Superstars 8-26-95 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, August 26th, 1995
Portland Civic Center
Portland, Maine

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Skip vs. 1-2-3 Kid

I can dig this one. Kid hits a nice pop up dropkick and then a headscissors. Kid then hits a leaping crossbody off the second rope onto Skip on the floor. He goes for another headscissors, but this time Skip slams him face first to the mat. The match is good, so of course they go to commercial. Kid is back in control and hits a frog splash for a 2 count. Kid goes for a spin kick, but Skip ducks and Kid goes to the outside. Sunny gets in a cheap shot and then out comes Barry Horowitz. The distraction causes Skip to get counted out and goes to the back. We don't even get an official announcement. This match was going along very well and then it just ended. 

Match Rating: *3/4

We go to Dean Douglas because lord knows we need to. He criticizes Kid for being redundant with going for the same move twice. Aren't these vignettes the epitome of redundant? He gets a grade of HI, which stands for Hopelessly Incomplete. Hilarious. 

It's Stridex time. Oh, and Todd Pettengill is here too. The card is already set, so nothing new here. We hear quickly from both Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels. 

Sid vs. Brian Walsh

Sid dismantles Walsh, as one would expect. He hits a big boot and then a one arm chokeslam. The powerbomb ends it. This is exactly what you would expect as they hype him for his September 11th title match.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get the Hollywood sign vignette from Goldust. 

Dok Hendrix is dressed up in Undertaker gear for his interview with him and Paul Bearer. Bearer calls him out for being a wolf in sheep's clothing. They wheeled out a casket to if that does anything for you. 

We get a new fall season commercial that is terrible. 

We get a recap of British Bulldog turning on Diesel. Mabel promises that the grand finale of his royal plan will happen at SummerSlam. Diesel says there will be armageddon in Mabel's kingdom. 

Henry Godwinn vs. Brooklyn Brawler

I sort of feel like Godwinn only turned face so that he could feud with Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Although, I guess Vince does like having his farm stables. Godwinn quickly hits a Slop Drop and gets the easy win. He then dumps the slop bucket on Brawler. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get a cheesy voicemail for Isaac Yankem's office saying that he has an appointment with Bret Hart.

Rad Radford vs. Bret Hart

Uh oh, it's Jean Pierre Lafitte and he's stolen Bret Hart's jacket. This allows Radford the opportunity to jump Bret, but Bret's right back on offense after a few seconds. Radford is able to hit a big spinebuster before choking Bret. Radford ducks too early and Bret makes him pay, but a rake in the eyes stops anything from happening. Radford hits a snapmare takedown and again goes back to the choke. Bret comes back with a Lou Thesz press and the side Russian leg sweep. Bret hits a bulldog and then slaps on the Sharpshooter for the victory. This was a fairly competitive match considering Radford has been presented as a nobody so far. 

Match Rating: **

We go back to the Toddster to run down tomorrow's card one more time. We actually get an Alundra Blayze promo for a feud that has gotten pretty much no time on Superstars or Raw. I'm not sure if maybe there was some stuff on Action Zone, but this has just been hyped up at all. 

Vince and Dok close us out to hype up SummerSlam some more. The mention of Lex Luger is pretty funny in hindsight. We then get a video package of most of the matches for SummerSlam.

This was a pretty good show as far as Superstars goes, with two feature matches bookending the show. My excitement as a kid was at an all time high and I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen at SummerSlam. Viewing it nearly 30 years later, the build for a lot of the matches is pretty weak, outside of maybe Mabel/Diesel. The other ones are either thrown together or are feuds that have been going on for awhile, but with such little progression.

Overall Rating: 51%

Off The Grid, Volume 48: Bash At The Beach 1995 Review

Sunday, July 16th, 1995
The Beach
Huntington Beach, California

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Off The Grid, Volume 48:

Well, I'm getting close to starting to review Monday Nitro, so I guess this one makes sense for me to watch again. We get a Slim Jim/Randy Savage heavy opening and then get a Meng hype video. We then go to Mean Gene, who is with Meng's opponent, Sting. I dig Sting's color scheme here. 

United States Championship Match
Meng vs. Sting

This is a rematch from Great American Bash, which I rated **. The beach atmosphere looks cool, but I can't imagine that it's that great for the live crowd or wrestlers. Then there's the fact that it's free. We get off to a slow start with Meng on offense. Sting's able to get Meng in the Scorpion Death Lock, but gets distracted by Col. Parker and that once again leads to Meng on offense. This match is dragging and hasn't really done its job as an opener. Now it's time for the abdominal stretch. It does feel odd with Sting as the United States Champion. Sting finally makes a comeback and hits a back body drop. He hits a chop block and a Thesz press for a 2 count. Meng catches a leaping Sting, but he turns it into a weak looking hurricanrana. Sting goes for a Stinger Splash, but Meng nails him with a big boot. That was undoubtedly the highlight of this match. Meng hits a top rope splash and Sting barely kicks out. Meng can't believe it and that allows Sting to roll him up for the victory. Meng attacks him after the bell and then out comes Road Warrior Hawk. He helps Sting to the back. This match stunk.

Match Rating: 3/4*

Mean Gene is with Renegade and Jimmy Hart. This is a real thing. Poor Jimmy. 

Television Championship Match
Paul Orndorff vs. Renegade

It's pretty well documented how stupid this Renegade gimmick was and the fact that the performer wasn't good in general doesn't help. Orndorff is able to get off to a quick start and grounds his opponent. Renegade hits a back body drop and then two of the worst dropkicks I have seen. He then hits a powerslam. Renegade gets dropped outside the ring. Orndorff attacks him on his way back into the ring. Renegade blocks a vertical suplex and then picks up Orndorff for a back suplex and the victory. This was terrible. Orndorff hits a piledriver and then Renegade no sells it and hits a top rope crossbody. The crowd boos Renegade

Match Rating: 0 Stars (out of 5)

If that wasn't bad enough, here's the Dungeon of Doom. They bring out Kamala and then we go to Mean Gene with Hacksaw Jim Duggan. He yells some things. 

Kamala vs. Jim Duggan

It just blows my mind that these two were wrestling each other in 1995. After some stalling, Duggan is able to knock Kamala down after a few blows. Kamala does his outdated offense, then Duggan makes his comeback. Kevin Sullivan gets on the apron and distracts Duggan, which allows Zodiac to run in and hit Duggan with Kamala's mask. The referee turns around and Kamala gets the win. This had no business being on pay per view. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Mean Gene is now with Macho Man and he's excited to be talking about Slim Jims. 

Diamond Dallas Page vs. Dave Sullivan

Sullivan shoves some flowers in DDP's face that some "Hulkamaniac" gave Kimberly before the match. I remember reading the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Wrestling Almanac religiously and seeing Sullivan's name and just wondering who this guy was and why I knew nothing about him. Then I saw him wrestle and I immediately knew why. These last 3 matches are hardly worthy of being on WCW Saturday Night, let alone Bash At The Beach. DDP misses in the corner and Sullivan hits a clothesline. The crowd is getting into something that's going on, but it's not the match. Max Muscle distracts Sullivan and DDP hits the Diamond Cutter for the win. Awful stuff.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Sherri and Harlem Heat are here and are very purple. 

Triangle Match For The WCW Tag Team Championships
Blue Bloods vs. Nasty Boys vs. Harlem Heat

I would say Steven Regal's music is one of the better WCW themes. We get a brawl early on and Regal gets the Pit Stop. Brian Knobbs then runs into a Booker T boot, but then hits him with a clothesline. I guess the idea of a triple threat tag match was still pretty new here and the announce team seems confused by it. We're kind of just getting a bunch of moves happening and the announcers not sure of what's going on. Sags hits a back body drop on Booker onto Regal. Knobbs then hits a splash on them and pins them. They then give the victory to Harlem Heat since he was the one on top of Regal. Yeah, I'm not buying that. The match was fine until the finish.

Match Rating: **1/4

Mean Gene is back with Harlem Heat again and he reminds them that Dick Slater and Bunkhouse Buck will get their chance against them. This just feels like they realized the show was running short and they needed them to fill some time. 

Ric Flair is with Mean Gene and he talks about taking Elizabeth to Space Mountain.

Lifeguard Match
Ric Flair vs. Randy Savage

This is just a lumberjack match on the beach. Savage quickly starts unleashing right hands and then a back body drop. This is the type of match where the crowd hurts. They're into it, but not like they would be at an arena. Savage is able to suplex Flair over the top rope into the lifeguards. Flair does get some work in on the leg and eventually gets the Figure Four on. Savage is able to reverse it, but Flair quickly escapes. The lifeguards are just doing their job and haven't really caused any drama to the match. That's about to change. Savage goes up top and hits the double ax handle. An Anderson comes in and Savage knocks him down, which allows Flair to hit a thumb in the eye. Savage tosses him out of the ring and that distraction allows Arn to hit a DDT. Flair covers him and Savage kicks out at 2. Flair tries to go up top, but Savage press slams him. Savage hits the top rope elbow drop and picks up the victory. Savage was basically Undertaker throughout this match, with him not selling a whole lot and just essentially overcoming everything. The action was pretty good, but it still felt like a TV main event.

Match Rating: **3/4

They show Big Van Vader's "Roadkill Tour" that leads us up to the main event here. Vader then tells Mean Gene is about to show everyone what time it is. Did someone bet Vader that he couldn't say "brother" more than Hulk Hogan normally does?

They hype up Collision In Korea, which I still can't believe was a thing. 

That leads to Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart with special guest Dennis Rodman. I don't know about you, but I find it hard to even focus during a Hogan interview during this era. 

Steel Cage Match For WCW Championship
Vader vs. Hulk Hogan

Hogan goes right after Vader and uses his ripped shirt around Vader's neck. I will say that Hogan is showing a little bit more intensity here. Hogan then puts on Vader's headgear. Heenan wonders if it's made out of steel and Schiavone agrees. Sure. Vader comes back and hits two Vader Bombs, but Hogan kicks out. Vader misses with a splash and Hogan makes a comeback. Hogan hits the slam, but then Vader comes back with a second rope splash. Now it's time for Hogan to Hulk up. Out comes Zodiac and Kevin Sullivan, but Dennis Rodman grabs a chair and that scares them away. Sure. Hogan hits a leg drop and then tries to escape the cage. Vader meets him up on the top rope , but Hogan knocks him off with a right hand. Hogan climbs over and picks up the victory. I mean, this was far from great, but it also was pretty entertaining for a Hogan match. Both guys put in a good effort. As soon as the match over there is a huge mass exit from the crowd. 

Match Rating: **1/2

After the match is over, Flair comes to the ring with Vader. Flair is upset at Vader, so Vader grabs him by the throat. Arn comes out, but escapes along with Flair. Vader then says he'll take both of them on. That's a weird ending. 

I will say this wasn't quite as bad as I had remembered. Before the last 3 matches was horrendous. That section of the show would have been a terrible TV episode, let alone a pay per view. However, the last 3 matches were entertaining enough to not be bored. This is still a bad show, just not in the December To Dismember category. 

Overall Rating: 33%

SmackDown 5-11-07 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, May 11th, 2007
Mellon Arena
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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MVP & Finlay vs. Chris Benoit & Matt Hardy

It's weird how Matt Hardy kind of just has this side gig with his brother on Raw and on SmackDown he is a singles competitor. Benoit gets the Crossface on MVP early on, but he gets his feet to the ropes almost immediately. He and Benoit will wrestle yet again at Judgment Day. We go outside the ring and Benoit is able to hit a suplex on Finlay. Benoit goes in the ring and we see Hornswoggle talking to Finlay as we go to commercial break. When we come back, Hardy hits a bulldog on Finlay, but he's able to make a tag to MVP. Hardy hits a Side Effect on MVP, but Finlay breaks up the pin attempt. Hardy hits a top rope moonsault, but hurts his knee in the process. They work on the knee for a bit, but Hardy is able to get a hot tag to Benoit. He hits the three German suplexes on Finlay and then knocks MVP off the apron. He misses with the top rope headbutt and in comes MVP. We get an awkward spot that leads to Benoit pinning MVP with a jacknife cover. That was a terrible ending to an otherwise good match.

Match Rating: **3/4

We get a Batista/Undertaker hype video and then a commercial for the WrestleMania 23 DVD. Want one more commercial? Sure. Ozzy Osbourne will be on SmackDown next week. 

Jillian is in the ring singing and then Michelle McCool's music interrupts.

Jillian vs. Michelle McCool

It takes about 30 seconds for this match to turn into a sloppy mess. When I say that, it's not these performers faults always. WWE had a terrible habit of throwing people who weren't ready to wrestle on TV and obviously McCool would go on to be much better than she is here. Jillian hits a cartwheel into an elbow drop for a 2 count. McCool hits a backbreaker and wins with that? This was really bad. 

Match Rating: 0 Stars

Teddy Long is getting a massage from Kristal and she's about to tell him something, but they are interrupted by Jesse and Festus. Teddy is excited to have them here and they ask for a match tonight. Teddy says that he's busy looking for an assistant, but he'll give them a match next week. Kristal recommends Vickie Guerrero for her assistant, but Teddy doesn't trust her. Kristal says that they are best friends and that she's going through a lot. That's enough for him to tell Vickie to come to SmackDown next week and he'll give her an interview. This was all cringe. 

We get a recap of Edge taking the Money In The Bank briefcase from Mr. Kennedy.

Michael Cole now is interviewing Ashley from Stamford. She is anxious to get back in the ring from her injury. They probably should have went with a pre-taped interview here. 

Paul London vs. Domino

We get a bit of a standoff to start, showcasing that these two know each other well. London possibly makes a mistake, as we get a little bit of an awkward pause before Domino decides to go on offense. We get a few quick pin attempts and then London hits a flapjack. The announcers cover for London saying that he is rusty from being injured. London hits a spin kick and Kendrick holds off Deuce from interfering. London hits a dropsault and gets the win here. This was sloppy. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

We get more hype for Batista/Undertaker, which it deserves but we already know what happens. 

I assure you, no one cares that Snitsky is coming. 

Kane vs. Dave Taylor

Who on this planet thought this was a good idea? Boogeyman is out with Kane just to make things even worse. I know this is shocking, but no one cares about this. Has anyone ever cared about Kane since his first feud with Undertaker? At least when he was in WWE, he wasn't polluting our government. Kane hits a chokeslam and puts us all out of our misery.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We now get recaps of the Undertaker/Batista WrestleMania and Backlash matches.

Steel Cage Match For The World Heavyweight Championship
Batista vs. Undertaker

They have tried so hard to make this match feel important and all I keep thinking of is how long are they going to let them wrestle before Edge cashes in? We get a pretty standard cage match that keeps getting interrupted by commercial breaks. When we come back, Undertaker gets pulled off the ropes and to the mat. Michael Cole and JBL talking about this feud as the best in the last decade is pretty ridiculous. I say that as someone who has enjoyed these matches, but I mean are you really going to even compare this to Steve Austin and Rock? Undertaker comes back an hits the chokeslam for a 2 count. Batista escapes a Tombstone attempt and throws Taker into the cage and we get our third commercial break. There is a lot of time afterwards, so hopefully that helps because this many commercials is ridiculous. When we come back, Taker is gushing blood from his head. He tries to crawl out of the cage, but Batista grabs the ankle and we're back at it. They battle up on the top rope and Batista is able to knock Taker off. Batista starts climbing, but of course Taker sits up. Instead of going after Batista, he starts climbing as well and we get the boring tied finish. The referees ask the announce team for a replay, which is obviously very easy to fake. They watch the replay shows no conclusive evidence and they declare it a draw, which the crowd hates. The cage raises and all of a sudden Mark Henry is out and attacks Undertaker. The world was just clamoring for a rematch to their WrestleMania 22 classic. As Henry goes to the back, Edge's music hits. This match was fine, but nothing memorable.

Match Rating: **3/4

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Undertaker vs. Edge

Edge goes right to cover him, but he kicks out at 2. He tries again and unsurprisingly gets the same result. Edge seems to be questioning his decision a little bit. Taker halfway sits up, but then falls over. After much delay, Edge hits the Spear and is the new World Heavyweight Champion. This was not as good as the first, especially since he so randomly won the briefcase on Raw. After his celebration, Edge hits Taker in the head with the briefcase for good measure. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Well, stuff happened and that's good. However, we still got a women's match that was horrendous and were force fed more Kane. The main event was disappointing because they spoiled the finish on ECW and WWE.com and also because they hyped it up so much. Edge winning the title should breathe some new life into SmackDown and kind of leaves Raw in a weird spot. 

Overall Rating: 57%

ECW 5-8-07 Review

Tuesday, May 8th, 2007
Mellon Arena
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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We start with Lashley attempting to enter the arena and Armando Alejandro Estrada with some cops stopping him. If he tries to enter, he will be arrested and if he lays a hand on Estrada, he will press charges and will go to jail. He takes Estrada's wheelchair and pushes it down the slope into a bunch of garbage and says that he guesses he will have to be arrested. 

CM Punk vs. Marcus Cor Von

They announce that Punk will take on Elijah Burke at Judgment Day. The action spills outside the ring and Cor Von drives Punk into the ring post. Back in the ring, Cor Von hits a bulldog, but then Punk comes back with a neckbreaker. Punk comes back with a springboard clothesline and gets a 2 count. Punk goes for a DDT off the second rope, but Cor Von dumps him to the floor instead. Burke is out and hits him with a kick to the injured ribs. Cor Von hits the Pounce and that's enough for the win. Cor Von finally gets a big win and of course it is at the expense at the only face with any potential on the brand. The match was decent but forgettable. The Pounce rules though. 

Match Rating: **

They do something that they rarely do and tell us what is going to happen on SmackDown before it happens. They announce that Edge is  is the new World Heavyweight Champion from the taping that happened before ECW started. 

Sandman vs. Snitsky

Talk about dream matches. Snitsky steamrolls him and hits a big boot for the ugly win. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Vince, Shane and Umaga are hanging out backstage. It leads to Umaga yelling. 

Extreme Exposé is out as we continue to just waste television time. 

Elijah Burke tells Matt Striker that his leadership helped get the New Breed back on track tonight. 

Brian Major vs. Elijah Burke

Brian misses with a reverse crossbody and Elijah hits the Elijah Experience for the fairly quick victory. There was a little bit of action before, but I mean, do you actually care to read it? 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Kevin Thorn is with Ariel doing tarot cards. Thorn says his future was never with the New Breed or these cards. Yeah, his future is being in real estate. 

Handicap Match For The ECW Championship
Shane McMahon, Umaga & Vince McMahon vs. Rob Van Dam

RVD hits a monkey flip on Shane and follows it up with a spinning heel kick in the corner. He then knocks Umaga off the apron. Vince tries to distract Vince, but Umaga's attack is greeted with a kick to the jaw. The second time works out and this time Shane hits him with a baseball slide kick. RVD comes back pretty quickly until Umaga lowers the top rope and he falls to the floor. Umaga throws RVD into the steel steps and then hits a leg drop in the ring. Vince tags in to try and get the win, but RVD kicks out at 2. Umaga hits a Samoan drop and again tags in Vince. Once again, RVD kicks out at 2. RVD fights back on Umaga, chopping the big man down with kicks. RVD blocks a Samoan Spike and hits a springboard kick. RVD climbs up top, but Shane crotches him behind the referee's back. Not that it matters. Shane hits a top rope superplex. Umaga then hits a top rope splash and a Samoan Spike before tagging in Vince for the victory. There was an awkward pause in the pin attempt because RVD's shoulder was up. They were up for the other ones too, but whatever. RVD actually looked pretty strong there and the match was entertaining as a result. Tommy Dreamer and Sabu run into the ring to prevent any further attacks. 

Match Rating: **3/4

This was a halfway decent episode this week. We got a pretty good main event despite the whole Vince thing already being tired. Elijah Burke and Marcus Cor Von both got some shine, which is a good thing as well. Too bad we still had Snitsky. 

Overall Rating: 55%

Monday Night Raw 5-7-07 Review

Monday, May 7th, 2007 
Bryce Jordan Center
University Park, Pennsylvania

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Oh good, it's Vince McMahon and more cringe racism. We get a video package of Great Khali's reign of terror last week. Man, this show is off to a great start. Shawn Michaels comes out and reminds Vince that he was the one who was supposed to be the #1 contender. Shawn wants Great Khali and the winner will face John Cena at Judgment Day. Vince then goes back to the ECW Championship and Bobby Lashley is out to interrupt now. I have pretty much zoned out to this whole segment. I don't think I could care any less about this feud than I do. Anyway, they are going to fight at Judgment Day and Vince tried to provoke him into attacking him, which he isn't allowed to do unless it is done physically. The ban isn't on Jonathan Coachman, so Lashley grabs him and attacks him instead. Lashley chokes Coach with a microphone cord and this segment just won't end. About 22% of the televised portion of this episode was just used on this opening segment. 

Mickie James helps Candice Michelle put her top on backstage. What is this episode?

Mickie James & Candice Michelle vs. Victoria & Melina

I mean this match is exactly what you would think. The only reason it exists is so that we can be told that Candice Michelle is really improving. Nevermind the three other performers who are much better. Candice does a blind tag, almost screws up her timing and then hits a kick to pin Melina. Candice stinks. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Intercontinental Championship Match
Chris Masters vs. Santino Marella

Masters gets the already in the ring treatment and Santino gets close to a zero reaction. They play up the fact that Santino is an underdog and Masters dominated the early portion of the match. He hits a big clothesline on Santino. Masters misses with a knee drop and hits a series of kicks on Masters. Masters misses Santino in the corner and hits his shoulder on the ring post. Santino rolls him up and is successful in his first title defense. There wasn't much drama here. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Mr. Kennedy is out in street clothes and he lets us know that there are 328 days until WrestleMania XXIV. That's when he'll cash in and become the new champion. 

Maria is with Randy Orton, who requested his match with John Cena tonight. It won't take him an hour to beat John Cena like it did for Shawn Michaels. He says that his life will get back on track tonight. 

Handicap Match
Highlanders vs. Umaga

I forgot that the Highlanders still worked here. Umaga quickly does the butt bop and the Samoan Spike. He then gives it to the other Highlander, rolls him on top of the other and hits a top rope splash for the win. Squash. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Edge approaches Mr. Kennedy backstage. He goats Kennedy into defending his Money In The Bank briefcase tonight. It's all kind of strange with them both being heels. 

WWE Championship No Disqualification #1 Contender Match
Shawn Michaels vs. Great Khali

Michaels jumps him as soon as he gets in the ring and Khali ends up tied in the ropes. He quickly gets out of it and hits Michaels with a big boot. Khali misses with a leg drop and Michaels grabs a chair. He smacks Khali in the head with it. He hits the top rope elbow drop, but his Sweet Chin Music attempt was blocked and Khali hits him with a chop to the head. Michaels makes another comeback and hits a baseball slide. He clears off the table and attempts to hit a DDT, but Khali just chucks him in the air. He then grabs him by the throat and hits the double chokeslam through the table. The referee then calls for the bell? Why not just have him get pinned? I mean it took Michaels working frantically, but he pulled off a watchable Khali match here. I just don't love that ending. 

Match Rating: *1/2

John Cena is interviewed and says that he doesn't back down from any challenge, even Great Khali. 

Cryme Tyme is here, remember them? They're having a Mother's Day sale. They have a steak that they stole from Viscera, prescription pills they stole from Eugene and a Hummer they stole from Ron Simmons. They show clips of the reactions and this was a complete waste of time. At the end, Big Dick Johnson shows up wearing a Spider-Man costume. Shad says that he's Batman and hits him with a baseball bat. Get it? 

Hardys vs. The World's Greatest Tag Team

Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch are out again to watch the match. Jeff gets a hot tag after a short heat segment on Matt. He hits Whisper In The Wind and Matt hits a Twist Of Fate. Jeff goes up top, but Charlie Haas gets up there. Matt tags in and hits a back suplex. Jeff hits the Swanton for the win. Cade and Murdoch say that they want to congratulate the Hardys and go in the ring to talk to them. This time the Hardys shake their hands and head to the back. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

They show the saga of Carlito and Ric Flair. 

Snitsky.

Carlito and Torrie Wilson are out and calls out Flair. Flair doesn't show up and then says he's going to get rid of the bad things in his life and that means Torrie. He then starts speaking in Spanish. No one cares. 

Money In The Bank Briefcase Match
Mr. Kennedy vs. Edge

Edge attacks Mr. Kennedy when he's walking down the aisle and then throws him into the barricade. He throws him into the ring post and then hits him in the head with a TV monitor. Edge rolls him into the ring and the referee makes Edge back off to check on Kennedy. Kennedy insists on the match starting and then he runs right into a spear. This was obviously panic booking and it felt like that. After the match, Edge hits Kennedy in the head with the briefcase. This wasn't a match and Mr. Kennedy didn't even end up being out as long as they thought. This really was the moment that Kennedy lost all momentum. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Randy Orton vs. John Cena

I have a feeling we are going to see this match a few more times over the years. They basically have no time here, so we get a rushed match here. Orton still gets a rest hold in though. Cena hits the 5 Knuckle Suffle and then out comes Great Khali. He has Orton up for the FU, but Khali grabs his title and Cena drops Orton. Orton attacks him, but then Cena gets him in the STFU. Orton gets to the bottom rope and then Cena chases after Khali, but Khali nails him with the title belt. He stands over him on the ramp and we have no finish to the match as we go off the air. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Well stuff happened on this episode, but the bulk of the show was a total drag. The stuff that did happen, wasn't good. Khali becoming #1 contender, Carlito dumping Torrie and Edge randomly stealing another heel's briefcase aren't exactly big memorable moments. 

Overall Rating: 43%

NXT 8-12-15 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, August 12th, 2015
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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They show William Regal getting interviewed from last week about Kevin Owens wanting a ladder match at TakeOver. Regal says that he doesn't want to give into his demands, but he talked to Finn Balor and he wants to take him on in any kind of match. This will be the biggest match in front of the biggest crowd in NXT history. 

Solomon Crowe vs. Tye Dillinger

Tye now officially has the perfect 10 character here. We get lots of "10" chants in the early going until Crowe knocks Tye in the jaw with a big boot. We get a little bit of awkward action and then Dillinger hits a knee to the face and gets the win. I am no fan of Crowe and this match didn't do anything to change that. I do like Tye and am glad they finally have something for him. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show Mojo and Zack Ryder playing the odd couple, with Mojo bragging about being with "12 chicks". 

Baron Corbin vs. Axel Tischer

Baron hits End Of Days while the crowd chants "Boring". This is going well. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

After the match, Corbin gets on the mic and I don't even bother to listen. Steve Cutler runs out and attacks him, so he gives him the End Of Days. He says that no one gets up from End Of Days, so then Samoa Joe's music hits, who has to be contemplating his decision to come back at this point. Corbin beats him down for a moment until Joe comes back and puts on the Coquina Clutch and knocks him out. 

Tyler Breeze talks about Jushin Liger and says that he'll do the same thing he did to Hideo Itami. 

Marcus Louis vs. Finn Balor

Apparently Marcus Louis is still a thing. For some reason the NXT Champion has to sell for him too. Naturally it isn't long before he hits the Coup de Grace and gets the win on this show of squashes. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Naturally, Kevin Owens attacks Balor on his way back up the entrance ramp. Balor escapes a powerbomb and hits a running dropkick into the barricade. They go into the ring and Owens hits the pop up powerbomb. He grabs the title and holds it up over Balor, drops it on him and steps on him on his way out of the ring. 

Alexa Bliss interrupts a Vaudevillains interview and slaps them both. 

Apollo Crews gets a vignette and he will be making his debut at TakeOver.

They run down the TakeOver card and that leads to Sasha Banks making her way to the announce table.

NXT Women's Championship #1 Contender Match
Bayley vs. Becky Lynch

Let's see if these two can save this episode. Bayley gets the best of Becky in the early on, most notably hitting a running bulldog. Becky comes back with a suplex and some hard right forearms to the face. After a commercial break, Bayley tries to make a comeback and turns that into a few nearfalls. Bayley hits the big elbow off the second rope, but Becky kicks out at 2. Becky tries to go up top, but Bayley is there to meet her. Bayley hits a powerslam and gets another 2 count. Becky is able to turn into a Disarm-her, but Bayley gets to the ropes. Bayley goes for the Bayley to Belly, but Becky counters into an arm hold. Bayley turns that into a pin and becomes the #1 contender. This was a good match, but it never really turned into more than that. 

Match Rating: **1/2

To say I have been disappointed in the weekly NXT shows would be an understatement. So many people were talking about how great NXT was at the time and while there are plenty of performers that I really like, the stories just aren't that compelling. It's really just the TakeOvers that have been carrying the brand for me and that's because they actually just let them wrestle there. We'll see what happens as the year continues, but 2015 has been a disappointment in terms of the weekly programming. 

Overall Rating: 44%

Monday Night Raw 8-21-95 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, August 21st, 1995
Worcester Centrum
Worcester, Massachusetts

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork22

They show Kama attacking the creature of the night on Superstars. Tonight, Undertaker will take on Tatanka. Remember him? 

Men On A Mission vs. Roy Raymond & Joe Handcock

I'm not sure I really understand them doing a tag match here rather than just another Mabel squash. Mabel hits a piledriver, which I don't think I remember ever seeing him hit. He hits a belly to belly suplex while the crowd chants "Diesel" for the easy victory. Mabel grabs a mic after the match and tells everyone to shut up. He then says that he and Mo are the greatest tag team of all time and calls out the Allied Powers for a match. He gives them 5 seconds and decides that is long enough for them to decline. This is weird booking. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Oh great, more Dean Douglas. He talks about King Mabel and the definition of dominate. He gives him a NC for New Champion. 

If you join America Online, you can chat with Vince McMahon tonight. 

On September 11th, Sid will take on the winner of the Intercontinental Championship match at SummerSlam.

1-2-3 Kid vs. Brooklyn Brawler

Brawler attacks Kid outside the ring before the match, but we all know how this one is going to go. Kid hits some kicks and picks up the win. Lawler then draws a pimple on Kid so they can advertise for Stridex.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Tatanka vs. Undertaker

It's crazy that the "main event" of King Of The Ring panned out. Tatanka is a jobber, Bam Bam is basically a jobber and Sid got kicked off the SummerSlam card and will also be gone soon. Undertaker is more aggressive to start, but quickly gets back to his methodical ways. Tatanka gets in a Samoan drop and then slows the match down even more. Taker battles out of a rest hold with a back suplex and hits a clothesline into the commercial break. Taker comes back and hits a chokeslam before nailing him with the Tombstone and the win. This was a house show match. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

It's time to go to Todd Pettengill for a rundown of the SummerSlam card. We get a cheesy voicemail bit with Isaac Yankem's office and then Mabel brings up the challenge to the Allied Powers again. 

It's time for...Tee Vee Trivia. It's a mock game show where they ask questions that are all about Monday Night Raw. The new season starts September 11th. 

Jean Pierre Lafitte vs. Scott Taylor

Lafitte attacks Taylor before the bell and we have lots of fake crowd noise here. Taylor hits a top rope crossbody and gets a 2 count. They make mention of British Bulldog not able to find his partner, Lex Luger. Taylor's offense doesn't last long and Lafitte hits a Cannonball for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get a new Goldust vignette of him in front of the Hollywood sign. 

Vince McMahon is in the ring for a Diesel interview. He says that we'll find out if he can Jackknife Mabel at SummerSlam. Out comes British Bulldog and he tells us that Lex Luger had a medical emergency. He then asks Diesel if he'll be his partner to take on Men On A Mission.

Diesel & British Bulldog vs. Men On A Mission

Diesel steamrolls Mo in the early going. He looks like he'll be going for the Jackknife, but then Mabel comes in. British Bulldog comes in and knocks Diesel from behind and right into a Mabel slam. Mabel holds Diesel while Bulldog slaps him in the face. Jim Cornette has come out to make sure we know this is a heel turn. Bulldog then hits Diesel with the running powerslam and Mabel hits the leg drop. I will say that I remember watching this live and just being shocked. Watching it as an adult, it all feels so random that you almost knew something had to happen here. Mabel hits another leg drop while wearing his crown and holds up the title while Bulldog walks to the back with Cornette. This obviously wasn't really a match, but it was at least an angle that was fairly interesting. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

After the commercial, Lawler is in the locker room with all of the heels. Mabel says that this is the first part of his royal plan. They show the footage again and once again hype up Sid vs. either Razor Ramon or Shawn Michaels on September 11th.

Well the episode as a whole wasn't very good, but it ended with an entertaining angle at least to get you more interested in SummerSlam. I know the Mabel main event is heavily mocked, but in all honesty, they didn't do a terrible job with it. 

Overall Rating: 42%