SmackDown 4-7-06 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, April 7th, 2006
Peoria Civic Center
Peoria, Illinois

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Tonight we are getting two big matches with Mark Henry vs. Undertaker and Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio.

MNM vs. Paul London & Brian Kendrick

London and Kendrick come out and interrupt Melina's entrance into the ring and things get underway. After a hot start from London and Kendrick, but MNM eventually slows it down and gains control. These teams could probably tear it down if given the right opportunity. Nitro illegally comes into the match and tosses Kendrick out of the ring. Kendrick finally makes the tag to London and Jimmy Korderas didn't see it, so it doesn't count. MNM takes advantage, but Kendrick somersaults through them and makes the hot tag. London hits a dropsault and gets a nearfall on Mercury. MNM cheats their way to a Snapshot attempt, but Kendrick comes in and dropkicks his partner out of the move and we then get a super close call from London on Mercury. Melina gets up on the apron to distract Korderas and Nitro shoves London off the top rope. London rolls through and steals the victory for the upset. The heat segment was a little long when taking in consideration how long the match was, but the last few minutes were masterful. 

Match Rating: **3/4

Booker T and Sharmell let Teddy Long know that they got a restraining order against Boogeyman. 

We see a highlight package of Rey Mysterio winning the Royal Rumble. 

Booker T vs. Gunner Scott

Gunner is already in the ring. They are talking about him more than any other jobber, which kind of gives away what's about to happen here. Scott gets hit with a superkick to the jaw and a clothesline. Booker hits his variation of the spinebuster and then Boogeyman's music hits. Gunner of course rolls him up and gets the victory. Boogey never came out, but it was enough to distract Booker. Teddy Long comes out and says that it must have been some kind of technical issue. Long then announces Gunner Scott as the winner. This was a whole lot of nothing disguised as something.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We now see a highlight package of Randy Orton stealing Mysterio's title shot and then Teddy Long giving him one back. 

Benoit congratulates Gunner Scott backstage. 

Simon Dean vs. Chris Benoit

Benoit starts coming out before Dean gets to the ring. Dean turns around on his segue and Benoit clobbers him. Benoit throws him in the ring and the match is underway. We get a little bit of a miscommunication between the two and it leads to a little bit of a sloppy bulldog by Dean. Neither of these guys usually have that happen. Dean hits some stiff looking shots to the back of Benoit. Benoit battles out of the submission hold and hits the three German suplexes. He locks in the Crippler Crossface and that is all. This was just to get Benoit a win after his loss at WrestleMania. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

While Benoit is in the ring, we get a video for JBL next week. He is going to be having a celebration for winning the US title. 

They then show still photos of Rey winning the title at WrestleMania. Randy is getting ready for his match and up walks Kurt Angle. Orton mocks Angle and tells him he can find the title belt around his waist in a few minutes, so Angle slaps him and makes some growling noises. 

World Heavyweight Championship Match

Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio

It seems like this should be the main event of the show, but I guess I will see what they have planned with Taker later on. Orton dominates the early portion of the match, slamming Mysterio face-first into the mat. Mysterio turns things around with a tilt-a-whirl headscissors and then goes for 619, but Orton rolls out of the ring. Mysterio hits a kick and hits a springboard seated senton to Orton out on the floor. Orton hits his reverse backbreaker and gets a 2 count. Orton puts on his infamous chinlock, but this time really puts on the pressure. Mysterio attempts a comeback, but when he goes for a springboard, Orton hits him with a dropkick and it sends him flying into a commercial break. Orton goes for an elbow drop off the second rope, but Mysterio gets his feet up. I'm not sure exactly what he was doing there, but it didn't look great. Mysterio is back and hits his variation of the bulldog for a nearfall. Rey goes up top, but Orton hits him with a dropkick. That as a nice looking dropkick from Orton. Mysterio surprises Orton with a kick to the head and now both men are down. Orton clubs Mysterio with a big clothesline and again Mysterio kicks out. Orton misses Mysterio in the corner and hits his shoulder on the post. Mysterio hits a 619 around the ring post and then another 619. He hits the springboard leg drop and picks up the victory. This was wise booking, as Orton was about to serve a suspension and Mysterio needed some big victories. Both of these guys were motivated and they delivered a good match and were given a lot of time.

Match Rating: ***1/4

Palmer Cannon is still here? Then we get a Miz hype video. 

Rey is backstage for an interview and he thanks Eddie. He brings out his family and thanks all of them. 

Regal is backstage and finds Paul Burchill looking through a telescope. Regal tells him if he starts dressing normal, he will forget the whole pirate thing. Burchill tells him he wears it to honor his family and that he is undefeated. He reminds Regal that isn't the case for him. Burchill challenges him to a match where the loser must wear whatever the winner picks for them. Regal accepts and Burchill says that Regal will make a lovely buxom wench. 

Loser Wears Winner's Clothing Choice Match

William Regal vs. Paul Burchill

We're off to a frantic start, so this one probably isn't getting much time. After a quick start for Burchill, Regal hits a half nelson back suplex. Regal hits some knee lifts to the jaw of Burchill. Burchill makes his comeback and hits Walking The Plank for the victory. They tried to cram a normal match into 3 minutes here and that's unfortunate. The crowd here was not really behind Burchill. On the other hand, I really actually like the pirate gimmick and wish it would have stuck around. 

Match Rating: *

Teddy Long announces he is bringing back the King of the Ring tournament. Kurt Angle, Matt Hardy, Lashley, Chris Benoit, Booker T, Finlay are all in it and it starts next week. Kurt Angle will face Randy Orton next week in the first round. I guess they get one more week out of Orton. 

Mark Henry vs. Undertaker

Henry grabs a mic in the ring and says that Undertaker will never be the same again. Henry attempts to attack Taker, but Taker sees it coming and it backfires. Taker runs into a back elbow from Henry and then a clothesline. It doesn't take long  until Taker hits Old School. Taker hits a boot to the face and a leg drop on the apron. Out comes Daivari and Great Khali. Khali stands in the center of the ring and Taker climbs in to confront him. Khali no sells and chops Taker down. Khali rips open a turnbuckle and slams Taker into the exposed metal. For whatever reason, they don't call this a disqualification, so I guess we have a no contest. This was hardly a match and was only here to have the "hot" Khali debut. I'm not sure anyone got excited about this, but I guess it was all they had in terms of a hot debut.

Match Rating: 1/2*

This show was the exact opposite of Raw. The Randy Orton/Rey Mysterio match provided more wrestling than that entire show gave us combined. I'm a wrestling guy, so I appreciated that they gave us a good match just a few days after WrestleMania. They established London and Kendrick as a tag team and announced the return of the King of the Ring. The whole Khali thing was what it was, but the rest of the show was enjoyable. 

Overall Rating: 62%

Monday Night Raw 4-3-06 Review

Monday, April 3rd, 2006
Allstate Arena
Rosemont, Illinois

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John Cena is out to kick off the show hot off his WrestleMania 22 victory over Triple H. He rambles on for a little bit and then out comes Triple H to a big ovation. Then it's time for Edge and Lita, who informs Triple H that he lost. Edge and Triple H take turns exchanging jabs. Cena then suggests that Edge and Triple H square off tonight to determine the #1 contender. Edge counters that by saying he and Triple H should take on Cena in a handicap match. After some debate, Cena accepts the offer for tonight. 

WWE Tag Team Championship Match

Kane & Big Show vs. Spirit Squad

We get Kenny and Mikey here for the Spirit Squad. Kenny is able to avoid Kane in the corner thanks to help from his other Spirit Squad members and Kane hits his shoulder on the post. Their offense doesn't last long, but then Big Show accidentally hits the ref with Mikey and this lets them cheat and win the titles. That was a pathetic ref bump and there is no way he was dazed enough to not notice there were 5 guys in the ring. I'm willing to go along with some stuff, but that was just terrible. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go backstage to the new champs celebrating and they give us a "cheer". 

Out comes Mr. Money In The Bank, Rob Van Dam. He cuts a quick promo just to remind us who he is. 

Chris Masters vs. Eric Priest

After his loss at WrestleMania, Masters gets a squash here tonight. He skips his normal entrance and runs right into attack Priest. He slaps on the Master Lock and that's all. After the match is over, out comes Carlito. He spits in the face of Priest and raises Masters' arm. After that he hits a Backstabber and attacks him, leading to him spitting in his face. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Out comes Shawn Michaels and he says that his match last night against Mr. McMahon was everything he said it would be. Out comes Shane McMahon and he brings out his dad, who is sporting a neck brace and bandage. Vince talks about how humiliating it was for him and his family last night and he tells Shawn there will be no title shot for him. He then says he has two words for him, which Shawn laughs at and then gives him his famous two words. Vince says that his two words are divine intervention and that Shawn had help from God. Vince then announces that he and Shane are going to take on Shawn and God at Backlash. We're over halfway through the show and we've had less than 5 minutes of wrestling. 

Trish Stratus & Torrie Wilson vs. Candice Michelle & Mickie James

Surprisingly they give each lady their own entrance here. I bet they are longer than the match. Mickie is dressed like Trish and Trish is baffled. Trish hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissor on Candice and tags in Torrie. In comes Mickie, who gets a chant from the crowd. She knocks Trish off the apron and hits the Chick Kick on Torrie for the victory. This was the continuation of the Trish/Mickie story, but the match wasn't very good. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show highlights of the Hall of Fame ceremony. Chavo Guerrero comes out and says that he has never been more proud than he was last night at WrestleMania. He thanks everyone for helping keep Eddie's spirit alive. He brings up Rey Mysterio's title win last night, he now is getting his chance for the Intercontinental Championship tonight. He dedicates the match to Eddie. 

Intercontinental Championship Match 

Chavo Guerrero vs. Shelton Benjamin

Chavo gets a little bit of a hot start until he gets a big knee, sending him to the outside. Shelton's offense doesn't last long, as Chavo hits a nice dropkick to the face. He hits a pop up dropkick and a tilt-a-whirl headscissor. Chavo hits the Three Amigos and heads up to the top rope. Shelton rolls out of the way and then hits the exploder suplex for the victory. Shelton's lucky he didn't get knocked silly because he decided to roll closer to Chavo instead of away from him. This was a spirited match, but it was a little too short. Chavo is frustrated and looks up above before heading to the back. 

Match Rating: *1/2

They show an interview of Eddie during the commercial and he is crying. He then announces that he quits. 

Out comes Ric Flair and he thinks he has a 17th championship run in him. He is then interrupted by Armando Alejandro Estrada. Estrada rambles on about loving the expensive things in life, which leads to Flair ripping off the suit jacket. He then announces Umaga and he comes down and destroys Flair. I remember watching this live and thinking this gimmick was dead on arrival. Credit to how good of a performer Umaga was, as he really was the one who made this work. On a side note, I prefer his hair here. 

Ozzie Guillen is shown in the crowd before going backstage to Edge and Triple H burying the hatchet. They then try to get each other to do the dirty work before agreeing on working together. As Edge and Lita leave, Triple H shows he isn't to be trusted. 

Handicap Match

Edge & Triple H vs. John Cena

Edge starts things off with Cena and the "Cena sucks" chants start. Edge is able to hit Edgecution on Cena for a 2 count, while Triple H sits on the top turnbuckle. Triple H tries to sneak up on Cena, but Cena sees him. Edge goes for a Spear, but Cena moves and he hits Triple H. Cena makes his comeback and then Triple H throws Cena out of the way and starts wailing on Edge. He hits the spinebuster while Cena smiles. Cena goes for Five Knuckle Shuffle, but Triple H hits him with the Pedigree and gets the victory. Just listening to the crowd, I really miss having a performer that the crowd cared about as much as they did Cena. Much like everything tonight, this was short and more for storyline purposes. 

Match Rating: *1/2

This show in no way felt like a Raw after WrestleMania. Outside of the Umaga debut, nothing really of note happened. No, the Spirit Squad winning the meaningless tag titles doesn't count. It wasn't necessarily a bad show, just not must see TV.

Overall Rating: 49%

NXT 3-13-14 Review

Original Airdate: Thursday, March 13th, 2014
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

I forgot to mention it on last week's show, but NXT has a new intro theme.

Paige vs. Sasha Banks

Charlotte is out this week with the Summer Rae face on a stick this week. Paige starts off hot, but Sasha slows it down and takes control. Paige battles out of the lengthy submission hold. She hits a few moves and puts on her new submission hold for the victory. After the match, Charlotte comes in and attacks Paige. Out comes Natalya to make the save. I'm not sure why Sasha had that submission hold on for so long and why the comeback was so short. They seem to have problems sometimes putting together the women's matches. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

They show clips of Corey Graves last week with his match against Yoshi Tatsu and then against Sami Zayn. We then get an interview with Zayn and he says as far as he's concerned, the issue between he and Graves is done. 

Mojo Rawley is shown talking to himself while pacing back and forth and talking about Arrival being the best night of his life. 

The Ascension vs. Cal Bishop & Travis Tyler

We get the standard Ascension squash here while the announcers gush about how great they are. This one actually lasts a little longer than you would expect, but they hit the Fall Of Man for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Mason Ryan vs. Wesley Blake

Renee Young gets stuck calling this match tonight. I really didn't know that he made it into the WWE Network area. Ryan hits a big powerslam to no reaction, but misses with his shoulder and rams into the post. Blake gets in a little bit of offense in, while Renee tries to convince herself that Ryan could contend for the NXT Championship. He hits his finisher and that's all. Next.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Bayley is interviewed backstage and she's so excited to be watching the WWE Network on her iPad. Charlotte and Sasha insult her. Then Bayley takes Summer on a stick and makes fun of them. Natalya comes in and we get more insults. 

Xavier Woods vs. Alexander Rusev

Tyler Breeze comes out and asks Woods to leave so that he can get his revenge on Rusev. Out comes Lana and she introduces Rusev. Breeze attacks Woods from behind and leaves him there. Woods agrees to start the match and Rusev dominates the injured Woods. Rusev kind of hits his variation of the Samoan Drop and locks in the Accolade for the easy victory. This could have been fun, but the storyline got in the way.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Bo Dallas tells Neville only 2 more weeks until he gets his rematch. 

Colin Cassady vs. Bo Dallas

Things couldn't start off any more slowly than with a couple minutes of stalling. After nothing happens, we go to commercial and when we come back, nothing is happening. Bo hits a clothesline for the highlight of the match so far. Cass reverses an Irish Whip and sends Bo into the corner with some speed. Cass makes his comeback and hits a high knee. Cass hits a big knee, but Bo is able to kick out. Bo turns it around and hits his variation of the DDT for the victory. My review may be short, but this match certainly wasn't. 12 minutes felt like an eternity here. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Last week's show felt like something I had to watch. On the other hand, this show was a giant turd. Nothing worthwhile took place and a lot of the guys featured on here were not guys I enjoy watching. 

Overall Rating: 32%

Monday Night Raw 3-21-94 Review

Monday, March 21st, 1994
Mid-Hudson Civic Center
Poughkeepsie, New York

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Bushwhackers vs. Quebecers

This is a non-title match for any of you keeping track at home. It's also 3/4ths of a WrestleMania V rematch. Things get going quickly here and we get some butt biting and Jacques being clotheslined over the top rope. Vince apologizes for the 10 man tag match not happening at WrestleMania, so we are getting that on Raw. Meanwhile, there's some technical difficulties with the transfer of the video here. The Bushwhackers seem to not want to let the Quebecers have any offense in tonight. We get a commercial break after Butch tosses Pierre sternum-first into the turnbuckle. When we come back, the Quebecers are finally in control. Miss WrestleMania last night? Call the hotline and they'll tell you who won. What a deal! Jacques hits the back body drop on Pierre onto Luke for a 2 count. Butch gets the hot tag and he takes care of both opponents. They then hit the Battering Ram on both opponents, but Johnny Polo interferes behind the referee, who is busy trying to get Luke out of the ring. Luke chases Polo around the ring and they get him, even though Luke is nowhere near as quick here. Butch grabs Polo too, but Pierre knocks Butch with a knee from behind that also sends Polo flying. That's enough for the victory. There were some miscommunications in there, but it was entertaining enough and probably one of the better Bushwhacker matches I can remember. 

Match Rating: **

Vince goes to interview the winners and out comes Captain Lou Albano. He asks them if he puts together a team if the champs will put their titles on the line. Jacques calls him a nobody and accepts. 

It's almost tax time, so IRS talks to us about paying taxes. This is the joke that Vince just will never give up on. 

Chris Hamrick vs. Tatanka

Tatanka has pretty much been around for 2 years at this point, but doesn't have a lot on the resume outside of his undefeated streak. Hamrick is the prototype for mid-90s jobbers. Tatanka tosses Hamrick around and then hits a vertical suplex. Tatanka is a little extra aggressive here tonight for whatever reason. I'm not sure why this one needed to be more than 90 seconds though. Tatanka hits some chops and the Samoan Drop for the easy victory. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

We get our final WrestleMania Report with Todd Pettengill. He claims the celebrities had the best times of their lives. Don't forget to order the replay next Monday night. 

Diesel vs. Ken Lucia

Diesel launches himself for an impressive shoulder tackle. Diesel hits the side suplex and the crowd starts to chant for him. I'm sure Big Kev loved that. Diesel hits the Jackknife for the victory while Vince hypes up Major League on USA Network. Squash. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Next week it's Lex Luger vs. Rick Martel. 

Vince introduces the new WWF Champion Bret Hart to the ring. Bret says that he'll take on everyone, including Yokozuna. 

Jeff Jarrett vs. Koko B. Ware

Koko gets his old music here, but he's still sporting the High Energy gear. Koko gets the hot start, but Jarrett avoids him in the corner and hits a reverse elbow to the jaw of Koko. Jarrett hits a dropkick and chokes Koko on the second rope. Koko makes his comeback with a dropkick and an elbow drop. Koko ducks and Jarrett hits a DDT for the victory. I was expecting a little bit more offense out of Koko and a little more time. Why did the Tatanka squash get just as much time as this? 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Jarrett gets into a verbal altercation with Savage and he throws his drink at him. Vince tells him not to waste his time with Double J. Savage gets in the ring and Koko joins in on it. Savage tosses him over the top rope and they celebrate. 

Next week we get the 1-2-3 Kid, Owen Hart and of course Lex Luger vs. Rick Martel.

This certainly didn't feel like the night after WrestleMania Raw that we are used to, but it was fun enough. The crowd was really into the show and after a great WrestleMania, I'm looking forward to the build for King of the Ring. 

Overall Rating: 51%

NXT 3-6-14 Review

Original Airdate: Thursday, March 6th, 2014
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Well, I can finally write about something else other than 1994 WWF as Peacock continues to try to get as much of the content loaded as they can. They show a recap of NXT Arrival, which was where I left off. 

Adrian Neville vs. Camacho

Neville is fresh off his NXT Championship win, while Camacho gets the "already in the ring" treatment. After some smooth offense from Neville, Camacho actually gets a powerslam in. Neville fires back with a series of kicks and then hits the Red Arrow for the easy victory. This was obviously just a showcase for the new champ and it worked fine. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Renee Young joins Neville in the ring for an interview. Neville calls himself a crazy elf-man and then askes Renee if she can even understand what he's saying. This is probably the most personality Neville has shown on the mic so far. He then leads the crowd in a "No more Bo" chant, so of course Bo's music hits. Bo says that he's going to use his rematch clause...soon. 

They then cut to a taped interview with Emma and Renee Young. Emma says that Paige is the toughest opponent and says that one day she'll be a champion. Ric Flair comes in and tells her that she needs to understand that Charlotte is going to be the next champion. Charlotte tells Emma to call her if she needs a shoulder to cry on and then Emma walks away. 

After a WrestleMania XXX commercial, they show an interview with Paige and Renee. Paige says that she welcomes all challengers and then of course it's Flair again. Charlotte of course wants to be the next challenger. 

Emma vs. Charlotte

Sasha Banks is ringside with Charlotte and a Summer Rae face on a stick. It's kind of amazing how much more the crowd is into the NXT product seemingly overnight. Charlotte leaps over Emma in the corner and sells an ankle injury from her landing. Sasha distracts the referee and Emma, allowing Charlotte to hit Natural Selection for the quick victory. They are moving onto the next phase of the division and it's obvious that Charlotte is the darling. This was too quick to be much of anything. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

We go back to another Arrival interview with Sami Zayn who is full of emotion after his match with Cesaro.

Yoshi Tatsu vs. Corey Graves

Tatsu surprisingly gets an entrance here. Corey Graves introduces himself, but says he shouldn't have to do this because he should have been at Arrival. He then rips on Sami Zayn for not winning any matches and continuing to get chances. Graves says that he only needs one chance and he would beat Cesaro, but instead he's here wrestling Yoshi who has never been relevant. Graves rolls out of the ring before anything happens and says to forget this. He teases walking in the ring and heads back. Yoshi runs after him and Graves hits a clothesline. He throws him into the ring steps and Graves gets the countout win. This episode is clearly a re-establishment of the NXT brand and they're letting us know who they are focusing on. After the win, Graves tosses Yoshi in the ring and puts him in Lucky 13. Zayn comes out and makes the save, with Graves retreating. Zayn says that he didn't know that they had a problem with each other, but if he wants a match, all he had to do was ask. He's ready to wrestle tonight.

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show a behind the scenes of the Adam Rose party, including Braun Strowman in Roman gear. Alexa Bliss is also in there I believe. 

They show clips of Rusev destroying Xavier Woods and Tyler Breeze. Woods says he'll destroy him and we then get a Rusev interview where he answers in Bulgarian. Lana says he accepts. 

Adam Rose vs. Wesley Blake

Rose gets the big entrance with all of his Rosebuds. Apparently this was taped awhile ago for whatever reason. The NXT crowd loved it though and I will say it is pretty fun. It's kind of weird that it's clearly Leo Kruger, but it was good enough to make everyone forget it. Rose has completely changed his in ring work here as well, so credit deserves to be given there as well. Rose hits a spear and some elbows to the head. Rose hits a big spinebuster and a running lariat for the easy victory. This was pretty fun. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Corey Graves vs. Sami Zayn

We start off intensely with both men, but mostly Graves, getting some stiff shots. Zayn fires back with some arm drags and Graves rolls out of the ring. Zayn teases a dive, but Graves backs off, so Zayn shows off. On his way back in, Graves snaps Zayn's neck on the top rope and goes on the attack. Graves is still in control when we come back from the commercial break. Zayn finally fights back with some clotheslines and a back body drop. Graves gets Zayn up on his shoulders though and hits a GTS style backbreaker. Zayn hits a top rope crossbody for a nearfall. Zayn charges at Graves in the corner, but eats an elbow. Zayn fires back with a Blue Thunder Bomb and another 2 count. Graves takes our Zayn this time with a chopblock. Graves again goes for the backbreaker, but this time Zayn counters it into a small package and gets the victory. This wasn't one of Zayn's best matches, but it felt like a TV main event and both guys gave a good effort.

Match Rating: **1/4

There was nothing special on this episode, but it was much more enjoyable than a lot of the early NXT shows. The crowd is a lot more into the product and they are establishing their stars as we begin to roll into the TakeOver era. This episode was very breezy and and easy one to watch. 

Overall Rating: 58%

WrestleMania X Review

Sunday, March 20th, 1994
Madison Square Garden
New York City, New York

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

After a quick intro, Vince is here to introduce Little Richard to sing "America The Beautiful". Sadly, they use the new WrestleMania theme instead of the legendary guitar riff version. This leads into the lengthy Bret/Owen video package. I guess that I should also note that Jerry Lawler makes his return here with Vince on announcing. 

Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart

We get some mat wrestling to start, with both men getting the better of each other. Bret dumps Owen out of the ring and when Owen returns, he fires back with a slap to the face of Bret. Bret hits a monkey flip and then clotheslines Owen out of the ring. Bret throws Owen back in the ring and they get into a shoving match. Owen hits a spin kick and then drives Bret into the ring post. Back in the ring, Owen slaps on the Camel Clutch in the middle of the ring. Bret gets out, but gets hit with a belly-to-belly suplex. Owen hits a German suplex into a bridge for a nearfall. Owen counters a backbreaker into a Tombstone piledriver. Owen climbs the ropes, but Bret is able to get out of the way and both men are down. Bret starts  to make his comeback and hits a backbreaker this time. Owen is able to hit an enzuigiri out of nowhere and then goes for the Sharpshooter. Bret is able to roll through, so Owen tries a pinfall and gets a 2 count. Bret launches himself over the top rope onto Owen, but Bret also hurt his knee on the fall. Owen goes right after the knee in the ring and then slams it into the ring post. Owen slaps on the Figure Four, but eventually Bret is able to get over to the ropes. Bret is able to hit an enzuigiri of his own and throws Owen into the turnbuckle sternum-first. Bret hits a big piledriver and that gets a 2 count. Bret then hits a big superplex, but Bret is slow to cover him and only gets a 2. Bret gets the sleeper on, but Owen grabs the rope and with the ref trying to break the hold, Owen hits a low blow. Owen locks in the Sharpshooter and is close to tapping. Bret is able to push out of it and he locks in the Sharpshooter, but not for long, as Owen grabs the ropes. Bret gets on the shoulders of Owen and goes for a pinfall, but Owen blocks it and steals the victory for an absolutely fabulous finish to an incredible match. This is A+ storytelling, booking and action for one of the greatest matches in WWE history. 

Match Rating: *****

We get the infamous interview with Owen and his loogie on his lip. Owen rubs it in and predicts that Bret won't be winning any title here tonight. 

Ah yes, WrestleMania 2 and that awesome battle royal. Right. 

Sy Sperling is introduced and he brings how Howard Finkel with hair, which gets a tepid reaction. It's a shame that they didn't have Fink announce the opener for this. 

Mixed Tag Team Match

Bam Bam Bigelow & Luna Vachon vs. Doink & Dink

Bam Bam attacks Doink before the bell and then hits a dropkick. Doink is able to battle back and tags in Dink, which means that Luna has to come in. We now get a bunch of comedy spots from Dink until he goes up top and misses with a splash. After a body slam, Luna decides to go up top and she also misses. In come Doink and Bam Bam and Bam Bam clotheslines Doink over the top rope. Doink goes for a sunset flip, but Bam Bam squashes him. Doink hits a nice leaping spike DDT, but then misses with the Whoopee Cushion. Bam Bam accidentally knocks Dink off the apron and then he goes up top and hits the headbutt for the fairly quick victory. After the match, Luna and Bam Bam go after Dink. I guess Doink makes the save? Everything after the bell was really bad. The match itself wasn't great either. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

They then show "Bill Clinton" in the audience. He is sitting next to Jack Tunney and IRS is behind him. 

They show WrestleMania III and Hulk and Andre. 

Falls Count Anywhere Match

Randy Savage vs. Crush

Savage attacks Crush in the entrance ramp and we are underway. Crush hits his spinning backbreaker and then he drops Savage on the barricade, scoring him a pinfall. In this weird variation of the Falls Count Anywhere match, he has 60 seconds to get back into the ring. On his way back in the ring, Fuji gives him a love tap with the Japanese flag. Savage is able to roll back in before the count is over and Crush is back on the offense. Fuji hands Crush some salt while Savage is in the tree of woe. Savage is helped down by the ref and knocks the salt back in Crush's face. Savage hits a double ax handle off the top rope and follows it with his signature elbow drop. He kicks him out of the ring and gets the pinfall just outside the ring. So if they can't pin one another inside the ring, then technically falls don't count anywhere. Fuji dumps some water on Crush's face and he's able to break the count. Crush sends Savage flying over the top rope. Savage clotheslines Crush over the barricade, but Crush hits a big kick in the crowd. Crush goes for a piledriver, but Savage counters into a back body drop. They start moving backstage. Savage throws Crush into some doors and gets another pinfall. Savage then starts tying up Crush's legs and hangs him upside down. He pretty much immediately falls down. Savage starts attacking Fuji in the ring as the Fink counts down to 0. The rules of this one just made it almost impossible to get into this match and Crush just wasn't good enough. For as heated of a feud as this was, it didn't get much time. When I rented this, I had never seen a Falls Count Anywhere match, so I thought this was incredible. This one does not hold up. 

Match Rating: *3/4

Todd Pettengill interviews "Bill Clinton" and then IRS. Todd then shows us clips of the Fan Fest and play the glorious classic WrestleMania music. Savage is now shown over at the Paramount Theatre. 

They show clips of Savage winning the WWF Championship at WrestleMania IV.

WWF Women's Championship Match

Leilani Kai vs. Alundra Blayze

Blayze has hardly gotten any televised matches on Raw and Superstars, but here she is. Blayze hits a couple of sunset flips, but Kai is dominating the early stages of this match. They work this one at a pretty quick pace, most likely because they were given no time. Blayze then hits a German suplex into a bridge and gets the quick victory. This was a pretty good match actually for the couple of minutes they got. 

Match Rating: *1/2

Of all the things to show from WrestleMania V, they of course show the Roddy Piper segment. 

We go to Todd Pettengill and he's with Rhonda Shear, who is one of those people that I know the name, but don't really know anything about. Shawn Michaels tries to pose for a picture with her, but Burt Reynolds steals his thunder. This was terrible, so of course Vince laughs. 

WWF Tag Team Championship Match

Men On A Mission vs. Quebecers

The Quebecers attack Men On A Mission before the bell, but Mabel retaliates with a double clothesline. Jacques launches Pierre over the top rope and on to Mo for a nice move that doesn't get the reaction it deserves. Mo pulls out his somersault, but he's not able to make the tag. Pierre misses a top rope leg drop and this time Mo is able to make the tag. Mabel cleans house, but then misses with the splash in the corner. The Quebecers go for a double suplex and hit it the second try. I love the Quebecers. They go for their finisher and hit it, but Mabel is able to kick out. Mabel hits a spin kick on Pierre and Johnny Polo and Oscar start getting involved. Mabel splashes Pierre with the help of Mo on the outside. This all leads to a countout, which is such a garbage finish for a WrestleMania. However, it does work for the Quebecers as characters. This match is underrated thanks to the really strong performance of Jacques and Pierre. It's nothing out of the ordinary, but they really tried their best to make it WrestleMania worthy. 

Match Rating: **1/4

They show the Ultimate Warrior/Hulk Hogan clip from WrestleMania VI. This leads to Fink announcing guest timekeeper Rhonda Shear and guest ring announcer Donnie Wahlberg. Donnie announces that Mr. Perfect is the guest referee for the match and comes out wearing the most 90s looking referee outfit there ever was. 

WWF Championship Match

Yokozuna vs. Lex Luger

They start off going at a quicker pace than you would imagine to start off. Luger even hits a top rope crossbody for a close call. Luger goes for the slam, but Yoko's weight is too much for him. Yoko is able to untie a turnbuckle behind Perfect's back. This all leads to the dreaded rest hold by Yoko and it's a long one. Luger is able to eventually get out of it, but he ends up running into Yoko and is of his feet again. Yoko once again works on the trapezius. This match has just come to a screeching halt. Luger finally gets a chance to be on offense and uses the exposed turnbuckle. Luger hits the body slam and then the hits the forearm. Luger attacks both Cornette and Fuji, but then Perfect won't make the count. He's insisting on Fuji and Cornette leaving the ring, so Luger confronts him. Luger ends up shoving him and so Perfect disqualifies him and heads to the back. How do you do a countout and then a disqualification in back-to-back matches at a WrestleMania? Terrible booking and boring match. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

The crowd isn't having it and Pettengill interviews Perfect. He claims that it was called right down the middle. In walks Luger and they get into a shouting match. 

They use the Blindfold Match for the WrestleMania VII moment. If you aren't going to use Warrior, why not use the Undertaker's debut? 

Fink is out and Harvey Wippleman insults the Fink and rips his suit, so Fink shoves him down. Out comes Adam Bomb and then Earthquake to make the save.

Adam Bomb vs. Earthquake

Quake hits the big body slam and his finisher and that is all. Vince claims he almost sets a record, but it's not even close. I still wonder what the plan was for Quake and Ludvig Borga. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They kick it back to Pettengill again and a riled up Cornette says that Mr. Perfect did a great job tonight. 

WrestleMania VIII's moment is just the Undertaker walking down the aisle. Who came up with this list of moments? 

Ladder Match For The Intercontinental Championship

Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon

Razor gets thrown out of the ring early on and Diesel hits him with a clothesline. Earl Hebner then ejects Diesel from ringside, but what would happen if he didn't go? There are no disqualifications, so I'm not sure why he just doesn't stay. Razor is back and takes it to Michaels. He clotheslines Michaels over the top rope and then lifts up the mats on the outside. This gives Michaels time to recover and throw Razor back in the ring. Ramon goes for a Razor's Edge but Michaels counters and dumps him over the ropes and onto the exposed concrete. Michaels goes for a ladder, but he's too slow and Razor stops him. As Razor is headed to the ring, Michaels hits the baseball slide into the ladder. Back in the ring, Michaels drives the ladder into the midsection of Razor. Michaels is the first one to start climbing and then Razor pulls down Michaels and his trunks to stop him. Michaels sets up the ladder in the corner and hits the famous splash from near the top of the ladder. Michaels again starts to climb and this time Razor tips the ladder on its side. Both men collide and are down in the center of the ring. Razor hits the catapult on Michaels and launches him into the ladder outside the ring. Razor rams the ladder into Michaels, knocking him to the outside. Razor now has his first chance to start to climb, but Michaels leaps off the top rope to stop him, but the ladder then lands on Michaels. Both men start climbing up the ladder and start trading right hands. Razor body slams Michaels off the top of the ladder and the ladder accidentally falls over. Razor tries to climb again and this time Michaels dropkicks the ladder and Razor falls, but the ladder doesn't. Michaels climbs up the ladder and rides it down onto Razor's chest. Michaels climbs the ladder and Razor crotches him and then Michaels' leg gets tied up in the ropes. Razor climbs the ladder and retrieves both titles to become the undisputed Intercontinental Champion. This match is so outstanding even after all of these years and so many ladder matches. The pace is great, the action is almost non-stop and they don't overdo anything. 

Match Rating: *****

We go backstage to Jeff Jarrett, IRS, Rick Martel and the Headshrinkers all fighting over who the captain is, which is apparently enough to cancel the match. We then go back to Todd and Clinton, who then talk to Ted DiBiase. 

The WrestleMania IX moment is basically the theme and then Bret getting screwed with salt in his eyes. We get video packages for both men and they then announce Jennie Garth and Burt Reynolds. 

WWF Championship Match

Yokozuna vs. Bret Hart

Reynolds announces Roddy Piper as the guest referee. Bret is still selling the knee on his way to the ring. Yoko attacks Bret on his way into the ring and we are underway. Bret has little bursts of attempted comebacks, but Yoko stays in control. Yoko misses with a big splash and Bret knocks down Yoko with a headbutt. Bret is selling the headbutt as well though. Did he forget that he's not Samoan despite being Samoan? Bret goes for a pin, but Cornette pulls Piper out of the ring, so Piper hits him with a right hand. Yoko dumps Bret out of the ring, but Bret breaks up the count at 9. Yoko misses a splash in the corner and Bret hits a bulldog off the second rope. Bret gets a close call on the pin attempt and then hits the second rope elbow drop. Bret goes off the second rope again, but this time Yoko catches him and hits a belly-to-belly suplex. Yoko drags Bret to the corner and sets him up for the Banzai Drop. Yoko raises his hand up and loses his balance. Bret hooks the leg and we have a new WWF Champion, as Yoko is in shock. Burt Reynolds then does a terrible announcing job, but it doesn't matter. The right guy won here and they put on a really solid Yokozuna match. As Bret finally gets up to celebrate, Luger is now in the ring. They hug and celebrate with Roddy Piper joining in. Burt Reynolds joins in and then every babyface does as well. After getting screwed at WrestleMania last year, this was a nice apology. However, out comes Owen Hart and he looks on as his big moment was once again overshadowed by Bret. 

Match Rating: **1/2

This show contains two of the absolute most famous matches in company history, which is already a thumbs up. Add in a great finish in the main event and this is easily one of the best WrestleManias up until this point. I'm not sure who hasn't seen Owen/Bret and Shawn/Razor, but if someone like this does exist, please watch those matches.

Overall Rating: 91%

Superstars 3-12-94 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, March 12th, 1994
Stabler Arena
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

They show a clip of Tatanka receiving his new headdress on Raw. 

Tatanka vs. Brooklyn Brawler

Tatanka misses Brawler in the corner and Brawler is on the attack. Meanwhile, Johnny Polo is making fun of Tatanka crying. We get a promo from IRS who wants to tax him on his new headdress. What a reason for a feud. Tatanka battles back and hits a top rope chop. He hits the Samoan Drop for the quick victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

After the match, IRS comes out and tells Tatanka to fill out this tax form and throws it at him. Tatanka rips it up and heads to the back. 

Men On A Mission vs. Jim Messenger & Todd Mata

Messenger looks like he is wearing his pajamas and then Mo hits a weird somersault kick where it almost looks like he lands on his head. The Quebecers join us to save us from Polo's sound effects for a second to remind us that MOM is not leaving with the titles. Meanwhile, they hit their finish and that is all. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's Face To Face and unfortunately it's still Stan Lane. Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji give us a promo, well Cornette does. They didn't even bother to have Yokozuna here for it. 

Shawn Michaels vs. Mike Moraldo

Shawn gets a new entrance with a strobe light effect. I will say he feels like a pretty big deal here. He easily disposes of Moraldo and after the match Diesel hands him a ladder and he puts it over Moraldo. He then climbs the ladder and cuts a promo about how quickly he climbed the ladder. Nothing match, obviously. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We then get footage of Bastion Booger eating with his shirt off in the locker room. 

It's WrestleMania Report time and we get a promo from Crush and a rebuttal from Crush. Alundra Blayze reminds us that she exists with a generic babyface promo. 

Bastion Booger vs. Earthquake

Vince just couldn't help himself here with this matchup. Adam Bomb gets a promo in here and the biggest mistake is that they let him talk. Booger squashes Quake in the corner, but Quake comes from behind and body slams him. Polo's sound effect machine is so annoying. Anyway, Quake hits his finisher and ends this awful match. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Vince introduces Lex Luger and Bret Hart to the ring. Luger basically says he is only concerned about Yokozuna at this time. Bret then tries to compliment Luger, which sounds like torture to Bret. Luger then compliments him back and they begin to celebrate together. However, they go to stand on the turnbuckle and get into a slight argument about that. 

We get another Sy Sperling segment, this time with Bam Bam Bigelow. 

Owen Hart vs. Ben Jordan

Jordan gets a couple of arm drags and a dropkick, but then misses with the second dropkick. Owen hits his standard offense and puts on the Sharpshooter for the victory. I am so close to getting to re-watch Owen and Bret for the first time in quite a few years. I was hoping the build would make it even better, but I have to say it has been very lackluster outside of the Survivor Series and Royal Rumble spots that I already had seen multiple times. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Time to end on a sour note with Stan Lane again. Shawn gets more interview time and he is the only Intercontinental Championship. Razor gives a list of options of what he's going to do with Shawn's belt after he wins. 

Outside of Shawn, nothing here was really good and it hardly felt like they were only 8 days away from WrestleMania. I am looking forward to revisiting that show, but not because of the build.

Overall Rating: 37%