Superstars 1-22-94 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, January 22nd, 1994
Lowell Auditorium
Lowell, Massachusetts

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Ludvig Borga vs. Tim McNeany

McNeany sneak attacks Borga off the top rope, but then Borga takes his head off with a clothesline. He then hits the British Bulldog vertical suplex. Borga puts on the Torture Rack and that is all. I believe this is Borga's last televised match, but don't quote me on that. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's Update time with Gorilla Monsoon. The Quebecers didn't lose the belts and regain them just to lose them to the Harts tonight. Gorilla thinks there a little overconfident. 

Doink vs. Cory Student

Dink squirts water out of a camera on Student. Doink went from one of the best characters to one of the worst almost overnight. Doink does a unique pin and that's it. Seriously. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go to Jim Ross, who runs down the Royal Rumble. We get an interview from Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji and I'll let you guess who does the talking. 

We go back to the Undertaker's workshop, where Paul Bearer has the casket on a wagon to be carried by horse. As it walks away, Undertaker is there and tells Yokozuna that he should be terrified. 

John Crystal vs. Shawn Michaels

Michaels hits a back suplex and then avoids a charge from Chrystal. Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music, which is still not his finisher. Michaels hits the piledriver and that is all. It seems like the squashes are a lot shorter during this era than they were in the prime of the show. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Just in case you somehow didn't know the Royal Rumble was tonight, Todd Pettengill now gets a chance to talk about it. They remember that IRS is fighting Razor Ramon and both guys get promo spots. Call the hotline to find out who will be coming up next seconds before you can see it with your own eyes! What a deal. 

Adam Bomb & Rick Martel vs. Smoking Gunns

Bomb and Martel are about as random of a team that they could put together. Vince calls them the Beavis and Butthead of WWF. Not a chance Vince ever watched a second of that show. Bomb attacks Billy from behind, but Billy fights him off with a hip toss. Bomb tags in Martel and he suffers the same fate. Billy dropkicks Martel into a body slam by Bart. Bomb pulls down the top rope and Bart goes flying to the floor. Martel and Bomb use a unique double clothesline while Martel is still on the apron. Bart is then able to get a knee up on a charging Martel and makes the tag to Billy. They clothesline Bomb out of the ring and then hit a double side Russian leg sweep on Martel. Harvey Wippleman comes in the ring and attacks Bart, but the referee sees it and that's it. Martel and Wippleman start going at it and Bomb makes the save. Martel ends up walking out to end the segment. The match was okay, but of course with a useless ending. 

Match Rating: **

We go back to JR trying to sell us the hotline again. He talks to Shawn Michaels, who claims there is no Intercontinental Championship match at the Royal Rumble because he isn't defending his title.

Crush vs. Dan Dubiel

Dubiel gets in some clotheslines and then goes to the second rope. Crush catches him and dumps him down. He puts his skull crushing finisher on and that is all. He then waives the Japanese flag in celebration. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Bret and Owen are here for an arena interview with Raymond Rougeau. The Hart brothers are ready for Owen's big break tonight. 

We end the show with a rap from Men On A Mission telling us the Rumble is comin'. 

This was a decent show by Superstars standards. The feature match was pretty good action overall and the squashes were spirited. I do think there is just too much of the studio stuff in here, but that's me. 

Overall Rating: 45%

Monday Night Raw 1-17-94 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, January 17th, 1994
Richmond Coliseum
Richmond, Virginia

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Vince gives us the dramatic recap of last week's big title change on Raw. He is then joined by Crush in a cut off flannel shirt. He had a good, long talk with his buddy IRS.

Owen Hart vs. Terry Austin

Bret is out to accompany his brother because they are such good buddies. While Owen shows off a bit, Vince gets on the phone with Stan Lane who is reporting live from Madison Square Garden about the rematch for the tag titles. Austin catches a kick from Owen, but then gets hit with the enzuigiri. He locks in the Sharpshooter and that's all. Crush says he does it better than Bret and claims Bret looks jealous as they are hugging. Vince comes out to interview the Harts. Owen plays up the frustration of the Quebecers no longer being the champs since this was his time to shine. Bret says that under no circumstances would he ever cheer for the Quebecers, which Owen doesn't love. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Tatanka vs. George South

Who thought it was a good idea to have Crush announce the entire show? Tatanka outsmarts South early on, but then South actually gets a jumping clothesline for a 2 count. We go back to Stan Lane again and he says that the champions are more determined than ever tonight. Tatanka battles back and hits the chop off the top rope for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We now get a special look at the Women's Champion, Alundra Blayze. This is nothing and it continues the embarrassment of them basically ignoring that she exists. 

We get an in ring interview with Yokozuna and Mr Fu.ji. No Jim Cornette this week. The lights go out and here comes Paul Bearer wheeling out the casket. Yoko is going to try and squash the casket, but out comes Undertaker and Yoko runs away in fear. This was really long to get to an obvious, but satisfying conclusion.

Diesel vs. Scott Towers

Diesel is dominating and Crush is talking about Tonya Harding. 1994, baby. We go back to Stan Lane and he informs us that the champs were robbed and the Quebecers are once again the champions. This match is way longer than you would think it would be. Diesel hits a big boot and an elbow drop for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go back to Todd Pettengill for a Royal Rumble Report. Wouldn't the Royal Rumble have been the perfect time to have a Women's Championship match?

Randy Savage vs. IRS

It's the Joe Montana of the WWF, Randy Savage. Thankfully we come back from commercial break after IRS is done talking, although usually that's the highlight of his matches. Irwin gets the early advantage and dumps Savage out of the ring. The always unhinged Savage grabs a chair, but Irwin attacks him from behind. Savage catches a kick back in the ring and spins him into an atomic drop. Savage hits a couple of clotheslines into another commercial. Irwin drops Savage on the guardrail and Crush is hoping he bit his tongue off. Irwin suplexes Savage back into the ring and gets a 2 count. Savage buys himself some time, but then goes after Crush. IRS then quickly throws him into the ring post and we get yet another commercial break. Savage goes off the top rope, but IRS hits him with a blow to the bread basket. Savage fights back again, but then Crush pushes him off the top rope. The referee calls for the bell and Crush attacks Savage. IRS joins in on the fun, but out comes Tatanka to try and help, but IRS slows him down. Yokozuna is now out and then Luger comes out. Wouldn't it have made more sense for Razor Ramon to come out? Now Diesel and Michaels are out and wouldn't you know it, we have a mini Royal Rumble. Bret Hart joins in and he knocks Yoko out of the ring. The show goes off the air from here. Savage wrestling in this era was usually pretty special, but leave it to IRS to make it feel like a nothing match.

Match Rating: *1/2

Well, this wasn't the strongest episode of Raw and when you consider you have to listen to 45 minutes of Crush, it's one of the worst in weeks. 

Overall Rating: 38%

Superstars 1-15-94 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, January 15th, 1994
Lowell Auditorium
Lowell, Massachusetts

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Lex Luger vs. Bastion Booger

Booger catches Luger and hits a powerslam and a leg drop for a 2 count. Booger is one of the worst actual wrestlers that I can think of. Booger misses in the corner and Luger hits some clotheslines. He makes the mistake of trying to body slam him, but he has no luck and Booger slams him instead. Luger fights back and again goes for a body slam, but Luger falls on his back and then gets clotheslined through the ropes. I wish I loved anything as much as wrestlers loved trying to body slam big opponents. Luger gets smashed into the ring post and then all of a sudden stops selling it and gets his precious body slam. He hits the forearm for the victory. Booger is just so bad. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

We go to Gorilla Monsoon for Update. Bret and Owen are disappointed that the Quebecers aren't the champs any more, but Bret is confident that the new champs will give them a title shot after they take care of the Quebecers. Bret also says that he is going to devote his time to tag team wrestling with Owen. We then hear from both Marty Jannetty and 1-2-3 Kid and the Quebecers about their match at Madison Square Garden. 

Headshrinkers vs. JW Storm & Tony DeVito

The Headshrinkers toss Storm around and we then get a promo of them yelling. They hit the backbreaker and a big splash and that is all. That was really quick. They then have some fun with the video board on the way out. Headshrinkers were not used to their full potential whatsoever. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We now kick it to Jim Ross, who is much better as an announcer than he is at this sort of thing. Bam Bam says he's going to take out Doink in front of curtains. Doink and Dink then get a chance in front of the curtains. This stunk. 

It's time for the guest ring announcer and she does a better job than most of these that I've seen. 

Tatanka vs. Barry Horowitz

We get pre-recorded comments from Ludvig Borga, as if someone actually thought we cared. Vince says that their match will be a classic. Tatanka makes his comeback and hits the top rope chop. He hits the Samoan drop for the victory. This was every Tatanka squash ever and then Vince reminds us for the 28th time that Tatanka is in the Royal Rumble.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Back to JR and he interviews Yokozuna, Mr. Fuji and Jim Cornette in front of a different pair of curtains. JR shows them the video of Undertaker's final casket. This infuriates Cornette and he admits that Yoko is afraid of the box, but Yokozuna will be ready at the Royal Rumble. 

Virgil vs. Derek Domino

I'm not sure why Virgil is still on the roster, but here he is. It was always kind of weird that they never really had a follow up feud planned for him after Ted DiBiase. He hits a back body drop and then puts on the Million Dollar Dream for the victory. Hopefully he got some free breadsticks after the match.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Raymond Rougeau is with Shawn Michaels and Diesel and Michaels says he is the favorite. Bam Bam argues he is, then Jeff Jarrett and his dorky headband say they are. Crush's mullet comes in, then Adam Bomb, then Rick Martel and well, you get the picture. Michaels and Diesel then argue about letting Michaels win. This was harmless, nostalgic fun. 

Todd Pettengill is here for the Royal Rumble Report and he telegraphs the Owen/Bret breakup a little bit too much. Macho Man chimes in to talk about winning it and then surprisingly the Smoking Gunns also get a promo. Marty and 1-2-3 Kid then take playful jabs at tossing each other out in the Rumble. 

Tony Roy vs. IRS

IRS cuts the same promo as ever and says 1994 will be the year of the audit. Razor says he doesn't think IRS will be able to take the title away from him. IRS hits a clothesline and that's it. Whatever.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go back to Jim Ross and he lets us know that the Royal Rumble hotline is running! Crush says that the Royal Rumble means bad news for Macho Man. Meanwhile, Mr. Fuji looks like he's taking a dump. Savage responds and says that Crush is going down. 

Next week we'll get Ludvig Borga, Doink, Shawn Michaels and in the main event it's Rick Martel and Adam Bomb against the Smoking Gunns. Plus, we get a special interview with the Hart brothers.

Undertaker vs. Duane Gill

Gillllllberg. Gill ducks a clothesline, but just gets chokeslammed instead. What a payday for Taker. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Like almost every episode of Superstars ever, it wasn't good, but it was entertaining enough. Bastion Booger is beyond embarrassing though and the roster definitely was thinning around this time. 

Overall Rating: 42%

Monday Night Raw 1-10-94 Review

Monday, January 10th, 1994
Richmond Coliseum
Richmond, Virginia

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It's too bad they couldn't have done the Manhattan Center for the anniversary show. We get a recap of the Quebecers/1-2-3 Kid and Marty Jannetty. Macho Man is the guest commentator here tonight, who comes out to a big pop and a Monday Night Raw themed jacket. 

WWF Tag Team Championship Match

Quebecers vs. Marty Jannetty & 1-2-3 Kid

Marty and Jacques start the match off, with Marty getting the better of the exchange. Both men tag in their partners and Kid hits a spinning heel kick for a 2 count. It's pretty clear that these two teams are going to get some time, which is well deserved. We get some illegal double teaming by the Quebecers, but it of course backfires and the challengers clear the ring. So apparently they did a false finish during the commercial break, but Jacques' foot was on the bottom rope, so the match has restarted. Why would you want to show that during the actual TV show? Polo distracts the referee, allowing Pierre to pull down the top rope. Marty gets thrown back in and ducks the punch from Jacques and hits Pierre instead. Kid hits another kick and then hits a somersault dive to the outside. He goes up to the top rope again and hits a clothesline on Jacques. Pierre pushes Kid off the top rope and then chokes him with the tag rope. They then drop Kid on the top rope and get a 2 count. This is a really good match. We get another commercial break as Jacques body slams Pierre onto Kid. Back from the break and Jacques this time hits a back body drop on Pierre onto the Kid for a 2 count. They announce that next week IRS will take on Randy Savage with Crush as a guest announcer for the match. Jacques hits a piledriver on the Kid and they then hit their double team somersault dive off the top rope, but don't go for the pin. Instead, they go for it again, but Jannetty illegally interferes to break it up. The crowd is 100% into this match and Kid makes the hot tag. He takes care of both opponents and then knocks Polo off the apron. They hit a suplex splash combo and we have new champions to a big pop. Savage is in there to help them celebrate. They go out into the crowd to party with their fans. This was a really good TV match and a fun little storyline. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

They then show a clip of Kid beating Razor Ramon on Raw last year. It's now time for the Royal Rumble Report with Jim Ross filling in for Todd Pettengill. All 30 participants are now announced and Lex Luger is officially in the match. They also add in Tenryu and Great Kabuki. They keep continuing to claim that every title will be on the line, already forgetting about the new WWF Women's Championship. 

They show a clip of Tiny Tim and Jerry Lawler. I always felt like this was never as big of a moment as WWF thought it was. 

Ludvig Borga vs. Brad Anderson

There aren't many worse ways to celebrate an anniversary than with a Borga squash. Lex Luger joins us on the phone and he'd love to get his hands on Borga at the Rumble. In the ring, Borga is getting next to no heat from a live crowd, which is never a good sign. Ironically, he puts on the Torture Rack and gets the victory. Borga was garbage. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show Yokozuna beating two jobbers on Superstars with a double Banzai Drop. After the match, the video of Undertaker and Paul Bearer comes up on the video screen. Even 1994 me would have wanted to see this match. I remember taking a long time to rent Royal Rumble '94 and Survivor Series '94 because that was the main event. 

Undertaker vs. Ray Hudson

Hudson takes one of the uglier chokeslams that I can remember here. That leads to the Tombstone and that is all. There was more, but I just didn't care enough to type it. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get a recap of the Bastion Booger/Bam Bam Bigelow debacle. 

Bastion Booger vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

Bam Bam comes right in and attacks Booger. Bigelow misses in the corner and somersaults over the top rope and hits himself on the apron on the way down. This gives Booger time to go after Luna, but Bigelow rams Booger into the steps. Bigelow goes for a body slam, but Booger kind of counters it, but I guess he wasn't supposed to? Bigelow does another one and then hits a top rope headbutt for the victory. Thankfully that was short. After the match Booger goes up to Luna and she slaps him. Bigelow then attacks him and dropkicks him out of the ring. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They go to the Quebecers backstage. Jacques says they have a genius of a manager, who signed a rematch clause and will face Jannetty and Kid at a house show in Madison Square Garden. 

IRS then comes out and confronts Savage. Savage takes the Monday Night Raw cake and shoves it in his face to end the show. 

We got one of the best matches in Raw history up to this point, so that pretty much warrants a watch in the one hour era. They got plenty of time and told a fun story, even if having the nearfall during the commercial break was a poor choice. The rest of the show stunk unfortunately, but you get what you get in 1994. 

Overall Rating: 59%

Monday Night Raw 1-3-94 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, January 3rd, 1994
Mid-Hudson Civic Center
Poughkeepsie, New York

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Since I became a wrestling fan in 1990, the only year that I did not watch any live wrestling in was 1994. I had pretty much fallen out of fandom in 1993 and didn't come back until the summer of 1995. I've since seen all of the pay-per-views, but never any of the weekly programming. 

We start things off back at the Undertaker's workshop, where he's still working on the casket for Yokozuna at Royal Rumble. We then see clips of Jim Cornette on Wrestling Challenge complaining that the contract he signed was not for a casket match. 

Johnny Polo is with Vince McMahon this week and I believe this is the fourth episode of this taping. 

Yokozuna vs. Dan Dubiel 

It's sad, but Yoko was already at his slower pace era here in 1994. Anyway, this is pretty much every Yoko squash you've ever seen where he hits a few impressive power moves and then the big Banzai Splash. I'm thinking Yoko wasn't a big fan of Dubiel, because he crushed the poor man. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We now get a clip of Lex Luger vs. Jacques from Superstars. Pierre runs in while the referee is down and covers his head as he tries to pin Luger, but Luger kicks out. Luger hits the forearm on Pierre and gets the victory, but Jacques points out that it's the wrong guy. Luger of course then knocks him out and pins him and then hits it on Polo for good measure. This leads to a sit down interview from earlier "today" between Luger and McMahon. Luger is hoping that Jack Tunney will allow him in the Royal Rumble and Luger is thinking positively that he will be in the match. 

We get a vignette for Thurman Sparky Plugg. Smell that money.

Bam Bam Bigelow & Bastion Booger vs. Smoking Gunns

It really was such a waste of Bam Bam to even have him hang around with Booger. The roster here in 1994 was so thin, there is no reason Bam Bam shouldn't have been in the main event picture. I still feel like Johnny Polo is the biggest rib of all time. Bam Bam and Billy start things off. Billy hits a dropkick and sends Bam Bam to the outside. The Gunns continue to dominate, so he tags in Booger who shifts the momentum. After the commercial, the Gunns use some illegal double teaming to knock Booger down. Bart charges at Booger, but Booger pulls down the top rope. In an oops moment, Bart ends up still going under the top rope and to the floor. Polo then makes a weird sex joke, which feels pretty out of place here in '94. Bam Bam hits a nice suplex and gets a few cheers from the live crowd. Booger hits a leg drop and gets a 2 count out of it. Booger "charges" at Bart and misses. Even Vince called him out for how slow he was there. In comes Billy and he hits a knee lift and a dropkick on Bam Bam. Luna is outside rubbing Booger's "hump" and the Gunns hit a double back body drop. Booger then kisses Luna and Luna isn't having it. Billy misses a missile dropkick while Booger is hugging Luna to her disgust. Bam Bam tries to make a tag and then realizes what's going on. Bam Bam attacks Booger and they start brawling outside. Both men are counted out and the Gunns score the victory. This was a story that no one asked for and did nothing for either guy. The match wasn't terrible as far as Booger matches go, but it was nothing that entertaining either. 

Match Rating: *

It's time for the Royal Rumble Report with Todd Pettengill, who then makes a hump joke. So edgy! The most notable entry to me is Greg Valentine. Tatanka takes on Ludvig Borga and they both are in the Rumble match. I bet they don't. 

We then get a rare Lord Alfred Hayes vignette talking about next week being the 1 year anniversary of Raw. 

Jeff Jarrett vs. John Chrystal

If you think Jarrett's white attire is bad, the purple one takes the cake. Jarrett hits a nice looking dropkick, but Chrystal counters a back body drop into a sunset flip and a nearfall. Chrystal gets in a little bit more offense and hits a body slam. Jarrett ends up hitting a variation of the DDT for the victory. That was a solid squash match, with Jarrett allowing Chrystal to get some offense in. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

We get highlights of Marty Jannetty vs. Polo a few weeks ago. Out comes 1-2-3 Kid and Marty Jannetty to confront Polo. Marty is sporting a jean jacket and a backwards hat. They want a title match, which Polo doesn't want because they have to take on the Harts. Polo gets bullied into accepting a title match for next week. 

Razor Ramon then tells us not to smoke. No irony there. 

Shawn Michaels vs. Brian Walsh

Jacques is on the phone to talk about the tag title match, calling it a warm up. Walsh shows off some good wrestling here with Michaels and then hits a slingshot into a backslide for a 2 count. Michaels comes back with a powerslam and then dumps him outside. Diesel throws him back in and then Michaels throws him right back out. Michaels hits a vertical suplex and then pulls up Walsh's shoulders before the 3 count. Breaking news! Bastion Booger will face Bam Bam Bigelow next week. Michaels hits a Sweet Chin Music and then a piledriver for the victory. Another pretty good squash match here. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

This was kind of a weird show that featured more recaps than normal. In all honesty though, it wasn't a terrible start to 1994, even if it was far from exciting. Jarrett and Michaels both looked good and I am looking forward to the tag title match on the anniversary show. 

Overall Rating: 51%

NXT Arrival Review

Thursday, February 27th, 2014
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Triple H is out with lasers and Earthquake's entrance music, which I 100% for sure did not remember. 

Sami Zayn vs. Cesaro

It's very apparent right off the bat that this show is live. You can actually feel the energy from the live crowd here. Cesaro catches Zayn's hurricanrana, but Zayn counters out of it and then hits a senton dive to the outside. I actually was in Orlando when this event occurred, but I was unable to get tickets. On a side note though, Michael Hayes was on my connecting flight to Atlanta and he was dressed exactly how you would expect him to be dressed. They brawl a bit outside of the ring and Cesaro throws him into the guardrail. Zayn goes for his dive through the ropes, but Cesaro hits him with a big uppercut. Absolutely awesome. Cesaro is working on the knee now, while William Regal gushes over how good he is. He isn't wrong. Zayn buys himself some time by hitting a variation of a dropkick. Zayn goes for a springboard moonsault to the floor, but Cesaro catches him and slams him on the ramp. Zayn hits an exploder suplex into the corner and gets a 2 count. Zayn hits the Blue Thunder Bomb and again gets a 2 count. Zayn puts on the Koji Clutch, but Cesaro rolls out of it and into a leg submission. It's time for the Cesaro Swing, but Zayn counters into a pin, but Cesaro kicks out and this time hits the Cesaro Swing. Cesaro hits a big stomp to the face of Zayn and that looked painful. Zayn goes for a top rope hurricanrana, but Cesaro catches him and is going for a powerbomb. Zayn counters the counter and into a hurricanrana. He hits the Helluva Kick and Cesaro barely kicks out. They start hockey fighting, but Zayn hits a suplex out of nowhere. Zayn then runs right into a big boot. The crowd is now giving them a standing ovation after Cesaro kicked out of a Canadian Destroyer. Cesaro hits a pop up uppercut and Zayn is able to kick out at 1. Cesaro this time hits a spinning uppercut and then the Neutralizer for the victory. That was flipping fantastic and a much stronger match than the 2-out-of-3 falls match in my opinion.

Match Rating: ****1/2

After the match, Cesaro pulls Zayn up and they hug. All of that very much felt like real emotion. 

CJ Parker vs. Mojo Rawley

Rawley really hasn't been on NXT TV a ton and when he was, he was one of the least impressive. Parker recently turned heel and has been doing a pretty good job with it. Rawley hits two splashes in the corner and then Hyperdrive, which is one of the worst finishers I can think of. That's enough to get the win. Rawley continues to be unimpressive. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show Emma getting ready backstage and that leads into a video package of Emma. 

This leads into a video package of the Ascension. 

NXT Tag Team Championship Match

The Ascension vs. Too Cool

Too Cool are the mystery opponents here tonight. And would you look at that, they have a video package of them on demand. I'm not sure they really got the nostalgia pop they were hoping for here. Scotty 2 Hotty turned into such a jobber for the end of his career and Brian Christopher basically disappeared from WWE for years. Scotty is shaved bald here and Christopher has his dad's genes. The Ascension dominates Christopher from the get go. Grand Master Sexay finally makes the tag and of course this all leads up to the worm, but Viktor grabs him before he can hit it. They hit Fall of Man and that's it. This was...not very good. The Ascension are not a team that can carry an older team to a good match. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

They show a Paige hype video. They then show Ric Flair and Charlotte in the crowd. It really is pretty remarkable how different Charlotte looks.

NXT Women's Championship Match

Emma vs. Paige

Stephanie McMahon comes out before either competitor is announced. We get a really nice start to the match, with Paige getting the early advantage. Emma fights back and goes for an Emma Sandwich. Paige puts a boot up, but Emma catches it and goes for the Emma Lock. Paige is able to get out of it and greets Emma with a series of high knees. Emma gets the Dil-Emma on and then this time is able to hit the Emma Sandwich. Emma slows it down with a submission hold. They both end up at the top rope. Emma goes for a sunset flip powerbomb, but Paige blocks. Emma is able to pull her away and hits a sit down powerbomb for a 2 count. The crowd chants "Better than Batista" for that one. Paige is able to hit the Paige Turner and Emma is able to kick out. The crowd didn't sell that as much as they probably had hoped. Paige puts her in an awesome submission that Regal says is called the Scorpion Cross Lock and Emma taps. This wasn't as good as what they were going for, but was miles better than what we were used to being presented. They were given time, I just think they kind of ran out of steam towards the end. 

Match Rating: **3/4

Now it's time for Neville's video package. Pat Patterson and Dusty Rhodes are in the crowd. 

Xavier Woods vs. Tyler Breeze

Before they can even get started, out comes Alexander Rusev. Woods and Breeze try to fight him off, but Rusev destroys them both. I wish they would have had him do this during the Mojo match. 

No Rating

It's time for Bo Dallas to get a hype video. 

Ladder Match For The NXT Championship

Adrian Neville vs. Bo Dallas

So this time Shawn Michaels comes out to introduce the match. Neville hits a quick burst of his signature offense, but Bo is able to slow him down rather quickly. Bo hits a clothesline that turns Neville inside out. Bo ties Neville's leg in the ropes while hanging upside down and Bo goes and grabs a ladder. Bo takes forever and a day, allowing Neville to hit a baseball slide and then a dive over the top rope. Bo throws Neville into the steps, giving him a moment to recover. Bo tries to spear Neville with it, but Neville ducks and hits a back body drop on the ramp. Neville is able to climb the ladder, but Bo launches the ladder to knock him off. Bo traps Neville under the ladder, but Neville uses his strength to push the ladder over and Bo kind of just sorta falls on the top rope. Neville runs up the sideways ladder and ropes to hit a tornado DDT. Neville throws Bo into the ladder and he then takes forever to get a ladder up to climb. Bo is climbing up the other side now and they battle on the top. Bo grabs Neville's arm and pulls him into the ladder. Bo is able to throw Neville off the top rope and to the floor. Bo hits a buckle bomb into the ladder in the corner. Neville fights back and puts Bo on a ladder. Neville hits the Red Arrow and both men are in pain. Bo has rolled out of the ring for some reason and Neville begins to climb. Bo rolls in, but Neville is able to grab the title. That was one of the worst endings to a ladder match that I can think of. The match itself was on the weaker side for ladder matches as well. Bo's title run is among the weakest in NXT history. 

Match Rating: **1/2

Sami Zayn and Cesaro set the bar a little too high with their incredible match here. The rest of the card was just a little too weak to really showcase what this roster is capable of. They are still a few additions away from putting on a really strong show. This isn't technically a TakeOver, but I consider it to be one and it's definitely the weakest one. It's not all negative though because this is a pleasant show for the most part, it's just a big drop off after the opener.

Overall Rating: 66%

Off The Grid, Volume 11: WrestleWar 1992 Review

Sunday, May 17th, 1992
Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum
Jacksonville, Florida

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Off The Grid, Volume 11:

After a fairly impressive firework presentation for 1992, we go to Tony Schiavone and Eric Bischoff breaking down the show. They then send it down to Jim Ross and Jesse Ventura. 

United States Tag Team Championship Match

Fabulous Freebirds vs. Greg Valentine & Terry Taylor

I'm not going to pretend to be some sort of expert on the Freebirds, but seeing them as babyfaces is just bizarre. Terry Taylor is really going by Taylor Made Man, which is an awful name. Did the world really need these title belts in 1992? We get a lot of strutting and stalling by Michael Hayes early on. Hayes catches Valentine's leg and hits an atomic drop. Garvin is in and then avoids Valentine charging at him in the corner and his shoulder hits the ring post. Freebirds start using comically quick tags on Taylor to work on his arm. This feels like a glorified house show match thus far. Taylor dumps Hayes out onto the elevated ramp, but gets back body dropped back into the ring by Hayes. Taylor dumps Garvin out to the floor and distracts the ref to allow Valentine to leap off the apron and hit Garvin. The champions cut the ring in half, with Garvin trying his best to make a tag. He finally does and Hayes cleans house. Hayes goes for the DDT, but Taylor breaks it up with the Five Iron. Hayes is able to kick out of the pin attempt, but Valentine maintains control afterward. Valentine slaps on the Figure Four on Haye, but Garvin illegally breaks up the hold. Garvin gets the tag and hits a double clothesline. Valentine trips him up and that starts the chaos that leads up to Garvin hitting the DDT and the Freebirds becoming the new champions. The first half was a little clunky, but it got better as it went on. Nothing special, but entertaining enough for an opener.

Match Rating: **1/4

Tracy Smothers vs. Johnny B. Badd

I finally get to debut my gimmick of being the biggest Marc Mero fan on the internet. I did not realize that he was already 31 here in the early stages of his career. Badd hits some boxing style punches, but then runs into a boot from Smothers. Smothers hits a nice top rope reverse elbow for a 2 count. He goes up top again and hits a reverse crossbody, but Badd rolls over to get a nearfall. Badd makes his comeback and hits a big powerslam. He makes his way up to the top rope and hits a leaping sunset flip, but Smothers kicks out. Smothers misses a kick and Badd hits the left hand and that's enough to put away Smothers. The match had some good action, but it felt a little disjointed. 

Match Rating: *3/4

Missy Hyatt is backstage interviewing the Freebirds. Michael Hayes yells a lot.

Marcus Alexander Bagwell vs. Scotty Flamingo

Scotty Flamingo is Raven, of course. After a stalemate to start, Flamingo slaps Bagwell and they go back and forth. Bagwell gets in some early offense until Flamingo it able to slow things down. They both end up going over the top rope, which is a big no no. Since it wasn't on purpose, the match continues. Bagwell makes his comeback and looks pretty green doing it. He hits a double ax handle off the second rope. He hits a fisherman suplex, but Flamingo got hsi ftoo on the rope. Bagwell rolls up Flaminto, who then counters that, holds the tights and wins the match. There really wasn't much to this one and probably shouldn't have been on the pay-per-view.

Match Rating: *1/2

We are shown highlights of Cactus Jack and Abdullah The Butcher attacking Ron Simmons, who is then saved by Junkyard Dog. 

Mr. Hughes & Cactus Jack vs. Junkyard Dog & Ron Simmons

Cactus Jack attacks JYD from behind on his way down to the ring and he hits an elbow drop off the elevated ramp. Simmons comes out there to save him and JYD is selling the injury. This segment is dragging on and on...and on. Finally Simmons runs to the ring and takes on both men. Simmons hits a double clothesline and both men roll out of the ring. So somehow after that, they just randomly decide that this is going to be just Simmons vs. Hughes. It's not clear who decides it or why Cactus Jack is okay with this. Jesse then starts ripping on Oklahoma football and JR no sells it. They also still have no idea if Cactus is allowed in the match. Hughes is every bit as boring here as he is in 1993 WWF. Jack attacks Simmons behind the referee's back. Jesse won't drop this being changed to a one-on-one match, which is code for this is stupid. Simmons fights back with clotheslines. He hits a back body drop, but Hughes rakes his eyes. It doesn't help him much because he hits a spinebuster and a chop block for the victory. I'm sure a wrestler exists that could have a good match with Hughes, but unfortunately Simmons was not it. This hit a lot of different levels of stupidity and was just a real drag. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Todd Champion vs. Super Invader

So Champion is a Sting wannabe and Invader is Hercules in a mask. Somehow WCW thought this was worthy of being on a pay-per-view. Invader hits a side suplex and then a back suplex. It seems as if Invader doesn't have much interest in selling for Champion here. Invader throws Champion out of the ring and into the guard rail. This is absolutely dreadful and the crowd seems to agree with me. Invader goes up to the top, but Champion gets his boot up. Invader lets him get about two moves off before dumping him on the top rope and then hitting an ugly powerbomb for the victory. This was an embarrassing performance by Invader. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Richard Morton vs. Big Josh

War Games matches are great, but man, does it make the rest of your card just suck. Josh starts off hot and hits a running forearm in the corner. It's pretty amazing that Josh went from being a lumberjack to a clown in the span of a few months. The crowd doesn't care about this one either. Morton goes for a monkey flip, but Josh counters by stomping on him and then hits a body slam. Josh catches Morton off the second rope and hits an inverted atomic drop. Josh hits Northern Exposure and gets the victory even though the referee's hand never hits the mat for 3. I like both of these guys, but this was another bad match. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Light Heavyweight Championship Match

Tom Zenk vs. Brian Pillman

Zenk getting scared by his own entrance is the highlight of this show so far. Things start off slowly with both men trying the same maneuvers. Zenk goes for some quick pin attempts, but Pillman kicks out and starts working on Zenk's knee. Pillman misses a somersault leg drop and lands on his back. Zenk goes to work on the back and gets a 2 count out of a suplex. Pillman puts on the Figure Four and Zenk gets stuck in for quite awhile. Pillman leaps off the ropes, but Zenk catches him and hits a bodylsam.The action has really started to pick up here now. They both go for leapfrogs and bump heads. Zenk pops Pillman up into the air and drops him on his face. Pillman is able to kick out again and the crowd is really getting into this. Pillman goes off the top rope, but Zenk hits a dropkick. Pillman is able to save himself by being right next to the ropes. Zenk misses a top rope dropkick and Pillman is able to pin Zenk here in a really nice match. Zenk actually looked really good here and Pillman is Pillman. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

Match To Determine The #1 Contenders For The IWGP Tag Team Championships

Tatsumi Fujinami & Takayuzi Iizuka vs. Steiner Brothers

Ventura tries to sell this as American made cars vs. Japanese cars because of course he does. We get some mat wrestling from Scott and Fujinami to start. Scott messes up a reverse body slam on Fujinami, but then hits it on Iizuka. Iizuka hits a shoulder in the corner on Scott and then a somersault dive off the top rope. Iizuka puts on the Boston Crab in the middle of the ring. Scott is able to reverse it and hits a double underhook powerbomb. Scott makes a tag and Rick hits an elbow drop off the top rope with Iizuka on Scott's shoulders. Rick hits a kind of nasty looking German suplex on Fujinami. Scott is back in and hits a reverse elbow and a single-legged crab. Fujinami gets Rick on his shoulders and tags in Iizuka. Iizuka comes off the top rope, but Rick catches him and hits a belly-to-belly suplex off his shoulders, which is one of the all time great counters. Fujinami breaks up the count and starts working on the leg of Rick. Iizuka has a bloody mouth and a swelled up eye, but he comes in and continues the work on the leg. In comes Scott and he hits a tilt-a-whirl suplex. Rick rams Iizuka stomach-first into the turnbuckle and Scott puts him in the abdominal stretch into a slam. All four men come in and we have a brawl, but the referee is able to get them separated. Rick hits a belly-to-belly suplex on Iizuka and now we're back to Scott and Fujinami. Iizuka comes in, but he is able to counter it and then Rick illegally hits a double clothesline. Fujinami hits a suplex on Scott illegally and evens the score. The Japanese team hits a spike piledriver and Iizuka hits a dropkick off the top rope to the gut of Scott. Fujinami and Scott collide in the middle of the ring and both guys tag in their partners. Things break down again and Rick hits an overhead belly-to-belly suplex on Iizuka off the top rope for the victory. That was a freaking hard hitting and intense wrestling match. 

Match Rating: ****

WarGames Match

The Dangerous Alliance (Arn Anderson, Steve Austin, Bobby Eaton, Rick Rude & Larry Zbyszko) vs. Sting's Squadron (Sting, Ricky Steamboat, Barry Windham, Dustin Rhodes & Nikita Koloff)

Windham and Austin start things off. No complaints from me there. Windham gets the better of Austin and starts raking Austin's face in the cage. They hold the coin toss after the countdown and you'll never guess it, but the heels win the toss. In comes Rick Rude, who takes it to Windham. It should be noted that the crowd is super hot for all of this. Austin is bleeding from the forehead, but is now able to help out Rude. Steamboat is the next man in and the roof is blown off the building. Steamboat is able help give his team the advantage and we're already counting down to the fifth entrant. In comes Arn and he hits a DDT on Windham. He then hits Steamboat with a spinebuster and then teams up with Rude to do a double Boston Crab on him. Windham makes the save, but the numbers game slows down his momentum. Rude hits a piledriver on Steamboat, but they then hit a double clothesline on each other. Dustin Rhodes is next and he hits an inverted atomic drop on Austin, who also accidentally hit his head on the top of the cage. I still have no clue why they didn't make the cage a foot taller. Austin is a bloody mess. Rhodes hits an electric chair on him and Windham has Anderson's head in between the two rings and is dangling him upside down. Yeah, this match rules. Zybszko is in next and he and Rhodes go right at it. Madusa climbs up the cage and drops Paul E's phone and drops it to Anderson. Up comes Sting to scare her off, but the damage was done. Anderson uses it to shift the momentum and Rhodes is now busted open. Sting is the next competitor in and he military presses Rude multiple times into the roof of the cage. He then hits a back body drop on Austin into the cage. They pan to outside the ring with Madusa taping up Bobby Eaton's fists as the countdown is below a minute. Eaton is the only man to walk in methodically and we then get a bad angle on a boot from Rhodes on Austin, who completely whiffed. Rude tries to unhook the top rope, but Sting is able to stop him, but the top rope is now loose. It's now time for the last entrant and that is Koloff. Koloff helps Sting up and they have a staredown. Koloff pulls Sting out of the way and takes the blow. They fight them off and give the double high five. Both men go on a rampage and the crowd is excited for it. Rude goes back to the top rope again. Sting has the Scorpion Death Lock on Anderson, but Eaton breaks it up. The turnbuckle is out now. Dustin locks in the Figure Four on Zbyszko. Zbyszko is able to get out of it and goes for the turnbuckle. He goes to hit Sting with it, but he ducks and he hits Eaton instead. Sting locks in an arm bar on Eaton and he is the one to submit. This was non-stop action and just an absolute blast to watch. The hot crowd was the icing on the cake too. After the match, the Dangerous Alliance starts pointing fingers as Sting's Squadron heads to the back. This match ruled and really the only complaint I have is the ending was a little weak. Still, this is absolutely a classic and a show saver. 

Match Rating: ****1/2

This is the type of show that makes you grateful that the fast forward button was invented. However, I am reviewing the entire show and the beginning to this show was a real chore to get through. However, the final three matches were fantastic, with the main event being legendary. I still can't emphasize enough how bad some of the other matches were, but in the end, it really doesn't matter.

Overall Rating: 82%