SmackDown 1-6-06 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, January 6th, 2006
Wachovia Arena
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

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Just like with Raw. New year, same crappy song. 

Falls Count Anywhere Match

JBL vs. Matt Hardy

JBL opens by cutting a promo through the crowd. Matt meets him out there and they start brawling. They move on top of the announce table and Hardy sets JBL down and the table explodes. Not sure what he was going for there, but it didn't look like that was the move. JBL takes a chair and uses it on the back of Hardy. Hardy fights back and hits a dropkick that sends JBL back out of the ring. Hardy launches himself over the top rope and gets a 2 count. Hardy pulls out a ladder from under the ring and uses it on the mid-section of JBL. JBL reverses a bulldog by throwing him into the metal barricade. Hardy is able to sneak in a trash can lid to the head on JBL. He lays JBL out on the hood of his limo and starts climbing the ladder. Jillian Hall grabs the leg of Hardy, allowing JBL to grab the trash can and Hardy comes crashing on the hood of the limo. Somewhat surprisingly, JBL wins off of that and Hardy continues to get buried for no reason whatsoever. Out comes the Boogeyman from the limo. Why wouldn't he have cost JBL the match? He grabs Hall as she is trying to escape and stuffs worms in her skirt. The match felt like it was just getting going and then it abruptly ended. This feud just really did nothing for either guy. 

Match Rating: **1/4 (out of 5)

Three-On-One Handicap Elimination Match

Gus Harlacher, Jon Troske & Rob Eckos vs. Mark Henry

Henry tosses Troske and he slides right into the ring post. He puts him in the Torture Rack and Troske is gone. I completely forgot that Melina was ever with Henry. Henry pulls the next guy in the ring and hits a chokeslam into a face-first slam to eliminate Harlacher. In comes Eckos and he destroys him with a clothesline. Henry hits a second rope drop to the back of Eckos and then the World's Strongest Slam for the final victory. This was an impressive squash and reminded you that Henry was a monster. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Melina says that Henry is here for her protection because she is the victim. 

Booker and Sharmell are with Randy Orton. Booker says that it wasn't supposed to happen like it did last week. Orton blames Sharmell and he tells Booker to trust him in that ring. Orton says that he's going to get the victory and hand deliver the United States Championship. Orton reminds Booker that he's going to owe him one though. 

Out for the first time in weeks, it's Mr. Kennedy. After doing his schtick, he joins the announce crew. 

Cruiserweight Championship Match

Kid Kash vs. Juventud

Juventud starts off hot with a dropkick and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. He sends Kash to the outside and Juventud hits a diving somersault off the top rope to the floor. Juvy then hits a springboard elbow drop back in the ring for a 2 count. Juvy goes up to the second rope again, but this time Kash grabs his leg and pulls him face-first to the mat. Kash misses with a springboard moonsault. Juvy blocks the Dead Level and hits Kash with a bunch of knees to the head. Juvy hits a spin kick, but is selling the leg injury. Juvy counters a sunset flip into a pin attempt and nearly gets the victory. Kash locks in the Half Crab on the injured leg, but Juvy crawls to the bottom rope. Juvy knocks Kash off the top rope and hits a top rope hurricanrana for another nearfall. They battle up again at the top rope and Juvy wins the battle. He goes for the 450 splash, but Kash rolls out of the way and hits the Dead Level for the victory. They only got 6 minutes, but they worked hard and delivered a good match in that time. 

Match Rating: ***

Booker T is with Kristal and she asks him if it's hard being married while on SmackDown. In walks Orlando Jordan and he lets him know that he made a mistake not picking him last week. They laugh at him again. 

They go to Batista in the locker room for a press conference where he states that he is innocent. Mark Henry walks in and questions if Batista is sick inside. Batista asks him to get out of his face. 

Match Six In A Best Of Seven Series For The United States Championship

Chris Benoit vs. Randy Orton

Booker is up 3-2 in the series. Booker and Sharmell come down to join as guest commentators. Sharmell trips Benoit with Booker's crutch early on and Orton asks Nick Patrick to be sent to the back. Back in the ring, Orton hits a standing dropkick and quickly goes on the attack. Benoit gets dumped over the top rop going into the commercial break. When we come back, Orton has his third chinlock on Benoit. Benoit makes his comeback and hits the Three Amigos. He hits the top rope headbutt and gets a 2 count. Benoit gets the Sharpshooter on, but then switches it over to the Crippler Crossface. Orton is able to grab the bottom rope to break the hold, but Benoit goes right after the lower back. Benoit misses Orton in the corner and gets hit with his signature inverted backbreaker. Orlando Jordan comes down and grabs the crutch from Booker. He uses it on Benoit, giving Benoit the victory, leaving Orton and Booker furious. Talk about things that I have no recollection of, this is definitely one of them. I liked this match a little better than some of the others in the series because it was quicker and it forced them to work a quicker pace. 

Match Rating: ***

Finlay is coming. 

Out comes Simon Dean on the Dean Machine. He's not calling out just one superstar, he is challenging two to answer his physical challenge. Out come Paul London and Brian Kendrick. Dean then announces his new tag team The Gymini. London and Kendrick leap onto them and London accidentally takes out one of the Gymini. He still gets up and they act like everything is fine and dandy. London and Kendrick get destroyed as Dean celebrates outside the ring. You have to love how Gymini became nothing and London and Kendrick became the best tag team of the year. 

Lashley gives a pretty lame promo about being in the Royal Rumble. They follow it up with a highlight package. 

Steel Cage Match For The WWE Tag Team Championships

MNM vs. Rey Mysterio & Batista

This is a main event that I can get behind. These four have good chemistry and you don't see a lot of tag team cage matches. Cole and Tazz have reminded us that this is the first such instance of one in six years. Batista throws Nitro off the top rope and then Mysterio hits a top rope bulldog on Mercury and also hits a leg drop on Nitro at the same time. Mysterio then gets back body dropped into the cage. Nitro hits a missile dropkick on Batista to take control. MNM hit a double slingshot on Mysterio into the cage. I love the dedication to double teams by both Mysterio and MNM. Mysterio climbs to teh top of the cage and hits a crossbody on Mercury, but Nitro breaks up the pin attempt. MNM once again double teams Mysterio, but this time Batista is ready. Batista has Nitro up for a powerbomb, but Mercury grabs Nitro's arms. He brings Nitro over to the ropes and crotches both of them. Batista hits the spinebuster on Nitro and out comes Mark Henry. He then breaks open the chain on the door in one of the more legendary internet stories. This took a lot longer than what was shown. Whoever was in charge of gimmicking the door, forgot to do so and Henry had to legitimately break the chain. Anyway, Batista destroys the challengers with the cage door and places Mercury on top of Mysterio for the victory. Henry climbs to the top of the cage to end the show. The match was a lot of fun and it put over Henry in a big way. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

This was a great start to the year for the blue brand. Both shows this week in 2006 were very focused and really made a statement. Obviously it's nearly impossible to keep this up for 51 more episodes, but it's nice when everything comes together and clicks. There were a few dud moments, but it wasn't for a lack of trying. 

Overall Rating: 76%

Monday Night Raw 1-2-06 Review

Monday, January 2nd, 2006
Continental Airlines Arena
East Rutherford, New Jersey

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New year, same crappy intro song. Mr. McMahon is here again to start the show off. He is here to say that from now on it's all about him. That's cute. He said he made the First Blood Match for tonight for his amusement and he also did the same with our opening match.

Kane vs. Shawn Michaels

Despite these two seemingly being in the company forever, we really didn't seem to get a ton of one-on-one matches between them. Vince announces that if Michaels uses a superkick, he is disqualified and loses the match. They go back-and-forth to start things off. Michaels launches himself over the top rope to the floor onto Kane. He then turns his attention to Vince and reminds him that he's given him everything. This gives Kane the time needed to attack him from behind as we head into a commercial break. Michaels goes off the top rope, but Kane counters with a punch to the mid-section. Michaels battles back with a DDT, but Kane hits him with a boot to the face to the amusement of Vince. Kane now takes a chance on the top rope and Michaels is able to avoid him. Michaels follows up with a top rope elbow drop and starts tuning up the band. Vince gets on the mic and threatens Michaels, Kane hits the chokeslam and that is all. The match was better than I expected and they worked the storyline to perfection. 

Match Rating: *** (out of 5)

I really do not remember them hyping up the Triple H and Big Show match for New Year's Revolution. They show a clip of Michaels being made aware that he will be the first entrant in the Elimination Chamber. 

They show a clip of Gregory Helms saying that once again he isn't on the show. He blames it on Jerry Lawler and tells him he's going to shut him up. Out comes Helms and cuts a live promo on Lawler. Lawler joins him in the ring and tells him that he sucks. Things break down and they start swinging. Helms retreats and Lawler challenges him to a match at New Year's Revolution. 

Vince is backstage with Mickie James when Kurt Angle and Daivari walk in. Angle says that he is going to make Cena bleed so much, that he will be headed to the hospital. 

Trish is working out backstage and she talks to Todd Grisham about Mickie James. She says the kiss was uncomfortable. 

Maria is doing the Kiss Cam and out comes Victoria, Torrie and Candice. Victoria tells her that she is a match scheduled right now.

Maria vs. Victoria

Victoria is selling the neck injury from her match with Carlito. Maria is dressed in her normal clothes and Victoria takes out her frustration on Maria. In a fun spot, Torrie takes Chloe's butt and shoves it in Maria's face before slapping her. Maria is able to knock Candice off of the apron, but Victoria grabs her hair and slams her down. Victoria misses with a splash in the corner and Maria rolls her up for the surprise victory. Immediately after the match, the three ladies team up on Maria and strip her down and start stomping on her. Ashley comes down to make the save, hitting a spear on Victoria. The numbers catch up to her and she is hit with a double DDT. I'm not really sure why I'm supposed to care about this, but as far as rushed segments go, they crammed a lot in. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They are hyping up WWE.com Unlimited. Vince tells Maria and Ashley that he wants to see the first ever Bra and Panties Gauntlet Match at New Year's Revolution.

Mickie James is shown outside of Trish's shower. Mickie wants to apologize for last week. Mickie compliments her figure and Trish asks her to leave. 

Edge and Lita are out to present the video of Ric Flair's road rage incident. It of course is Edge dressed up as Flair. He beats up the guy in the car wearing an Edge shirt and puts him in a Figure Four on the road. Out comes Flair and he attacks Edge on the ramp. Flair takes him to the ring, but as he is putting the Figure Four on, Lita jumps on his back. Flair puts Lita in the Figure Four, as Edge almost retreats, but eventually decides to come down. Flair releases the hold and Edge and Lita retreat. 

Shelton Benjamin vs. Chris Masters

Masters hits a clubbing clothesline out of a backslide attempt by Shelton. Shelton fights back and hits a Stinger Splash. Shelton hits a running knee and a spin kick to the jaw. The ref counts to 3, but he notices that Masters was able to get his foot on his rope. They continue to sell the losing streak angle for Shelton. Masters catches Shelton and attempts to put him in the Master Lock. Shelton counters that into a nice backbreaker for a 2 count. Masters turns a big swing into the Master Lock and this time gets it in. Shelton fights and gets close to the rope after rolling, but eventually it is too much and the ref calls for the bell. There were a few miscues, but this was a decent TV match.

Match Rating: **

We get a clip of Ben Roethlisberger and Max Starks at a WWE show. 

Triple H is here to talk trash about Big Show. Out comes the Big Show with a big cast. Triple H grabs a chair. Show blocks the chair shot attempt with his cast. Triple H tries a monitor, but he blocks that too, causing sparks to fly. I have to say, this was actually a pretty creative idea to help put over this match. 

Shelton is backstage and in walks his mama. She yells at him and grabs him by the ears. This is definitely up there for worst ideas and that is saying something. 

Cena is out to do a rap on his opponents for the first time in awhile. 

First Blood Match

John Cena vs. Kurt Angle

The match started during the break and when we come back Angle is delivering German suplexes. Daivari takes off the top turnbuckle as Angle hits Cena with some right hands. Cena knocks Daivari off the apron and then sends Angle flying over the top rope with a back body drop. Daivari attacks Cena with the gold medal on the outside. Even a week after Angle attacked the troops last week, the crowd is still largely behind him here. The Cena era was a wild ride. Angle jams Cena's face into the exposed turnbuckle, but Cena is not bleeding yet. The straps are down and he hits the Angle Slam. Cena fights back and hits a shoulder tackle. Cena grabs a chair, but Angle rolls out and Daivari jumps on Cena's back. This of course allows Angle to attack Cena. Cena gets him up for the FU, but Angle rolls through and puts him in the Ankle Lock. Cena rolls out of it and it sends Angle into the referee. Daivari again gets involved and Angle hits Cena with a chair shot to the head. Cena is busted open, but the referee is still down. Classic wrestling. Vince can do whatever he wants, but he doesn't call the match to end? Cena puts the STFU on, but Daivari wakes up the ref. They declare Angle the winner, but Cena is going nuts. Carlito and Masters are out and attack Cena. Angle puts him in the Ankle Lock, but then Masters puts in the Master Lock on Angle. Carlito goes after Daivari in the corner and out comes Kane. Kane hits chokeslams on Masters, Carlito and Daivari. Out comes Michaels, who hits Sweet Chin Music on Kane in a nice touch to the story earlier. Michaels eyes Cena, but Super Cena hits the FU on Michaels. All of the men are laid out on the mat as Cena's music plays. The match itself was overbooked fun and it led to a good final moment before the Elimination Chamber. 

Match Rating: ***

Bookended by two good TV matches, this was an enjoyable episode overall. They were focused on building up the show and everything done for the main matches made me want to watch the show more. There was still some of the usual garbage, but I thought this was a strong start to 2006 for the red brand.

Overall Rating: 70%

Survivor Series 2020 Review

Sunday, November 22nd, 2020
Amway Center
Orlando, Florida

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Team Raw (AJ Styles, Matt Riddle, Keith Lee, Braun Strowman & Sheamus) vs. Team SmackDown (Jey Uso, Kevin Owens, Otis, Seth Rollins & King Corbin)

Styles goes for a dropkick on Uso, but he misses on that spot as Paul Heyman watches from an angle. Uso hits a nice pop up Samoan drop and tags in Corbin. He continues the offense before tagging in Otis, who misses Styles in the corner. We now have Riddle and Otis in a dream match scenario. Owens being as awesome as he is, comes in and immediately starts stomping on Riddle's bare feet. Owens reluctantly tags in Rollins, who then comes in and goes on his knees for the greater good. He allows Sheamus to hit a Brogue Kick and is eliminated. Team SmackDown attempts to re-group out of the ring, but here comes the Strowman Express. Now we get the battle between Lee and Otis. Lee gets him up on his back, but Otis counters out. Otis ends up eating a left hand and in comes Strowman with a clothesline. Owens gets a hot tag and he sends Styles flying with a back body drop. Owens knocks Styles off the apron and then hits the rest of Team Raw with Stunners. In comes Styles with a Phenomenal Forearm and now Owens is eliminated. Corbin is almost able to sneak a quick pin on Styles, but Team Raw makes the save. Riddle comes in and hits the Bro-ton and eliminates Corbin. We are now 5-2 in favor of Raw. Sheamus tags in and hits a big knee to the face for a 2 count. Otis tries to spark a comeback and in comes Strowman. They collide a couple of times, but Otis is able to hit a body slam. Otis goes up top, but Riddle distracts him and Strowman hits a powerslam to eliminate Otis. Uso comes in and hits a series of superkicks on Raw. He hits a dive over the top rope to take out all of Team SmackDown. Uso hits a superkick on Styles and misses off the top rope. Uso knocks Styles off the ropes, but he makes a tag to Lee. Uso doesn't know and he catches Uso in mid-air and hits a Spirit Bomb to get the easy victory for Team Raw. The sides were certainly stacked against SmackDown and they did nothing to make it seem any differently there. The match, which had potential to be something really good, turned out to be just an average affair. There was really no drama, which hurt it overall. Team Raw all celebrates after the match.

Match Rating: **1/2 (out of 5)

The New Day vs. The Street Profits

The New Day comes out in full promotional Gears of War outfits. I know nothing about the game, but I'm sure most of you get it. The Street Profits cut a promo backstage talking about the Undertaker. This is the one match on the show that I am really looking forward to. We get some showmanship to start things off, but Kofi rolls into a kick from Ford. The Profits hit a double flapjack to follow it up. Kofi gets a foot up on Ford after being flipped by Dawkins and then hits a dive over the top rope. After a long beatdown, Ford hits a DDT and makes the tag to Dawkins. Dawkins hits a cool double underhook twisting neckbreaker that I've never seen before. Woods is able to knock Dawkins off the top rope and New Day then hits Midnight Hour for a 2 count. Kofi hits the Boom Drop three times on Ford, but Ford hits a dropkick to allow him to make a tag. He hits the Frog Splash off the top rope, but he sells the ribs and the delay allows Kofi to kick out. The Profits hit a super blockbuster off the top rope on Woods and get the win. I like both teams a lot, but that was really disappointing. They just seemed a bit off. They celebrate with each other after the match. 

Match Rating: **3/4

They show both women's teams backstage hanging out in the back. 

Sami Zayn vs. Bobby Lashley

Zayn might be the best thing going in WWE today. Lashley runs through a Zayn clothesline and hits one of his own. Zayn is able to weasel his way into a comeback and hits a leaping elbow. He goes off the second rope, but Lashley catches him and launches him with a suplex. Zayn acts as if he is suffering from vertigo and almost sneaks out a victory with a quick pin. Zayn rolls out of the ring and tries to get the Hurt Business to hit him for the disqualification, but Lashley comes in and attacks him instead. Zayn dumps Lashley out of the ring and Zayn tries to rip off the turnbuckle, but the Hurt Business stops him. Zayn goes for the Helluva Kick, but Lashley hits a chokeslam. Zayn attempts to walk out and falls down, claiming MVP tripped him. MVP throws him back in the ring behind the ref's back and Lashley puts him in the Hurt Lock for the victory. This was just such a weird match to even book for this show and it just didn't click. I love Sami, but this one was a clash with the double heel dynamic.

Match Rating: *1/4

The Usos are at Roman Reigns' locker. He isn't happy and says that if they don't respect Jey, then they don't respect him or their family. If that's the case, Jey doesn't have a seat at the table and he tells him to leave. 

Asuka vs. Sasha Banks

We get some mat wrestling to start things off and Banks even goes for the Bank Statement early on, but Asuka is able to block. Banks hits the Backstabber for a 2 count. Asuka comes back with some kicks and a knee. They fight out on the apron and Asuka pushes her down with a kick. She follows it up with a Hip Attack, sending Banks to the floor. Asuka counters Banks' Meteora attempt with a Codebreaker on the outside. Back in the ring, Banks hits another Backstabber for another 2 count. I don't know what it is, but everyone just seems a step slower tonight. Banks puts on the Bank Statement, but Asuka counters out again and then hits another Codebreaker. We get a series of pin atttempts, but none of them are successful. Asuka hits a kick to the head, but Banks is able to get a roll up pinfall victory out of nowhere. They aren't capable of having a bad match, but this was nowhere near their best. 

Match Rating: ***

They show the highlights of Miz winning the pre-show battle royal. They then show the Gobbledy Gooker winning the 24/7 Title. They show him finding a big pile of bird seed and Akira Tozawa comes in and pins him to win the title. R Truth is there though and immediately pins Tozawa. 

Team Raw (Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, Lacey Evans, Peyton Royce & Lana) vs. Team SmackDown (Bayley, Bianca Belair, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan & Natalya)

I feel like every Survivor Series match in the modern era starts the same. That was the most refreshing thing about recently watching the 1989 show. The big storyline here I guess is Lana and how her Raw teammates are bullying her. Belair shows off her strength by holding Royce above her head for an impressive amount of time before dropping her on the turnbuckle. All of the competitors except Bayley and Lana are outside the ring. Bayley goes up top, but Royce is there to stop her. Royce hits a superplex to the floor on top of the clump of women as Lana stands there. Royce hits Deja Vu on Bayley and eliminates her. Wow, didn't expect that. Royce and Natalya have a segment together that ends with Natalya putting on the Sharpshooter and eliminating Royce. Evans misses with a moonsault and Baszler runs in illegally. Natalya puts her in the Sharpshooter, but Evans hits Natalya with the Women's Right to eliminate her. Evans hits a top rope Spanish Fly on Belair for a nearfall. Jax tags in and dominates until the Riott Squad use quick tags to slow her down. Riott hits the Riott Kick, but it knocks her into her side to tag in Baszler. Baszler locks in the Kirifuda Clutch on Riott. Riott counters it into a pinfall, but the ref is distracted at fist. By the time he starts counting, Riott passes out and Baszler pins her. Morgan hits a Crucifix Bomb on Evans and elminates her. Raw's lead is now down to 3-2. Morgan gets some offense in on Jax, but Jax catches her and hits a Samoan Drop to eliminate her and make it 3-1. Belair gets Jax down, but Jax gets her knees up on the splash attempt. She hits a leg drop and gets a nearfall. Baszler gets the Kirifuda Clutch on Belair off of a springboard cartwheel. Belair makes her way to the ropes, but Baszler doesn't release the hold and she is disqualified. Belair and Jax are fighting on the outside of the ring. Belair dumps Jax over the barricade and tries to make it in the ring before the 10 count, but she's a split second too late. So this means that the sole survivor is Lana. This actually was pretty fun, even if the formula is desperately in need of an update. 

Match Rating: ***

Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre

We start the match with lots and lots of stalling. Every now and then there's a move, followed by more stalling. McIntyre starts making a comeback and launches Reigns. Reigns goes for a Superman punch, but McIntyre catches him into a leaping spinebuster. McIntyre hits a Future Shock for a close call. McIntyre goes for a Claymore Kick, but he gets hit with a Superman punch instead. Out of the ring, Reigns hits a Samoan Drop through the table and then hits a Spear through the barricade, but it's not enough to put McIntyre away. Reigns hits a Spear in the ring and McIntyre kicks out. Cue the generic look of shock. Since Reigns stalls some more, McIntyre is able to hit a Claymore Kick, but it bumps Reigns into the referee. Out comes Jey Uso, who McIntyre easily dumps. Reigns then hits a low blow and Jey hits a superkick. Reigns puts him in the Guillotine and out comes a second official. McIntyre passes out and the ref calls for the bell. That was pretty good, but nowhere near the great match that I saw some people saying. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

We get a big group of wrestlers down to the ring for the Undertaker's farewell. Shane McMahon, Big Show, JBL, Jeff Hardy, Mick Foley, Godfather, The Godwinns, Savio Vega, Rikishi, Kevin Nash, Booker T, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Triple H and Kane all go to the ring. From there we get a highlight package featuring "Now That We're Dead" by Metallica. After the video package, it's just Mr. McMahon in the ring. He introduces Undertaker, who maybe breaks the record for his longest entrance. He says that after 30 long years, it is finally time for Undertaker to rest in peace. He gets on his knee and we get a hologram of Paul Bearer. He walks off and raises his hand and that's it? For the amount of time it took up, there sure wasn't much to that. 

This was kind of a ho-hum show. There was nothing really that bad like a lot of the more recent shows, but there was nothing really memorable about it either. Even the Undertaker farewell seemed kind of lazy. With the lack of a true story for most matches, it felt like they really needed to step it up like they did last year. Unfortunately that was not the case this year. 

Overall Rating: 50%

NXT 10-23-13 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, October 23rd, 2013
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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Corey Graves is out to cut a promo on the stage to start the show. It doesn't take long for Adrian Neville to come and attack him from behind to the crowd's approval. He fights off the referee's and hits a dive to the floor to lead into the intro. 

Emma vs. Sasha Banks

After a takedown by Emma, she gets in some solid mat wrestling to start things off. Sasha has enough and throws Emma into the turnbuckle. Emma slaps Sasha in the face, which unleashes a series of slaps from Sasha. Emma makes her comeback and puts her in the Dil-Emma. She hits her dive into the turnbuckle, but as she goes for the Emma Lock, Summer gets up on the apron to distract her. Paige comes down to make the save, but Sasha rolls her up for a small package and steals the victory. After the match, Sasha ducks a clothesline from Paige and she accidentally hits Emma instead. They have some words, before going into a WWE.com exclusive with Bo Dallas. The match got time, which was nice to see. However, they seemed to hold back a little and didn't fully capitalize on the opportunity.

Match Rating: ** (out of 5)

Bo Dallas says that he is going to go on vacation for the next few weeks. 

Casey Maron & Tommy Taylor vs. The Ascension

Winning the titles seems to have motivated the team, as they look pretty crisp here. Not much to see here. They hit the Fall Of Man and get the easy victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We now get a backstage interview from last week with Sami Zayn. He starts to wonder if he isn't the chosen guy here in NXT. 

Renee Young is with JBL backstage to ask about the conspiracy theory of keeping the title off of Zayn. He says that we won't be seeing Zayn for a little while now, implying that he is suspended.

CJ Parker vs. Alexander Rusev

Rusev is without Sylvester Lefort and Scott Dawson here. Rusev immediately destroys Parker. Out walks Lana, as he puts on the Accolade for the easy victory. I can't wait to revisit the missed opportunity that was Rusev and Lana in about 15 years. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

During the break, Tyler Breeze comes down and attacks Parker and cuts off some of his dreads. 

Corey Graves vs. Adrian Neville

Neville hits a running dropkick as soon as the bell rings. Neville then hits a dive over the top rope on Graves. Graves turns things around and immediately goes to work on Neville's knee. Not that he was probably ready for it, but looking back at it, I am kind of surprised that Graves didn't get called up to the main roster around this time. Neville's trunks get ripped in a way that I don't think I have ever seen. Neville goes off the top rope, but Graves moves and Neville lands on the knee. Graves is able to put on Lucky 13 and get the submission victory. Neville was obviously the guy who should have won, but Graves is the one who needed it. The match was a solid NXT main event, even if it was a little on the short side. After the match, Graves puts on Lucky 13 again outside the ring. 

Match Rating: **1/4

This episode was more of a continuation of stories than it was of any importance. It certainly wasn't bad, but it just lacked the spark of some of the more recent shows. 

Overall Rating: 51%

Off The Grid, Volume 6: Survivor Series 1989 Review

Thursday, November 23rd, 1989
Rosemont Horizon
Rosemont, Illinois

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Off The Grid, Volume 6:

Hulk Hogan says that we are thankful that Hulkamania is the strongest force in the universe, brother. This leads to a series of short vignettes of what all the superstars are thankful for. This leads to an epic Vince McMahon rundown of the card. 

The Enforcers (Big Boss Man, Akeem, Rick Martel & Honky Tonk Man) vs. The Dream Team (Dusty Rhodes, Brutus Beefcake, Tito Santana & Red Rooster)

Why wasn't Beefcake on Hogan's team? Honky and Tito start things off, which Jesse Ventura calls a main event anywhere in the country. Santana and Martel get in there together and Martel hits a nice dropkick to slow down Santana. Santana gets a close call after a roll up and then they tag in Boss Man and Dusty. Dusty gets a quick burst of offense and then tags in Brutus. The pace of this match is really good for this era. The Enforcers are able to take back control once Red Rooster comes in. Bad News Brown refuses to tag in, as they continue to cut the ring in half. Honky's sell on the sunset flip by Rooster is everything. We get a double tag after a collision that once again gives us Tito and Martel. We were robbed of a 15 minute pay-per-view match between these two. Martel counters a roll through and grabs the tights to eliminate Santana, which is a legit surprise and great booking. Bad News finally gets in and we get a kind of awkward moment with him and Rooster. Boss Man accidentally nails Bad News, which leads dissention between the Enforcers, so Bad News just heads to the back and eliminates himself. With things once again even, Boss Man goes to work on Beefcake. Honky gets tagged in and gets hit with a high knee, which leads to him getting eliminated. I'm not really sure why Rooster is still in this thing. Martel tries grabbing the ropes to pin Beefcake, but he gets caught by the ref and it leads to a reversal by Beefcake and Martel is now gone. Boss Man is the lone man left on his side and hits the Boss Man Slam to eliminate Rooster. Beefcake hits Boss Man with a couple of knees and tags in Dusty, who hits a crossbody and earns the victory for his team. Immediately after the match. Slick gives Boss Man the nightstick and uses it on Rhodes. He handcuffs him to the ropes and continues the attack. In comes Beefcake with the hedge clippers to get Boss Man out of there. This match was everything you would want out of a Survivor Series match from this era. Good opener.

Match Rating: ***1/2 (out of 5)

Boss Man cuts a promo after the match with Sean Mooney saying that when you are a prisoner of the Boss Man, you forfeit all rights. 

We now get the 4x4s with Mean Gene and it is the insanity you would expect. 

The King's Court (Randy Savage, Greg Valentine, Dino Bravo & Canadian Earthquake) vs. The 4x4's (Jim Duggan, Ronnie Garvin, Bret Hart & Hercules)

We get a lot of quick tags to start until we get to Garvin and Valentine. It doesn't last long, as Bravo tags in and hits an inverted atomic drop. Bravo takes down Hercules and quickly tags in Earthquake, who then immediately hits his finisher for the quick pin. Hacksaw hits a shoulder tackle with Hart on his knees behind him and they get Quake off his feet. The Court singles out Garvin. We again get Valentine and Bravo and start chopping each other's chests. Duggan comes in and quickly eliminates Valentine to even things up. This match is a great reminder of how flawless Savage was during this era. Earthquake misses a big elbow drop on Duggan and he's able to tag in Garvin. Garvin hits the Garvin Stomp on Bravo. In come Hart and Savage and the crowd is digging this combination. It doesn't last as long as you would hope and next thing you know Bravo hits the dreaded side slam on Garvin and eliminates him. Duggan goes right after Earthquake and then hits a double clothesline with Hart to knock the big man down. Hart and Savage get another shot and Savage gets tied up in the ropes. Hart misses with a second rope elbow drop and in comes Bravo to take advantage. Bravo puts on a bear hug that looks less convincing than any normal hug I've ever had in my life. Savage accidentally hits Bravo with a knee and that allows Hart to tag in Duggan. For some reason, he tags in Hart again and it leads to Savage eliminating him with a top rope elbow drop. Duggan is now the only remaining member of his team. Duggan gets in the obligatory 1-on-3 ring clearing, causing Jimmy Hart to lose his mind. He then hits a double clothesline on Bravo and Savage, but Earthquake attacks him from behind. Quake hits a big elbow drop, but Duggan kicks out at 2. Sheri pulls down the top rope as Duggan was running them and he is dumped to the floor. Duggan is unable to get back in the ring, allowing the King's Court to be victorious. After the match, Duggan clears the ring with his 2x4. Gorilla says that this is okay, but thought what Boss Man did about 30 minutes ago was despicable. This one was decent enough, but not as good as the opener. 

Match Rating: **1/2

The Genius is here for a special Thanksgiving poem. 

The Million Dollar Team (Ted DiBiase, Zeus & Powers Of Pain) vs. The Hulkamaniacs (Hulk Hogan, Jake Roberts & Demolition)

Hogan and Zeus start things off and the crowd is very much into it. Hogan tries to get some offense in, but Zeus sells absolutely none of it. The rake to the eyes does the trick and he hits a body slam. Zeus pops right back up though and Hogan gets a boot to the back when he goes off the ropes. Zeus continually chokes Hogan and Earl Hebner has to keep pulling him off. Hebner finally has enough after he gets thrown across the ring and he disqualifies Zeus. Well, I guess that's the build to No Holds Barred. Hogan is able to tag in Roberts and he clotheslines DiBiase to the floor. Hogan joins in with Demolition to demolish DiBiase. The Powers of Pain get tagged in and things slow down. Ax tries to make a comeback, but Mr. Fuji hits him in the ankles and Ax is eliminated. The crowd has really died down during this match. Barbarian is able to hit a leaping clothesline and eliminates Smash. They begin to team up on Roberts and DiBiase hits a piledriver, but is able to get his foot on the bottom rope to avoid being eliminated. Roberts is able to crawl to Hogan who cleans house for a little bit until the Powers of Pain hit a spike piledriver. For some reason Hebner thinks this is worthy of disqualifying both of them. That's the equivalent of a weak pass interference on a 4th down play. DiBiase locks in the Million Dollar Dream on Hogan, but don't you worry, Hogan gets out of it and tags in Roberts. Virgil gets up on the apron and distracts Roberts. He hits a DDT on Virgil but DiBiase hits an elbow drop and eliminates Roberts. I'm not sure why Roberts would think it would be a good idea to turn his back right to DiBiase, who was standing right behind him. Hogan makes the comeback, but they hit a double clothesline. Hogan miraculously hits the boot and leg drop and is the sole survivor here. After two matches that were a lot of fun, this was such a drag of a match. It felt like they were walking in molasses even by 1989 standards. Throw in the stupid booking and you have yourself a very skippable match. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Randy Savage, Sherri and Zeus are back with Sean Mooney to talk about the No Holds Barred cage match. We then go to Hogan and Beefcake with Mean Gene. Sherri interrupts and throws powder in their faces and they get attacked by Savage and Zeus. Dino Bravo is the first man to the rescue. 

Jesse Ventura says that there is some big dissention between the Heenan Family. We then go to Sean Mooney with the Rude Brood. The Rougeaus are great. 

Mean Gene is with Roddy's Rowdies and this is the kind of stuff I am here for. 

The Rude Brood (Mr. Perfect, The Rougeau Brothers & Rick Rude) vs. Roddy's Rowdies (Jimmy Snuka, The Bushwhackers & Roddy Piper)

I'm not sure Piper could have picked a worse team. The Rowdies all start biting Perfect to start things off. My appreciation for the Rougeau Brothers grows every time I watch them. After some showboating by Jacques, Snuka dominates him, hits a top rope splash and that's it for him? Rude's team didn't even try to save him. Rude accidentally pulls down the top rope as he's trying to get back to the apron and Perfect falls to the floor. They have some words and Snuka hits a double noggin knocker. The Rowdies once again corner Perfect, but an atomic drop by Piper allows him to tag in Raymond. Piper hits a piledriver and it's 4-2. Perfect once again gets owned by the Rowdies, until he is able to roll up a celebrating Butch and eliminates him. Piper tries the same, but Perfect kicks out at 2. Rude gets in there and hits the Rude Awakening on Luke to even the score. Perfect and Snuka go at it for awhile. I'm not really sure why they thought every match had to go 20+ minutes. After a collision, they both tag in their partners and the start brawling down the aisle. Both men are counted out and we are down to Snuka vs. Perfect. Perfect hits a dropkick that sends Snuka to the floor. Perfect follows it up with a suplex back into the ring. We get a couple of back-and-forth pin attempts from both men. Perfect is able to pull out the Perfect Plex and get the victory. After the match, we get yet another attack. This match could have easily been 10 minutes shorter. 

Match Rating: *1/4

After the match, Rude's Brood is celebrating with Sean Mooney. With Mean Gene, it's the Ultimate Warriors and there is lots of shouting. 

The Heenan Family (Andre The Giant, Haku, Arn Anderson & Bobby Heenan) vs. The Ultimate Warriors (Jim Neidhart, The Rockers & Ultimate Warrior)

Andre attacks Neidhart before Warrior even makes it to the ring. Warrior runs in and he clotheslines Andre out of the ring and he is counted out. Good thing they didn't do that earlier or anything. The Heenan Family singles out Neidhart and before you know it, Haku hits him with a kick and eliminates him. Michaels saves Marty from a double suplex and they hit stereo superkicks. Arn hits a knee to the back and Haku follows it up with a kick. Haku tags in Heenan and he gets the pin over Marty. Things get a little bit more entertaining, as we get both Arn/Michaels and Haku/Michaels. Michaels hits a top rope crossbody and eliminates Haku. Shawn gets dumped outside and Heenan teases jumping off the turnbuckle and to the floor, but chooses not to. Arn is upset with Heenan for not tagging in. Michaels and Anderson collide and are both down. They both get to their knees and exchange fists. Shawn gets hit with the signature spinebuster and is eliminated. Warrior goes after Anderson, but he's able to get Warrior to the outside. Again, Heenan goes for leaping off the turnbuckle, but doesn't. Warrior sends Anderson into Heenan and then hits the gorilla press and splash combo to eliminate him. It is now just down to Heenan and Warrior. This is such an odd choice to close out the show. Heenan takes an upside down bump into the turnbuckle and then another one sends him flying over the top rope. Heenan tries to walk away, but Warrior grabs him Warrior hits the flying shoulder tackle and a splash, gaining the victory for his team. This match had no suspense and used a booking decision that we saw just two matches ago by having Andre immediately eliminated. 

Match Rating: *1/2

They show an old school photo gallery to close off the broadcast. 

This show started off so promising and then just fell completely off a cliff afterward. The booking here felt really lazy towards the end of the show. As far as historical purposes go, nothing really of note happened here and this is easily just a thumbs in the middle show. 

Overall Rating: 48%

SmackDown 12-30-05 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, December 30th, 2005
Mohegan Sun Arena
Uncasville, Connecticut

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Booker T, Sharmell, Chris Benoit and Teddy Long are all arguing backstage to start the show. Booker is stating that due to injury, he is unable to compete tonight. Booker says he is going to find a replacement for tonight. If Booker's replacement wins, Booker will win the United States Championship. 

JBL vs. Matt Hardy

Hardy tries to start quickly, but JBL turns it around and hits a neckbreaker. JBL continues where he left off at Armageddon with an ambush of power moves. Hardy is able to hit an awkward variation of a bulldog, but it doesn't go anywhere, as JBL recovers and this a shoulder tackle. JBL removes the turnbuckle padding, but Hardy is able to block him and hits JBL's head on the exposed metal. Hardy hits a second rope leg drop for a 2 count. JBL escapes a Twist Of Fate and sets Hardy on the top rope. Boogeyman's music hits and out he crawls. JBL is distracted, but hits a fall away slam from the second rope anyways. JBL hits the Clothesline From Hell, but then goes out of the ring. Boogeyman spits worms at JBL, but he moves Jillian Hall in front of him and it hits her in the chest. They run away and JBL is counted out. I'm not really sure why JBL was picked to be Boogeyman's first feud, but this sure made Hardy look like a jobber. 

Match Rating: *1/4

Booker and Sharmell are backstage and up walks Orlando Jordan. Jordan says that he would be honored to be Booker's replacement tonight. Sharmell isn't having it. 

The Mexicools vs. The Dicks

Imagine this being the first wrestling match you ever watched. I bet it was probably your last also. Super Crazy hits a spin kick and they hit a double roll through slam. After a short Dick heat segment, Super Crazy gets the hot tag and hits a nice springboard dropkick. Super Crazy goes for the moonsault, but Chad breaks it up. Crazy hits a sunset flip instead, but it's broken up by Chad. Psicosis hits a sweet missile dropkick with assistance from Super Crazy launching whichever Dick it was. Crazy hits the moonsault and they get the victory. Super Crazy deserved so much better than this. 

Match Rating: *3/4

Booker walks into Randy Orton's locker room. Booker is able to talk Orton into taking his spot tonight. 

Melina is out for a press conference and says that she was the victim of a sexual predator. This whole storyline is just absolute garbage. Melina was just not strong enough on the mic here in 2005 to carry this long of a segment by herself. After about 5 minutes, she announces that she is going to be suing Batista for sexual harassment. 

Match Five In A Best Of Seven Series For The United States Championship

Chris Benoit vs. Randy Orton

Booker is up 3-1 here and is introduced by Sharmell to come out to be a guest announcer. This one is pretty slow to start, but that's not too surprising with these two. Orton hits a nice suplex, but Benoit counters with a couple of arm drags. After some mat wrestling, Orton is able to get up and send Benoit over the top rope to the floor. After some more stalling, Benoit hits a couple of German suplexes and goes for the Crippler Crossface, but Orton gets to the ropes before he really locks it in. Benoit hits a dive to the outside. After the commercial break, Orton is back in control and sends him shoulder-first into the ring post. Orton misses with a top rope crossbody and Benoit hits a German suplex again. He then hits the Three Amigos, but then misses with the top rope headbutt. Benoit is still able to lock in the Crippler Crossface, but in comes Sharmell hits Benoit over the head with a crutch for the disqualification. After the match, Orton hits a RKO on Benoit. Regardless, the best of seven is now 3-2. This match was not very good, especially for the amount of time it was given. 

Match Rating: *3/4

Funaki introduces Kid Kash out for an interview. He makes fun of Juventud saying that it means Mexican salamander. God, I can't believe he didn't get over more. He then goes on about foreigners including Funaki. He then takes a cheap shot on Funaki and hits the Dead Level on the stage. 

Finally something good about this show: a Finlay vignette.

Sylvan vs. Bobby Lashley

Sylvan attacks Lashley on his way into the ring, which usually ends well. Lashley quickly turns it around and drives his shoulder into his midsection. Sylvan sneaks out of the ring and then tries to attack Lashley from behind, but it of course doesn't work. Lashley hits a belly-to-belly suplex and again Sylvan gets out of the ring. This time Sylvan walks to the back and gets counted out. I'm not sure I get the point of this one. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Josh Matthews is with Batista, who just basically talks about staying focused on his match tonight. 

WWE Tag Team Championship Match

MNM vs. Rey Mysterio & Batista

The champs start out hot with Mysterio hitting a dropkick and a springboard leg drop for a nearfall. Mysterio goes for another springboard, but Nitro hits a superkick knocking him off the apron. From there MNM use multiple double teams to work on Mysterio's knee. Mysterio does a great chase sequence in an effort to make a tag that leads to him hitting a double DDT and finally getting the tag to Batista. He destroys both opponents and then Mysterio hits a top rope hurricanrana to Nitro on the apron and to the floor. Jimmy Korderas gets knocked down and is unable to count the pin for Batista. Out comes Mark Henry to attack Batista out of nowhere. He hits the World's Strongest Slam and MNM are your new champions on the final episode of SmackDown in 2005. This was actually a really entertaining main event here and the highlight of the show by a mile. 

Match Rating: ***1/2 

This was a pretty dull episode up until the main event. While I wasn't very sold on Mark Henry in 2005, he eventually became a valuable player for the years to come. It will be interesting to have a little hindsight when looking at his run here. Other than that, this was a pretty flat ending to 2005. 

Overall Rating: 49%

Monday Night Raw 8-16-93 Review

Monday, August 16th, 1993
Mid-Hudson Civic Center
Poughkeepsie, New York

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Ted DiBiase vs. 1-2-3 Kid

They show clips of the upset victory 1-2-3 Kid scored over DiBiase recently. DiBiase attacks Kid once he finally to get into the ring. Razor Ramon calls in and says that he told the Kid to leave Razor a little piece of DiBiase for him at SummerSlam. Kid fires back with some dropkicks and gets a 2 count. He sends DiBiase into the turbuckle, but eats a rear elbow to the chin when he tries to charge at him. DiBiase misses Kid in the corner and Kid follows it up with a top rope crossbody. He goes up top again, but out comes IRS to shove him off the top rope and give Kid the disqualification victory. They continue the attack until the Steiner Brothers are out to make the save. This was decent for what it was. 

Match Rating: *1/4 (out of 5)

The Headshrinkers vs. Mike Khoury & Dave Moraldo

Samu drills the poor ham and egger with a superkick. This is your usual impressive Headshrinker squash that ends with a Fatu splash for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's time to go to Mean Gene for the SummerSlam Report. Ludvig Borga vs. Marty Jannetty has been added to the card!

Bastion Booger vs. Marty Jannetty

Let's see if Marty can work a miracle here tonight. After a few attempts to knock him down, Marty sends him out of the ring and then hits a top rope flying fist. Marty then hits a dive out to the floor. Marty then uses the ring post and slams his arm on it. After the commercial break, Booger sends Marty flying into the ring post and Marty takes a nice looking bump. Booger then squashes him against the post in an impressive looking move. Marty goes for a sunset flip, but Booger squashes him. During the pin attempt, Marty looks Booger's arms with his legs and gets the victory out of nowhere. This was pretty good considering Booger was in the match, as Marty was in full bump mode here. 

Match Rating: *1/2

If you didn't get enough of Money Inc. about 30 minutes ago, here they are joining Vince McMahon for an in ring interview. They hype up their match with the Steiners at SummerSlam Spectacular, which was taped this night. 

Men On A Mission vs. Barry Horowitz & Iron Mike Sharpe

M.O.M.'s outfits have to be among the worst of all time. Mabel hits a powerslam and then Mo hits a bulldog on Mabel onto Sharpe for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Hey, kids! Lex Luger is here to talk about steroids! He says that people do not use them in the WWF right now. Phew. 

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Rich Myers

Luna Vachon really was a one of a kind. Bam Bam does a lot of stomping here before setting him up for a vertical suplex and just drops Myers to the mat. Bam Bam hits the top rope headbutt for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

The Macho Midget is apparently Macho Man's surprise and he is joined with some Raw Girls. They then hype up the SummerSlam Spectacular this coming Sunday. 

This was kind of just a filler episode to hype up SummerSlam Spectacular and to further the Razor Ramon/1-2-3 Kid/Money Inc. feud. Nothing really to see here.  

Overall Rating: 46%