SummerSlam 1993 Review

Monday, August 30th, 1993
Palace Of Auburn Hills
Auburn Hills, Michigan

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I still will never understand why you would run a pay-per-view this late in the summer on a Monday night. 

Ted DiBiase vs. Razor Ramon

This of course is DiBiase's last WWF match and it certainly is an interesting choice for an opener. DiBiase attacks Razor before he gets his vest off. Razor quickly fights him off and hits the fall away slam. DiBiase baits Razor and throws him into the middle turnbuckle. I will say that in going back and watching this era of WWF, my appreciation for Scott Hall has grown. Razor fights out of the chinlock, but gets a knee to the midsection for his efforts. DiBiase hits the vertical suplex and signals for the Million Dollar Dream. Razor is able to block it and hits a clothesline. DiBiase is able to get Razor out of the ring and then exposes the top turnbuckle. Razor is able to counter DiBiase's attempt and hits the Razor's Edge for the victory. That was kind of a weird finish for this match. This was perfectly acceptable. 

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

Todd Pettengill interviews the Steiner Brothers mom and sister, but is interrupted by Jim Cornette's introduction of the Heavenly Bodies.

WWF Tag Team Championship Match

Heavenly Bodies vs. Steiner Brothers

The Steiners get the Detroit billing despite actually being from a city 115 miles north of there. We get another match with an attack before the bell. The Steiners end up getting the better of the Bodies of course and Cornette is flipping out. Scott body presses Prichard and tags in his brother. Rick clotheslines both Prichard and Del Ray. Scott greets the both with inverted atomic drops, but as a result of an illegal double team, Prichard hits a nice bulldog. Del Ray hits a cannonball off the apron, which Heenan calls a moonsault. That was a rare miss by the WWF production crew. Del Ray hits a DDT and hits a superkick. Del Ray was so good. Cornette gets a cheap shot in with the tennis racket. Del Ray goes for a DDT again, but this time Scott turns it into a suplex. Prichard cuts off the tag attempt, but is greeted with a double underhook powerbomb. This time Rick gets the hot tag and hits a top rope bulldog on Del Ray. Prichard dumps Scott over the top rope and it distracts the ref, allowing them to use a tennis racket shot for a nearfall. Del Ray misses the moonsault and hits Prichard instead. Scott hits the Frankensteiner on Del Ray and gets the victory to a huge pop. This was two great tag teams putting on a really good match here. Both of these teams deserved better runs. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

Shawn Michaels and Diesel are here and Michaels says that tonight he is going to prove that he's the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time. 

Intercontinental Championship Match 

Shawn Michaels vs. Mr. Perfect

This one always gets mentioned when people talk about the most disappointing matches. They go back and forth a little bit to begin. Perfect hits a big clothesline on Michaels and goes to work on the arm. Perfect baits Michaels off the top rope and counters it with a hip toss. Perfect then catapults Michaels over the top rope and to the floor. Diesel distracts Perfect when he goes outside and eats some Sweet Chin Music when he turns around. Michaels goes to work on the back of Perfect. Perfect quickens the pace and hits a dropkick. Perfect hits the Perfect Plex, but Diesel pulls him out of the ring. Perfect gets some shots in on Diseel and then hits Michaels in the midsection as he jumps off the apron. This allows Disesel to attack him, which causes Earl Hebner to call for the bell. Perfect attacks both men, but Diesel knocks him out with a right hand. Pettengill interviews Michaels in the aisle and Michaels says that he proved he is the greatest Intercontinental Champion. Perfect runs to the back. I'm not really sure why you book this match if that's the finish you come up with. This actually was the first 2/3rd of a really good match and then it ended with what you would expect from a TV main event. We all knew Diesel was going to cheat, but make it clever and not a disqualification. 

Match Rating: ***

1-2-3 Kid is here for a promo and gee whiz, he's so nervous. 

IRS vs. 1-2-3 Kid

Kid hits a spin kick and that's way too fast paced for IRS, so he has to stall a little bit. IRS pops up Kid and slams him face first. He goes for it a second time, but this time Kid hits a dropkick out of it. Kid gets a roll up and almost steals the victory. Kid fights back again and hits a moonsault for a 2 count. IRS seems like he's not on the same page with Kid. RS hits a big clothesline and that's...it? That certainly was an anti-climatic finish. 

Match Rating: **

Owen and Bruce Hart are interviewed giving us an update on their parents. 

Bret Hart vs. Jerry Lawler Doink

Jerry Lawler comes out on crutches and cuts a promo saying that his Detroit made car and an old lady causing him to have a car accident. He announces that his court jester will be delivering a beating to Bret instead of him. Doink throws a bucket of confetti into the crowd. From there he throws another bucket at Bruce Hart, but this time it's water. Bret comes out and attacks Doink from behind and we are underway. Bruce and Owen go over the barricade and try to get involved. Bret continues to beat down on Doink in a one sided affair thus far. Eventually Lawler is able to distract Bret and Doink capitalizes by slamming him into the steps. He brings it back in the ring and works on Bret with some submission holds. Doink goes up top for the Whoopee Cushion, but Bret gets his knees up. Bret puts on the Sharpshooter, but in comes Lawler, who the proceeds to smash Bret with his crutch. The match never really got going and the story here felt a little forced. 

Match Rating: **

As Lawler and Doink are headed to the back, Jack Tunney comes out and gets into it with Lawler. Bret tries to go after Lawler and Tunney tells the Fink to announce that Lawler will have to retire if he doesn't fight Bret tonight. 

Bret Hart vs. Jerry Lawler

Bret gets him back to the ring and we have begun. This one starts off similarly to it's predecessor. Lawler uses his crutch, well, as a crutch. He slides Bret balls-first into the ring post and hits Bret in the throat with the crutch. Bret's able to get away with a low blow and now Bret takes his straps down. Bret uses Lawler's piledriver and follows it up from the second rope. Bret locks in the Sharpshooter and Lawler submits. However, Bret refuses to release the hold. Numerous officials try break it up and after several minutes, he finally lets go. Fink announces that Lawler is the King of the Ring as a result of the disqualification. Bret eventually is finally able to get to Lawler and Bruce and Owen join in on the attack. Bret gets the standing ovation as he and his brothers stand in the ring together. I liked this match and the story a lot more than the Doink match. 

Match Rating: **1/2

Ludvig Borga is here to insult America. 

Marty Jannetty vs. Ludvig Borga

This is pretty much the bathroom break match, which is a shame because Marty was putting in good work at this time. Borga hits a nice pop up toss and punches him in the gut on the way down. Borga misses a splash in the corner, but gets squashed before he can make a comeback. Marty tries to body slam Borga, but instead Borga takes his head off with a clothesline. Jannetty gets two superkicks in, but Borga catches his second rope crossbody and slams him to the mat. Borga puts Jannetty in the Torture Rack and that is all. Man, that was a big time squash there. Jannetty did everything he could to make Borga look here. His move set was solid for a big man at this time, but he couldn't be much less interesting. That and he's a racist. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Rest In Peace Match

Giant Gonzalez vs. Undertaker

Yes, this feud actually lasted all the way up until SummerSlam. The only positive that I can come up with on this feud is that I do enjoy seeing Undertaker work as the clear smaller man. Taker comes out of the gate strong, but it eventually leads to Gonzalez manhandling him. This is pretty much exactly what you would expect between these two. Gonzalez throws him into the steps and then we get a pause in the action. Taker struggles into the ring and is reaching for the urn, but Harvey Wippleman teases him with it. Out of nowhere, a bell rings and out comes Paul Bearer with a black wreath. Bearer hits a clothesline on Wippleman and grabs the urn. This all gets a pop, but a pretty mild one. Bearer raises the urn and eventually Undertaker sits up. Taker makes his comeback and hits a second rope clothesline for the finish. What a terrible storyline. After the match Wippleman slaps Gonzalez and eats a chokeslam for his troubles. We still also have no clue what a Rest In Peace Match is. There is nothing good that you can say about this match. 

Match Rating: 0 Stars

Interview time with Jim Cornette, Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji. Cornette goes on a rant about his Heavenly Bodies match earlier. 

Smoking Gunns & Tatanka vs. Headshrinkers & Bam Bam Bigelow

Bam Bam and Tatanka start things off and eventually collide with a double crossbody. Billy Gunn comes in and hits a couple of odd looking moves before getting a double headbutt. Billy then seemingly mistimes his jump when being tossed on the ropes. He seems a little off here. The heels then cut the ring in half on Bart. He finally makes the hot tag to Tatanka and he hits a top rope crossbody on Bam Bam for a 2 count. Samu is in and he hits a splash for a nearfall. The match breaks down and Tatanka eats a splash from Bam Bam. They then hit a triple headbutt. They try the triple headbutt off the top rope, but all three miss. The Gunns hit splashes on the outside and Tatanka gets a roll up for the victory. The match was decent for the most part, but the last minute or two were a lot of fun. 

Match Rating: **1/2

They are with Hank Carter, the driver of the Lex Express. They then interview a guy in the crowd whose mom made his patriotic outfit. 

Before the match, we get the Japanese national anthem and then Macho Man come out with Aaron Neville. 

WWF Championship Match

Yokozuna vs. Lex Luger

Fuji sneaks behind Luger in an attempt to distract him, but Luger isn't having it. Luger gets hit with a back elbow, but avoids the big leg drop and starts going after Yoko's leg. In a weird spot, Fuji goes to throw salt at Luger, but he kind of blocks it but it just looks like Fuji purposely missed instead. Either way, the distraction works and Yoko is still in control. I'm not sure why they gave Bret such a short match at WrestleMania, but felt that Luger was the guy to give him an almost 20 minute match. Yoko squashes Luger into the post outside, but misses with the chair. They've already kind of lost the crowd here. Luger goes up to the top rope and hits a double ax handle. It's not enough to knock him down, so he hits a top rope forearm shot and almost pulls off the victory. They both hit a clothesline and are both down and out. Fuji hands Yoko the bucket and he uses it on Luger behind Earl Hebner's back. Yoko is slow to cover and Luger is able to kick out. Yoko hits a belly-to-belly suplex, but again is slow to cover. Yoko now puts on the dreaded trapezius hold and this match is still going on. Luger gets out, but goes for a body slam and Yoko falls on him for another close call. Yoko follows it up with a legdrop and again Luger kicks out. Yoko misses the Banzai Drop and the crowd is waking up. There is no doubt that move is over with the fans. Yoko misses in the corner and Luger hits the big body slam. Luger hits the illegal forearm on Yoko, knocking him out of the ring. Yoko gets counted out and Luger celebrates like he won the Super Bowl. Tatanka, Randy Savage and the Steiners come into the ring to celebrate. I guess when you book yourself into a corner, this is the result you come up with. I will say that both guys did work hard here despite their limitations. They were just stuck with one of the lamest endings to a main event in WWF history in a year that already. 

Match Rating: *1/2

They show a cheesy music video of Luger's journey and then go to the locker room. Borga comes in and confronts Luger to close out the show. 

I have to say I remembered liking this show a lot more than I did this time around. The show started off well, with the tag team match being the highlight of the show. Unfortunately from there the show dragged and we ended up with an unsatisfying conclusion. Yokozuna was definitely the right guy to hold the title at this time, but it was a weird collision of them trying to build the next Hulk Hogan and keeping the monster heel champion. It just didn't work. 

Overall Rating: 54%

New Year's Revolution 2006 Review

Sunday, January 8th, 2006
Pepsi Arena
Albany, New York

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

As is often the case, the WWE production team nails the intro to the show by putting over the Elimination Chamber. Kudos also goes to the team who designed the set for the show.

Intercontinental Championship Match

Edge vs. Ric Flair

I guess this match is for the title? Edge attacks Flair as he is putting down his title and goes right on the attack. Edge uses a Lita distraction to hit a clothesline outside the ring. You can tell Edge is excited to be out here tonight working with Flair. Well, that and possibly another reason. The action once again goes outside the ring and Edge leaps off the apron, but is greeted with a chop from Flair. Flair then crotches Edge on the barricade outside the ring. Flair goes to the top rope and Flair is able to fight off both Edge and Lita, allowing him to actually hit an overhead chop off the top. Flair goes for the Figure Four, but Lita gets up on the apron. Edge comes from behind, but Flair sends him flying over the top rope. He throws Lita in and puts her in the Figure Four after some gyrations. In comes Edge and nails Flair in the head with the Money In The Bank briefcase. Flair is busted open and the bell is ringing for the disqualification. That match was actually quite a lot of fun. It was on the shorter side, allowing Flair to keep up a brisker pace. 

Match Rating: *** (out of 5)

Todd Grisham is with Kurt Angle and Daivari. Angle says a bunch of controversial statements like he would like to make Jesus tap out. His point is that no matter what he says, the fans still cheer him because he's the best wrestler. 

They go back to Flair who is still trying to get out of the ring. 

WWE Women's Championship Match

Trish Stratus vs. Mickie James

Although there were some flaws to the story, it was so nice to have a well built women's match during this era. They have a miscue with a Mick-canrana into a powerbomb and Trish rolls out of the ring. That could have been dangerous. Mickie opens the ropes for Trish to come back in. Things start getting heated with some big forearms. Mickie gets some boots to the face and after some counters to their big moves, Trish hits a big kick to the head. Trish misses with a leaping kick through the ropes and lands hard on the mat. Mickie gets her hands on the belt and thinks about using it before giving it back to Lilian Garcia. Back in the ring, Trish hits a Lou Thesz Press and a series of right hands. Trish hits the Stratusphere and a spinebuster for a 2 count. Trish seems to be having issues with holding Mickie up when they go again, this time with Mickie hitting a Stratusfaction. Trish is able to kick out and hits the Mick Kick for the victory. The majority of the match was very entertaining, but the two miscues were a little distracting. Either way, they worked hard and had a good story to work with. 

Match Rating: **1/2

Maria interviewst herself backstage until Gregory Helms walks in and says he's going to send Jerry Lawler to the hospital. Then Shelton Benjamin walks in with his mom telling him that everything is going to change. 

Edge then tells Lita to deal with WWE Instant Access because he has bigger things on his mind. 

Jerry Lawler vs. Gregory Helms

Helms tries to show off his new aggressive streak, but Lawler keeps getting the best of him to start. Lawler even throws in a Hurricane pose for good measure. Helms is able to gain control and works on Lawler for awhile. After blocking Lawler's counter, he clotheslines Lawler over the top rope and sends him into the ring post. Helms joins the announce team like the Rock. Back in the ring, Helms hits a missile dropkick, but Lawler avoids a charge in the corner. The strap is down and the fists start coming from Lawler. With such a light backstory coming in, the crowd is not really into this until Lawler goes for the piledriver. Helms counters it, but then Lawler crotches Hurricane on the top rope. Lawler then hits a flying fist and gets the victory. There's no better way to get over a character than to have him lose to a 57 year old. 

Match Rating: **

Mickie and Trish are now in the Instant Access area and Mickie is putting the moves on Trish. 

Back to Shelton's mom and she is checking out catering and isn't impressed. In walks Viscera and you can imagine. This is all a bad dream. 

Big Show vs. Triple H

Show is of course wearing the huge cast on his right arm and Triple H is hesitant about getting in there with him. Big Show gets the early advantage and sends Triple H to the turnbuckle and over and out. Big Show drives Triple H into the post, but Triple H ducks a right hand and Show's injured hand hits the ring post. Triple H brings Show back in the ring and slams his cast into the post again. Triple H now is able to rip off the cast and drives his knee into Show's exposed hand. Triple H works the hand every way imaginable, but eats a forearm when he comes off the second rope. Show starts making his comeback, but is heavily selling the hand. Show signals for the chokeslam, but he can't get Triple H up and Show accidentally hits the referee with a fist to the face. Out comes the sledgehammer, but Show blocks it and then breaks the sledgehammer in half. Show then hits a big kick to the face. Show throws Triple H into the ring steps, but Show gets hit with a low blow. Triple H then takes a chair and smashes it on Show's hand. Show hits a desperate spear and both men are down outside the ring. Triple H hits Show with the sledgehammer and hits the Pedigree for the slow count victory. This was a smartly worked match with an easy story for the performers to tell. It added up to one of the better Big Show singles matches in some time. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

Chris Masters is working out and in walks Carlito. Carlito points out that they are the only two in the match that have not been the WWE Champion. He says that if they work together, then one of them will be first time WWE Champs. 

Shelton Benjamin vs. Viscera

Benjamin cuts a promo before and says that no one talks to his mom like that. He demands an apology, but his mom says that she doesn't need an apology and calls out Viscera. In case you are wondering, the mom angle is just as bad in 2020 as it was in 2006. Viscera embarrasses Shelton early on, but once they get back in the ring, Shelton takes out Viscera's legs. He follows up with a knee lift and then a top rope clothesline. It still makes me mad that Shelton was never really able to get over. Shelton goes for a figure four, but Viscera kicks him out of the ring. Viscera hits the Samoan drop. All the while, Shelton's mom is screaming "Do I need to get my belt?". Viscera hits an elbow drop and gets a 2 count. Viscera hits a spinning side slam and the arena is absolutely silent. Viscera does the Visagra to the disgust of Shelton's mom. Shelton fights back and gets him on the rope. His mom hits him with the purse in the head and Shelton hits a spin kick for the victory. Shelton, on behalf of all of us, we're sorry. 

Match Rating: *1/4

Vince McMahon wishes Shawn Michaels luck and reminds him that no one has ever entered first in the Elimination Chamber and won. Michaels reminds Vince that no one ever entered the Royal Rumble first and won, that no one has ever competed in a ladder match and Hell In A Cell match. Vince laughs at him and tells him that if he won tonight, it would be the first time that Hell froze over. 

Bra And Panties Gauntlet Match

Maria vs. Candice Michelle vs. Torrie Wilson vs. Victoria vs. Ashley

My recap will be super exciting here. Candice rips off Maria's top, but then Maria makes the heroic comeback and rips off both the tops and bottoms off of Candice. If the women are so embarrassed by getting stripped, why don't they wear less revealing undergarments? Torrie tries to do some wrestling, hitting a springboard handspring elbow. Jack Doan gets involved in a fun spot and it leads to Torrie being eliminated. Victoria makes quick work of Maria. Mae Young and Moolah come out next. Mae starts stripping and everyone just watches her do it. Victoria attacks her from behind and then Moolah grabs her by the hair. Mae starts stripping Victoria down. So this show aired back when I used to go to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch all of the pay-per-views. None of my friends were able to go to this show, so I was able to talk my girlfriend into attending and watching her first ever wrestling show. She somehow still ended up marrying me after this. Ashley comes in and quickly strips Victoria. This was as awful as my recap was. 

Match Rating: 0 Stars

Shelton is backstage bragging about his win at Instant Access. 

Elimination Chamber Match For The WWE Championship

Kane vs. Chris Masters vs. Carlito vs. Kurt Angle vs. John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels

Having Cena start off this year was a smart move. The field of six this year was noticeably lesser than last year's. They actually start off a little slower than you would expect and never really get much going. Carlito comes in and hits a somersault dive over the top and onto Michaels. I did not expect Carlito to be the one who brought some life to the match. Angle is the fourth man in and delivers suplexes all around. Angle throws Michaels into one of the cells and he is all bloody. Angle is able to put the Ankle Lock on Carlito, but his pep talk with Masters works out. Masters is the next man in and he makes the save. Masters goes for the Master Lock on Angle, but Angle counters and puts him in the Ankle Lock. Angle decides to go to Cena now and has him locked in. Michaels comes and hits Angle with Sweet Chin Music out of nowhere and eliminates Angle. Nearly 15 years later, that decision still surprised me. Masters and Carlito continue their partnership and in comes Kane. Kane hits chokeslams on Michaels and Cena, but when he goes for Carlito, Masters attacks from behind. They hit a double DDT on Kane, but he sits up. Masters hits the military press on Carlito onto Kane and they eliminate him? That too surprised me. I remember where this match is going, but I completely forgot that Kane only lasted a few minutes. Michaels makes his comeback and hits a top rope elbow drop on Cena. Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music on Cena, but for some reason they don't let him pin Cena. They double team Michaels and he is eliminated. They keep the double team going and Masters locks in the Master Lock on a bloody Cena. Carlito hits a low blow on Masters and eliminates him. Cena returns the favor and escapes with the victory. Before we get on to what is next, this was actually quite a bit better than I remembered it being. The outcome was obvious, but with what happens next, it made it all worth it. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

As soon as the match is over, Vince McMahon's music hits and tells the crowd to not go anywhere. He raises the cage and lets everyone know that Edge is cashing in his Money In The Bank contract. 

WWE Championship Match

John Cena vs. Edge

Cena is struggling to get to his feet and the bell rings. Edge goes right after Cena with blows to the head, but Cena kicks out of the pin attempts. Edge hits the Spear and again Cena kicks out. Edge hits another Spear and we have a new WWE Champion. This is obviously one of the most historic moments of my lifetime for WWE and it definitely got people talking. I didn't agree where they went with it, but you couldn't have ended a pay-per-view much better than that. 

Match Rating: *

What looked to be a throwaway show, ended up being pretty entertaining. Obviously a lot of that was due to the surprise ending, but the Elimination Chamber definitely delivered here as well. Big Show had one of his better singles matches and the opener was fun. There were some really low spots, but not enough to really spoil it. 

Overall Rating: 71%

The Best Of WWE: 2005

Now that I have completed watching every episode of Raw, SmackDown and pay-per-view for 2005, here is a quick rundown of my favorite matches and shows of the year. 

Top 48 WWE Matches Of 2005

***1/2

48. MNM vs. Rey Mysterio & Batista - SmackDown 12-30-05

47. John Cena vs. Chris Masters vs. Kurt Angle - Monday Night Raw 11-28-05

46. Rey Mysterio & Batista vs. MNM - SmackDown 12-16-05

45. Edge vs. Matt Hardy - Monday Night Raw 8-29-05

44. Randy Orton vs. Undertaker - SummerSlam

43. Randy Orton, Batista, Bobby Lashley, Rey Mysterio & JBL vs. Shawn Michaels, Big Show, Kane, Calrito & Chris Masters - Survivor Series

42. John Cena vs. Chris Jericho - Monday Night Raw 8-22-05

41. Undertaker vs. Randy Orton - WrestleMania 21

40. Randy Orton vs. Christian - Monday Night Raw 2-14-05

39. Triple H vs. Randy Orton - Royal Rumble 

38. Edge vs. Matt Hardy - Monday Night Raw 10-3-05 (Homecoming)

37. Booker T vs. Christian - Great American Bash

36. Kurt Angle vs. Ric Flair - Monday Night Raw 6-27-05

35. Rey Mysterio vs. Chavo Guerrero - SmackDown 1-20-05

34. Lance Storm vs. Chris Jericho - One Night Stand

33. Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho & Chris Benoit vs. Edge, Christian & Tyson Tomko - Monday Night Raw 1-24-05

32. Super Crazy vs. Tajiri vs. Nunzio - One Night Stand

31. Kurt Angle vs. John Cena - Unforgiven

30. Batista vs. Triple H - Vengeance

***3/4

29. Ric Flair vs. Triple H - Taboo Tuesday

28. Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero - Judgment Day

27. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels - Monday Night Raw 10-3-05 (Homecoming)

26. John Cena vs. Chris Jericho - SummerSlam

25. Booker T vs. Christian vs. JBL vs. Rey Mysterio - SmackDown 10-14-05

24. Shawn Michaels, Big Show, Matt Hardy & John Cena vs. Kurt Angle, Snitsky, Chris Masters & Edge - Monday Night Raw 9-19-05

23. Rey Mysterio & Matt Hardy vs. JBL & Christian - SmackDown 11-4-05

22. Shawn Michaels vs. Edge - Monday Night Raw 2-28-05

21. JBL vs. Big Show vs. Kurt Angle - Royal Rumble

20. Mike Awesome vs. Masato Tanaka - One Night Stand

19. Triple H vs. Ric Flair - Survivor Series

18. Undertaker vs. Randy Orton - Armageddon

****

17. Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle - Vengeance

16. Hulk Hogan vs. Shawn Michaels - SummerSlam

15. Royal Rumble (Batista Victory) - Royal Rumble

14. Randy Orton & Shawn Michaels vs. Edge & Christian - Monday Night Raw 2-21-05

13. John Cena vs. Christian vs. Chris Jericho - Vengeance

12. Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero - WrestleMania 21

11. John Cena vs. JBL - Judgment Day 

10. Triple H vs. Chris Benoit - Monday Night Raw 3-14-05

9. Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero - SmackDown 1-6-05

8. Shawn Michaels vs. Shelton Benjamin - Monday Night Raw 5-2-05

7. Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero - SummerSlam

6. Shelton Benjamin vs. Chris Jericho - Backlash

****1/4

5. Triple H vs. Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit vs. Batista vs. Randy Orton vs. Edge - New Year's Revolution

****1/2

4. Matt Hardy vs. Edge - Unforgiven

3. John Cena vs. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels - Taboo Tuesday

****3/4

2. Edge vs. Chris Jericho vs. Christian vs. Chris Benoit vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Kane - WrestleMania 21

*****

1. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania 21

Top 20 Shows Of The Year

20. Unforgiven - 69%

19. SmackDown 10-21-05 - 70%

18. SmackDown 10-14-05 - 70%

17. Monday Night Raw 6-13-05 - 70%

16. Monday Night Raw 8-15-05 - 70%

15. Monday Night Raw 4-4-05 - 70%

14. Monday Night Raw 5-2-05 - 71%

13. Survivor Series - 71%

12. Monday Night Raw 3-21-05 - 72%

11. Judgment Day - 72%

10. SmackDown 1-27-05 - 73%

9. Taboo Tuesday - 75%

8. Backlash - 75%

7. SmackDown 5-5-05 - 78%

6. Monday Night Raw 3-14-05 - 80%

5. Vengeance - 80%

4. One Night Stand - 82%

3. SummerSlam - 88%

2. Royal Rumble - 90%

1. WrestleMania 21 - 92%

NXT TakeOver: WarGames 2020 Review

Sunday, December 6th, 2020
WWE Performance Center    
Orlando, Florida

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork

We get the awesome Black Sabbath introduction to kick things off. 

WarGames Match

Toni Storm, Dakota Kai, Raquel Gonzalez & Candice LeRae vs. Ember Moon, Rhea Ripley, Io Shirai & Shotzi Blackheart

Dakota Kai and Ember Moon start things off. They start off a little bit sluggish as far as WarGames matches go. Kai takes control as the clock hits zero and Blackheart comes in. She goes right under the ring and grabs a toolbox and a crowbar. It's a nice change to have the faces get the advantage. After Blackheart destroys Kai for awhile, Kai is able to take out Blackheart and focus back on Moon. Blackheart hits a missile dropkick off the shoulders of Moon as the countdown begins and Gonzalez enters. They attack her as soon as she enters, but Gonzalez is able to hold her own. In comes Rhea Ripley and it's a nice change, as Ripley's offense is a little bit more suited for this type of match. Ripley goes over to the toolbox and pulls out a mini sledge and uses it on Kai. With all of the other women down, Ripley and Gonzalez start brawling as the clock counts down again. Toni Storm is on her way down and she goes under the ring for some kendo sticks. Storm immediately takes off the top turnbuckle and then hits Ripley with the kendo stick. Things have now picked up nicely after a mediocre start. Blackheart and Kai climb to the top ropes, but the other women all meet them there and we get a double top rope moves in each ring. Gonzalez kicks Shirai out of the ring as she tries to get in and Storm ties the door shut so she can't come in. Shirai tries to climb in, but she is kicked off the cage. Down comes LeRae and Shirai is attacked from behind by Indi Hartwell. LeRae goes for a pinfall attempt in the ring, but the referee won't allow it because Shirai is not in the match. Shirai is now on the top of the cage and puts a garbage can on herself and hits the dive. That was certainly memorable. Shirai picks up the mini sledgehammer and goes to work. She gets an assist by Ripley to hit a DDT. Shirai looks fantastic here. Shirai hits a moonsault and almost pulls off the victory. We get some more chaos here. Kai hits a double stomp off the top rope on Shirai, who was placed once again in the trash can. Moon hits a top rope Eclipse on Kai onto two chairs in a crazy spot, but the count gets broken up by Storm. Storm then hits Storm Zero on the trash can and this one too gets broken up. Blackheart and LeRae are up on a ladder and Blackheart knocks her off on a chair. Blackheart leaps on her and in kind of a weird spot, LeRae visibly was grabbing and moving the chair around. Shirai hits a moonsault, but a spear from Storm on Ripley breaks up the pin. Ripley gets sent flying into the cage in a somewhat scary looking way. Shirai tries to hit a top rope hurricanrana, but Gonzalez blocks it and powerbombs her through the ladder for the victory. I certainly didn't see Gonzalez getting the pin here. After a disappointing start, this match was really cooking once Shirai entered. Shirai and Ripley were especially impressive in there tonight. Good start to the show. 

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

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Timothy Thatcher

Both men come out quickly, making me think the women's match ran a little long. They go right to the mat as you would imagine here. Thatcher aggressively goes after the throat of Ciampa and the ref checks on him before letting them go at it again. Thatcher continues the assault and he very much reminds me of heel Ciampa. Ciampa battles back with a series of a ton of clotheslines in a fun spot. Ciampa hits a superplex and gets a nearfall. After a double throat thrust by Thatcher, he goes for the Guillotine. Ciampa uses his ring awareness and drives both of them through the ropes and to the floor. Back in the ring, Ciampa hits a running knee lift and puts on one of the most convincing chinlocks that I have ever seen. Thatcher, who is bleeding from his ear, breaks out of the hold and takes it out on Ciampa. Ciampa tries to fight back, but Thatcher pulls Ciampa's throat into the top rope. Ciampa has Thatcher in a Guillotine in the ropes and then hits a devastating DDT and gets the pinfall victory. Both men sell their injuries after what was a fantastic match. 

Match Rating: ****1/4

Stap Match

Dexter Lumis vs. Cameron Grimes

Grimes brought his own strap and after some debate, the referee allows them to use it. Grimes attacks Lumis before he can even get the strap on. Grimes takes the attack outside the ring. The match hasn't officially started yet since Lumis doesn't have the strap on. Back in the ring, Lumis is able to regain control and he puts on the strap. Grimes does what he can to escape but he can't because, you know, he is strapped to him. Grimes tries to scale the outside cage, but it of course doesn't work either. Grimes is able to dump Lumis over the barricade and it allows him to catch his breath. Lumis creeps over barricade, but Grimes hits a kick to the head and then pulls him over with the strap. Grimes takes the bag containing the other strap and puts it over the head of Lumis before hitting him with the second strap. Lumis is able to hit a blindfolded spinebuster, but pulled into the steel corner for the cage. After some kicks off the apron by Grimes, Lumis pulls Grimes off the apron and to the floor. Grimes is able to hit a German suplex into the turnbuckle to slow Lumis down. Grimes brings in the chair and uses it on the back with repeated shots. Lumis fights back and puts the Silence on and puts the strap over the face of Grimes and he taps out. This was an entertaining bout, but not up to the level of the previous two matches.

Match Rating: ***1/4

A vulture is shown and I am guessing Karrion Kross is returning soon. 

Triple Threat Match For The North American Championship

Damian Priest vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Leon Ruff

Gargano tries isolating Ruff and trying to score a quick victory before Priest can get back in the ring. Ruff gets a little bit of time to show off his athleticism before being thrown out by Priest. Ruff hits a missile dropkick and then he and Gargano team up to once again dump Priest out of the ring. Gargano hits a dive to the outside and tells Ruff to do the same, but Gargano hits a dive into the ring on Ruff in a great segment. Priest then throws Ruff with a Razor's Edge through one of the barricades, knocking it down and Ruff is checked on by multiple officials. Priest shows remorse, which allows Gargano to attack from behind. He hits a tornado DDT off the ring ramp and taunts Ruff as he heads to the back. After a series of counters, Priest is able to hit a spinning heel kick. Gargano is able to hit a Sliced Bread for a nearfall. We get yet another fast paced back-and-forth between the two that ends with Priest hitting a big clothesline. The pace thus far has been frantic. Ruff comes back in and leaps off Priest's back to hit a clothesline on Gargano. Ruff hits a somersault dive off the top rope to the outside on both opponents. Ruff hits a springboard Diamond Cutter for another close call. Ruff eats a big boot from Priest and he then hits a double flatliner on both men. Gargano counters the Razor's Edge by throwing Priest into the ring post and then throws Ruff into Priest. Gargano ties up Priest in the bottom two ropes and Ruff almost defeats Garagano the same way he won the title in the first place. Ruff misses a Frog Splash and he gets put in the Garagano Escape, but Priest is able to break the hold. Priest hits a top rope spinning heel kick. Ruff avoids a splash in the corner and hits two clotheslines to no effect. Gargano hits a kick to Ruff as he is going off the ropes. Out comes a trio of men dressed up in the Scream masks. Priest fights them off and hits a springboard somersault dive and then leaps over to another group on the other side. He hits a chokeslam on Gargano on the apron. Ruff hits a Frog Splash on Gargano, but Priest is just barely able to break up the pin. After two spinning kicks to the head of Gargano, Priest goes for the Reckoning, but another ghost face hits him from behind. Gargano hits a superkick on Ruff and then One Final Beat to recapture the North American Championship. Shenanigans aside, the pace of this match was absolutely unbelievable. Gargano continues to be Mr. TakeOver while Ruff and Priest both had tremendous outings. This might just be my favorite match of 2020. After the match is over, the main ghost face is Austin Theory. 

Match Rating: ****3/4

WarGames Match

Undisputed Era vs. Pat McAfee, Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch

Kyle O'Reilly and Dunne are starting things off. We get some aggressive mat wrestling from these two. Oney Lorcan is in next and they quickly destroy O'Reilly. O'Reilly fights for his life and hits a top rope knee to Lorcan. He is immediately greeted with a missile dropkick to the knee courtesy of Dunne. In comes Fish to the rescue. O'Reilly and Fish remind us all of just how awesome of a team they are and then hit a double leg strike to Dunne. Danny Burch is in next and he brings a cricket bat into the ring. O'Reilly is able to roll Burch into a heel hook and Burch taps. Of course that doesn't matter since all of the competitors aren't in the ring yet. Dunne breaks the hold and Burch destroys the back of O'Reilly. Roderick is next to come in and he immediately is greeted by the tag team champs, but Strong explodes with a double clothesline. Strong reminds us all why he is one of the most underrated performers on the roster until he is thrown into the cage by Lorcan. McAfee enters the match to give his team the last advantage of the evening. He grabs a bunch of tables with all of the names of the Undisputed Era's names on it. It's a good thing that no one in the first match decided to use those. McAfee hits a moonsault and puts Strong through the table. Adam Cole is in and uses a steel chair to help even the odds. Dunne and Cole go at it and then O'Reilly baits McAfee. That allows Cole to hit him in the back with a chair and then everything breaks into a huge brawl. McAfee slaps on the Figure Four on Cole while the other six men brawl in the other ring. Cole reverses the hold until Dunne saves his partner. The Undisputed Era hits a powerbomb on Dunne onto the body of Burch onto a table but it doesn't break. They hit a splash that finally breaks it. Cole then sends McAfee flying and through a table. They set all three of the others between the ropes and cage and just destroy one after the other. This leaves just McAfee and he tries to escape. The Undisputed Era catches him and attack him repeatedly. Dunne comes in and saves McAfee and completely turn the tide. Cole hits a leaping neckbreaker off the top rope on Dunne and Strong hits a superplex on McAfee. This leads to yet another brawl, but McAfee is on the top of the cage and he hits a swanton to take everyone down. I definitely did not expect this match to last as long as it has. DUnne hits the Bitter End on O'Reilly, but he is able to kick out. O'Reilly hits a suplex on the middle steel portion of the ring for yet another nearfall. McAfee knocks O'Reilly off the top rope with a chair to the knee. Cole gets the chair away, but McAfee hits a low blow. Burch gets driven into the table. Cole hits a superkick on a leaping McAfee. Cole hits a Panama Sunrise on McAfee, but he kicks out. I'm not sure I agree with that one. Things get absolutely insane and too hard for me to even recap. O'Reilly scales the top rope and hits a knee into a chair on the face of Lorcan and the Undisputed Era get the victory. The cardio of the Undisputed Era is pretty much unmatched and it showed here tonight. This was a great main event that played to the strengths of the eight competitors. 

Match Rating: ****

Without a doubt in my mind, this was far and away the best wrestling show that I have seen in the COVID era. Actually, it's not even close. This was up to par with many of the best NXT TakeOvers and the show that WWE needed so desperately. Every match delivered tonight and hats off to everyone involved. This is a must watch.

Overall Rating: 96%

NXT 10-30-13 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, October 30th, 2013
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. Alexander Rusev & Sylvester Lefort

Amore's schtick is now 100% over with the audience. Cass and Rusev start things off and Rusev gets the early advantage. Rusev destroys Enzo and then also takes out his partner as well. He immediately puts Cass in the Accolade for the easy victory. As his music hits, Lana is up on the ramp and Rusev walks back with her. That certainly put Rusev over convincingly. 

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

Aiden English vs. Jason Jordan

English nails his entrance as always and we get a Jason Jordan spotting here. I love that English is surprisingly aggressive in the ring. English hits the Director's Cut for another quick victory tonight.The crowd wants an encore and English delivers it. He even gets roses thrown into the ring. Why was he not a bigger thing in NXT? 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show Neville from last week getting medical attention after the attack from Corey Graves.

Summer Rae vs. Paige

Paige tosses Summer across the ring with her hair and Summer seeks the comfort of Sasha, who is at ringside. Sasha gets involved and he sends Sasha to the back. Summer uses a sweeping kick and knocks Paige off the apron and to the mat. Summer works on the leg for a bit, but Paige mounts a comeback and hits the Paige Turner out of nowhere. What is up with the quick matches tonight? After the match, Sasha comes back and attacks Paige. Emma comes down and makes the save, but then accidentally hits Paige with a right hand. Paige isn't happy as she heads to the back. 

Match Rating: *1/2

Tyler Breeze says he is going to send CJ Parker back to where he belongs. 

Luke Harper gets a promo ahead of his match with Kassius Ohno next week. We also will get Rusev vs. Lefort.

Tyler Breeze vs. CJ Parker

Parker hits a delayed vertical suplex and Breeze is in trouble early on. Parker misses in the corner and a seated Breeze pulls him down to a powerbomb-like fall for Parker. Breeze goes up top, but Parker slams him off the top. Parker tries to get a bunch of shots to the face, but Breeze does his best to block them. Parker hits him with a high kick and gets a 2 count. Meanwhile, the crowd chants "Let's go Breeze!". Breeze misses with the Beauty Shot and Parker hits a Third Eye and gets the surprising victory. Parker gets out the scissors after the match, but Breeze is able to roll out before he's able to cut any of his hair. This was a decent enough main event. 

Match Rating: **1/4

This show was a super quick episode that was entertaining, but lacked substance. With that being said, the show also featured three of the most entertaining characters they have and it made for a decent watch even if there was nothing worth going out of your way to see. 

Overall Rating: 58%

SummerSlam Spectacular 1993 Review

Original Airdate: Sunday, August 22nd, 1993
Mid-Hudson Civic Center
Poughkeepsie, New York

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So good to have Gorilla Monsoon here.

Yokozuna vs. Jim Duggan

They were really too lazy to take down the Raw signs? Duggan brings it to Yoko right off the bat. He grabs the 2 x 4 and acts surprised when the referee takes it away. Yoko attacks him from behind and then Fuji gets in on the action with a cheap shot behind the ref's back. Duggan tries to fight back again, but Yoko takes him down and hits the big leg drop. Duggan tries for a body slam, but it's too much and Yoko gets a nearfall into the commercial break. Duggan bites his way out of a bear hug, but Yoko remains in control. Duggan avoids the splash in the corner and gets him off his feet with a trio of clotheslines. The small crowd in Poughkeepsie is loving this. Fuji trips Duggan behind the ref's back and Yoko splashes him from behind. Yoko hits the Banzai Drop and that is all. Credit to Duggan to having a pretty decent match here with Yoko. This was an entertaining enough start to the show. After the match, Yoko goes for another Banzai Drop, but referees pull Duggan out of the ring. 

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

We go backstage to Vince McMahon, who is with Jim Cornette. He greets Yokozuna on his arrival and Cornette lets us know what Yoko is going to do to Luger at SummerSlam. 

We then get a video package on the Razor Ramon/Ted DiBiase feud. 

Blake Beverly vs. Razor Ramon

We get a little bit of stalling to start. Beverly is able to dump Razor over the top rope and then rips off the top turnbuckle pad behind the referee's back. I have to say, I didn't see that one coming in this match. Beverly sends the back of Razor into the exposed steel in the corner and then hits a powerslam. Razor is able to reverse Beverly into the exposed turnbuckle and then immediately gets him up for the Razor's Edge and gets the victory. I definitely did not expect Beverly to get that much offense in here, but it was a pretty good mid-90s TV match

Match Rating: **

Jerry Lawler is with an Elvis impersonator for a kind of lame promo. Bret then fires back with a fired up promo about destroying Lawler in front of his family at the SummerSlam. 

Smoking Gunns & Tatanka vs. Barry Horowitz, Reno Riggins & Brooklyn Brawler

This is quite the all star trio of jobbers here. The Smoking Gunns were such a better tag team than the New Age Outlaws ever were. It's just that the gimmick was lame. The jobbers get in some offense on Billy and it's way longer than you would ever expect. Even Gorilla is calling out the team ahead of their big match at SummerSlam. Tatanka finally gets the hot tag and takes care of all three opponents. The Gunns are in there and hit a double dropkick. Tatanka hits a top rope crossbody and gets the victory. That's two matches in a row where I am shocked at how much offense the underdog got. 

Match Rating: *1/4

Mean Gene is now in the ring for an interview with Undertaker. He refers to his fans as the Creatures of the Night. This has to be the early stages of that expression. He says that he will possess the soul of Giant Gonzalez. Out comes Gonzalez and Harvey Wippleman. Gonzalez tells him that this time, he won't get up. Taker gets ready for a fight and Gonzalez gets out of the ring. 

Intercontinental Championship Match 

Shawn Michaels vs. Bob Backlund

After some showboating by Shawn, Backlund gets in a burst of offense that causes Michaels to roll out of the ring. When we come back from commercial break, Michaels is back in control. Backlund gets in a little bit more offense, but then Shawn rolls up Backlund for the victory? I can't believe I am saying this about a Michaels match, but this was boring. 1993 Backlund was not good. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Vince McMahon is back with Ludvig Borga. He says that he is here to bring pain.

Duane Gill vs. Marty Jannetty

Jim Ross reminds us that Gill is not in the same league as Borga. He's right, Gill is much better. Marty looks sharp here as usual and hits a nice second rope flip into a Stunner. He then hits an elbow drop and gets the victory. That was probably one of my favorite squash matches of 1993. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Mean Gene is here for the SummerSlam Report. 

Steel Cage Match For The WWF Tag Team Championships

Money Inc. vs. Steiner Brothers

This is the most excited I have ever been to watch an IRS match ever. This match is chaos in a good way. God bless Gorilla Monsoon for calling out the logic of teammates not climbing out of the cage when the other is being chased up. IRS hits a big superplex on Scott into a commercial break. These types of matches are nearly impossible to recap. Both IRS and Scott are able to escape the ring, but both teammates need to escape to win. IRS decides to go back in the ring to stop Rick from climbing out. Scott comes back in by hitting a double ax handle off the top of the cage. We come back from a second commercial break and Scott is once again out of the cage. He again realizes that it's a not a great idea and climbs back in. IRS again is out of the ring and DiBiase is on his way out as well. Scott pulls DiBiase back in and they put him in the tree of woe. Both Steiners start climbing out in one corner, but IRS gets back in the ring and is able to slow them down. Scott hits a double clothesline as his brother is able to escape the cage. DiBiase is now out, but Rick has IRS on his shoulders. Scott is able to escape before DiBiase can get him off and the place comes unglued. This was so different and just an absolute blast to watch. Only WWF could find a way to not do anything with the Steiners. 

Match Rating: ****

Randy Savage and Men On A Mission rap us out with their dedication to Lex Luger and it is 100% as terrible as you would expect. Amazing.

This was a one match show, but what a match it was. There was nothing like this match in 1993 WWF and it was a breath of fresh air. With the exception of the Michaels/Backlund match, everything was an easy watch and the show as a whole gets a thumbs up. 

Overall Rating: 73%

SmackDown 1-6-06 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, January 6th, 2006
Wachovia Arena
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

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Just like with Raw. New year, same crappy song. 

Falls Count Anywhere Match

JBL vs. Matt Hardy

JBL opens by cutting a promo through the crowd. Matt meets him out there and they start brawling. They move on top of the announce table and Hardy sets JBL down and the table explodes. Not sure what he was going for there, but it didn't look like that was the move. JBL takes a chair and uses it on the back of Hardy. Hardy fights back and hits a dropkick that sends JBL back out of the ring. Hardy launches himself over the top rope and gets a 2 count. Hardy pulls out a ladder from under the ring and uses it on the mid-section of JBL. JBL reverses a bulldog by throwing him into the metal barricade. Hardy is able to sneak in a trash can lid to the head on JBL. He lays JBL out on the hood of his limo and starts climbing the ladder. Jillian Hall grabs the leg of Hardy, allowing JBL to grab the trash can and Hardy comes crashing on the hood of the limo. Somewhat surprisingly, JBL wins off of that and Hardy continues to get buried for no reason whatsoever. Out comes the Boogeyman from the limo. Why wouldn't he have cost JBL the match? He grabs Hall as she is trying to escape and stuffs worms in her skirt. The match felt like it was just getting going and then it abruptly ended. This feud just really did nothing for either guy. 

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

Three-On-One Handicap Elimination Match

Gus Harlacher, Jon Troske & Rob Eckos vs. Mark Henry

Henry tosses Troske and he slides right into the ring post. He puts him in the Torture Rack and Troske is gone. I completely forgot that Melina was ever with Henry. Henry pulls the next guy in the ring and hits a chokeslam into a face-first slam to eliminate Harlacher. In comes Eckos and he destroys him with a clothesline. Henry hits a second rope drop to the back of Eckos and then the World's Strongest Slam for the final victory. This was an impressive squash and reminded you that Henry was a monster. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Melina says that Henry is here for her protection because she is the victim. 

Booker and Sharmell are with Randy Orton. Booker says that it wasn't supposed to happen like it did last week. Orton blames Sharmell and he tells Booker to trust him in that ring. Orton says that he's going to get the victory and hand deliver the United States Championship. Orton reminds Booker that he's going to owe him one though. 

Out for the first time in weeks, it's Mr. Kennedy. After doing his schtick, he joins the announce crew. 

Cruiserweight Championship Match

Kid Kash vs. Juventud

Juventud starts off hot with a dropkick and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. He sends Kash to the outside and Juventud hits a diving somersault off the top rope to the floor. Juvy then hits a springboard elbow drop back in the ring for a 2 count. Juvy goes up to the second rope again, but this time Kash grabs his leg and pulls him face-first to the mat. Kash misses with a springboard moonsault. Juvy blocks the Dead Level and hits Kash with a bunch of knees to the head. Juvy hits a spin kick, but is selling the leg injury. Juvy counters a sunset flip into a pin attempt and nearly gets the victory. Kash locks in the Half Crab on the injured leg, but Juvy crawls to the bottom rope. Juvy knocks Kash off the top rope and hits a top rope hurricanrana for another nearfall. They battle up again at the top rope and Juvy wins the battle. He goes for the 450 splash, but Kash rolls out of the way and hits the Dead Level for the victory. They only got 6 minutes, but they worked hard and delivered a good match in that time. 

Match Rating: ***

Booker T is with Kristal and she asks him if it's hard being married while on SmackDown. In walks Orlando Jordan and he lets him know that he made a mistake not picking him last week. They laugh at him again. 

They go to Batista in the locker room for a press conference where he states that he is innocent. Mark Henry walks in and questions if Batista is sick inside. Batista asks him to get out of his face. 

Match Six In A Best Of Seven Series For The United States Championship

Chris Benoit vs. Randy Orton

Booker is up 3-2 in the series. Booker and Sharmell come down to join as guest commentators. Sharmell trips Benoit with Booker's crutch early on and Orton asks Nick Patrick to be sent to the back. Back in the ring, Orton hits a standing dropkick and quickly goes on the attack. Benoit gets dumped over the top rop going into the commercial break. When we come back, Orton has his third chinlock on Benoit. Benoit makes his comeback and hits the Three Amigos. He hits the top rope headbutt and gets a 2 count. Benoit gets the Sharpshooter on, but then switches it over to the Crippler Crossface. Orton is able to grab the bottom rope to break the hold, but Benoit goes right after the lower back. Benoit misses Orton in the corner and gets hit with his signature inverted backbreaker. Orlando Jordan comes down and grabs the crutch from Booker. He uses it on Benoit, giving Benoit the victory, leaving Orton and Booker furious. Talk about things that I have no recollection of, this is definitely one of them. I liked this match a little better than some of the others in the series because it was quicker and it forced them to work a quicker pace. 

Match Rating: ***

Finlay is coming. 

Out comes Simon Dean on the Dean Machine. He's not calling out just one superstar, he is challenging two to answer his physical challenge. Out come Paul London and Brian Kendrick. Dean then announces his new tag team The Gymini. London and Kendrick leap onto them and London accidentally takes out one of the Gymini. He still gets up and they act like everything is fine and dandy. London and Kendrick get destroyed as Dean celebrates outside the ring. You have to love how Gymini became nothing and London and Kendrick became the best tag team of the year. 

Lashley gives a pretty lame promo about being in the Royal Rumble. They follow it up with a highlight package. 

Steel Cage Match For The WWE Tag Team Championships

MNM vs. Rey Mysterio & Batista

This is a main event that I can get behind. These four have good chemistry and you don't see a lot of tag team cage matches. Cole and Tazz have reminded us that this is the first such instance of one in six years. Batista throws Nitro off the top rope and then Mysterio hits a top rope bulldog on Mercury and also hits a leg drop on Nitro at the same time. Mysterio then gets back body dropped into the cage. Nitro hits a missile dropkick on Batista to take control. MNM hit a double slingshot on Mysterio into the cage. I love the dedication to double teams by both Mysterio and MNM. Mysterio climbs to teh top of the cage and hits a crossbody on Mercury, but Nitro breaks up the pin attempt. MNM once again double teams Mysterio, but this time Batista is ready. Batista has Nitro up for a powerbomb, but Mercury grabs Nitro's arms. He brings Nitro over to the ropes and crotches both of them. Batista hits the spinebuster on Nitro and out comes Mark Henry. He then breaks open the chain on the door in one of the more legendary internet stories. This took a lot longer than what was shown. Whoever was in charge of gimmicking the door, forgot to do so and Henry had to legitimately break the chain. Anyway, Batista destroys the challengers with the cage door and places Mercury on top of Mysterio for the victory. Henry climbs to the top of the cage to end the show. The match was a lot of fun and it put over Henry in a big way. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

This was a great start to the year for the blue brand. Both shows this week in 2006 were very focused and really made a statement. Obviously it's nearly impossible to keep this up for 51 more episodes, but it's nice when everything comes together and clicks. There were a few dud moments, but it wasn't for a lack of trying. 

Overall Rating: 76%