Monday Night Raw 10-18-93 Review

Monday, October 18th, 1993
Mid-Hudson Civic Center
Poughkeepsie, New York

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Macho Man is very agitated as we kick things off and insists that everything will be fine between him and Crush.

Steiner Brothers vs. PJ Walker & Tony DeVito

The key word tonight is "summit" and I would say this match is the usual suplex summit by the Steiners. Scott then hits a vertical suplex into a sit down piledriver. Man, if I was only getting paid like $50 to do a squash, I'm not sure I would let anyone do that to me. They hit their super bulldog finisher and that is all. Why did they not do more in their run again? Awesome squash match. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

For only $0.99 a call, you can vote yes or no on whether or not Shawn Michael's suspension be lifted. They then have Diesel and Mr. Perfect on split screen pleading their cases. Diesel claims Michaels had a 108 degree fever. Seems legit. 

IRS vs. Scott Taylor

The Steiners seem to have fired up IRS a little, as he a little bit more pep in his step tonight. It doesn't last long, as he goes back to his usual snorefest. He hits his running clothesline and gets the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We now get a vignette on Jeff Jarrett. This is H-O-Double R-I-B-L-E.

Tatanka vs. Iron Mike Sharpe

They show a confrontation between Tatanka and Ludvig Borga over the weekend. Tatanka lets Sharpe get in some offense, so that he can make his comeback. He hits the Samoan drop for the victory. He's still undefeated and it still means nothing. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's finally time for a Survivor Series Report and unfortunately it's with Joe Fowler. They do add a pretty solid 1993 CGI intro though. No sarcasm, it's actually pretty good for the era. It's the All Americans against the Foreign Fanatics and the Hart Family against the King and his Knights. If that's not enough, Ray Combs is going to be there too! If Mean Gene was a Cadillac, Fowler is a bicycle with a flat tire. 

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Dennis Diamond

The announcers are more focused on the whole Savage/Crush saga and the Shawn Michaels voting. Bam Bam is his usual self. He hits a dropkick and then launches himself over the top rope for a splash for the victory. Then it's right back to the Michaels phone numbers.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We cut to Diesel who is begging people to vote yes. 

Bobby Heenan introduces Crush to the ring and he's out with Mr. Fuji as his manager. Crush is all fired up and then explains how Savage did nothing but sit there while Yokozuna gave him Banzai Splashes. Savage says Crush is making a big mistake, but I would say Vince is making a big mistake by letting this be the feud that brings Savage back in the ring. Savage wants a chance to talk in private and offers a handshake. Heenan tells him not to do it and Crush tells him to shut up. After a long pause, they shake hands and Savage's music plays. They start walking to the back and then Crush clotheslines him. He then military presses him onto the guard rail. Out comes Jim Cornette and Yokozuna. Yoko hits the Banzai Splash. This was pretty well done as far as segments with Crush go.

Only 34% of people voted yes for Shawn. Next week it's 1-2-3 Kid vs. Marty Jannetty, plus Crush, Diesel and Ludvig Borga. 

There was not one feature match on this show, so it was basically an episode of Superstars. However, Raw has the live crowd feeling to it and it significantly helps out an episode like this. The Crush/Savage segment could have been a lot worse and the Steiners are always a blast to watch in this era. Hardly a thumbs up, but I would say this was a best case scenario considering the lineup we were given.

Overall Rating: 45%

SmackDown 2-10-06 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, February 10th, 2006
Columbus Civic Center
Columbus, Georgia

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United States Championship #1 Contender Fatal 4-Way Match

Matt Hardy vs. JBL vs. Orlando Jordan vs. Chris Benoit

Booker T and Sharmell come out just before the bell rings to check things out at the announce booth. JBL and Jordan team up on Benoit. JBL clothesline Hardy over the ropes and throws him into the steps. Benoit fights back and then he and Hardy team up to throw JBL into the steps. Jordan comes from behind and throws Hardy into the ring post and then throws Benoit back into the ring. All four men are down heading into the commercial break. JBL comes in and starts cleaning house. He even hits a second rope elbow drop on Benoit. JBL and Jordan hit a double suplex on both Benoit and Hardy. Jordan holds Hardy up and JBL hits the Clothesline From Hell. JBL lets Jordan pin him and JBL kicks him in the head. JBL goes for a pin, but Benoit comes in and breaks it up. Benoit hits the Three Amigos on JBL and then hits the three German suplexes on Jordan. He then hits the top rope headbutt on Jordan and gets a nearfall. JBL tries to make nice with Jordan, but he dumps JBL out of the ring. Hardy hits the Side Effect on Jordan and goes for it on Benoit, but it is countered into the Crippler Crossface and Hardy taps. That match just did not click for me. I was expecting a really good match here and was really let down. 

Match Rating: **

Booker and Sharmell are steaming backstage and in walks Teddy Long. Teddy says that the title match will take place at No Way Out and if he can't wrestle, he will forfeit the United States Championship. 

JBL is interviewed backstage and he's mad since he didn't get beat tonight and says that he can beat anyone in the locker room. In walks Lashley and he challenges him to a match at No Way Out. Jillian Hall accepts the challenge for JBL. 

Matt Hardy is recovering from his match and MNM walks by and makes fun of him. Melina sends Nitro and Mercury to the ring, while she stays behind. Melina tries to recruit him and tells him that if he scratches her back, she'll scratch his. 

Mark Henry and Daivari are now interviewed by Josh Matthews. Henry is mad that they gave his title shot at No Way Out to Undertaker. He's going to take Taker out tonight just like he did to Batista. 

MNM is out and they issue an open challenge to get their 15 minutes of fame. It's none other than those "carefree daredevils" London and Kendrick, who unfortunately come out to no reaction. 

MNM vs. Paul London & Brian Kendrick

These are two teams that I can get behind. It's sad that there was no one else even close to these two. Sorry if that upsets any Gymini fans. Nitro lands on his feet out of a monkey flip by Kendrick, but then gets hit with a flying headscissors. London comes in and hits a nice dropkick, but then gets clotheslined to the back of the head. In comes Mercury, but he gets hit by a mule kick and a dropsault. They hit a double arm drag and then London launches Kendrick into a double dropkick on both members of MNM. London hits a dive over the top rope. Back in the ring, Kendrick hits a top rope crossbody for a 2 count. Kendrick is in trouble after a backbreaker. He makes a tag, but the referee didn't see it, allowing MNM to hit a Snapshot for the victory. That was a really nice tag match. 

Match Rating: ***

They show highlights of the shows they ran over in Japan. 

Randy Orton is backstage and he wants to comment about the things he said about Eddie Guerrero. They show the clip from last week and when they come back, he is no longer there. His music hits and out comes Orton in Eddie's low rider. He is going to beat Rey Mysterio at No Way Out and go on to win the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania. He then says that Eddie Guerrero was no saint and he holds up Eddie's book. He is about to read a quote from the book and out comes Rey to attack him. 

WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match

Gregory Helms vs. Nunzio

They announce that Kid Kash will get a match against the winner of this one since he wasn't pinned at Royal Rumble. Kash is on the entrance ramp distracting Helms. Helms hits an F5-like maneuver and it sends Nunzio on the top rope. Helms hits a top rope crossbody and it looked like Nunzio was trying to roll through. Instead, Helms stands up and tries to pin him with one foot on his chest. Nunzio is able to hit a neckbreaker and a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. He then hits a swinging neckbreaker for a 2 count. Helms hits a Go To Sleep and then the Shining Wizard and that is all. That was neither guy's best work. 

Match Rating: *

Kristal is with Palmer Cannon. RATINGS. He is excited about the return of the Juniors and they all run in. Then in walks Mr. Kennedy who jokes around with the roster. In walks the pirate, Paul Burchill. Cannon and Kennedy just stand in awe.

Pequeno Violencia & Octagoncito vs. Mascarita Sagrada & Tsuki

I still can't get over how terrible the Junior Division logo is. Violencia has a huge height advantage. He misses in the corner and falls on the back of his head. Tsuki hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. He then throws Octagoncito into Violencia and he hits a hurricanrana. Octagoncito hits a backbreaker and then out comes Finlay. Finlay comes out and attacks Octagoncito with a big boot and then his shillelagh. He then goes after Tsuki and yanks him off the barricade and throws him back in the ring. He then hits the Celtic Cross on him. Finlay gets on the mic and says that he doesn't care who you are, because he comes here to fight. The match was just a set up to help get Finlay over. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

They run down the No Way Out card and then we cut to Booker and Sharmell walking to their car. They open the trunk and inside are thousands of worms. 

Mark Henry vs. Undertaker

Taker is selling early on for Henry's offense. Henry tries to splash him on the ropes, but Taker moves out of the way and he slid through the ropes to the floor. He lands on his feet and isn't happy as we head into commercial break. When we come back, they are on the outside and Taker throws Henry into the steps. Taker hits a leg drop to Henry hanging over the apron. Taker hits Old School and follows it up with a running knee in the corner. It doesn't last long, as Henry is once again back on offense and wearing Taker down. Taker tries for a chokeslam, but it's blocked. He runs off the ropes and explodes for a clothesline. This time Taker hits the chokeslam and Daivari signals to the back. Out comes MNM and Daviari joins them. He gives Daivari a chokeslam and then goes for a double chokeslam, but Henry hits Taker from behind. Out comes Kurt Angle to make the slam and he hits German suplexes them all. He runs into Henry and is knocked out. Taker comes in and hits Henry with a boot to knock him out of the ring. Taker grabs the title and tosses it to Angle and then out comes Teddy Long. Next week it will be Mark Henry and MNM against Undertaker and Kurt Angle. As far as these two guys go, this was pretty entertaining despite the ending. 

Match Rating: **

This wasn't as strong of an episode as they have been producing, but still was by no means bad. The card for No Way Out is still very strong, but this kind of felt like a filler episode. 

Overall Rating: 59%

Monday Night Raw 2-6-06 Review

Monday, February 6th, 2006
Philips Arena
Atlanta, Georgia

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The show starts with a hype promo for the Road To WrestleMania Tournament that starts tonight. Sounds good to me. 

Maria is in the ring to announce the former WWE Champion, Edge. Edge announces that he and John Cena will be facing off again next week since he technically won last week by disqualification. Lita then makes Maria announce him as the future WWE Champion. Out comes Hacksaw Jim Duggan and he wants to be the special guest referee for his title match next week. This all of course leads up to the "Hooooo" joke once again and Edge attacks him with his 2x4. Lita then slaps Maria and throws her by her hair. Edge is going to Spear her, but out comes John Cena to make the save. 

Road To WrestleMania Tournament 1st Round Match

Kane vs. Chris Masters

Kane starts off in control, but Masters hits Snake Eyes to slow Kane down. It doesn't work for long, as Kane hits a big boot and a couple of clotheslines in the corner. Kane heads up to the top rope, but Masters moves out of the way of the clothesline and tries to put the Master Lock on. Kane counters the attempt twice and then puts him up for the Tombstone. Masters counters it into a pinfall and gets the victory when he grabs the ropes for leverage. That was an awkward ending with Kane putting his legs up for Masters to grab. The crowd was dead for this, which should never happen in the opener featuring well-known stars. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Edge is with Vince McMahon and he suggests that Lita be the guest referee. Vince thinks she'd be biased and Lita then tries to seduce him to get what they want. Vince finds it repugnant and he loves it. He announces that Edge and Lita will take on John Cena and Maria where the winner gets to select the guest referee. 

Ashley vs. Mickie James

This is a Royal Rumble rematch, with Trish Stratus once again as the guest referee. Mickie attacks Ashley as soon as the bell rings. Ashley gets in some forearms and sends Mickie off the ropes. Mickie accidentally hits Trish, which allows Ashley to roll her up for the victory. I'm not sure if that one was even 60 seconds long. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

The show that the Spirit Squad performed during the commercial break. 

Mickie apologizes to Trish backstage and Mickie lets her know that she loves her as a friend. Her date "Jack" comes to pick up Trish, which gets some big boos from the audience. 

Shelton is pushing his mama in a wheelchair and he lets her know that he told Ric Flair that he's going to take his Intercontinental Championship. He lets her know that he'll be right back and she says every time he leaves, some freak comes up to her. He lets her know that he's taken care of all of them. All of a sudden she has a Shelton action figure in her face and it's Eugene. Shelton comes back and he comforts her. 

They show a WrestleMania moment and it's Pete Rose at WrestleMania XIV with Kane attacking him.

Road To WrestleMania Tournament 1st Round Match

Triple H vs. Ric Flair 

Flair is able to back body drop Triple H to the outside into the early commercial break. When we come back, Flair has Triple H on his knees and hitting him with fists. Triple H is able to hit a big spinebuster and hits Flair with a series of right hands. It was pretty obvious who was going to win this tournament, but having Triple H start off with Flair was a good touch. With that being said, watching Flair here, it's pretty amazing that he made it another 2 years in WWE. Flair hits Triple H with a boot to the face and he's profiling his way to the top rope. Triple H tries to block it, but Flair actually hits a chop off the top. Flair slaps on the Figure Four in the middle of the ring. The ref accidentally gets a thumb to the eye and Flair hits a low blow on Triple H while he recovers. Flair goes for a back body drop, but Triple H hits a Pedigree and that is all. That ending was kind of out of nowhere. This was a fine match, just nowhere on the level of their 2005 work. 

Match Rating: **1/4

Maria is backstage with John Cena and she doesn't want to have her match tonight. As she's ranting, Cena kisses her and then being the class act he is, smacks her butt on the way out. 

Road To WrestleMania Tournament 1st Round Match

Big Show vs. Shawn Michaels Shelton Benjamin

Vince McMahon comes here and announces to Shawn that Shane is not here tonight. Vince insists that Shawn walk away from his career and next week we're going to have a Shawn Michaels retirement party. Since Shawn has to retire, he is being replaced by Shelton Benjamin in the tournament. That goes into a commercial break and when we come back the match is in progress. We get the usual Big Show slapfest to start until Shelton is able to snap Show's neck on the top rope. He then hits a top rope springboard bulldog for a 2 count. Show comes back and squashes Shelton in the corner and then knocks Shelton into the ref. Shelton's mama distracts Show and Shelton hits him with a kick to the side of the head. Show is now on the outside, but Shelton gets hit with a slap when he leaps off the apron and then Show lifts Shelton into the ring and yells at his mama. His mama falls to the ground and is unconscious and then Show hits the chokeslam for the victory. Paramedics come out and take her away on a stretcher. 

Match Rating: *

Carlito is with Todd Grisham and he talks about wanting to be in the main event at WrestleMania. 

Road To WrestleMania Tournament 1st Round Match

Carlito vs. Rob Van Dam

RVD quickly attacks Carlito and hits a spinning leg drop off the apron on Carlito, who is draped on the guardrail. RVD looks to be slowly getting rid of the ring rust. Carlito hits the double springboard somersault dive for a 2 count. Carlito tries to hit him with a chair, but RVD hits a spin kick to the chair and into his face. RVD hits the 5 Star Frog Splash and gets the victory. I think they were probably running tight on time here. 

Match Rating: *3/4

The fans think Rob Van Dam is going to win the tournament. Do they not know how this works? Next week it will be Triple H vs. Big Show and Rob Van Dam vs. Chris Masters. 

Edge & Lita vs. John Cena & Maria

Well, there is about 7 minutes left on the show, so this isn't going to be some epic main event here tonight. Cena is in hyper speed here and it leads to him hitting his shoulder on the ring post. Edge forces Maria to tag Cena's back. He throws Cena into the steps and then tags in Lita. Lita toys with her, but Lita eventually breaks free and tags in Cena. Cena hits his signature moves, but when he goes for the Five Knuckle Shuffle, Lita distracts him. Edge attacks, but he moves out of the way and Lita ends up hitting a headscissor on Edge instead. Lita is in the ring with Cena and she lifts up her shirt. Edge goes for the Spear, but hits Lita by mistake. Cena tags in Maria and she picks up the victory. Cena gets on the mic and he picks Mick Foley to be the guest referee next week. The match was entertaining enough, but too short to make a mark.

Match Rating: *1/2

This wasn't necessarily a particularly strong episode, but I like that they are dialed in on what they are doing. They are continuing the Edge/Cena saga while they heat up Triple H for the WrestleMania main event. Mickie and Trish is starting to get more intense. We are going to see the beginning of the Foley/Edge story. Things are starting to move into place and that always makes the show better. 

Overall Rating: 58%

Off The Grid, Volume 8: Saturday Night's Main Event XXX Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, February 8th, 1992
Lubbock Memorial Coliseum
Lubbock, Texas

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Off The Grid, Volume 8:

Intercontinental Championship Match

The Mountie vs. Roddy Piper

So this was taped 8 days after Royal Rumble, but of course did not air until February 8th. The action gets started right away and Piper gives Mountie and Jimmy Hart a double noggin knocker. Hart grabs his leg and Mountie is able to capitalize. They announce that Bret Hart will face the winner of this match at WrestleMania. Piper tries to go for a bulldog, but Mountie pushes him and he knocks down the referee. Mountie hits a piledriver and then Hart gives the Mountie a cup of water. He pours it on Piper and tries to shock him, but Piper no sells it. Piper takes it away and shocks Mountie and gets the victory. That was certainly a brief match. After the match, Piper reveals that he's wearing a shock proof vest. That crafty Piper. This was really too short to be anything special. 

Match Rating: *

They then show the ending of the Royal Rumble match. The crowd reaction has clearly been edited. They then show the highlights of the WrestleMania VIII press conference with Sid snapping. We then get a studio promo from Sid apologizing to Hogan.

Undertaker & Ric Flair vs. Sid Justice & Hulk Hogan

It is pretty crazy that Undertaker doesn't even get a televised entrance here. They then cut to a Sid and Hogan interview with Sean Mooney that starts with them shaking hands. I love how they tried to make it an argument that Sid didn't fight him face to face. It's totally cool to have lost and then cheat to eliminate someone else though. We get a huge surprise here with Brutus Beefcake making his return in Hogan's corner. Sid and Flair start things out and Flair quickly has to roll out of the ring. Hogan gets tagged in and he takes care of both opponents. Hogan looks a lot less toned here. The heels eventually double team Sid and hit a double atomic drop. So between these four men, you have the WrestleMania VIII main event, WrestleMania 13 main event and the WrestleMania X-8 semi-main event. Sid and Hogan clean house before the commercial break, but Sid seems annoyed by Hogan's gloating. Undertaker attacks Sid from behind and they regain control. They then start to work on Hogan and his knee. Sid doesn't extend to Hogan as he is starting to crawl to his corner. Flair goes up top, but Hogan is able to slam him off. Sid again doesn't tag and encourages the booing. Hogan again is able to make a ta and this time Sid walks away. Beefcake tries to stop him, but it doesn't work and Taker and Flair continue the attack on Hogan. The ref calls for the bell and Beefcake gets in the ring. It allows Hogan to take care of both guys and get his posing in. This match was actually worked at a much quicker pace than you would expect, but the Sid and Hogan story was the focus of the match and completely telegraphed. 

Match Rating: **1/4

Sid is with Sean Mooney and he still can't believe that Jack Tunney named Hogan the #1 contender. 

Mean Gene is now with Hogan and Beefacake. They gush about how great of friends they are or something. Whatever it is, I couldn't care less about it. 

Hacksaw Jim Duggan & Sgt. Slaughter vs. Beverly Brothers

Well here's the reason to watch the show. All four men are in the ring when they come back from the interview. All four men eventually get into the ring and Beau misses Slaughter with the scroll. Slaughter hits him with it and that's enough for the victory. That was barely a match. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

We get a recap of the Randy Savage/Jake Roberts feud. Savage is with Mean Gene and he says that Roberts doesn't know how insane he is. 

Jake Roberts vs. Randy Savage

They start brawling quickly with Savage doing the madman role. Jake is bleeding from his nose here, but is able to throw Savage into the ring post. After the commercial, Savage goes up top, but Roberts blocks it and then hits the DDT. Roberts sits in the corner and lets the referee count to 10 instead of pinning him. What could go wrong with that plan? Roberts goes for another DDT, but Savage dump him over the ropes and then hits a double ax handle on Roberts, who is leaning on the guardrail. Savage hits the elbow drop for the victory. Savage hits another elbow drop despite a bunch of officials being in his way. He then grabs the bell, but Roberts retreats. Out comes Elizabeth to celebrate, but they pan to Roberts peaking behind the curtain, saying that it's not over yet. This was a pretty fun main event here and Savage worked his butt off. 

Match Rating: **1/4

This was a very fast paced show and it absolutely flew by. I'm not sure why they felt they had to cram in four matches here because the Duggan and Slaughter match felt completely unnecessary. Regardless, everything felt like a winner and despite the popularity dwindling, this felt like a big deal. I have really enjoyed all of the 90s SNME shows that I have watched so far. 

Overall Rating: 68%

NXT 12-11-13 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, December 11th, 2013
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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NXT Tag Team Championship Match

Hunico & Camacho vs. The Ascension

Whatever the opposite of a dream match is, this is kind of it for me. The bickering back and forth between Alex Riley and William Regal seems like there's a little bit of animosity. Riley is brutal as an announcer. This match has been going on for about 5 minutes and I feel like not one thing worth my time has happened. Camacho gets a hot tag and hits a spinning neckbreaker and a back suplex. Victor breaks up the pin attempt, but Hunico sends him to the floor. O'Brian is able to hit a full nelson slam and then a flapjack. They hit Fall Of Man for the victory. That was as vanilla of a match as you will see. They pan to the crowd and they are all just literally sitting there with no reaction. That sums it up. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Alexander Rusev vs. Kassius Ohno

I believe this is Ohno's last match here in his first NXT run. Rusev manhandles Ohno to start with repeated knees to the ribs and then into a Samoan drop. Meanwhile, I might as well remind you of how WWE had two chances to do something huge with Rusev and they chose not to either time. Ohno catches Rusev with an elbow and gets a small package for a 2 count. Rusev blocks a charging Ohno and instantly puts on the Accolade for the victory. Rusev won't release the hold after the bell until Lana gives him the OK. This was really short and decisive. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Bayley and Natalya are talking backstage and Natalya lets her know that she is her friend and that she has her back tonight. 

Regal gets all serious about Cesaro attacking Byron Saxton. I say can he attack Alex Riley too?

Bayley & Natalya vs. Summer Rae & Sasha Banks

Bayley shows a little bit of an aggressive side by slamming Sasha's face to the mat and then a double suplex with Natalya. They then hit a double suplex on Summer. Sasha and Summer isolate Bayley for a short bit and then Natalya gets a hot tag. She hits a suplex, which leads to Riley saying something to the effect of "I know men who don't throw suplexes that good". Cool. Summer Rae slows down her momentum so Bayley tags herself in and pushes Summer out of the ring. This allows Sasha to hits Bankrupt on Bayley for the victory. That was actually a very spirited match that was criminally short. 

Match Rating: *1/2

Leo Kruger says that he's going to hurt Sami Zayn more than anyone ever has before. 

Scott Dawson vs. Mojo Rawley

Rawley has to have one of the longest runs with the least amount of pay-per-view matches. Dawson is in control early on, hitting a suplex and a clothesline. Rawley hits three moves and that is all. His offensive move set has to be among the worst I have seen. After the match, Sylvester Lefort distracts Rawley and Dawson attacks him. Dawson tried. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Leo Kruger vs. Sami Zayn

Kruger hits a big spinebuster to start off and then kicks him out of the ring. Back in the ring, Zayn tries to fight back and hits a nice dropkick. Zayn hits a top rope crossbody for a nearfall. Zayn goes for a tornado DDT off the ropes, but he gets crotched by Kruger. Kruger hits a clothesline and gets the victory? I did not expect that. After the match is over, Zayn ducks a second clothesline attempt and clotheslines Kruger over the top rope. Zayn the hits a running senton to Kruger on the floor. This was another rushed match on a show full of them. 

Match Rating: *1/2

NXT was due for a bad show and this was it. The opening match got the most time and was not deserving of it at all. The other matches were all fine for what they were, but they all could have been more except for maybe the Rawley match. 

Overall Rating: 42%

Monday Night Raw 10-11-93 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, October 11th, 1993
New Haven Coliseum
New Haven, Connecticut

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Vince gives us a retro-tastic recap of last week's battle royal. 

Intercontinental Championship Match

Rick Martel vs. Razor Ramon 

Martel is cocky to start things off, slapping the back of Razor's head after taking him down. Razor catches Martel and hits the fall away slam. Martel gets in a little bit of offense, but Razor then goes to work on the shoulder and arm of Martel. They go to commercial at a pretty weird spot, especially considering this was a taped show. When we come back, they are fighting on the outside and Martel hits a body slam to the floor. Martel hits a back suplex and goes for a cover, but gets caught with his feet on the ropes. Martel hits him with a knee to the back, sending him into the turnbuckle and then puts him in the Boston Crab. Razor is able to grab the bottom rope, but then hits a side suplex. He slaps on the Boston Crab again, this time in the middle of the ring. Razor rolls out of it and both men get pin attempts out of it and then Martel hits a dropkick for a 2 count. Martel hits a top rope crossbody, but Razor rolls through for a 2 count. Martel hits a clothesline, but when he sends Razor off the ropes, he gets a knee to the face. Razor gets Martel up for the Razor's Edge and we have a new Intercontinental Champion. This gets a huge reaction from the live crowd and you can't help but wonder what he could have done as WWF Champion. Two good professional wrestlers having a good match.

Match Rating: ***

The Headshrinkers vs. Tommy Morrison & Sid Curtis

Samu tosses both jobbers around and Fatu greets one of them with a superkick. Samu slams him outside the ring behind the referee's back. They hit Morrison with a double clothesline and then drag him to his corner to force the tag. They hit a double face-first slam and then Fatu hits the top rope splash for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Owen Hart vs. Scott King

Owen's entrance music is still so good. They're hyping up WWF Radio while Owen goes to work on King. Owen hits a monkey flip and a dropkick. Owen hits a trio of suplexes and then hits a second rope elbow drop. Owen hits a missile dropkick and then a Northern Lights suplex for the victory. Owen was pretty darn good. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Vince McMahon is in the ring and introduces Ludvig Borga. He cuts the same promo he always cuts. It is kind of surprising that they always had Vince do these because he isn't that far off from a height standpoint on Borga. Out comes Lex Luger to interrupt in his USA pants. Luger says we are sick and tired of his anti-American garbage while he collects his paycheck in the USA. Luger tells him "love it or leave it". Luger wants to fight right now, but Borga says they fight where and when he says and walks away. The crowd is still very much behind Luger despite the countout victory at SummerSlam.

Adam Bomb vs. Russ Greenberg

So Harvey Wippleman is the manager of Adam Bomb now. Bomb hits a dropkick and then a slingshot clothesline. Bomb isn't as over here as he is when they are in the Manhattan Center. Next week we're getting a Savage/Crush Summit. Bomb hits the Atom Smasher for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Rock 'n' Roll Express vs. Barry Hardy & Duane Gill

This is a non-sanctioned match since the Express are the Smoky Mountain Wrestling Tag Team Champions. Even though this is just a throw away thing, this is still a pretty cool deal to have the Express on Raw. They hit a Hart Attack on Gill, but Hardy interrupts the pin attempt. They hit a double dropkick on Hardy and that's all. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Next week it's Tatanka, IRS and the Steiners. Don't forget the big summit!

This show featured a good match in Razor/Martel and then a whole bunch of squash matches. I was pretty surprised to see how much the live crowd was into the Luger/Borga segment as well. As far as 1993 Raw goes, this was a strong episode. 

Overall Rating: 62%

SmackDown 2-3-06 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, February 3rd, 2006
TD Waterhouse Centre
Orlando, Florida

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Teddy Long is out to announce that the main event of No Way Out will indeed be Kurt Angle facing Undertaker. Teddy then brings out the winner of the Royal Rumble, Rey Mysterio. Rey comes out in a low rider again. Rey is paying his respects to Eddie and out comes Randy Orton to interrupt. Randy challenges Rey to a match with his WrestleMania spot on the line. We then get the cringeworthy line of Randy saying that Eddie isn't looking down on him because he's in hell. Rey immediately attacks him until a group of officials pull him off. 

WWE Tag Team Championship Match

MNM vs. Mexicools

This is a TV tag match that I can get behind. The Mexicools start off hot and hit a moonsault/leg drop combo move. Mercury pulls Nitro out of hte ring, so Psicosis hits a springboard moonsault. Super Crazy goes for a dive, but Jimmy Korderas gets in his way. Super Crazy has other plans and dives over Korderas as we go into commercial break. Nitro is able to move Mercury out of the corner, avoiding a running dropkick. Melina puts a leg scissors on Psicosis and Mercury then hits a backbreaker. Melina gets up on the apron and accidentally gets knocked off by Mercury. Nitro is checking on her ankle and Super Crazy gets a hot tag. He hits a variety of dropkicks and then a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. He hits the standing moonsault for a nearfall. Super Crazy then hits a tornado DDT and now all four men are in the ring. Crazy goes up for a moonsault, but Melina runs up and hits him in the head with her boot. This is enough for the victory, as MNM retain their titles. This was a really good TV match up until the abrupt ending. This was all action and Super Crazy continues to be an unsung hero on SmackDown. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

Booker T and Sharmell are backstage meeting with Teddy Long. They are claiming that he can't compete tonight against Chris Benoit. Long allows Booker to pick a substitute tonight and if they lose, Booker loses the title. 

JBL is in the ring and says that he will no longer be wrestling any more freaks. This leads into Lashley coming out for his match.

Lashley vs. Chad Dick

While Lashley is distracted by JBL, Dick attacks him from behind and then hits a dropkick. Lashley hits an overhead suplex with a release. Lashley takes care of both Dicks and then hits the Dominator for the quick win. After the match, JBL hits him with a Clothesline From Hell. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We see some of the junior division backstage. I guess that's a thing again. 

Undertaker is here to tell Kurt Angle that the time is drawing near. Out comes Angle and he lets him know that he won't be resting in peace, he'll be breaking Taker's ankle in pieces. The lights go out and Taker and when the black light comes on, Taker is gone. 

Tzuki vs. Octagoncito

The logo for the Junior Division is middle school quality. Tzuki hits a dropkick and then a somersault dive through the ropes. Octagoncito starts using his size advantage by hitting some power moves. He climbs up and hits a second rope elbow drop. Tzuki avoids a charging Octagoncito and hits some classic luchador moves. Tzuki hits a top rope crossbody and then rolls him up with a shoulder roll and gets the victory. It was paced just right and didn't overstay it's welcome. Nothing wrong with that. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Mr. Kennedy confronts Benoit in the locker room. He recaps all of the losing Benoit has been doing lately and tells him that he's heard who Benoit's opponent is going to be. Benoit says he doesn't care who it is and that if Kennedy gets too close again, he'll break his arm. 

United States Championship Match

Chris Benoit vs. Finlay

Sharmell and Booker come out first to introduce Finlay. Booker joins Michael Cole and Tazz and Cole makes fun of him for being in the Rumble for such a short time. Meanwhile, Finlay is taking it to Benoit with a keylock on his arm. Finlay does a vicious spot where he slams Benoit face-first on the apron. Benoit tries to fight back, but Finlay is back at it. Benoit is able to hit the three German suplexes and then tries to go up top. Booker distracts him and Finlay hits him with a clothesline. Benoit is able to put on the Crippler Crossface, but Booker distracts the ref. Sharmell comes in and hits Benoit with the crutch, but Jimmy Korderas sees it and calls for the bell. Booker and Finlay continue the attack on Benoit after the match. It was nice to see Finlay get a fair amount of offense in there, even if it just led to a predictable ending. 

Match Rating: **

Mark Henry and Daivari are interviewed backstage. Daivari says that Henry didn't lose to Angle, he lost to a chair and an exposed turnbuckle. 

Booker and Sharmell are backstage laughing at their actions and when they get back in their dressing room, Boogeyman is behind them. 

Gregory Helms is interviewed backstage and claims to be the entire cruiserweight division. Nunzio comes in and challenges Helms to a match next week. 

William Regal and Paul Burchill are with Teddy Long and Palmer Cannon. They no longer want to be a tag team and Burchill claims that he has ancestors that were pirates. Regal's facial expression here is just fantastic and he then bids him farewell. 

Mark Henry & Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio & Kurt Angle

I can't even imagine how good a Mysterio/Angle tag team would be if given a run. Orton is able to sucker Mysterio in and pull him into the turnbuckle, but Mysterio recreates the elimination from the Royal Rumble and hits Orton with a seated senton. Mysterio goes up top, but gets crotched by Orton and in comes Henry. He wears down Mysterio and Orton comes in and hits a dropkick. Orton charges at Mysterio and misses, hitting his shoulder on the ring post. Mysterio finally makes the tag to Angle and he puts the Ankle Lock on Henry. Henry is able to push him out of the ring, but Angle runs back in and hits the Angle Slam. Angle was just a lunatic. In comes Orton, so Angle puts him in the Ankle Lock. While Nick Patrick is distracted, Henry hits a low blow to slow him down. Henry throws Angle into the steps on the outside and tags in Orton. They trade uppercuts until Orton rakes Angle's eyes. Mysterio is in and hits a bulldog on Orton. As he's building momentum, Orton clubs him with a huge clothesline. Mysterio pulls a 619 out of nowhere, but Henry clubs Mysterio after. Angle goes after Henry and they are fighting on the outside. Daivari attacks Henry and Angle chases him all around the arena. Henry follows him, leaving just Orton and Mysterio. Mysterio goes for a sunset flip, but Orton counters it for an awkward pin and steals the victory. That was a good main event that continued the story they started earlier on. After the match, Orton gets on the mic and tells Rey that he can't beat him. He then says that Mysterio has as good of a chance of winning the World Heavyweight Championship as Eddie Guerrero does at coming back alive. Mysterio then says that he accepts Orton's challenge. 

Match Rating: ***

Outside of the two cringeworthy lines from Orton about Eddie, this was a good show. They set up No Way Out nicely and it is looking to have one of the stronger cards for a brand specific show that I can remember. SmackDown feels rejuvenated and starting to roll early on in 2006. 

Overall Rating: 70%