Superstars 10-8-94 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, October 8th, 1994
Browns County Veterans Memorial Arena
Green Bay, Wisconsin

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Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Duke Droese

Vince is now full blown in his talk louder than is necessary phase of announcing. Duke tries to work on the arm of Bam Bam, but he throws him through the ropes and then knocks him off the apron when he tries to get back in. I know I keep beating a dead horse, but Bam Bam had some momentum and they did nothing with it. Bam Bam hits a couple of shoulder tackles, but on the third attempt Duke hits a body slam. He hits a leg drop for a 2 count and Ted DiBiase is on the apron. Bam Bam tries to attack from behind, but Duke avoids it. Duke hits an Irish whip, but Bam Bam is able to roll up Duke and holds the tights for the victory. This was a match where basically nothing happened and if they were serious about the Million Dollar Corporation, they would have let Bam Bam win big here.

Match Rating: 3/4*

We see Paul Bearer at a video store and then Jim Cornette cuts a promo about Yokozuna's match with Undertaker. 

British Bulldog is shown doing pushups backstage. 

British Bulldog vs. Ben Jordan

Jordan gets a taste of the vertical suplex with the IcoPro banner hanging proudly in the background. The running powerslam isn't far behind and Bulldog picks up the easy victory. It's kind of interesting that it really took them about a year to do anything with Bulldog.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Mr. Bob Backlund is the guest on the Heartbreak Hotel. He talks about how he never lost the WWF Championship and how he has been waiting for his chance since then. He eventually storms off, but this felt pretty long for what it was. 

Jeff Jarrett vs. Billy Joe Eaton

If you ever wanted to hear Vince talk about Stone Temple Pilots, here's your opportunity. Jarrett attacks Eaton from behind and dominates the entire match for once. He slaps on the Figure Four and that's all for Eaton. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Headshrinkers vs. Barry Horowitz & Ron Higgins

We get Vince talking about how the Headshrinkers having 3 partners. Of course Samu is actually gone and Sione isn't actually here today. This is the usual Headshrinker face squash here and they win with the splash off the top rope. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Vince lets us know that Arnold Skaaland will be here next week to give his side of the story of throwing the towel in on Backlund.

King Kong Bundy vs. Mitch Bishop

I can already tell you that just by watching this squash, Bundy wasn't going to work out here. He did absolutely nothing extra to make himself stand out. This just felt like a bare minimum squash. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show the Bushwhackers at a Chicago sports event. I'm pretty sure that was the only reason they were kept around as long as they were. 

Doink shows up on the video screen and calls out Lawler. While Doink is distracting him, Dink put a pie on his seat. Lawler sits on the pie and acts as if was the worst thing that could have happened to him. 

This was another downer of an episode in a series of them. I just want this show to be fun again, but nothing really ever seems to happen on here any more. 

Overall Rating: 37%

SmackDown 9-8-06 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, September 8th, 2006
Columbus Civic Center
Columbus, Georgia

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Rey Mysterio vs. Finlay

This seems like a pretty good way to kick off a show to me. Finlay tries to get under the skin of Mysterio and he acts accordingly. We get a fairly early commercial break and when come back, Mysterio makes a comeback with a dropkick. He goes up top and Finlay is able to trip him up. Finlay continues to dominate the "distracted" Mysterio. The commentary is 100% focused on the drama between Mysterio and the Guerreros. Finlay slaps in a Boston Crab. Mysterio ducks a charging Finlay and hits him with a kick to the face. Mysterio hits the seated senton for a 2 count. Mysterio goes for a springboard, but slips on the ropes. That was an intentional botch and it leads to Finlay hitting the Celtic Cross and picks up the victory. JBL then tells us that he's going to go talk to Mysterio. JBL then insults Mysterio repeatedly, with Mysterio choosing to walk to the back emotionally rather than retaliate. This was more about Mysterio and his anguish rather than the actual match. 

Match Rating: **1/2

Mr. Kennedy vs. Gia Mondo

Kennedy hypes up his opponent as a 6 time NCAA champion and silver medalist in the Olympics, amongst other things. The only thing is that he actually looks more competent than a typical jobber. Kennedy steamrolls Mondo here, hitting the Green Bay Plunge for the victory. He calls out Teddy Long after the match. Kennedy tells him that if Cena could potentially come to SmackDown, he could potentially go to Raw. Teddy says that there is still a competitor that he hasn't taken on and at No Mercy, he will take on the Undertaker. I certainly didn't remember that this was how the feud started. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Ashley, Paul London & Brian Kendrick vs. Michelle McCool, KC James & Idol Stevens

The champions get off to a hot start until Stevens lowers the middle rope and London goes flying to the floor. Stevens and James are a little bit sloppy here tonight, just seeming a step off. London fights back and hits the hot tag to Kendrick. Kendrick goes for a dive, but McCool gets in his way. He charges anyway and hits the dive and then Ashley attacks McCool. James tries to get Ashley off McCool and Kendrick hits a sunset flip off the top rope with an assist from London for the victory. They didn't get a ton of time here, but I'm not sure there was much more needed to get to where they wanted to go.

Match Rating: *3/4

Vito is out to join the announce team. William Regal comes down to the ring and says that he was originally supposed to take on Vito, but he threatened to sue for sexual harassment due to Vito's previous actions. 

William Regal vs. Bobby Lashley

So he gets Lashley instead. Vito refers to Regal as Steven multiple times before shaking his butt in his face. Regal is finally able to make a move after tripping Lashley up on the ring steps. Vito does not come across as a guy who has a lot to say. The interaction between him and Cole is just awful. Lashley already makes his comeback and goes for a running powerslam, but Regal counters out. Lashley hits a Spear instead and that's all. Vito congratulates Lashley, but JBL then refuses to shake his hand afterwards. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Miz vs. Matt Hardy

Michael Cole hypes up Miz as undefeated and JBL refers to him as the new Red Rooster. Keep in mind Miz is a heel. Miz runs up the back of Hardy and leaps over the ropes to snap Hardy's neck. That was actually pretty nice. Hardy comes back with a second rope elbow and the Side Effect for a 2 count. Hardy hits a move to the outside and when he throws Miz back in the ring, he rolls into the referee. Gregory Helms attacks Hardy and Miz is able to get the sneaky victory. Miz is 2-0.

Match Rating: *3/4

Jimmy Wang Yang gets another vignette tackling Asian stereotypes. 

Chavo Guerrero vs. Tatanka

Vickie Guerrero introduces Chavo, as they put over that she is his business manager. Tatanka gets in a good amount of offense here, including get hit with a series of chops. Tatanka goes up to the top rope and hits another chop for a 2 count. Tatanka hits the End Of The Trail, but Chavo gets out of the pin attempt. Chavo hits a Frog Splash and picks up the victory. This wasn't particularly impressive for Chavo. 

Match Rating: *1/4

MVP is backstage and tells Teddy Long that he wants to make a dollar more than John Cena. He then asks for some tickets and Teddy said he better buy some. 

World Heavyweight Championship Match
King Booker vs. Batista

Booker tells Batista says that he can bow down and walk away if he chooses to and Batista responds by asking him if he prefers his body buried or cremated. That was a little awkward. Batista hits a vertical suplex for the first nearfall of the match. Booker gets a few shots to the midsection in and hits the Book End for a 2 count before the commercial break. When we come back, they are brawling on the outside. Sharmell distracts Batista and it allows Booker to throw him into the ring post. Booker hits a big kick and gets another close call. Batista fires back with some clotheslines and hits a Jackhammer. He signals for the Batista Bomb, but Booker grabs his trunks and throws him through the ropes to the floor. Batista is shown hitting someone in the crowd and it's William Regal. Sharmell comes in the ring with a chair, which distracts the referee and allows Finlay to hit Batista with the shillelagh and Booker retains his title. These two were famous for not having chemistry, but this was a big step up from their SummerSlam match. After the match, Finlay continues the attack on Batista and he's busted open. Finlay then cracks him over the head with a chair and some more shillelagh shots. Finlay drives his head into the exposed turnbuckle and then tells Batista that he's his worst nightmare. 

Match Rating: **1/2

When it comes to all three shows (Raw, ECW, SmackDown), this was one of the best weeks I can remember in terms of all three shows delivering. None of them were all timers or anything, but they delivered quality matches and storylines that made you want to tune in again next week. Progress. 

Overall Rating: 67%

ECW 9-5-06 Review

Tuesday, September 5th, 2006
Columbus Civic Center
Columbus, Georgia

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We get a DX SummerSlam recap, followed by DX entering the arena and making a bingo hall joke. 

Extreme Rules Tag Team Match
Sabu & Rob Van Dam vs. Test & Mike Knox

It's never a great thing when one team comes out to a big reaction and the other comes out to complete silence. RVD hits a running spin kick on Test in the corner and RVD goes flying over the top rope. He hits a Rolling Thunder/somersault leg drop combo and then a double leg lariat. Test tries for a press slam on Sabu, but RVD hits him with a kick off the top rope. We have a table set up outside the ring now. Test, Knox and RVD are battling on the apron and Sabu dives and sends all four of them through the table into the commercial break. Sabu was going for the triple jump moonsault, but Test trips him up and he goes face-first into the chair. RVD hits a skateboard kick with the chair into the face of Test. I'll give these guys credit here, they are putting in the effort here tonight. Knox hits a superplex on RVD, but then Sabu hits him with a leg drop to the face with a chair. Sabu hits the triple jump moonsault, but Test kicks out at 2. Sabu and RVD bring in a table to the ring and Sabu chucks a table at Knox's face. They knock Test off the apron and Sabu climbs up top. RVD joins him and they hit a double leg drop through the table for the victory. That was a really hard fought match for a weekly TV opener. Kudos to all four guys there, as this was one of the best matches ECW has had since the revival. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

Big Show was shown getting ready in the back. 

Kevin Thorn and Ariel make out.

Matt Striker does his schtick, then Sandman interrupts and does his schtick. 

Balls Mahoney vs. Stevie Richards

Kevin Thorn and Ariel come out first to join the announce team and Ariel gets all up in Joey Style's face. Balls misses a splash in the corner and Richards gets a 2 count out of it. Balls takes controls and starts doing his punch schtick, when Thorn and Ariel get on the apron. He knocks Thorn off the apron, but the referee is still distracted and Thorn hits him with a low blow. Stevie covers him and gets the surprise victory to set up the biggest feud of the fall. This was nothing.

Match Rating: 1/4*

DX is on their way. 

Shannon Moore is still really coming, we promise. CM Punk interrupts him, calls him a poseur and slaps him in the face. 

Extreme Rules Handicap Match
Big Show vs. DX

Paul Heyman comes out before DX's entrance and announces that this will no longer be an Extreme Rules match. Credit where credit is due, DX is doing a good job of Show look like a monster threat here. After getting jacked with an elbow to the jaw, Triple H is able to hit a spinebuster. They knock the security team off the apron and Michaels hits a dive to take them out. Triple H is about to give Big Show a Pedigree and out comes...Hardcore Holly? Michaels takes care of him, but Show shoves Michaels to the ground. Holly, Show and the security goons take the fight to Michaels until Triple H brings in the sledgehammer to clear them out. That was quicker than I expected and I certainly didn't remember Holly being the one to cause the DQ. I'm not sure how that really fits into the storyline, but whatever. 

Match Rating: **

This was a lot better than what we have been accustomed to on Tuesday nights so far. The opener was a very good match and the main event at least felt important. The middle was throw away, but they just don't have the roster yet to make people care about the entire show.

Overall Rating: 60%

Monday Night Raw 9-4-06 Review

Monday, September 4th, 2006
Philips Arena
Atlanta, Georgia

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Edge is in the ring on a ladder, letting us know that the John Cena is out of his life countdown is on. It was nice of Edge to plus the CW. He makes fun of Cena before showing us a hype video of his match at Unforgiven. Out comes Cena and he attacks him, putting him through a table. All in all, this was an effective start to the show. 

Jeff Hardy is backstage painting a wall and Maria comes and I'm really not sure what the point of this was. 

Intercontinental Championship Match
Jeff Hardy vs. Johnny Nitro

Things start off a little bit slower than I anticipated and we get a quick commercial break. When we come back, Nitro is in control of the match. The crowd is definitely into Hardy though. Nitro props Hardy on the top rope, but Hardy counters the superplex attempt and hits an electric chair. Hardy looks a step slow here, which I know he eventually snaps out of. Hardy rolls through a crossbody and gets a 2 count to some boos. He misses with a dropkick, but he is able to hit a Whisper In The Wind. He goes up top, but Nitro knocks him off the top. Hardy still hits a Twist Of Fate, but Melina comes in and jumps on the referee, causing the disqualification. Hardy hits a Swanton, but Melina grabs the title and checks on her man. Hardy looks to be still getting back into ring shape here, so it wasn't quite up to what you would expect from these two. 

Match Rating: **

Trish Stratus is on her way to the ring, but Lita interrupts her. Trish is happy because she was going to call her out to the ring. She challenges Lita to a championship match at Unforgiven for her last match. Lita accepts and slaps Trish. They start brawling and then Randy Orton and Carlito get involved as well. They show Lita at Shane McMahon's office and he makes a mixed tag team match between Edge, Lita and Randy Orton against Trish, Carlito and John Cena. 

Chris Masters is out and issues an open challenge and Super Crazy accepts, who apparently came over from SmackDown as a free agent.

Chris Masters vs. Super Crazy 

They again reference the leaner and meaner Masters. The once hot crowd, doesn't care about this one. That's kind of a shame because Crazy is a lot of fun. He gets a 2 count off a top rope sunset flip, but misses with a reverse crossbody. Masters signals for the Master Lock, but Crazy is able to get out of it before he locks it in. Masters nails him with a clothesline, but Crazy comes back with a low dropkick. He hits a moonsault and picks up the victory. The Masters burial continues. This was decent enough, but it didn't really do either guy much with the booking. 

Match Rating: *1/2

Maria is still backstage watching the paint dry. 

They show highlights of DX/McMahons. 

The McMahons are out with security around the ring. The Big Show is out after them. He talks about teaching them a lesson tomorrow night on ECW when he faces DX in a handicap match. Vince then talks about the Hell In A Cell match and of course DX comes out with a chair and a sledgehammer. Triple H thanks them for reminding them who they are. They march to the ring and hit a security guy with a chair. We have a big brawl in the ring, but Big Show and the McMahons are able to get out of there and let security take the beating. This was better than most DX/McMahon segments, so I'll take it. 

Triple Threat #1 Contender Match
Highlanders vs. Cade & Murdoch vs. Viscera & Charlie Haas

What a tag team division they've built themselves here in 2006. The Spirit Squad's music hits before the match starts and they're here to be spectators. Cade and Murdoch dominate with some double teams on one of the Highlanders. They have 3 men in the ring at a time for this one. Viscera and Haas hit their drop toe hold/leg drop combo and get a 2 count. Viscera hits a splash on both Cade and Murdoch in the corner. A clothesline sends Viscera and Cade over the top. The Highlanders take advantage and win with a sunset flip. They tried to make it meaningful, but no one cared. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Carlito is backstage with Trish and he's sick of Randy Orton. 

Ric Flair interrupts the Kiss Cam with Maria. JR reminds us that we normally only get this on WWE.com. Ric then wants a kiss from Maria and they make out. Flair then sells it with a faceplant. Flair tries to start talking about Mick Foley, but out comes Armando Alejandro Estrada. He asks that Flair declares Umaga the man, but Flair refuses. Umaga comes out, but we are in for a treat because Kane is here to attack him. Kane sucks the life out of the show like he normally does and Umaga retreats. 

We get our first Cryme Tyme vignette. They show them attacking a cashier at a smoothie shop and steal money out of the cash register. 

Teddy Long is shown walking into a suite. Maria is back to watching paint dry. JR and Lawler run down the Unforgiven card including the just added Umaga/Kane and Nitro/Hardy matches. 

We go backstage to the McMahons and Big Show, where Vince announces he will take on Triple H next week. 

Edge, Lita & Randy Orton vs. Carlito, Trish Stratus & John Cena

This is a fun main event and it looks like they are going to get some time. Carlito hits a big dropkick on Edge and tags in Cena. Edge retreats and tags in Lita, so Trish is in now. Trish attacks Lita and then slaps Orton. We get a quick brawl with the faces standing tall into the commercial break. Carlito hits a springboard back elbow to the face of Orton. The thing with Carlito is that he never really had a good flow in the ring. He could do every move, but it always felt a little bit like it was his first time doing some of them. I guess that I should reference that the reason Teddy Long is there is that if Cena loses at Unforgiven, he will move to SmackDown. The heels work on Carlito until he makes the tag. We get a brawl and it eventually turns into Trish and Lita. Trish hits the handstand hurricanrana from the corner. Carlito saves Trish from Edge, but then Orton hits the RKO on Trish, allowing Lita to pick up the victory. This was exactly what you want out of a TV main event. It wasn't an all time classic, but it was entertaining with a hot crowd and the heels leave the faces chasing until next week. Well done.

Match Rating: ***1/4

This is the type of energy that Raw needs more often. Not everything worked, but everything meant something in some fashion. I get it. You have 5 hours of TV to fill every week and a pay-per-view every month. Not everything is going to be great. But you could tell the roster was into the storylines and the crowd reacted accordingly. 

Overall Rating: 66%

NXT 9-25-14 Review

Original Airdate: Thursday, September 25th, 2014
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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Mojo Rawley vs. Bull Dempsey

Opening with this match is certainly a choice. They start brawling right away and we are underway. Bull reverses an Irish whip, but gets hit with an elbow. He comes back though and flattens Mojo. He goes up top and hits a top rope splash/headbutt for the victory. Well that was quick and you won't hear a complaint from me. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Tyler Breeze's music hits and he attacks Mojo. Apparently he will be in action after the commercial break. 

We get a Baron Corbin vignette. 

Tyler Breeze vs. Justin Gabriel

A rare heel vs. heel match here. Breeze is showing off a more aggressive side. Gabriel goes on the attack and hits a springboard moonsault for a 2 count. Breeze is able to move out of the way of a 450 splash, hits a superkick and follows up with the Beauty Shot for the victory. I basically wrote as much as I did for the 45 second opener, but this one was about 4 minutes. Sorry, guys. This is starting to look like the end for Gabriel. 

Match Rating: *

William Regal is backstage and is approached by Natalya. She doesn't want Tyson Kidd to know that she's approaching him, so she decided to do it on camera. She wants another match for Tyson and Regal reluctantly accepts, but says it is his last chance. 

Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley

Now we have a face vs. face match featuring a high five. This feels a little bit like an exhibition, with neither showing off an aggressive side. Alexa misses with the moonsault and Bayley catches her for a Bayley-To-Belly for the victory. That was another quick matchup tonight. Bayley grabs the mic and calls out Charlotte. Bayley says she let herself down and everyone else down and she wants one more shot. Charlotte says that Bayley didn't let her down and she actually earned her respect. Charlotte says the second verse will be the same as the first and that she'll see her next week. Yes, please. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

They show Enzo, Big Cass and Carmella on their home video. Enzo tells Carmella she needs to get into shape, so she shows off her body and Enzo falls off the treadmill. These continue to be terrible. 

Marcus Louis vs. Enzo Amore

Marcus is wearing the Kurt Angle wrestling helmet/hair and the announcers have to pretend like it's the first time they've seen it. Louis slowly dominates at first until Enzo snaps his neck on the top rope, ripping off the wig in the process. He's so embarrassed, Enzo is able to roll him up and get the victory. We are the real winners here. It's over. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Tyson Kidd says that he is the next NXT Champion.

NXT Tag Team Championship Match
Lucha Dragons vs. Ascension

The Dragons use some double teams until Kalisto gets hit with a double elbow. Kalisto is able to tag in Sin Cara and they hit a cool hurricanrana/seated clothesline combo. We go into our usual Ascension domination with Kalisto trying to survive. He makes a hot tag and Cara comes in with a springboard crossbody and then a moonsault. Viktor hits a reverse elbow and tosses Cara out of the way, then Hideo Itami's music hits. He stands up on the ramp, providing a distraction. Kalisto hits Salido del Sol and gets the victory. Itami attacks Viktor and we are out of time. This was a decent main event and the Itami entrance was fun. 

Match Rating: **

This episode was mostly filler with a lot of TakeOver repeats being set up. It feels like they're still trying to figure out how to book the show when there are no TakeOvers around. I have to think that will get easier once the roster gets built up a little bit better. 

Overall Rating: 48%

SummerSlam 2022 Review

Saturday, July 31st, 2022
Nissan Stadium
Nashville, Tennessee

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After being forced to listen to some country music, we get a cool look at the stadium that looks impressive for a SummerSlam. I am a huge fan of SummerSlam. I started my fandom with SummerSlam and I often think it ends up being the best show of the year. I'm not sure how I feel about it being in July, particularly the year I decided to take a vacation that week. I've only heard good things about this one, so I'm hoping I agree.

Raw Women's Championship Match
Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair

I guess I should mention that this is the first major show without Vince McMahon in charge of the company. I would love to have access to the meetings that happened after he stepped down, just to see all of what changed and what stayed the course. Anyway, Lynch takes control to start things off by workig on the arm of Bianca. Bianca catches Becky and drops her sort of awkwardly, face-first. They spill outside and Becky is able to pull her arm into the barricade and hits a guillotine leg drop. Becky goes for another leg drop inside the ring a few minutes later, but Bianca catches her and slams her down. That was a clever counter. We get a series of counters outside the ring that leads to a Bianca suplex. Things start to heat up and Bianca hits a KOD on the outside. Becky barely beats the count. She counters out of a KOD, but ends up getting hit with a spinebuster. Bianca climbs up top, but Becky gets there and pulls her down by her hair and hitting the Manhandle Slam. Bianca is able to kick out and then Bianca goes for some quick pinfall attempts. Becky tries to hit a Manhandle Slam from the second rope, but Bianca counters with a Spanish Fly. She hits the KOD and gets the decisive victory. This one just didn't have the flow of some of their previous matches. It was of course still very good, just far from their best. After the match, Becky's right arm is injured and she reaches out with her left hand. Bianca accepts and they embrace. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

Out comes Bayley to a pretty big reaction. She's then followed out by a returning Dakota Kai and then Io Shirai. They eventually enter the ring and Becky comes to join in defense of Bianca. They back down and head to the back. 

Now they are forcing me to listen to Kid Rock. 

Miz vs. Logan Paul

Ciampa and Miz is such an odd pairing. I also don't understand how Logan Paul is supposed to be a babyface. We get an opening segment designed to show off Paul's skills and he hits a moonsault off the apron to the floor. Miz is able to hit a Codebreaker and Ciampa gets in a cheap shot for good measure. Paul comes back with the It Kicks and slaps on the Figure Four, the two moves that Miz stole from other people. Paul hits a top rope crossbody and a standing moonsault for a 2 count. Ciampa is then ejected by the referee. He of course argues the decision and then AJ Styles' music hits and attacks him from the crowd. He brawls with him through the crowd and Paul hits a Phenomenal Forearm for a 2 count. Paul kindly cleans off the announce table and hits a top rope Frog Splash through the table. Maryse distracts Paul, but he ducks Miz's attempt and hits the Skull Crushing Finale for the victory. This was all about making Paul look like a million bucks and the company man, Miz, does it again. Paul clearly has a bright future in the ring. The match itself was really all about Paul, so it didn't really have a solid flow, but it was entertaining. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

We then get an ad featuring the Maximum Male Models. At least this one makes sense. 

United States Championship Match
Theory vs. Bobby Lashley

I really enjoyed the match these two had at the last show. It will be interesting to see if Theory's push continues with Triple H and Stephanie in charge. If anything, maybe he'll have a first name again. Lashley gets fireworks for his entrance. Theory attacks Lashley from behind with the briefcase before the bell rings. It does him know good, as Lashley just destroys him anyway. Theory tries to leave with his briefcase, but Lashley is there to continue the beating. Theory is able to leap a Spear attempt, but Lashley blocks a Theory attempt at offense and slaps on the Hurt Lock for the decisive victory. This feels like Vince McMahon booking, so we'll see where Theory goes from here. The match was basically a squash match. 

Match Rating: *

No Disqualification Match
Judgment Day vs. Rey & Dominik Mysterio

As you would expect, this one gets started right away. Judgment Day dominates Dominik, who has kind of been floundering on the roster. Rey gets the hot tag and does what he does. The crowd already feels tired at this point. He uses a chair on both opponents, but when he sets up Priest for the 619, Balor blind tags and nails Rey with a clothesline. Judgment Day takes control back and then the lights go out. Out comes Edge with flames and stairs. I'm still not really sure why he's not in the faction he created like 2 months ago. He hits a Spear on both Priest and Balor and has woken up the crowd. He sets up Balor for a 619 and he gets a double one, leading to a Mysterio victory. This was all about the return of Edge. The match itself was more like a TV match.

Match Rating: **3/4

Happy Corbin vs. Pat McAfee

Corbin is greeted by a chorus up in the concourse mocking him before McAfee makes his way out. McAfee hits a superkick to start things off and a leaping hurricanrana from the turnbuckle. It truly is pretty amazing how good some of the non-wrestlers really are. Look at how much work went into Lawrence Taylor putting on a good match. Now it's just like everyone that goes in there is able to put on an entertaining match. Corbin fights back and hits a Deep Six. McAfee does the leap up to the top rope and hits a superplex for a 2 count. I am a little surprised that McAfee doesn't have better ring gear. McAfee goes up top, almost falls, but then hits a senton to Corbin standing on the floor. He goes up top again, leaps over Corbin and we end up with the referee down. McAfee kicks him below the belt, hits a weak Panama Sunrise and picks up the victory. This was definitely the worst match of McAfee's short career. 

Match Rating: **

They show highlights of Drew McIntyre beating Sheamus to become the #1 contender at Clash At The Castle. He comes out, panders to the crowd and basically just kills a few minutes.

They now bring out Jeff Jarrett as the guest referee. Why would you have him come out to his boring music instead of "With My Baby Tonight"?

Undisputed Tag Team Championship Match
Street Profits vs. Usos

The Street Profits get some Tennessee Titan cheerleaders for their entrance. Things start off pretty slowly until Ford is able to get on offense and then hits a nice Blockbuster. Dawkins hits a leaping senton over the top rope on both Usos. I'm not really quite sure why Jarrett is the referee in this match. The Profits hit a cool pounce into a German suplex. The Usos fight back and hit some superkicks. They hit the double splash, but Ford is able to break up the pin attempt. Jarrett catches a superkick from the Usos and it allows Ford to hit a Frog Splash, but Jey kicks out at 2. Ford kind of loses his cool at Jarrett, even though it was a fair count. Ford runs into a double superkick and gets thrown into the crowd. Dawkins then gets hit with a double superkick and back in the ring they go. The Usos hit the 1D and that is all. That was kind of a flat finish to a match that never kicked into second gear. It wasn't bad, but just nothing special overall. 

Match Rating: ***

They show Kid Rock in the crowd. They are just trying to torture me. Out comes Riddle, who is not medically cleared and he calls out Seth Rollins. Rollins answers the call and they start brawling with officials trying to break them up. Rollins is able to hit the Stomp in the middle of the ring and the crowd sings his entrance music. That was pretty brief. 

SmackDown Women's Championship Match
Ronda Rousey vs. Liv Morgan

Rousey is able to catch Liv with a running knee early on and I don't expect this one to be very long. We get kind of an awkward submission spot that turns into Liv putting on the Rings Of Saturn. Rousey is able to put on the arm bar in the center of the ring, but Liv is able to get her foot to the bottom rope. Ronda is able to slap on the arm bar again and Liv gets to the rope again. They have a trainer check on Liv and after telling her to leave, Ronda slaps on the arm bar again. Liv pushes Ronda's shoulders down and gets the pin while she taps out at the same time. The referee calls it a victory for Liv, but when they show the replay, she tapped out at 2. Rousey attacks her from behind and puts the arm bar on again. Rousey then attacks the ref and puts the arm bar on him. This whole thing just didn't work. It's unfortunate, but they just had zero chemistry and were set up to fail with the way it was booked. This was just a total bummer of a match.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Last Man Standing Match For The Undisputed Universal Championship
Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar

Apparently this is Lesnar's 9th SummerSlam main event. After his fireworks and on his way down to the ring, Lesnar puts on some flannel and gets on a tractor. He drives it to the ring and then stands on it above the ring. Lesnar introduces himself and then leaps on Reigns with a Lou Thesz Press during his intro. It's time for suplexes and we spill out into the crowd. Lesnar pulls out a table, but then Paul Heyman distracts Lesnar and Reigns hits a Samoan Drop through the table. Reigns hits two Superman punches and a Spear, but Lesnar is back up at 8. Brock counters a Spear with a F5, which Reigns counters and Lesnar throws him out of the ring. He then throws Reigns through a piece of a table in a spot that looks like it hurt. Lesnar goes back to the tractor, but then leaves to hit Reigns with the steps. Lesnar tosses Reigns into the front of the tractor and dumps him in the ring. Lesnar hits a F5, but Reigns is up. Lesnar goes for another one, but Reigns gets him in the Guillotine. Lesnar bounces out and puts on one of his own. Reigns gets back to his feet before the count and Lesnar goes back to the tractor. This time he starts ramming the ring with it and then lifts up the corner of the ring with Reigns in it. I can honestly say this is something I expected to see. Out come the Usos, but Lesnar suplexes both of them. Heyman then comes and hands Lesnar the titles and tells him to leave Reigns alone. Lesnar then gives Heyman a F5 through the table, allowing Reigns to hit him with a Spear. Both men are down and out comes Theory. He hits Reigns in th ehead with the briefcase, but Lesnar hits him with a F5. The Usos hit a sort of double superkick and Lesnar is down again. Lesnar is up at 9, but gets hit with another Spear, but he's up again. Reigns starts destroying Lesnar with the briefcase and Michael Cole is losing it when Lesnar is up again. Reigns hits him with the title belt to the head and again Lesnar is standing. Reigns hits him in the head again and now he and the Usos are burying Lesnar with pieces of the table and other parts of the ring set up. This time he can't get up and Reigns retains. Outside of the tractor stuff, this was pretty much a standard big man no DQ match. The tractor spot will make you remember it forever, but it wasn't enough to make this a classic or anything. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

This was a pretty middle of the road show here. It probably was more fun for those in attendance, but there just seemed to be a lot of matches that didn't gel tonight. It wasn't a bad show by any means, just not one that I would go out of my way to watch again. 

Overall Rating: 60%

Monday Night Raw 10-3-94 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, October 3rd, 1994
Utica Memorial Auditorium
Utica, New York

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We get an intro hyping up the British Bulldog/Jim Neidhart match tonight. 

British Bulldog vs. Jim Neidhart

Bulldog gets fireworks and some weird sound effects to go along with them. Bulldog gets distracted by Owen and that gives Neidhart the opening he needs. Bulldog fights back with a shoulder tackle, knocking Neidhart out of the ring. We get a test of strength and Neidhart wins by kicking Bulldog in the midsection. Bulldog battles back up and hits a dropkick to break it. Owen pulls down the top rope and Bulldog flies over the top. Out comes Bret and we head into a commercial break. Neidhart slaps on my favorite hold, the bear hug. Bulldog is able to get out, but now Neidhart slaps on the Camel Clutch. For some reason he releases the hold and goes up to the second rope. He misses and Bulldog comes back with a couple of clotheslines. We get the big vertical suplex for a 2 count and now Bob Backlund is out. He confronts Bret and in comes Owen to drop a knee on Bulldog. Bret comes in and we have a brawl, with Bulldog and Bret standing tall. The match was pretty good considering who was involved, but it was ultimately pretty useless. 

Match Rating: **

We then get a lame WWF ad about never going on strike and a kid crying because there is no World Series this year. Yes, we are better because we never give our employees an offseason. 

Doink vs. Barry Horowitz

Horowitz gets in a little bit of offense here, but honestly who cares? Doink hits the Whoopee Cushion, we get the fart noise added in and we all lose. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get Paul Bearer and Undertaker again talking about the Hart Attack Tour. 

It's time for the King's Court with Jerry Lawler. His guest today is Yokozuna, Mr. Fuji and Jim Cornette. Cornette tells us that it isn't true that Yokozuna isn't afraid of Undertaker, it's the opposite. They talk about their series of house show matches with Taker. 

Next week, it's Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Lex Luger.

Luna Vachon & Bull Nakano vs. Alundra Blayze & Heidi Lee Morgan

Morgan shows off her athleticism early on with some quick pin attempts that get 2. Luna eventually grabs her hair and hits a face-first slam. Nakano comes in to dominate and Savage lets us know about his attraction to Nakano. Luna comes back in and Morgan hits her with a dropkick. She tags in Alundra and she takes down Luna multiple times. Luna tags in Bull and they try to double team, but Alundra hits a double crossbody. Alundra goes for a suplex and in comes Morgan illegally to help, but Nakano hits a double suplex instead. Alundra hits a second rope reverse crossbody for a 2 count. Luna goes for a missile dropkick, but misses and hits Luna instead. Alundra hits a German suplex into a bridge and gets the victory. I just assumed Morgan was in here to allow the heels to win. This match was all action, as they crammed in a lot in a short amount of time. 

Match Rating: ***

Bob Backlund vs. Gary Scott

Scott actually appears to be a fairly decent wrestler. However, we mostly get a bunch of nothing until Backlund puts on the Chicken Wing. Backlund leaves it on longer before finally releasing the hold. I'd rather just listen to Backlund talk. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get a quick backstage interview with Bret Hart and he says that he has already beaten Backlund. He says he respects him, but he needs to get in line. 

The women's match was a real standout compared to what we typically get on Raw. The opener was decent enough, but it really didn't end up having much importance because the feud was already over in most people's mind. Decent show overall.

Overall Rating: 55%