SmackDown 9-1-06 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, September 1st, 2006
Sovereign Center
Reading, Pennsylvania

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After a recap of the Rey Mysterio/Chavo Guerrero/Vickie Guerrero storyline, Mysterio is out to kick off the show. He's confused on the whole situation and calls out Vickie. She comes out and announces that she is the new business manager of Chavo and then slaps Mysterio and walks away. This is the biggest reaction that this angle has gotten so far. 

Matt Hardy vs. Gregory Helms

I'm cool with this to kick things off. While Helms is hanging onto the ropes on his back, Hardy lifts him up and turns it into a sit down powerbomb. Helms is able to snap Hardy's neck on the top rope and then knocks him off the apron. Hardy battles back with some clotheslines and the second rope elbow. He goes for a Twist Of Fate, but Helms is able to roll him up for a 2 count. Hardy misses with a moonsault and Helms grabs his title belt. Hardy ducks it and sneaks in a pin to pick up the victory. This packed a lot of action into this match. 

Match Rating: ***

Mr. Kennedy is with Finlay and tells Teddy Long he wants a shot at the United States title. Teddy says it will happen tonight, but wants to add something to it. 

Miz vs. Tatanka

This is Miz's debut and 16 years later he is still a major player. He is in full Hoo-rah mode here. Sadly, he does a stereotypical portrayal of a Native American, but Tatanka hits him with a big chop to the chest. This is definitely not a squash. Tatanka tries to go up top, but Miz rolls away, but still eats another chop to the chest. Miz shoved the referee into Tatanka and it allows him to use a backslide to pick up the victory. It's pretty clear here that they are plotting to use Miz as a heel who steals victories and did a nice job of continuing the Tatanka storyline. I don't believe it ever goes anywhere, but it has been a nice little wrinkle to a character that otherwise hasn't had much going on. The match was pretty basic.

Match Rating: 3/4*

Triple Threat Match For The United States Championship
Mr. Kennedy vs. Finlay vs. Bobby Lashley

Before Kennedy and Finlay are about to square off, he announces that Lashley will be the third competitor in this match. Lashley naturally gets singled out quickly and has his shoulder thrown into the ring post. Kennedy turns on Finlay and does the same to him. Kennedy goes up top and hits the Kenton on Lashley, but Finlay pulls him off. Finlay puts Kennedy in the Boston Crab until Lashley makes his comeback. Lashley hits a big vertical suplex on the outside of the ring. Hornswoggle peaks his head out as we go into a commercial break. Finlay and Kennedy once again work together to single out Lashley. Out comes Hornswoggle and Finlay throws him onto Kennedy. Back comes Lashley and he hits a double clothesline. Kennedy gets knocked off the apron and then Finlay tries to use a shillelagh, but Lashley ducks it and hits the running powerslam. He goes for the pinfall, but then Kennedy rolls up Lashley and steals the victory. I'm a little surprised they let him pin Lashley, even if it was a surprise. This was a entertaining match that got time and delivered for the most part. After seeing the replay, Kennedy pulled the tights of Lashley on the pin. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

After a Raw recap, MVP is walking into the arena with some ladies. 

Vito vs. William Regal

Vito goes for a quick pinfall and almost steals the match. The commentating is absolutely awful here, as it usually is. Vito shoves Regal's head under the dress and Regal gives us the facial expressions that only he is capable of. He walks away and is counted out. This was pointless.

Match Rating: 1/4*

After being introduced to Jimmy Wang Yang, Michael Cole interviews MVP in the crowd. They continue to play up that he is hiding behind his agent and he walks away.

Pitbulls vs. Paul London & Brian Kendrick

The Pitbulls attack the champions right away and dominate. London finally is able to get out of the ring and tag in Kendrick. He gets in some offense until he gets flattened. London is able to push Kash off the top rope and Kendrick is able to roll up for the victory. They've done that finish way too much tonight. As soon as the bell rings, KC James and Idol Stevens destroy the champions. With the champs laying on the mat, they share some words with the Pitbulls. This deserved to be a lot longer. 

Match Rating: **

It's time for the main event contract signing between King Booker and Batista. They will be facing off next week. Booker goes off on a tangent and as per usual, it's gold. Batista reminds him that he never beat him and is only the champion due to a technicality. They sign the contract and then Batista gives Booker a second spinebuster after the first one didn't put him through the table. No surprise there.

I enjoyed this show. I wish we could have ended with the Kennedy title victory, but other than that, I thought this was an effective episode for the blue brand. They are trying to develop their characters and aren't held back by the crutch of the McMahons. 

Overall Rating: 60%

Off The Grid, Volume 24: Saturday Night's Main Event XXVII Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, July 28th, 1990
Omaha Civic Auditorium
Omaha, Nebraska

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Off The Grid, Volume 24: 

It's a Wild Kingdom episode of SNME tonight. Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura rundown tonight's card, ending with the SNME return of Hulk Hogan. 

Bobby Heenan and Rick Rude call Ultimate Warrior a guppy in the ocean of life. Ultimate Warrior says he will prove that he's the ultimate animal.

WWF Championship Match
Rick Rude vs. Ultimate Warrior

Heenan distracts and Rude attacks Warrior from behind before the bell rings. Warrior quickly comes back and gives Rude an atomic drop that is naturally followed by a famous Rude sell. Warrior clotheslines him over the top rope and gives him and Heenan a double noggin knocker. Warrior goes up to the top rope and hits Rude with a double ax handle. Rude is able to miss the splash and Warrior acts as if he was stabbed. Heenan gets involved again and Rude uses the WWF title on Warrior outside the ring. Rude now goes up top and Warrior hits him in the midsection. Rude is able to comeback with a clothesline. Rude is able to lock in a sleeper in the middle of the ring. Warrior falls down the mat and the referee lifts his leg rather than his arm, which I don't think I've ever seen before. Warrior bounces back with the third leg drop, but Rude hits him with a flurry of right hands. Warrior kicks out of a pin attempt and starts hitting clotheslines. He hits a shoulder tackle and a splash, but Heenan grabs Wariorr when he goes for the pin. He goes after Heenan and has his hands around his neck. Rude saves him and Warrior goes for a press slam. Heenan runs from behind and hits him with a knee to the back. Warrior goes after Heenan again and this time gets him. Warrior ends up winning by countout, which is not how I would have booked the ending. The match was pretty good, as these two usually delivered.

Match Rating: **1/2

We go to Lord Alfred Hayes and Mean Gene Okerlund in their safari gear and make a lame Pete Rose joke. 

We get a Hulk Hogan video that shows him getting squashed by Earthquake with the slow, synth version of "Real American". Vince McMahon brings out Hulk and he is so thankful for all of the letters that were sent, mostly because they are now on a mailing list. They talk about Dino Bravo being in Earthquake's corner, but he's going to have Tugboat in his corner. Except he won't. Out come Earthquake, Bravo and Jimmy Hart. Tugboat comes out and makes the save. Nothing really happened, but the crowd was into it. 

Hayes and Gene are out in the wild and in comes Koko B. Ware and Frankie. Gene then trips on a tree root and has a snake in his face. There's Jake Roberts, who talks quickly about Bad News Brown. Out come the Bushwhackers walking the train tracks. 

WWF Tag Team Championship Match
Demolition vs. Rockers

This will be hard to watch with Vince constantly talking about the third Demolition member. The Rockers use their quickness to fight off a hot start from Demolition. The Rockers were just so good in 1990 and 91. Jannetty hits an awkward sunset flip off the second rope for a 2 count. Crush signals something to Ax and apparently he is Nostradamus, as he somehow figures that Jannetty will land outside the ring at the right spot and then Ax clubs him with a clothesline. I never noticed before and maybe it was just in this instance, but Crush's straps are different than his teammates. Demolition continues to dominate until Jannetty tags in Michaels and they clean house. They hit a double superkick and then the double fist off the top rope until Crush pulls them off Smash. Michaels has Smash rolled up, but Ax comes in and clubs him and covers him for the pin and victory. Where is Jack Tunney for all of this? Out come the Hart Foundation to argue it. Now the Legion of Doom are out to protest it. The match was pretty good, but they didn't get enough time to have a really memorable match.

Match Rating: ***

Back to the safari, where Gene gets bit by a mosquito and starts imitating animals. 

Sean Mooney is with Mr. Perfect and Bobby Heenan. Unfortunately, nothing memorable here. 

Intercontinental Championship Match
Mr. Perfect vs. Tito Santana

Vince hates people who thinks they are perfect. Yeah, okay. This one starts off hot and Tito is all fire here. I love both of these guys, particularly in 1990. Perfect battles back and hits a big clothesline. He hits one of his classic knee lifts, which I'm not sure why no one has ripped off. I'm sure someone has. The crowd goes nuts for a Tito clothesline. Tito hits him with a right hand, but Perfect falls back on the referee's knee, injuring him. Tito locks in the Figure Four in the center of the ring, but the referee is still hurting. Tito breaks the hold to check on the ref, but sees Perfect getting up. He runs and hits the flying forearm, but it takes the ref too long to get over and Perfect is able to kick out before 3. Tito hits a second rope clothesline, but again the ref is slow and Perfect is able to escape. Tito calls for another official and we have one going into the commercial break. Tito hits a crossbody, but Perfect again kicks out. Tito knocks him over the top rope to the floor and then throws him across the ring, with Perfect hitting the ring post below the belt. Tito hits an atomic drop and gets a 2 count. Perfect goes for a Perfect Plex, but Tito counters into a small package. Perfect is able to roll Tito back over and steal the victory. This was really good stuff. I'm not sure how Vince saw this match and how the crowd reacted to Tito and decided to have him job to Warlord at SummerSlam. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

Jesse Ventura goes back with Earthquake, Dino and Jimmy. Somehow, Jimmy doesn't speak at all. 

Back to Mean Gene and Lord Alfred. They spot Jimmy Snuka and then run into Slick and Akeem. Mean Gene falls into the water. I'm not sure why any of this was necessary. 

Buddy Rose vs. Texas Tornado

This is Tornado's WWF debut. Tornado throws the large Rose all over the ring and then gets him tied in the ropes. Rose takes a pretty big bump by falling backwards out of that spot. Tornado hits the spinning punch with no claw and gets the victory. This wasn't much of anything other than to hype up their new star. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Jesse Ventura is back with Rude and Heenan. They talk about the cage match at SummerSlam where they lost all of their heat with the way they were booked tonight. 

Sean Mooney is with Ultimate Warrior and he rambles on forever before calling himself the ultimate animal. 

We get one more scene with Alfred, Gene and a chimp. Vince and Jesse close it out to tell us about the next season of SNME in the fall.

The animal stuff did nothing for the show, but the rest of this was really good. The Tito/Perfect match is definitely worth tracking down and the rest never outstays its welcome. Thumbs up for this one. 

Overall Rating: 80%

Superstars 10-1-94 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, October 1st, 1994
Browns County Veterans Memorial Arena
Green Bay, Wisconsin

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Razor Ramon vs. Red Tyler

Razor throws a toothpick at Lawler on his way to the ring to kick off the show. Razor looked like he maybe got hit in the jaw with Tyler's elbow and looks to be a little peeved. He hits him with some hard chops and a fall away slam. Tyler didn't take that well and Razor acts like a total heel the whole rest of the match here. He hits the back suplex off the second turnbuckle and the Razor's Edge for the easy victory. I could be totally just buying into what he was going for there, but Razor definitely looked to be in an irritated mood. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Todd Pettengill narrates a highlight package about the Shawn Michaels and Diesel feud with the Headshrinkers. It's all kind of weird since Samu is gone, but I guess they really didn't have a choice.

Abe Schwartz vs. Ron Cumberledge

Vince is trying to figure out which MLB player Abe is. Lombardi was only 33 here, which you would probably guess he is about 10 years older. He gets into a shouting match with the ref, pretending to be a manager. He hits a superplex and gets the victory. This was pretty awful. 

Match Rating: 0 Stars

After showing Bob Barker and Ted DiBiase at a charity event, we get a video package on Bob Backlund's history and loss to Bret Hart. 

Mabel vs. George Anderson

I'm not sure why they didn't save this one for Survivor Series. Mabel hits a spin kick and that's all. Nothing to see here. Lawler then draws a skunk on Mabel's head. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show King Kong Bundy climbing a building and he's in action next week. The New Generation. 

Jim Neidhart vs. Ike Andrews

Neidhart makes quick work of Andrews, which is a smart choice. He puts on a variation of the Camel Clutch that I don't think I've ever seen by cranking back on Andrews' neck. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Undertaker and Paul Bearer talk about Yokozuna in a casket again. 

Bushwhackers vs. Rock Warner & Tom Stone

Rock and Stone, what a team. We get the typical Bushwhacker shenanigans, with illegal double teams. They eventually hit the Battering Ram for the victory. This one was a little bit more focused than usual. That's about all I can say about it. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Todd talks about a blow up Undertaker. We then find out that Duke Droese is going to take on Bam Bam Bigelow next week. 

IRS vs. Gary Jackson

Every show deserves an IRS squash. How are you in the WWF for 3  years and your finisher is an average clothesline? Well, IRS can tell you and thankfully ended the match there. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Vince interviews Lex Luger in the crowd. Luger thinks that rich people need to go to the bank every day and when Tatanka does, he wants him to see the faces of the fans he sold out on the bills. I'm not sure what the point of this was. 

Hey, it was another bad Superstars episode. I remember when they weren't all bad not too long ago. At least next week we're getting a feature match instead of the same squashes over and over. 

Overall Rating: 38%

ECW 8-29-06 Review

Tuesday, August 29th, 2006
Sovereign Center
Reading, Pennsylvania

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After a recap of last weeks events, Paul Heyman tells us that he will pin Sabu 1-2-3. 

Rob Van Dam vs. Hardcore Holly

This will probably be a pretty stiff match. They go right at it and Holly is quickly clotheslined over the top rope after a monkey flip. RVD stalls and it costs him, as Holly attacks him outside the ring. RVD blocks a suplex and sets up Holly on the barricade to hit a helicopter leg drop. Back in the ring, Holly tries to counter into an Alabama Slam. He spins around and tosses RVD over the top and to the floor. RVD battles back and hits a superkick and a standing moonsault. RVD hits Rolling Thunder, but misses with the 5 Star Frog Splash. Holly goes and grabs a chair, but misses with the swing and eats a spin kick. Van Dam grabs the chair and hits Holly with it, causing a DQ. I'm not sure I follow the logic here. He hits him one more time outside of the ring. Up until the stupid finish, this was a solid TV match between two old pros. 

Match Rating: **1/2

Big Show is here and talks about taking out DX at SummerSlam and Raw. He lets us know that he's facing them in a handicap match next week. 

CM Punk vs. Stevie Richards

Richards gets a moment of offense, but he quickly is hit with a CM Punk dive through the ropes. Richards is able to come back and puts on a bear hug for some reason. Punk hits a pop up dropkick to shift the momentum and it's all Punk from here on out. Punk slaps on the Anaconda Vice and Richards surprisingly takes a little bit of time to tap. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Matt Striker is out to insult the Sandman, which always works out well. Out comes Sandman, but Striker hits him with the chalkboard. He uses a stapler on him to bust him open and then heads for the back. 

Balls Mahoney is about to give us his normal schtick, but then Kelly Kelly is here and opens up her robe to let Balls take a look. 

Joey Styles and Tazz talk about Kurt Angle's release. I have to admit, I definitely didn't think it would take as long as it did for him to make his return. 

Extreme Rules
Paul Heyman vs. Sabu

Heyman's personal security are involved quickly, but Sabu disposes of them. He goes for a leap off the chair, but he sees Big Show and jumps on him instead and hits a DDT. This does give Heyman's guys time to attack Sabu and then Show throws a chair at his head. Sabu is busted open and Heyman starts slapping him in the face. He then screams at him in his face before getting choked by Heyman's goons. Sabu tries his best to make a comeback, but gets clubbed by a Big Show clothesline instead. Out comes RVD to help Sabu and he hits a Van Daminator. This allows Sabu to get back at Heyman and hit the Arabian Facebuster. They set up Heyman on the table outside the ring, but Show hits Sabu mid-air before he make sit over. Out comes Hardcore Holly and he hits an Alabama Slam on RVD through the table. Big Show takes out Sabu and drags Heyman on top of him for the victory. This was all smoke and mirrors naturally and it wasn't too bad. After the match, Show chokeslams Sabu through a table for good measure. 

Match Rating: *1/4

Well this was a much improved episode of ECW this week. Big Show being on both shows makes it a little harder to really care about him, but that's more of a Raw problem than it is ECW. This was overall one of the easier ECW episodes to watch.

Overall Rating: 58%

Monday Night Raw 8-28-06 Review

Monday, August 28th, 2006
Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall
Atlantic City, New Jersey

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Shane McMahon is here to kick off the show to let DX know that they've gone too far. Shane says that DX will have to compete tonight, but he's not saying who their opponents are. He's then interrupted by Edge and Lita. Edge is sick of John Cena and he wants him out of his life. Naturally, Cena's music hits and after making some bad jokes, he wants one more match. Edge agrees, but wants to name where it takes place (not in this dump) and he gets to name the type of match. Shane then tells Cena that he has a match right now. 

John Cena vs. Chris Masters

This is Masters first match in months, as he was out for personal reasons. He is a little bit slimmer and sporting a goatee. Jerry Lawler refers to him as "leaner and meaner". Masters pulls out some Hercules punches and puts on a variation of the Camel Clutch. Cena comes back and hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle. He goes for the FU, but Masters counter into an inverted DDT. JR randomly calls it the Slop Drop. Cena quickly comes back with the STFU, but in comes Edge and hits him with a chair, causing a DQ finish. Edge goes under the ring and grabs a ladder. He rams it right into the head of Cena and now it's time for the table. He props it up in the corner and throws Cena through it. Edge grabs the mic and says the match will take place in his hometown at Unforgiven in a match he's never lost before, TLC. Overall, this all was pretty well done, although it's pretty obvious that they have cooled way down on Masters after his leave of absence.

Match Rating: *1/4

We get a jobber meeting backstage with Shane and he tells them that they already have a plan for their opponents. Shane gets a phone call from dad. Vince is in a hotel suite and says that he feels great. The doorbell rings and then we hear some rooster noises. He was delivered a cage of roosters. Hilarious. 

Carlito and Trish are walking backstage, so I guess that is still going on. Carlito is wondering when Trish is going to tell Carlito about her retirement. He found out from a WWE mobile alert from Lita. Trish wanted to announce it, but Lita ruined it. Carlito says if that's what's best for her, he supports it. He then gives her a kiss goodbye and then is attacked from behind by Randy Orton. Trish looked like she hit the cart behind her pretty hard. 

Back To Schoolgirl Paddle On A Pole Match
Torrie Wilson vs. Candice Michelle

They both go right for the pole, but are unsuccessful. Torrie hits a Stink Face after taking off her skirt, but Candice bites her butt. This allows her to grab the pole and win the match. Torrie now has to get spanked, but in a shocking turn of events, hands the paddle to Torrie. She reveals her underwear says "Spank me" on it. What a time to be alive. 

Match Rating: 0 Stars

Intercontinental Championship #1 Contenders Match
Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy

After an aggressive start from Orton, Hardy makes a comeback and hits a springboard Whisper In The Wind to the floor into the commercial break. They show that Orton hit a clothesline to take control of the match. I also forgot that this was a Syfy episode of Raw. Hardy goes for a dive through the ropes, but Orton got his leg up to hit him with a knee. JR says he'll be shocked if Hardy has a long career, which is kind of crazy that JR called a Jeff Hardy match 16 years later. Hardy counters a powerbomb with a hurricanrana, but then Orton counters a reverse crossbody with a dropkick. Hardy is able to comeback and heads up top for a Swanton. Orton rolls out of the ring, but Carlito attacks him and spits an apple in his face. Hardy hits a Twist Of Fate and the Swanton to become the #1 contender. This match sort of lacked any psychology, as it seemed to be them just trading moves back and forth. Their chemistry was also a little off, although this was hardly bad. It just wasn't as good as you would expect.

Match Rating: **1/4

DX is backstage until Shane comes back with some cops. I spy Cesaro and maybe EC3. Triple H then makes a joke about his father dating girls a third his age, which is really bad timing here in the future. 

The Highlanders are here to join the announce team.

World Tag Team Championship Match
Eugene & Jim Duggan vs. Spirit Squad

Two of the Spirit Squad get knocked into the announce table and that causes the Highlanders to get involved. The referee ejects both Highlanders and the 2 Spirit Squad members. Kenny removes a turnbuckle pad behind the referee's back and Eugene is able to get a tag. Duggan cleans house, but when he charges at Mikey, they push him out of the way and Duggan runs into the exposed turnbuckle. They roll him up and the Spirit Squad retains. This was nothing.

Match Rating: 1/2*

Umaga's music hits and the Spirit Squad splits. Umaga hits a flatliner on Eugene and then the Samoan Spike on Duggan. It amazes me that Armando Estrada is only 27 years old here. 

After showing the clips of Melina turning on Mick Foley, Melina and Johnny Nitro are out to the ring. He talks about how great he is and getting freaky with Melina. Melina then talks about Foley embarrassing himself with his crush. They continue to insult the normal people and that they're stars. It's nice to see them get some TV time, but this went on too long for just about anyone. 

JR and Lawler then talk about Kurt Angle being released and they wish him the best. After commercial, they talk about Lita overhearing Trish about her retirement again. 

WWE Women's Championship Match
Lita vs. Mickie James

The crowd has been conditioned to hate both of these ladies and it is dead silent. Mickie is able to hit an enzuigiri and a Fisherman's Suplex for a 2 count. Lita fights back with a back elbow to the face and grabs her title belt. The referee takes it away and Mickie rolls her up. The ref is slow to count and it only gets a 2. Mickie goes for a hurricanrana, but Lita drops her down, grabs the rope and steals the victory. They were trying to pull off a good match in a short amount of time, but unfortunately the crowd just wasn't into it. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Handicap Match
Shawn Michaels & Triple H vs. William Regal, Finlay & Mr. Kennedy

Shane McMahon announces the heels to no reaction. The crowd is just pretty much done at this point. Hornswoggle quickly makes his Raw debut getting involved. The heels dominate until Michaels is able to avoid a charging Finlay and his shoulder hits the ring post. In comes Regal and Triple H. They throw Kennedy out of the ring, but Finlay grabs Triple H. Regal goes for a chair shot, but Triple H ducks and he hits Finlay. Triple H hits the Pedigree and picks up the victory. Out comes Shane McMahon and he says that he has two words for them and it's Big Show. Out comes the Big Show and they both attack him. Show goes for a double chokeslam, but they kick him below the belt. Kennedy and Finlay get involved and take both men out. Big Show hits his new finisher on Shawn and then out comes Vince with a lead pipe and a bad attitude. Vince uses it on Triple H and then starts to choke him with it. Triple H is busted open and they then start choking Michaels with it. Vince grabs the camera away from a camera man and uses it on Michaels' face. Even for this, the crowd is dead and there are still 3 more minutes of airtime. Vince announces it will be him, Shane and Big Show against DX in Hell In A Cell. This was a mess of a segment, not to mention they have been building up Kennedy for months and made him look like a total goof.

Match Rating: 1/2*

This show was off to a hot start, but it was all downhill after the Orton/Hardy match. The DX/McMahon feud has lost all of its steam and thankfully it's almost about to come to an end. The Edge/Cena stuff continues to carry the show.

Overall Rating: 48%

NXT 9-18-14 Review

Original Airdate: Thursday, September 18th, 2014
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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Titus O'Neil is out and he lets the crowd know that it's an honor and privilege for them to be in the presence of an actual WWE Superstar. He says that this show is now called NXTitus. Out comes Sami Zayn to interrupt. Titus threatens to give him the beating of a lifetime, so then Adrian Neville comes out. He tells Zayn that if someone is going to disrespect NXT, he's the one who is going to defend it. Zayn takes offense and then Tyson Kidd comes out. Kidd stirs the pot between Neville and Zayn. Titus is sick of listening to that and he says that he's here to make a statement. Out comes William Regal and he announces a tag team main event for tonight. This was unique for NXT, but what you've seen on Raw for the last 20 years. 

They show highlights of Hideo Itami from TakeOver. He will be making his in ring debut against Justin Gabriel tonight.

Charlotte vs. Emma

This one feels kind of random coming off Charlotte's big match with Bayley at TakeOver. Charlotte shows off her title belt and Emma slaps it away, so Charlotte knees her in the midsection. Charlotte's Figure Four headlock is without question one of the best non-finisher submission holds that I can think of. Emma starts to make her comeback and hits the splash in the corner. She hits a crossbody off the top rope and gets a 2 count. Charlotte is able to come back with a reverse neckbreaker and follows it up with Natural Selection for the victory. This wasn't the normal NXT Emma and it was clear that Charlotte was here to steamroll her. 

Match Rating: *3/4

Justin Gabriel vs. Hideo Itami

I am looking forward to see what Itami did in NXT, as I never really saw much of it. Itami hits a fantastic dropkick to a leaping Gabriel. After a quick bit of offense from Gabriel, Itami hits a boot to the face and then a kick on the apron that knocks Gabriel back into the ring. He hits a springboard missile dropkick, followed by more dropkicks in the corner. Itami hits a stomp to the midsection off the top rope and picks up the easy victory. This was a solid first match for Itami. 

Match Rating: *

After the match, the Ascension come and attack Itami. They hit the Fall Of Man on him and leave him behind.

CJ Parker vs. Baron Corbin

This is a rematch from TakeOver and I don't think it will end well for Parker. He hits the End Of Days and proves me right.

Match Rating: 1/4*

They talk about the Enzo Amore/Sylvester Lefort match. We then get footage of Carmella at the gym and throws an exercise ball at Enzo and says she's here to fight. 

Tyson Kidd & Titus O'Neil vs. Sami Zayn & Adrian Neville

They play up the tension between Zayn and Neville early, with Neville tagging himself in to start. The fans chant "Better than Neville" at Zayn, which is blunt to say the least. They continue to try and one up each other and this is the closest we've come to seeing Zayn go heel in his time in NXT. When we come back from commercial break, Titus is throwing Zayn around just to remind you that for some reason he is in this match. Titus continues to dominate Zayn, until Zayn is able to make a tag and Neville goes all out on Kidd. Neville hits a standing Shooting Star Press, but Titus breaks up the pin. Titus shoves Neville off the top rope and Kidd gets his knees up and pins the champion. This was obviously a storyline device, but it was entertaining enough to sand on its own. 

Match Rating: **1/2

This was a pretty good follow up to a good TakeOver, even if it involved random Emma and Titus O'Neil appearances. Hideo Itami looked good in his debut and the roster is going to only get more talented here as we move towards 2015.

Overall Rating: 60%

Monday Night Raw 9-26-94 Review

Monday, September 26th, 1994
Utica Memorial Auditorium
Utica, New York

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Intercontinental Championship Match
Tatanka vs. Razor Ramon

I'm not really sure why they didn't change Tatanka's music, as it's just too upbeat for a heel. A DiBiase distraction allows for Tatanka to attack Razor from behind. It's not long until Razor is able to clothesline Tatanka over the top and to the floor. Tatanka gets in a little offense and then is knocked out of the ring again. Razor keeps knocking him off the apron when he attempts to come in, but Tatanka gets smart and is able to snap him on the top rope. They are battling outside the ring as we head into a commercial break. When we come back, Razor is on the ground next to a Pepsi cup. Tatanka comes from behind and hits a chop to the back and then pushes him into the apron twice. Back in the ring, Tatanka hits a reverse elbow and then puts him in Razor's own abdominal stretch. He uses some heel tactics by grabbing DiBiase's hand until he gets caught and then he just stomps away on the champ. Razor is able to get the abdominal stretch on, but Tatanka hip tosses to get out of it. He misses with an elbow and Razor fights back with some right hands. He hits a back suplex off the second rope and DiBiase is now on the apron. This leads to a weak distraction spot, where Tatanka started going after him too early. Out comes Lex Luger, but he is attacked by Bam Bam Bigelow before he even gets to the ring. Tatanka joins in and is counted out. Out comes Razor and we have a full fledged brawl right into another commercial break. The match was decent enough, but ended up being pretty meaningless. 

Match Rating: **

They show the same Paul Bearer/Undertaker promo spot about the Hart Attack Tour against Yokozuna from Superstars. Once was enough.

Kwang vs. Rich Myers

Here's a great way to kill a live crowd. Myers gets a headscissors in but then gets hit with a chop. I know all the wrestling people say how great Savio Vega was as a worker, but seeing a guy do a gimmick that isn't working and not changing a single thing doesn't do much for the argument. Kwang hits the spin kick for the victory and not a single person in the arena cares.

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's time for the King's Court and his guest is British Bulldog. Lawler pulls off some of his worst one liners with a bunch of dog jokes. Bulldog then talks about picking Lawler up with a pooper scooper. Out comes Neidhart and then tells Bulldog that he shouldn't have been at SummerSlam because he's not a true family member. Neidhart challenges Bulldog and he gladly accepts. 

They then announce that Luna Vachon and Bull Nakano take on Alundra Blayze and Heidi Lee Morgan.

They once again show the Bob Backlund interaction from last week. 

1-2-3 Kid vs. Kenny Davis

Davis is about as unimpressive as they come. Kid hits a series of kicks and out comes Bob Backlund with a gift. He hands it to Randy Savage and walks away. Davis misses an elbow drop and then Vince lets us know he's going to grab his cheaters. That joke writes itself. The gift is a dictionary naturally. Kid hits a top rope leg drop for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get the same cheesy King Kong Bundy vignette.

Shawn Michaels & Diesel vs. Chris Kanyon & Bob Starr

Vince and Savage let us know that Samu has been a no-show lately. Diesel hits a Jackknife and Shawn tags in to get the easy victory. Out from behind, it's the Headshrinkers to attack them. Only there's no Samu, it's Sione instead. Sione is the Barbarian for those who don't know. They clear out the ring and we go to commercial.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Captain Lou introduces us to Sione and Shawn has to do everything he can to keep Diesel from going back at the Headshrinkers. 

As we get further into 1994, the quality continues to take a pretty big dip. This episode was no different. I appreciate them giving us a big name match by this era's standards, but there was no real story and it was on the dull side.

Overall Rating: 40%