor. Out comes Vince McMahon to one of the smaller reactions I can remember for him. Vince announces that Austin was involved in an accident and that he won't be at Taboo Tuesday. Vince then announces Coachman as the winner of the match by a forfeit. Vince then announces that his opponent will be Funaki and brings him out. Goldust and Coach take care of him and they tell Vince that they can handle more than Funaki. Vince then brings out Batista instead and that wakes up the crowd. I know they were stuck in a tough spot here, but this makes no sense. They attack Batista and then out comes Vader. Batista makes a comeback, but Vader steamrolls him. Just because I seem to always want to mention ages on here, here are the ages of everyone involved in this bizarre angle.

Vince McMahon - 60
Funaki - 37
Steve Austin - 40
Goldust - 36
Vader - 50
Coach - 32
Batista - 36

Triple H vs. Viscera

The match you thought would never happened. Triple H kicks the top rope as Viscera is entering. Triple H keeps laying it in and then quickly hits the Pedigree and gets the victory. Yep. After the match, Triple H attacks Viscera with the ring steps. Triple H then cuts a promo on his match against Flair tomorrow night.

Match Rating: 1/4*

After running down the Taboo Tuesday card, Grisham is back with John Cena. We get the usual 2005 Cena promo here.

Texas Tornado Match
The Heart Throbs vs. Big Show & Kane

The big guys destroy the little guys. Classic Vince McMahon. They do a game of one upsmanship. Big Show hits a superplex, which leads to Kane hitting a top rope clothesline. They both hit chokeslams and that's all.

Match Rating: 1/4* 

Next up it's a Diva costume party. Ashley is a dark angel, Maria is a traditional angel, Candice Michelle is Catwoman, Mickie James is dressed as Trish Stratus, Victoria is a baseball player and Trish Stratus is Wonder Woman. As Lawler is polling the audience, Mickie grabs the mic and tells the crowd to stop cheering because they need to save it for Trish. Victoria gets in her face, but Mickie kicks her out of the ring. They then team up on Candice Michelle. Victoria comes from behind and throws Mickie out. Trish then hits Victoria with a Chick Kick.

John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels

They are hyping this up as the first ever meeting between these two. They shake hands and Shawn begins chopping Cena immediately. Cena answers with right hands. We get a little bit of wrestling after that and it's pretty clear here that these two have some great chemistry together. I know most do have great chemistry with Michaels, but Cena is the perfect type of wrestler to face off with him. Cena goes for a FU, but Michaels is able to get out and roll out of the ring. Michaels hits a neckbreaker for a 2 count and then puts Cena in a sleeper hold. Cena fights out and hits a couple of clotheslines and a shoulder tackle. Five Knuckle Shuffle time. Michaels gets a second wind and hits the inverted atomic drop and heads up to the top rope. Cena moves out of the way and both men are down. Out comes Kurt Angle and he attacks both men, causing a double disqualification. Cena gets up Angle for the FU, but Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music on him instead. Michaels grabs the WWE Championship belt, spins it and lays it down on Cena's chest. This was more an interesting footnote than it was a match that really meant anything other than building for the main event tomorrow night.

Match Rating: ** 

Outside of having the first ever Michaels/Cena match and the bizarre makeshift angle involving Batista, Goldust and Vader, this was a complete nothing show. Keep in mind that this was on Halloween and also the day before a rare Tuesday pay-per-view event. While those are valid points, it doesn't make the show any more enjoyable. Raw continues to be in a slump. Let's see if the pay-per-view reinvigorates them.

Overall Rating: 36%

NXT 8-7-13 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, August 7th, 2013
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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United States Championship Match

Adrian Neville vs. Dean Ambrose

Alex Riley is back as an announcer here. They also announce that Tyler Breeze has entered the building. Neville builds a little bit of momentum to start. He hits a big kick to the head and heads up to the top rope, but Ambrose rolls out of the way. Ambrose avoids a baseball slide and hits a clothesline into the commercial break. Ambrose goes shoulder first into the ring post after Neville moves out of the way. Neville hits a springboard crossbody for a 2 count. Neville hits a hurricanrana, sending Ambrose out of the ring and Neville hits a flip over the top rope. Back in the ring, Neville hits the Red Arrow, but Seth Rollins breaks up the pin attempt. Reigns joins him and the three of them attack Neville. Out comes Corey Graves and Xavier Woods to make the save and Neville picks up the DQ victory. I am surprised they let Neville get as much in as he did.

Match Rating: ** (out of 5)

Scott Dawson, Sylvester Lefort, Enzo and Cass are talking in the back. Enzo and Cass continue to get some TV time. 

Next up is the first ever NXT dance competition, where the winner will be named the #1 contender. They basically just go back and forth for 5-10 seconds at a time, with Emma obviously going for comic relief. This is the opposite of good, but the crowd is loving it. Summer Rae stops the music and demands that they play the Fandango music and she does her routine. Emma then does her dance to her entrance music. They go to the crowd for the winner and you'll never guess who they picked? Summer attacks her from behind and heads to the back. That was really long.

We get yet another Leo Kruger vignette.

Danny Burch vs. Tyler Breeze

Breeze hits a step up enzuigiri and then a spinning heel kick and that is basically it. Breeze has done a good job of telling the story of his character to get that over with the crowd and I look forward to seeing him start to get some longer matches as well.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Bo Dallas is with Renee Young acting like a creep and referring to Cesaro and Sami Zayn as kids.

They announce that Emma is not medically cleared for next week and that Summer Rae will challenge Paige next week.

NXT Championship Match
Leo Kruger vs. Bo Dallas

Kruger starts stomping away to get going, but Bo ends up regaining control by hitting a northern lights suplex into a pin. Kruger hits a baseball slide dropkick as we go to commercial break. The crowd's disdain for Bo continues to be the most entertaining thing in NXT. Bo fights his way out of a superplex attempt and hits a second rope clothesline. Bo hits a series of impact moves, including his springboard bulldog, but Kruger kicks out. Bo starts to show some frustration and Kruger makes his comeback. He hits a big spinebuster and then hits the big clothesline, but Bo kicks out. Kruger puts on the GC3 in the middle of the ring. Bo is able to grab the bottom rope after a lengthy stay in the hold. Kruger decides to go up top, which we all know what's going to happen. Bo gets his knees up and the crowd starts to boo. Bo puts Kruger in a submission hold and he taps out. The match itself was pretty good that was only helped by the atmosphere Bo matches have. Kruger has shown some improvement over the past few episodes as well.

Match Rating: **1/4

I would chalk up this episode as a middle of the road show. It certainly wasn't bad, even if the dance contest was nothing anyone ever needs to see again. The Tyler Breeze build continues to have my attention and I look forward to seeing his character grow.

Overall Rating: 51%

Monday Night Raw 6-7-93 Review

Monday, June 7th, 1993
Manhattan Center
New York City, New York

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They introduce the new Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels and he is accompanied by Diesel for the first time on Raw.

Shawn Michaels vs. Russ Greenberg

They refer to Diesel as just his insurance policy. Michaels hits a flying elbow drop, which Randy Savage wonders where he got that from. Michaels is more popular than usual with the NYC crowd here. Easy victory for the new champ.

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

We go to the King of the Ring Report with Mean Gene. It's interesting that they keep referring to Bret as the #1 seed, but he has to face Razor Ramon? They also say that Crush will take on Shawn Michaels for the Intercontinental Championship match. They then show Michaels yelling at McMahon complaining that he has to defend his championship.

Adam Bomb vs. El Matador

I love the low budget entrance for Bomb. I also will never understand why he was paired with Johnny Polo? Bomb hits a big powerslam, but misses with a pair of elbow drops. Santana hits an arm drag takedown. They announce that Razor Ramon has upped the amount to get the Kid back in the ring is now $7,500. Bomb hits a side suplex and is moving like molasses here. Santana hits the flying forearm, but Bomb kicks out. Bomb launches himself over the top rope and takes down Santana. That's good enough for the victory. If Bomb was just halfway decent in the ring, there's no reason he shouldn't have been a big star.

Match Rating: 3/4*

Tatanka vs. Peter Weeks

Tatanka hits a hip toss that sends Weeks over the top rope. Back in the ring, he hits a scary looking back body drop. Tatanka starts chopping Weeks and then hits a chop from the top rope for the victory.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Jerry Lawler is here for King's Court. He says Yokozuna will be here after the break. He says that whoever wins the King of the Ring Sunday will only be an impostor and then brings out Yoko. Mr. Fuji tells Hogan that he wants to hear everyone of his bones cracking with the Banzai Splash.

Billy Gunn & Rick Steiner vs. IRS & Fatu

We get a huge stall as they show Afa eating a WWF Ice Cream Bar. IRS gives Fatu some money to start things off. He gives it to Samu, who then passes it to Afa and he eats that. Billy gets things going with some fast paced action. Rick is in there now and he continues the momentum with a big clothesline on IRS. Rick ducks IRS and he accidentally hits Fatu. The Headshrinkers aren't very happy with this, but Ted DiBiase hands out some money to calm them down. Back in the ring IRS tosses Rick out of the ring and then stomps away upon him re-entering. DiBiase and Fatu beat on Rick behind the ref's back, which brings over Bart and Scott. Fatu goes for a reverse splash off the second rope, but Rick gets his knees up. Rick makes the tag to Billy and he hits a pair of back body drops. DiBiase distracts Billy, allowing IRS to attack him from behind and get the pinfall to steal the victory. When they weren't stalling, the action was good. Unfortunately, there was a little too much stalling for my taste.

Match Rating: **

Next week we have Marty Jannetty vs. Doink and Mr. Perfect in action.

Razor Ramon is now here for a quick interview. Razor says that next week he will be getting his rematch. He gets cut off when trying to finish up his Nutter Center jokes.

This was just an okay episode. They really didn't do too much in terms of build to the show Sunday outside of the main event. It is noteworthy for Diesel's first Raw appearance and not a whole lot more.

Overall Rating: 43%

SmackDown 10-28-05 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, October 28th, 2005
Cow Palace
San Francisco, California

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After a lengthy recap of the Raw/SmackDown feud, we kick things off with the Peep Show. Just as Christian begins talking, he is interrupted by Rey Mysterio's music. Mysterio says that he won't be satisfied until he gets voted in to be at Taboo Tuesday. Christian insults him and tries to convince the crowd to vote for him until Matt Hardy interrupts. Hardy says him getting voted in is personal because duh. Out comes Hardcore Holly and he asks the crowd if they want to see a beating that leaves them unrecognizable. Obviously JBL and his limo are out next. More bickering ensues. Teddy Long finishes off the predictable beginning here by doing exactly what you think he would do, which is to make a 5 Man Free For All Match.

Five Man Free For All Match
Christian vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Matt Hardy vs. Hardcore Holly vs. JBL

When we get from commercial break, the match has begun and everyone is beating on JBL. Holly and JBL go to the outside, while Mysterio and Hardy team up to work on Christian. Mysterio ends up taking JBL back out of the ring and Holly hits a back body drop on Chrstian. Hardy comes out and hits Holly in the face with a right hand. JBL comes in and tosses Hardy out after hitting him with a thumb to the eye. Holly hits a dropkick on JBL for a 2 count. They do a tower of doom spot, with JBL and Holly doing the powerbomb on Hardy and Rey, who were superplexing Christian. JBL is up on his feet first and goes to Holly, who hits an Alabama Slam on him. Mysterio goes for a double 619 on Holly and Christian, but Holly gets out of the way. Holly then eats a Clothesline From Hell from JBL. JBL hits a fallaway slam on Mysterio and Hardy hits a Twist of Fate on JBL. Christian hits an Unprettier on Hardy and then Mysterio comes in and hits a hurricanrana into a pin attempt on Christian and gets the victory. I would have loved another few minutes of that one, but this was all action.

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

Sharmell and Booker T are outside of Teddy Long's office, wondering why he wants to see them. After the commercial break and Long shows Booker the footage of how he won the United States Championship last week. Booker and Sharmell argue about it and Booker says that he is going to grant Benoit a rematch and he tells her that she has to apologize.

Roddy Piper is shown walking backstage and he walks into Bob Orton. They go at it verbally until Randy tells him that the last time he was in the ring with the legend, he set him on fire.

Simon Dean is rolling in backstage and one of the Juniors tells him that there are no automatic vehicles backstage and that it's a $1 fine. Dean tries to make fun of him, but while he is distracted a couple of the Juniors hook his Dean Machine to a rope and it tips over.

Palmer Cannon is in the ring to introduce the Juniors.

Short Sleeve Sampson vs. Pitbull Patterson

Patterson has a bucket and he tries to toss it at Sampson, but he ducks and confetti goes over the crowd. Sampson now has a bucket from under the ring. Patterson jumps on the Cannon's lap and they both duck and the water gets over Tazz's chair. The match starts and he sets Patterson up in the ropes and then they do a comedy bit that leads to Patterson kick Sampson in the crotch. Patterson hits a clothesline and goes up to the top rope. Sampson hits him in the midsection on his way down and then hits a dropkick to follow it up. Samspon dropkicks referee Nick Patrick, but then leaps off his back and hits Patterson with a splash for the victory. Out comes Simon Dean, who steps on Patterson on the way into the ring. He lifts up Sampson, but Patterson trips him from behind and they both start wailing on Dean. They then hit him with a double dropkick. This is something that most people probably forgot all about.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Sharmell is begging not to apologize backstage. After the commercial break, they make their way to the ring. He has Benoit come on out and he tells Benoit that he considers him one of his best friends. He says that he didn't listen to him when he tried to tell him the truth and lets Benoit know that he wants to give him a rematch. Before Benoit answers him, he says that Sharmell has something that he wants to say. Benoit accepts anyway and tells Booker that he doesn't need any apologies. Booker says that this is something Sharmell needs to say. Sharmell gives an apology, but follows it up by saying that she apologizes for making her husband more of a man and actually win some matches. And most of all, she apologizes for marrying someone who has no respect for her and she slaps Booker. On her way to the back, she deeply and sincerely apologizes for this, which is Booker cracking Benoit over the head with the championship belt. Benoit is busted open and continues the assault. Booker hits him with a superkick and knocks Benoit off the apron onto the announcer table. I have to say that this was a well done storyline. I remember the matches that came after this, but did not have any recollection of the story of how they got there.

Fatal 4-Way Match For The WWE Tag Team Championship Match
Heidenreich & Road Warrior Animal vs. Mexicools vs. William Regal & Paul Burchill vs. MNM

This seems really thrown together and surprising that there really wasn't any hype up to it. MNM are debuting the baby blue tights. We get a lot of fast paced action to start and after a moonsault by Super Crazy, all eight men get in the ring as we go to commercial break. Psicosis hits a dive over the top rope just as we come back. Burchill hits a brainbuster on Super Crazy, but the pin attempt is broken up. Burchill gets a little bit of in-ring time here, after being pretty non-existent on Friday nights as of late. Heidenreich tags himself in and cleans house. They go for the Doomsday Device, but the Dicks come down and interfere. MNM hits the Snapshot and we have new champions. MNM should have never really lost the titles in the first place, so this is resetting things to where they should be. The match was passable overall.

Match Rating: *3/4

Nunzio and Vito want a chance at the Tag Team Championships, but Teddy tells him they can't even beat Bobby Lashley. He tells them next week that they will take on Bobby Lashley in a handicap match. We then see the Boogeyman and he smashes the clock on his head again.

After a highlight package, Eddie and Batista are backstage being all chummy. They talk about Eddie winning the title here at the Cow Palace and then Batista has a surprise for him. It's a Chevy Impala low rider and Batista says that Latino Heat is back.

Mr. Kennedy, Bob Orton & Randy Orton vs. Eddie Guerrero, Batista & Roddy Piper

Kennedy and Eddie kicks things off and this is a feud I could get behind. Eddie gets the best of him and they tag in former Evolution members, Batista and Randy. We return from commercial break and Randy hits a powerslam on Eddie. They tag in Piper and he gets a little bit of offense until Bob hits him with a knee as he is running the ropes. The heels cut the ring in half and work on Piper. Bob Orton wrestling in clothes is a subpar decision. Eddie and Batista have had enough, so they come in and everyone starts brawling. Batista hits a spinebuster on both Eddie and Kennedy. Eddie goes up top and hits a Frog Splash on Kennedy. Piper puts the sleeper hold on Bob Orton and we have winners. The match itself was kind of disappointing, as it was very paint by the numbers.

Match Rating: *3/4

The first 45 minutes of this show were well done. I really enjoyed the Sharmell angle. I thought both she and Booker T really pulled it off convincingly. Although, this episode wasn't a standout, they are doing things right by getting behind some new competitors on the roster and making sure the old stars are starting to change.

Overall Rating: 54%