SmackDown 1-27-06 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, January 27th, 2006
BI-LO Center
Greenville, South Carolina

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Rey Mysterio vs. Mark Henry

Mysterio attacks Henry before he gets in the ring and knocks him off the apron. Henry quickly knocks him down with a clothesline. Henry misses with a splash and Mysterio hits him with a dropkick. Mysterio goes for a DDT, but Henry just throws him down instead. Is there anyone that Mysterio doesn't have good chemistry with? Mysterio hides under the ring and then surprises Henry with a leap off the apron. He then hits a variation of the 619 off the ring post. Mysterio keeps the momentum going and hits a 619, but Henry catches Mysterio on the springboard. Henry then hits the World's Strongest Slam and that is all. This was another good match between these two. Mysterio's ability to have great matches with big opponents is right there with Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart. 

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

Matt Hardy cuts a backstage promo saying that most people don't expect him to main event WrestleMania, but that motivates him. 

Booker T and Sharmell are pumping up Randy Orton, who reminds them that they owe him a favor. Orton says that they may be the last two men in the Royal Rumble and he might have to cash in that favor. 

Tag Team Triple Threat Royal Rumble Qualifying Match

Mexicools vs. Nunzio & Vito vs. The Dicks

The match starts in progress just to give you an idea of how important it is. I always enjoy seeing Nunzio on SmackDown. He and Vito isolate Psicosis for a little bit. In comes Super Crazy with a hot tag, but his pin attempt is broken up by the Dicks. The Mexicools pick up the victory after a wheelbarrow slam and will both be in the Rumble as a result. The match was just a time filler. 

Match Rating: *1/2

No Holds Barred Match

Chris Benoit vs. Randy Orton

There isn't a whole lot going on to start the match. Orton grabs a trash can lid for the first weapon if you had that in "What's Under The Ring? Bingo". Benoit tries to get the Sharpshooter, but Orton gets out with a thumb to the eye. I don't know, but I'm not really digging this match so far. Benoit hits a northern lights suplex and then slams Orton into the steps. They start brawling in the entrance way and then back into the ring. Benoit then hits the Three Amigos and slaps his chest in honor of Eddie. Benoit fights of Orton and hits a top rope superplex. They again go outside and Orton hits Benoit in the head with a trash can. Benoit hits the three German suplexes, but Orton wisely grabs a trash can lid when Benoit goes off the top rope for a headbutt. Benoit returns the favor when Orton goes off the ropes and puts Orton in the Crippler Crossface and he taps. I'm sure a lot of people will love this match, I was not one of them. The last few minutes were fun, but the rest kind of felt meaningless.

Match Rating: **1/2

Animal talks about all of the different types of matches he has won in his career, but he has never won the Royal Rumble. 

Finlay vs. Funaki

Finlay hits a quick clothesline and a splash to kick things off. Finlay continues emphasizing his unique and aggressive offense here and then hits the Celtic Cross for the victory. After the match, Finlay continues the assault and the referee then reverses the decision. Finlay then gets on the mic and insults all of us yellow belly Americans. He tells us to get over our anxieties, because he loves to fight and he's not going away. He then gives Funaki another Celtic Cross for good measure. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

JBL is with Jillian Hall and tells her that he isn't afraid of Boogeyman. Oh, and we're still talking about the "beauty mark". 

Lashley says that he will remain undefeated at the Royal Rumble.

JBL vs. Scotty 2 Hotty

Scotty gets an arm drag and a dropkick in until JBL knocks him silly with a boot to the face. Scotty is able to get in a superkick and signals for the Worm. JBL is there to hit him with a Clothesline From Hell instead and then Boogey's music hits. Boogey is nowhere to be seen, but thousands of worms are dumped in the middle of the ring. Then from behind, Boogeyman is there and causes JBL to fall in the worms. It's hard not to think that Boogeyman is truly the most bizarre character to ever be on WWE TV. There was no finish to the match, so it doesn't get a rating. 

Match Rating: N/R

Melina walks into Teddy Long's office. She shows him that her ankle is swollen and she lets him know that he now has two strikes against him. 

Mark Henry and Daivari are interviewed backstage and they let us know that we are looking at the next World Heavyweight Champion.

Champion vs. Champions Handicap Match

MNM vs. Kurt Angle

We join the match in progress and we start off with some mat wrestling. The numbers game gets to Angle, as Nitro pulls Mercury out of the corner and he drives his own shoulder into the ring post. MNM goes for the Snapshot, but Angle counters and takes both men out. Melina distracts the referee and Mercury hits Angle with a roll of quarters, but Angle is able to still kick out. Angle hits an Angle Slam on Mercury and then a belly-to-belly over the top rope on Nitro. Angle puts the Ankle Lock in and that is all. I'm not sure I like how they made MNM look like a complete joke here. Out comes Mark Henry and they go at it. Angle sort of, kind of hits an Angle Slam and then puts in the Ankle Lock. Henry is able to push him out of the ring with his leg and Angle is in disbelief. The match felt like a squash, despite it being a handicap match for their Tag Team Champions. 

Match Rating: *3/4

This was a solid enough episode overall that did a decent job building towards the Royal Rumble. I'm not 100% sure that the fans are buying Henry yet, but the Royal Rumble is the perfect show to test out challengers at. Finlay continues to be a bright spot early in his run and I'm sure most people enjoyed the No Holds Barred match more than I did.

Overall Rating: 60%

Monday Night Raw 1-23-06 Review

Monday, January 23rd, 2006
Charlotte Bobcats Arena
Charlotte, North Carolina

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

They start the show off with a fun movie trailer parody previewing the match between John Cena and Edge at Royal Rumble. Edge and Lita are then down to the ring, as Jerry Lawler lets us know that Cena and Edge will both be picking mystery opponents for a tag team main event tonight. They are skipping ahead to say that he will be defending the championship at WrestleMania. Edge states that he won't be a transitional champ like Iron Sheik or Mick Foley and he won't lose it 16 times like Ric Flair. Edge assures us that Flair is at home, barely able to walk. He then shifts his focus to Cena and that of course brings Cena out to join the party. Cena gives us a recap of Edge's "movie" and then makes a bunch of ho jokes, being the classy babyface that he is. 

Kane vs. Carlito

This was set up last week when Carlito claimed that no one could throw him over the top rope and then Kane came down and um...did. Carlito gets the better of Kane in the early going, but naturally it doesn't last all that long. Kane counters the tornado DDT attempt by tossing him across the ring. Kane gets in a big boot and a leg drop for a 2 count. Kaneamania isn't running wild tonight. Kane hits a top rope clothesline, but Carlito counters the Tombstone into the Backstabber. Kane catches Carlito off the top rope by the throat, but Carlito escapes with a poke to the eye. He grabs a chair, but Kane blocks it with a boot. However, on the rebound, Carlito hits Kane in the head and gets the DQ. Kane sits up and Carlito runs away. Considering that this was less than 5 minutes and a DQ finish, it wasn't half bad. 

Match Rating: * (out of 5)

Edge and Lita are backstage and Edge is letting her know that his surprise partner may need a little persuasion. Lita agrees and we see that it's the Big Show's locker room. 

After a commercial break and showing the Carolina Panthers in the front row, we go back to Lita trying to persuade Big Show and in walks Edge. Big Show declines and says that he wants to go to the Royal Rumble and face the champ at WrestleMania. Awful segment.

We now go to Trish and Mickie. Mickie is freaking out and Trish doesn't do much to try to calm her down. 

The Coach gets on the mic and announces that he will be the final entrant in the Royal Rumble. Jerry Lawler gets on the mic now and says that he doesn't have the authority to do that. Lawler says that he should be in the Rumble and gets a pretty mild pop. Lawler challenges Coach to a match tonight to see who qualifies. The Coach accepts and then they go back to sitting next to each other. 

Victoria & Candice Michelle vs. Trish Stratus & Ashley

Ashley hits a springboard ax handle and gets a 2 count on a roll up. Ashley and Trish then hit a high five elbow drop to drive home how good of friends they are. Trish then hits a top rope hurricanrana and gets a nearfall. Ashley goes for another springboard move, but Candice kicks her off. Things just kind of break down and eventually Ashley hits a top rope dive on Victoria and they get the victory. As soon as the match is done, Mickie attacks Ashley and Trish does her best to pull her off. She gets away from Trish and hits her with a back kick. This was all pretty sloppy. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Shelton Benjamin's mom is cleaning up the locker room for all of the talent. Shelton then tells her that Shawn Michaels called him a mama's boy today. This first hour has been really bad so far. 

They show Superstar Billy Graham's DVD trailer and he is in the crowd. 

Shelton Benjamin vs. Shawn Michaels

Before the match starts, out comes Vince McMahon for a special bulletin. If Michaels loses tonight, then he will no longer be in the Royal Rumble. Shelton shows off his confidence in the early going, trying to one up HBK. They do a call back to their Gold Rush Tournament match, but this time Shelton catches the superkick and hits Michaels with a kick to the head into the commercial break. Shelton hits a Samoan drop and a back body drop. Michaels blocks a superplex, but Benjamin runs up the ropes and hits an enzuigiri. Shelton then leaps up and hits a superplex, but it's still not enough. Shelton is pulling out all of his signature moves and hits a backbreaker and a spin kick. Michaels is able to hit a top rope elbow drop and he signals for Sweet Chin Music. Mama gets up on the steps and Shelton rolls up Michaels, but the ref is distracted. Michaels rolls through and grabs the tights to get the victory. Things were a little slow to start, but everything after the commercial break was money. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

Edge is now trying to talk Triple H into being his partner. 

Hey, look. Another HBK/Vince backstage confrontation. Vince wants Shawn to stop playing the family man and return to sex, drugs and rock and roll. Shawn declines. 

Royal Rumble Qualifying Match

Jonathan Coachman vs. Jerry Lawler

Talk about dream matches. Coach misses a bronco buster in the corner and Lawler starts toying with him. Lawler hits a suplex and then out comes the debut of the Spirit Squad. I completely forgot that they debuted so early in the year. Lawler maintains control, but they use an airhorn, which distracts Lawler and Coach rolls him up for the victory. The Spirit Squad perform a cheer for Coach after the match. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Second Chance Fatal Four Way Royal Rumble Qualifying Match

Lance Cade vs. Gregory Helms vs. Rob Conway vs. Big Show

Cade, Helms and Conway all attack Big Show to begin. It doesn't last long and Big Show throws all three men over the top rope in under 2 minutes. Triple H's music hits and he tells Big Show that he's not going to win the Royal Rumble. Who do you think he thinks will win it? This was just another example of Big Show dominating. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Edge and Lita seem to have found their mystery partner. 

Edge & Chris Masters vs. John Cena & Ric Flair

The only problem with this being a mystery partner business is that the rosters weren't very deep, so you could pretty much guess who they were going to pick. They certainly don't have a lot of time to work with here. The heels isolate Flair until Flair ducks 2nd rope dive. He makes the tag to Cena he takes care of both. Cena goes for the Five Knuckle Shuffle, but gets rid of Edge. Masters puts on the Master Lock, but Flair comes in and chop blocks him. Cena puts in the STFU and gets the quick victory. This was very rushed, but entertaining for what it was. 

Match Rating: **1/4

Outside of the HBK/Shelton match, everything else on here can be skipped. This episode felt like it lacked some focus and was filled with some bad acting performances. 

Overall Rating: 47%

Monday Night Raw 9-20-93 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, September 20th, 1993
Manhattan Center
New York City, New York

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We get a full recap of last week's Province Of Quebec Rules Match. 

Scott Steiner vs. Pierre

Steiner starts off hot with an inverted atomic drop and a top rope clothesline. Steiner hits a top rope belly-to-belly suplex and then chases both Pierre and Johnny Polo to the back with the hockey stick. After the break, it's Pierre's turn while Rick and Jacques start teasing a brawl outside. Pierre hits a second rope leg drop for a 2 count. Steiner gets a backslide for a nearfall and then a sloppy roll up for another 2 count. Steiner hits a double underhook suplex and then a Frankensteiner for the victory. This gets the Steiners their rematch that they wanted. This one was nowhere near as fun as the title match last week. There was nothing wrong with it, but it just kind of felt like it was there for me. 

Match Rating: ** (out of 5)

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Lavern McGill

Oh good, since last week there was technical difficulties, we get another phone call with Crush this week. Bam Bam seems a little off here. Crush for some reason is mad at Randy Savage and hangs up on them. McGill goes for a sunset flip, but Bam Bam grabs the rope and then hits a splash. Bam Bam hits a strange variation of a suplex and then a senton for the victory. This was a long and kind of strange squash for Bam Bam. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show a recap of Doink turning on Bobby Heenan and Heenan selling that he is now sick. 

Bret Hart is out to the ring to meet with Vince McMahon for an interview. Hart cuts a promo on Jerry Lawler and says that when he's done with him, he won't have a head to wear that crown on. 

Mr. Perfect vs. Mike Bell

Perfect lets Bell try to get in some offense, but then hits a beautiful running dropkick. What's with the long squash matches tonight? These have both outworn their welcome. Perfect finally hits the Perfect Plex for the victory. For the second show in a row, Perfect wins a squash and the crowd chants "We want Shawn". 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Ludvig Borga makes fun of America while showing us pollution and wearing jean shorts and a sleeveless denim shirt. 

Heenan then brings us to a wedding proposal and it's one that I would have to think most women would hate. 

IRS vs. PJ Walker

IRS calls out Razor Ramon for not wrestling him, so he's going to show us all what he does to tax cheats. He throws Walker out of the ring and then into the ring steps. Out comes Razor and IRS notices it while hitting a backbreaker. IRS is distracted and Walker rolls him up for the surprise victory. They really loved that during this era and feud, huh? This one didn't end up having the impact that Razor and Kid had. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Bobby Heenan is backstage with Johnny Polo and Quebecers. Polo says that they will not be giving the Steiners a rematch next week, but they will be giving it to another deserving team. Vince says that next week they will be live in New Haven, Connecticut. We'll see Ludvig Borga, Tatanka and the return of Jimmy Snuka. 

Last week's show was a blast, this one...not as much. They gave it a good shot with a solid pairing for a featured match and the IRS roll up, but for whatever reason they just didn't do it for me this week. With two full months still to go before the next pay-per-view, it will be interesting to see when they start building towards the show. 

Overall Rating: 47%

NXT 11-20-13 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, November 20th, 2013
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Bo Dallas is here to kick off the show. He comes out wearing a party hat and to balloons. He shows us a slideshow of his world tour. He then starts handing out cookies Oprah style to the live crowd. Out comes JBL to tell him how proud he is that Bo is the face of NXT. Sami Zayn is out now to interrupt the lovefest. JBL announces that he has reinstated Zayn. JBL then says that a new #1 contender will be determined tonight with a Beat The Clock Challenge and Sami is one of the competitors. 

Beat The Clock Challenge

Colin Cassady vs. Alexander Rusev

They inform us that Enzo was hurt at a recent live event. Lana is given a name and a job title. Rusev dominates the early going, but misses with a second rope headbutt. Cassady hits a running knee to the face and gets a 2 count. We are at the 3 minute mark and Cassady misses a splash in the corner and hits his face on the ring post. Rusev puts him in the Accolade and surprisingly breaks the hold. Rusev has Cassady up and hits him with knees to the kidney. That's actually pretty impressive. Rusev locks in the Accolade and this time Cassady taps at the 5:33 mark. This was the longest Rusev match to date. 

Match Rating: * (out of 5)

Adrian Neville is backstage for an interview and we learn that Corey Graves is out with a concussion. He shifts his focus to his match with Aiden English tonight.

Bayley is shown spinning around on an office chair. She then is interviewed and said that her and Charlotte were like Tommy and Chuckie and she doesn't know what happened. She says she hasn't had the courage to confront her and holds up her fists and says these bad boys will do all the talking. She then asks Devin to do the robot with her. 

Beat The Clock Challenge

Tyler Breeze vs. Kassius Ohno 

They work a frantic pace, trying to get an early pinfall. You know, something that actually makes sense. Ohno eats a step up enzuigiri and it knocks him to the floor. Regal is furious that Breeze is trying to pull Ohno back in the ring instead of letting him get counted out. He finally does and only gets a 2 count. Breeze continues the assault and is starting to get frustrated. He misses with a spin kick and Ohno almost gets the victory. We get a bunch of reversals and some nearfalls as time runs out. Ohno gets another roll up and scores a surprise victory at 4:48, which is the new time to beat. That was a fun little match and I have to say that I didn't see Breeze losing here. 

Match Rating: **

Hunico & Camacho vs. Johnny Vandal & Chris Rothwell

Well, we saw Camacho get squashed in his return last week but now Hunico is back. Camacho hits a Samoan drop and Hunico hits a swanton for the quick squash. After the match, they call out the Ascension. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get another new backstage announcer and he congratulates Ohno. Ohno is talking about momentum and then is interrupted by Lana. He mocks her accent and tells her that when he wins the NXT Championship, Rusev can have the first shot. 

Beat The Clock Challenge

Adrian Neville vs. Aiden English

We start with no entrances, which again must be due to something with English's singing. Neville shows off his athleticism, which is impressive as always. English hits a body slam and his standing leg drop for a 2 count. English dominates most of the match, until Neville hits a back suplex. He explodes for a fury of offense, including a low dropkick to the head. We are down to 1 minute and Neville goes up top. English sees it and wisely rolls out of the way. English goes for a superplex, but Neville pushes English off. Neville hits the Red Arrow and gets the victory with 3 seconds to spare. I'm not sure I love English losing there, as this seemed like a good candidate for time to run out. This was still another fun little sprint between two of my favorites on the roster. 

Match Rating: **1/4

The Ascension accepts Hunico and Camacho's challenge. 

Beat The Clock Challenge

Leo Kruger vs. Sami Zayn

4:45 is the time to beat. Bo Dallas is out to sit and watch the match on the entrance stage. Zayn has an answer for all of Kruger's offense early on, but a double thrust to the throat slows Zayn down. Kruger hits a nice snap suplex and starts going for a few covers. Zayn is able to hit a top rope crossbody for a nearfall, but Kruger is back on the attack. Zayn picks up the pace and hits a nice pop up dropkick. Zayn misses the Helluva Kick and almost eats a loss because of it. Kruger hits a big spinebuster for another 2 count. Kruger wastes a lot of time, but finally hits a clothesline with under 20 seconds left. On one of his pin attempts, Zayn rolls him up and gets the victory as the clock expires. JBL is out and announces that Zayn will face Neville next week to determine the #1 contender. This one wasn't as good as the previous two matches on the show, but it sets up next week nicely.

Match Rating: *1/2

This was an enjoyable show, as they really packed a lot in here. The Beat The Clock Challenge probably works better on a longer show, but it still provided a different feel to the normal episode. 

Overall Rating: 60%

SmackDown 1-20-06 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, January 20th, 2006
Florence Civic Center
Florence, South Carolina

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

After a lengthy recap of last week's show, JBL and Jillian Hall are here to kick off the show. 

JBL vs. Lashley

JBL gets in a early clothesline and then throws Lashley into the turnbuckle. Lashley hits an overhead belly-to-belly suplex and a clothesline of his own. JBL rolls out of the ring and then puts Jillian in front of him to sneak in a thumb to the eye of Lashley. It doesn't slow down Lashley too long, as he hits yet another belly-to-belly suplex. Lashley misses in the corner and JBL hits the Clothesline From Hell. Boogeyman's music immediately hits and Jillian is terrified. Boogeyman comes out from under the ring and grabs JBL's foot. Lashley hits the Dominator and gets the victory as the smoke and lights are still on. After eating some worms, he slithers in the ring and JBL and Jillian escape. They sure are putting a lot of effort into this feud. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Kurt Angle is shown walking in the back and is greeted by Matt Hardy and Rey Mysterio. Pat Patterson sighting here. Rey lets him know that he is taking on Mark Henry in a #1 Contender's match and that he looks forward to facing him. Angle steps up and now it's Mark Henry. He says that he took out Batista and now he is going to take out Rey. Angle wishes him good luck and then tells him to never get in his face again. Meanwhile, Orlando Jordan is lucky enough to get a head nod to Angle as he walks away. 

Booker T is shown on a crutch ready to celebrate his United States Championship. 

Jillian Hall is freaking out to Teddy Long. JBL starts screaming at Long and he makes a match at Royal Rumble. 

Sharmell is out and she told us all that her man could do it. She announces the biggest party possible and introduces Booker. After balloons and pyro, Booker declares himself the greatest United States Champion of all time. Sharmell then calls Chris Benoit a loser. Out comes...Orlando Jordan. Jordan wants a match right now and Booker and Sharmell laugh at him. Jordan takes a swing at Booker and knocks him down. Teddy Long comes out and says that he is allowing another substitution tonight and that Orlando Jordan will take on Randy Orton. 

Matt Hardy vs. Finlay

Finlay is making his debut here and is just a few days shy of turning 48 years old. His run has to be one of the most underrated 45+ year old runs that I can think of. Finlay is aggressive right out of the gates, but Hardy fires back with an inverted atomic drop. Hardy then catapults Finlay out of the ring and then launches himself over the top rope on Finlay. Finlay blocks a sunset flip and drives Hardy's head into the mat. Finlay gets in a big kick to the face, but Hardy hits a back body drop. Hardy hits the Side Effect for a 2 count. Hardy hits a second rope senton instead of a leg drop because Finlay is too close to the corner. Finlay gets out of the Twist Of Fate and rolls out of the ring. Hardy goes for a baseball slide, but Finlay opens up the ring skirt and Hardy slides right between the ring and the skirt. Finlay unleashes on Hardy and then throws him back in the ring. Finlay starts relentlessly hitting Hardy in the head while he is leaning on the bottom rope. The ref rings the bell and calls for a disqualification. Finlay calls for the microphone and says you're going to disqualify me for that? He says that he'll show you a reason to disqualify me and then stomps on Hardy's head on the steps. Finlay was a breath of fresh air here in 2006 and it still holds up. They had completely killed all of Hardy's momentum by this point and this did him no real favors, although he did put on a good performance here. This was as good as a 5 minute TV match with a DQ ending was going to be. 

Match Rating: **1/4

They show the clip of Angle firing Daivari. They then cut to Daivari earlier in the day complaining to Teddy Long. Long of course makes a match between Angle and Daivari tonight. 

They show a video package on Batista's surgery and with no warning just start showing a bunch of bloody images of the surgery. 

#1 Contender Match For The World Heavyweight Championship

Rey Mysterio vs. Mark Henry

Mysterio starts off trying to get Henry chase him, but Henry is able to grab him as he goes back in the ring. Henry misses with a clothesline and hits a tope suicida on Henry into the commercial break. Mysterio charges at Henry and Henry just clubs him. Henry continues to toy with Mysterio, but then misses a splash and Mysterio follows up with a dropkick. That doesn't last long, as Henry takes Mysterio's head off with a clothesline. Henry drapes Mysterio on the top rope and punts him to the floor. Henry misses Mysterio in the corner and Mysterio starts going after the knees again. Mysterio again slows it down and holds him up in a military press for a little too long and Mysterio escapes. Henry catches Mysterio's springboard leap, but when Henry goes to throw him over the ropes, MYsterio holds on and snaps Henry's neck on the top rope. Mysterio hits a 619 to the back and then another one to the gut. Mysterio then hits the traditional 619 and he goes up top as the crowd chants "Eddie". He hits a Frog Splash, but Henry sits up, rolls through and hits the World's Strongest Slam for the victory. That was a fantastic finish there. No one plays the little man role better than Mysterio and he worked his butt off for Henry here. This was a good match that made Mysterio look like a true contender and Henry look like a monster. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

Mr. Kennedy is out and shows off his new shirt while wearing a shirt and tie with it. He teases giving away a shirt, but then of course says that if you want one, go buy one and then does his routine. He is here to be a guest announcer for the next match.

Gymini vs. Paul London & Brian Kendrick

London and Kendrick slide under the legs of Gymini and clothesline Simon Dean over the top rope. London hits a nice missile dropkick, but then eats a clothesline from other Gymini member. Simon Dean is working the whistle gimmick on the outside. Kendrick tags in and takes out both Gymini members. Kendrick gets caught and then thrown right on top of London. They hit their finisher and that is all. London and Kendrick were such a breath of fresh air here, so of course they lost. Their time will be coming soon though. This was a total sprint and actually a lot of fun. 

Match Rating: *1/4

United States Championship Match

Randy Orton vs. Orlando Jordan

This feels like a last ditch effort with Jordan here. Jordan clotheslines Orton over the top rope, but misses with the dive to the floor. They didn't seem to even bother piping in a crowd reaction. After some Orton offense, he misses in the corner and hits his shoulder on the ring post and Jordan goes to work on the shoulder. Orton counters and hits his inverted backbreaker for a 2 count. Jordan hits a dropkick toe the midsection/shoulder of Orton and he gets a 2 count. Jordan misses with a right hand, but makes the most of it and hits a swinging neckbreaker. Out comes Sharmell and then Booker. Sharmell distracts the referee and Orton goes for a superplex. Jordan knocks him off and Booker hits him with a crutch. Orton hits the RKO and that is all. Out comes Chris Benoit and he attacks both Orton and Booker. Benoit hits Booker with a whole bunch of chops and then Orton with a German suplex. The match was nothing special, but the ending was fun at least. 

Match Rating: *1/2

For some reason the Raw Rebound is the Master Lock Challenge and not the TLC match. Daivari is interviewed out back and puts over Angle and slowly walks towards Gorilla position. 

Next week, it's Randy Orton vs. Chris Benoit in a No Holds Barred match.

Daivari vs. Kurt Angle

Just before the bell rings, Mark Henry's music hits and he is on his way to ringside. Daivari tries to use it to his advantage, but Angle hits him with a belly-to-belly suplex. Henry distracts the ref and Daivari hits a low blow. Angle chases Daivari around the ring and he is thrown into the hands of Henry. Angle knocks them both down and throws Daivari back in the ring. He hits the Angle Slam puts him in the Ankle Lock. Melina jumps on his back, giving Angle a DQ victory. Angle then puts the Ankle Lock on Melina. Henry attacks him from behind and hits the World's Strongest Slam. Henry then brings in the steel steps and uses it to drive Angle out of the ring. Daivari then seemingly makes a deal with Melina to manage Mark Henry. That's one way to do it. Daivari gets on the mic and announces the deal to manage Henry. I mean, it didn't really help Angle beat Cena, now did it? This was 100% story driven and the match was naturally just used to set up the angle. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

I enjoyed this show quite a bit, even if adding Daivari to Henry doesn't really do a lot for me. I would have almost rather him just destroy Daivari and say that he's his own man. This show also featured a good TV match in Henry/Mysterio and three guys in Finlay, London and Kendrick that would play a big role in 2006. Thumbs up from me. 

Overall Rating: 68%

Monday Night Raw 1-16-06 Review

Monday, January 16th, 2006
RBC Center
Raleigh, North Carolina

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

We get a Martin Luther King Jr. tribute package before the show starts. No arguments from me on that. Edge and Lita are now here to kick off the show. Edge is set to take on Ric Flair in a TLC match for the main event tonight. He says that now that he is the champion, he gets to do what he wants. He claims that his celebration last week was the highest rated segment in Raw in 2 years. He wants to continue his celebration this week since it was interrupted. Kurt Angle's music hits and Edge tells him that he sucks. Angle claims that his Raw contract was up on January 1st, but took advantage of Batista's injury and won the World Heavyweight Championship. Edge said he left because he couldn't put away John Cena and he took care of Cena in two minutes. Angle wants to unify the titles right here tonight, but Edge says not a chance. He reminds Angle that he was the first one eliminated from the Elimination Chamber, so Angle hits him with an Angle Slam. Out comes Vince McMahon. Vince says that if Shawn Michaels loses to Angle tonight, Michaels' contract will be terminated. 

Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle

This match is not for the World Heavyweight Championship. Shawn and Vince come face-to-face before Michaels gets to the ring. After some back-and-forth, Angle catches Michaels off the top rope and hits a overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Angle then hits a trio of German suplexes and then goes to the mat with a body scissors. Michaels is able to hit a DDT out of the Angle Slam and both men are down. Michaels goes off the ropes, but Daivari pulls down the top rope causing Michaels to spill to the floor. Michaels hits him with Sweet Chin Music, but then Angle comes out and hits the Angle Slam into the commercial break. They are battling up on the ropes, but Michaels is able to knock Angle off. Angle comes running back up and again Michaels swats him away. He comes up a third time and he hits a super Angle Slam. Angle is just a different animal. Angle slaps on the Ankle Lock, but Michaels rolls him up for a very close call. Michaels misses off the top rope with the elbow drop and Angle's straps are down. He goes for the Angle Slam, Michaels goes for a sunset flip and Angle counters that with the Ankle Lock. Daivari comes in with a chair and the ref tries to get it away. Angle then tries to confront him, but accidentally gets hit with the chair and Michaels rolls him up for the victory. After the match, Daivari attacks Michaels and Angle isn't happy. Daivari slaps him and Angle unleashes by throwing him with an Angle Slam over the top and to the floor. They were in panic mode with Batista's injury, so this split had to happen. Everything before the finish was the usual fantastic stuff that we were so lucky to have gotten before Angle left the company. 

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

Maria reminds Chris Masters about Carlito turning on him in the Elimination Chamber. Masters says that Carlito will have to deal with him at the Royal Rumble, but tonight John Cena is going to pass out from the Master Lock. 

Ashley is concerned about Mickie James to Trish and of course Mickie walks in. Mickie admits she is obsessed, but she's talking about being obsessed with what she did to Ashley last week. 

Chris Masters is out and says that he challenged Cena here to prove that he could have beaten him at New Year's Revolution. He puts Cena in the Master Lock. Cena is struggling and out comes Edge to show off the WWE Championship in his face. He then decides to hit him over the head with it and Masters throws him to the ground. 

Michaels is being looked at by a trainer backstage and in walks Vince. Vince guarantees that eventually his luck will run out and tells him to grab his stuff because he needs to leave the building. Vince then talks with Ric Flair about his title match. In walks Candice Michelle and she asks if he will critique her match for her. 

Trish Stratus, Ashley & Mickie James vs. Victoria, Torrie Wilson & Candice Michelle

Oh great, we get to see some behind the scenes on Candice's GoDaddy.com commercial. We get some chaos and Mickie accidentally spears Ashley. She then starts wailing away on Ashley and Trish pulls her out of the ring. Victoria hits the Widow's Peak and gets the victory. Trish is mad and Mickie is peeved. This was just the next step in the story, not really a match. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

RVD is returning at the Royal Rumble

Carlito is in the ring and he doesn't get why people are so excited about RVD's return. The show a clip of Carlito attacking RVD in June. Carlito claims no one can throw him over the top rope, so Kane comes down and does it. 

Vince is told that there's a woman who was there to see him. Vince drops his pants in anticipation of Candice, but in walks Shelton's mom. Hilarity ensues and Shelton gets a match for tonight. 

Shelton Benjamin vs. Big Show

Shelton tries to back his way out of the match by hiding behind his mom. She lets him know that he's on his own tonight. Big Show is still selling his broken hand and Shelton slams it into the ring post. Big Show catches Shelton for a chokeslam, but Shelton gets out of it. Big Show still is able to hit a fall away slam. Out comes Triple H and they start brawling. This of course leads to Big Show being counted out and that is all. The match was nothing. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

TLC Match For The WWE Championship

Ric Flair vs. Edge

Charlotte is shown in the crowd during Flair's entrance. Thinking about the rest of the year for Flair, he really ends up being in some brutal matches in 2006. The action spills outside and Edge hits a vertical suplex. Edge sets up a table with a chair on it. He goes for another one man con-chair-to, but Flair grabs him by the balls. Lita distracts Flair though and Edge hits him with a chair. They set up Flair on a table and Edge climbs to the top of a ladder set up in the ring and hits a huge splash on Flair. Flair is gushing blood here. Nearly 15 years later, that spot is still pretty crazy to me. Somehow, when we come back from commercial break Flair is in control. Flair gets in a chair shot to the head because, yes, those are still a thing in 2006. Flair thinks about climbing a ladder, but moves it to the corner once he sees Edge moving around. Flair starts climbing, but Edge is there to stop him and then hits a superplex. Edge climbs up and sort of hits a missile dropkick, but sort of misses it. Edge hits him with a chair and starts climbing. Flair tips the ladder and it sends Edge crashing through a table on the outside. It's Flair's turn to climb, but Lita grabs his leg. Flair puts her in the Figure Four, but quickly releases. Edge is still out on the floor and Flair attempts to climb again. Edge meets him at the top and they start battling. Edge gets the best of him and grabs the title for the victory. After the match, Edge hits a Spear on Flair for good measure. He sets him up for another attempt at the one man con-chair-to, but Cena comes out and makes the save. Edge escapes and Cena stands tall. This was really a heck of a performance by Flair and Edge did everything to show he was worthy of being WWE Champion. 

Match Rating: ****

Talk about a great start and finish to a show. We got two pay-per-view quality matches that not only delivered in the ring, they also furthered multiple stories. What else could you want out of an episode of Monday Night Raw? 

Overall Rating: 80%

NXT 11-13-13 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, November 13th, 2013
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Bayley & Charlotte vs. Summer Rae & Sasha Banks

One of these careers did not end up like the others. Charlotte is showing a little bit more attitude than her earlier matches. She also shows off her athleticism by doing multiple bridges while applying a hammerlock on Sasha. Bayley's cult following has begun with the live audience here as well. Bayley celebrates and then gets steamrolled by Summer Rae. Bayley gets a roll up on Sasha for a 2 count. After taking a beating, Bayley hits the Bayley-to-Belly suplex. She goes to make a tag, but Charlotte turns on her instead and hits Natural Selection. Sasha covers her and gets the victory. After the match, Charlotte raises the hands of the victors. We'll see where this goes. This was a nice little showcase for the women, who are rightfully getting more and more time here on NXT. 

Match Rating: ** (out of 5)

Aiden English is shown warming up his voice backstage. 

Aiden English vs. Camacho

For some reason there are no entrances for either competitor. Considering how over English's entrance is, I am wondering if it was edited for some reason? This episode is particularly short on the Network. Camacho stomps away on English and then mocks him. Camacho dominates the entire match until English is able to hit the Director's Cut out of nowhere for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

We get another weird cut with no exit music from English. Lana is with Rusev getting pumped up. 

Danny Birch vs. Mason Ryan

I was kind of figuring that the Mason Ryan era was over in NXT. Much like the previous match, Birch actually gets quite a bit of offense in. Ryan of course comes back and hits a move that I don't believe I remember using before and that is all. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Best 2 Out Of 3 Falls Match

Corey Graves vs. Adrian Neville

I am an absolute sucker for 2 out of 3 falls matches. Neville shows off some nice athleticism and then hits Red Arrow to win the quick first fall. They start fighting outside the ring, with Neville getting the better of it. Neville goes up top again, but Graves rolls out of the way before Neville is able to get up there. Graves knocks Neville to the floor and starts working on Neville's knee. Neville tries to fight back, but Graves dropkicks his knees and puts on Lucky 13. Neville tries to hang on, but ends up tapping to tie it up at 1-1. Neville is able to get in a kick to the head of Graves. Neville attempts to go off the top rope, but his leg gives out and he falls to the mat. Graves puts on Lucky 13 again, but this time he gets to the ropes. Neville gets an inside cradle and steals the final fall for the victory. The match was pretty good, but a far cry from the quality you would expect from the modern NXT. 

Match Rating: **1/2

This was a pretty quick show that had good focus and almost all in-ring action. You can't go wrong there, even if there weren't any standout matches. Definitely not a must see show, but you could do a lot worse. 

Overall Rating: 59%