Superstars 9-17-94 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, September 17th, 1994
Portland  Civic Center
Portland, Maine

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Bushwhackers vs. Well Dunn

The Bushwhackers lick Jerry Lawler on the face on the way to the ring and Well Dunn gets the already in the ring treatment. They care so much about Well Dunn that they've had about 3 televised matches. All four men eventually get in the ring and Butch and Luke duck clotheslines and bite the butts of their opponents. What exactly is the point of Harvey Wippleman managing Well Dunn at this point? Well Dunn hits a drop toe hold into a leg drop if you care. One of the Well Dunners hits a top rope reverse elbow for a 2 count. Butch hits a headbutt to the midsection of whichever guy and Luke gets the pin. I'm sorry, I just don't care enough right now to look up which one is which. The battle goes on after the match and it leads to Harvey Wippleman being caught in the middle of tug of war and they pull off his pants. The Bushwhackers looked pretty unmotivated here and can you blame them? 

Match Rating: 1/2*

They show the whole Bam Bam Bigelow/Adam Bomb encounter last week and the Bomb cuts a cheesy promo.

Jeff Jarrett vs. Phil Apollo

Vince just can't get over the Ain't I Great album title. Jarrett then does his whole schtick that no one ever wanted to hear more than once. Apollo gets in a drop toe hold, but Jarrett avoids a knee in the corner. Jarrett puts on the Figure Four and that is all. Not as fun as most Jarrett squashes typically are.

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's time to watch the WWF charity softball highlights from SummerSlam weekend. Dink gets a hit!

Tony DeVito vs. Undertaker

Again, this was taped before SummerSlam. This is exactly every Taker squash ever, but the crowd likes it so who am I to complain? He hits the Tombstone for the easy victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Kwang vs. Scott Taylor

It's a big morning here for Harvey. Kwang hits his spin kick and does the whole pose and spit out green mist thing. I give him credit, it was pretty obvious that no one cared, but he kept trying. It didn't work. Kwang hits a hip toss and Scotty 2 Hotty tries to pull out his wedgie. Taylor misses a moonsault, but lands on his feet. He ducks some kicks, but Kwang eventually hits him with one and that's all. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's time for The Heartbreak Hotel with Ted DiBiase and Tatanka. Tatanka is wearing a suit, so obviously he's evil. Tatanka is pretty horrible here. This was just filler.

Sparky Plugg vs. Iron Mike Sharpe

Vince and Lawler are still talking about Lawler getting licked. Continuity, I suppose. Iron Mike is particularly "ahhhhh" today. Abe Schwartz is still on strike. Sharpe runs into a boot to the face in the corner and Holly hits a crossbody that rolls over twice and gets the victory. Interesting finish for a jobber match. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Bob Backlund vs. Tony Roy

Bob Backlund: The New Generation. We get a lot of stalling and it leads to the Crossface Chicken Wing for the victory. I still can't believe this was something that really happened. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get a recap of Undertaker/Kwang from Raw because we were all dying to see it again. 

Next week we get British Bulldog, Shawn Michaels and Diesel, Adam Bomb, Tatanka and Yokozuna.

This was a great example of why the business wasn't doing well. There was no substance here and nothing interesting happening. This was just not a good episode, even by Superstars standards.

Overall Rating: 30%

SummerSlam 2006 Review

Sunday, August 20th, 2006
TD Banknorth Garden
Boston, Massachusetts

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Rey Mysterio vs. Chavo Guerrero

As soon as Chavo gets into the ring, they start going at it. This is Chavo's highest profile match in a long time. Mysterio misses a dive to the outside, but then Chavo is able to hit one as a follow up. Rey attempts a comeback, but Chavo drops Rey face-first into the turnbuckle. Chavo hits a right hand and Rey's mask accidentally falls off. They do kind of a weird spot where they both go face-first off the top rope. Mysterio leaps backwards off the second rope and hits a hurricanrana into a 619. Chavo ducks the seated senton and Rey hits a hurricanrana to send Chavo over the top rope. Out comes Vickie Guerrero and she tells Chavo to stop. She hits him with a slap to the face and Mysterio hits a dive through the ropes. Vickie now pleads with Rey to stop, allowing Chavo to suplex Rey into the ring and into the Three Amigos. Myterio escapes the third and then goes for it and is met with a lot of boos. Rey goes up top and Vickie crotches him and plays it off as if it was an accident. Chavo hits a brainbuster and a Frog Splash for the victory. This just all fell really flat despite having the opening slot on the card in a big wrestling town. This just didn't click.

Match Rating: **1/4

We get a fun backstage spot with Edge and Lita arguing with King Booker and Queen Sharmell about who the power couple of WWE is. 

Extreme Rules Match For The ECW Championship
Sabu vs. Big Show

Sabu starts off with a chair, but it quickly is gone and Big Show is destroying him. Sabu tries a springboard crossbody, but Show catches him and tosses him. Sabu is able to snap Show's neck on the top rope and tosses a chair at his face. Sabu hits a missile dropkick with a chair, but Big Show kicks out of the pin attempt. Sabu sets up a table over in the corner and then hits a bulldog off the top rope. Sabu then runs and hits a modified bulldog through the table. Show quickly recovers and hits a Vader Bomb off the second rope. Show tosses in the ring steps and a table. He takes forever to set up the table on the steps and then in runs Sabu and screws up the spot. He slips off the table and then awkwardly still does the move, which is a DDT through the table. He sets up another table and goes for another move, but this time Big Show catches him and chokeslams him through the table for the victory. This had no flow to it and the crowd didn't care outside of the spots. They've started the show with two TV matches. 

Match Rating: *3/4

They show Layla winning the Diva Search, which leads to her backstage. The Divas are rude to her, but then let her know they are just joking. They instead throw her in the shower and spray her butt with water. 

Randy Orton vs. Hulk Hogan

This snakebit feud fell all the way to third match on the card. Hogan does get a huge pop here and then drags out the entrance forever. Hogan does the punches in the corner and on the 10th one, he bites Orton instead. Oh yeah, he also did a crotch chop. Last year's SummerSlam match with Shawn Michaels was my favorite Hogan match. This one isn't. Orton is able to grab Hogan's leg and slam it on the edge of the ring. They are playing up Hogan's torn meniscus and Orton is all over it. Orton goes off the top, but Hogan ducks and goes for a big boot. Orton ducks it and hits a dropkick. Orton hits the RKO, but Hogan gets his foot on the rope. The referee counted to 3 and Orton thinks he won. They make an announcement that Hogan's foot was indeed on the rope and the match will continue. It's time for the Hulk Up and then Hogan hits the big boot. He plays to the crowd and then hits the leg drop to end it. This wasn't good. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Melina checks in on Mick Foley backstage. Melina is worried about Mick tonight and wondering if it will hurt her career. Foley fires back, walks away and Melina smiles. 

I Quit Match
Mick Foley vs. Ric Flair

Not surprisingly they go right at it and Flair gets hit with a garbage can. Mick grabs the mic early and tells Flair it's going to get a lot worse, but Flair doesn't give up. Instead we get to hear him breathe. Foley goes for Mr. Socko, but Flair grabs him by the crotch. Foley puts on the sock and barbed wire and knocks Foley out of the ring. Foley grabs a barbed wire piece of plywood and rams it right into Flair's face. Out come the thumbtacks and Flair gets body slammed into them. Foley shoves the mic in his face, but more groaning from Flair. Next up, it's the barbed wire baseball bat. Flair's able to get the bat away and hits Foley in the arms with it. Flair then threatens to murder Foley and hits a low blow. Flair gets a running start and hits Foley off the apron and he takes a pretty bad looking bump past the padding. Out comes the officials and Melina to check up on him. The officials say it's over, but Flair says that it's not ending that way. Flair attacks him more with the bat and barbed wire, which prompts Melina to throw in the towel. Flair isn't accepting that either, so we're still going. Flair goes again with the bat, but Melina gets in the way and Foley quits. What a terribly booked ending. 2006 me liked this a lot more than 2022 me. Melina continues to check on Foley after the match and he does the slow walk to the back. 

Match Rating: ***

Vince and Shane McMahon are back with Armando Alejandro Estrada. Nothing happens.

World Heavyweight Championship Match
King Booker vs. Batista

If this doesn't show you how much they care about SmackDown, I'm not sure what will. Batista catches a spin kick and hits a powerslam for a 1 count. Book tries to leave with Sharmell, but Batista throws him back in. This time Booker misses a spin kick and Batista hits a spinebuster. He goes for the Batista Bomb, but Booker is able to roll away and snap Batista's neck on the top rope. The crowd could not care less about this match. Thanks to some distraction from Sharmell, Booker hits Batista with the scepter. The Randy Savage/Ultimate Warrior one was a million times better. Batista quickly comes back by dropping Booker on the top rope and hitting a clothesline. Back on the outside, Booker throws Batista into the steps. This match has no flow at all. Booker hits a neckbreaker, but Batista kicks out at 2. Batista goes for the Batista Bomb, but Sharmell runs in and we have a DQ. This show has been so poorly booked so far. Booker goes for the Scissor Kick, but Batista hits a spinebuster and Batista Bomb. This was a total turd of a title match at a major show. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

DX is talking to someone behind a door and saying that Vince thinks Umaga is the bigger, badder monster than him. 

DX vs. Vince & Shane McMahon

The Spirit Squad come out first and DX easily takes care of them. Next up it's Mr. Kennedy, William Regal and Finlay. They mostly take care of them until Big Show comes out and attacks Shawn, allowing the other 3 to take care of Triple H. The match hasn't started yet for the record. Triple H gets thrown through the announce table and now the McMahons make their way to the ring. They dominate Michaels. Triple H tries to make a comeback, but they kick him over the announce table and into JR. They hit Demolition and LOD's finishers, but Shawn kicks out at 2. Michaels hits a double clothesline and wouldn't you know it, Triple H is ready to come on in. They destroy them until Umaga comes out. He hits the Samoan Spike on Triple H, but then out comes Kane. Number of people who want to see that feud: 0. Vince crawls over to Triple H, but he kicks out. Vince then nails the ref. Shane goes for coast to coast, but Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music. That was pretty sweet. Triple H hits the Pedigree and that is all. This is a hard match to rate, as it was mostly smoke and mirrors. It was decent for what it was, but nothing worth going out of your way for. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

WWE Championship Match
John Cena vs. Edge

If Edge gets disqualified here, he loses the title. We get an early near countout spot, which wouldn't be surprising the way this show was booked. We get a second one, which is an interesting choice. Cena tries to fight back, but Edge hits a spin kick. I do give credit to both performers here and the WWE for making this match feel fresh, even though they did wrestle at Royal Rumble. Here comes Cena, who is still getting a lot of boos despite being in his hometown. Edge is able to toss Cena over the top rope to slow his momentum. Cena again attempts a comeback, but Edge again stops him, this time with a boot to the face. They battle up on the turnbuckle and Edge headbutts Cena off. Edge hits a top rope clothesline and that gets a 2 count. Lita throws in a chair, which Edge can't use and it distracts Edge, allowing Cena to come back and hit the Five Knuckle Shuffle while the announcers ridicule Lita's judgment. Edge comes back with a DDT, but Cena kicks out. Cena pulls out a victory roll, but Edge kicks out. Cena runs into a boot, but rolls through the crossbody and picks up Edge and puts him in for a FU. Edge escapes, but gets pushed into Lita on the apron and gets rolled up for a nearfall. They hit a double clothesline and both men are down. They are in second gear now. Edge is up and goes for the Spear, but Cena hits a drop toe hold into the STFU. Lita tries to use the belt, but Edge pleads for her not to use it. Edge gets to the rope and Lita slips on brass knuckles on Edge's hand. He misses the punch and he puts up Edge for the FU. Lita comes in and is also up for the FU. He flings her off and Edge escapes. Edge hits Cena from behind with the brass knuckles and gets the victory. This was really well done and honestly the right finish despite the hometown crowd. Edge needed to be solidified as a top heel and this did it. There were so many bad booking decisions tonight, but this wasn't one of them. Well done by all three involved to help save this show from being a total dud. 

Match Rating: ****

Well, this one was nowhere near as good as I had remembered. The main event was very entertaining and ended things with a slight surprise, but the rest of the show is very skippable and in many points, hard to watch. There were just so many matches that lacked chemistry and the ones that were pretty good, were booked poorly. This is a one match show. 

Overall Rating: 51%

NXT 9-4-14 Review

Original Airdate: Thursday, September 4th, 2014
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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Alexa Bliss vs. Charlotte

Alexa is still the smiling pixie here. Bliss gets a little bit of time to show off her athleticism, but then Charlotte hits a gutbuster. She hits Natural Selection, which is still not the name of the move, and picks up the victory. This was a squash to allow Charlotte one more decisive victory before TakeOver.

Match Rating: 1/2*

Out comes Bayley and she says that it's time that Charlotte starts taking her seriously. She holds out her hand again, but Charlotte shoves her away. Bayley bounces back and hits the Bayley-To-Belly and holds up the title. 

Tyler Breeze gives a sit down interview that is probably his most Zoolander-esque one yet.

Apparently KENTA is making his debut at TakeOver too. 

Sin Cara and Kalisto are backstage for an interview. Sin Cara speaks Spanish and Kalisto says they are confident they are going to win tonight. 

Tye Dillinger vs. Tyler Breeze

After a little bit of offense by Dillinger, Breeze shows some aggression by stomping a mudhole as some would say. Breeze toys around before hitting the Beauty Shot. We get a little bit of an awkward finish with him doing a weird pin for the victory. This was what you would expect of this match. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

They show a sit-down interview with Tyson Kidd and he brags about how good he is. 

We go to Enzo and Cass at a hairdresser and the hairdresser is Carmella. I'll be honest, I had no idea that this was how she was introduced. Some Nair shampoo falls on a dog and some hair falls off. To say this was annoyingly bad would be an understatement. 

Tyson Kidd vs. Adam Rose

I'm assuming Rose was already a jobber on the main roster at this point. After a nice kick to the head, Kidd follows it up with a neckbreaker and a pin attempt. Kidd takes out the knee of Rose with a dropkick and Kidd then puts him in the Sharpshooter. Rose gets close to the ropes, but Kidd pulls him in the middle of the ring and Rose taps. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Now it's time for Sami Zayn's sit-down. Zayn says that he knows that he doesn't have to pin Neville to win the title, but he wants to beat the best man in the ring and that's the champion. 

The Vaudevillains get a backstage interview to talk about their big match tonight. 

Sami Zayn vs. Marcus Louis

Louis gets in a little bit of offense and then Zayn dominates the rest. Are you sensing a pattern here? He puts on the Koji Clutch and Louis taps. Obviously they never were able to make anything out of him, but I'm not sure I love them booking Louis like this. Out of nowhere, out comes Enzo and Cass to attack him. They end up escaping before they can get rid of Sylvester Lefort's hair. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Adrian Neville says that he understands that he doesn't have to lose to lose his title. 

CJ Parker vs. Adrian Neville

Parker misses with a top rope splash and Neville hits his signature quick kicks and a low dropkick. Neville hits a running dropkick and a missile dropkick. He hits the Red Arrow and that is all. Parker continues to look like a total jobber. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

NXT Tag Team Championship #1 Contender Tournament Final
Kalisto & Sin Cara vs. Vaudevillains

Both teams get in some early offense, but you can tell this one is going to be rushed. We get an early hot tag by Kalisto. That leads to a dive by Sin Cara to take out Aiden English. Gotch catches Kalisto, but Kalisto gets out of it and hits Salina del Sol. He tags in Sin Cara and he hits the senton off the top and we have our #1 contenders for the Ascension next week. Out come the Ascension and that's about when I stop caring. The match was too short for what they built it up for.

Match Rating: **

This was all about building to TakeOver. It was effective enough, but the main event left a lot to be desired. This is one of those episodes where you forget what you watched pretty quickly.

Overall Rating: 48%

Monday Night Raw 9-12-94 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, September 12th, 1994
Lowell Memorial Auditorium
Lowell, Massachusetts

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This show was taped before SummerSlam. Why?

Kwang vs. Undertaker

I wonder if anyone thought this was the fake Undertaker. Taker does lots of non-selling here to start. He hits Old School and then chokes Kwang on the top rope. He misses with the leaping clothesline and Kwang kicks him out of the ring into a commercial break. It doesn't Taker long to try to make a comeback. Taker goes for a chokeslam, but Kwang spits green mist in his face. Taker no sells that too and spits it back in his face. He hits the chokeslam and that's all for Kwang. This was okayish. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

They show some highlights of the Owen/Bret cage match. 

Jim Neidhart vs. Tim McNeany

This is one of those instances where this should be about 60 seconds, but instead it is like 5 minutes. McNeany gets no offense whatsoever. After a scoop slam, Neidhart rolls him over and puts on the Camel Clutch for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Next week, it's finally Duke Droese vs. Jerry Lawler. It doesn't get any bigger than that. They then show him popping Dink's balloons. 

It's time for King's Court and Lawler tells us that President Jack Tunney wants him to apologize to Doink and Dink. Of course the episode of Superstars hadn't even aired yet, so the live crowd should have no idea what's going on with that. His guests are Doink and Dink of course and Dink is wearing a Burger King crown. They bring out a big gift for Lawler, but he says he's not going to open it. Doink says that he'll open it for him and it's a trash can. WHAT A MATCHUP THAT'S GONNA BE NEXT WEEK. Lawler tries to kick the can away, but he hurts his toe. Doink reveals that there are weights in there. What thrilling television. 

Shawn Michaels & Diesel vs. Tony DeVito & Paul VanDale

I'll never understand when they duplicate so many of the squash matches from Superstars just 2 days later. The crowd is chanting for Diesel. DeVito chases Michaels around the ring, but Diesel gets in his way and it allows Michaels to hit a nice looking dive through the ropes. VanDale looks like it's his first time ever wrestling. He eventually gets a boot to the face and the Jackknife. Michaels does the splash off of Diesel's shoulders for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show the highlights of the Bam Bam Bigelow/Adam Bomb confrontation on Superstars. 

Adam Bomb vs. Duane Gill

I have to say, Adam Bomb is always kind of over and they just kind of never do anything with him. Bomb tosses old Gillberg around the ring and then hits the pump handle slam for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get a commercial about a guy giving a confession and the priest isn't listening because he's watching a Lex Luger match. 

Bushwhackers vs. Barry Hardy & Bert Centeno

Let's talk more about the New Generation with a tag team that is combined 97 years old here. This is just about every Bushwhacker squash ever. Nothing to see here.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Next week, we'll have an interview with Bob Backlund and Lex Luger and Yokozuna will be in action. 

This was basically the same episode as Superstars 2 days prior with the exception of Undertaker/Kwang. There have been worse episodes, but when you're taping shows weeks before your pay-per-view and airing them weeks after, it's never a great formula.

Overall Rating: 41%

Superstars 9-10-94 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, September 10th, 1994
Portland  Civic Center
Portland, Maine

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Diesel & Shawn Michaels vs. Nick Barberi & Tom O'Sullivan

Vince can't stop talking about Abe "Knuckleball" Schwartz. Just to show how last second them winning the belts was, Shawn and Diesel do not have the titles here. Michaels is also sporting lipstick on his cheeks. With this being taped before SummerSlam, they don't really play on the dissention between the two. Instead they make frequent tags and work like a legit tag team. Diesel hits a big boot into the Jackknife. Michaels then mocks the Headshrinkers and does a splash off the shoulders of Diesel for the victory. This made a case for them to stay a tag team longer than they would. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Jim Neidhart vs. Mike Maliccio

I like that Neidhart comes out to the Hart Foundation version of Bret's song. Neidhart was always just so much better as a tag team wrestler. He dumps Maliccio out of the ring and Owen gets in a few cheap shots. Neidhart hits a scoop slam and puts on the Camel Clutch for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

The WWF Superstars invaded the Harley Davidson Cafe in NYC.

Doink vs. Executioner #1

On the way to the ring, Jerry Lawler pops all of Dink's balloons. For some reason, Doink is on the cover of WWF Magazine. Pretty impressive for a guy who couldn't even make it on the SummerSlam card. Executioner gets a little bit off offense, but Doink hits a German suplex into a bridge for the victory. At least we didn't get the fart sound Whoopee Cushion this time. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

The Heavenly Bodies and Jim Cornette are out for an interview. Cornette calls the Smoking Gunns Beavis and Butthead and they stomp on one of the cowboy hats. That's about it.

Undertaker makes a rare in ring appearance against Kwang on Raw this week. 

Tony Roy vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

The roster was so weak during this era and still they couldn't do anything to make Bam Bam a top guy. Obviously it's not all on the company, but it's hard not to think if they would have booked him better that he wouldn't have been a bigger deal. Bam Bam attacks Roy and he's out of the ring. Officials are checking on him and Ted DiBiase grabs the mic to issue an open challenge to anyone. Out comes Adam Bomb. They go face-to-face and start slugging it out. Bomb ducks a clothesline and hits a leaping clothesline. Bam Bam is out of the ring and the officials are holding him back. There was no match here. 

Headshrinkers vs. Mike Bell & Tony DeVito

Mike Bell actually hits a clothesline and a dropkick, but hits a DDT and Fatu no sells that. Samu hits a reverse kick on the candy cane striped DeVito. Shawn Michaels and Diesel join us and tell us that they're going to hold onto the titles as long as they feel like it. Fatu hits the splash and that is all she wrote. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get a lengthy recap of the Lex Luger/Tatanka match followed by a Luger promo about taking Tatanka out. 

Yokozuna vs. Steve King

Yoko tosses poor King around as we start the build for the Undertaker feud. He hits a suplex for some reason for the victory. The Undertaker's bell tolls and Yoko is scared. Neither Mr. Fuji or Jim Cornette are with him. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Look for some Headshrinker cooking tips. 

Next week it's Well Dunn vs. Bushwhackers, Jeff Jarrett, Bob Backlund and Undertaker. Plus, we'll have Tatanka in the Heartbreak Hotel. 

This was a pretty standard episode that once again deprived us of a feature match. They're sort of stuck in that weird period of time where they still feel like they have to talk non-stop about SummerSlam and haven't yet started to try to move on from it. 

Overall Rating: 42%

SmackDown 8-18-06 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, August 18th, 2006
Verizon Center
Washington DC

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

We get a long Great Khali/Undertaker video to start, which I'm sure made everyone want to tune into the show tonight.

Batista vs. Sylvan 

Batista is in his hometown tonight. Sylvan gets some promo time on the way to the ring, but Batista attacks him before the bell. He hits a spinebuster and then the Batista Bomb for the victory. Next. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show Layla winning the Diva Search contest. 

Scotty 2 Hotty vs. Sylvester Terkay

Scotty always gets his TV entrance. MVP is in the suite with some ladies on his flip phone. Scotty gets a couple of shots to the face of Terkay, but it has little to no effect. Terkay hits him with a kick to knock him off the apron. After getting some water in the corner, Scotty's able to get some boots in, but it doesn't work and Terkay hits a muscle buster for the victory. I have to say, I like Terkay more in 2022 than I did in 2006. That's not saying a whole lot, but he is more impressive than I remember. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

We get a look back at Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio

Paul London and Brian Kendrick are with Kristal to talk about Idol Stevens and KC James until they are attacked with Michelle McCool barking orders. 

Mr. Kennedy vs. Tatanka

This already has gone on longer than I thought it would. They really were dedicated to giving Tatanka some TV time. A lot more than I ever remembered. After they start saying how Kennedy is the biggest star, we get a legit back-and-forth match between these two with Kennedy trying to even head to the back. Unfortunately not much happens until the end. Tatanka goes for the End Of The Trail, but Kennedy rakes his eyes and then rolls him up and holds the tights for the victory. Tatanka isn't happy after the match and argues with the referee. I'm not sure what that did for Kennedy. I get him being a heel, but this should have been a decisive win. 

Match Rating: **

We now get a video package of Los Guerreros. This leads to Vickie Guerrero going into Teddy Long's office and pleading to stop this match from happening. 

Last Man Standing Match
Great Khali vs. Undertaker

I can tell you who won't be the last man standing and that is me. Taker is able to chop Khali down and gets him in a triangle choke in the ropes. Khali gets to his feet, but he is wobbly and falls down. Daivari comes from behind and hits Taker in the back with a chair. He goes after Daivari on the top of the stage, but a distraction from Khali allows for a low blow from Daivari. Khali slams him into the fake glass part of the set and then throws him off the stage and through some tables. Taker gets to his feet at the 9 count and we go into a commercial break. When we come back, Khali is still dominating and gets him tied up in the ropes. They go back outside and Khali throws Taker into the steps. Taker battles back and sets Khali's head on the steps and Taker nails him with a chair. Khali is now bleeding, which I really don't remember. I didn't watch a lot of SmackDown during this time, but I probably made sure not to watch this one. Taker then hits Khali with two direct chair shots to the head because wrestling was extremely stupid during this era and pretended like concussions didn't exist. Khali tries to get up, but he can't get to his feet. Minus the ignorant and unnecessary finish, I will say that Taker put a lot of effort into this one and they delivered one of Khali's best matches. 

Match Rating: **1/2

The Boogeyman is coming back and probably coming to getcha. 

Vito vs. Scott Fowler

Hey, did you know that guys who wear dresses can also like sports? I'm not sure why we're going back to jobbers here. You know the drill here, it's the same match he has been having for weeks. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

United States Championship Match
Finlay vs. Bobby Lashley

I'm pretty sure that the only reason this feud went on forever was to help Lashley get some ringwork with one of the best. I know that's not a hot take, but it definitely didn't hurt. I didn't watch any of Lashley's non-WWE stuff, but it's pretty amazing how he is doing the best work I have seen him do 16 years after this. Finlay fakes an eye injury, but it doesn't work and he gets press slammed. Regal comes out and pushes Lashley from behind, which allows the distraction for Finlay to push him into the ring post. Back from commercial and Lashley hits a back body drop on the mat outside the ring. On the way back in, Finlay clubs Lashley with a clothesline. Finlay slows things down and goes to work on the left arm of Lashley. Lashley makes his comeback and hits a vertical suplex, but Regal distracts him and out comes Hornswoggle. Finlay lifts him up and Lashley spears Finlay. He hits the running powerslam, but Regal pulls the referee out of the ring and attacks Lashley. We have a disqualification and Hornswoggle hits Lashley with the shillelagh. Lashley eventually gets the best of the attack thanks to the help of a chair. The match was pretty good, but the ending fell flat. 

Match Rating: **3/4

King Booker and Queen Sharmell are backstage on their way to the ring. 

After the commercial break, Booker and Sharmell are in the ring, where they invite Batista to come to the ring. Rather than face Booker at SummerSlam, he has a plan B for Batista. That plan is for Batista to bow down and kiss Booker's feet. Sharmell puts down a pillow and takes off Booker's shoe and sock. Batista ponders it and goes down to one knee. He looks at Booker and stomps on his foot before clotheslining him over the ropes. This was a weak finish, as I would have had Regal and Finlay attack him and force him to kiss his foot to end the show. 

This was kind of a weird episode. It was oddly entertaining despite being full of a lot of things I didn't necessarily think I'd want to watch. It was far from great, but just solidly entertaining. 

Overall Rating: 60%

ECW 8-15-06 Review

Tuesday, August 15th, 2006
Verizon Center
Washington DC

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Tonight we are getting a triple threat ladder match to determine the #1 contender for Big Show's title at SummerSlam. Then Paul Heyman tells us that Angle tore his groin and that he's medially suspending Angle. So tonight it will be Rob Van Dam vs. Sabu. 

Mick Foley is here and lets us know that he thinks Ric Flair has declined his invitation to be here tonight. He then goes over Hell In A Cell and how he got up because he would have thought less of himself if he didn't. He then brings out Kelly Kelly and Melina. Foley then announces that they're going to do a three way dance and there's a reason this one never gets brought up when it comes to career highlights for Foley. Flair runs out and hits a couple of low blows. Flair starts choking Foley with his belt on the ring post. Flair grabs the mic and yells at someone in the crowd and then tells Foley that he's going to quit. 

Shannon Moore. Still coming. 

CM Punk vs. Justin Credible

For some reason Credible gets a pre-taped promo here. Credible slaps Punk and that works out about as well as you would expect. Punk goes for a reverse crossbody off the second rope and we get an awkward counter by Credible, if it was even supposed to be one. Punk hits the big running knee and a kick to the head. He puts on the Anaconda Vice and that is all. This one was a little more convincing than his actual debut and it felt like they were just righting that wrong. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

After a RVD hype video, he is backstage sitting on top of a ladder. He wants his title back. 

Rene Dupree is backstage having a photo shoot done and says he's ready to prove he's the most hardcore wrestler ever. I bet he doesn't.

FBI vs. Mike Knox & Test

The fake music overdub for the FBI is so loud that you can't even hear the ring announcer. Knox catches Guido and hits a swinging backbreaker. There was always something about Knox's ring attire that never worked for him. Test steamrolls Guido with a boot and hits his finisher on Mamaluke for the quick victory. Out come Tommy Dreamer and Sandman and they clear the ring. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's Sabu's turn and says that he will do anything to be ECW Champion. 

Paul Heyman is shown talking to Big Show and his personal security and in comes Kurt Angle to start brawling. He gets the handcuff treatment. 

#1 Contender Ladder Match
Rob Van Dam vs. Sabu

We get a weird screw up early on where Sabu leaps up to the top rope and then accidentally crotches himself, so RVD decides to just jump from the top rope to try and reach the contract. He comes nowhere close. Sabu knocks RVD out of the ring with a leaping clothesline off the chair. Sabu hits a tornado DDT and goes for a ladder. When we come back from the commercial break, RVD hits a spinning guillotine leg drop off the apron. Sabu hits an Arabian Facebuster on the ladder. Sabu sets the ladder up sideways and tries to leap off of it and falls. Not a banner night for Sabu here. RVD tries to monkey flip the ladder and it sort of works. RVD misses Sabu with the Rolling Thunder on the ladder. Sabu hits the triple jump moonsault, but then misses the Arabian Facebuster off the second rope. RVD finally tries to climb the ladder, but Sabu pulls him off by his ankle. RVD hits the 5 Star Frog Splash and starts to set up the ladder again. Out comes Big Show and he dumps RVD out of the ring and through a table. He asks them to lower the contract, but out comes Sabu and he jumps on Show and grabs the contract. What a convincing way to make him the #1 contender. Big Show then chokeslams him on the clipboard. He chokeslams RVD as well. This all fell really flat. The match itself was pretty sloppy with lots of painful looking moves. It was entertaining enough, but not memorable. 

Match Rating: ***

It just seems like every storyline they are trying on here just doesn't work out for one reason or another. They should have just let Sabu beat Kurt Angle last week and not thrown RVD into the mix until after SummerSlam. The team of Knox and Test still sends people to the concession stands. The Foley/Flair segment was solid and the main event was entertaining, plus CM Punk.

Overall Rating: 60%