ECW 10-10-06 Review

Tuesday, October 10th, 2006
Kansas Coliseum
Wichita, Kansas

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Balls Mahoney is here to introduce us to the first ever Extreme Strip Poker. The women introduce themselves and this feels like public access quality production and acting. This is truthfully embarrassing to watch. I will also admit here that I have no idea how to play poker. Ashley loses her top and thankfully we're going to the arena. 

CM Punk vs. Rene Dupree

I kind of forgot Dupree made it this far into ECW. They do a split screen of the strip poker game. Punk gets knocked off the apron by a Dupree dropkick and lands on the edge of the announce table. Despite the disruptions, these two are actually having a pretty competitive and entertaining match. Punk hits the running knee/bulldog combo. Punk misses with the springboard clothesline, but hits a powerslam. Punk is able to slip on the Anaconda Vice and picks up the victory. I thought Dupree actually looked pretty good here. 

Match Rating: **

Back to strip poker. Kelly and Maria both lose before the commercial. We come back from commercial for more of this. What a great episode so far. It's now dealer's choice and Balls gets to pick which article of clothing is removed. Kristal loses and removes her skirt. 

Kevin Thorn vs. Tommy Dreamer

I will say that the live crowd seems to care a little bit more about the ECW roster than most of the shows up to this point. Dreamer takes a little bit of a beating before hitting a variation of a sit down powerbomb. Dreamer misses with an elbow drop and eats Thorns variation of a sit down powerbomb. Dreamer snaps Thorns back on the top rope and then hits a DDT for the victory. That was Thorn's first loss at this point. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Back to the poker table. Trust me, this is worse than you are probably remembering it. 

We get a Hardcore Holly/Rob Van Dam video package and then it's back to poker. They talk about how hot John Cena is and how he's a movie star now. I am voluntarily spending my Saturday night watching this. They ask Kelly about CM Punk, but Balls cuts them off. Kelly decides to take off more than just one item and takes off her top before the commercial break. 

They show The Marine premiere again.

Rob Van Dam, Sabu & Sandman vs. Big Show, Matt Striker & Test

We get a little bit of vintage RVD/Sabu teamwork with the Rolling Thunder/leg drop combo. The heels take control into the commercial break and after. Sabu eventually hits a DDT on Big Show, but is unable to make the tag. In comes Test and he puts on my favorite move, the bear hug. He hits a big boot and tags in Striker, Sabu is able to hit an enzuigiri and tag in RVD. He hits a series of kicks and then Test tries to interfere, but it backfires. We get Air Sabu which leads to a RVD 5 Star Frog Splash on Striker. Sandman wants to get tagged in and he does. He hits a series of left hands to the face and a top rope somersault for the victory. This was a pretty good main event even with the poker distractions. 

Match Rating: **3/4

Somehow there is still more poker left. Candice loses, but then accuses Maria of cheating. They rip of each others bras and then fight in the nude. Balls chants "E-C-W" and we go off the air. 

This was actually a good wrestling show, but they went ahead and ruined it with all the strip poker stuff. I'm sure there is still a demographic who would enjoy that, but I am not one of them. If not for all of that, it would have been one of the best episodes of this variation of ECW to date. 

Overall Rating: 58%

Monday Night Raw 10-9-06 Review

Monday, October 9th, 2006
Colonial Center
Columbia, South Carolina

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We have a new intro song to kick things off and as much as it pains me to say, it is a big improvement. I mean both songs aren't good, but this one is less bad and fits the era. This is the season premiere for whatever reason. Most premieres tend to take place in September, no? Michael Cole and JBL are also here tonight on behalf of SmackDown and Joey Styles and Tazz from ECW. 

John Cena's music hits to kick off the show and he gets a huge pop. Not that anyone reads a single word that I write on here (and I can't blame you). But if for some reason you just happen to be reading this sentence, I do really recommend watching the cage match between Edge and Cena on the previous Raw. Before Cena can get to talking about much, out comes King Booker and Queen Sharmell. Cena starts mocking his accent and tells him that this isn't a renaissance fair. Cena wants to throw down and Booker takes off his robe and is ready to go until Big Show's music hits. He says that he is the champion of champions and the most dominant in the ring. They argue over each other's movies and rip on Booker for Ready To Rumble. Cena says they need to stop talking about movies and goes after Big Show. Big Show clears the ring after the very brief action. 

Paul Heyman, Teddy Long and Jonathan Coachman are show arguing backstage. We come back to Heyman hyping up Big Show, which leads to Coach to say that Big Show will fight Jeff Hardy tonight. Heyman says that if his champion is fighting tonight, then both of theirs is also. Heyman says it will be King Booker against Rob Van Dam. Coach suggests that Cena take on Miz, but Teddy says it will be ONE ON ONE WITH THE UNDERTAKER.

Loser Leaves Raw Match
Umaga vs. Kane

Trust me, there's only one loser. They go at it right away with a 50/50 start. Kane is able to throw Umaga into the top of the turnbuckle and then goes up top. Umaga gets to him first and shoves him to the floor into the commercial break. Umaga goes for the splash in the corner, but Kane catches him. Umaga counters and hits a belly-to-belly suplex. Kane sits right up, so Umaga hits him with a flatliner. Umaga goes up top and hits a huge splash. Kane comes back and hits a top rope clothesline. We get a distraction and Armando Estrada hits him with a weapon and Umaga hits the Samoan Spike for the victory. Back in 2006, this was a great day since I didn't watch SmackDown very often and was done with Kane. Unfortunately, I have to watch it all now. This was about as good as this match was going to be to their credit. 

Match Rating: *3/4

Steve Spurrier is announced by Lilian Garcia since we are in South Carolina. 

Kane is shown walking in the back and gets introduced to the Highlanders. They tell him that he put his heart and soul into everything he did and wants to shake his hand. Kane greets him with a right hand and destroys them both. 

We now get DX in front of a podium for an apology. They bury the tag team division, make a bad joke about the Spirit Squad, make fun of Coach and Chris Masters, interfering with Edge and then for beating Cade and Murdoch before it happens. They then promote their merch. 2006 is mostly miss for DX. 

Big Show vs. Jeff Hardy

Hardy tries to chop down Show's legs, but he quickly is being hit with a slap to the chest. Show slams Hardy in the corner and goes up to the second rope. Hardy is able to roll out of the way and starts clubbing away on Show. Hardy goes for a DDT, but Show dumps him over the top rope. Hardy gets right back up and hits a Whisper In The Wind. Hardy goes up top again and hits the Swanton, but Show kicks out. That's a little surprising that they let him kick out of that so early in Hardy's run. Show hits the Big Sleep and the Show Stopper for the victory. Well, that was quick. One week you're winning the Intercontinental Championship, the next you're getting a fraction of the minutes that Sandman gets. After the match, Johnny Nitro comes in and attacks Hardy. Show comes back in the ring and hits the Big Sleep and tosses him out of the ring. 

Match Rating: *1/2

Street Fight
D-Generation X vs. Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch

Before the match, we get more Gamecock jokes than you would ever want in your life. Cade and Murdoch are able to get the best of DX and throw Triple H into the steps. They hit the inverted atomic drop/boot to the face combo on Michaels and then start whipping him with a belt. DX shifts the momentum when Triple H pulls down the top rope and Cade goes over the top. Triple H hits a suplex onto the rampway and then hits Cade in the head with a chair. When does it stop? DX sets up a table and put Murdoch on it. Michaels hits an elbow drop off the top rope through the table. Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music, Triple H hits the Pedigree and that's all. That seemed like a lot of unnecessary punishment for a feud that no one cared about. 

Match Rating: **

Edge is interviewed backstage and he says that he will be bringing back his show tonight, The Cutting Edge. 

Shelton Benjamin vs. Chris Benoit

Shelton is from South Carolina, so we know he's going to lose here. Benjamin tries to claim that Minnesota is where he's from and says he's not leaving here until he gets an opponent. Benoit is out and we have a match. Shelton hits a nice Samoan drop, but only gets 2. Benoit comes back with some Germans, but misses the headbutt off the top rope. Shelton hits a splash in the corner, but then Benoit slaps on the Crippler Crossface for the victory. So we have 3 hours to fill, but only have like 3 minutes for this match? 

Match Rating: *3/4

Teddy tells Heyman that SmackDown is getting some victories here tonight. Super Crazy is brought in for some reason and starts speaking English. Teddy is shocked and JBL says he never cared. 

Chavo Guerrero, Finlay & William Regal vs. Rey Mysterio, Bobby Lashley & Batista

This match starts off at a frantic pace, so this will probably be about 5 minutes long. We get an early commercial break after Finlay does the ring apron gimmick. We see that during the commercial break, Hornswoggle drags Mysterio under the ring. After getting beat on for a couple of minutes, Batista gets the hot tag and powerslams Finlay onto Regal. Lashley comes in and hits a double spear. The match breaks down and it leads to a Frog Splash from Mysterio on Chavo for the victory. 

Match Rating: **

They show John Cena training for The Marine.

King Booker says that he must take care of this RVD.

WWE Women's Championship Tournament First Round Lumberjack Match
Melina vs. Torrie Wilson

Moolah and Mae Young were announced before the Cena vignette. The lumberjacks are are the women who are going to be in the Extreme Strip Poker on ECW tomorrow. They start with all the typical tropes of a lumberjack match, but the ladies on the outside aren't experienced in this, so it doesn't work well. They start having a pretty normal match. Kristal trips up Torrie and it provides a distraction for Melina to roll her up and grab the tights. After the match, Torrie gives Kristal the stinkface. This was as bad as you would expect it to be. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show the WrestleMania 23 press conference highlights. 

King Booker vs. Rob Van Dam

RVD gets his shoulder thrown into the ring post pretty early on and that allows for a little bit of offense from Booker. It definitely feels like they are phoning it in a little bit here, but I can't really blame them. Sharmell crotches RVD and that allows Booker to hit the Scissor Kick for the victory. That was pretty uninspired. 

Match Rating: *

Mitch says he sucks but he has the backing of his friends. 

The GMs are together again and Vince is there now too. He proposes that they have all 3 champions square off to name the champion of champions. 

Mitch vs. Ric Flair

Flair brings out some backup with him and it's Roddy Piper, Ted DiBiase, IRS and Arn Anderson. Flair gets some chops, a chop block and puts on the Figure Four for the less than 60 second victory. Just remember, he had a wrestling match that you had to pay for 16 years after this. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Edge and Lita are out for The Cutting Edge. He brings out his special guest and it's Randy Orton. He tells Orton that he's been impressed with him, but that he's lost a lot of big matches. He shows when Triple H turned on Orton in Evolution and then the cage match last week where Edge lost. They agree to join forces and take on DX. 

John Cena vs. Undertaker

It takes about 60 seconds or so for Michael Cole to call Undertaker the best pure striker in WWE. We get a pretty surprisingly intense start to the match and it leads to Cena hitting a superplex. Taker then catches Cena in a bearhug for some reason. Cena bites his way out of it and hits a shoulder block. He goes for the Five Knuckle Shuffle, but Taker grabs him by the throat. Cena is able to come back with an awkward looking DDT for a 2 count. We get a tease for both finishers, but it leads to an Undertaker chokeslam. Out comes Big Show and King Booker and they attack Undertaker. They clothesline him out of the ring and then out comes Mr. Kennedy. He gets hit with a boot and Taker goes after him. That leaves the main event for Cyber Sunday in the ring. Cena puts the STFU on Big Show and he taps until Booker breaks it up. Cena gives him a FU to end the show. They did what they could with their couple of minutes, but in the end, that's all it was. 

Match Rating: **

I feel like this show took me 15 sittings to get through. It actually was a mostly entertaining show, but unfortunately nothing was overly memorable. 

Overall Rating: 59%

NXT 11-13-14 Review

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

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After recapping the debut of Finn Balor, he's here to introduce himself. The roster is getting closer and closer to getting towards the golden era of NXT. He says that he is the future and then is immediately interrupted by Tyson Kidd, who is with Natalya. Kidd says that Balor lacks respect and then out comes Justin Gabriel. He says that all of these international stars come in here, get some cool music and think they are top guys. They need to get through them first and they go after Balor. Out comes Itami and I think Teddy Long would be excited about what's about to transpire here. Gabriel and Kidd leave the ring and then a referee comes out to inform the crew that we have ourselves a tag team match.

Tyson Kidd & Justin Gabriel vs. Finn Balor & Hideo Itami

Balor hits the running dropkick on Gabriel. He goes up top, but Kidd grabs Gabriel out of the ring, so Balor hits a dive to take both opponents out as we go into a commercial break. I know there were a lot of reasons, but I still can't believe Itami wasn't a star. Kidd and Gabriel come back and hit a double kick for a 2 count on Balor. Kidd hits some aggressive forearm smashes in the corner, but their offense doesn't last long. Balor hits the Pelé kick and tags in Itami. Itami hits an awesome dropkick, but runs into a boot in the corner. Gabriel is tagged in, but gets hit in the midsection on his way down from a springboard leap. Things break down and all 4 men are in the ring. They hit the stereo dropkicks in the corner and Balor hits the Coup de Grace on Gabriel for the victory. This was a good way to show them off and kick off the show. 

Match Rating: **1/4

We get a little history on the Sami Zayn/Adrian Neville rivalry and Zayn joins us for a backstage interview. Zayn says that tonight just feels different for him and that the road to redemption is not some cliché, it's destiny. 

Sasha Banks vs. Alexa Bliss

Becky Lynch is with Sasha here. After a quick start for Banks, Alexa is able to sneak in a headscissors and a sunset flip for a 2 count. Sasha quickly recovers, hits the Backstabber and puts on the Bank Statement for the victory. That was a quick match considering Bliss has been gaining a little bit of a following. After the match, she tells Charlotte that she wants the NXT Women's Championship. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Adrian Neville is interviewed backstage and says that he loves Sami, but he can't win the big one. We get it, they've only had him give the same promo for the last month.

Lucha Dragons vs. Wesley Blake & Buddy Murphy

This is a non-title match. Alex Riley talks about Blake and Murphy as if they were going for the Revival's gimmick before they became a thing. Murphy enters on a blind tag and catches Kalisto into a suplex. Blake hits a top rope stomp on the arm of Kalisto as it's being held by Murphy. Murphy hits a sweet move where he drove the face of Kalisto into the mat off the second rope. I'm not going to pretend like I know what that one was called. Murphy hits a monkey flip, but Kalisto uses it to hit a sunset flip on Blake. He's able to get the hot tag to Sin Cara and he takes care of both opponents. He hits a springboard back elbow on Blake for a 2 count. Blake accidentally catapults Cara into Murphy on the apron. Kalisto then hits a tremendous dive onto Murphy. Credit Murphy for adjusting to save Kalisto from injury. Cara hits the senton for the victory. That was a fun little 5 minute match here and the challengers looked legit.

Match Rating: **3/4

The Vaudevillains congratulate the Lucha Dragons on their continued success, but their titles will be going home with them. 

NXT Championship Match
Sami Zayn vs. Adrian Neville

This is about as big as it gets for 2014 NXT right here. We get the we're both babyfaces and friends start to the match. We get an early commercial break, as is par for the course here on NXT main events. We get a first burst, as Neville is sent over the top rope and Sami hits the Senton over the top rope. Sami goes for a top rope cross body, but Neville counters and gets a 2 count. Zayn is able to hit a sit down powerbomb, but Neville kicks out. Zayn hits 2 German suplexes and another suplex for a 2 count. Neville is able to get his boot up before Zayn does on the Helluva Kick attempt and gets a roll up for another 2. Neville goes up top, but misses the Red Arrow. Neville is selling his knee and Zayn is gearing up for the Helluva Kick. Neville falls to the ground and the referee gives the X signal that he's hurt. Neville tricks him and hits the inside cradle for the pinfall victory. The crowd is stunned and Neville puts his arm around him real quick and crawls away. Zayn is still in shock and hasn't moved since the loss. A trainer comes down to check on Neville and they show the replay. If he was actually injured, you could see a legit case with the way he came down there. That was well done. The match felt like they were just scratching the surface and that greater things were to come. 

Match Rating: ***

This was a really nice episode of NXT. Everything clicked and felt important. The stars that were meant to look good here, all shined. Well done.

Overall Rating: 76%

Monday Night Raw 11-21-94 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, November 21st, 1994
Fernwood Resort
Bushkill, Pennsylvania

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Razor Ramon is on his way down to the ring to face Diesel and he is attacked by the Teamsters and we go right into a commercial. When we come back Vince McMahon is with Jim Cornette and in front of a green screen. 

Tatanka vs. Chris Kanyon

They finally changed Tatanka's music to just play his intro and then it goes into Ted DiBiase's music. Kanyon tries to spidce the match up and gets a top rope crossbody for a 2 count. He gets a couple other nearfalls, but then gets hit with a clothesline. Tatanka hits the top rope chop and then the End Of Trail for the victory. Kanyon on Superstars is always fun.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Adam Bomb vs. Jason Arndt

Bomb hits a side suplex and Vince and Cornette inform us of Bull Nakano defeating Alundra Blayze at the Egg Dome. Meanwhile, Bomb hits a back body drop and the pump handle slam for the victory. Bomb even has 2 fans in the crowd. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show Yokozuna vs. Undertaker on the new Monday Night Raw video game. 

We get a video recap of the Doink/Jerry Lawler feud. Now it's time for the King's Court, he has his Royal Family with him. Doink's team are under the ring and sneak out to secretly squirt them with water guns. Then Doink comes out too and they all start squirting. What a segment. 

Like always, we get a repeat of the IRS vignette from Superstars. 

IRS vs. Matt Hardy

We are getting so close to the end of IRS and I love it. Hardy gets dumped out of the ring and DiBiase shoves some money in his face. Hardy gets a sunset flip for a 2 count, but then gets hit with a double underhook suplex. Remember, no one has more technical skills than IRS. He hits the running clothesline and gets the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's time for Survivor Series Report and this ain't another wrasslin' show according to Todd. We get hype videos for the two main events. 

Diesel vs. Razor Ramon

Diesel is out with the entire Teamster team. Razor has his backup here as well. He races to the ring and goes after anyone who gets in his way. These guys have had some really good matches here in the last 6 months or so. Diesel charges at Razor and hits a knee in the midsection to go on the offensive. Diesel slaps on a sleeper hold, but Razor counters with a back suplex. Razor gets sent flying over the top rope as we go into a commercial break. Michaels grabs Razor's leg and that allows Diesel to club him from behind. The two teams start to tease a brawl, but Razor comes out and gets Diesel back in the ring. After some pretty impressive Irish whip bumps by Diesel, he hits another knee into a side suplex for a 2 count. Diesel hits a big boot to the face and Snake Eyes, but Razor gets his foot on the bottom rope to break up the pin attempt. Shawn gets involved again and we get another tease of some action on the outside of the ring. Diesel goes for the Jackknife, but Razor hits a back body drop to counter out of it. Razor hits a knee lift and some right hands. Jarrett gets up on the apron and Razor throws him into the ring. Razor goes for the Razor's Edge, but Owen is on the top rope. Razor throws him off and now we have a big brawl to close out the show. I think we all knew that was the end game here. The match was pretty good, but nowhere near their other matches.

Match Rating: **

This was a pretty good show that, unlike Superstars, actually felt like it was building for Survivor Series. The squash matches were solid enough and the main event delivered enough for this to be a mild recommendation.

Overall Rating: 50%

Superstars 11-19-94 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, November 19th, 1994
Burlington Memorial Auditorium
Burlington, Vermont

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Jim Neidhart vs. Undertaker

Undertaker takes a boot to the face and then drives him in the corner by his throat. He hits Old School and continues to slog his way through this match as Owen Hart looks on. Neidhart hits a clothesline and knocks him down, but he quickly sits up. He hits another one, but wouldn't ya know it, he sits up again. Neidhart catches him off the ropes and hits a powerslam for a 2 count. Paul Bearer is leaving ringside as Neidhart continues on offense. He hits a vertical suplex, but after the pin attempt, Taker sits up again. Out comes Bearer with the jumbo casket and brings it to ringside. Taker makes his comeback and he ends up kicking Neidhart and he falls into the casket. He freaks out and gets counted out. You have to protect Neidhart since they have such big plans for him. I will say that the match was slightly better than I expected. 

Match Rating: *

It's the highlight of 1994, IRS at a cemetery. He looks like he's going to fall asleep just delivering his lines. 

Adam Bomb vs. Reno Riggins

Lawler claims that Bomb's career has been downhill since he dropped big time manager Harvey Wippleman. Bomb clotheslines Reno and turns him inside out. Reno is feisty here today with some big right hands. Bomb comes back with a back suplex and then hits the top rope clothesline. He hits the pump handle slam and that's all. It seems like they continue to forget Bomb exists. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Charlie Minn reminds us that Survivor Series is this Wednesday and shows us clips of their match at Royal Rumble. 

Jeff Jarrett is getting ready in a bathroom looking at himself in the mirror. 

Jeff Jarrett vs. Mike Bell

You could argue that Jarrett looks more like a clown than Doink does with his outfit today. Jarrett hits a dropkick and a suplex, as we find out he will face Fatu on the Action Zone. Bell misses with a top rope leg drop and Jarrett puts on the Figure Four for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's time for the Survivor Series Report with Todd Pettengill. There is nothing left to announce here, so it's no fun. We hear from the Heavenly Bodies to talk about Chuck Norris. We see Tatanka's same one from last week and then an ultra cheesy Diesel one. 

Razor Ramon vs. Nick Barberry 

Razor hits the fall away slam and Lawler compares Barberry's hair to Kramer in a rare timely reference. Razor sets Barberry up on the top rope and hits the super back suplex. He hits the Razor's Edge and that is all. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's time for the Heartbreak Hotel and the guests today are British Bulldog and Bret Hart. Shawn cuts off Bret before he can start talking, but then out come Backlund and Owen. Backlund cuts another nutso promo here. Bret says he's going to be carrying the flag for the New Generation.

King Kong Bundy vs. Ben Jordan

Every now and then, you catch lightning in a bottle. King Kong Bundy in 1994 was not one of those times. Bundy hits the running splash in the corner and puts his knee on Jordan and gets the 5 count. I can't wait to see more of this.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Live Event News time again and they show clips of Luna Vachon's wedding at some asylum and everyone dressed up in costumes. They show Gangrel here quite a bit. 

Vince and Lawler are now standing with the casket that will be used at Survivor Series. Vince keeps rubbing it and saying how cool it is. 

They really didn't do a whole lot to build for Survivor Series outside of the Heartbreak Hotel. This one definitely felt like the end of the tapings, as the crowd was pretty dead and it felt like leftover matches. 

Overall Rating: 39%

No Mercy 2006 Review

Sunday, October 8th, 2006
RBC Arena
Raleigh, North Carolina

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Matt Hardy vs. Gregory Helms

Considering where we are here tonight, I'd say that this is about as much of a no brainer to open the show as there is. They start off with a 50/50 beginning here to fit the theme that they are evenly matched. Hardy is able to clothesline Helms over the top rope and follows it up with a dive. Hardy goes up to the second rope, but Helms gets there before he can finish climbing and hits a side Russian leg sweep. Hardy is able to come back with an inverted DDT to slow Helms's momentum down. Hardy hits a bulldog and gets a 2 count. He comes back with the second rope leg drop and tries to follow it up with a Twist Of Fate, but Helms counters with a Vertibreaker. He follows it up with 2 more, but it still is not enough. Hardy comes back with some Side Effects and a moonsault, but Helms gets the knees up. Helms misses with the Shining Wizard, but Hardy ducks and rolls him up for 2. Helms hits the Shining Wizard this time, but Hardy is able to kick out. They battle up top and Hardy is able to headbutt him down. Helms recovers and crotches Hardy on the top rope. Helms climbs up and hits a Shining Wizard from the top but Hardy is able to get his foot on the bottom rope. Hardy is able to sneak in a Twist Of Fate and that is all. On a side note, when I went to the WrestleMania 23 Access, there was a booth where you could be an announcer and this was the match they gave me to call. They were determined to have a good match and they accomplished that here. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

King Booker and Queen Sharmell are with William Regal backstage and he wants him to get Finlay to be his ally tonight. 

WWE Tag Team Championship Match
KC James & Idol Stevens vs. Paul London & Brian Kendrick

The champions start out with the early advantage and are able to slow down the challengers early attempts to get something going. James and Stevens go out of the ring to regroup and get hit with stereo dives on opposite sides of the ring. London is climbing the ropes, but Michelle McCool distracts him and London is thrown all the way to the floor. The challengers isolate London for a little bit and when London gets his chance, Stevens pulls Kendrick off the apron so that he's unable to get the tag. London comes back with a kick and rolls under Stevens to make the tag. Kendrick has the hot tag and hits a series of dropkicks. James stops Kendrick, but London runs and takes care of Stevens. James hits a superplex on Kendrick and gets a nearfall. James misses Kendrick in the corner and Stevens ends up hitting James. We get some shenanigans and Stevens hits Kendrick illegally from behind, but Kendrick is still able to kick out. McCool again gets involved and seeminly has a wardrobe malfunction and Ashley is over to attack her. Kendrick hits Sliced Bread #2 and London hits a moonsault off of Kendrick's back for the victory. This felt kind of like a good TV match, as the challengers still need some work. Unfortunately, they never really got the opportunity to do so. 

Match Rating: ***

William Regal is looking for Finlay and runs into Vito jump roping. He pulls up his dress to wipe his face, which disgusts Regal and he runs into a condiment cart, getting ketchup and mustard all over him. 

Teddy Long is out in the ring with a big birthday present in the ring. It's Miz's birthday and he's brought out and JBL still hates him. Gosh, I wonder what it could be. Teddy says that Miz has been making advances towards Layla and brings her out here. Miz plays the role of every stupid rich suburban kid at a strip club and says his one birthday wish is him. She grabs a chair and sets him down and starts dancing. She starts stripping down and then blindfolds him. The big present opens and wouldn't you know it, it's Big Dick Johnson. Layla takes off the blindfold and Miz is disgusted. I'd say this was for an audience of one, but Michael Cole is legit laughing. Layla dances with him afterwards. This was on pay-per-view, folks. 

MVP vs. Marty Garner

After MVP gets his big entrance with the inflatable entrance, he grabs the mic and talks about how he is the MVP of SmackDown. The crowd is chanting "Power Ranger" at his ring attire. He brings out his opponent and it's good old Marty Garner. MVP slaps him and the ref calls for the bell. The crowd isn't really quite getting what they are going for here, but I appreciate it. I'm just not sure I would have put this right after the Miz segment. Garner leaps over MVP, but MVP hits a big clothesline and slams his head into the mat. He hits the Playmaker and that's all. It's still one of the worst finishers there is, but I appreciate the character development here. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Back to William Regal in the locker room in a towel. He sees Vito and asks him if his father was a donkey. Regal's towel falls down on his way out and is running through the hallway. Teddy catches him and tells him that he better get dressed because he has a match tonight. 

Mr. Kennedy vs. Undertaker

Kennedy is a little feisty on the mic tonight, yelling at the crowd. Kennedy comes out swinging, but gets hit with a big boot by Taker. Kennedy tries to get away and rolls out of the ring, but it quickly backfires as Taker slams his hand on the steel steps. Taker continues to target the left arm and goes up for Old School, but Kennedy leaps on the second rope and arm drags him down to the mat. It doesn't last long and he hits Old School this time and follows it up with a flatliner. Behind the referee's back, Kennedy unties the top turnbuckle, but Taker hits a clothesline for a 2 count. Taker goes for a boot and misses and Kennedy is able to knock him off the apron into the barricade. Kennedy leaps off the apron, but Taker catches him and rams him into the ring post. Kennedy is able to catch him and lower the rope to dump him back out of the ring and this time finally gets a chance to get in some consistent offense. Since Taker is the Triple H of SmackDown, he's able to come back and hit a guillotine leg drop. Back in the ring, Kennedy hits a scary looking piledriver. Yeah, they shouldn't have allowed him to do that one. After a rest hold, they trade right hands until Taker explodes for a leaping clothesline. He comes back and hits Snake Eyes and a leg drop for another 2 count. Taker goes for the chokeslam, but Kennedy grabs the referee to get out of it. He hits a swinging neckbreaker, but that's not enough. Taker tries it again and this time he hits it. Kennedy escapes the Last Ride and hits Taker in the face with the exposed turnbuckle. Kennedy hits a clothesline and goes up top. He hits the Kenton Bomb, but Taker is able to kick out. Kennedy goes out and grabs the United States Championship. He and the referee battle over it until Taker is able to knock it out of his hand. Taker grabs it and hits him in the face for the ridiculously stupid finish. After the match, Taker hits the Tombstone and then hits one on Charles Robinson. Taker looked like he had no interest in putting Kennedy here, but Kennedy did look pretty good in my opinion. 

Match Rating: ***

Falls Count Anywhere Match
Chavo Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio

This one starts quickly, as you would expect from a bitter feud. After a little bit of standard action in the ring, they make their way to the entrance ramp. Rey is able to grab onto the steel arch over the entrance and uses it to hit a headscissors onto the steel and gets a 2 count. Chavo uses the hockey boards around the arena and drops Mysterio on them. Rey uses a steel guardrail and hits a guillotine leg drop for a 2 count. Chavo picks up Rey in a wheelbarrow position and starts swinging him into chairs and the hockey boards. They're into the arena seats now, but Rey is able to kick Chavo back down the steps. He hits the seated senton back into the floor section. Chavo throws Rey into a rail, but Rey is able to swing around the rail and hit a 619. Rey climbs up top of the rail to the steps and hits a dive to the floor. Chavo lands sort of awkwardly, which takes away from the pin attempt, especially since this is the finish. After the match, Rey continues to stomp on Chavo. Vickie gets in there and starts yelling at Rey to get out of here. This one was pretty good, but they didn't get a lot of time and it felt more like a TV main event. 

Match Rating: ***

William Regal vs. Chris Benoit

Everybody just kind of assumed that it would be Vito here, but then Benoit's music hits. They talk about Benoit wanting to take a sabbatical and to get off the road. This is going to get harder and harder, isn't it? The problem with this match is that Regal is continually portrayed as a joke no matter how much respect the announcers always show him. It's a shame he wasn't given a better run. We start off with some mat wrestling to start and in doing so, they have completely killed the crowd. I'm not saying I don't appreciate it, just saying that the buzz from the return is now gone here. Benoit wakes them up with some hard chops to the chest and a German suplex. Benoit hits the diving headbutt and Regal kicks out at 2. Benoit goes for a German off the apron, but Regal holds on and sends Benoit to the floor. Regal hits a running knee and gets a couple of 2 counts from it. We get some more submission wrestling until Benoit is able to hit a full nelson suplex. He gets him into the Crippler Crossface and that's all. I know a lot of it is due to the fact that it is Benoit, but I didn't enjoy this. It was nice not having to review matches of his for awhile. I have enjoyed some along the way, but it's getting closer to the inevitable and it's going to be a little bit of a rough ride. 

Match Rating: **

King Booker confronts Regal and asks if he accomplished his mission. Booker yells at him despite the fact that he's bloodied and fatigured. Finlay walks up and tells him that he came here to fight and take his World Heavyweight Championship. Booker blames Regal for this and slaps him in the face. Regal comes back and slugs him with a left hand. Booker is beside himself. 

Bobby Lashley and Batista are talking to each other about it being every man for themselves tonight. 

Fatal 4-Way For The World Heavyweight Championship
Finlay vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Batista vs. King Booker

Batista and Lashley double team Booker as Finlay wisely rolls out of the ring. Lashley is able to catch Booker on his shoulders, but he escapes, so Lashley hits him with a spinebuster instead. Finlay pulls Booker out of the ring to help him out. They double team Lashley outside the ring and drive him into the apron. They turn their attention to Batista know and Booker hits a crescent kick. Finlay quickly turns on Booker as he told him earlier he would. Finlay goes back to Batista and throws him into the steps. He goes back into the ring to work on Booker. Batista and Lashley both make their way back to the ring and Finlay does some submission holds on both. Lashley gets some momentum going, but Hornswoggle hits him with a low blow. That distracts Lashley and Finlay hits him in the head with the shillelagh. He goes for the cover, but Booker breaks it up. Batista hits a Jackhammer on Booker and it's down to Batista and Lashley. Batista charges and hits him with a Spear for a nearfall. They battle a little bit more and Lashley hits a spinebuster. I'm not sure where it happened, but Batista is busted open. Lashley clotheslines him over the top rope and then tosses Finlay out too. Booker hits the Book End from behind, but Lashley kicks out. He sets him up for the Scissor Kick, but Finlay hits him with a clothesline. Lashley throws Finlay into the corner shoulder-first. Batista comes and hits a spinebuster on all 3 opponents. He hits the Batista Bomb on Finlay, but then Lashley hits the Spear on Batista. Booker crawls over and pins Finlay to retain his title. This felt like a good SmackDown main event rather than something you would go out of your way to see. It was solid, but unspectacular. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

On one hand, this is probably a better show than you remember or would think. The problem is, there's a reason no one talks about it. Nothing important really happens and even though the in-ring work is solid throughout the entire night, it just felt like a free episode of SmackDown rather than something you have to pay $30 for. 

Overall Rating: 60%

NXT 11-6-14 Review

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

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

NXT Championship #1 Contender Match
Tyler Breeze vs. Sami Zayn

They showed a pre-match video on Zayn and how he hasn't been able to win the big one. After a feeling out process, Breeze is able to snap Zayn's neck on the top rope and then stomps a mudhole in the corner. We get kind of an odd commercial break spot in the middle of Breeze's heat segment. When we come back, Zayn tries to shift the momentum, but a kick to the midsection slows him down. Breeze hits an elbow in the corner and gets a 2 count. Zayn again goes for the comeback, but Breeze hits a nice neckbreaker. They battle up on the top rope and Zayn is able to knock Breeze off. Zayn goes off the top rope and eats a dropkick by Breeze, but Zayn is able to kick out of the pin attempt. We get a bunch of reversals and it leads to a Supermodel Kick by Breeze and the announcers give away the false finish. Zayn comes back and hits the exploder in the turnbuckle. He runs and hits the Helluva Kick and picks up the victory to become the new #1 contender. They made Breeze look strong here, but it was obvious that this was Zayn's story here. Good match.

Match Rating: ***1/4

Renee Young is with Adrian Neville backstage. He says that he will give Zayn a title shot any time, any place and that Zayn can't win the big one. 

Dash Wilder vs. Tyson Kidd

Wilder gets an entrance here and they mention that he's working with Scott Dawson at the Performance Center. Kidd hits a catapult with Dash's head under the turnbuckle. I'm not sure why someone doesn't steal that. After hitting an elbow on a charging Kidd, he catches him for a powerslam and gets a 2 count. Kidd comes back with his neckbreaker and puts on the Sharpshooter for the victory. They tried to make this a little more competitive than the typical squash, but Wilder just didn't get enough offense in. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

They show Marcus Louis backstage in a dark room with a towel over his head talking about how they won't stop making fun of him. 

Renee Young is now with Sami Zayn, who says he feels like the Count Of Monte Cristo. He wants to take on Adrian Neville next week. 

Sasha Banks & Becky Lynch vs. Bayley & Charlotte

Bayley hits a slam and a knee drop on Sasha before tagging into Charlotte. Sasha weasels her way over to the corner to tag Lynch. We get another anti-climatic commercial break. Charlotte forces Lynch into her own corner and tries to get Sasha to tag in. She chases Sasha around the ring and it eventually backfires when Sasha is able to pull her down by her hair behind the back of the referee. They get Bayley in the ring and go to work on the hugger. Bayley is able to hit a suplex on Sasha and throw Becky out of the ring, but that slight distraction allows Sasha to hit a clothesline. Sasha clotheslines Charlotte of the apron, but Bayley rolls up Sasha from behind. Sasha reverses the roll and grabs a little bit of the tights and gets the victory. This was a pretty standard match, but the backstory made it a little more enjoyable. 

Match Rating: **1/4

Renee Young is with William Regal and announces that Sami Zayn will take on Adrian Neville next week.

The Ascension is out and they say that Hideo Itami just isn't getting the message. They call him out and his music hits. Next, out comes Finn Balor to help him in his fight and making his NXT TV debut. They come to the ring and we have a brawl. They hit double dropkicks in the corner not once, but twice. Finn hits the Coup de Grace off the apron onto Konnor and then the Pele kick on Viktor. Balor then hits a Coup de Grace to the back of Konnor back in the ring. Finn and Itami stand strong to end the show. 

This was a strong episode for NXT. They continued the feud in the women's division, got Sami Zayn where he needed to be and debuted Finn Balor. That's a pretty good way to present your brand in an hour.

Overall Rating: 68%