Monday Night Raw 9-25-06 Review

Monday, September 25th, 2006
Ford Center
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

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After the pyro, the lights apparently appear to go out and only the spotlights are working. The Titan Tron is also off and Lilian Garcia's microphone isn't working either. Candice Michelle's music hits but with no video. 

WWE Women's Championship Tournament First Round Match
Candice Michelle vs. Lita

Apparently this is the first night of the tournament to take Trish's title. They are using a wired microphone for now here. Lita grabs it and says that the title should just be given back to her. She did talk to Coach and he agreed that she should be able to select her own referee and she chooses Edge. They keep using the wide arena shot for some reason. I guess just to show how unique the show looks. Edge runs and hits Candice with a Spear and Lita gets the victory just before John Cena can come out and make the save. Edge and Lita run off and Cena checks on Candice. This really wasn't a match. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

When we come back from commercial, the lights are on and Cena's on a wireless mic. Out come Edge and Lita and he said he's not going to use his rematch clause tonight. Cena then makes more derogatory and cringeworthy jokes about Lita. Cena then says that is for Toby Keith and JR. Toby Keith, there's a great musician. Lita says that she's sick of her making fun of her. Lita then uses the W word a whole lot. That word is wrestler, which I'm sure Vince was thrilled about. Edge says that he's not going to listen to Cena talk any more. Cena made a comment about Lita not being able to beat him with one arm tied behind her back. Edge accepts that challenge for Lita, which Lita doesn't seem too thrilled about. 

They show some clips of the WWE performing in Mexico. 

Intercontinental Championship Match
Kane vs. Johnny Nitro

Oh good. Kane. Melina reluctantly does her entrance and then Kane throws Nitro right out of the ring after he slides in. Kane hits a side suplex and in comes Melina, which allows Nitro to go after his knee. According to JR, Coach has banned Umaga from interfering in this match. Nitro goes off the top and eats a big boot. Kane has Nitro up for a Tombstone and out comes Umaga, who hits him with a chair. So much for the Coach. Umaga continues to attack him and uses the steps to hit Kane in the head. This was hardly a match and of course, Nitro looked like a goof. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Shawn Michaels is reading WWE Magazine and he and Triple shill their merch. Out comes Maria to ask about which teams are in their gauntlet match tonight. Maria thinks the 2 words are "no way". So, Triple H whispers what they are and then she whispers to Eugene and he passes out. 

Coach approaches Shelton Benjamin, who is talking to Torrie and Chloe. Coach is mad because of Shelton's accusations of discrimination. In comes Jeff Hardy and we get some more cringeworthy moments here that lead to Shelton getting a match with Hardy. Edge and Lita then walk out of Coach's office and that leads to Lita's match being No Holds Barred. Coach then also says that Edge is not allowed to touch Cena or he will lose his title rematch against Cena. 

Mikey vs. Ric Flair

Mikey's able to hit a second rope elbow drop and then repeatedly slaps Flair in the face. Flair turns it around and hits some chops, but Mikey comes back with an elbow. Mikey goes off the second rope again and Flair hits him in the midsection on the way down. He hits some more chops and already looks out of breath. Nicky comes in and Flair throws him out of the ring. Flair then picks up the victory. This was horrible. It's amazing that Flair charged to have his retirement match 16 years after this. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

DX is out and they show us a highlight reel of their match at Unforgiven. 

Tag Team Gauntlet Match
Shawn Michaels & Triple H vs. Highlanders

It's clear they're trying to make tonight's show a little different. Of course, Shawn and Triple H distract them, Shawn hits Sweet Chin Music and that's all for that.

Shawn Michaels & Triple H vs. Charlie Haas & Viscera

This week's Sunday Night Heat is brought to you by Stridex. Haas actually gets to punch Triple H a few times. He gets to poke Michaels in the eye and tags in Big Vis. He hits a sidewalk slam and does some dancing. We get a commercial break, which I'm sure would be enough for you to have turned it back to Monday Night Football and never turn back. As this match bores me to tears, I discovered that this was the night of the Hurricane Katrina return of the Saints, which was really one of the great moments on Monday Night Football that I can remember. Shawn hits Sweet Chin Music on Viscera and he falls on Haas, so they sit on them and pin him. 

Shawn Michaels & Triple H vs. Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch

We get some brawling to start and they blow a spot where Cade pulls down the top rope. Michaels saves the spot quickly though and ends up on the floor after Murdoch dumps him. They throw Triple H into the steps. We get chairs in the ring and the ref calls for the bell. DX get the last laugh after the double DQ finish. This was absolutely horrible. All of it.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Lilian Garcia introduces Toby Keith and that leads into a Cryme Tyme vignette. This time they kick a guy in the face at an ATM. 

Jeff Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin

Hardy seems to have already lost his momentum since his return a little bit. Obviously he would gain that back over time, but he already feels like just a guy. Shelton knocks Hardy off the apron and into the barricade. Of course it doesn't help that Shelton is clearly dead in the water also. Hardy is able to hit a jawbreaker and some clotheslines. Hardy hits Whisper In The Wind and gets a 2 count. Hardy goes up top, but Shelton leaps up to meet him. Hardy knocks him off and hits the Swanton, but Shelton is too close to the ropes and gets his foot on the bottom one. Hardy goes for Twist Of Fate, but Shelton holds onto the rope. Hardy rolls him up with an inside cradle and that gets the victory. They had no heat and they both looked unmotivated here. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Randy Orton & Chris Masters vs. Super Crazy & Carlito

This one of those matches that it's kind of crazy that it actually took place and made sense. Masters hits a big powerbomb on Crazy, but Carlito breaks up the pin attempt. In comes Orton to put on the reverse chinlock. Carlito gets a hot tag, but the crowd isn't too hot any more. Crazy hits a sunset flip off the second rope into a seated dropkick on Masters. He misses with a moonsault and Orton hits him with his backbreaker. Carlito dumps him out of the ring and then Masters slaps on the Master Lock, but can't lock his fingers. Carlito leaps over Masters and hits the Backstabber for the victory. Orton sneaks back in the ring and hits the RKO on Carlito to remind us that he's above all of this midcard junk. This was decent, but again no one cared.

Match Rating: *1/2

Coach is out and introduces Eric Bischoff to the ring. It's been nearly a year since he was "fired". He's here to talk about his book, which for some reason I actually read. Bischoff says there would have been no Mr. McMahon without Eric Bischoff and then they cut him off. Out come Edge and Lita.

No Holds Barred Match With One Arm Tied Behind John Cena's Back
Lita vs. John Cena

Lita is able to hit a thumb between the eye and a low blow after an Edge distraction. Cena blocks the next slap, throws her up on his back and hits the FU for the victory. Now that's a main event. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Out comes Finlay, William Regal and King Booker to promote Cena's return to SmackDown on Friday. They hit Cena with the shillelagh and then Booker hits some of the weakest looking kicks I have ever seen. Finlay hits Cena again with the shillelagh in the ribs. This attack is...long. It says there are still 6 minutes left on the show. Book grabs the mic and says that Cena is going to kiss his royal foot tonight. No one makes the save and Cena gets his face shoved in Booker's foot. I can't overemphasize enough how long this was. They could have accomplished all of this in like 2 minutes. After all of that, Edge still gets on the mic to let us know that next week will use his rematch clause next week in a steel cage. Those type of announcements always go over well with the live crowd. 

Man, this show was terrible. I don't know if they just knew they were going to get destroyed by Monday Night Football or what, but this was as stale as it gets. The power going out and Toby Keith were just the icing on the cake. 

Overall Rating: 30%

NXT 10-23-14 Review

Original Airdate: Thursday, October 23rd, 2014
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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The Ascension vs. Jason Jordan & Tye Dillinger

The announce team tries to do their best to make us think Dillinger and Jordan are on the same level, but this is already a squash. Jordan is able to get an elbow in and tag Dillinger, but he eats an immediate flapjack. They hit the Fall Of Man and pick up the victory. It doesn't matter how much they cram the Ascension down our throats, their appeal is far from over with at this point. Out comes Hideo Itami and he attacks them, but he ends up just getting squashed to. That seems a little questionable to me. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

CJ Parker vs. Tyler Breeze

This is kind of an interesting heel vs. heel match. I guess both characters are egomaniacs, so it make sense from that aspect. Parker hits an ax handle off the top rope and out comes Mojo Rawley. Parker goes for another one, but Breeze hits a fist to the midsection. Breeze hits a hurricanrana and follows it with a series of fists. Parker gets a roll up for a 2 count. He goes for another one, but Breeze holds onto the ropes. Parker goes for a Scissor Kick, but Breeze hits him with the Beauty Shot for the victory. Rawley just keeps staring down Breeze. Breeze mocks him for his shoulder injury on his way back to the locker room. This was pretty much a nothing match, as they already just don't care about Parker. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Titus O'Neil says that he is going to abuse Neville tonight and take away his NXT Championship. 

Vaudevillains vs. Wesley Blake & Buddy Murphy

Wesley and Blake get a lot more shine here than Jordan and Dillinger did earlier tonight. The Villains work on Murphy for the majority of the match. English is able to grab his ankles to keep away from his partner, but he eventually gets there and Blake gets the hot tag. We get a blind tag and it leads to them hitting the Gentlemen's Clutch for the victory. That was a decent tag team match where both teams looked pretty good.

Match Rating: *1/4

Bayley vs. Sasha Banks

I wonder how many televised matches these two have had? Bayley shows off a little bit of her aggressive side, but Sasha keeps going to the ropes. We eventually have them in a fist fight on the mat and Bayley gets the better of it. She hits a body slam and a knee drop for a 2 count. Sasha gets her turn and uses some nice heel offense here. She hits an insulting slap to the face after running the ropes. Bayley's able to drive her into the corner and hits a reverse elbow. She hits another one, but this time from the second rope. Sasha comes back with a Backstabber and puts her in the Banks Statement in the center of the ring. Bayley has no choice but to tap to put an end to an entertaining match. This was by far the best one I can recall up to this point. After the match, Sasha attacks Bayley again and Becky Lynch comes out to make the save. Becky then attacks her from behind, which is a little surprising since they didn't really build up their friendship. Becky joins Sasha and raises her hand. 

Match Rating: ***

Carmella is joined by Enzo and Big Cass. They say that they got her a match with Emma. They continue to be very cringe. 

NXT Championship Match
Titus O'Neil vs. Adrian Neville

O'Neil uses his power to take it to Neville in the early going. He sets up Neville up on the top rope and shoves him to the floor. That was a nice job of Neville to hit his leg on the ramp to make the fall sound more impactful. Back after the commercial break, O'Neil has Neville up in the middle of the ring and just tosses him in the air. Neville tries to battle back with some kicks and he finally knocks him down. He misses up top, but rolls through and eats a big boot for a 2 count. Titus backs him in the corner and Neville is able to take advantage of the referee pulling Titus back. He gets his knees up on O'Neil and hits the Red Arrow for the victory. Titus actually did a pretty nice job of being the monster heel here. This was an enjoyable enough main event on a mostly entertaining show. 

Match Rating: **3/4

It's not the end here though, as Sami Zayn comes out to congratulate Neville. He says that he is on a mission that ends with his NXT Championship. Neville says whenever he wants, wherever he wants. Zayn says that he'll hold him to that and tells him that he won't be NXT Champion for much longer. Neville then says that he isn't too worried because he can't win the big one and walks off. 

This was another good show, which is mostly becoming the norm on NXT. I still have some minor complaints on some of the booking, but the pacing is usually well done and they usually leave us wanting more. 

Overall Rating: 66%

Monday Night Raw 10-31-94 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, October 31st, 1994
Burlington Memorial Auditorium
Burlington, Vermont

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It's Halloween night, so we get a fun intro featuring Bob Backlund. It's Lex Luger who is stepping up to face the monster. 

Lex Luger vs. Mr. Bob Backlund

Luger mocks Backlund's lunges and Backlund doesn't like it. I like 1994 Luger more than I have any reason to. Backlund then sucks all the energy out of the match with his boring offense. He hits a belly-to-belly suplex and then a weird looking cover for a 2 count. Oh boy, it's Tatanka and he's here to take a look as we go to commercial break. Backlund keeps trying to sneak on the Cross-Face Chickenwing, but isn't having any luck. Luger hits a body slam and has Backlund reeling. Out comes Tatanka and Luger goes after him. Backlund slaps on the Cross-Face Chickenwing in the middle of the ring. Then Tatanka comes in the ring and now the bell rings. Um, why? Tatanka starts stomping away on Luger as Backlund still has him in the hold. Backlund comes back and slaps on the hold again and not even Gerald Brisco can get him off, so in comes Randy Savage. Savage is still the best. We were so robbed of some great matches from him in this era. The match itself was a lot of stalling, but felt fresh. It wasn't anything special and Luger winning by DQ made no sense here. 

Match Rating: *3/4

We go back to an angry Savage, but Vince only cares about talking about the Action Zone. We probably have a week left of him caring about this show. It's going to be Mabel vs. Yokozuna this week. 

1-2-3 Kid vs. Tony Devito

Kid's hair is quite fluffy here tonight. Kid's able to hit a nice dropkick, but Devito actually is doing a nice job of playing heel here. Devito gets in a powerslam and gets a 2 count. He misses with an elbow drop and a second one because jobbers never learn. Kid hits a series of kicks in the corner and then a spin kick. He hits his nice leg drop and comes back with a vertical suplex. Kid hits another spin kick and then goes upstairs for a leg drop for the victory. This was a well worked squash match. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

It's time for the Survivor Series Report with Todd Pettengill. He can't help himself and makes a lame Halloween joke. No news here, as all of the matches have been announced.

They show some more WWF softball clips. 

King Kong Bundy vs. Bert Centeno

Wouldn't you get sick of just having the same match a million times? I know I'm already sick of typing it. So Bundy wins using the 5 count for the pin. Got it?

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's time to watch the IRS vignette with the John Dough cemetery promo. Why?

It's time for The King's Court and with it being Halloween (not really), the guest is Undertaker. He of course is with Paul Bearer and it almost feels like he forgot how to do his voice for the character. He's here to shill the new WWF Magazine. Bearer informs us that it was not their decision to bring in Chuck Norris, it was the WWF's. This wasn't a good segment.

Next week, it's going to be Jim Neidhart and Owen Hart against Bret Hart and British Bulldog. Yes, please. 

Jim Neidhart vs. Tony Roy

Owen gets involved while Neidhart distracts the ref and Roy is in the tree of woe. The big rhino gives us a very slow and methodical match here. He hits the powerslam and puts him in the Camel Clutch for the victory. Not so great.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go back to Vince McMahon with Lex Luger backstage. They're having audio problems, which is fantastic. We here Vince yelling and Tatanka and Luger are going at it when the show goes off the air.

This was a much more enjoyable show again over Superstars. It just has a better pace and typically has better matches. These obviously aren't amazing episodes or anything, but it's a good example of the old formula working.

Overall Rating: 49%

Extreme Rules 2022 Review

Saturday, October 8th, 2022
Wells Fargo Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook Match
Brawling Brutes vs. Imperium

I guess I should mention that Paul Heyman did the intro for the show. As the Brutes are on their way to the ring, we get a White Rabbit interruption. This one has a lot of potential to be a show stealer. A good pay-per-view six man tag is something I enjoy. I suppose this isn't technically a tag match though. This is a brawl the second the match begins. Butch is one of the most fun characters in WWE right now and everyone was making fun of it when they first changed his name. Imperium get the better of the Brutes early on and mess with the little bar that was set up at ringside. Gunther hits some nasty chops to the chest of Sheamus. They move back to the ring and go to work on Holland and Butch. Holland has a cool spot with a double back drop, but Gunther hits him with a boot right after. Imperium hits an uppercut/powerbomb combo on the outside on Holland and now it's Imperium vs. Butch. Sheamus is back and he's starts destroying Vinci and Kaiser. Gunther and Sheamus go at it in the ring and now Sheamus gets a chance for the 10 Beats Of The Bodhran. Sheamus hits the Brogue Kick but Vinci hits him with a Frog Splash to break up the pin attempt. We're back to all six men, but not for long. Sheamus hits the Irish Curse on Gunther and then puts on the Clover Leaf in the middle of the ring. Kaiser cracks the shillelagh over the back of Sheamus to save Gunther. After some more brawling, Imperium clear off the announce table, but Butch hits a moonsault off the top of the barrels to stop them from whatever they had in mind. Gunther pulls out another shillelagh and nails Sheamus with it, but Sheamus kicks out. Gunther goes for the powerbomb, but Butch and Holland stop him and now Sheamus gets in a shot with the shillelagh. Sheamus picks up Gunther from behind and hits the Celtic Cross through the table. Sheamus then hits the Brogue Kick on Vinci and that's all. These guys kicked the crap out of each other for 20 minutes and the crowd was with them for all of it. The Imperium are very good heels and the crowd has really bought into the Brutes. Very good opening match. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

The Miz is backstage and he runs into Gritty backstage for some fun. 

Extreme Rules Match For The SmackDown Women's Championship
Ronda Rousey vs. Liv Morgan

Interestingly, this was the feature match on the e-mail I got from Peacock this morning about the event. So it going on second makes me think that this may be a glorified squash. Rousey should have always been a heel, as she's just naturally unlikable. Rousey does the Finlay spot where she moves the ring apron when Liv slid and then destroys her. She goes and grabs the Liv Morgan baseball bat, but Liv hits her sprays the fire extinguisher. But before Morgan can do anything else, she gets hit with Piper's Pit. Rousey then hits her with the bat and back into the ring. Morgan is able to hit the step up enzuigiri and grabs her bat back. Rousey uses her belt to whip Morgan and then ties her to the ring post and hits her with the bat some more. Morgan grabs the bat and drives Rousey into the post. Morgan grabs the table and puts it into the ring. Rousey hits her with a knee before she's able to do anything with it. We get a really awkward spot due to a chair falling out of the corner. Liv starts hitting Rousey with the chair and then hits Code Red with a chair for a 2 count. Unfortunately, these ladies just do not really have great chemistry in the ring with one another. Liv sets up the table now in the ring and lays Rousey on it. She heads up to the top rope and hits a senton through the table, but Rousey kicks out at 2. Rousey tries to get the arm bar in, but Liv lifts her up and slams her into the broken table. We get a weird struggle with Liv trying to counter it and it leads to Rousey putting on a chokehold of some sort and Morgan is out. Rousey is your new SmackDown Women's Champion. It wasn't for a lack of trying, but this one wasn't very good. It just seemed like nothing really went right here and it kind of felt that way in their other matches. 

Match Rating: *3/4

Strap Match
Drew McIntyre vs. Karrion Kross

Kross has never done anything that I have been a fan of in WWE, but this is my first time seeing him since he returned. Kross refuses to put the strap on and attacks McIntyre instead. The match hasn't officially started and they are brawling through the crowd. Kross knocks McIntyre back over the barricade, but McIntyre hits a suplex on the mat. We get back in the ring and the strap is on Kross, so the match has begun. Michael Cole talks about Sting and Vader having possibly the greatest strap match, which I'm sure Vince would love. Scarlett distracts McIntyre and it allows Kross to pull him into the ring post. I just don't see any appeal in this Scarlett/Kross package. This match has just taken me out of this show that started so well. Fortunately, the next 3 matches should all be really good. McIntyre finally makes his comeback and hits a spinebuster for a 2 count. Kross feels like a guy they would have fed to Undertaker in 2003. They're whipping each other with the belt and it leads to McIntyre hitting the Future Shock. In comes Scarlett again and she sprays pepper spray in the face of McIntyre. Kross hits the Kross Hammer for the victory. This wasn't good. 

Match Rating: *

Back to the Miz and he's talking to Maryse again about his birthday celebration. He's interrupted again by Gritty. Please be Pete Rose. 

Ladder Match For The Raw Women's Championship
Bayley vs. Bianca Belair

OK, ladies. Let's save this show. We quickly have 2 ladders in the ring, with Bianca having the taller one. They fight over the smaller ladder and it leads to Bayley falling through the ropes. Bayley knocks Bianca down and then yells at a little kid. God bless her. Bayley goes for a catapult, but Bianca lands on the ladder and climbs into the ring and tries to climb that ladder, but Bayley grabs her off. Bianca folds up the ladder and body slams Bayley onto it before hitting a moonsault on it. It's about a 50/50 split when they go into the dueling chants here. Bayley hits a sunset flip into the ladder and she tries to set up the taller ladder again. Bayley then sets up a ladder on the steps and barricade. She runs off the apron and hits a running elbow drop. Belair fights back and uses half of the ladder on the back of Bayley. Belair is running up the ladder but Bayley is able to dump her to the floor. Bayley rips off a hinge on her knee brace, but she misses and Bayley hits the KOD. Belair is at the top of the ladder, but Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky are down here and attack her. Belair fights back and hits a double KOD on both women. Bayley hits a Rose Plant and puts the ladder on top of Belair as she begins to climb. Belair lifts up the ladder and down goes Bayley. The ladder is set up again and they race up to the top. Bayley grabs Belair's hair and pulls her into the ladder. Belair quickly recovers and uses her braid to whip Bayley and pulls her off. Belair goes for the KOD, but Bayley has a ladder in her hands. I'm not sure what she was doing with it because she lands on it on the way down. Bianca climbs the ladder and grabs the title for the victory. I actually thought Bayley was going to win here. This was good, but definitely not quite to the level I thought they were capable of. Plus, it didn't have Karrion Kross in it, so that's a plus. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

I Quit Match
Edge vs. Finn Balor

For the first time I think ever on Peacock, I had some technical difficulties and missed the first minute or so of the match. This is the microphone version of the match, but no Roddy Piper to repeatedly ask "Whaddaya say?" here. Balor takes it to Edge until we get the inevitable barricade spot with Edge driving Balor through it. They make their way up to the pre-show announce table and Edge uses a hockey stick to choke Balor. They are now making their way up into the stands and Edge slams Balor's face into the steps. They eventually make their way back to the ring after a lengthy amount of brawling. We get some submission holds put on by Balor, but Edge won't give up. This one is dragging. Edge is able to send Balor into the chair set up in the corner. Edge puts on the Edgecator and then out comes Damian Priest and Dominik. Edge hits a Spear through the ropes to take them all out. Edge is getting ready for the Spear, but Rhea Ripley comes from behind and handcuffs Edge to the top rope. Now we get about 179 camera cuts or just enough to make you not want to watch. Balor grabs the kendo stick and starts cracking him over the back with multiple shots. Rey Mysterio's music hits and runs out with a chair. He knocks out Balor and Priest, but Dominik knocks him off the apron. Michael Cole is having a conniption. Out comes Beth Phoenix and she starts attacking Balor and Priest with the kendo stick. Rhea Ripley and Beth now alone and the crowd is into this. Beth hits a Spear and is able to get the key to take the handcuffs off. Edge hits a Spear on Priest and now Dominik is alone in there. Dominik wants a handshake and Edge gives it to him, but then kicks him in the crotch. Balor hits a Slingblade, but Edge comes back with 2 Spears. Make it 3. Edge orders Beth to grab a chair and he breaks off a bottom bar. He uses it Balor, but Rhea attacks Beth with brass knuckles. Balor hits the Coup de Grace 3 times, but Edge won't quit. Rhea grabs some chairs and sets Beth up for a One Woman Conchairto, but Edge quits to stop her. Rhea hits her with it anyway and Edge is beside himself. Like just about everything Edge has done since he has returned, this was way longer than it needed to be. The first half in particular really dragged. The whole interference part worked well and the crowd ate most of it up, but again even that was longer than it needed to be. The Judgment Day got good heat, but this is probably not something I'd go out of my way to watch again for awhile. 

Match Rating: **1/2

Back to the Miz and Gritty, but this time Miz attacks Gritty. Here comes Dexter Lumis and he does his creepy schtick. He helps Gritty up and that gets a big pop. Gritty gets a kick in on Miz for good measure. 

Fight Pit Match
Matt Riddle vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins is wearing a RVD tribute outfit. Daniel Cormier is the special guest referee here. There are no ropes and the cage essentially has a second level so that there are no escapes. The crowd is chanting "We want Wyatt". I mean come on, people. Did we all forget the Fiend? Riddle uses the cage to to hit a kick to the head. Cormier tries to pull Riddle off, but he accidentally hits him in the face and that gives Rollins the opening. The lighting for this match is really odd. Rollins hits a suplex into the cage and then hits a Frog Splash from the wall of the cage. The crowd doesn't seem to know what to think about this one and I guess I'm not really sure either. We get a nice sequence that leads to Riddle hitting the RKO and both men are down. We get some hard hitting stuff and Riddle goes for the RKO again, but this time Rollins counters and hits the Stomp. Rollins goes for a Stomp from up on the cage, but Riddle avoids it. Rollins climbs up to the platform this time and prances around for awhile to taunt Riddle. Riddle climbs up now and Rollins attacks him on his way up. Riddle is barely hanging on to a chain, but Riddle puts on a rear naked choke. Rollins escapes and slams his head repeatedly into the cage. Rollins has Riddle up and hits a powerbomb into the cage. That seemed pretty dangerous. Cormier is trying to get both men down, so Rollins tries to throw Riddle down. Riddle swings off the chain, but Rollins hits a Pedigree instead. Riddle hits a RKO and Rollins kind of rolls off the platform to the ring. Riddle hits the Broton and it sure looks like that probably didn't feel great. Riddle puts on the triangle choke and Rollins taps out. I had super high hopes for this match and I have to say I don't think it was what I hoped for. They put in a good effort, but the rules were restrictive. 

Match Rating: **1/2

The show is about to go off the air, but the lights go out and we hear "He's got the whole world in his hands" and all of the stupid characters are in the crowd. After a video, there's a door on the stage. Please be Husky Harris. Out walks Bray Wyatt with the lantern and a mask. He blows out the light that doesn't need to be blown out because it's electronic and that's the end of the show. 

Well, this show started off with a bang and then limped across the finish line. I am not a fan of Bray Wyatt's character, so the ending may vary with you. The rest of the show just didn't reach the heights I thought it would and in some cases, it wasn't very good at all. I wouldn't say it was a bad show, but no better than mediocre.

Overall Rating: 44%

Superstars 10-29-94 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, October 29th, 1994
Mid-Hudson Civic Center
Poughkeepsie, New York

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They show Bret Hart accepting Bob Backlund's challenge for the Survivor Series from the Action Zone.

Adam Bomb vs. Mike Bell

It's that time of the month where they remember that Adam Bomb exists. He looks to be a little bit leaner now to me. He hits a back body drop and then hits a DDT for the victory. The powerbomb was the better finisher for him. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's time for our Survivor Series Report with Todd Pettengill. Backlund informs us that he wants a Submission Match. I believe this is the first time they announce the Bad Guys vs. Teamsters match. I know this will surprise you, but Yokozuna will take on Undertaker in a Casket Match. They announce a second referee to prevent interference. Except it won't be a referee, it's going to be Chuck Norris. Todd is at his absolute worst here. Paul Bearer and Undertaker talk about not being beaten twice.

Jeff Jarrett vs. Rich Myers

Jarrett spells his name for us again. I can't believe they make him do that after being on the roster for so long. It's one of the more embarrassing intros. Myers misses in the corner, but hits a fist to the midsection when Jarrett comes off the second rope. Jarrett is able to chop block him and works on the knee. This match looks like two hair metal band rejects trying their best to hang on during the peak of grunge. Jarrett puts on the Figure Four for the victory.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get another IRS vignette, this time talking to a tombstone of someone known as John Dough. The amount of effort they put into this guy is also embarrassing. Meanwhile, I am disappointed to see that there are still nearly 30 minutes left. 

Razor Ramon vs. Gary Scott

Scott gets a dropkick in, but Razor catches him and sets him up on the top rope for the fall away slam from the second turnbuckle. Razor hits the Razor's Edge and that is all. This just feels like the end of the taping cycle. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's time for Charlie Minn to tell us about some other event that no one has ever heard of and that Alundra Blayze was at. 

Headshrinkers vs. Barry Horowitz & Bob Starr

After however many episodes of doing the guest ring announcer bit, they finally picked someone who actually understands how to do it. Horowitz hits an inverted DDT on Fatu, but he bounces back up and gets a kick to the face. He's already making a difference. Get it? Starr is about as jobbery as it gets. How are there still 18 minutes left in this episode? Sione hits a big boot and Vince says that he looks a little "barbaric". Since when does Vince make comments like that? Fatu hits the splash and that is all. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Next week on Superstars, it's Billy Gunn vs. Tatanka. I'll take it.

Jim Neidhart vs. Mike Khoury

Neidhart grabs Khoury by the head on a back body drop attempt and slams him to the mat. Neidhart catches Khoury in the air and hits a slam. He puts on the Camel Clutch and that is all. Neidhart and Owen despite the weak roster have nothing going on. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get a promo video for Chuck Norris/Yokozuna/Undertaker with the ESPN Primetime music. 

Let's go to an interview with the Million Dollar Team from the Hart Attack Tour. This is just Ted DiBiase and Jim Cornette running down their Survivor Series match and a complete time killer. 

Mabel vs. Nick Barberri

It seems like I haven't seen Mabel in awhile. It just goes to show how less TV time allows each appearance to seem a little bit more fresh. Not that I'm excited to see Mabel here. Barberri tries to hit a body slam on Mabel, which is always such a wise choice. Mabel hits a spin kick and a leg drop for the easy victory. This was only here to fill the last segment of the show. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

I guess we still have more time for Live Event News. It's back to talking about this event with Christopher Plummer. Alundra Blayze gets to stand next to him while he talks. Alundra finally gets to talk about lasers. 

Next week it's Doink, Diesel, Duke Droese and Billy Gunn vs. Tatanka. 

It's so sad how bad the end of 1994 has become. I actually enjoyed so much of this year and it's just so flat and feels like it's just filling time. Maybe Survivor Series will be better than I remember, but I'm not keeping my hopes up. 

Overall Rating: 29%

SmackDown 9-22-06 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, September 22nd, 2006
Bell Center
Montreal, Quebec, Canada

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This the big CW debut and Teddy Long is on the phone to talk about it. He has a big main event for tonight, but before he can say it, in walks King Booker and Queen Sharmell. Booker is complaining that he has to fight Vito tonight. Teddy calls an audible and says that he has to fight Undertaker instead. 

We get a new intro, but the same terrible song. Ugh.

Batista & Bobby Lashley vs. Finlay & William Regal

Batista goes for an early Batista Bomb, but Finlay distracts him. He chases him around and ends up giving Regal a spinebuster instead. Batista and Lashley then hit a double vertical suplex on Regal and Lashley hits another one on his own. In comes Finlay with the same results. A Regal distraction allows Finlay to dump Lashley to the floor and shift the momentum. Batista goes after Finlay outside the ring and kicks him over the barricade. Regal goes for the shillelagh, but Batista takes it away. Lashley hits the Spear and picks up the victory. This felt like a squash, which doesn't really make sense since they have been pushing Finlay as a threat. As a match, this felt more like a house show type of match.

Match Rating: **1/4

Layla is out here and followed up by Kristal. She's sick of Diva Search winners coming out here because she's the hottest diva on SmackDown. She slaps Layla in the face and we get a fight on the mat. Out comes Jillian and she goes after Kristal and rips off her shirt. Jillian then throws Layla to the mat and takes her shirt off. Jillian then takes off her top and this was every women's non-wrestling segment ever from this era. 

We get a lengthy recap of the Rey Mysterio/Chavo Guerrero/Vickie Guerrero feud.

Gregory Helms vs. Matt Hardy

Hardy goes right after Helms and hits him with a clothesline. Hardy back body drops Helms over the top and follows it up with a dive. Helms is able to snap Hardy's neck on the top rope and follows it up with a neckbreaker. Helms slaps on the sleeper, but Hardy counters with a jawbreaker. JBL predicts that Helms will one day be a World Champion. Hardy hits a Side Effect and gets a nearfall. Hardy hits a moonsault and another 2 count. Hardy goes for the Twist Of Fate, but Helms holds onto the rope and then hits him with the Shining Wizard, but Hardy kicks out. Helms tries to rip off the turnbuckle, but the ref catches him. Hardy hits Helms below the belt behind the ref's back and picks up the victory. That was a spirited bout and it's more than clear that these two enjoy working together.

Match Rating: **3/4

The Miz runs down every show he's ever been on. 

We get another Jimmy Wang Yang spot and he says that he's making his debut next week on SmackDown.

Miz vs. Funaki

Miz has beaten the 3 sub-bosses in Tatanka, Scotty 2 Hotty and Matt Hardy, so now it's time for the final boss in Funaki. We get a lot of taunts and gloating from Miz to start. He hits a few moves and then the Mizard Of Oz for the easy victory. That was quick.

Match Rating: 1/2*

Rey Mysterio says that today is the first day of the rest of his life. 

Chavo Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio

Both men go at it and the action quickly spills outside and into the crowd. This is just a brawl that goes all around the arena. They get back to the ring and Vickie hands Chavo a chair. Mysterio hits a dropkick to get him out of the way. Vickie then distracts Rey and Chavo attacks him from behind. The referee calls for help and more officials come out to try and get Chavo off of Rey. So this wasn't actually a match, just a brawl. 

Match Rating: No Rating

Maryse welcomes everyone back to the season premiere of SmackDown.

Triple Threat Match For The WWE Tag Team Championships
London & Kendrick vs. Pitbulls vs. KC James & Idol Stevens

The Pitbulls and the champs go at it before the third team even makes it to the ring. These kinds of matches are always hard to recap. It's all pretty standard stuff until the hot tag to London, where he tears down the house. Kash hits a brainbuster on London, but Kendrick hits Sliced Bread #2. Jamie Noble rolls up London, but it gets reversed and the champs retain. This was pretty good, but way too short.

Match Rating: **1/2

Elijah Burke and Sylvester Terkay are here and credit to Terkay for knowing what his name is.

Sylvan vs. Tatanka

I'm pretty sure they only kept Sylvan on the roster this long for this show. Tatanka gets in some early offense as the crowd chants for Sylvan. No joke. Sylvan comes back and hits a nice spinning side suplex for a 2 count. They should have just put him in the main event here. Tatanka gets dumped outside the ring and on his way back in tries for a sunset flip. Sylvan holds onto the ropes to counter it and picks up the victory to a huge pop. This was bizarre to see Sylvan actually over.

Match Rating: 1/2*

Teddy Long is backstage and in walks John Cena. Cena tells Teddy that he owes him for taking a chance on him back in the day. Teddy takes him up on it and says next week it will be John Cena, Batista and Lashley against King Booker, Finlay and William Regal. 

They run down the card for No Mercy. I bet it won't change. 

Mr. Kennedy comes down to join the announce team. 

King Booker vs. Undertaker

The two slowest entrances going head-to-head here. There's not much happening here before the commercial here. We come back and they start battling up on the turnbuckle. Undertaker knocks Booker off, but Sharmell distracts the referee and Booker hits a low blow and follows it up with a superplex. Taker makes his comeback with the leaping clothesline. He comes back with Snake Eyes and a leg drop for a 2 count. Booker is able to hit a leg lariat and he gets a 2 count this time. Booker goes for the Tombstone, but Taker counters it. Booker gets out of it and hits him with a low blow and the referee calls for the bell. He takes the World Heavyweight Championship belt and hits him with the face before heading to the back. Out comes Bobby Lashley and he throws him back in the ring just as Undertaker sits up. Taker hits the chokeslam and the Tombstone. Taker for some reason poses with Booker in the pin position because he's lame and then signals for rest in peace to Mr. Kennedy. This was a pretty dull main event overall. 

Match Rating: *3/4

The first hour of the show was very solid, but it kind of fell off the rails in the second hour. None of it was bad, it was just nothing super interesting. 

Overall Rating: 59%

ECW 9-19-06 Review

Tuesday, September 19th, 2006
DCU Arena
Worcester, Massachusetts

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King Booker and Queen Sharmell roll up in a limo and are greeted by Paul Heyman. 

Sabu, Sandman & Tommy Dreamer vs. Test, Mike Knox & Matt Striker

Call me old fashioned, but I'm glad I never got sprayed with beer by Sandman. Dreamer hits a running clothesline over the top on Knox and then Test attacks Dreamer from behind and drives him into the ring steps. Sandman goes to check on him and gets knocked off the apron. Sandman sells an injury and officials come out to take him to the back. This makes absolutely no sense with his character. They show the replay and it doesn't look like anything we don't see in every match. After a boring heat segment, Sabu gets the hot tag and hits the springboard leg drop on Knox. Dreamer helps out and hits a DDT on Knox before another leg drop for a 2 count. Sabu puts the Camel Clutch on Striker, but Test hits him with a clothesline. Sabu kicks Test in the face and goes up top. Test pushes the ref into the ropes and crotches Sabu. The ref calls for the bell and Test takes out his anger on Dreamer and Sabu. Out comes Sandman and he starts using the Singapore cane to make the save. I'm going to be honest, this stunk. The heels are boring and the Sandman story made no sense.

Match Rating: 1/2*

Heyman is walking Booker and Sharmell around and introduces them to CW Anderson and Stevie Richards. He then walks by Balls Mahoney and he explains who he is. Booker is disgusted. 

Kevin Thorn vs. Balls Mahoney

Balls Mahoney is here with Francine and she's wearing a dress that leaves little to the imagination. Thorn quickly dumps Mahoney out of the ring and that goes nowhere. We get an awkward counter by Thorn in the corner and then Mahoney hits a cradle suplex. Mahoney hits a sit down spinebuster for a 2 count and then gets tripped up by Ariel. Francine jumps on her and we get an unconvincing fight on the outside. Thorn hits a crucifix Razor's Edge for the victory. This also was pretty terrible.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We continue on the tour for Booker and they meet Trinity, who also is wearing next to nothing. Booker then comes up to CM Punk, who explains what straight edge is. 

Shannon Moore vs. CM Punk

After a leg lariat by Punk, Moore gets vicious and aggressively attacks Punk. We then are shown Kelly Kelly in the aisle watching Punk before Knox pulls her to the back. Kelly went to the same acting school as Teddy Long. Punk makes his comeback and hits a knee to the jaw. Moore counters the bulldog and gets a 2 count. Moore misses off the top rope and Punk gets the Anaconda Vice for the victory. This was just a more competitive version of their match last time. 

Match Rating: *1/2

Back to the tour and it's RVD. We get a challenge and Booker accepts it. RVD says it will be Extreme Rules. So was the show just going to end if they didn't make this match just now?

Rene Dupree says that beating Balls Mahoney last week proves that he's the most extreme wrestler in ECW.

Extreme Rules Match
Rob Van Dam vs. King Booker

Booker gets off to a quick start and has RVD reeling. Booker grabs a chair and sets it down in the ring. This gives time for RVD to recover and hit a kick. Booker bounces back and hits a Book End and the spinarooni. RVD throws the chair at Booker and then the skateboard kick with the chair. RVD sets the chair on Booker and hits the Rolling Thunder. Booker is able to hit a catapult on RVD who is thrown right into the chair set up in the corner. Booker then hits a spinebuster on the chair and then heads up to the top. He misses with the somersault leg drop and both men are down. RVD gets to the top rope and hits the Five Star Frog Splash. He starts crawling to pin Booker, but Hardcore Holly hits him with a chair and then the Alabama Slam. Booker hits the Scissor Kick into the chair and picks up the victory. This was decent enough for what it was.

Match Rating: **1/2

The trend continues. This brand has nothing positive going for it and they can only rely on stars from the other shows to give us something to enjoy. All of their new stars continue to do nothing to make it entertaining.

Overall Rating: 39%