Monday Night Raw 3-13-06 Review

Monday, March 13th, 2006
Ford Arena
Beaumont, Texas

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After a long recap of the Vince McMahon/Shawn Michaels saga, Vince and Shane are out and talks about how he and Shane beat Shawn last week. Vince then declares that Shawn is on drugs and is making him have a public drug test here. Vince makes the doctor go the little booth with him to observe the collection. Shawn finally talks and then throws his cup of urine at both Shane and Vince to a big pop from the live crowd. 

Back to Vince and Shane washing their faces and Vince announces that he'll be in a Texas Tornado Steel Cage match tonight. 

WWE Women's Championship Match

Trish Stratus vs. Victoria

We get some fast paced action to start and they hit a double clothesline. Trish gets the better of Victoria on the way up and hits the spinning headscissors and gets a 2 count. She goes for Stratusfaction, but Candice Michelle distracts her and the ref. Victoria goes for the Widow's Peak, but Torrie Wilson hits the X Factor on her and Trish hits the Chick Kick for the victory. For a short match, it was spirited and it continued the two women's storylines at the time. 

Match Rating: *

During the break, Victoria calls out Torrie and tells her she's going to make her pay. 

Cowboy Troy (?) is here. I guess he is on a USA show and apparently a country rapper. 

We then get a movie trailer that is rated O for overrated showing Mick Foley. 

Edge vs. Goldust

Edge hits a big boot to the face after withstanding some early offense from Goldust. I have to say, I didn't know these two fought in 2006. Goldust makes a comeback with an inverted atomic drop and a clothesline. Goldust has him set up for Shattered Dreams, but Lita distracts him and Edge hits the Spear for the victory. Edge grabs the mic and says he's going to be the star of WrestleMania and shows a trailer for himself. He announces a Cutting Edge with Mick Foley at Saturday Night's Main Event.

Match Rating: 1/2*

The Big Time Moment is really the Roddy Piper/Morton Downey Jr. segment? I just watched WrestleMania V and you should win an award if you can sit and watch that segment from start to finish. 

Trish Stratus meets into Maria who does a weird Bowflex product placement. Trish is looking for Torrie and finds her laid out in the locker room. 

The next inductee into the Hall Of Fame is Verne Gagne. 

It's time for the contract signing between Triple H and John Cena. Triple H does all of the talking here, not saying much. After Cena signs, Triple H says that this is the part where he usually pulls out the sledgehammer and bashes his brains in. Triple H says that with Cena, he doesn't have to do that because he doesn't need an advantage. Cena fires back and then out comes Kane and Big Show, because that's what this needs. When they're coming out, Triple H flips over the table and pulls out the sledgehammer. As Big Show and Kane are entering the ring, Chris Masters and Carlito attack them from behind. Vince shows up on the Titan Tron and announces Triple H, Chris Masters and Carlito against John Cena, Big Show and Kane. 

Texas Tornado Steel Cage Match

Shawn Michaels vs. Spirit Squad

Man, it's a good thing that they set up the steel cage for tonight. They launch Mikey up to the top of the cage, which was actually pretty cool. They all start climbing in and attack Michaels. After getting destroyed for a few minutes, Michaels makes his comeback with some low blows and a flying forearm. Kenny goes for a leg drop, but Michaels moves out of the way. Michaels hits a top rope elbow drop. Michaels goes to walk out, but the one Spirit Squad member on the outside slams the door on him. Michaels blocks it and throws it back at him. He hits Sweet Chin Music, but this time on his way out Shane slams it in his face. That's enough to pin Michaels and then Shane attacks Michaels after the bell. Michaels is bloodied and then hits the Van Daminator with the trash can. Only Shawn could make a match like this entertaining.

Match Rating: *1/2

Trish Stratus is with Todd Grisham for an interview and Mickie James interrupts. Mickie wants to be Trish's partner and then she promises to go her separate ways. They shake and Mickie gets a smirk on her face. 

Vince and Shane now announce that Jim Ross will announce the Shawn/Shane match on Saturday.

Intercontinental Championship Match

Shelton Benjamin vs. Rob Van Dam

Shelton says that his mom can't be here tonight because Ric Flair made her heart condition worse. Ric Flair is here as a guest commentator. Shelton challenges anyone and RVD's music hit instantly. RVD hits a dropkick sending Shelton over the top. Back in the ring, Shelton catches RVD with a kick and sets him up on the top turnbuckle. RVD knocks him off, but Shelton leaps up to the top and hits a suplex off the top. After the commercial, RVD hits a spin kick in the corner and Rolling Thunder for a 2 count. Shelton lands on his feet after a monkey flip attempt by RVD, but he gets caught with a spinning kick and RVD goes up to the top. He hits the leaping sidekick and a dive off the apron. Shelton grabs the title belt, but Flair goes and grabs it from him. RVD tries to attack from behind, but Shelton ducks and he hits Flair instead. Shelton rolls him up and holds on to the ropes to steal the victory. After the match, Flair and RVD argue. This was okayish. 

Match Rating: **

Chris Masters, Carlito & Triple H vs. Kane, Big Show & John Cena

Big Show opens the match by slapping the chest of Carlito. Triple H and Cena both get tagged in, but after some teasing, Triple H tags in Carlito. Cena sends Carlito flying with a back body drop and then hits a belly-to-belly suplex on Masters. Triple H distracts Cena and Masters attacks from behind. Carlito dominates Cena, but Cena avoids Carlito and tags in Big Show. A powerslam gets a 2 on Carlito and is broken up by Masters. Kane hits a top rope clothesline and Big Show gorilla presses Carlito. In come some steel chairs and that's enough for the ref to call it. The tag teams are to the back, leaving just Cena and Triple H. They have some words and then in runs Randy Orton, who hits a RKO on Cena and that's the show. This was too short to be anything decent, which is a shame. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Well, in terms of wrestling, this wasn't a stellar show. However, it was quickly paced and carried on the stories for WrestleMania fairly well. This won't be confused for a classic episode, but it was entertaining enough to pass the time. 

Overall Rating: 58%

NXT 1-22-14 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, January 22nd, 2014
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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Adrian Neville vs. Wesley Blake

Brandi Rhodes is here as the ring announcer, Eden. Neville shows off his athleticism early and then hits a missile dropkick. This is Blake's debut match here on NXT. Neville pretty much dominates the whole match and hits the Red Arrow for the victory. This was one of Neville's better showcases, as he often gets stuck just making comebacks and that's all. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Summer Rae are here for a backstage interview. Charlotte has come a long way on the mic since 2014. 

Xavier Woods vs. Alexander Rusev

This is a rematch from two weeks ago. Woods gets in a dropkick, but Rusev quickly recovers and clubs Woods. Woods fights back and hits a running knee to the face of Rusev, but he kicks out at 2. Rusev quickly is back on his feet and he slaps on the Accolade for the victory. He puts it on again after the bell and out comes...Sin Cara? 

Match Rating: 3/4*

CJ Parker vs. Antonio Cesaro

They hype up that Parker wanted a match with Cesaro. Cesaro dominates the early going, but Parker fires back with double knees in the corner. Parker goes up top and hits a high crossbody for a 2 count. CJ Parker then does the airplane spin and Parker is dizzy, but Cesaro is unfazed. Cesaro picks him up and does the Cesaro Swing and then the Neutralizer for the victory. Another easy victory here today. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

After the match, out comes Sami Zayn with a crutch. Zayn talks about how great his 2013 was, but the black eye was him losing to Cesaro. He asks for a rematch, but Cesaro turns him down. 

Miz is here and says he needs to do a MizTV on NXT. CJ Parker comes in and starts complaining about the fans booing him. They start arguing and Parker slaps Miz and bolts. 

Natalya vs. Summer Rae

Natalya runs up the back of a seated Summer and then hits her with a dropkick in a cool little sequence. After some back and forth, Natalya catches a kick from Summer and turns it into the Sharpshooter for the victory. Another quick match here tonight. Bayley celebrates with Natalya after the match as Sasha Banks helps Summer to the back. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Enzo and Cass are here, with Enzo coming in a motorized wheelchair. Aiden English comes in because what kind of NXT interview would it be if there wasn't an interruption? He starts singing and Enzo runs over his foot. 

Bo Dallas is out here and he unveils a fake banner showing that he has been champion for 224 days. Neville is now out. Triple H is out on the big screen and he announces that he is going to have them have a Beat The Clock Challenge match where Bo has to beat Neville in 4:45. If Neville wins, he gets a title shot at the live special on WWE Network. 

Beat The Clock Challenge Match

Bo Dallas vs. Adrian Neville

Bo is wrestling in a dress shirt and dress shoes here. Neville keeps avoiding Dallas as the clock continues to tick down. Bo is able to trip off the apron and he hits his back hard and falls to the floor. Bo's strategy here is pretty weak here and is doing a lot of stalling. Neville fights back with kicks to the legs and a running dropkick with less than a minute to go. Neville goes up for the Red Arrow, but Bo rolls out of the ring. Neville just sort of stands there, as he notices that time is nearly out. He is able to avoid Bo and earns the title shot in February. After the match, Neville sidesteps Bo and he hits the turnbuckle. Neville then hits the Red Arrow and counts 3 himself. This was just set up for their feud and not much of a match. It made sense in the context of the story and worked as an effective next step.

Match Rating: 1/2*

In terms of wrestling matches, nothing was longer than 4:45. It would have been nice to have one match go a little longer, but this was still an entertaining episode overall. Nothing was bad and the show had a good flow to it. 

Overall Rating: 54%

Off The Grid, Volume 10: WrestleMania V Review

Sunday, April 2nd, 1989
Boardwalk Hall
Atlantic City, New Jersey

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Off The Grid, Volume 10:

Rockin' Robin is here to sing "God Bless America". Aretha Franklin, she is not. Jesse Ventura agrees. 

King Haku vs. Hercules

They often say the opening match is the second most important match on the card. If so, why would you pick Haku vs. Hercules? I actually like Haku quite a bit, but he was never much more than a jobber to the stars for whatever reason. Haku attacks Hercules from behind when he's setting down his chains. Herc recovers and starts off hot by clotheslining him over the top rope. Herc suplexes him back in and does the wise thing and goes after Heenan. I love how Ventura calls stuff like that out. Haku comes from behind and clotheslines him. Haku hits a backbreaker and just holds him there, showing off his off the charts strength. Haku slaps on the bear hug, but not to Gorilla's liking. Herc breaks the hold, but Haku attacks him to stay on offense. Haku misses a second rope reverse crossbody and Herc hits a series of jabs. Hercules hits a powerslam and goes up top. Haku greets him with a superkick and then he goes up top. He misses with the splash and then hits a back suplex into a "bridge" and gets the victory. It sure looked like Hercules' shoulders were down as well. This wasn't terrible, but felt very pointless. 

Match Rating: *1/4

The Rockers cut a totally 80s promo.

Twin Towers vs. Rockers

This one probably should have been the opening match. The Rockers are quick to speed up the pace early on. Boss Man blind tags himself in and catches Jannetty in mid-air after a leap frog and Akeem squashes him. They hit a double squash in the turnbuckle. Jannetty avoids Akeem, who then  hits Boss Man and he makes the tag to Michaels. They use a long illegal double team and they hit a double shoulder tackle. It doesn't take long for Akeem to hit a huge clothesline. Boss Man goes up top and Michaels avoids the big splash. They hit a double top rope dropkick on Boss Man. Michaels goes up top again, but Boss Man catches him into a powerbomb. Akeem hits Air Africa and that is all. As far as short tag team matches go, this was quite good. This was also the debut of the future Mr. WrestleMania.

Match Rating: **3/4

Ted DiBiase and Virgil are with Tony Schiavone, which still feels weird. He cuts the same promo he always does. He then shakes hands with Donald Trump. I have no words. 

Ted DiBiase vs. Brutus Beefcake

Beefcake is strutting early and he clotheslines him over the top rope. I remember as a kid seeing the box at the video store and thinking that this was going to be a good match. I was a dumb kid. Virgil grabs the leg of Brutus and DiBiase takes control. Brutus sneaks in a small package for a 2 count. Brutus hits a vertical suplex and both men are down. Gorilla says that this one has gone longer than he expected. They have been wrestling for less than five minutes. DiBiase slaps on the Million Dollar Dream, but Brutus grabs the top rope. Brutus puts on the sleeper hold, but Virgil gets on the apron and Brutus releases the hold to go after him. DiBiase attacks him from behind and they start slugging it out. Both men are counted out and that is such a garbage finish. Why even book the match? Brutus puts on the sleeper hold on Virgil and DiBiase comes in to try and make the save. Beefcake attacks him too and then goes to get his hedge clippers. DiBiase and Virgil escape and this is just an unsatisfying WrestleMania moment. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

They go to the Bushwhackers with Lord Alfred Hayes at the annual brunch. They keep talking with food in their mouths. 

Fabulous Rougeaus vs. Bushwhackers

Every match in this era starts the same. While Jesse and Gorilla argue about citizenship, the Bushwhackers hit a Battering Ram to start out and the Rougeaus are re-grouping. Raymond puts Luke in a Boston crab and Jacques stomps on him. More teams should use that as a double team. We then get the famous crotch grab by Luke on Raymond while getting body slammed. The Rougeaus hit a pretty weak looking double clothesline. Jacques puts Luke in an abdominal stretch and Raymond kicks him. The Bushwhackers hit an illegal Battering Ram, double stomach breaker and get the pinfall victory. Who put these matches together tonight? Was Pat Patterson off? This is the lone Bushwhacker WrestleMania match. The Bushwhackers are shown licking Sean Mooney on their way back to the locker room. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Mr. Perfect vs. Blue Blazer

This was pre-Bobby Heenan and pre-entrance music for Perfect here. Owen was only 23 years old here. Blazer counters the hip toss by landing on his feet and hits a dropkick. Perfect's excellent bumping sends him out of the ring. Blazer shows off some innovative offense for the era and then goes up top. Perfect gets his knees up and works on the back of Blazer. Blazer hits a belly-to-belly suplex and then a crucifix for a 2 count. Owen argues with the ref and gets drilled with a forearm. Perfect hits the Perfect Plex and that is all. Good little match featuring two of the best performers on the roster by a mile. 

Match Rating: **1/2

Jesse Ventura says it's time for his big surprise and it's him getting announced by the Fink. The so-called "Trump Plaza" sure seems like a terrible venue for wrestling. 

They show Lord Alfred from yesterday at the 5K run. Mr. Fuji is shown as a last minute entry to show off that he's in great shape. Fuji of course runs before the start and is wearing his suit, hat and cane. The show him "finish". 

Run D.M.C. is here for the WrestleMania rap. The echo and sound system are absolutely terrible. 

They show a highlight package of the Demolition/Powers of Pain feud and then go to Demolition with Mean Gene and they are fired up. 

Handicap Match For The WWF Tag Team Championships

Powers Of Pain & Mr. Fuji vs. Demolition

You know what else isn't very good at this show? The crowd. Demolition cuts the ring in half early on with the Warlord. In just one years time, Demolition would go from wrestling in an arena that sounds empty to one of the biggest pop in WWF/E history. Fuji finally gets in there and hits his famous low headbutt. Ax is able to make the tag to Smash and he cleans house, which finally wakes up the crowd. The ref gets distracted and Fuji pulls out the salt. Demolition ducks and the Demolition Decapitation on Fuji for the victory. That was extremely mediocre overall. 

Match Rating: *

They show Savage going nuts in the locker room. 

Dino Bravo vs. Ronnie Garvin

This ought to put the crowd in a frenzy. Garvin didn't even get a televised entrance. Fink then announces Jimmy Snuka for some reason. Garvin fights back and goes for a rolling cradle for a 2 count. He puts on the sleeper hold, but Bravo gets to the ropes. Garvin goes for the piledriver, but Bravo counters only to be countered into a sunset flip for a 2 count. Bravo hits that dreaded side suplex and gets the victory. Another pointless match. Garvin attacks him from behind and then attacks Frenchy Martin and gives him the Garvin Stomp. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Brain Busters vs. Strike Force

Arn Anderson hits Martel in the back with a knee, but Martel fights back and now all four men are in the ring. Strike Force hits a double dropkick and clear the ring. Martel puts Anderson in the Boston crab and Blanchard hits him with a thumb to the eye. Now Tito puts Blanchard in the Figure Four and Martel joins in the fun. Tito goes for a flying forearm and Blanchard ducks, causing Tito to hit Martel. The Busters isolate Santana until he slams Anderson off the top rope. Santana is crawling to the corner, but Martel is still selling the injury. He then walks away and says he's done, leaving Santana on his own. Anderson hits the big spinebuster. The Busters hit the spike piledriver and get the victory. This existed to kick off Martel's heel turn and to put over the Busters. 

Match Rating: **

Rick Martel tells Gene that he's sick of carrying Tito around. Gene is just disgusted by his actions. 

It's time for Piper's pit, but instead Brother Love comes out with a kilt on. He then interviews Piper, with himself playing the role of Piper. Morton Downey Jr. now is out. He makes fun of Love for wearing a skirt and calls him fat. Downey starts smoking and Piper is introduced. This segment is already longer than it should be and Piper is just getting to the ring. Keep in mind there is almost 2 more hours left in this show. This all leads to Piper ripping off the kilt and exposing his red underwear. Love then runs off to the back. Now to Morton Downey. As far as WrestleMania "celebrities" go, he's right up there with the "Where's the beef?" lady. This all leads to Piper spraying Downey with a fire extinguisher. 

Mean Gene shows an exclusive sneak preview for No Holds Barred. 

If it can't get any worse, we go to Sean Mooney to interview the "illustrious" Donald Trump. 

Jesse Ventura then cuts a promo on Hulk Hogan about stealing his Hollywood territory. We then get a video package on the Hogan/Savage feud and now Hogan is with Gene. 

Andre The Giant vs. Jake Roberts

Andre attacks Jake upon entering and slams him into an exposed turnbuckle. Big John Studd is the guest referee if anyone cares. Andre dominates, so you can imagine what the pace of the match is. Roberts fights back and Andre gets tied up in the ropes. Jake gets some shots in, but Andre chokes him and is back in control. Jake now hits Andre in the exposed turnbuckle and it gets no reaction. Andre then knocks Jake out of the ring. Andre and Studd start arguing, so Jake grabs the snake. Andre shoves Studd into the turnbuckles and now Ted DiBiase and Virgil are out. DiBiase grabs the snake and runs to the back. Jake chases him down and gets Damien back. He tosses Damien back in the ring and Andre is out of there. They announce Jake the winner by disqualification and thankfully this is over with. There was absolutely no reason to give this as much time as it got. This was about as bad as it gets. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Sean Mooney interviews some guy in the crowd who just says "Jake's the best!" over and over. 

Tony Schiavone is with Sensational Sherri minus the face paint. 

Greg Valentine & Honky Tonk Man vs. Hart Foundation

This was pre-Rhythm & Blues for Valentine and Honky. The Harts start out in control thanks to Bret. Bret misses an elbow and they team up on him in their corner. Valentine goes for the Figure Four, but Bret is able to counter it and Valentine hits a gutbuster. Bret's able to sneak out a tag to Neidhart and he hits a couple of dropkicks. Bret hits a suplex, but Valentine breaks up the pin attempt. Neidhart steals the megaphone and tosses it to Bret, who uses it on Honky behind the referee's back and they pick up the victory. This felt more like a TV main event match than a WrestleMania match. 

Match Rating: **

Intercontinental Championship Match

Rick Rude vs. Ultimate Warrior

Because we haven't seen it enough tonight, Rude tries to attack Warrior and it doesn't work. We're about 60 seconds in and we already have a Warrior bear hug. Rude uses a rake to the eyes and then hits a really nice missile dropkick, but Warrior basically no sells it by kicking out at 1. Warrior uses another bear hug and then Warrior bites Rude. Warrior goes for a splash, but Rude gets his knees up. Gorilla rips on Warrior for not being where he should have been anyways. Rude hits a big piledriver and gets a 2 count. Warrior slams Rude face-first twice into the mat and hits a backbreaker. He tries to pick him up from the backbreaker, but he loses his balance and almost falls through the ropes. Warrior misses in the corner and Rude goes for the Rude Awakening. Warrior is able to power his way out of the move and hits a clothesline. Warrior clotheslines Rude out of the ring and tries to suplex him into the ring. Heenan grabs the Warrior's leg, tripping him up and then holds it down during the pin attempt and we have a new Intercontinental Champion. Good ending, mediocre match at best. 

Match Rating: *3/4

Bad News Brown vs. Jim Duggan

Bad News takes it to Duggan, but then misses in the corner. Duggan hits a clothesline and Brown starts heading to the back. He turns around and Duggan flips him back into the ring. The action spills outside and Bad News throws Duggan into the ring post. Bad News misses with the kick and Duggan hits a running clothesline. Bad News grabs a chair and Duggan grabs his 2x4. They start swinging at each other and then Duggan hits an atomic drop. He hits Bad News with the wood and that's all. Another stupid match. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Nothing like giving Red Rooster an interview spot. 

Bobby Heenan vs. Red Rooster

Brooklyn Brawler is with Heenan here. They were really testing the theory that Heenan could make anyone better here. Heenan misses in the corner and hits his shoulder into the turnbuckle and Rooster rolls him up for the victory. Brooklyn Brawler attacks Rooster, but Rooster fights back and the heels head to the back. This was deemed WrestleMania worthy in 1989. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Miss Elizabeth cuts a promo saying that she will remain neutral and she prays that neither man will be seriously injured.

WWF Championship Match

Randy Savage vs. Hulk Hogan

Good on Ventura for calling out the challenger coming out second, rather than the champion. Lots of stalling and mind games to start here. Savage is able to hit a running clothesline and Hogan is already bleeding. Hogan misses with an elbow drop and Savage shoves him into the turnbuckle. Hogan gets a mini adrenaline boost and throws Savage over the top rope. Elizabeth goes to check on Savage, but he tells her to leave. Hogan picks up Savage to ram into the ring post, but Elizabeth stops him. This allows Savage to shove him into the post. Savage has some words for Elizabeth when he sees her checking in on Hogan. Savage hits the double ax handle of the top rope to Hogan on the barricade. Savage takes some tape and chokes Hogan with it. Savage hits the top rope elbow drop, but Hogan kicks out and it's time to Hulk up. Hogan hits the big boot and the leg drop and that is all. This was the one match the crowd was truly into and they did go nuts for the finish, but I was very underwhelmed with this one. Savage was a miracle worker in this era and Hogan still couldn't have a great match with him. This match felt like it was missing a chunk of the story and it just lacked that special something. 

Match Rating: **1/4

I was really looking forward to watching this one again and it was even worse than I remembered. The booking was poor, the crowd was dead and not one match hit 3 stars. They could have easily just done a battle royal and get rid of about 4-5 matches on here. Nostalgia isn't enough to save this one and it deserves to be remembered as a bottom tier WrestleMania.

Overall Rating: 38%

Survivor Series 1993 Review

Wednesday, November 24th, 1993
Boston Garden
Boston, Massachusetts

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Lex Luger and his wife and kids wish us a Happy Thanksgiving. They then cut to the national anthem being sung in the arena. 

IRS, Diesel, Rick Martel & Adam Bomb vs. 1-2-3 Kid, Marty Jannetty, Razor Ramon & Randy Savage

The heels all came out to Diesel's entrance music, while the babyfaces came out individually. Ramon gets on the mic and says that Mr. Perfect is not on the team. He announces Randy Savage as the replacement. Razor and Martel start things out with some nice wrestling and reversals. Razor hits an atomic drop and an inverted atomic drop, prompting Martel to tag in Adam Bomb. We get the classic test of strength, with Razor immediately falling to his knees. He naturally battles back, but Bomb kicks him in the midsection. Razor battles back and hits a suplex out of the test of strength. We have a miscommunication between Martel and Bomb and IRS tries his best to calm everyone down. The Kid is in there now and he gets manhandled by Bomb before tagging in Diesel, who does the same. Diesel hits a gut wrench powerbomb. Kid runs into a big boot, but then hits a headscissor and tags in Savage, who cleans house. Savage hits a top rope elbow on Diesel and he's gone. That's a surprise, even 27+ years later. The heels now isolate Razor with quick tags. Razor is able to hit a knee lift on Martel, but can't get to his corner to make the tag. He gets a boot up on IRS and tags in Savage. As he's taking it to IRS, out comes Crush and Savage tries to go after him. His teammates stop him and he gets back in the ring. Savage loses focus and IRS rolls him up and he's gone. He chases Crush into the back and Jannetty is in for the first time. Martel rams his shoulder into the ring post and now Razor and IRS are both back in. Razor hits a variation of the chokeslam and then the Razor's Edge to eliminate IRS. A brawl breaks out between the five remaining members and Razor gets Martel up for the Razor's Edge, but IRS hits Razor with his briefcase. He's out of the ring and he gets counted out to even the score. Kid hits a pop up dropkick and Adam Bomb is out of the ring. Kid goes for a dive, but Bomb catches him and dumps him to the ground. He then hits launched clothesline on his way back in. Marty gets back in and quickens the pace on Martel. Kid gets tagged back in and he gets a roll up to eliminate Martel. Almost immediately after, Jannetty hits a sunset flip on Bomb and they pull off the upset victory. That was a very solid way to open the show and included some surprising booking. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

Shawn Michaels is with Todd Pettengill. He is wearing the Intercontinental Championship and they talk about him being reinstated. They then go to the Hart Family, as they pretend this feud is with Shawn Michaels and not Jerry Lawler. They go back to Michaels and he threatens Stu if he sticks his nose in his business. 

Ray Combs goes on and on before he gets to his ring introductions and it's not nearly the quality of his WrestleMania VIII intro. 

Shawn Michaels & His Knights vs. Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Keith Hart & Bruce Hart

Bruce, being the legend that he is, dominates the early moments of the match. He tags in Keith and he shows off some of his mat skills. This whole knight story could have been better if they would have built around it more than they did. Instead it just felt like three random jobbers. Bret gets a couple of nearfalls on the Black Knight and then hits the second rope elbow drop. He tags in Owen and he hits the spin kick and then the referee loses control. The Harts throw all four men into each other and Ray Combs just loves it. Owen hits the missile dropkick on the Black Knight and eliminates him. Combs thinks the match is over. This match just feels so pointless, even though it is probably a better match with Michaels over Lawler. Michaels gets launched at Keith, but he moves out of the way and tags in Bret. Bret locks in the Sharpshooter on the Red Knight and he is gone. Owen comes in and hits a second rope elbow drop. Shawn slides underneath Owen and out of the ring. Shawn goes after Stu and he slugs Michaels. Owen comes and hits a dive over the top rope. Owen hits a top rope crossbody on the Blue Knight. Owen gets Shawn out of there and puts the Sharpshooter on the Blue Knight and now it is 4-1. Shawn hits a superkick on Bruce and he kicks out of it. Bret gets tagged in and hits an inverted atomic drop. When Bret goes for a backbreaker, Shawn pokes him in the eye and buys himself some time. Bret tags in Owen and when he's running the ropes, he accidentally knocks Bret off the apron. The distraction allows Michaels to roll up and eliminate Owen. Owen is livid, while Bruce and Keith are checking on Bret. Bret eventually gets back in there and goes for the Sharpshooter. Shawn wiggles his way out and starts running to the back, giving the Harts the victory. After the match, Owen runs out and shoves Bret. Helen is distraught and Stu tries to have a word with both of them. Owen is complaining about never getting recognition and he then celebrates by himself. Todd Pettengill tries to get a word with Owen, but doesn't have any luck. This match seemed to only exist to begin the feud between Bret and Owen. Other than that, it just seemed to exist. I am a huge fan of Bret, Owen and Shawn, but the action here was pretty mediocre. 

Match Rating: **

Bobby and Gorilla have a little encounter. They shift over to Jim Ross and Gorilla on announcing to help promote WWF Radio and probably because Vince didn't want to announce a Rock 'n' Roll Express match. 

Smoky Mountain Wrestling Tag Team Championship Match

Heavenly Bodies vs. Rock 'n' Roll Express

This is still one of the most bizarre things to ever take place on a WWF pay-per-view and that says something. Ricky Morton hits a diving double clothesline through the ropes to the floor and Cornette tries to re-group his team. Robert Gibson hits a flying headscissor on Jimmy Del Ray and then a double reverse elbow. Morton hits a series of hip tosses and then avoids a superkick by Del Ray, which hits Prichard. Even though the action is pretty good here, the crowd doesn't care in the least. Morton's mullet is just some next level stuff here. Prichard is able to hit a sit down powerbomb on Morton and the Bodies finally get their chance to be on offense. Del Ray hits a springboard moonsault on Morton on the outside. He throws him back in the ring and Prichard is only able to get a 2 count. Del Ray hits a top rope moonsault, but Gibson breaks up the pin attempt. Morton is able to counter a double team into a double DDT and he makes the hot tag to Gibson. The Bodies throw Morton over the top rope, which is a disqualification in Smoky Mountain, but here in the WWF it isn't. so the match continues. Things start to break down  and Del Ray hits Gibson off the top rope with the tennis racket and we have new champions. This was actually a really fun match, but the crowd was dead silent for it. I'm a little disappointed that a traditional wrestling city like Boston wouldn't care at all about this match. Yes, I know they are a WWF spot, but still. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

We get the team of Bam Bam, Headshrinkers and Bastion Booger going to town on a turkey. Bam Bam claims that this is the best team today. 

Bam Bam Bigelow, Bastion Booger & Headshrinkers vs. Men On A Mission & Bushwhackers

Ah yes, the infamous Four Doinks match. Before ever seeing this pay-per-view, I had this match on a "Most Unusual Matches" video that I bought and honestly, younger me didn't hate it. I've only seen it one other time since then and that was about 15 years ago. Bastion Booger is absolutely the worst worker in the WWF in 1993. The Headshrinkers and Bam Bam both deserved so much better than this. Samu bites into a couple of balloons handed to him and then bites another one and this one has liquid in it. So that of course distracts him and he gets rolled up and eliminated. Booger hits a leg drop on Butch. He goes for the squash, which has to be the worst finisher to take in the history of wrestling. He gets up and shoves a banana in his mouth for some reason and goes for another splash. Mabel comes in and pulls him out from under him and he is too stupid to listen to his teammates and he misses. Mabel hits a leg drop and illegally eliminates him. While Fatu is dominating whichever Bushwhacker, Mo is riding around them on a scooter, which for some reason Tim White allows. Bam Bam kicks him off and chucks the scooter out of the ring. This gets White's attention for some reason. Fatu hits a splash and again with the banana. He picks it up and then Butch comes in with a bucket. He throws it at him, but it's empty and Fatu "slips" on the banana peel and he's gone. Bam Bam clears the ring and then Mabel just walks in without being tagged in. Mabel misses with a splash in the corner and Bam Bam hits a shoulder tackle to knock him down. Bam Bam gets distracted and they all pile on him for the victory. This absolutely is one of the worst matches in WWF/E history. This was insulting to the intelligence of every wrestling fan. After the match, Doink is on the screen mocking Bam Bam and Luna. Somehow this feud continued all of the way to WrestleMania.

Match Rating: 0 Stars

Todd Pettengill is with the Foreign Fanatics. Only Jim Cornette gets to talk, which is a shame with Jacques Rougeau there.

Ludvig Borga, Jacques, Crush & Yokozuna vs. Undertaker, Steiner Brothers & Lex Luger

Scott and Jacques start things off and Scott sends Jacques flying with a suplex. In come Rick and Yoko, and Rick is able to knock him through the ropes. He tags in Borga and he gets hit by Rick off the top rope. He goes off the top rope again and Borga botches the powerslam, but yet still pins him. That was terrible. After the elimination, it looks like Rick may have gotten hurt. Scott hits a double underhook suplex on Crush and then hits a clothesline. Crush hits a kick and out comes Savage with a bunch of officials holding him back. Crush press slams Scott out of the ring and that looked impressive, but they were too focused on Savage for it to matter. Savage again comes out and this time Crush goes out to attack him. Obviously Crush is then counted out and we are even at 3-3. Jacques hits a piledriver on Scott for a 2 count. Luger and Undertaker are yet to get in there so far. Luger finally gets tagged in and he hits a second rope elbow drop to eliminate Jacques. Yeah, okay. Borga splashes Scott in the corner and then nearly takes his head off with a clothesline. Borga goes up top, but Steiner gets there and hits a superplex. Yoko comes in and hits a big leg drop, eliminating Scott. We now get the dream match of Yokozuna and Borga vs. Undertaker and Luger. Yoko and Luger square off for a little bit, but nothing worthwhile happens. How in the world did this match main event a pay-per-view in an era where there were only five shows a year? Yoko misses with a splash in the corner and finally Taker is in. Taker hits a running DDT on Yoko and he wakes up the crowd. Borga provides a distraction and Yoko hits a belly-to-belly suplex. Taker sits up, but then gets hit by a clothesline and a leg drop. Yoko hits the Banzai Drop once, but then misses the second one and Taker is on his feet. He hits the leaping clothesline. The action spills outside and both men are counted out. Borga hits a sidewalk slam on Luger for a 2 count. They hit a double clothesline and both men are down. Cornette distracts the ref, allowing Mr. Fuji to hand Borga his basket. Borga hits Luger in the head with it and tosses it out of the ring, but Luger kicks out. Borga even botches running the ropes. Luger hits his forearm on Borga and puts him out of his misery. As Luger is celebrating, out comes Santa Claus and they celebrate in fake snow. The match wasn't awful, but it certainly wasn't very good. Borga was not ready and thankfully we don't see much more of him from here on out. 

Match Rating: *3/4

I'm not quite sure this one deserves to be in the discussion for worst WWF/E show ever, but it's probably in that next tier. There are two good matches on the show, but the whole thing just feels pointless. Nothing gets accomplished and the Doink match is an all time stinker. Unless you really love this era because you grew up on it, I would avoid watching this one. 

Overall Rating: 36%

SmackDown 3-10-06 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, March 10th, 2006
Mobile Civic Center
Mobile, Alabama

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Mark Henry and Daivari are out to start the show, with Michael Cole speculating that Undertaker won't be here due to the injuries suffered at the hands of Henry last week. Henry does whatever he wants, whenever he wants and he wants his title shot. He calls out Kurt Angle and Angle immediately comes out. Angle says he's ready right now and runs in the ring to attack Henry. In runs Randy Orton and they double team Angle until Mysterio is out to make the save. Out comes Teddy Long to make the obvious announcement of a tag team match. 

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match

Finlay vs. Bobby Lashley

Finlay runs down the ramp to attack Lashley and they start brawling to continue their fight from last week. Security again tries to break it up, but Lashley breaks free and he spears Finlay on the top of the stage. The match has not officially started and the brawl moves to the back. They then cut to them out in the parking lot. Finlay grabs a pipe and starts smashing a car. They then start fighting on the car and Lashley then starts attacking some of the security guards. Lashley then tips the car with Finlay on top of it. Finlay falls off and then despite the security guards efforts to stop him, tips over the car. Finlay was able to get out of the way and security finally separates them. This was fun again, but disappointing that there wasn't even just a little bit of a match though. 

Match Rating: No Rating

The Miz is coming to SmackDown. 

JBL is out and claims to be at a loss for words after all of the concern his fans have shown him after his hand surgery. He then repeats what he always says about being the longest running champion in SmackDown history and somehow this all ties into Steve Austin. He challenges Austin to a beer drinking contest at Saturday Night's Main Event. He then goes on to him taking on Chris Benoit at WrestleMania. 

Gregory Helms walks into Teddy Long's office and his nose is broken from a live show in Australia. Long says that he won't be defending his title tonight, but instead he gets a match against Chris Benoit. They show some highlights of the Australia and New Zealand tour. 

William Regal is out and starts making fun of Paul Burchill. He eventually introduces him and Burchill comes out swinging on a rope. 

William Regal vs. Paul Burchill

After a little bit of offense from Burchill, Regal hits a knee and then a knee drop to Burchill as he is draped over the ring apron. Regal hits an exploder suplex and gets a 2 count. Burchill explodes for a flying clothesline and then an inverted atomic drop. Burchill then hits Walking The Plank out of nowhere and gets the victory. I don't care what anyone says, I liked this version of Burchill. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Booker T and Sharmell are here to complain about how they have been treated. Sharmell blames both Long and Boogeyman. They have a bag full of letters of people complaining about the Boogeyman. He then tells Teddy Long that he needs to do something. He then announces that Booker T will take on Boogeyman at Saturday Night's Main Event on the screen. All of a sudden, Sharmell's mail bag starts smoking and worms come out of it and they freak out. Out comes the Boogeyman, but they're able to escape before he can get to them. 

They once again announce Sensational Sherri as the next inductee into the WWE Hall Of Fame. 

Divas Uncovered Match

Jillian Hall vs. Kristal Marshall

Jillian tosses Kristal across the ring, but Kristal hits a crossbody. Jillian is able to rip her top off, but then is hit by a spear from Kristal. Kristal goes for a sunset flip and rips off Jillian's skirt. Kristal is able to is able to rip off Jillian's top and that is all. Jillian runs away embarrassed, as if what she was wearing wasn't revealing to begin with. Kristal then takes off her skirt for her celebration. This was historic because it was Kristal's first match. Truly a day that none of us will ever forget. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show Batista at the Arnold Classic. 

Chris Benoit vs. Gregory Helms

Benoit takes it to Helms early on and even grabs the broken nose. Helms catches Benoit in the face with a reverse elbow and then a leg drop to the midsection. Helms hits Benoit with a stiff looking clothesline that maybe Benoit wasn't expecting. Benoit ducks a Shining Wizard attempt and puts Helms in the Sharpshooter. Helms climbs to the ropes to break the hold and then tries to walk away. A quartet of cruiserweights are there to throw him back in and Benoit hits a German suplex. Benoit then hits the top rope headbutt and locks in the Crippler Crossface for the victory. They probably given them a couple of more minutes there, but it accomplished what it set out to do. 

Match Rating: **

The WrestleMania Big Time Moment is Butterbean knocking out Bart Gunn. They also show a Candice Michelle video from Raw. 

They show clips of Animal attacking Matt Hardy from last week. They then do a an interview with Animal, who is in a studio for some reason. He then takes credit for the Legion of Doom being the greatest tag team of all time. He says that Hawk was always partying and Heidenreich was an even bigger screw up. He's sick of carrying the team and that's why he did what he did to WHardy last week. He's ready to go on his own. Yes, Animal's single run in 2006 was a real thing. 

Mark Henry & Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio & Kurt Angle

Angle and Mysterio dominate the first segment. Mysterio goes for the 619 on Orton, but Henry is able to roll him out of the ring just before the commercial break. Daivari grabs the leg of Mysterio as he is climbing the ropes and it then allows Orton enough time to recover and hit a dropkick once Mysterio finally leaps. Henry comes in and dismantles Mysterio with his meticulous pace. Henry hits a military press slam, but Mysterio is able to avoid the splash. Mysterio makes the tag to Angle and he hits a German suplex on Orton and the straps are down. They counter each others finishers and Angle then puts on the Ankle Lock. Henry is able to break the hold. Angle tags in Henry and he gets hit with a missile dropkick. Rey hits the seated senton and again Mark Henry makes the save. Henry then decides to throw the referee in the corner and splashes him. Daivai takes out a table and sets it up in the ring. He sets Mysterio on the table and goes up to the second rope. Angle rolls Mysterio off the table and slows down Henry. Orton comes over and hits a RKO on Angle. Henry then hits a second rope splash through a table and that didn't look pleasant. After that, the lights go out and Taker tells Henry he will face him at WrestleMania in a casket match. So apparently this match is over despite no one making a ruling? The match was fine for what it was, but they're in build mode to WrestleMania, so I wansn't expecting a clean finish. 

Match Rating: **1/4

I'm not sure what was going on backstage, but this was a below average show for the most part. Unlike Raw, there were some good segments and in ring action,. However, it still wasn't enough for me to give this a thumbs up.

Overall Rating; 45%

Monday Night Raw 3-6-06 Review

Monday, March 6th, 2006
Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center
Birmingham, Alabama

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Vince and Shane McMahon are here to kick off the show. They are joined by a large group of security. Vince goes into an Oscar-like acceptance speech, complete with photos from last week. The camera angle they are using is a rare one that actually makes the ring and stage look small. He then debuts the cover of him on Muscle & Fitness magazine. Shawn Michaels' music hits and all of security very wisely walks towards the entrance ramp. So of course Michaels comes from behind and attacks him. Vince says that tonight Michaels will face Shane tonight despite them fighting at Saturday Night's Main Event in less than two weeks. Shane doesn't seem too happy about it either. Vince tries to run back in the ring, but Shane doesn't let him. 

When we come back from commercial, Shane is questioning Vince's decision. 

Intercontinental Championship Match

Shelton Benjamin vs. Ric Flair

Shelton goes right after Flair and hits a back body drop and a Samoan drop. Shelton accidentally hits the referee in the eye and Flair immediately puts him in the Figure Four. The ref can't see and Shelton is tapping. The ref calls for the bell, but he rules it's a disqualification and that the title won't change hands. Flair attacks Shelton and then grabs the oxygen tank from his mama. He hits Shelton in the midsection with the tank and mama isn't happy. Pretty much the entire goal here was to show Flair as a threat. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Kudos to whoever put together the WrestleMania Rewind package, as it was full of retro goodness. Tonight it's a WrestleMania XX rematch between Big Show and John Cena. Plus, Triple H is taking on Kane in a rematch from WrestleMania XV.

They show a clip from WWE.com Unlimited with Teddy Long and Rob Van Dam. Long announces that three of the six competitors in the Money In The Bank match will be from SmackDown. 

Triple H vs. Kane

Triple H's entrance is longer here than the last match. Kane hits a big boot and a clothesline in the corner. Kane runs into a big knee lift though, but Kane sits up and hits a big right hand. Kane climbs up to the top rope, but Triple H crotches him on the ropes and he falls back into the ring. Triple H goes for a suplex, but Kane reverses it and hits one of his own. They're already acting as if they have been going at if for 15 minutes instead of about 100 seconds. Triple H goes for the Pedigree, but it gets countered with a back body drop. Kane goes up top again and this time hits the clothesline. Kane signals for the chokeslam, but Chris Masters is out and distracts him. Triple H sends Kane out of the ring, but he tries to drag Triple H out of the ring. Out comes Carlito and he spits an apple in Kane's face. They throw him into the ring post and Triple H hits the Pedigree for the victory. The match itself was really bad, considering it involved to perennial main eventers. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Torrie and Victoria are talking backstage and she is upset about Candice slapping her. Victoria sides with Candice, but she says after tonight they will be the Three Amigas. 

Shawn Michaels is in a pretty sorry looking locker room and in walks a pregnant Stephanie McMahon. She tries to sell him on becoming a better person with kids and asks Shawn for some water. While he is gone, she dumps something into his water. She leaves and Shawn takes a sip. 

After a quick Playboy video package, Torrie and Victoria unveil the cover. The Cover lifts up and Candice is under wearing the outfit she's wearing on the cover. Candice then asks Torrie to tell her she's the hottest WWE Diva to ever pose for Playboy. Torrie doesn't and they get into it. Candice apologizes and they hug, allowing Victoria to attack her from behind. The crowd was dead for this. 

Shane McMahon vs. Shawn Michaels

They go right at it to start, leading to Shawn having to chase Shane around the ring. Shane is able to capitalize, as Shawn is selling the effects of whatever Stephanie put in his water. Shawn tries a flying forearm, but he barely hits Shane. Shane takes it to him and then easily pins Michaels. This was obviously all storyline. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

After the match, Shane tells Lilian Garcia that Shawn Michaels now has to face Vince. 

Vince McMahon vs. Shawn Michaels

Vince immediately pins Shawn for the victory. This is some peak Vince Russo booking here. 

Match Rating: No Rating

Out come the Spirit Squad to celebrate with the McMahons. 

Eugene vs. Kenny

The Spirit Squad mocks Eugene and then plays keep away with air horn. They finally hand it to him and that allows Kenny to attack him. Kenny was the darling of the group and boy, were they wrong. Kenny hits a low dropkick on Eugene and this match already feels like 20 minutes long. Eugene starts to hulk up and hits an airplane spin. Eugene hits a nice modified Bluldog and rolls up Kenny for a 2 count. Eugene hits a clothesline and shakes his butt at the Squad. Eugene hits the Rock Bottom, but when he goes for the People's Elbow, three of the Spirit Squad distract the ref and Johnny hits a kick. Kenny then hits his huge leg drop off the top rope for the victory. This felt longer than it was and that's never a good thing. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Maria vs. Lita

Lita sells this as an easy deal for her and instantly hits a clothesline on Maria. Lita goes to make out with Edge and Maria rolls her up for a 2 count. Lita's facial expressions are spot on here, but her style of wrestling doesn't really suit her being in this role. Lita nails a DDT and that is all for Maria. After the match, Lita holds up Maria so he can hit a Spear on her, but Mick Foley eventually makes his way down there. He ends up taking a Spear instead and then Edge goes and grabs some chairs. He hits a one man con-chair-to and tells Foley he accepts his challenge. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They announce Sensational Sherri as the next inductee in the Hall Of Fame. What a class this was. 

Mickie James is excited about Sherri being inducted and then Trish comes in and tells Mickie that she's just too much. Trish tells her that they need time apart, which of course breaks Mickie's heart. 

They hype up the Saturday Night's Main Event card, which I was in attendance for. Big Show is shown doing push ups before walking to the ring. Yeah, I'm sure he does that every time. 

Big Show vs. John Cena

If I haven't said it before, Big Show really had some of the worst entrance music. I really can't believe it lasted his entire run. Cena runs into a big boot and Show follows it up with a headbutt. Show tossing around Cena is always impressive. Cena is able to lower the top rope to dump Show to the floor and out walks Triple H and his sledgehammer at the commercial break. When we come back, Show hits a huge vertical suplex. I'm not sure if it is just the way the arena is designed or what, but the crowd has not been loud at all tonight. Show catches Cena off the second rope and slams him down. Show starts climbing the ropes, but out come Carlito and Masters. Kane is right behind them though and he takes care of both of them. Show is distracted and Cena hits a suplex off the ropes, which is even more impressive. Cena counters a chokeslam in to a DDT and then another one into a FU for the victory. The match was very slow moving until the end where we got to see Cena's superhuman strength. 

Match Rating: *1/2

Cena stares down Triple H from the ring and then gives us the obligatory point to the sign. 

This show was really, really weak. There was nothing of value on here and that is pretty rare in this era. I don't think of any of the storylines were advanced for the better and none of the matches were good either. This was just a flat episode heading closer to WrestleMania. 

Overall Rating: 34%

Off The Grid, Volume 9: WrestleMania VII Review

Sunday, March 24th, 1991
Los Angeles Sports Arena
Los Angeles, California

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Off The Grid, Volume 9:

There is a lot to unpack here. This was the first pay-per-view that I ever bought at my house and probably the most excited I have ever been to watch any wrestling show in my entire life. As a result, I probably watched this show (particularly the first half), well over 100 times. With that being said, I probably haven't watched it from start to finish in about 10-15 years. Let's see how it holds up. 

We get a classic Vince McMahon introduction featuring the best WrestleMania theme song. They really need to bring it back. This show was supposed to take place in the outdoor Los Angeles Coliseum, but due to poor ticket sales (and security) was moved indoors to the Sports Arena. The crowd here is super hot and the atmosphere was pretty incredible all night. 

Willie Nelson is here to sing "America The Beautiful". I forgot that he sang this with no music, which was kind of a surprising choice. This leads to Gorilla Monsoon's introduction and since Bobby Heenan is managing in the opener, he brings out Hacksaw Jim Duggan as his guest announcer. Duggan is dressed as Uncle Sam. I used to have all of Duggan's lines memorized here. 

Sean Mooney is with The Rockers, who remind us that they are tag team specialists.

Haku & Barbarian vs. The Rockers

The Rockers were absolutely on fire here in early 1991. Michaels and Haku start things off and Haku catches him in a bear hug and throws him into the turnbuckle. Haku catches Michaels on his shoulder, but Michaels escapes and after a couple of leap frogs, he hits a shoulder block. The Rockers hit a double team, but then Barbarian hits a huge clothesline. They recover and hit double superkicks and the heels go to re-group with Bobby Heenan. Barbarian and Jannetty are in there now and Barbarian quickly gets the advantage on Jannetty. Marty slides under the legs of Barbarian and then goes for a sunset flip. It doesn't work, so he goes for a headscissors, but Barbarian catches him. Michaels comes in and dropkicks him and Jannetty gets the hurricanrana in. It doesn't last long and Barbarian nearly take Jannetty's head off with the illegal double team. Jannetty ducks a clothesline and they collide in the middle, but Haku is quickly up and he hits two backbreakers. I will never understand why they didn't do more with Haku and Barbarian. Jannetty attempts a comeback, but Barbarian catches him with an awesome powerslam. Barbarian goes up top and misses with the headbutt. Michaels gets the hot tag and hits a reverse elbow. Michaels hits a reverse neckbreaker for a 2 count. The Rockers clear Barbarian out of the ring and both head up top. Jannetty hits the missile dropkick and Michaels hits the flying crossbody for the pinfall victory. This is such an underrated tag team match. It followed the formula and delivered a great opening match. 

Match Rating: ****

Mean Gene is back with the celebrities of the show. Regis Philbin here is absolutely classic. He talks about being afraid of Earthquake, which leads to Gene telling him that he's beautiful. Marla Maples is going to be doing interviews in the locker room. Alex Trebek does a little play on Jeopardy and we head on down back to the ring. 

Dino Bravo vs. Texas Tornado

Tornado gets attacked with his robe still on. Bravo clotheslines him out and over and continues the assault. Tornado gets his robe off and hits an atomic drop. He tries to go for the claw, but Bravo blocks it and hits him with some chops. Bravo hits a weak looking inverted atomic drop and follows it up with an elbow. Bravo hits the deadly side suplex, but Tornado kicks out. Heenan is jazzed up tonight and this is honestly one of his best performances of all time here tonight. Tornado gets the claw on and hits the Tornado punch for the easy victory. Short and inoffensive. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

We now go back to Sean, who is with Warlord and Slick. Classic Slick stuff here. Mean Gene is with British Bulldog, who cuts one of his weakest promos. Winston does talk to him, so there's that. 

Warlord vs. British Bulldog

After a few shoulder tackles, Bulldog is finally able to get Warlord down. Bulldog goes for a crucifix, but Warlord drops him on his back. Warlord did have a nice looking elbow drop, I'll give him that. Bulldog gets out of the bear hug, but then Warlord hits a nice looking Stun Gun. Warlord has Bulldog in such a bad chinlock that even Heenan is calling him out on it. Bulldog gets out and hits a nice standing dropkick. Bulldog goes for a piledriver, but Warlord flips him over. Bulldog turns it into a pin attempt and Warlord kicks out at 3. Bulldog runs into a big boot and then Warlord slaps on the Full Nelson. Warlord doesn't have the fingers locked though and Gorilla is all over it. Bulldog breaks the hold and Warlord is in shock. Bulldog gets him up on his shoulder and hits the running powerslam for the victory. That was legitimately the best match that these two could possibly have. The crowd was 100% into that finish too. 

Match Rating: **3/4

The Nasty Boys and Jimmy Hart are with Mean Gene. LOUD NOISES! They both blow their noses in Gene's handkerchief. The Hart Foundation are with Sean. Bret Hart doesn't think they're nasty, he thinks they're scum. 

WWF Tag Team Championship Match

Nasty Boys vs. Hart Foundation

We get our first Macaulay Culkin sighting. Bret gets the better of Sags to kick things off. Both men tag their partners in and Neidhart cleans house. The crowd is still on fire four matches into the show. An illegal double team by Knobbs finally slows the Foundation down. The Nasty's cut the ring in half and work on the back of Bret for awhile. Bret finally is able to pick Knobbs up on his back and slam him back. He then avoids a swinging Knobbs and he makes the tag. However, Earl Hebner didn't see it and doesn't allow it. Hart tosses the megaphone in and it backfires. Neidhart finally tags in and he takes care of both men. He hits a powerslam that leads to a nearfall after Sags breaks up the attempt. Bret starts chasing Sags around the ring and it leads to Knobbs colliding with him. The Harts hit the Hart Attack, but Hebner tells Hart to get out of the ring. This allows the Nasty Boys to use the helmet as a weapon and steal the WWF Tag Team Championships. I remember being absolutely shocked that they won this match and honestly it still is kind of surprising. This was a solid match with a hot finish. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

We get a video package on the Jake Roberts/Rick Martel feud, which was really well done. 

Blindfold Match

Rick Martel vs. Jake Roberts

Martel's over the top reactions are really good here. Roberts uses the crowd to help him find Martel and the crowd is definitely here for it. They finally lock up and Martel hits a body slam. He goes for an elbow drop, but Jake is out of the way and Martel is frustrated. This one's a pretty easy gig for Danny Davis here. Jake claps to bait Martel into coming near him and gets his hands on him, but Martel is able to escape. Martel accidentally grabs the bag with Damien and he freaks out. They collide and Jake gets knocked out of the ring. Martell rolls out and grabs a chair. He bumps into the ring post and slams the chair into it, hurting his hand. Jake drags him back in, but Martel hits a backbreaker. He puts him in the Boston Crab, but Jake is able to kick out. Jake bumps into him and nails the DDT out of nowhere for the victory. I've grown to appreciate this match a little bit more, but it's hard to really rate it. At the end of the day, the live crowd loved it. After the match, Jake grabs the Arrogance and stomps on it. Damien then makes an appearance and he gets him on Martel until he's able to scoot out of there and to the back. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Marla Maples is backstage with the Nasty Boys and Jimmy Hart. In comes the Mountie, Dino Bravo and Earthquake. They bust out the bubbly and this is definitely a highlight of the show. 

Jimmy Snuka vs. Undertaker

Well, here is the beginning of the streak and as most people know, it all started with Jimmy Snuka. Snuka was basically a glorified jobber at this point. Taker attacks him from behind and then hits a leaping clothesline, which draws a big pop from the live crowd. Taker hits a huge vertical suplex from the apron. Taker catches Snuka from his slingshot attempt and he hits the Tombstone for the easy victory. Impressive squash match for Taker here. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

It's now time for the highlights of one of the better told stories in WWF/E history. Randy Savage's interference at Royal Rumble may be the most memorable interference ever. They then cut to Gorilla and Bobby and Bobby notices Miss Elizabeth in the crowd. 

Career Ending Match

Randy Savage vs. Ultimate Warrior

To steal from Gorilla Monsoon, the atmosphere is electric for this one. Savage tries outsmarting Warrior, but Warrior continually gets the better of him. Sherri gets in the ring and Warrior accidentally tosses Savage into her and she is hurt. Warrior gets Savage tied up in the ropes and gets a few kicks in. Savage is just on another level. Savage is able to fight back and hit a leaping clothesline. Savage goes up top, but Warrior catches him and then sets him down to slap him in the face. Savage tosses a chair in the ring and it allows him to sneak attack Warrior. Warrior still gets the better of him though and clubs him with roundhouse rights. Warrior goes for a splash in the corner and misses and falls to the floor. Sherri is there to do what she does best and Savage hits him with the double ax handle off the top rope. Sherri continues interfering, but Warrior shoves her to the floor. Savage attacks him from behind and throws him into the ring post. Monsoon announces that tonight is the largest audience in the history of pay-per-view, which is great and all if there was actually a way for them to tally that up on the fly. Warrior goes for a shoulder tackle, but Savage moves and gets a 2 count. They have the crowd eating out of the palm of their hand. Warrior breaks out of the sleeper hold and they hit a double clothesline. Savage hits Warrior with a knee to the back and it knocks the referee down. Savage holds Warrior and Sherri goes up top with her shoe. Warrior moves out of the way and hits Savage in the head. Warrior chases after Sherri, so Savage rolls him up and gets a nearfall. Savage goes nuts on offense and hits FIVE elbow drops, but Warrior kicks out. Warrior hits a series of clotheslines and hits the gorilla press slam and splash, but Savage kicks out! Warrior starts to look up to the heavens and then starts talking to his hands. Warrior starts walking out of the ring, but then Savage clubs him out of the ring. Savage goes for another double ax handle, but Warrior sidesteps it and Savage hits the steel guardrail. Warrior makes up his mind and is back to business. Warrior hits three running shoulder tackles and stands on Savage for the pinfall victory. This match was absolutely awesome, but we're just getting started here. Sherri comes in the ring and starts yelling at Savage, who is still selling the attack from Warrior. Sherri starts literally kicking him while he's down. Elizabeth jumps the guardrail and runs into the ring. She grabs Sherri by the hair and tosses her out of the ring. Savage is oblivious to all of it and keeps pushing Elizabeth away. Once he realizes it was Elizabeth who came to his rescue, the two embrace and the the city of Los Angeles loses it. This whole thing is one of the greatest moments in WrestleMania history. The current roster and staff really needs to be reminded that fans get attached to the characters that are portrayed, not the machine. They did nothing fancy in the match, but it was action packed and the crowd was on the edge of their seat for the whole thing. 

Match Rating: ****3/4

We are at intermission now and Monsoon and Bobby go over the Boss Man/Perfect match. They kick it over to Regis, who is with Undertaker and Paul Bearer. They don't say anything, but Taker starts measuring Regis. They go over to Alex Trebek with Demolition and Mr. Fuji, sorry Master Fuji. They then go to Tenryu and Kitao. Philbin tries to interview them, but he's getting no response. They then go into Japanese companies and they respond with "Kathie Lee". Now Jake is with Trebek, who is scared away by Damien. Heenan then claims that he picked all of the people for the celebrities to interview. 

Demolition vs. Tenryu & Kitao

I'm not sure that they ever really explained why Tenryu and Kitao were even here. The two big hosses start off and Fuji gets involved early on by hitting Kitao in the back with his cane. Crush hits the double ax handle off the top rope, as Demolition cuts the ring in half early on. This is the first match that the crowd is just not into. Kitao explodes out of the corner for a clothesline and hits a hot tag to Tenryu. He goes for a reverse elbow off the top rope, but Smash is able to move. Crush hits a spinning backbreaker and Smash hits the back suplex. They go for their finisher, but Kitao gets in there to distract Crush. Crush dumps him out, but then Kitao knocks him off the top rope. Tenryu hits the powerbomb and are victorious. This was a really tough spot for these guys and the match just wasn't very good. What a fall from grace for Demolition too. From one of the biggest pops in WrestleMania history at VI to the worst spot on the card just a year later. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Big Boss Man, who is in the best shape of his career here, is all fired up and reminds Heenan that crime does not pay. Perfect is, of course, perfect in his interview. 

Intercontinental Championship Match

Big Boss Man vs. Mr. Perfect

Lord Alfred Hayes joins Monsoon here. Perfect throwing the towel at Boss Man's face and then Boss Man wiping his butt with it and throwing it back in Perfect's face is great 90s stuff. Boss Man slaps Perfect and Perfect goes spinning like only he can. Boss Man slides under the bottom rope and back in the ring and tosses Perfect over the top rope. Man, if Boss Man could have stayed this weight his whole career, he could have had some real great matches. Boss Man is waking up the post-intermission crowd. Boss Man takes off his belt and starts whipping Perfect with it right in front of the ref. I'm not sure how you can logically defend that, but they let it go. Perfect locks in the abdominal stretch that even impresses Gorilla. Perfect releases and hits a standing dropkick. Perfect goes for the Perfect Plex, but Boss Man counters with a small package for a 2 count. Perfect hits a reverse Blockbuster and gets a 2 count. Perfect goes up top, but he's greeted with a big boot. Heenan's facial expression is tremendous. Perfect proceeds to bump all over the place and then Boss Man crotches him on the ring post, which again should probably be a DQ. Boss Man hits him with an uppercut over the top rope. Boss Man turns his attention to Heenan, so Perfect throws him into the steel steps. Heenan gets in a few cheap shots and out comes Andre The Giant. Andre grabs the Intercontinental belt and Perfect isn't happy about it. Perfect tries to snatch it, but Andre hits him with it in the head. Both men are down and the ref starts the count. Boss Man gets a nearfall. In run Haku and Barbarian to attack Boss Man. Boss Man sends them out of the ring and Andre gets a few chops in. Boss Man wins the match by DQ and obviously doesn't win the title. After the match, he and Andre celebrate. The match was enjoyable, but I don't want to see that finish on one of the featured matches. 

Match Rating: ***

Earthquake vs. Greg Valentine

During Quake's entrance, Mean Gene is in the crowd is with Donald Trump, Chuck Norris, Henry Winkler and Lou Ferrigno. That is quite the quartet. As a result, basically all of Valentine's entrance is missed. Earthquake hits the big powerslam and gets a 2 count. Valentine gets in a few elbows and jabs. A second rope elbow drop finally knocks Earthquake down. He hits a headbutt to the mid-section and then tries for the Figure Four. Jimmy Hart distracts him and he gets attacked by Quake. He gets hit by a huge elbow drop and then the big splash for the easy victory. He goes for another one after the match, but Valentine is able to roll out of the ring. This was just a reason to get Quake on the card. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Legion of Doom aren't very happy and when they get done with Power & Glory, they'll be Sour & Gory.

Power & Glory vs. Legion Of Doom

Hercules and Roma attack them on their entrance, but Hawk hits a double clothesline. Roma hits a body slam on Roma, but when he goes up top, Animal catches him and hits a powerslam. They hit the Doomsday Device and get the quick victory. 1991 me absolutely loved this and this is the reason you bring in a team like Legion of Doom, but Power & Glory deserved better. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Ted DiBiase vs. Virgil

Roddy Piper is in Virgil's corner and the crowd is chanting "Virgil" to start the match. Virgil kicks off the match with a boxing technique and DiBiase is flustered. DiBiase is distracted by Virgil and he brings him in the hard way. But as quickly as he brings him in, he clotheslines him right back out to the floor. DiBiase finally gets to let out some of his frustration and starts slamming Virgil face-first into the mat. DiBiase levels Virgil with a big clothesline and then a piledriver for a 2 count. DiBiase hits a couple of suplexes and dumps Virgil right in front of Piper. After throwing Virgil back in the ring, DiBiase shoves over the injured Piper right in front of Trump. DiBiase goes off the ropes, but Piper uses his crutch to lower the rope and DiBiase is once again outside. DiBiase hits Piper with a right hand and then is counted out. DiBiase attacks Virgil and puts him in the Million Dollar Dream. Piper crawls his way back into the ring and hits DiBiase with his crutch. Out comes Sensational Sherri and she grabs the crutch from Piper, allowing DiBiase to attack his injured leg. Virgil is able to get DiBiase out of there and Piper refuses help to get back up on his feet. Virgil grabs the mic and urges Piper to get up. Piper gets up and they embrace and head to the back. The match wasn't bad, but with as hot of a feud as this was, they made it too much about Piper. They would have the perfect blow off to the feud at SummerSlam. 

Match Rating: *3/4

We now get a recap of Sgt. Slaughter burning Hogan's shirt. Sean Mooney now interviews Slaughter and Adnan. Slaughter says that he is the new ruler of the WWF and there's nothing Hogan can do about it. They then show Slaughter attacking Hogan with a chair at The Main Event. Slaughter teases that he might get disqualified or counted out tonight and that Hogan would not be the champion. This was much more cartoony than his other promos and a little weak. 

Mountie vs. Tito Santana

Mountie tries to leapfrog, but Santana was going for a flying forearm and they collide in mid-air. Satana hits a double noggin knocker on Mountie and Hart and then hits an atomic drop. Hart sneaks the shock stick to Mountie and hits Santana in the gut behind the ref's back and gets the victory. Tito deserved better than the Skinner WrestleMania VIII treatment. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Now it's time to hear from Hulk Hogan. They show clips of Hogan vs. General Adnan with Slaughter ambushing him with the WWF Championship. Hogan says he's not the same man because he's done a 360...which would mean he's the same man. 

We get to hear the glorious WrestleMania theme one more time as they bring out the celebrities again. 

WWF Championship Match

Sgt. Slaughter vs. Hulk Hogan

Well, as a kid in 1991, this was the match that I cared about the least. I disliked both wrestlers and never went on to be a Hogan fan at any time of my wrestling fandom. The storyline was obviously flawed, but within the bubble I felt like they did do a decent job of building it up. After a lot of stalling, they finally lock up and Hogan overpowers Slaughter, where he humorously complains that he grabbed his hair. Slaughter was 42 years old here and Hogan was 37. Hogan gets his hands on Adnan and Slaughter taps Hogan on the back with a chair, which Hogan doesn't sell. Hogan dominates the early going here, as he does in most of his matches. Adnan tries to grab Hogan's leg on the second rope and then he and Slaughter seem to have a miscommunication, so Hogan of course just keeps going after Slaughter. He tries to go up to the top rope and this time Adnan grabs his leg and it works. Slaughter dominates and again hits Hogan with the chair. Slaughter then uses one of the camera cables to choke Hogan. Slaughter gets Hogan in the Boston Crab and he finally grabs the rope that he's right next to. Even Philbin is yelling at him to grab the rope. Slaughter goes back to working on the back of Hogan. Hogan is busted open now and Slaughter is attacking it. Slaughter locks in the Camel Clutch in the middle of the ring. He releases the hold and stomps on the back of Hogan, before locking it in again. Hogan is back on his feet and has Slaughter on his back, but Slaughter is able to shove him into the turnbuckle sternum-first. He grabs the Iraqi flag and puts is on Hogan for the pin attempt. Hogan kicks out and rips the Iraqi flag. It's time for the Hulk up. Hogan hits the big boot and the leg drop for the victory. That was a little anti-climatic to an otherwise decent Hogan match. Hogan must pose and of course he does. 

Match Rating: **1/4

This WrestleMania really had a little bit of everything. For better or worse, it had the beginning of the Undertaker's streak, a blindfold match, a decent Hogan match, a surprise title change, an Andre surprise appearance and an epic retirement match with one of the greatest reunions in wrestling history. Was it perfect? Of course not. The Gulf War stuff doesn't hold up well, but honestly it didn't hinder the show as much as I thought it would. If you love this era of wrestling, I believe this is one of the highlights of the time and one of the most underrated WrestleMania's of all time. Big thumbs up from me. 

Overall Rating: 88%