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Post by The Kevstaaa on Aug 7, 2015 21:57:54 GMT -5
Uncensored 1996
March 24th, 1996 | Tupelo Coliseum in Tupelo, Mississippi | Attendance: 9,000
Recently, I actually spent some time reviling episodes of Nitro from 1996 and saw some of the build to this show. Those Nitros were relatively fun to watch though the focus seemed to be on the same guys each week. It’s strange that I saw the build for this show but honestly don’t really know what the card is. This would be the second of six Uncensored Pay-Per-Views in WCW history.
The intro video is ridiculously bad. Commentary for this show will feature Bobby Heenan, Dusty Rhodes and Tony Schiavone.
WCW United States Championship
Konnan (c) vs. Eddie Guerrero
Commentary mentions that these guys are friends. A mat exchange opens things before Eddie takes to the skies for the upper hand. He locks in a figure four, which I’m sure pisses Ric Flair off backstage. It’s strange to have someone on your undercard do the finisher of your top guy. Both guys seem to be targeting the legs of the other one. The crowd gets into this as this style of match was just starting to get over with the WCW audience. Eddie tries a camel clutch but Konnan powers out. They do more quick stuff until Konnan slows it by going after the arms and back. It’s odd after all of the leg work earlier. Eddie comes back and leaps outside onto Konnan in a cool little spot. Eddie snaps off a hurricanrana and tries to roll into a pin but they get awkwardly stuck. Konnan hits a nice powerbomb for two. Both guys end up missing dives to the outside after. Eddie nails a superplex but is too tired to pin instantly so he only gets two. He goes up for the Frog Splash but Konnan slams him from the top like he’s Ric Flair. Actually, Eddie rolls through into a close near fall. They seem to mess up another spot as Eddie looks for a hurricanrana but Konnan falls back and Eddie has hurt his groin. Konnan covers and steals it.
Winner and Still WCW United States Champion: Konnan in 18:25
I thought this was a pretty good match but it could have been much better without the botches. They seemed to be a bit off on their communication, which caused some problems. Early on, they mixed the flying with the mat work well but then Konnan focused on different body parts which was odd. Solid, but could have been more. **¾
Belfast Bruiser vs. Lord Steven Regal
I’m unsure if this is 1996 WCW or 2006 Smackdown because the Belfast Bruiser is Finlay. He slaps Regal’s boy Jeeves as he leaves to the back before the bell. They just start by wailing away on each other, since both guys are tough dudes. The fight goes outside where Regal is dropped throat first onto the rail. Back inside, they trade holds. The crowd isn’t really into it though. Every shot from these guys is stiff as hell. Back outside, Bruiser wants to use a chair but the referee stops him. Is this not Uncensored? Even Tony Schiavone says it should be. Regal suplexes him outside and follows with an apron elbow. Ever the heel, Regal gets in a field goal like low blow on the Bruiser. It’s brilliant how he can do something like that, only to then turn back to act sophisticated right after. They continue to jockey for positing until things go outside. They brawl up by the Doomsday Cage and back to the ring where the Blue Bloods show up to attack Finlay and cause the DQ.
Winner via disqualification: Belfast Bruiser in 17:27
This was two tough guys beating the hell out of each other. It was stiff and fun. Manly is a good word to describe this thing. The finish was dumb though and disappointed me heavily. ***¼
The Giant and Jimmy Hart are interviewed backstage by Mean BAH GAWD Gene. Giant wasn’t really good here on the mic. He had tons of work to do. Loch Ness, his opponent for tonight, is also interviewed. He seemed pretty terrible.
Col. Robert Parker vs. Madusa
Nearly every single time I see a Madusa match in WCW, I wonder why she left the WWF. This is one of those times. Apparently, she was messing with Parker behind Sherri’s back and interrupted their wedding. Somehow Madusa is a face here. Shouldn’t they both be heels for their affair? They have a legit lock up and Parker breaks clean, which blows the minds of commentary. She does end up slamming him, causing him to try and leave. He decides to come back and Madusa continues to kick his ass. She hits a German suplex but Dick Slater shows up to mess with the bridge and Parker covers her in dastardly fashion.
Winner: Col. Robert Parker in 3:46
After a solid start to the show, this made it fall off of a cliff. This was terrible and not entertaining in the slightest. I don’t see the point of it at all. DUD.
The Road Warriors get interviewed about their upcoming WCW Tag Team Championship Street Fight. Following this, commentary hypes the next match. They did before the previous bout too. It’s too much talking in between matches.
I Quit Wrestling Match
The Booty Man vs. Diamond Dallas Page
This isn’t an I Quit match like you’d think. It’s a normal match where if DDP loses, he has to quit. Not only is DDP’s hair ridiculous but he is wearing purple windbreakers to the ring. The Booty Man someone looks just as stupid. There is a fair amount of early stalling. DDP does the fake walk out, which I only like in certain situations. DDP knows that if he loses, his career is over, so why would he just walk out? Kimberly comes out after Booty Man works over DDP a bit. I would have suspected she would show up when DDP was in control to swing the momentum. At least she looks damn fine so I won’t complain. DDP wears down Booty Man with a chinlock for a bit. Despite being in control he gets distracted when trying to be mean to Kimberly. He kisses her but she slaps him and the Booty Man hits a high knee to win.
Winner: The Booty Man in 15:58
Whoever thought that this should get over fifteen minutes was insane. I didn’t like much of DDP’s work until a year or so later and Booty Man was always terrible. This whole thing sucked and felt way longer than it was. Everything was so bad here. DUD.
Some backstage interview happens where Jimmy Hart says he has to be done with Lex Luger. He gets sad and cries, leaving his jacket with Luger. He will be out of the Tag Team Title match for reasons I must have missed.
The Giant w/ Jimmy Hart vs. Loch Ness
Loch Ness has Rey Mysterio’s future theme because WCW only had like 10 themes that they loved to recycle. Somehow, this is a number one contender’s match. They plod around the ring for a bit with Giant taking a VERY dangerous bump to the outside. Once back in though, he uses a leg drop and wins.
Winner: The Giant in 2:34
I give it a better score than the last two matches because it was kept very short. It was the best match we could have expected from these two. ½*
Due to something involving Lex Luger’s contract, he will be in the main event and not the Tag Team Title match. Booker T is replacing him and if he co-exists with Sting, Harlem Heat gets the next shot. The promo they cut backstage is good as Booker says it’s on like neck bone and Sting calls Booker a straight OG brother.
WCW Tag Team Championship Chicago Street Fight
Sting and Booker T (c) vs. The Road Warriors
You read that right. This is a Chicago street fight, on a show in Tupelo, Mississippi. Why it’s not just billed as a street fight is beyond me. The fight starts during the entrances and we get WCW’s awful split screen style. It makes the match unenjoyable for the time it happens. When it gets in the ring, I’m glad the split screen is over, but the action doesn’t really speed up. It’s hard to really discuss it because not much is happening. It’s just like throwing each other into guardrails and chokeholds. Sting beats up Animal in the aisle and then just leaves. It turns out he went to get a chair, but it was rather awkward. Animal is like “what the hell is selling?” and comes right down to the ring to use the chair himself. The fight continues to go around the arena but again, isn’t very interesting. The Warriors look to set up the Doomsday Device but Booker stops it. Hawk just tries to cover Sting anyway for two. They do the spot where Sting falls into Animal’s groin. I’ve seen that used for comedy effect before so it was weird here. This has gone on for far too long at this point and Heenan says he doesn’t think it is halfway over even. Things finally start to pick up a bit as Animal hits Sting with a chair outside and Booker hits a big kick inside but can’t cover. Sting gets a broom, marking the first weapon that’s not a chair. As the Warriors take control, Booker T leaves and Animal follows. They pass by Lex Luger, who is just looking at himself in the mirror. Animal hits him by mistake and he falls into the garbage. He gets pissed at that, leading to Luger and a random Stevie Ray to beat him up. He gets taped up to a post in the back. Booker makes it back to the ring but the two on one situation still isn’t enough to put down Hawk, so Stevie Ray comes out to hit him with a chair and Booker ends up earning the three.
Winners and Still WCW Tag Team Champions: Sting and Booker T in 29:34
I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a 30 minute match with less effort or care. Everyone just seemed so unenthused. It’s like they were told they have to go 30 minutes and got upset about it. You can make a long street fight work, but not if you’re just doing a lot of nothing for the entire time. Absolutely boring. *¼
Doomsday Cage Match
Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage vs. Arn Anderson, Barbarian, Kevin Sullivan, Lex Luger, Meng, Ric Flair, the Ultimate Solution and Z-Gangsta
It’s a giant cage and Hulk Hogan and Macho Man basically have to run a gauntlet. They face different guys in each section of the cage as they work their way to the bottom. It’s like three levels. They start up top with Ric Flair and Arn Anderson. I’m not sure why you’d start with the two talented members of the heel team. It’s just a lot of chops, punches and kicks because there is no mat so you can’t really do any moves. They shut me up because they do dueling figure fours since that’s one move you can do in this environment. The faces throw powder, yes the faces, into Anderson and Flair’s eyes before moving to the next cage. This one has Luger, Sullivan, Meng and the Barbarian. There are two sides here with the Faces of Fear beating on Savage on one. Suddenly, Hogan just pulls out a padlock and locks them on one side. Seriously? He just happened to bring that with him? This allows the Mega Powers to just beat on Luger and Sullivan. Sullivan leaves to a scaffold section and they tease Hogan throwing him off but it doesn’t happen. Somehow, things actually leave the cage and they are fighting in the aisle. They even hit the ring for some it. By the way, whoever the Ultimate Solution and Z-Gangsta are, they aren’t here. Tony Schiavone calls this spectacular, which shows how much of a company guy he was. It seems like they are done with the Doomsday Cage, making me wonder what the point of it really was. This has broken down into a bad tag team match. The big men finally show up. Z-Gangsta is Zeus and Ultimate Solution is someone I don’t recognize. They move back to the bottom of the Doomsday Cage, which has an actual ring. For some reason, the heels besides the two big men don’t join this. Scratch that, they all end up entering and beating on the faces. The Booty Man appears to give the faces frying pans. Why? That is the kryptonite of everyone as this suddenly starts to even the odds. Luger goes to hit Savage with a glove on his hand, like that’s a weapon or something. Savage moves and this is completely mistimed as Luger hits Flair and it looks horrible. The Mega Powers nail everyone and go to exit, but Savage remembers that this debacle is a match and he runs in to pin Flair. Of all people, Flair? To a punch?
Winners: Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage in 25:16
I honestly watched that entire thing and have no idea what I just saw. This is one of the dumbest and most overbooked matches I have ever seen. Almost nothing in it made sense. Why did the big guys wait to show up? Why did only some of it happen in the cage? Why frying pans? Why pin the champion? I can’t even begin to explain how bad this was. DUD.
Overall: 1.5/10; Horrible. There were two solid matches to open this event. Then it all came tumbling down incredibly hard. The following five matches combined to get a score of *¾. That’s not the average, that’s the total of those five contests. The main event is one of the worst things I’ve ever seen, as was the DDP/Booty Man match. Hell, even putting the Road Warriors, Sting and Booker T in a street fight somehow managed to be boring. Next up on “Random Network Reviews” looks like it’s going to be Hardcore Heaven 2000! |
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Aug 12, 2015 13:13:14 GMT -5
Raw History
Episode #34
October 4th, 1993 | New Haven Coliseum in New Haven, Connecticut
Intercontinental Battle Royal
Only a select few guys get an entrance. Unfortunately, Mr. Perfect isn’t one of them. Macho Man is last in and he goes right for Giant Gonzalez. He and everyone else eliminates the giant first. Nobody else goes out for a while as it is just guys trying to and failing. Diesel tosses out Mabel on his own in a preview of the 1995 SummerSlam main event. Razor dumps out IRS. Right before a commercial, Diesel is dumped by Mr. Perfect and when we return, Bob Backlund is eliminated. Action wise, there isn’t anything groundbreaking happening. Marty Jannetty goes out, but somehow MVP is still in this thing. Dumbass Tatanka charges Bigelow, who ducks and he’s gone. Good, keep him away from any belts. Bigelow is out as well, leaving Razor, Martel, MVP, Owen, the Quebecers, Savage and Adam Bomb. As I type that, Owen gets rid of MVP. After Owen is gone, the four heels turn their attention to Razor and Savage. Savage is able to make Adam Bomb go over, but then all of the heels, including Bomb, get rid of him. I would have much rather seen a Savage/Adam Bomb program instead of Savage/Crush. Razor is in trouble, being left alone with the Quebecers and Martel. As one would expect, Razor finds a slight opening to turn the tide after a few glimpses of false hope. He gets rid of both Quebecers to set the stage for the finals next week.
Winners: Razor Ramon and Rick Martel in 19:20
Your basic battle royal except for the fact that the ending is anti-climactic. Having Razor Ramon overcome the heels was a smart move, but making it so the final two guys meet next week felt like it was lacking. It seems unfinished. Also, the final two could have been better. Razor was built up for this but Martel feels random. Outside of that and some slowness early on, this was acceptable. **
The Heavenly Bodies w/ Jim Cornette vs. Scott Thomas and Mark Taylor
When they made their debut, the Heavenly Bodies had a damn good squash. It’s more of the same here. They bust out some nice double teams, a delayed suplex and even a second rope spinebuster. Bobby Heenan spends the match discussing the Rock n’ Roll Express making their debut soon. Odd times for sure. Their finisher is odd though as Pritchard clotheslines Del Rey as he does a DDT. Surely you could find a better way to get the same result than to hit your partner.
Winners: The Heavenly Bodies in 3:38
The Heavenly Bodies have had better squash matches than any team not named the Steiners. *½
A clip from Superstars is shown where Doink and Bigelow kind of got into it because of Doink’s antics. Doink throws confetti at him and Bigelow threatens him. After he leaves, Luna tries to talk trash so Doink pours water on her. Bigelow comes back to fight but Doink continues to make him look like a joke.
Doink the Clown vs. Cory Student
Face Doink is not something I was really a fan of. Before the bell, he toys around with Bobby Heenan again. He goes to throw water but instead its popcorn. As Doink beats up his opponent, Heenan says he had 200 pounds of popcorn thrown on him, despite it being a tiny bucket. Doink wins with the Whoopee Cushion.
Winner: Doink the Clown in 1:56
He’s had far better squashes. The face version didn’t speak to me. ½*
Bigelow and Luna come out to fight Doink but are stopped by security. Bigelow takes his anger out on Doink’s wagon.
Overall: 4.5/10; Below average. I wasn’t a big fan of this episode. It was heavily dominated by one match, which actually wasn’t too bad but the rest wasn’t too great. The Heavenly Bodies were fine but the face Doink stuff was pretty blah.
Raw History
Episode #35
October 11th, 1993 | New Haven Coliseum in New Haven, Connecticut
A quick recap of last week’s battle royal opens things. Commentary is the usual trio.
WWF Intercontinental Championship
Razor Ramon vs. Rick Martel
Bobby Heenan still calls Razor Ramon “Desi Arnez.” They go through some exchanges until Razor busts out the fallaway slam early. Martel takes a breather outside but is still on the bad end when he gets back in. Martel starts to go after Razor’s back, which Vince calls a problem area, though we’ve never heard about that before. It makes sense since his finisher is the Boston crab, so you don’t need to make something like that up. They go through a series of near falls after Razor counters the Boston crab. Razor manages to shakes off the back work and hit the Razor’s Edge to become champion.
Winner and New WWF Intercontinental Champion: Razor Ramon in 10:48
Solid effort from both guys. The match wasn’t a classic by any means but it was a good marquee match for this episode. The back work was wise throughout and the right guy went over. **½
The Headshrinkers vs. Tony Morrison and Sid Person
The Headshrinkers spend a fair amount of time doing nothing before getting ready to actually compete. When they do compete, Samu lazily throws Person around. Person ends up knocked out like PJ Walker a while back so they bring in Morrison and finish him with a splash.
Winners: The Headshrinkers in 3:47
Your generic squash with the exception of a good old fashioned jobber killing. That gives the score an extra boost. *
Owen Hart vs. Scott King
We are about a month away from the Owen Hart push starting at Survivor Series. Interestingly, I believe that Owen was ready to quit wrestling but a program with Bret pulled him back in. Owen looks motivated here, busting out a monkey flip, missile dropkick, German suplex, elbow and wins with a Northern lights suplex.
Winner: Owen Hart in 3:37
Well somebody certainly knows how to entertain in his squash matches. He used it to showcase his moveset and it was fun. *¾
Ludvig Borga is out for an interview with Vince McMahon. He starts by saying that USA stands for “U Stink America”. He badmouths America until Lex Luger, fresh off of choking against Yokozuna, comes out to defend his country. Anti-American gimmicks are absolutely lazy and usually suck hard. Macho Man is the best thing about this as he manages to make it sound exciting. Borga says they will fight on his terms, which causes Luger to freak out as Borga leaves.
Adam Bomb w/ Harvey Wippleman vs. Ross Greenberg
Harvey Wippleman is now the manager of Adam Bomb after working a deal out with Johnny Polo. Bomb tosses Greenberg around a bit before showing off his athleticism with a standing dropkick. I still don’t get why Adam wasn’t pushed more. He slingshots in with a shoulder lock before ending things with the Adam Smasher.
Winner: Adam Bomb in 2:33
Another solid squash match here. Adam Bomb was an impressive specimen and he made sue that none of this was dull. *
The Rock n’ Roll Express vs. Duane Gill and Barry Hardy
It’s so strange seeing the Smoky Mountain Tag Team Champions on Raw. Is Barry a cousin of Jeff and Matt? Robert Gibson starts before tagging out and running a double team. The crowd seems to be enjoying them. Morton actually gets an early pin that doesn’t win this as it gets broken up. They win following a double dropkick.
Winners: The Rock n’ Roll Express in 1:54
Nothing special. The Rock n’ Roll Express’ offense was a bit too old school even for 1993. ½*
Overall: 6/10; Average. A decent episode here. The marquee match was solid and all of the squashes, outside of the last one, were enjoyable. About what I’ve come to expect from most episodes of Raw.
Raw History
Episode #36
October 18th, 1993 | Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York
In the cheesiest of fashion, Vince McMahon does a voiceover for images of significant summits in history. He then says that the biggest of them all happens tonight when Crush comes face to face with Randy Savage. Wow.
The Steiner Brothers vs. PJ Walker and Tony DeVito
Right at the start, Scott Steiner takes DeVito over. The Steiners and Headshrinkers have been competing for best jobber killers on Raw so far this year. Scott tries to win a full nelson suplex on DeVito. Rick wants his shot and throws Walker around before tagging in Scott for a dropkick. Commentary calls Walker by the name of Student. Scott points to Macho Man and does the  ing Screwdriver! Oh my god. They make DeVito tag in to finish him off.
Winners: The Steiner Brothers in 3:06
Seriously, that was fun. It gets bumped up an extra point because Scott did a screwdriver. Like, that was worth this episode alone. **
There is a hotline that you can call whether or not you want Shawn Michaels’ suspension lifted. Mr. Perfect and Diesel plead their cases for their sides.
IRS vs. Scott Taylor
IRS cuts a pre-match promo about the fans being tax cheats. Stop me if you’ve heard that before. For some reason it seems like he will be Razor Ramon’s first IC Title program. Yuck. Since it’s IRS and he doesn’t know how to be entertaining, he applies a chinlock in a squash match. He wins with the Write Off.
Winner: IRS in 3:30
IRS continues to have the most uninteresting squash matches ever. ¼*
Vince McMahon now takes us to a vignette introducing “Double J” Jeff Jarrett. He will be using the WWF to springboard his country music singing career.
We also see the camera awaiting the arrival of Crush, though it’s at an “emergency exit only” door. Once Crush turns heel, he breaks all of the rules.
Tatanka vs. Mike Sharpe
Before the match, footage is shown of Tatanka and Ludvig Borga getting into it on Superstars. While I don’t like Tatanka, I love me some Mike Sharpe. He goes right into the loud selling, stealing the show. Macho Man has done a great job all night in barely talking to build the tension for his issue with Crush. He even brings up his old friendship with Hulk Hogan and dares him to meet him face to face, calling him a backstabber. Tatanka stays undefeated with the Samoan drop.
Winner: Tatanka in 3:00
Pretty much every single Tatanka squash ever, made slightly better by Mike Sharpe’s selling technique. *
With Mean Gene Okerlund gone, we go to Joe Fowler, who I don’t remember, for the Survivor Series Report. He explains the Survivor Series concept, citing that for the reason why it sold out in under an hour with no matches announced. They announce the All-Americans (Lex Luger, Tatanka and the Steiner Brothers) vs. the Foreign Fanatics (Yokozuna, Ludvig Borga and the Quebecers) and the Hart Family (Bret, Owen, Bruce and Keith Hart) vs. the King and his Knights (Jerry Lawler and mystery partners) as a double main event.
Crush has arrived!
Bam Bam Bigelow w/ Luna Vachon vs. Dennis Diamond
Diamond has the 70’s pornstar look working for him. Bigelow gets all of the offense while the commentators focus on Crush and Savage. We also find out that 60% of the voters so far want HBK to stay suspended. So 3 out of 5? Bigelow wins with a diving headbutt.
Winner: Bam Bam Bigelow in 3:00
Better than the last Bigelow squash as it didn’t last too long. Still was rather dull though. ¾*
Bobby Heenan is in the ring to bring out Crush. Crush surprises many by appearing with Mr. Fuji. Crush says that Macho Man was a good friend but once he surpassed Savage, the Macho Man couldn’t handle it. That is one of the most delusional statements I’ve ever heard. He brings up the fact that Yokozuna crushed him with four Banzai drops and Macho man didn’t pull him out until after the fourth one. Macho Man gets in the ring, telling Crush that he’s making a mistake. He wants Crush to shake his hand, which Crush does, upsetting Fuji and Heenan. Of course, Crush decides to turn around and attack him in the aisle. Crush continues the assault, even causing Savage to bleed from the mouth. Yokozuna and Jim Cornette show up as well. Yokozuna hits a Banzai Drop to cap things.
Overall: 3/10; Poor. Outside of the fun Steiners opener and Mike Sharpe’s selling, I liked almost nothing about this. While the final segment came off about as good as one can expect, it’s hard to take Crush seriously in this angle. |
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Aug 12, 2015 16:00:35 GMT -5
Up for Grabs
June 6th, 2008 | Connecticut Expo Center in Hartford, Connecticut
Here is my first “Review of Honor” that isn’t of a show I attended live. Okay, so around this time the Briscoes had just captured the ROH World Tag Team Titles again. Mark would get injured and Jay defended the gold with Austin Aries. However, because he’s such a good brother, Jay relinquished the straps because he couldn’t defend them with Mark. That brings us here, to a tournament to determine the new Tag Team Champions.
Bracket A
Adam Pearce and Chris Hero w/ Sweet n’ Sour Inc. vs. Jigsaw and Ruckus
At ringside for the heels are Bobby Dempsey, Shane Hagadorn, heel Sara Del Rey and Larry Sweeney. Jigsaw, now unmasked, starts against Chris Hero. They have an extended exchange, highlighted by Jigsaw’s millions of arm drags. The match takes a different feel when Ruckus and Adam Pearce come in. “THIS IS WHERE THE POWER LIES” says Pearce, pointing to his hand. They do the “face has the pin but referee is distracted” spot. Its classic tag wrestling. They build towards a hot tag to Ruckus. The heels work some surprisingly crisp double teams during this time. Ruckus comes in and does his high flying stuff, since that’s really all he’s got. It is short lived though as he eats a roaring elbow to end things.
Winners: Adam Pearce and Chris Hero in 12:04
There were certainly better choices to open things. This wasn’t what I would call hot and it dragged a bit. Still, they used tag formula rather well and it was decent at best. **¼
After the match, Eddie Kingston is out to check on Ruckus since they are partners outside of ROH. He gets into a scrap with Jigsaw that Ruckus has to get in between.
Bracket A
Kevin Steen and El Generico vs. Go Shiozaki and ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness
Considering their booking over the past year or so, Kevin Steen and El Generico are the favorites here since they’ve come so close on numerous occasions. El Generico starts with Go Shiozaki and just gets mauled with chops. Steen gets tagged and wants Nigel, who beat him with the title on the line at Injustice a month or two earlier. He comes in and doesn’t give Steen a clean break before running to tag Go back in. Go and Steen exchange shoulder blocks with neither guy able to knock the other over until Steen finally dodges one and sends him out. He goes to dive but Nigel trips him up, only for Generico to front flip out onto him. Nigel continues to infuriate the fans and his opponents while they begin to work heat on Generico. Generico is so good in this role, showing bursts of fire at times. Steen gets the tag and comes in on fire, beating the hell out of Nigel. There are now only five minutes remaining in the time limit as Nigel hits the Tower of Doom. Go gets tagged and has a fun exchange with Steen. Nigel and Go bust out some double teams on Steen that are rather impressive considering they aren’t a real team. Generico makes the save on a pin before Steen and Go trade German suplexes and superkicks. Generico and Nigel now go at it and Generico hits the Blue Thunder Bomb. Steen is back in and Nigel tries the Tower of London again, only for Generico to hit the Yakuza kick. That’s followed with a swanton bomb and splash from Generico. Go makes the save and we have under a minute remaining. Generico takes out Go as Steen makes the World Champ tap out to the Sharpshooter.
Winners: Kevin Steen and El Generico in 19:22
Much better than the opener. The feud between Kevin Steen and Nigel McGuiness added so much here. Generico and Steen play their respective roles so well and Nigel was in perfect dick heel form here. Go was kind of just there but his actual work in the match was solid. ***½
Nigel McGuinness is pissed and attacks Kevin Steen after the match, focusing on his leg. Go Shiozaki stops this and helps the winners.
Bracket B
Delirious and Pelle Primeau vs. Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black
The Age of the Fall won the belts to close out 2007 but lost them within a month and want redemption. The other guys are definitely the underdogs. As expected, this opens with some action where everyone gets a bit of a chance to shine. It is fast paced as even when Delirious gets thrown outside, Pelle comes right in so we don’t miss a beat. Pelle has some green in hair so either he made that bad decision on his own or he did it for Delirious in a show of solidarity. Delirious gets a rather mild tag and works over the former Champions. Jacobs even accidentally spears Black. Pelle tags back in, which is a mistake as he takes the Buckle Bomb and God’s Last Gift, wrapping this thing up.
Winners: Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black 7:58
A relatively basic tag team match, though I feel like this was meant to be that. They booked it about as well as you could with Pelle Primeau being involved and the AOTF get to look rather dominant, which is nice. **¼
Delirious gets on the microphone and mumbles some stuff, and we can tell that he says Daizee Haze. She comes out and when he goes to speak, he is interrupted by Rhett Titus. This was becoming a recurring theme. He hits on Daizee, while dissing Delirious. Daizee declines his advances because she’s not a “trick” and walks off without ever responding to Delirious. THAT WENCH!
Bracket B
Austin Aries and Bryan Danielson vs. Davey Richards and Roderick Strong
Interesting note here is that Austin Aries and Roderick Strong were one of the best Tag Team Champions that ROH has ever seen. Aries starts with Davey and does his “escape the head scissors” thing. Despite primarily being singles guys, Aries and Danielson had teamed up a fair amount this year, while Davey had the belts with Rocky Romero, teaming with him mostly. Danielson and Aries do some double team moves that come off less impressive than they probably should have. A little while later, Davey baits Danielson into a backbreaker from Strong. Davey also delivers some stiff kicks at ringside and knocks a fan’s hat off. The No Remorse Corps work over Danielson for a while now. Roderick uses Bryan’s signature surfboard to massive heat which grows when Davey runs in with a low blow. Aries gets the hot tag and his hot run is second to only Kevin Steen so far tonight. He counters a powerbomb like he’s Billy Kidman and locks in the Last Chancery submission, complete with knee strikes. Roddy breaks it up with a mean backbreaker. Danielson comes up with a missile dropkick at the 15 minute mark. He and Aries light up Strong with stereo kicks. They go for the Cattle Mutilation with Aries’ knee strikes but it’s broken up. In a cool spot, Bryan goes to turn over for the Cattle Mutilation again but Davey catches him and puts on the Cloverleaf. Aries stops that and does a head seeking sunset flip that comes off awkwardly. With two minutes left, Roderick hits Bryan with a backbreaker and sick kick for two. He applies an interesting looking submission. Danielson fights out and ends up putting Strong in the triangle choke, which he submits to.
Winners: Austin Aries and Bryan Danielson in 19:23
Much like the earlier near time limit draw, the final seconds of this were exciting. All four guys are talented and it made for a good match. I do think that it would have been better if it were Davey Richard and Rocky Romero, due to the chemistry they have developed. Roderick is good but didn’t click as well with Davey. ***¼
Adam Pearce and Chris Hero w/ Sweet n Sour Inc. vs. Kevin Steen and El Generico
Chris Hero goes right after Kevin Steen’s knee at the bell. El Generico is also nursing a hurt shoulder here. Commentary starts discussing Matt Sydal/Evan Bourne, but I missed why exactly. The focus continues to be on Steen’s knee as the heels use nearly every old school tactic. The tag finally comes to Generico but the crowd isn’t as it into it as I expected. Ah, I guess they know it’s not the last hot tag as Generico ends up in a bad way with the shoulder work. He is near a tag but it’s not time for it yet so he just awkwardly avoids it. Well I was wrong again as there is no second tag. Instead, Sweet n Sour try to cheat with a briefcase but Generico sends Hero into it and rolls him up to advance.
Winners: Kevin Steen and El Generico in 8:13
Due to the injuries, having Sweet n Sour control this made absolute sense. Still, that doesn’t mean it makes for an interesting math. Their offense was mostly dull and it seemed like they were struggling to make it to the end of the match. Kudos to Steen and Generico though for selling the hell out of the leg and shoulder. **
Austin Aries and Bryan Danielson vs. Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black
Austin Aries rushes out once things starts and attacks Jimmy Jacobs. Bryan Danielson goes at it with Black inside. Jacobs gets a chair and uses it on Aries behind the official’s back. Aries kicks it into his head and uses it as the referee sees, causing the disqualification.
Winners via disqualification: Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black in 0:54
More of an angle than a match so there will be no rating here. NO RATING.
Alex Payne vs. Shane Hagadorn w/ Sweet n Sour Inc.
Of all of the ROH student graduates, Shane Hagadorn is my least favorite and I’m not too fond of Alex “Sugarfoot” Payne either. This is nothing to write home about. Hagadorn controls it throughout, making it worse than I’m sure it would have been if Payne was in control. There are some Sweet n Sour shenanigans, culminating with a big axe kick from Sara Del Rey. That allows Hagadorn to win with an STO. Ho hum.
Winner: Shane Hagadorn in 5:46
Typically dull stuff from typically dull performers. ROH would throw these matches coming out of intermission and they don’t ever really do much. ¾*
Claudio Castagnoli vs. Eddie Edwards w/ Sweet n Sour Inc.
Larry Sweeney complains about his team getting “screwed” in the tournament and hypes up his “can’t miss” prospect, Eddie Edwards. Claudio comes out firing but ends up in trouble as Edwards kicks him around. Edwards would go on to win every title in ROH, but he wasn’t quite there yet. I believe I’ve seen Sweet n Sour get in cheap shots in every single match they’ve had so far. A string of hard kicks from Edwards isn’t enough to keep Claudio down and he comes back with European uppercuts. He goes for the Ricola Bomb but Edwards counters and hits a headbutt before getting two on a backpack stunner. Edwards then hits a knee strike and springboard moonsault for another near fall. This has picked up in the final few minutes. Time for the big swing but it isn’t enough either. They avoid some of each other’s signature moves until Claudio scores with the popup uppercut to get the 1-2-3.
Winner: Claudio Castagnoli in 9:51
Had this been done when Eddie Edwards had a more prominent role in ROH about two years later, it could have been something special. Instead, it was kind of just there and only got good near the end. **¾
Brent Albright vs. Erick Stevens vs. Necro Butcher
This should certainly be hard hitting. Erick Stevens no longer has his Mohawk, so he looks like a beefed up Ben Stiller. As usual with a Necro match, things spill outside and Necro tries to use the ring bell but it stopped and thrown into the guardrail. He comes back and decides to use that guardrail. Not content with fighting at ringside, things go into the crowd where Necro just levels Stevens with a right hand. He covers but it’s not Falls Count Anywhere rules. I honestly don’t even know where the referee is as they start using chairs in the crowd. Necro does his trademark chair slam on the outside. The three guys make it to the ring where Albright nails a backbreaker and then puts Stevens in an interesting looking arm submission. This leads to Necro and Albright just trading shots and Albright gets sent outside. Stevens then hits Necro with a Doctor Bomb that ends things.
Winner: Erick Stevens in 11:35
That was a fun brawl as all three guys beat the stuffing out of each other. I’ve seen better from all of them though and the ending felt very anti-climactic. ***
Sweet n Sour shows up to try and attack Brent Albright, but he just fights them off and powerbombs Chris Hero. He goes after Larry Sweeney only for Adam Pearce to save him. They end up holding him so Sweeney can whip him but he breaks free and runs them off. Brent Albright looking STRONG.
ROH World Tag Team Championship Tournament Finals
Kevin Steen and El Generico vs. Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black
Thanks to some early smack talk, this starts with a brawl. Commentary does a good job in reminding everyone that Steen and Generico have had a tougher road to the finals. The brawl moves outside where the heels take control due to the injuries of our faces. Steen powerbombs Black on the apron to turn the tide some. Generico ends up taking a big shot, which causes some referees and others wrestlers to check on him. This allows the Age of the Fall to concentrate on Steen. Steen is selling the leg work like he’s Mr. Perfect at SummerSlam 1991. Flips and all. They pick him apart, though he does score some flash near falls. His swanton bomb is stopped by knees from Black but he still ends up fighting both until they go after the knee again. They go for a big double team move but Steen breaks free and scores two on a small package. His package piledriver attempt fails due to his knee but he kicks out of God’s Last Gift, which the crowd pops big for. As they try another double team, Generico runs out with his shoulder taped up. He hits some Yakuza kicks and a big moonsault to the outside as the crowd is red hot. Steen hits the Package Piledriver, which is supposed to go into the Brainbuster, but Tyler Black interrupts by rolling up Generico to win the straps.
Winners and New ROH World Tag Team Champions: Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black in 16:51
Really good storytelling here. The fans desperately wanted to see Steen and Generico win the belts that they’ve fought for almost a year for. The air gets let out of the building at the end result, showing that they did their job. The Generico run in was timed perfectly and the cheap rollup was expertly done. ***¼
The fans pelt the ring with a bunch of garbage as Jimmy Jacobs cuts a post-match promo.
Overall: 6.5/10; Above average. Not the greatest ROH show that I own. The issue with a one night tag team tournament is that most tag matches follow the same formula so it gets repetitive. There was some variation here, especially in the main event, but not enough for my taste. There are some good matches, but none that stand out, making this a middle of the pack ROH event. |
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Aug 13, 2015 14:40:28 GMT -5
Hardcore Heaven 2000
May 14th, 2000 | The Rave in Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Attendance: 3,400
I’ve made sure to note before that I was completely into ECW during this time. Shortly before this show, Mike Awesome was the ECW Champion but jumped ship to WCW. To fix this, a WWF contracted wrestler, Taz, returned to win the ECW Title from a WCW contracted wrestler, Mike Awesome. Taz even appeared on Smackdown with the belt. He dropped the belt to Tommy Dreamer in a feel good moment before Justin Credible attacked and won it from him, while throwing down the Tag Team Titles. Confused? That would be understandable. This would be the sixth and final Hardcore Heaven event and the third broadcast on PPV.
The old ECW intro video starts things off. Joey Styles and Joel Gertner are in the ring to open things. Gertner does his usual gimmick and they leave. The cameras follow them like something is going to happen but it doesn’t and we just get an awkward shot of the crowd.
Before the next match, Cyrus shows up to bitch at Joel Gertner. When Gertner tries to fight back, Kanemura, who is with Cyrus, chokes him out.
Balls Mahoney vs. Masato Tanaka
These two were ECW Tag Team Champions recently. They work some standing switches before Balls goes to a single leg crab. Enough of this wrestling as Balls starts throwing punches but Tanaka wants to wrassle so he goes back to that. He tries a dive to the outside, but Balls catches him and sends him into the guardrail before using an ECW staple, hitting his opponent with a fan’s beer cup. The fight stays outside bringing us a chair shot and a tornado DDT on the runway from Tanaka. Inside, both guys have chairs and duel with them. Balls wins and manages to take down Tanaka with one but only gets two on the pin. Tanaka gets two on a tornado DDT on a chair and calls for the Roaring Elbow. Balls ducks and hits the Nutcracker Suite for two. Tanaka comes back with Diamond Dust which only gets two. Well with all of these big kickouts, what are people going to do for the rest of the card? It goes further when Tanaka gets a shoulder up after another Nutcracker Suite onto chairs. Balls now kicks out of the Roaring Elbow. Tanaka now comes off the top with a chair shot and then a Roaring Elbow ends things.
Winner: Masato Tanaka in 9:17
The match itself was good but I don’t like the excessive kickouts. This wasn’t a big time match so it didn’t need that. Add in that it opened the show, and you’ve set the rest of the card up for failure when someone loses to a normal wrestling move. ***
Backstage, Lance Storm says that there is nobody left to help Justin Credible.
Simon Diamond w/ Mitch, the Prodigy, the Prodigette and the Musketeer vs. Little Gudio w/ Big Sal vs. Mikey Whipwreck w/ the Sinister Minister
Simon Diamond has the most ridiculous entourage ever. Everyone goes for their finishers early but some fast paced action sees everyone avoid it and hit other moves. Simon feels a little out of place here but turns things around for me with the Simon Series, which I always liked. Guido dropkicks his face off right after though. Chairs come into play and Mikey eats one. The lights in the arena go out so only a spotlight shows us the action. The guys work through it, doing some dives outside so credit there. It ends when Mikey flips onto everyone outside. Inside, Guido hits the Sicilian Slice but Diamond breaks the pin. Mikey covers both guys after superkicking Diamond, who drops with Guido on his shoulders. Simon is eliminated after a Whippersnapper. Mikey hits Guido with a big spinning Pedigree like move for a near fall. To rally, Guido climbs Big Sal but falls off in ugly fashion. Mikey takes out Sal with a fireball, but that allows Guido to win with the Maritato, aka the Unprettier/Killswitch.
Winner: Little Guido in 7:09
This is basically what I’ve come to expect from anything Three Way Dance involving Little Guido. It was fast paced, featured a lot of high impact moves and kept the crowd on their toes. This was fine for what it was, though I’ve seen them do it better. **¾
Backstage, Justin Credible stars a promo with “everybody wants to kick my ass.” That’s kind of the story of his career. He talks about how hard he worked for the belt. His “got blood?” shirt was dope.
Lou E. Dangerously and the Dangerous Alliance are out now. He calls Elektra more than just a pretty face (even though she was pretty ugly to me) and claims that she is the toughest female in the business. This brings out Jazz who beats up everyone and is left with Elektra. She rips her jacket off to reveal a Mie Awesome shirt. She then takes the shirt off, leaving Elektra in next to nothing. CW Anderson gets up and murders her with a spinebuster. Kid Kash comes out to make the save and start his match.
CW Anderson w/ the “Dangerous Alliance” vs. Kid Kash
Towards the end of ECW’s run, these were two of my favorite guys to watch. Kash leaps from the top into the crowd to take out CW and Billy Wiles. The start of the match sees Kash use his quickness until CW plants him with a powerbomb. Wiles slams Kash onto the guardrail, getting in a cheap shot. Kash comes back with a cross body, but CW answers with a snap suplex. Very back and forth so far. They try another cheap shot with Lou and a cell phone but Kash ducks and Wiles gets leveled. CW goes up top and Kash greets him with a super rana to win. I did not like the finish.
Winner: Kid Kash in 7:18
That’s the kind of finish that I never like. CW Anderson was in firm control and never really goes for high risk moves, so why would he do it here? It was done to shoehorn in the Kash top rope finish. Outside of that, it was fine back and forth, but both guys have done better. **½
Rob Van Dam, Scotty Anton and Bill Alfonso cut a promo backstage. It was standard fare.
Chris Chetti and Nova vs. Da Baldies vs. Danny Doring and Roadkill
Da Baldies brawl with Danny Doring and Roadkill until Nova dives out onto them. In standard fashion of this show so far, things are very hectic early on, with everybody getting a chance to showcase their abilities. Nova gets a near fall after a swanton bomb before Doring gets two on the Lancaster Lariat of Lust. Yup. Da Baldies drop Roadkill with a double spinebuster onto two open chairs. Things are moving at a ridiculous pace as Nova takes out Da Baldies with a singles double team move on his own. Vic Grimes comes out to help them but fails miserably as Doring takes him out. Angel lays out Doring with a guitar shot and they’re eliminated. For good measure, Roadkill hip tosses Grimes from the runway straight to the floor. An insanely dangerous bump for no reason. He then splashes him through a table. Inside, Nova and Chetti put down Da Baldies with the Tidal Wave.
Winners: Chris Chetti and Nova in 6:36
That was hectic and not really in the best of ways. It was a big mess as they just tried to cram about 15 minutes worth of stuff into six. *¾
Da Baldies attack the winners, leading to an appearance by New Jack. He was in the midst of an overly long feud with them. He beats them down with his array of weapons and takes Tony DeVito through the crowd, whipping his ass. Of course it leads to New Jack leaping from a balcony and take out DeVito. Back to the ring and New Jack hits Angel with a guitar before diving off the top onto him with a chair. The referee counts three but I’m unsure if this was a match.
Steve Corino w/ Jack Victory vs. Yoshihiro Tajiri
Tajiri turned on the Network, which Steve Corino was basically a part of. Corino disses the fans and tries to convince Tajiri to come back. “You little slant eyed bastard.” Tajiri slaps him and we’re off. Corino gets an early near fall with a powerbomb. Tajiri applies the tarantula, which gets a massive pop. The fight goes to the runway where Tajiri nails an impressive stalling Brainbuster. Okay, Corino should be dead. He is busted open and Tajiri shows no mercy with a vicious baseball slide. Corino is an absolute mess. Even with some Jack Victory involvement, Tajiri still kicks a chair into Corino. He gets a table and dropkicks the end of it into Corino’s head. Corino is finally able to turn the tide a bit. That doesn’t last long a Tajiri applies the octopus and spits the mist into Victory’s face. He then lights up Corino with a flurry of kicks and punches. Following a brutal kick to the head, Tajiri wins with a double stomp through a table.
Winner: Yoshihiro Tajiri in 10:25
Really great stuff here. It was one-sided but it needed to be. Tajiri had to get his revenge and Steve Corino was a slimy heel. However, I think this was a massive moment for Corino as he took this beating and sold it well. I think this had a major role in his ECW World Title run down the line. Brutal stuff here. ***½
After the match, Kanemura appears again and assists Jack Victory in beating down on Tajiri. Dusty Rhodes makes the save and takes out everyone until Rhino shows up to kick ass. Sandman is out next for a TV Title match. Chaos.
ECW World Television Championship
Rhino (c) vs. Sandman
This starts with both guys just brawling. That’s expected since the Sandman is the last guy that you want wrestling. They just throw each other into the guardrail for a bit. Rhino looks for a flying gore off a chair but Sandman dodges and Rhino goes through a table. Jack Victory and a bandaged up Steve Corino run out so Sandman’s wife Lori appears to cane them for the save. She makes the mistake of slapping Rhino. He picks her up and piledrives her from the apron through a table! LORI IS DEAD! Rhino now looks to gore her through a table but Sandman makes the save. He picks her up only for Rhino to gore him through the table while holding her. Rhino covers to retain.
Winner and Still ECW World Television Champion: Rhino in 6:22
Not the best match but it did serve its purpose. Sandman was pissed and Rhino came out looking like an insane monster. Rhino’s booking in ECW was pretty excellent. *½
Jerry Lynn vs. Rob Van Dam w/ Bill Alfonso and Scotty Anton
These two had two matches the year before for the TV Title, both won by RVD. He hasn’t been beaten in 26 or so months as he only lost that title due to injury. They run a series of near misses that is just excellent to watch. They knew each other so well and it is rightfully playing into the match. It gets a loud standing ovation. The first big spot comes as Lynn somersaults onto RVD outside. RVD comes back with his signature spinning guardrail leg drop onto a chair. He enters the ring a poses because he’s RVD. That causes him to miss a moonsault outside and he hits hard. Back inside, RVD sells a DDT masterfully, looking like he’s paralyzed. They continue to miss each other due to their previous knowledge of each other. Alfonso brings a chair in and hilariously just rolls out in one swift motion. RVD backflips for no reason before picking up a chair, so Lynn just throws it back at him. He gets two on a sick leg drop onto the chair. RVD skateboards the chair into Lynn for another near fall. Lynn gets one on a sunset flip that causes RVD to land headfirst on a chair. I’m not even writing every single move and there have been some big ones. It’s cool that most moves being hit come off of a counter or something like that. They fight on the apron, and after a series of reversals, Lynn bulldogs RVD through a ringside table. As Anton checks on RVD, Lynn lays him out with a somersault. Lynn’s back is cut from the table spot. Thanks to an assist from Alfonso, RVD hits the Van Daminator and then places a chair on Lynn. He hits a Five Star Frog Splash onto both but the Corino and Victory run out to beat on him. Lynn is up and helps RVD fight them off. Rhino shows up and gore Lynn before powerbombing RVD. Somehow, they turn it around and take out both Rhino and Cyrus. RVD goes up to finish Lynn but Anton shoves RVD off the top and onto the runway. He lands in ugly fashion. This allows Lynn to hit the Cradle Piledriver but RVD still gets a shoulder up. Lynn does a second to win.
Winner: Jerry Lynn in 19:50
These two always delivered but this wasn’t on the level of their best work from the year earlier. It was headed in that direction but all of the excess interference really hurt it. There was no real point to it either as the Network really wouldn’t have gained anything from it. It should have just been Anton’s interference. The actual wrestling was really good and I love their ability to counter one another. ***½
Justin Credible dares Tommy Dreamer to come out but Paul Heyman and officials stop Dreamer due to his bad back.
ECW World Heavyweight Championship
Justin Credible (c) w/ Francine vs. Lance Storm w/ Dawn Marie
In the aisle, Lance Storm gets Dreamer’s blessing for the singles title shot. Dawn Marie easily blows Francine out of the water in terms of who looks better tonight. Storm slaps Credible, leading to a brawl. Storm is pissed about the Tag Titles being vacated. He leaps outside but is met with a cane shot and gets busted open. The fans chant for Dreamer since there is no real face in this match. They trade stuff in the ring, with neither guy gaining a true advantage. They both try for tombstones but Storm ends up hitting a Northern lights suplex for two instead. He then hip tosses Credible through a table on the runway. Still only the second most dangerous hip toss of the evening. Maple Leaf gets locked in so Francine attacks. Dawn Marie enters and we’ve got a CATFIGHT! Credible breaks it up and lays out Dawn with That’s Incredible. Storm hits him with the cane and a piledriver for two. Storm eats Justin’s finisher but kicks out. They go through a series of moves ending with That’s Incredible and Justin retains.
Winner and still ECW World Heavyweight Champion: Justin Credible in 12:29
Considering their chemistry as partners, I was hoping for more from the match. The crowd rather dead. That could be from the previous match or the lack of a defined face here but either way it disappointed. **¼
Tommy Dreamer shows up and hits Justin Credible with the cane. He then points at Francine, who cot him the belt. She tries to sweet talk her way out of this but Tommy is having none of that, dropping her with the Spicoli Driver.
Overall: 7/10; Good. This is one of the more enjoyable ECW Pay-Per-Views I can recall. It has a good mix of everything that stood out in ECW to me. You had the fast paced multi man matches, the extreme style of New Jack, the great exchanges between Lynn and RVD, the blood of Steve Corino and the insane spot with Sandman’s wife. There are some down moments like the lackluster main event but as a whole, it’s an enjoyable two and a half hours of wrestling. Our next “Random Network Review” is going to be TLC 2011! |
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Aug 19, 2015 9:42:14 GMT -5
Raw History
Episode #37
October 25th, 1993 | Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York
Due to the close of last week’s episode, Randy Savage is not on commentary. We see a recap of Crush and Yokozuna’s attack.
Crush w/ Mr. Fuji vs. Phil Apollo
Crush is in his new goofy purple and black gear along with the stupid face paint. To be fair, it’s still a better look than his face gear from earlier in the year. Crush dominates in his typical boring fashion and wins with the coconut crush, which I assume has a new name.
Winner: Crush in 2:48
Crush pretty much is incapable of having an interesting math. This was a dull squash with the only good thing being Bobby Heenan making fun of Randy Savage on commentary. ¼*
Johnny Polo calls Marty Jannetty and the 1-2-3 Kid losers, saying he could beat both with his hands tied behind his back.
1-2-3 Kid vs. Marty Jannetty
This should be pretty good if Marty Jannetty is on form. They start with some good old fashioned WRESTLING! They work some quick stuff, ending with stereo nip ups. STANDOFF! As they continue to work at a fun, fast pace, Johnny Polo shows up at ringside. He trips up Jannetty, giving Kid a near fall. Kid then misses a somersault from the top, giving Jannetty a near fall. Polo now trips up Kid. Jannetty gets mad, but still goes for a pin which made me chuckle. Jannetty nails a snap suplex but his next move is countered into a German suplex. Kid’s offense was far different from most of what the roster was doing at the time. We get a ref bump before Kid kicks the hell out of Marty. He goes for a dive outside but Polo shoves Jannetty into the ring post and Kid hits the mat hard. This leads to a double countout.
Double countout in 10:40
I actually enjoyed this match. It was a bit disappointing considering the two guys in the ring but overall, it was fun. They had a good series of counters though I could have done without the Polo side stuff. ***
After the match, both guys get Johnny Polo and beat him up. No help from the Quebecers for him.
Time for another Jeff Jarrett vignette, where he puts down country singers and says that he’s the best. He calls out the Steiners, Mr. Perfect and the Undertaker. That’s like, four of the five guys I wouldn’t call out on the current roster.
Ludvig Borga vs. Mike Bucci
Ludvig Borga attacks before the start and dominates. He slams Bucci down and drops an elbow, while jawing with the fans in between. He does hit a decent looking shoulder block before using the torture rack to win.
Winner: Ludvig Borga in 3:45
While he dominated, it wasn’t what I want to see from a badass heel in a squash. There was too much downtime and talking with the fans. He should have just abused this guy. ½*
Ludvig Borga gets interviewed by Bobby Heenan about being undefeated. Borga challenges Tatanka and promises to end his streak.
Men on a Mission w/ Oscar vs. Steve Greenman and Tom Mata
Surprisingly, Men on a Mission is over as hell. Mo starts with Greenman, who looks like Danny McBride. Mo hits an ugly second rope clothesline while commentary tells us that they have a Tag Team Title shot this weekend. Tag comes to Mabel who plods through his offense. The fans chant “hey ho” and “womp there it is”. Outside of that, everything going on is bland. Mabel squashes Mata to end the pain.
Winners: Men on a Mission in 5:32
This sucked hard. Men on a Mission were both so bad and this somehow lasted half as long as Jannetty vs. Kid. Awful. DUD.
We get the Survivor Series Report, telling us of the double main event that was announced last week. They add Bigelow, the Headshrinkers and Bastion Booger take on four Doinks. Riveting. The other new match does sound good though as Razor Ramon teams with the 1-2-3 Kid, Marty Jannetty and Mr. Perfect to take on IRS, Diesel, Rick Martel and Adam Bomb.
Diesel vs. Dan Dubiel
The Diesel push is beginning. With Shawn Michaels gone, he’s getting some in ring time to shine. He seems to forget what move he’s trying and just awkwardly tosses Dubiel. Much like the Ludvig Borga squash, this has some stalling as Diesel can win within a minute but stretches this out. After a while he nails the big boot and Jackknife for the 1-2-3.
Winner: Diesel in 4:02
Another squash match that was uninteresting due to them dragging it out. Blah. ¼*
The battle of undefeated streaks between Tatanka and Ludvig Borga will take place on Superstars. Normally, I’d be upset that I’ll miss a match between two undefeated guys, but it’s Tatanka and Borga, so I’m not fussed.
Overall: 3/10. There is a good match on this show between the 1-2-3 Kid and Marty Jannetty. The problem is that everything else around it sucks something fierce. When the four other matches can’t combine to equal one star, you know there’s a problem.
Raw History
Episode #38
November 1st, 1993 | Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York
The show opens to the awful sight of Bastion Booger eating a ton of raw food as Bobby Heenan tries to interview him. Get it? Raw food? Because this show is called Raw?
Non-Title Match
Bastion Booger vs. Razor Ramon
The theme music of Bastion Booger is nothing but fart sounds. Vince McMahon and his love of gross out comedy has never been more evident. He splashes Razor and then does the Friar Ferguson dance. Razor gets pissed that he would remind us of that gimmick and sends him outside. They fight out there for a bit as the crowd tries to rally Razor. Booger applies the bearhug because he’s already blown up. He actually gets a near fall on another splash. Since he has no other offense, Booger goes back to a bearhug. Even Vince calls the match lethargic. Razor finally is able to slam him and calls for the finish. He can’t hit it because Bastion is too fat. When he sits on Razor, the Champion flips it over and scores the win on the rollup.
Winner: Razor Ramon in 7:10
Far too long for a Bastion Booger match. Razor Ramon did the best he could, but there’s nothing positive you can do with Bastion. Not good. ¼*
The Survivor Series Report now airs, led to Todd Pettengil and while I never liked him, he is better than the random guy we had last time. We see a clip from Superstars and the epic clash between Tatanka and Ludvig Borga. With a distraction from Mr. Fuji and the help of a steel chair, Borga ended the undefeated streak of Tatanka. Yokozuna and the Foreign Fanatics attacked and even beat up Lex Luger when he tried to make the save.
Vince McMahon is now in the ring to conduct an interview with the Foreign Fanatics. Jim Cornette handles the talking for his team, which is best considering the cast of characters on this team. They announce that Ludvig Borga will face Scott Steiner next week. They run down Scott before Cornette puts over everyone on the team. Honestly, he’s the only good thing about this entire segment.
Mr. Perfect vs. The Executioner
Man, the WWF really ran the Executioner character for years huh? Mr. Perfect went from hot face at the start of the year to midcard face with no direction. Executioner actually gets in a solid looking hip toss, but he misses a corner splash and Perfect kicks him in the guy, field goal style. He goes into some of his trademark offense for a bit. Vince say something about “has the foot” and it sounds like “how the ?” The Perfectplex connects to end this.
Winner: Mr. Perfect in 4:52
Not the best Mr. Perfect squash as it lasted a bit too long, but it was still kind of fun to see him twist the Executioner around like a pretzel at times. *
We get another Jeff Jarrett vignette, where he runs down Billy Ray Cyrus, Razor Ramon, 1-2-3 Kid and Men on a Mission. He promises to send Men on a Mission back to homelessness. Ouch. That’s “J-E’DOUBLE F J-A-DOUBLE R-E-DOUBLE T”.
The Smoking Guns vs. Well Dunn w/ Harvey Wippleman
Well Dunn’s attire looks like they’re wearing g strings. This is interesting since it shouldn’t be an actual squash match considering Well Dunn is a rather legit team. Billy and Bart trade getting in offense and hit a suplex/cross body double team that Timothy Well breaks up. Thanks to some interference from Harvey, Well Dunn is able to work a heat on Bart. When Vince gets mad at them trying a move from the top, Heenan responds with “when the Steiners take a man to the top and throw him into the balcony” nobody says anything. Classic. He also tries to make a joke about “well done” being on “raw”, but it goes WAY over Vince’s head. Billy gets the mild tag and takes out both guys. Harvey ends up causing the DQ to save his boys.
Winners via disqualification: The Smoking Guns in 7:55
Technically, this was fine. They did standard tag formula and worked it well. The heels had the cheap heat from the manager and the crowd was behind the Guns. **
Macho Man calls in as Bobby Heenan makes fun of the fact that he bit his tongue. Macho Man returns to commentary next week.
Adam Bomb w/ Harvey Wippleman vs. Virgil
When the hell does Virgil’s contract finally run out? Vince McMahon always tried to hype Virgil as a threat but he isn’t. He does cause Adam Bomb to regroup for a bit outside. His flurry doesn’t last long as Adam is back on offense. He starts to throw Virgil around, dominating. Virgil tries to rally with a cross body but Adam kind of just avoids it and he crashes. A powerbomb follows to seal the deal.
Winner: Adam Bomb in 5:24
I don’t mind this going five minutes as it wasn’t a total squash and Virgil got in some offense. Still, it’s Virgil and it isn’t very good. *
Overall: 4/10. While the last episode had a higher ceiling, this one was overall slightly more enjoyable. The Booger/Razor match was bad, but everything else was at least watchable and they did a decent job of building towards Survivor Series.
Raw History
Episode #39
November 8th, 1993 | Fernwood Resort in Bushkill, Pennsylvania
This is the first ever Raw in the state of Pennsylvania. There is a hype video to open things for the Scott Steiner/Ludvig Borga match. It features the side profile short promos and Vince McMahon’s voiceover work.
Ludvig Borga vs. Scott Steiner
In typical Ludvig Borga fashion, he attacks before the bell. He hits a second rope flying clothesline but doesn’t cover, since his goal is to eliminate Scott before Survivor Series. Scott comes back with an impressive show of strength and has the crowd roaring. The fans are eating this up as once Borga works a chinlock, they go right into “USA” chants. Scott just belly to belly suplexes Ludvig because he was a beast. He mostly whiffs on a dropkick, marking the first thing he’s done that doesn’t look good. The Quebecers show up leading into the commercial. Rick comes out to make sure nothing happens while his brother continues to beat Ludvig down. Scott gets multiple near falls while busting Ludvig’s nose open. Ludvig brings Rick in the ring, leading to a giant brawl that ends things.
Winner via disqualification: Ludvig Borga in 10:31
I guess Ludvig Borga wins because, even though he brought in Rick, he ended up eating a suplex. The match itself was solid until the finish, mainly because Scott was being all kinds of awesome. **¼
Another Jeff Jarrett vignette airs.
Men on a Mission w/ Oscar vs. Steve Smith and Cory Student
Mabel starts and dumbass Steve Smith tries to attack. The dude is 500 pounds and you’re a jobber. This won’t end well. Oh my goodness, Men on a Mission do a double dropkick. Mo goes through his atrocious offense before Mabel plants Cory with a DDT. Mo then pushes Mabel onto Cory for the win. That’s it.
Winners: Men on a Mission in 3:35
At least this was shorter than their previous terrible squash. It still sucked though. ¼*
Cut to Todd Pettengil for the Survivor Series Report! Tatanka is kayfabe injured and needs to be replaced. That replacement will be announced on Superstars. Bret Hart cuts a promo on how Jerry Lawler and his Knights will go down. We also see clips of the Headshrinkers getting ready for a match on Superstars when multiple Doinks appeared on the screen. They announce one of the weirdest matches in WWF history, as the Smoky Mountain Tag Team Titles will be on the line when the Rock n Roll Express take on the Heavenly Bodies.
Rick Martel vs. John Paul
This is just being lazy with the jobber names. Rick Martel takes this lightly and for good reason as he pretty much dominates. He wins with the Boston Crab.
Winner: Rick Martel in 2:52
Standard squash. It was kept short and Rick Martel did it right. *
Knowing that Crush is coming out, Macho Man goes nuts and has to be held back by Vince McMahon. Savage shoves McMahon to the ground and attacks Crush. A bunch of officials have to run out to make the save but they continue to brawl until a commercial.
Barry Horowitz vs. Bob Backlund
Both of these guys would actually be headed towards pushes over the next two years. While they work some ground based stuff, macho Man comes back to a massive pop. He threatens Heenan but doesn’t beat him up. Clearly the match doesn’t matter as we see Crush burst out of his locker room and Macho Man runs to the back to attack him. They don’t even bother to show us a finish to the match.
They hype next week’s episode as this one ends.
Overall: 2.5/10. Even though the opener wasn’t anything special, it was a solid start with some fun Scott Steiner work. After that, show fell off a cliff. Men on a Mission suck, the Martel squash was there and the last match didn’t even have a finish. |
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Aug 19, 2015 9:52:56 GMT -5
TLC 2011
December 18th, 2011 | 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland | Attendance: 9,000
During the summer of 2011, CM Punk was the hottest thing in the wrestling world. He won the WWE Championship but that was then ruined by a terrible angle with Kevin Nash and Triple H. The month before this event, they fixed that situation somewhat by putting the belt back on him. Of note here, this is the only Pay-Per-View I can think of that didn’t feature John Cena when he was completely healthy. This would be the third TLC event in history.
The opening video package focuses on the big matches on the show, set to a Christmas themed rhyme.
WWE United States Championship
Dolph Ziggler (c) w/ Vickie Guerrero vs. Zack Ryder
Here we are at the peak of the “Ryder Revolution.” A month earlier, there were “We Want Ryder” chants in MSG while the Rock of all people was talking. That’s being over. The crowd is into it as Ryder sends Dolph outside rather early and then somersaults onto him. Dolph comes back with a DDT on the apron that looks pretty lame. The heart stopper elbows follow for two. Dolph is so good at the Showoff role, but he doesn’t draw enough heat. He busts out an Angle slam for two. Ryder starts to rally with a second rope dropkick and the Broski Boot. It was one of those corny moves that was over like crazy. Vickie puts Dolph’s foot on the bottom rope and gets ejected. After trading rollups, Dolph hits the Fameasser for two. Ryder is pulling out all of the stops, using a top rope rana for a near fall. The Rough Ryder is countered into a rollup. Dolph goes for the Stinger Splash but Ryder blocks it with knees and hits the Rough Ryder. He gets the 1-2-3 and the place explodes.
Winner and New WWE United States Champion: Zack Ryder in 10:24
Here is an example of the perfect storm. Zack Ryder was incredibly over and it came at a time where Dolph Ziggler could afford the loss. This is kind of what you want from an opener. The crowd was FULLY invested and they had a good match, while not overdoing anything. The match gets elevated a bit by the molten hot crowd. ***¼
Zack Ryder celebrates with the fans, including his father, who is front row in full Ryder gear. Cutting backstage, Booker T is getting hyped up with Alicia Fox. Cody Rhodes appears to attack him before their match.
WWE Tag Team Championship
AirBoom (c) vs. Primo and Epico w/ Rosa Mendes
These are two really solid tag teams, so this should be good. Primo is an underrated favorite of mine. He tries to monkey flip Kofi Kingston, but he lands on his feet and does one to Primo. AirBoom does a double team which reminds me of how good they were. Primo and Epico star to work a heat on Evan Bourne, while Rosa Mendes shouts her terrible Spanish at ringside. Epico does a cool series of suplexes for two. Kofi gets the hot tag and does his thing, taking out both of his challengers. He hits the Boom Drop, but not Trouble in Paradise. Bourne runs in and leaps out onto Epico on the outside. Primo charges but Kofi dodges, sending him into the ropes and he rebounds into Trouble in Paradise. To end this.
Winners and Still WWE Tag Team Champions: AirBoom in 7:32
Disappointing. I feel like AirBoom had potential to be a staple of the tag team division if they would have stayed together. You would barely guess that here. It was technically fine, but the fact that Primo and Epico weren’t really over hurt the heat of the match. Add in that it didn’t get enough time to fully build to that heat, and you have a match that lacked. **
We get told that Booker vs. Cody may now be off. Cut to Teddy Long dressed as Santa and Hornswoggle dressed as an elf. It wasn’t really good.
Tables Match
Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett
It’s our first specialty match of the evening. I find it weird seeing Wade Barrett with relatively long hair. They trade shots until the first table comes into play. Orton kind of see-saws it into his face before they fight towards the entrance. Wade tries a pumphandle slam through a table but it’s too early so Orton counters. Wade instantly throws the table over, which is a little touch that I like. He wants to make sure he doesn’t lose this thing. Back towards the ring and Barrett is in control. He big boots Orton off the apron but Orton wisely grabs the ropes so he doesn’t fall through the table. They now battle on the apron, which builds tension but it just ends with Orton hitting his signature DDT. Wade connects on the Bossman slam to get back in the driver’s seat. Wade just slams a table onto Orton. They put like 100 of them around the ring but breaking one would end this. Wade lays Orton on a table and climbs to the second rope. He leaps off, only for Orton to catch him with an RKOOUTTANOWHERE through the table.
Winner: Randy Orton in 10:16
I honestly expected this to be pretty bad but I actually liked it. Most tables matches are dull and don’t really involve attempts to win. This managed to keep my interest and they did some smart little things to show that they didn’t want to go through a table and build some tension with it. ***
The Bella Twins are sitting on Teddy Long’s lap arguing. When Teddy tries to HOLLA, they get peeved and slap him. The acting is poor. Jack Swagger comes in to complain and then Sheamus shows up. They get in each other’s face and Teddy books an impromptu match as an early Christmas gift. That’s not what I wanted dude.
WWE Divas Championship
Beth Phoenix (c) vs. Kelly Kelly
The previous Monday, Kelly slapped Beth at the Slammy’s, so Beth dares her to do it again. Kelly does and then bulldogs her off the ring apron. Interesting start. Inside, she does the flying head scissors that all Divas are taught. Beth gets pissed and decides to quit playing around. Beth uses her power and Kelly escapes to score some flash pin near falls. Stop me if you’ve heard this match layout before. Beth actually tries to change things up a bit with a leg drop off the top and misses. Kelly botches her next move and Beth just catches her for the Glam Slam. Kelly counters it with a rollup, which she does so much but it isn’t enough. She tries a rana but Beth catches her with an alley-oop to retain.
Winner and Still WWE Divas Champion: Beth Phoenix in 5:14
2011 featured a fair amount of Kelly in Divas Title matches and most of them were bad. This may have been the worst. They faced off a bunch of times and each time, they ran the same story with the same moves for the most part. ¾*
Alberto Del Rio and Miz trade insults backstage since their partnership to take out CM Punk is over now that the match is tonight. It ends with Ricardo Rodriguez getting knocked down with food in his face.
Booker T comes out for his match, trying to be a trooper. Cody Rhodes attacks again and lays out Booker in the aisle until officials help the Booker man.
Sledgehammer Ladder Match
Kevin Nash vs. Triple H
Kevin Nash and Ladder Match don’t really go hand in hand. He pounds on Triple H to start and they spill outside. The brawl continues out there, with Nash using the ladder as a weapon. Nash is targeting Triple H’s neck, while Hunter goes after Nash’s legs. Every shot looks rough since I know that Nash’s legs are basically made of glass. He applies a figure four in the ladder, which is rather creative actually though I don’t think it really adds to the move. Shortly after, Nash hits a side slam onto the ladder. He looks for the Jackknife though the announce table but Triple H counters. He goes for the sledgehammer but is stopped and Nash busts out a Chokeslam. After a table is set up, both guys climb the ladder and slug it out. Trips hits him with the sledgehammer, sending him through the table. Nash actually took a middle of the ladder table bump! Triple H retrieves the sledgehammer, but that’s not all it takes to win. He goes after the leg again for some reason before trying the Pedigree. Nash botches it so Triple H has to try again. He hits it and wants another. Nash tries the Kliq signal, but Triple H just ends him with a sledgehammer shot.
Winner: Triple H in 18:14
First of all, I want to give Kevin Nash props for taking the table bump, but other than that, this wasn’t anything special. It was better than I expected it to be, but it was really just two guys that got way too much time and just seemed to be cashing a paycheck. *½
Backstage, CM Punk gets interviewed before getting into it with John Laurinaitis. Their rivalry would reach it’s peak over the next few months.
Jack Swagger w/ Vickie Guerrero vs. Sheamus
Michael Cole is sure to note how Sheamus won the WWE Title at TLC two years earlier. Now he’s in a throwaway match against Jack Swagger. Granted, Sheamus would win the Royal Rumble next month and Swagger would win the US Title but still. Sheamus beats on Swagger until a Vickie distraction allows the former World Champion to turn the tide. That doesn’t last long and Sheamus rallies. He goes into his offense and survives an Ankle Lock attempt before winning with the Brogue Kick.
Winner: Sheamus in 4:57
Did they not have enough matches to fill the card? This honestly served no purpose and belonged on Raw or Smackdown. Filler. *¾
World Heavyweight Championship Chairs Match
Mark Henry (c) vs. Big Show
I never would have thought it, but Mark Henry’s “Hall of Pain” run made him enjoyable. Easily the best work in his career. I still don’t get the concept of a Chairs match. Like, if you use a different weapon, would you get disqualified? Is it just a no DQ match with an emphasis on chairs? Anyway, Show instantly goes outside and starts tossing chairs in the ring. Henry tries to leave but Show just wails on him with a chair. Big Show is dealing with an injured hand, which Henry goes after. He does manage to hit the WMD as Henry tries a chair shot. Show sells the hurt hand and gets the three to end a nine year drought without the World Title.
Winner and New World Heavyweight Champion: Big Show in 5:30
I’ve never seen a good Chairs match and that trend continues here. It was kept short, so it has that going for it. It wasn’t bad or terrible or anything like that, it was just very “blah”. *
Mark Henry is furious and beats up Big Show during his emotional celebration, planting him with a DDT on a chair. Some fans chant “Daniel Bryan” leading to him coming out to cash in Money in the Bank!
World Heavyweight Championship
Big Show (c) vs. Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan literally just pins Big Show and wins.
Winner and New World Heavyweight Champion: Daniel Bryan in 0:04
NO RATING
Daniel Bryan celebrates the win and talks a bunch of smack to Michael Cole. The fans are pumped for this, even if it was a heelish move that started a turn for him. It was good storytelling considering how supportive how had been of Bryan in recent months.
WWE Intercontinental Championship
Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Booker T
Booker T decides to compete because he doesn’t want to go out like a sucka. No theatrics from Booker during his entrance, which is good since he’s pissed off. He is aggressive to start, but Cody knocks him off the apron with a right hand. He demands the official counts. I love seeing a heel trying to retain by any means necessary. Cody takes control for a bit leading into the double clothesline spot. There’s an old school feel to this match. Booker goes into a short burst of offense, stamped by a spinebuster. SPRINAROONIE! He looks very dazed coming out of it, selling the earlier attacks. He misses the Scissors Kick and eats the Disaster Kick but kicks out. A second Disaster Kick ends it.
Winner and Still WWE Intercontinental Champion: Cody Rhodes in 7:16
I really like both guys in this match, but this didn’t deliver the way I wanted it to. They did a good job in selling Booker’s anger and injury, but I’ve seen better from both guys. **
WWE Championship TLC Match
CM Punk (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio w/ Ricardo Rodriguez vs. The Miz
The crowd is very much behind CM Punk. He walks under the ladders during his entrance and it proves to be some bad luck early as Del Rio and Miz double team him. When it becomes time to get a ladder, their alliance quickly ends. Del Rio grabs a small ladder but Punk suicide dives into it. Inside, Miz tries to use the chair to assist in the Awesome clotheslines, but Punk moves and tries a bulldog onto it. Miz counters and hits a back suplex into it. That was a fun series of reversals. Everyone ends up brawling outside, highlighted by Punk doing his knee strike and sending Miz into the crowd. Punk tries to climb but Ricardo Rodriguez runs in and handcuffs him to the ladder. Del Rio pounds on him, but when he climbs, Punk kicks the spreader part of the ladder, which is what he was cuffed to, breaking free. Creative stuff so far. As Miz and Punk fight atop the corner, Del Rio hits an enziguri that sends Punk through a table outside. The heels fight in the aisle, where Del Rio applies the Cross Armbreaker in a ladder. It’s better than Triple H’s figure four. We continue to see the vicious side of Del Rio as he wails on Punk with a chair and then does the Cross Armbreaker INSIDE THE CHAIR! However, his climb fails as both opponents crawl over to shove the ladder over. With everyone down, Ricardo now tries to climb but Miz and Punk tilt the ladder back and he takes a massive bump through a table. Kudos to him. Since Punk only broke free from the ladder and not the cuffs, Miz cuffs him to the corner. Miz taunting Punk is great and it costs him because Punk reaches him with a big kick to the head. After some time, both heels climb with Punk looking on helplessly. He manages to unscrew the second buckle and again get free. He knocks both guys off the top before trading near grabs with Miz. He ends that with a GTS before climbing again to retrieve the gold.
Winner and Still WWE Champion: CM Punk in 18:24
That was a great way to close the show. The match was brutal at times and very smart at others. The handcuffs idea was original, creative and masterfully done. Punk’s acts of desperation to free himself were so good. Alberto Del Rio looked especially vicious throughout, Ricardo took a major bump, Miz was a great cocky heel and everything worked the way they wanted. ****
Overall: 5/10; Mediocre. I’ve seen a lot of people hold this event in high esteem due to who left the show with the titles, but it is very middle of the pack. I liked the opener and the Tables match, but everything else before the main event is either bad or just painfully average. The Daniel Bryan cash in and Zack Ryder US Title win were both feel good moments and the main event is awesome. Up next on “Random Network Reviews” will be Great American Bash 2007! |
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Aug 20, 2015 19:16:21 GMT -5
Raw History
Episode #40
November 15th, 1993 | Fernwood Resort in Bushkill, Pennsylvania
The show opens with a recap of Macho Man going nuts on Crush last Monday night. Vince McMahon informs us that Shawn Michaels has been reinstated and will replace Jerry Lawler at Survivor Series due to some “legal issues.” For those unaware, Jerry was accused of raping a teenage girl.
Non-Title Match
WWF Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon vs. The Brooklyn Brawler
For being such a famous jobber, I haven’t seen much of the Brooklyn Brawler. He attacks before the bell and puts a hurting on Razor. That obviously doesn’t last long as Razor hits a fallaway slam and gets in the driver’s seat. Surprisingly, Brawler gets in more offense but makes a crucial mistake by setting early and it leads to the Razor’s Edge.
Winner: Razor Ramon in 2:49
A surprisingly solid squash. It was fun to see the Brooklyn Brawler get in more offense than most guys and Razor still was able to win in short order while looking strong. *½
Crush cuts a promo backstage on Randy Savage, saying that he’s going to run into trouble for what he did last week.
An ad runs to promote the “Survivor Series Showdown”, which is not on the WWE Network. Bret Hart gets a rematch at Yokozuna and the WWF Title.
The Headshrinkers w/ Afa vs. Mike Bucci and Mike Maraldo
The jobbers actually get a near fall when they dogpile on top of Fatu. He puts an end to that with a big savant kick. They can win the match fairly quickly but Fatu picks up his opponent before the three. The Headshrinkers put an end to this with a double leg sweep and big splash.
Winners: The Headshrinkers in 4:16
I feel like this lasted a bit too long to be considered an enjoyable squash. They weren’t in their usual jobber killing mode, so this doesn’t score high. ½*
We now get a clip from Superstars, where the “All-Americans” announced their replacement for Tatanka. Lex Luger and the Steiner Brothers reveal that it will be the Undertaker. That is a clear upgrade. Undertaker opening his trench coat to reveal the American flag was cool. Bobby Heenan steals the show with a line of “YOU CAN’T HAVE A PARTNER THAT’S DEAD! THAT’S UNFAIR!” Classic.
Lex Luger vs. Pierre w/ Johnny Polo
Lux Luger attacks at the bell, because he’s far more comfortable as a heel. He’s in charge for a bit with some of his signature SCREAMING CLOTHESLINES! They try a Polo distraction but it backfires when Luger backdrops Pierre on the outside. After a commercial break, it is a successful Polo distraction that turns the tide. Pierre gets two on a diet Vader splash. He moves into a rest hold for a bit since they’re giving them two commercial breaks to work through. Pierre gets two on a piledriver. They’re trying to build up how resilient Lex Luger is, since he continues to kick out. Luger begins to rally, slamming Pierre from the top and tossing Polo from the apron. He hits the LOADED FOREARM and wins.
Winner: Lex Luger in 13:24
Not the worst match but I think it was a bit too long for the quality of these two guys. They did the best I would expect these two to do with this amount of time. **
Pierre is basically dead and is now going to be out of Survivor Series.
Diesel vs. Sid Garrison
Hey, a Sid vs. Diesel match would end up headlining a few Pay-Per-Views in about a year and a half. As expected, Diesel just beats the stuffing out of Garrison. He runs through the few moves that he knows, like a side slam and big boot. Sid Garrison isn’t even worth the Jackknife as he finishes him with an elbow.
Winner: Diesel in 3:23
Your basic squash match. It was absolutely all Diesel and at the very least, it wasn’t really boring. ¾*
Todd Pettengil brings us the Survivor Series Report with no real news.
To close the show, another Jeff Jarrett vignette airs, featuring a cameo from Jacqueline.
Overall: 3/10; Poor. Another lackluster effort for Raw. The squash matches were not of the more entertaining variety and the marquee matchup was decent at best. Also, I feel like the marquee match should either open or close the show. At least the build for Survivor Series was somewhat good.
Raw History
Episode #41
November 29th, 1993 | Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York
Survivor Series has come and gone with Raw being off the air for a week. Side note, I’ve always liked the look of this venue. Vince McMahon and Bobby Heenan are on commentary since Macho Man has been suspended from commentary for the attack on Crush. They run down the show, which sounds pretty good actually.
The Steiner Brothers vs. Mike Khoury and Reno Riggins
Scott Steiner takes down Khoury a few times before pulling out a dragon suplex. Reno gets tagged but wants no part of the Steiners. Scott dropkicks him and then does the damn screwdriver again. Seriously dude, you are killing these guys. He drags Riggins and makes Khoury tag in just so he can suplex him. He ends it with the Frankensteiner.
Winners: The Steiner Brothers in 3:44
I always love me a good Steiner jobber killing. Using a dragon suplex, screwdriver and Frankensteiner made this fun. *¾
Commentary discusses how Yokozuna was scared of the Undertaker during the main event of Survivor Series, building towards our next big WWF Title program.
Another Jeff Jarrett vignette is shown. He gets kicked out of a talent agency because he’s annoying.
Non-Title Match
WWF Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon vs. Diesel
Who would have thought in 1993 that these two guys would change the course of wrestling history just two and a half years later? As far as I know, this is their first one on one meeting. Razor tries to go after the arm for some reason but Diesel overpowers him a few times. Diesel goes into his offense like snake eyes, the side slam and a bearhug to wear down Razor. I’m surprised at how one sided this has been, showing that Vince was already into the idea of pushing Diesel. Razor rallies, hitting a bulldog that looks pretty bad. As he calls for the Razor’s Edge, the returning Shawn Michaels attacks him.
Winner via disqualification: Razor Ramon in 5:16
Nowhere near the level they were capable of as shown by their SummerSlam 1994 match. It was a good way of showing how tough Razor was, while showing how dominant Diesel could be. *½
Shawn Michaels calls for a piledriver on the Intercontinental Title but the 1-2-3 Kid makes the save. THE KLIQ IS EVERYWHERE! Diesel and Shawn Michaels retreat. These four would have a tag team match on WWF Action Zone in 1994 that was fantastic.
Bam Bam Bigelow w/ Luna Vachon vs. John Crystal
Bigelow dominates this from start to finish. He uses the neck vice, which I never liked. There is definitely some stalling from Bigelow since he doesn’t seem to know what to do to make this last the allotted time they were given. He finally wins with a kick to the skull.
Winner: Bam Bam Bigelow in 3:14
Another relatively dull Bigelow squash. ½*
We go to footage from Wrestling Challenge, where Santa Clause has a gift for Doink. He pulls Dink out of his bag. Hooray, now I get to see the Doink/Dink pairing for the next few months. That was sarcasm if you couldn’t tell.
Vince McMahon is in the ring to announce the 1993 Superstar of the Year. He brings out the runner-up, Lex Luger. This seems like another shining example of Lex Luger being a loser. He can’t win big matches or even an award like this. He thanks the fans and brings out the actual winner, Bret Hart. Bobby Heenan tries to play it off like he thought he’d win, which was odd. His speech is kind of just there and then Luger raises Bret’s arm in victory like the bitch he is.
A clip is shown from Survivor Series where Owen Hart accidentally knocked Bret Hart into the guardrail and it led to him getting pinned. He would be the only Hart eliminated in the match. He was pissed off and then got in Bret’s face after the bell. This would begin the excellent rivalry between him and Bret. Helen Hart sells this very well.
Owen Hart vs. Chris Duffy
Owen Hart is wearing his brother’s trademark glasses, showing off his cocky attitude. While Owen gets in some offense, we are told that Shawn Michaels has challenged the 1-2-3 Kid for next week. Some “we want Bret” chants start. Owen wins with the Sharpshooter in great fashion.
Winner: Owen Hart in 2:40
A fine squash match here. Owen Hart is always entertaining, especially now that he’s turned heel. *¾
Bobby Heenan tries to interview Owen hart about Bret winning Superstar of the Year and what happened at Survivor Series but Owen just walks off.
Ludvig Borga vs. Scott Taylor
Hey, Scotty 2 Hotty is back! Ludvig Borga misses an elbow but everything that Taylor tries is no sold. Borga then turns him inside out on a clothesline and wins with the torture rack.
Winner: Ludvig Borga in 2:21
Typical stuff from Ludvig Borga. He dominated and at least he didn’t kill time. ¾*
We then get 1-2-3 Kid accepting the challenge of Shawn Michaels. It’s hilarious that he calls him Mr. Michaels.
Overall: 4/10. Weak. While this wasn’t the best of episodes from an in-ring standpoint, I appreciated some of the Survivor Series fallout. The Steiners were fun and we got all of that Kliq action. Owen Hart was a fun addition too as his new heel character was about to become my favorite thing in the company.
Raw History
Episode #42
December 6th, 1993 | Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York
We start with a recap of Shawn Michaels’ attack on Razor Ramon last week before the 1-2-3 Kid made the save, setting the stage for tonight’s match. Bobby Heenan and Vince McMahon then argue about whether or not Shawn Michaels is actually the Intercontinental Champion. Also, Heenan has bene badmouthing Gorilla Monsoon for a few weeks and Monsoon may retaliate tonight.
1-2-3 Kid vs. Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels is carrying the Intercontinental Title as he never relinquished it when he was suspended. I’ll never understand why Michaels wore his tights so damn high. The action starts very fast with them only messing up on one awkward spot. Kid springboards out onto Shawn and Vince says he’s never seen that move before, even though I’ve seen Kid do it on Raw already this year. Kid slows things inside and Shawn has trouble breaking free of a headlock. He finally does and uses a head scissors to send Kid outside. Kid tries to dive off the apron but Shawn catches him with a powerslam on the outside. Shawn hits a backbreaker and Kid counters a superplex into a cross body for two. Shawn continue to play the stronger man, which is a nice change of pace for him. Kid hits a big moonsault for two, which is how he beat Razor back in May. He climbs up top and misses a big somersault as they go to another commercial. When we return, Shawn hits a superkick but I guess it still wasn’t his finisher. He signals for the end like Razor Ramon would and hits the Razor’s Edge. He could win, but Shawn instead picks him Kid up. For some reason, Vince thinks that could result in a DQ. He hits a second and out comes Razor in a ridiculous outfit. Shawn runs from Razor and both guys are outside, leading to a double countout.
Double countout in 11:02
Really good stuff here. Their chemistry probably stemmed from their close friendship and Shawn looked determined now that he’s back from suspension. A really fun match here. ***¼
Shawn Michaels runs from Razor Ramon until Diesel lays out Razor. This allows Shawn to hit a Razor’s Edge on the floor to Razor himself. Surprisingly, he even hits a second as officials try to stop him.
Non-Title Match
WWF Tag Team Champions The Quebecers vs. Bert Centano and Mike Walsh
Since Survivor Series has passed, Pierre is now ready to wrestle. I honestly don’t know how replaced him at Survivor Series. A quick look and it was Crush. Anyway I don’t know which jobber is which, but one of them actually hits a nice monkey flip on Pierre. The Quebecers obviously get right back in control and win with their cannonball finisher.
Winners: The Quebecers in 4:21
Not much to write about here. A standard squash with nothing special. It wasn’t dull, so that helped. *
Owen Hart cuts a promo about how everything is about Bret Hart, but he’s coming with a surprise that will make everything be about him.
Doink w/ Dink vs. Tony DeVito
I feel like Tony DeVito has set the jobber record for appearances this year. This is no longer Matt Borne playing Doink, instantly disappointing me. Basically, Doink is going through the motions of boring offense while Dink walks around pulling shenanigans out of his ass. Seriously, it’s dull as hell. He wins with the Whoopee Cushion.
Winner: Doink in 5:51
Who thought this should go nearly six minutes? It was an awful squash, made worse by Dink’s dumb ringside antics. DUD.
Time for yet another Jeff Jarrett vignette. That’s J-E-DOUBLE F. J-A-DOUBLE R-E-DOUBLE T.
A commercial informs us that next week, the Macho Man returns to the ring!
Crush w/ Mr. Fuji vs. Tony Roy
Bobby Heenan says that Mr. Fuji celebrates the anniversary of Pearl Harbor. Damn. Macho Man calls in and it’s more interesting than anything Crush is doing. Vince says that Crush looks awesome, which is the opposite of how I’d say he looks. He seems to have fused his new heel attire with his neon face attire. The phone call connection sucks and it breaks up to the point where we can’t understand anything Savage says. Crush wins and nobody cares.
Winner: Crush in 3:53
As usual with Crush, this is not good. He was never any good. ½*
They get ready to go off the air but Gorilla Monsoon makes his way out to ringside. He gets his revenge on Heenan, dragging him by the collar and physically kicking him out of the arena. This would be the end of Heenan’s WWF run. He and Gorilla came up with this and, according to Heenan, spent an hour or so reminiscing in their hotel after.
Overall: 6/10; Average. Everything after the opener is pretty dreadful in the ring, as the three matches barely manage *½. However, it is memorable for Bobby Heenan’s exit and the marquee matchup delivers as Shawn Michaels and the 1-2-3 Kid have a really good encounter. Worth checking out for the opener and the closing segment. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2015 4:34:16 GMT -5
 NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn Review
Jushin "Thunder" Liger vs Tyler Breeze (***3/4)This was a very fun little opener and a match I enjoyed a lot. Seeing Liger in a WWE ring was honestly surreal and I popped really hard for the selfie spot. Both Liger and Breeze had some pretty crazy spots in this match but ultimately Liger got the win. Not too long, not too short, just right. This match was really enjoyable. Blake and Murphy vs The Vaudevillians (***1/2)This was a match that I don't think many people expected to be amazing, but I guarantee they were blown away. Seeing Blue Pants come out at the start was great and this match was actually really good. The story was told well and you could really feel the emotion in the match with Aiden being cut off and desperate to make the tag. I loved the ending and I'm glad to say that I really like the Vaudevillians and I'm happy that they one. Even though I love BAMF. Tye Dillenger vs Apollo Crews (**3/4)This was a fine and simple debut for Apollo against pretty much a lifetime jobber now in Dillenger. Apollo looked really strong and it was a great debut for him. Not much else to say about this match. Samoa Joe vs Baron Corbin (***1/4)I was really impressed by Baron in this match. His main criticism since debuting has been that people think he was a one-dimensional wrestler, but this match showed that he is working hard to improve in the ring and get better. Joe managed to help him along to a fine match. I look forward to seeing Baron improve over the next few months. Sasha Banks vs Bayley - NXT Women's Championship (*****)To say that I loved this match would be one hell of an understatement. This is far and away my match of the year. The raw emotion and storytelling was done so beautifully well and it just pushed a great match to a classic. The whole match, you could feel Bayley's struggle and I really wanted her to win, even though I'm a huge fan of Sasha. The wrestling itself was done perfectly and that top rope reverse rana was absolutely nuts. The ending was great and I just haven't felt that excited about something related to wrestling in a while. It was 3:43 in the morning, yet I still jumped out of my chair with excitement. When Becky and Charlotte came down, I honestly started to cry tears of joy. Legit. I was crying. It was an incredible moment and by far the greatest women's match I have ever seen and the match of the year. It takes something really, really special to top matches like Shinsuke Nakamura vs Hiroshi Tanahashi from NJPW's G1 Finals, Zack Sabre Jr vs Roderick Strong from PWG's Don't Sweat The Technique and Daisuke Sekimoto vs Yuji Okabayashi from BJW's Ryugokutan, but there's not a doubt in my mind that this match deserves every ounce of praise it's getting. Incredible. Sasha put in a hell of a performance, but on this night, Brooklyn belonged to Bayley. Kevin Owens vs Finn Balor - NXT Championship (****1/4)Balor and Owens were tasked with having to go out after the match of the year to try and outperform them, which is just an almost insurmountable challenge, but they sure as hell gave it their best shot. Owen's heel work was dope as usual and Balor was fantastic, like always. There were some absolutely insane spots throughout the match and I cringed really, really hard when Owens' head bounced off of the ladder. Eek. In the end this was still a great match. Overall:This is 100% the show of the year ANYWHERE so far. We saw the debut of a legend, 3 solid undercard matches, and Owens-Balor was a great match but Bayley vs Sasha was a ***** classic. I was legit blown away by how amazing that match was, but I shouldn't have been because the NXT women always deliver. We all witnessed the greatest women's match ever last night and it will go down in history as the night Bayley finally overcame the odds and became the Women's Champion. Honestly, that whole match just restored my investment in wrestling. Kudos to both Bayley and Sasha. Final rating:9.25/10 |
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Post by tnafan17: The Total Package on Aug 23, 2015 4:42:31 GMT -5
NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn Review
Jushin "Thunder" Liger vs Tyler Breeze (***3/4)This was a very fun little opener and a match I enjoyed a lot. Seeing Liger in a WWE ring was honestly surreal and I popped really hard for the selfie spot. Both Liger and Breeze had some pretty crazy spots in this match but ultimately Liger got the win. Not too long, not too short, just right. This match was really enjoyable. Blake and Murphy vs The Vaudevillians (***1/2)This was a match that I don't think many people expected to be amazing, but I guarantee they were blown away. Seeing Blue Pants come out at the start was great and this match was actually really good. The story was told well and you could really feel the emotion in the match with Aiden being cut off and desperate to make the tag. I loved the ending and I'm glad to say that I really like the Vaudevillians and I'm happy that they one. Even though I love BAMF. Tye Dillenger vs Apollo Crews (**3/4)This was a fine and simple debut for Apollo against pretty much a lifetime jobber now in Dillenger. Apollo looked really strong and it was a great debut for him. Not much else to say about this match. Samoa Joe vs Baron Corbin (***1/4)I was really impressed by Baron in this match. His main criticism since debuting has been that people think he was a one-dimensional wrestler, but this match showed that he is working hard to improve in the ring and get better. Joe managed to help him along to a fine match. I look forward to seeing Baron improve over the next few months. Sasha Banks vs Bayley - NXT Women's Championship (*****)To say that I loved this match would be one hell of an understatement. This is far and away my match of the year. The raw emotion and storytelling was done so beautifully well and it just pushed a great match to a classic. The whole match, you could feel Bayley's struggle and I really wanted her to win, even though I'm a huge fan of Sasha. The wrestling itself was done perfectly and that top rope reverse rana was absolutely nuts. The ending was great and I just haven't felt that excited about something related to wrestling in a while. It was 3:43 in the morning, yet I still jumped out of my chair with excitement. When Becky and Charlotte came down, I honestly started to cry tears of joy. Legit. I was crying. It was an incredible moment and by far the greatest women's match I have ever seen and the match of the year. It takes something really, really special to top matches like Shinsuke Nakamura vs Hiroshi Tanahashi from NJPW's G1 Finals, Zack Sabre Jr vs Roderick Strong from PWG's Don't Sweat The Technique and Daisuke Sekimoto vs Yuji Okabayashi from BJW's Ryugokutan, but there's not a doubt in my mind that this match deserves every ounce of praise it's getting. Incredible. Sasha put in a hell of a performance, but on this night, Brooklyn belonged to Bayley. Kevin Owens vs Finn Balor - NXT Championship (****1/4)Balor and Owens were tasked with having to go out after the match of the year to try and outperform them, which is just an almost insurmountable challenge, but they sure as hell gave it their best shot. Owen's heel work was dope as usual and Balor was fantastic, like always. There were some absolutely insane spots throughout the match and I cringed really, really hard when Owens' head bounced off of the ladder. Eek. In the end this was still a great match. Overall:This is 100% the show of the year ANYWHERE so far. We saw the debut of a legend, 3 solid undercard matches, and Owens-Balor was a great match but Bayley vs Sasha was a ***** classic. I was legit blown away by how amazing that match was, but I shouldn't have been because the NXT women always deliver. We all witnessed the greatest women's match ever last night and it will go down in history as the night Bayley finally overcame the odds and became the Women's Champion. Honestly, that whole match just restored my investment in wrestling. Kudos to both Bayley and Sasha. Final rating:9.25/10 Watching this now. Is it sad that this is my first time watching NXT? (Well I watched Balor/Owens at Beast from the East). However, with Lucha Underground down, I will be trying to catch NXT every week. Absolutely love Samoa Joe and Balor. Question-what has been Rhino's involvement in NXT? More of a jobber/just putting guys over? |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2015 4:44:24 GMT -5
NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn Review
Jushin "Thunder" Liger vs Tyler Breeze (***3/4)This was a very fun little opener and a match I enjoyed a lot. Seeing Liger in a WWE ring was honestly surreal and I popped really hard for the selfie spot. Both Liger and Breeze had some pretty crazy spots in this match but ultimately Liger got the win. Not too long, not too short, just right. This match was really enjoyable. Blake and Murphy vs The Vaudevillians (***1/2)This was a match that I don't think many people expected to be amazing, but I guarantee they were blown away. Seeing Blue Pants come out at the start was great and this match was actually really good. The story was told well and you could really feel the emotion in the match with Aiden being cut off and desperate to make the tag. I loved the ending and I'm glad to say that I really like the Vaudevillians and I'm happy that they one. Even though I love BAMF. Tye Dillenger vs Apollo Crews (**3/4)This was a fine and simple debut for Apollo against pretty much a lifetime jobber now in Dillenger. Apollo looked really strong and it was a great debut for him. Not much else to say about this match. Samoa Joe vs Baron Corbin (***1/4)I was really impressed by Baron in this match. His main criticism since debuting has been that people think he was a one-dimensional wrestler, but this match showed that he is working hard to improve in the ring and get better. Joe managed to help him along to a fine match. I look forward to seeing Baron improve over the next few months. Sasha Banks vs Bayley - NXT Women's Championship (*****)To say that I loved this match would be one hell of an understatement. This is far and away my match of the year. The raw emotion and storytelling was done so beautifully well and it just pushed a great match to a classic. The whole match, you could feel Bayley's struggle and I really wanted her to win, even though I'm a huge fan of Sasha. The wrestling itself was done perfectly and that top rope reverse rana was absolutely nuts. The ending was great and I just haven't felt that excited about something related to wrestling in a while. It was 3:43 in the morning, yet I still jumped out of my chair with excitement. When Becky and Charlotte came down, I honestly started to cry tears of joy. Legit. I was crying. It was an incredible moment and by far the greatest women's match I have ever seen and the match of the year. It takes something really, really special to top matches like Shinsuke Nakamura vs Hiroshi Tanahashi from NJPW's G1 Finals, Zack Sabre Jr vs Roderick Strong from PWG's Don't Sweat The Technique and Daisuke Sekimoto vs Yuji Okabayashi from BJW's Ryugokutan, but there's not a doubt in my mind that this match deserves every ounce of praise it's getting. Incredible. Sasha put in a hell of a performance, but on this night, Brooklyn belonged to Bayley. Kevin Owens vs Finn Balor - NXT Championship (****1/4)Balor and Owens were tasked with having to go out after the match of the year to try and outperform them, which is just an almost insurmountable challenge, but they sure as hell gave it their best shot. Owen's heel work was dope as usual and Balor was fantastic, like always. There were some absolutely insane spots throughout the match and I cringed really, really hard when Owens' head bounced off of the ladder. Eek. In the end this was still a great match. Overall:This is 100% the show of the year ANYWHERE so far. We saw the debut of a legend, 3 solid undercard matches, and Owens-Balor was a great match but Bayley vs Sasha was a ***** classic. I was legit blown away by how amazing that match was, but I shouldn't have been because the NXT women always deliver. We all witnessed the greatest women's match ever last night and it will go down in history as the night Bayley finally overcame the odds and became the Women's Champion. Honestly, that whole match just restored my investment in wrestling. Kudos to both Bayley and Sasha. Final rating:9.25/10 Watching this now. Is it sad that this is my first time watching NXT? (Well I watched Balor/Owens at Beast from the East). However, with Lucha Underground down, I will be trying to catch NXT every week. Absolutely love Samoa Joe and Balor. Question-what has been Rhino's involvement in NXT? More of a jobber/just putting guys over? When he first came back, he was used as a monster who destroyed every jobber and wanted the NXT title, but now he's just kind of slowed down and wrestles every now and then. |
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Aug 23, 2015 9:19:30 GMT -5
The Great American Bash 2007
July 22nd 2007 | HP Pavilion in San Jose, California | Attendance: 13,034
This show features a main event between John Cena and Bobby Lashley. On paper, it looks pretty awful but I’ve actually heard really good things about it so I’m intrigued to check it out. This was in the midst of Cena’s year long run with the belt and also the Great Khali’s run with the World Title. Yikes. This would be the fourth WWE GAB but the 22nd in history.
The opening video package does a good job in hyping Bobby Lashley vs. John Cena as a really big deal. It also highlights the World Title triple threat but not as well. The Lashley/Cena stuff is set to a cool score. This show’s theme song is by Cobra Starship and is pretty cool.
WWE United States Championship
MVP (c) vs. Matt Hardy
Two months earlier, MVP won the US Title. This is the beginning of a feud that last nearly a year. Random note, but Matt is really tan here. Like, near Randy Orton levels. MVP takes some quick breathers so Matt does a plancha to the outside, but it looks pretty lame. They move from holds and tests of strength to just headbutting each other’s chests. Impressive. MVP takes control and applies a submission that holds Matt’s arms, so he chooses to bite MVP in the leg. Matt tries to climb up top, but he struggles due to a previous head injury. I appreciate things like that. MVP climbs up and hits a superplex. Matt counters a top rope back suplex and they trade blows. After Matt hits some signature offense, he counters the Playmaker into the Side Effect for a close near fall. The fans bite on a few flash pin near falls. MVP nails a boot to the injured skull of Matt before scoring with the Playmaker to retain.
Winner and Still WWE United States Champion: MVP in 12:53
Really solid opening contest. The crowd was rather quiet to start but the two men worked hard to get them involved. The head injury coming into play and being involved in the finish is something I really appreciate. MVP was on a bit of a roll of having solid matches and he did so here again. ***
Todd Grisham interviews Dusty Rhodes, who will be in a Texas Bullrope match later. As usual when it comes to Dusty, he delivers a charismatic promo.
WWE Cruiserweight Championship Open
Chavo Guerrero (c) vs. Funaki vs. Jamie Noble vs. Jimmy Wang Yang vs. Shannon Moore
As a surprise entrant at No Way Out 2007, which I recently reviewed, Chavo Guerrero won the title as a surprise entrant in a Cruiserweight Open. A wild Hornswoggle appears and slides across the ring, confusing everyone. Everyone just fights each other in and around the ring, with Yang and Noble having the best exchange. Chavo is close to winning with a half crab on Noble but Funaki breaks it up with an enziguri. Everyone gets in their spots like Chavo’s Three Amigos and Yang’s moonsault. In my favorite spot, Yang backdrops Moore over the top and onto everyone else outside. They do a tower of doom spot inside and, with everyone down, Hornswoggle shows back up. He hits the tadpole splash on Noble and wins.
Winner: Hornswoggle in 6:59
This was your standard cluster of spots that we tend to get with cruiserweights. It was somewhat fun but that finish ended up being the end for the division as the title never came back. Gregory Helms did fine work with the title for about a year and it’s gone about six months after he loses it. *½
We now go to a video package to highlight Bobby Lashley.
Singapore Cane Match
Carlito vs. The Sandman
I have no idea why this is even happening, let alone why it’s on a Pay-Per-View. I feel like it was during that weird time that Sandman was drafted to Raw. The object of the match is to retrieve the cane from a pole. Both guys get into a slugfest before each man tries to climb. That is honestly pretty much the entire match until Carlito misses a springboard back elbow. Sandman gets the cane and can use it legally but Carlito ducks a shot and wins with the Backstabber.
Winner: Carlito in 5:31
That was pretty much a waste. The object was to get the cane and then it didn’t even get used once. It was two guys slugging it out, climbing a pole and then it ended. ½*
Randy Orton gets interviewed backstage and brings up how he took out Shawn Michaels and will do the same to Dusty Rhodes tonight.
WWE Women’s Championship
Candice Michelle (c) vs. Melina
They actually try some mat wrestling early on and Candice Michelle gets out of a head scissors like she’s Austin Aries. Well, she tries at least. Candice does a running snapmare that JR calls a blockbuster. Bless them, they were trying with Candice. Melina chooses to target the arm simply because it’s there and she needs something to work. Candice goes into her comeback with some dropkicks. She finishes it with a standing bulldog that she calls the Candy Wrapper.
Winner and Still WWE Women’s Champion: Candice Michelle in 6:22
Man, the women’s division was in trouble around this time. Beth Phoenix was about to give it a shot in the arm but for now, no good. Melina was never great to me the way that some people made her out to be and Candice was rough. ¾*
The Hardy Boyz are talking backstage when Candice Michelle comes up and starts drinking water, only to pour it over herself in slow motion. The facial expressions from the Hardys are classic. Ron Simmons delivers the slowest “DAMN” of his career.
WWE Intercontinental Championship
Umaga (c) vs. Jeff Hardy
The crowd was pretty dead for the Women’s Title match but they come to life for Jeff Hardy. Umaga dominates the early goings and it’s mostly entertaining. He does apply my least favorite hold in wrestling, the trapezius hold, which disappoints me. It’s the laziest of rest holds. Jeff nearly starts a comeback but Umaga just OBLITERATES him with a spinning sidewalk slam. It takes Umaga missing a headbutt for Jeff to rally, hitting a plancha to the outside. He continues to try and get the win with some signature offense inside. When Jeff hits Whisper in the Winds, Jim Ross calls it the Twist of Fate twice. You’re slacking JR. He’s able to hit the Swanton Bomb but takes a bit too long to cover and Umaga kicks out. The fans absolutely bite on this near fall. As if he gets tired of this, Umaga hits a savant kick, the running ass attack and the Samoan Spike to retain.
Winner and Still WWE Intercontinental Champion: Umaga in 11:20
It started slow but it made sense since Umaga wanted to control the pace. He was in the midst of a strong 2007 and this was another good performance by him. Jeff Hardy’s rally was well done and the fans were completely into this. Having Umaga win clean and Jeff put in a gutsy effort made sure this accomplished what it set out to do. ***¼
Similar to the Bobby Lashley video package earlier, it’s time for a John Cena one.
ECW Championship
John Morrison (c) vs. CM Punk
This is the first ever ECW Title match in the history of the Great American Bash. CM Punk went on record on his DVD saying that he didn’t like any of his PPV matches with Morrison and this is the second of three straight. Punk has the advantage to start, getting two on a slingshot suplex. Morrison does his massive oversell on a monkey flip before taking a breather outside. Punk goes to get him but is tripped up on the steel steps. Morrison takes control for a short while, but the crowd has unfortunately quieted down again. They go up top where Punk sends Morrison to the mat and hits a cross body. Morrison wins a series of rollups but gets caught grabbing the ropes. Punk comes off the top but flies into a knee. However, it just looked like they awkwardly collided and Morrison just covered him for a lame finish.
Winner and Still ECW Champion: John Morrison in 7:56
I can kind of see what CM Punk meant on his DVD when he said they tried to cram 15 minutes of stuff into 8. Still, while I didn’t hate this, I do believe that it had potential to be much better. The incredibly lame and awkward finish really hurts things too. **¼
Texas Bullrope Match
Dusty Rhodes vs. Randy Orton
Dusty wastes no time busting out the Bionic Elbows. According to Jim Ross, he’s gonna take young Randall to the woodshed. Dusty whoops ass outside but when they get inside, Orton attacks the knee with the cowbell. Very good heel work here as it looks pretty vicious. Since he’s Orton, he goes to a chinlock. The best part about it is that Dusty does a little dance to try and rally but it doesn’t work. Well, he eventually rallies but misses the big elbow. Orton then strikes Dusty with the cowbell and that’s a wrap.
Winner: Randy Orton in 5:40
About as good as I expected considering Dusty Rhodes hadn’t been on a WWE Pay-Per-View in about 15 years. They kept it short, the crowd was into it and Randy Orton looked pretty good. **
Randy Orton looks for the punt but Cody Rhodes rushes out to protect his papa.
World Heavyweight Championship
The Great Khali (c) w/ Ranjin Singh vs. Batista vs. Kane
Edge was originally scheduled to face Kane for the World Title but had to vacate the gold. Khali won it in a battle royal later that night. To show his dominance, he just manhandles both of his opponents. He Chokeslams both of them and is looking like the monster champion that you would expect from someone of his size. Both Batista and Kane are out and Khali follows instead of trying for the countout win. Big body, small brain. Batista and Kane work together to put Khali through the table with a double spinebuster. So far, I have to commend the booking of this match. Khali is back in after Kane and Batista go at it. Kane Chokeslams him but Batista breaks up the count. They repeat that with a Batista spinebuster and Kane breaking up the pin. Batista then hits Kane with the Batista Bomb only for Khali to pull him outside and toss him into the steel steps. Khali enters and choke bombs Kane to retain.
Winner: The Great Khali in 10:02
Expertly booked stuff here for the most part. There was no way that this match would be great but this did everything that it needed to. Khali looked like a monster early, then they put him through the table to take him out of the equation. Not only was is smart in kayfabe terms, but it also allowed the better workers to do their thing. This was probably the best possible match these three could have put together. **½
A vignette airs for Triple H who is returning at SummerSlam next month. This leads to King Booker and Queen Sharmell coming out. He says he is the one true king in the WWE, calling out “Jerome” Lawler for an act of regicide. They want Lawler to relinquish his crown but he doesn’t. Booker declares this an act of treason and leaves. It didn’t accomplish much but the “true king” of WWE stuff would ignite a feud between Booker and the returning “King of Kings” Triple H for SummerSlam.
WWE Championship
John Cena (c) vs. Bobby Lashley
I appreciate that this starts with two powerhouses trying to outmuscle one another. That’s how it should be with these two guys. They do a good job of showcasing how Lashley may be stronger. He actually is in the driver’s seat for the most part, really hammering home the story of him possibly being the guy to end Cena’s reign, which started back in September. Cena comes with that diving Fameasser, but Lashley applies a rear naked choke like he’s Samoa Joe or something. When Cena gets out goes into the FIVE MOVES OF DOOM, Lashley gets up after the Five Knuckle Shuffle. That’s how everyone does it, so Cena can try the FU, but commentary tries to sell it like it’s this amazing feat from Lashley. He slips out of the FU and hits that Nikki Bella Rack Attack. Cena hits the FU but can’t cover in time, allowing Lashley to kick out. Cena then dodges a spear and locks in the STFU, which has made Umaga and Khali tap in recent months. Lashley is able to reach the ropes though. Cena talks to the official, giving Lashley the opening to hit a spear for a near fall. Lashley tries to take Cena up top, but Cena counters with a top rope FU and gets the 1-2-3.
Winner and Still WWE Champion: John Cena in 14:51
Similar to the previous match, this was better than I expected. They told a good story of two powerhouse faces going toe to toe and surviving the best shots each other had. This did a good job of making Lashley credible as it took a lot to beat him. Unfortunately for Lashley, he would never appear on another WWE PPV. ***¼
Overall: 4/10; Weak. The good on this show is good (Lashley/Cena, MVP/Matt and Umaga/Jeff) the mediocre on this show is painfully mediocre (Dusty/Orton and Punk/Morrison) but the bad (Carlito/Sandman, Melina/Candice and the Cruiserweight match) is awful. I commend the World Title and WWE Title matches for being better than I could have ever imagined, but there is too much bad dragging this show down. Next on “Random Network Reviews” is No Mercy 2001! |
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Aug 27, 2015 10:32:03 GMT -5
Raw History
Episode #43
December 13th, 1993 | Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York
Considering that Bobby Heenan was thrown out of the company last week and Randy Savage is suspended from commentary, Vince McMahon needs a new broadcast partner. Enter Jim Cornette. This should be fun.
Fatu w/ Afa vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage
Here we see Randy Savage is out of “retirement”, which should be good since he can still go here. Fatu had a damn good match against Bret Hart earlier in the year, meaning this has potential. Savage sells great for him, falling outside on a savant kick. Savage hits Fatu but twice, he shrugs it off and kicks the former WWF Champion. Fatu mauls him with some of those SAMOAN HEADBUTTS. Savage makes the classic babyface comeback and wins with the elbow.
Winner: Randy Savage in 5:51
While this wasn’t a great match, it did its job. Randy Savage got to win in his return and Fatu was able to look like a Samoan monster. Decent stuff here. **
Todd Pettengil tries to get a petition started for Macho Man to be allowed to return to WWF Mania and host it with him. I honestly don’t remember watching Mania as a kid.
The Smoking Guns vs. Steve Smyth and Jim Massenger
Captain Lou Albano appears at ringside to scout talent. The match is pretty much all Smoking Guns and the jobbers look pretty bad throughout. Bart hits a DDT and Billy wins with a top rope bulldog.
Winners: The Smoking Guns in 2:46
Standard squash match here, made worse considering the jobbers weren’t of the best variety. ¾*
We get a recap of what went down between Razor Ramon, Shawn Michaels, Diesel and the 1-2-3 Kid last week.
IRS vs. Todd Mata
For what has to be the first time in history, we see the contents of IRS’ briefcase and he has Razor Ramon’s gold chain in there. IRS gets in all of the offense, dumping Todd Mata onto the outside. Once he struggles to get back in, IRS hits a backdrop, earning the victory.
Winner: IRS in 1:43
If I must watch IRS matches, these are the best ones. It was kept short so he couldn’t do his stupid endless chinlock. ¾*
A ridiculous video airs of Yokozuna as Santa Claus, being nice to children. He then wakes up from the nightmare. The best part about this is that we now know that he sleeps in his entrance robe.
The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer vs. J.S. Storm
I feel like I haven’t seen the Undertaker on Raw in months. Commentary mentions that the Undertaker the upcoming Casket Match between Yokozuna and the Undertaker at the Royal Rumble. Jim Cornette says that it will be bad, which is absolutely what it was. Storm obviously gets nothing and Undertaker mows through him quickly.
Winner: The Undertaker in 1:55
I’m liking these quick squash matches tonight. It makes things much easier to enjoy. *
Our final Jeff Jarrett vignette airs, and it’s just a montage of his previous ones. He debuts next week.
A promo airs to hype next week’s marquee Raw match. Tatanka returns to avenge his first loss against Ludvig Borga.
Rick Martel vs. Tim McNeany
We have to nearing the end of Rick Martel’s run with the WWF right? He actually runs into trouble as the jobber gets two near falls with rollups. Martel gets tired of this quick and stars taking control, even doing some jumping jacks. This jobber gets more offense than I’d expect but Martel wins.
Winner: Rick Martel in 3:00
Another squash, but this one was pretty dull considering it lasted longer than the rest. ½*
On Superstars, Owen Hart was interviewed by Vince McMahon and challenged Bret Hart to a match. Things are about to get good.
Bret Hart vs. Brooklyn Brawler
This should be better than most squashes because it involves Bret. He targets the arm of the infamous jobber. He hits a cross body and goes back to the arm. Brawler rakes the eyes and thinks he’s in control but Bret is all like “nope” and goes into the FIVE MOVES OF DOOM to win.
Winner: Bret Hart in 4:14
Probably my favorite squash match of the night, but nothing about it was great. Basic stuff here again. *¼
Overall: 3.5/10. I really wasn’t feeling this episode. Granted, I appreciated that some of the matches moved by so quickly, but there were five of them and I’d only consider one to really be watchable. We are in a period where it’s a bit too far from the new PPV for anything of note to really happen though, so I kind of get that.
Raw History
Episode #44
December 20th, 1993 | Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York
We get clips of the attack on Tatanka last week before a promo from saying he’s getting his revenge tonight. Vince McMahon is joined by Shawn Michaels on commentary this week.
Jeff Jarrett vs. PJ Walker
Man, Jeff Jarrett’s outfit has to be a rib. He struts and poses around the ring in between his offense. He does a pretty good job of drawing heat from the fans with some trash talking. Jarrett wins with a rather ugly looking DDT.
Winner: Jeff Jarrett in 3:32
A decent debut here. Jeff Jarrett quickly showed that he was going to be a solid heel. *
Men on a Mission w/ Oscar vs. Duane Gill and Barry Hardy
I’m pretty sure the jobber team are the superior workers. Oscar’s “Santa Rap” features him saying Christmas five times and then spelling the word. #Bars. Mo does his awful offense before Mabel comes in and dominates. He slams Gill onto Hardy as commentary discusses how much of a problem Mabel will be in the Royal Rumble. Instead of just ending it here, Mo comes in and applies another wristlock. We are past that point of the match. Mabel comes in and ends it.
Winner: Men on a Mission in 4:33
My goodness, Men on a Mission completely suck and, for some reason, keep getting long squash matches. DUD
Todd Pettengil takes us to the Royal Rumble Report! They hype the WWF Championship Casket Match between Yokozuna and the Undertaker as well as IRS somehow getting an Intercontinental Title shot at Razor Ramon. He then runs through the rules of the Royal Rumble and announces nine entrants including Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Mabel, Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Crush, Kamala, Doink and Scott Steiner. Poor Rick Steiner and Mo couldn’t get in before Kamala?
Ludvig Borga vs. Tatanka
To try and prove that their issues are very serious, they brawl on the outside for a bit. Once they come in, Tatanka takes control, beating up Borga worse than anyone else so far. H gets two on a cross body before just getting mauled by a Borga body block. Borga surprises me with a cross body type move in the corner. Hey, he’s somewhat athletic. Tatanka no sells it because of his NATIVE AMERICAN FIGHTING SPIRIT! Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji walk to the ring as Tatanka goes up top. Fuji hits Tatanka with the flag in the back. The referee doesn’t see it, so they could have gotten away with it, but Yokozuna just walks in the ring for the DQ anyway.
Winner via disqualification: Tatanka in 4:40
It wasn’t the worst match ever before the finish. It was actually better than I expected from the two of them, though I had very low expectations. *½
As Yokozuna and Ludvig Borga look to kill Tatanka, Lex Luger makes the save. He uses the illegal forearm and body slams Yokozuna to send them packing.
Adam Bomb w/ Harvey Wippleman vs. Mark Thomas
Mark Thomas still looks more jacked than most of the roster at this point. For some reason, Lou Albano is out at ringside. I thought he was scouting tag teams. Since Thomas has a purple and black singlet, Vince makes a Barney joke. Bomb hits a powerbomb to wrap this up quickly.
Winner: Adam Bomb in 1:42
Why couldn’t this be the length of the Men on a Mission match? I’d rather watch Adam Bomb than those two for four minutes. This was short and sweet. *
A vignette runs for Thurman “Sparky” Plugg. Who thought that was a good name?
We go back to two weeks ago on Superstars, where Owen Hart challenged Bret Hart to a match. This past weekend on Superstars, Bret Hart responded, saying he knows the match would be great and that he never backs down from a fight, but he won’t fight his brother.
Owen Hart vs. Mike Bell
Owen Hart and Mike Bell do some arm work that obviously Owen wins with a head scissors takedown. Shawn Michaels is doing a good job in playing up how Bret is the favorite of the Hart family. Owen does some nice offense like a gutwrench suplex and second rope elbow. Owen hits a sweet belly to belly suplex before finishing Bell off with the Sharpshooter.
Winner: Owen Hart in 3:11
As usual, Owen Hart produces an entertaining squash match. He always found a way to make the most of his time and he does so here again. *½
Somehow, there’s a camera at the Undertaker’s workshop. It’s like a bizarre version of MTV Cribs. Paul Bearer shows us the Kamala casket and then we see Undertaker working hard at making a double wide casket for Yokozuna.
The Headshrinkers w/ Afa vs. Phil Apollo and Jerry Seavey
As expected, the Headshrinkers control this thing. Unfortunately, it isn’t the jobber killing from them that I’ve come to love. They hit Seavey with a double leg sweep and then win with the Fatu splash.
Winners: The Headshrinkers in 2:52
Not one of the better Headshrinker squash matches. They are usually hit or miss and this one kind of missed. ¾*
Next week, we see Razor Ramon in action, Lex Luger will also be wrestling, Marty Jannetty vs. Johnny Polo and highlights from the finals of the WWF Women’s Championship Tournament!
Overall: 4/10. Another ho-hum episode. Jeff Jarrett had a decent but forgettable debut, Owen Hart had a fun squash and Tatanka and Borga did better than expected. Still, Men on a Mission had an abysmal and I wasn’t impressed with the whole show.
Raw History
Episode #45
December 27th, 1993 | Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York
It’s the final episode of Raw in the year 1993! Vince McMahon’s commentary team this week consists of the Quebecers. Pierre apparently speaks bad English.
Lex Luger vs. Barry Horowitz
Lex Luger is such a natural heel that they even book him against the face jobbers. Commentary discusses the possibility of Luger being in the Royal Rumble. He did had the clause in his contract that states he couldn’t get another shot at Yokozuna if he didn’t win the belt at SummerSlam. Horowitz is surprisingly getting in a fair amount of offense. I don’t think he would get this much offense in again until his minor push in 1995. Barry makes the mistake of patting himself on the back. That leads to the Luger SCREAMING CLOTHESLINE! He hits a powerslam and superplex to finish things.
Winner: Lex Luger in 4:24
Better than I thought it would be due to the amount of offense Barry Horowitz got in. Granted, Lex Luger shouldn’t really be struggling with him, but it made for a more entertaining bout. *
We go back to the 1-2-3 Kid/Marty Jannetty match from a few weeks ago where Johnny Polo interfered, leading to his match tonight.
Johnny Polo vs. Marty Jannetty
They work a solid back and forth start, with Johnny Polo looking rather impressive. Jannetty gets two on an interesting rollup before taking him over with an arm drag. Polo busts out a suicide dive but Marty comes back with a slingshot body press. Marty comes off the top shortly after with a cross body for two. These guys are working pretty hard, but Vince is just talking about all kinds of off-topic stuff. Pierre gets up commentary as Jannetty dropkicks Polo outside. Pierre checks on Polo but eats a baseball slide. He then dives from the top and wipes out Pierre. Marty tries a sunset flip but Pierre holds Polo and allows him to win.
Winner: Johnny Polo in 8:22
I rather liked this match. Both guys worked hard to try and get Johnny Polo over as a capable wrestler. I think Vince could have done a better job on commentary in helping the cause, but still, a solid match. **¾
Doink the Clown vs. Spike Gray
Jacques makes a joke about Doink getting a “little Dink” for Christmas. It goes right over Vince’s head. I wonder who is playing Doink here. He and Dink run a gag on the jobber before Doink quickly wins with a German suplex.
Winner: Doink in 1:01
This is how I like my Doink squashes now that the OG Doink is gone. Short. ¾*
Adam Bomb, Bigelow, Macho Man, 1-2-3 Kid, Fatu, Samu, Rick Steiner, Greg Valentine and Bob Backlund are all added to the Royal Rumble on the Royal Rumble Report. They also announce that the Quebecers will be facing Bret and Owen at the Rumble. Bret and Owen cut a promo about how they’ve solved their differences.
Next week, the Smoking Guns face Bastion Booger and Bigelow. Yuck.
Crush w/ Mr. Fuji vs. Mike Moraldo
Crush’s attire is still rather absurd. He overpowers Moraldo and uses some of his “martial arts expertise.” Crush wins with a claw hold that looks weak.
Winner: Crush in 2:24
It was short. That’s the only positive I can find in this match. ¼*
We go back to Undertaker’s workshop, where he continues to build the double wide casket.
Video clips are shown from the finals of the WWE Women’s Championship Tournament. Alundra Blayze met Heidi Lee Morgan. The footage shows that the match probably wasn’t great, but Blayze won to bring the Women’s Title back.
A vignette is shown for Kwang. It’s just him doing nonsense “martial arts” moves. Crush is probably crying gimmick infringement. Who would know that they’d be partners in a few years in the Nation of Domination?
Non-Title Match
Razor Ramon vs. Derek Domino
This is your standard Razor Ramon squash. He goes through all of his usual stuff, including the modified abdominal stretch. According to Jacques, it’s the domino stretch. Get it? Because the jobber’s name is Domino. Razor finishes with the Razor’s Edge.
Winner: Razor Ramon in 3:48
Like I said, standard Razor Ramon squash match. Nothing to write home about it, but it accomplished the job. *
Overall: 4/10. Considering the fun Polo/Jannetty match and the fact that Luger’s match was better than expected, I wanted to like this episode more. Instead, it featured Crush and Doink boring me. The year does not end with a bang, but more like a whimper. |
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Aug 29, 2015 7:52:04 GMT -5
No Mercy 2001
October 21st, 2001 | Savvis Center in St. Louis, Missouri | Attendance: 15,647
This is in the midst of the invasion angle. Steve Austin was running power hungry as the heel leader of the group, feuding with Kurt Angle. They had just met on two straight PPVs, so here, the incredibly popular Rob Van Dam is thrown into the mix, making for on interesting triple threat WWF Championship match. This is the third No Mercy in history (not counting the one in the UK in 1999).
The opening video packages considers Steve Austin as the paranoid man, Kurt Angle as the vengeful man and RVD as the confident man. It even shows RVD holding the WWF Title. Saliva’s “Click Click Boom” is the theme song, and it’s a song that I really like. Our commentary team is the always awesome Jim Ross and Paul Heyman.
WCW Tag Team Championship
The Hardy Boyz (c) w/ Lita vs. The Hurricane and Lane Storm w/ Ivory and Mighty Molly
When the hell did Ivory and Lance Storm become a thing? Hurricane holds the European Championship here. Hurricane starts with Jeff Hardy and it is clear that he completely is in character. That’s why the Hurricane worked so well, Shane Helms threw himself totally into the role. He and Storm hit a nice double team that I didn’t know they had in them. Storm holds Jeff as Hurricane goes to fly but Matt lays him out. Mighty Molly, ever the trusty sidekick, helps Hurricane up and gives him his cape so he can leap out onto them. Paul Heyman adding a “woosh” on commentary is golden. They work over Jeff until Matt gets the tag and comes in hot. The challengers pick up a close near fall after the champs miss Poetry in Motion. They hit a double superkick on Matt but Jeff breaks the pin and sends Storm outside. Molly tries to get involved so Lita spears her. Ivory gets involved too, throwing Lita outside. Jeff takes out Ivory because chivalry is apparently dead. Lita hits her rana on Storm, followed by the Twist of Fate/Swanton Bomb combo from Jeff to retain.
Winners and Still WCW Tag Team Champions: The Hardy Boyz in 7:42
Wow, that was much more fun than I thought it would be. The Hurricane is so good in his role and the oddball tag team with Lance Storm could have gone far. They were entertaining and had a fun, energetic opening contest. ***¼
Backstage, Rob Van Dam arrives and William Regal expects him to apologize for hitting Steve Austin with a Five Star Frog Splash on Smackdown. RVD isn’t going to do that. He promises that he isn’t on Vince’s side, but is on his own side.
Kane vs. Test
I feel like Test had potential to be pretty big in 1999, but not so much at this point. On the other hand, Kane was an absolute beast at this time. JR calls both guys “young studs”, which is kind of funny. In an impressive spot for two guys of this size, Kane gorilla press slams Test to the outside. Right in front of WCW referee Nick Patrick, Test hits Kane with the ring bell. Obviously, there is no DQ called. Inside, Test is in control, nailing a nice stalling vertical suplex. They continue to trade big blows in the ring. Kane gets multiple near falls, but can’t seem to put Test down for good. Test hits the pump handle slam and a diving elbow but that also isn’t enough. Kane gets upset at the referee, and that distraction allows Test to hit a low blow and big boot for the 1-2-3.
Winner: Test in 10:08
This was better than I remember it being, but still nothing to write home about. It was a decent big hoss battle and was kind of a rare win for an Alliance member. Maybe I was more pissed about it before because I thought Kane in 2001 should have dominated. **¼
Backstage, Stone Col and Debra have a rather funny segment before Stacy Keibler stops Matt Hardy to ask about her lingerie. He says it’s good before Lita comes up and he manages to avoid an awkward moment.
Lingerie Match
Stacy Keibler vs. Torrie Wilson
Torrie Wilson just wearing a shirt over her lingerie is the hottest thing about this match. Stacy doesn’t remove her robe to start and busts out some cartwheels. She knocks Torrie down and finally does the big reveal. Stacy pulls out a whip and uses it on both Torrie and referee Jack Doane. Torrie wins after using her boyfriend Tajiri’s handspring elbow.
Winner: Torrie Wilson in 3:07
A for effort for these girls. Yea neither one could really wrestle and they were doing it here in lingerie, but dammit they tried their best to make this as good as their skillsets allowed. They accomplished that. *
WWF Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match
Christian (c) vs. Edge
During this feud, Christian joined the Alliance which I never liked. He didn’t need to that and the feud was personal enough without it. The fight begins during Christian’s entrance and they brawl around ringside, hammering home how serious the match is. They haven’t even really been in the ring yet. They do a spot where the ladder is bridged between the steps and the guardrail and Christian gets crotched on it. Ouch. We see our first callback to an old ladder match of theirs when it is catapulted into Edge’s face. Jim Ross has to get in his line of “HOW DO YOU LEARN HOW TO FALL OFF A 20 FOOT LADDER?” He ran that into the ground during this time period. The ladder bumps come faster now, with Edge taking the brunt of a fair amount of them. Christian brings in a second ladder because why the hell not? They climb both and Edge pulls him down with a massive Edge-o-matic. Christian hits the next big move with a reverse DDT off a ladder, calling back to an old match again. Not satisfied, Christian brings chairs into the ring. Edge counters his attempt to use them and splashes him onto a ladder. To try and one up himself, he then calls back to WrestleMania from this year with a big diving Spear, though it is nowhere near the level of that original one. The very cool finish comes as Edge lays Christian across the tops of two ladders and nearly kills him with a one man con-chair-to before retrieving the belt.
Winner and New WWF Intercontinental Champion: Edge in 22:15
While I think the match could have been a big shorter to be better, this was still really good to me. I’ve seen a fair amount of people down on it and I admit the pacing isn’t great, but overall, I think it worked. They built towards the bigger spots, had good callbacks to their past matches and the finish worked beautifully considering their feud and how Christian turned on him originally. ***¾
WWF Tag Team Championship
The Dudley Boyz (c) vs. Big Show and Tajiri
Yes, the WWF team holds the WCW belts and the Alliance team holds the WWF belts. Honestly, throughout his career, I’ve always felt that Big Show worked well in tag teams, but this one with Tajiri is certainly an odd one. Show runs through his opponents but the champions eventually isolate Tajiri. They wisely do the false hot tag spot. Tajiri ends up spitting the mist but catching the official. Show hits a Chokeslam on Bubba Ray but the referee is blind. A wild Rhyno appears and GORES Big Show. Tajiri does his best to fight off the Dudleys but falls victim to a 3D.
Winners and Still WWF Tag Team Champions: The Dudley Boyz in 9:20
Not a bad match here, but it was lacking something. I think the fans, despite being rather loud, never really bought the odd team of Big Show and Tajiri as a legitimate threat. Regardless, they tried but the execution was off. **½
Booker T vs. The Undertaker
As Undertaker is getting off of his motorcycle, Booker T attacks him. He’s going to need to considering how poorly the Alliance had been booked to this point. They brawl around the ring for a while. During the invasion, Undertaker was in pretty much no mood to sell for anyone. Hell, he was in no mood to sell during his early American Badass days period. With that being said, Undertaker is quickly back in control once the match goes inside. They continue to trade the advantage until Booker does the “LEAP FROM THE TOP RIGHT INTO YOUR BOOT” spot, which I detest. Booker actually hits the Scissors Kick but Undertaker gets a foot on the bottom rope. Hey, they’re actually protecting Booker’s finish somewhat. He hits the Last Ride to win.
Winner: The Undertaker in 13:12
WCW’s top guy, Booker T, has now jobbed to Rock on two straight PPVs and loses to the Undertaker here. That tells you how the booking of the Alliance was going. Undertaker sold more for Booker than he did for most others in this era, but that still didn’t make the match very good. *¾
WCW Championship
The Rock (c) vs. Chris Jericho
Look, we have two WWF guys wrestling for the WCW Title. Jim Ross throws a jab at WCW booking as he questions why Jericho never got a shot at the WCW Title while he was there. This is the first in a trilogy of matches between the two that ended at the 2002 Royal Rumble. They tart with some back and forth mat work until Jericho slaps the Rock, kicking up the intensity. Jericho nails his springboard dropkick, looking to pull out all the stops tonight. Jericho is in total control here, dominating in a fashion that I never expected. Rock gets tired of that, hitting a clothesline and belly to belly suplex. Rock starts using his size advantage to swing the momentum. It takes a missile dropkick for Jericho to stop his rally. In an excellent moment, Jericho hits his own Rock Bottom and a Lionsault only for Rock to get the shoulder up. Heyman and Ross argue over whether or not Jericho is a choke artist. Entering this match, Jericho was kind of a tweener, but gets real personal by removing the elbow pad and going for the People’s Elbow. Rock avoid it and puts on his ugly Sharpshooter. Jericho survives but, since the match has progressed to something more physical, the Spanish announce table comes into play. Rock puts Jericho through it with a huge Rock Bottom. Inside, Jericho blocks a Rock Bottom but runs into a spinebuster. However, the crowd comes unglued when Jericho grabs Rock’s leg during the People’s Elbow and locks in the Walls of Jericho! Stephanie McMahon shows up, sliding a chair into the ring. Even though she doesn’t like the Rock, she cheers for him because she hates Jericho. Rock doesn’t care and plants her with a Rock Bottom. While the official looks at Stephanie, Jericho nails the Break Down onto the chair and wins the big one.
Winner and New WCW Champion: Chris Jericho in 23:43
Excellent stuff from both guys here. I loved how Jericho started the match as a guy feuding with a face, but wasn’t a direct heel yet. As the match progresses, he gets more heel like out of desperation, including mocking Rock’s moves and using the steel chair. Seriously, I just really liked how they built to the physical stuff. My only major gripe with the match is the involvement of Stephanie McMahon. Other than that, this is phenomenal. ****¼
Rock seems like he’s going to hit Chris Jericho after the match, but instead just shakes his hand.
WWF Championship
Steve Austin (c) vs. Kurt Angle vs. Rob Van Dam
The angle between Steve Austin and Rob Van Dam was very well done, even if the role isn’t ideal for Austin. There was the added drama of whether or not RVD was working with Vince McMahon. The match gets off to a hot start as Angle just delivers an array of suplexes on both guys. Paul Heyman makes a solid point that this match has the best wrestler, brawler and high flyer in the world. Austin and RVD tease coming to blows but it doesn’t happen as Angle gets involved again. The match breaks down to the usual triple threat style of one guy being down while the other two duke it out. Angle hits a sweet head and leg suplex before that gorgeous moonsault of his on RVD. Austin tries to steal the pin but it is broken up. With both guys down, RVD misses a big Five Star Frog Splash. The Angle Slam and a split legged moonsault hit, but those pins are broken up protecting those moves. Vince McMahon strolls out to ringside to add drama. Angle leaps to the top and takes out RVD with a super belly to belly suplex. Austin is in and hits Angle with a Stunner but he falls outside. He looks to RVD but Vince levels him with a chair. RVD hits the frog splash but again, Angle is there to break things up. Angle Slam hits but here’s Shane McMahon to pull a Vince and interfere. Vince and Shane now come to blows outside. In the midst of all of this, Austin hits RVD with a Stunner and retains.
Winner and Still WWF Champion: Steve Austin in 15:14
As a main event match, this delivered. The crowd was hot for it and there was just about the right amount of drama. I wasn’t a big fan of all of the McMahon interaction, similar to the WCW Title match. I do like that the match wasn’t filled with a bunch of kickouts as having the pins broken up protected each guy’s finisher, which was well done. ***¾
Overall: 7.5/10; Very good. I liked this show more this time around than I did when I first watched it on the Network. The main event, opener and Intercontinental Title ladder matches are all good, but it’s the WCW Championship match that steals the show here. There’s some good T&A in the lingerie match but everything else is pretty easy to skip. Still, the show never drags and delivers in spades at times. My randomizer has chosen my next “Random Network Review” as Slamboree 1995! |
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Aug 30, 2015 22:12:10 GMT -5
Raw History
Episode #46
January 3rd, 1994 | Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York
Technically, we aren’t in 1994 just yet. This show was taped in Poughkeepsie nearly a month ago.
The show begins with multiple clips to hype the Yokozuna/Undertaker match at the Royal Rumble. It focuses on how Yokozuna is scared of caskets. I honestly believe there were much better ways to promote the match than to say that the “monster” champion was afraid.
My goodness, the commentary team is Vince McMahon and Johnny Polo. This should be the best pairing yet.
Non-Title Match
WWF Champion Yokozuna w/ Mr. Fuji vs. Dan Dubiel
Johnny Polo is already stealing the show by saying that Yokozuna is “dope”, then hitting us with the “Dubiel or not Dubiel, that is the question” line. As expected, this is completely one-sided with the only entertaining thing being Johnny Polo on commentary.
Winner: Yokozuna in 3:49
Yokozuna dominating is how this needed to be, but it shouldn’t have taken him nearly four minutes. Who is planning out these squashes? ¼*
Time for a pre-taped interview with Lex Luger. We see footage from this past weekend first where Lex Luger faced Jacques Rougeau on Superstars. Pierre pulled twin magic that somehow fooled the referee, only for the referee to notice afterwards. Then Luger used his forearm of doom to win. Now, Vince interviews him in the arena before the show about potentially being in the Royal Rumble.
A vignette airs for Thurman “Sparky” Plugg.
Bastion Booger and Bam Bam Bigelow w/ Luna Vachon v. The Smoking Guns
Why does Bastion Booger keep getting booked? I’m guessing this is our “marquee” match this week. Polo is just murdering the Guns on commentary and it’s glorious. To be fair, he’s also pretty crude to Bastion too. The heels go into working a heat on Bart Gunn, but it is not entertaining in the least. When Billy gets the hot tag, Polo quips “HE’S LIKE A MAN REPOSSESSED.” It’s a glorious oversell. Luna checks on Bastion outside while Bigelow gets worked over inside. Booger likes this and hugs and kisses Luna, as the Guns just beat on Bigelow. He avoids a move from the Guns and then gets distracted when he sees Booger basically trying to rape Luna. He brawls with his partner, leading to a countout.
Winners via countout: The Smoking Guns in 8:08
Wait, why did this happen? The Smoking Guns should have just gone over, pinning Booger. Instead, we get a double countout and I don’t believe this Booger/Bigelow feud ever went anywhere. The match was dull as well. ½*
The show is thrown to Todd Pettengill for the Royal Rumble Report. 27 names have been announced. The new ones, I think, are Billy and Bart Gunn, Rick Martel, Marty Jannetty, Mo, Jeff Jarrett, Ludvig Borga and Tatanka. This weekend on Superstars, the final three spots will be filled. I wish the WWE Network had those old Superstars episodes up. Also, Tatanka and Borga will meet in a singles match on the show as well.
Next week, the one year anniversary of Raw!
Jeff Jarrett vs. John Crystal
Once again, Jeff Jarrett is sporting some ridiculous attire. Crystal actually uses a small package for two. It tells you how good the 1-2-3 Kid angle was because people tend to pop for jobbers nearly beating heels now. Jarrett then goes into some offense and wins with a DDT.
Winner: Jeff Jarrett in 3:01
Typical heel squash. Jeff Jarrett jawed with the fans and got in some basic stuff. Inoffensive, but not worth it. ¾*
After a recap of Johnny Polo’s win over Marty Jannetty last week, out come Jannetty and the 1-2-3 Kid. They challenge the Quebecers and next week, Jannetty and Kid get a Tag Team Title shot!
Shawn Michaels w/ Diesel vs. Brian Walsh
During the match, the Quebecers call in and seem okay with defending the belts next week. As for the match, it’s one of those occasions where Shawn Michaels relishes in being the bigger guy, busting out powerslams and such. Walsh does get a near fall, but Shawn eventually puts him down with a piledriver.
Winner: Shawn Michaels in 5:07
Too long for my taste. Shawn Michaels looked bored throughout, which hurt things. ¾*
They hype the Tag Team Title match for next week and the Bastion Booger vs. Bam Bam Bigelow match. Yikes.
Overall: 2/10. When it comes to action, this was not the best episode. None of the matches are any good and the marquee one might have been the worst. Still, at least the dull squash matches featured guys that actually needed to look strong and weren’t irrelevant like I’ve seen in the past. Those poor souls in Poughkeepsie ended their massive taping with this trash.
Raw History
Episode #47
January 10th, 1993 | Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia
After weeks of a giant taping block, we are finally live! Macho Man comes out to star the show, in a Monday Night Raw themed jacket that looks pretty sweet. He is back on commentary!
WWF Tag Team Championship
The Quebecers (c) w/ Johnny Polo vs. 1-2-3 Kid and Marty Jannetty
The action starts fast as Marty Jannetty scores a quick victory roll for a near fall. Pierre and Kid are next in and Pierre knocks him down using size. Kid scores with a spinning heel kick and gets two. The crowd is biting for each near fall from the challengers. Honestly, if I were the Quebecers, I’d want every math to be under Province of Quebec Rules. They get sent outside and regroup with Polo. Kid and Jannetty work some double teams and I have to give props to this red hot crowd. Polo calls for a timeout and the Quebecers are ready to leave but decide against it. During a commercial, it looks like the belts change hands but Jacques got his foot on the bottom rope. Kid gets the tag and goes nuts, hitting all sorts of high impact stuff. Some good old fashioned heel tactics stop his momentum. Kid takes the heat, showing how resilient he is. The Quebecers hit their finish but don’t cover, which is dumb. They try it again but Jannetty breaks it up. This leads to the hot tag for Marty and they capture the belts following a double team finish.
Winners and New WWF Tag Team Champions: 1-2-3 Kid and Marty Jannetty in 14:01
Really solid tag team match, helped by the extremely hot crowd. I liked the majority of this match as it started hot, slowed in the middle with a purpose before picking back up in the end. Lots of fun and gave us a memorable moment for Raw’s first anniversary. ***¼
Jim Ross brings us the Royal Rumble Report because Todd Pettengill is snowed in. The final three names for the Royal Rumble match have been announced and they are Tenryu, the Great Kabuki and Lex Luger.
Ludvig Borga vs. Brad Anderson
This match is joined in progress after we see one of Raw’s “top moments”. It’s the dreadfully bad Tiny Tim segment from last year. After the opener, we saw highlights for an actual great Raw moment, when 1-2-3 Kid upset Razor Ramon. Borga dominates this, winning with the torture rack.
Winner: Ludvig Borga in 2:28
At least this was kept short. Ludvig Borga isn’t the most interesting guy to watch. ½*
We go to a clip from Superstars where Undertaker scared the out of Yokozuna after he beat some jobbers.
The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer vs. Mike Hudson
Macho Man predicts that Undertaker will win the WWF Title at the Royal Rumble and Vince predicts Savage will win the Rumble itself, setting up Undertaker/Savage at Mania, which would have been interesting. Undertaker throws the jobber around, hitting snake eyes, a Chokeslam and busts out the JUMPING TOMBSTONE!
Winner: The Undertaker in 2:33
Better than the earlier squash since Undertaker is better than Ludvig Borga. Still, standard stuff that gets bumped up in rating because of that tombstone. *¼
Bam Bam Bigelow w/ Luna Vachon vs. Bastion Booger
This whole thing is so odd. Booger actually tries a splash but misses. He knocks down Bigelow and goes to flirt with Luna, allowing Bigelow to nail him. He hits the headbutt inside and wins.
Winner: Bam Bam Bigelow in 2:31
Not as bad as I thought it would be, but still not good at all. ½*
Bastion Booger doesn’t’ care about selling, standing up once the match ends and flirting with Luna again. Bigelow is all like “DID I NOT JUST SHOW YOU WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU HIT ON MY WOMAN?” and dropkicks him.
The Quebecers are interviewed backstage and they announce that their rematch is set for a house show in Madison Square Garden next Monday.
IRS shows up to cut off the cake cutting ceremony for Raw’s birthday. Since IRS is a total fun magnet, Macho Man smashes the cake into his face and they’ll have a match next week.
Overall: 5.5/10. As I’ve said before, if the marquee match is good, the overall score of Raw won’t usually be bad since they take up a good chunk of the episode. That was the case here as our opener was really good. The show takes a nosedive after though, culminating in a bad main event. However, we did get a jumping tombstone.
Raw History
Episode #48
January 17th, 1994 | Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia
The episode starts with clips from the Tag Team Title match last week. Since Macho Man will be in action, Vince McMahon’s commentary partner will be Crush. Good god, why? Crush is awful at everything, especially talking. He aggressively speaks in his Hawaiian accent which kills me.
Owen Hart w/ Bret Hart vs. Terry Austin
Owen Hart is acting like a face again now that he has Bret at his side. He even gives his shades to a young fan. Owen hits an ugly monkey flip since the tubby Terry Austin can’t really make it over. Stan Lane calls in to give us an update from MSG where the Quebecers have their Tag Team Title rematch. Owen wins with the Sharpshooter.
Winner: Owen Hart in 4:27
Owen Hart usually has entertaining squashes, but this wasn’t one of my favorite ones. I do like how he had slight twists on Bret’s offense like how his second rope elbow was a variation of Bret’s but not identical. ¾*
Vince McMahon tries to get a word with Owen Hart about the match in MSG. The surreal thing is that this is pre-recorded but they’re asking about a match that wouldn’t happen for another week. Taping multiple shows at once is odd. Owen wants the Quebecers to win so they can get their shot but Bret, ever the face, roots for the champions.
Tatanka vs. George South
George South has a distinct look. Commentary is hyping Ludvig Borga vs. Tatanka which would never actually happen. On this night, the actual January 17th and not the pre-recorded stuff, Borga would injure his ankle and miss the Rumble. He would leave the WWF shortly after. Tatanka starts his rally as Stan Lane calls in to say that the Tag Team Title match has begun. Tatanka wins following the flying chop.
Winner: Tatanka in 2:50
Standard dull Tatanka squash. He was never really good in my eyes. ¼*
We are now taken to a special look at Alundra Blayze. It features shots of her working out and ends with her standing in a bikini top.
Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji come out for an interview with Vince McMahon. There’s no Jim Cornette, making this painful as he is the mouthpiece for the group. The talking is kept short though as Paul Bearer wheels out a big ass casket. Vince McMahon is oddly excited at how freaked out this makes Yokozuna. They convince Yokozuna to take a closer look, which of course leads to Undertaker popping out and chasing him away. Well, Yokozuna went from monster champion to punk bitch quickly didn’t he?
A hype video airs to promote the Headshrinkers taking on Bret and Owen Hart next week. That actually sounds like it could be damn good.
Diesel w/ Shawn Michaels vs. Scott Powers
For being a guy named Powers, Scott is not very strong. He looks like Lucky Bob from that old cartoon Histeria. As Diesel beats up the jobber, Stan Lane calls in to tell us that the Quebecers have won back the WWF Tag Team Titles! Diesel wins handily.
Winner: Diesel in 3:29
It’s hard to continually give analysis on squash matches. Standard stuff as usual and just barely lasted short enough to not get on my nerves. ¾*
Time for the Royal Rumble Report with Todd Pettengill again. He gives us no new news.
IRS vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage
While Randy Savage is arguing with Crush, IRS attacks. This first ten seconds is more exciting than any other IRS match ever. IRS continues to hold serve through a commercial break, back to his typical dull offense. He does do a suplex from the apron though, which is the equivalent of a phoenix splash for him. He plods through his stuff until he jumps into Savage’s boot, turning things around. Savage gets ready for his finisher but Crush gets up and shoves him from the top.
Winner via disqualification: Randy Savage in 8:07
This would have been better if it involved more Randy Savage on offense. IRS is just too damn boring at everything he does. *½
Crush and IRS attack Randy Savage, only for Tatanka to try and make the save. Yokozuna takes out Tatanka, who was already doing a poor job. Lex Luger evens things up before the lock room empties to give us a preview of the Royal Rumble.
Overall: 2.5/10. The in-ring stuff this week was pretty horrid with even the marquee matchup not producing. However, the show did succeed in building towards the Royal Rumble. They gave us the news of the Tag Title change, had the Undertaker/Yokozuna segment and then the closing brawl.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Sept 2, 2015 17:03:13 GMT -5
Slamboree 1993
May 23rd, 1993 | The Omni in Atlanta, Georgia | Attendance: 7,008
Here is a timeframe that I am not all that familiar with. I do know that in this year, Davey Boy Smith had joined WCW and was in the midst of a pretty big push, even getting a title shot on this show. Looking at the card, there is also a dark match that features 2 Cold Scorpio and Chris Benoit on opposite, which I would have liked to see. Interestingly, this would be the first ever Slamboree Pay-Per-View event, and the WCW would continue to use the name until going out of business.
The show starts with the ring filled with a bunch of legends. Tony Schiavone and Larry Zbyszko introduce the show and send it to Maxx Payne and his guitar, Norma Jean. Some incredibly oily men in speedos carry someone out to the ring in a cart. It is revealed that the person is the Fabulous Moolah, who is the “Queen of Slamboree 1993.”
Okay, I guess those dark matches are on this thing.
Bobby Eaton and Chris Benoit vs. Marcus Bagwell and Too Cold Scorpio
Just how I’d want it, Chris Benoit and Too Cold Scorpio start the match and instantly go into a quick exchange that is pretty fun. I’m guessing Benoit and Eaton are the heels as they cheat early but Scorpio and Bagwell weather that and hit some stereo dropkicks. The heels continue to use underhanded tactics to take control. Everything that Benoit does looks incredibly fluid. The heat gets worked on Bagwell. It takes Bagwell getting his knees up on a Benoit splash to lead to the hot tag. Scorpio’s work is fun, as he’s just a joy to watch. The heels miscommunicate, allowing Scorpio to hit the Tumbleweed on Benoit and win.
Winners: Marcus Bagwell and Too Cold Scorpio in 9:22
I am glad that this was included. It was a fun opener as both teams gave a good effort. Benoit and Scorpio were the show stealers here, as one would expect. ***
Col. Robert Parker brings out the returning Sid Vicious to basically kill Van Hammer, who he had issues with.
Sid Vicious vs. Van Hammer
Sid pounds on Van Hammer and powerbombs him. That’s it.
Winner: Sid Vicious in 0:36
Hard to really rate this due to how short it is but it made the impact they wanted. NO RATING
Now the show moves into some “Legends Matches.” Oh boy.
Dick Murdoch, Don Muraco and Jimmy Snuka vs. Blackjack Mulligan, Jim Brunzell and Wahoo McDaniel
Were these teams just randomly chosen? Regardless, everyone gets their turn here as each guy gets to give the fans a treat. Things don’t get remotely interesting until Jim Brunzell hits a nice move. He then becomes the face in peril. It doesn’t really lead anywhere though as soon, Snuka and Muraco get into it despite being teammates. This ends up leading to a brawl between everyone that causes a double DQ.
Double Disqualification in 9:26
Honestly, that wasn’t as bad as I expected. They did their best to just have some fun and get the crowd to pop. Nothing to write home about, but nothing awful. *¾
Ivan Koloff and Baron Von Raschke vs. Thunderbolt Patterson and Brad Armstrong
More legends stuff here. Bob Armstrong is supposed to wrestle here, but had surgery, so his son Brad takes his place in street clothes. Von Raschke looks like he is dying. Armstrong does most of the work for his team, which makes sense. Baron applies the dreaded CLAW but it doesn’t end things. The tag comes to Thunderbolt who does some mild stuff. He hits a double chop to Baron’s throat, which is sold terribly, to end this.
Winner: Thunderbolt Patterson and Brad Armstrong in 4:40
While I thought the first match was a good effort that wasn’t greatly executed due to the abilities of those guys, this featured neither. It wasn’t an enjoyable contest, but at least it was kept short. ½*
We now go to a live edition of “Flair for the Gold.” Flair claims that tonight will see the return of the Four Horsemen. He brings out Arn Anderson first, dressed in a suit. Ole Anderson is out next and Flair tells them to get comfortable. He brings out the “special addition” to the Horsemen, Paul Roma. This would prove to be a flop as Roma, along with Mongo later on, is considered by many to be the worst Horseman ever.
Dory Funk Jr. w/ Greg Kiniski vs. Nick Bockwinekl w/ Verne Gagne
This is billed as AWA vs. NWA. Johnny Valentine joins the commentary booth for this. Both competitors are in their 50’s here. They just say forget anything exciting, we are going to mat wrestle you all to death. I mean, technically, it is some fine stuff, but the crowd doesn’t seem to care at all. Ten minutes in and nothing of note has happened. I get that they are playing up both being technicians and evenly matched, but it’s just dull. The crowd finally reacts to something when Dory tries the spinning toe hold. They go to the time limit draw.
Time limit draw in 15:00
Despite being dead for the entire match, the fans give them a bit of a standing ovation. I understood the idea behind the match and why they did what they did, but it was painfully dull at points. Well executed for the most part though. **
Dustin Rhodes and Kensuke Sasaki vs. Paul Orndorff and Rick Rude
Dustin Rhodes’ “Natural” theme is pretty bad. Man, Sasaki is short. Rick Rude makes fun of his look before posing on his own. From what I’m reading online, it looks like Orndorff and Sasaki were both working through injuries, which kind of limits things. The bout is a basic tag match, made slightly better by Rude and Orndorff adding trash talk to draw heat. Sasaki gets a warm tag and works over Rude, who sells this stuff hilariously. Orndorff tosses him from the top, leading to the Rude Awakening and that’s all folks.
Winners: Paul Orndorff and Rick Rude in 9:43
Man, I was disappointed by this. Granted, I know that two of the guys were injured, but then they should have let Rhodes and Rude handle the heavy lifting and put on a good match. Instead, they all seemed to just go through the motions. *½
Gordon Solie hosts the first ever WCW Hall of Fame now, inducting Lou Thez, Verne Gagne, Eddie Graham and Mr. Wrestling II.
The Prisoner vs. Sting
Yup, the Prisoner is Nailz. In his exact attire from WWF. This was supposed to be Sting vs. Scott Norton I guess, but Norton no-showed. They try and saw that the Prisoner ran into Norton and beat him up. Wanna know what Prisoner’s offense is? Choking. That’s pretty much it. When he gets tired of using his hands, he tries to hang Sting with some wires. Sting rallies and wins with a flying clothesline.
Winner: Sting in 5:16
What the hell was this? Was Nailz really the best they could find? He was awful and having him choke Sting for a vast majority of this match was dull. DUD
WCW Tag Team Championship Steel Cage Match
The Hollywood Blondes (c) vs. Dos Hombres
So the story goes that Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas weren’t allowed another shot at the Tag Team Titles, so they dressed as “Dos Hombres” and won a non-title match. They are even introduced under their names here but the gimmick stuck because Douglas had quit WCW and they had to do this match. From what I’m reading, it was Tom Zenk filling in. Steamboat, I think, just tosses the Blondes into the cage multiple times. Austin sells it well. He even takes a suplex into the cage and gets stuck in a TREE OF WOE UP THERE! Steamboat hilariously parodies their camera taunt. The Blondes turn things around and Zenk plays the face in peril for a while. Steamboat gets the hot tag and does his thing. The crowd was pretty dead before this, as I’m guessing the legends style matches really killed them. Steamboat removes the mask and climbs the cage, bringing the crowd even more to their feet and flies off onto both Blondes with a massive cross body. He covers and the bell rings though he only gets a near fall. It’s confusing. The faces hit stereo dropkicks for two. Steamboat gets hit with a DDT right after Zenk takes a stungun. That gets Austin the 1-2-3.
Winners and Still WCW World Tag Team Champions: The Hollywood Blondes in 16:09
Along with the opening contest, this is easily the best thing on the show. It was a bit disappointing though since I thought that it would be better. The dead crowd and having to replace Douglas hurt this one for me. **¾
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Barry Windham (c) vs. Arn Anderson
This is during that odd time where there was the NWA World Title and the WCW World Title. They feel each other early, with neither gaining a clear upper hand since they know each other so well. The fight spills to the ramp for a bit and Anderson tries to come off the top, only to be hit with a clothesline. It’s as if Arn knows he’s never won the big one and is trying to go out of his comfort zone to finally get it. Outside, Arn slams Barry face first into the guardrail, which would have been a DQ under WCW rules, but this is the NWA BAYBAY! Windham is busted wide open. Like, it’s bad. Arn again tries to go up but Barry meets him with a big dropkick. Windham gets some near falls inside until Double A busts out the spinebuster! He takes a bit to cover, allowing Windham to roll outside. Windham then tries to leave but Anderson brings him back. After a ref bump, Windham lays him out with a belt to retain.
Winner and Still NWA World Heavyweight Champion: Barry Windham in 10:57
I rather liked this match. The story of these two knowing each other well and Anderson going out of his comfort zone was interesting. I think the blood definitely added something to the match, though I was disappointed by the finish. ***
WCW World Heavyweight Championship
Big Van Vader (c) w/ Harley Race vs. Davey Boy Smith
It always surprised me how hard Davey Boy Smith was pushed in WCW. It’s like, because he did huge business at SummerSlam 1992, they thought he was a legit main event player. He no sells some Vader stuff early, showing that he’s a threat. They spill outside where Davey slams him in an impressive feat. Vader gets tired of selling for him and starts to kick his ass, causing Smith to bleed from the mouth. Smith nearly wins after Vader falls on his ass, literally, but only gets two. Smith starts the rally, picking up some near falls along the way but Vader is just too big and bad. Finally though, he is able to hit the big powerslam but Race grabs him and pulls him outside. Vader then takes a chair and whacks Bulldog.
Winner via disqualification: Davey Boy Smith in 16:18
Solid power match between two really strong guys. It lulled at certain points and definitely could have been better though. I also wasn’t a fan of that finish considering the previous match ended in unclean fashion. ***
After the match, Too Cold Scorpio and Marcus Bagwell try to make the save, but it’s Sting who actually stops Vader.
Overall: 3/10; Poor. Man, some of the things on the show are absolutely dire. To get the good stuff out of the way first, the main event, NWA Title match, opener and Tag Title match are all solid to good matches. That’s four watchable things but the rest of the card is pretty awful. The legends stuff did not work and effectively killed the entire crowd for the relatively good stuff later. This was a chore to get through. Next on “Random Network Reviews” will be Royal Rumble 1998! |
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Sept 3, 2015 21:14:31 GMT -5
Raw History
Episode #49
January 24th, 1994 | Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia
The Royal Rumble was the night before but this is a taped episode. I hate that. Nothing significant will probably happen here. Commentary will be Vince McMahon and Jim Ross. Here are the Rumble results.
Tatanka def. Bigelow (replacement for Ludvig Borga)
The Quebecers def. Bret Hart and Owen Hart (Bret tried to fight valiantly but didn’t tag in Owen, causing Owen to turn on him and kick his leg out from under his leg. Yes, that’s how Owen says it in his promo)
Razor Ramon def. IRS to keep the IC Title
Yokozuna def. Undertaker to keep the WWF Title (one of the most absurd things you’ll ever see. Go watch this train wreck. Undertaker would take time off until SummerSlam)
Bret Hart and Lex Luger co-won the Royal Rumble
Lex Luger vs. Austin Steele
Austin Steele looks like a knockoff Buddy Landell. He gets in a few shots, but this is mostly Lex Luger. Unfortunately, most of the things that Luger does are pretty boring. He hits a powerslam before winning with a second rope suplex. Was that seriously one of his finishers?
Winner: Lex Luger in 3:31
Man, Lex Luger is not really fun to watch is he? Bland stuff here. ½*
Todd Pettengill brings us the Royal Rumble Report. He recaps all of the stuff I wrote about in the beginning of this review.
Jeff Jarrett vs. John Paul
Man, poor John Paul got the most generic of jobber names didn’t he? Jeff Jarrett once again is sporting some ridiculous attire. Jarrett goes through his stuff, complete with jaw jacking but it almost costs him as Paul rolls him up multiple times. To win, Jarrett pulls the tights.
Winner: Jeff Jarrett in 4:11
Another standard squash from Jeff Jarrett, but it’s funny that he had to hold the tights. ¾*
Next week, the 1-2-3 Kid faces Johnny Polo!
The Headshrinkers w/ Afa vs. Men on a Mission w/ Oscar
This was supposed to be the Headshrinkers vs. Owen and Bret but the Harts had a falling out at the Rumble. Well, talk about getting terrible replacements. It sucks because they advertised that on a show that was pre-recorded. You knew the split was coming and that this was the match we would get you bastards. After beating up the useless Mo for a bit, Mabel gets tagged and Samu wants no part of tagging out. For some reason, this goes to a commercial break while Mo is the face in peril. He’s not particularly good at it but he has to by default. Mabel eventually gets the relatively hot tag and does some of his plodding offense. It’s hilarious to see the crowd looking like they’re sitting on their hands while piped in crowd noise goes wild. Mo tags back in like an idiot and eats a superkick and splash to end it.
Winners: The Headshrinkers in 10:48
Why did Men on a Mission get the eventual Tag Title shot at WrestleMania? Anyway, this was slow and plodding and more disappointing since I was advertised what I’m sure was going to be a better match. *
Adam Bomb w/ Harvey Wippleman vs. Tommy Angel
Yea, this is all Adam Bomb outside of two dropkicks. He nails a dropkick of his own, a clothesline and the power bomb.
Winner: Adam Bomb in 3:07
Typical Adam Bomb squash. He gets in his power and a bit of his athletic stuff. ¾*
A Thurman Plugg vignette is shown again.
Doink vs. Joey Stallings
Dammit. I hate watching Doink when it’s not the originator. Dink has an invisible dog that attacks Joey before the match. Wow. Doink hits his stuff and wins with the Whoopee Cushion.
Winner: Doink in 3:26
Man, this episode has really lacked hasn’t it? Another ho-hum match. ½*
Shawn Michaels w/ Diesel vs. Tyrone Knox
Can Shawn Michaels save this dire episode? Shawn works over Knox and we nearly see Diesel get in a cheap shot but he decides that Knox isn’t worth it. Hilariously, Vince McMahon says that there were rumors that the CBS was going to have the WWF replace the NFL. Not even at the height of the WWF’s popularity would that have been a good move for CBS.
Winner: Shawn Michaels in N/A (stopwatch issues)
Nope, Shawn Michaels could not save this, although this was the most entertaining match of the night. *¼
Overall: 1.5/10. This show was horrible. Partially because it was recorded before the Royal Rumble and nothing of note could happen, but also because there was little to no effort in the actual stuff. Squash matches and a piss poor marquee match with no angle advancement makes for a bad episode.
Raw History
Episode #50
January 31st, 1994 | Fernwood Resort in Bushkill, Pennsylvania
Hey, we’re live! Commentary is Vince McMahon and IRS.
Marty Jannetty vs. Johnny Polo
A rematch of a good match from a few weeks ago. It was supposed to be the 1-2-3 Kid, but he’s hurt and joins commentary. Polo talks trash before the bell so Marty trips him up and ties his feet together in the microphone wire. Wow, remember when there were actually cords to microphones? Marty is in control until the commercial break where we return in the midst of a Polo chinlock. Look at these guys using the commercial break correctly. Polo does well at getting in all of the usual heel tactics. Things have slowed and gone downhill rather quickly as this is nowhere near as fun as the match a few weeks back. Marty wins with the Rocker Dropper.
Winner: Marty Jannetty in 9:33
This got off to a fun start, but really slowed as time went on. It’s like, they went from having a good time a few weeks ago, to just trying to bore us this time around. **
IRS is a dick on commentary, so 1-2-3 Kid gets on him for stealing Razor Ramon’s chain. IRS hits him and Jannetty makes the save. Kid escapes with IRS’ briefcase. After a commercial, IRS goes to chase them down but Razor appears with his chain and IRS backs away like that gives Razor special powers or something.
We go to JACK TUNNEY! He’s discussing the controversial ending to the 1994 Royal Rumble. Tunney says that both Bret Hart and Lex Luger will get title shots at WrestleMania. There will be a coin toss. If Luger wins, he gets the first shot and Bret faces Owen. Bret would then face the winner of the title match. If Bret wins, he gets the first shot and Luger faces Crush before getting his shot. How are Crush and Owen Hart on the same level?
Bam Bam Bigelow w/ Luna Vachon vs. Miguel Rosado
During this match, IRS challenges Marty Jannetty to a match next week. Somehow, Bigelow is in far better shape than his opponent. Rosado is just flabby and has a massive gut. Bigelow shouts that he wants Doink as he just pulverizes Rosado.
Winner: Bam Bam Bigelow in 2:11
All Bigelow and that’s a good thing. It was short, which is what I want from an imposing guy like him. *
Vince McMahon, Jack Tunney and a bunch of those douchebag “yes men” are in the ring for the coin toss. Lex Luger and Bret Hart come out, with the latter getting a significantly better reaction. Luger wins the coin toss, saving us from Crush vs. Lex and giving us Bret vs. Owen.
Kwang w/ Harvey Wippleman vs. Rich Myers
Who thought that people would buy Kwang as a threat? He looks like a good trying terrible martial arts. His “martial arts” only bests what we saw from Crush. Owen Hart is the best thing about this when he calls in and runs down Bret hart. Kwang finishes with a superkick.
Winner: Kwang in 3:21
Another squash that wasn’t interesting, but at least it was relatively short. About as good a debut as you could expect for someone like Kwang. ¾*
Time for Todd Pettengill and the WrestleMania Report! He goes over the stuff we already know like Luger vs. Yokozuna, Bret vs. Owen and Bret vs. the winner of the Luger/Yokozuna match.
We are taken to a “Special Look” at the Undertaker. It’s Paul Bearer in a graveyard talking about how the Undertaker would never rest in peace, so he isn’t gone. Can it be considered a look at someone if he isn’t shown?
Earthquake vs. Cory Student
Vince McMahon says there’s going to be a big ovation because Earthquake is back. The fans almost give no reaction. As Earthquake plods through his offense, we get word that Jannetty has accepted IRS’ challenge. He then hits the earthquake ass splash and wins.
Winner: Earthquake in 3:18
Earthquake’s return would be the first in a line of guys way past their prime and usefulness getting brought back to the company. It wasn’t good at any point. ¼*
Marty Jannetty and Razor Ramon are interviewed about next week. Goodness, Marty stumbles through this and looks blasted out of his mind.
Overall: 3.5/10. Better than last week but that isn’t saying much. The marquee match was disappointing and the squashes were kind of just there. Still, there was some decent forward movement towards WrestleMania, which is important.
Raw History
Episode #51
February 7th, 1994 | Fernwood Resort in Bushkill, Pennsylvania
Oh goodness, Vince McMahon’s broadcast partner this week is Bastion Booger.
The Smoking Guns vs. Barry Horowitz and Reno Riggins
Hey, it’s two decent jobbers. They actually start by doing well until Bart cross bodies in, despite not being tagged. Come on, Bill Alfonso, you need to be a better official. Vince informs us that the Steiner Brothers were unable to beat the Quebecers in a 10 minute challenge on Superstars. The Steiners would be on their way out of the company and I doubt we’ll see them again on Raw. The Guns use the default WWE 2K series double team move of a drop toe hold/elbow drop combination. Guns win after the Sidewinder.
Winners: The Smoking Guns in 3:39
Pretty fine stuff here. Horowitz and Riggins are solid hands for jobbers so this was decent. *
A clip is shown of Owen Hart on All-American Wrestling where he talks about how good it felt to kick his brother at the Royal Rumble. Bret also speaks, saying that while he never wanted to fight his brother, he has to.
Owen Hart vs. John Paul
Bastion Booger: I don’t trust this John Paul guy, I never trust a guy with two first names. He’s not wrong. Owen gets his stuff in, keeping it about as entertaining as you’d expect, finishing with the Sharpshooter.
Winner: Owen Hart in 3:36
Another squash for Owen that comes off better than the squashes by other guys. *¼
We get another Paul Bearer graveyard promo about the Undertaker.
IRS vs. Marty Jannetty
In typical IRS fashion, the match is dull. That is until Jannetty SUPER over bumps on a whip into the ring post. How is IRS so sweaty? The match is like 1:20 in. The Quebecers show up just before the commercial break but are ejected by the time the show returns. We see why as they attacked Jannetty. IRS is in control, going through the motions of his boring offense. Johnny Polo shows up as Jannetty rallies, followed by Razor Ramon, followed by the Quebecers. Who is overbooking this? Why are the Quebecers allowed back out? They telegraph the hell out of the finish as Polo trips Jannetty on a springboard, allowing IRS to pin him.
Winner: IRS in 8:54
Dammit, I’ve still yet to see an interesting IRS singles match. Jannetty wasn’t at his best here, which means that IRS was in total control of calling things and that is bad news. *½
Vince McMahon tells us that Razor Ramon and Marty Jannetty have demanded and been granted a Tag Team Title shot in two weeks on Raw. Next week is pre-empted by the dog show.
Thurman Plugg vs. Duane Gill
Oh look, it’s future J.O.B. Squad teammates. Vince calls “Sparky” an “electric performer” but he does relatively basic stuff here. His gear is only second to Jeff Jarrett for worst in the company currently. Plugg wins with a flying knee drop.
Winner: Thurman Plugg in 2:58
He was there, he did his stuff and the crowd didn’t care. ½*
Todd Pettengill brings us the WrestleMania Report, featuring the announcement of Crush vs. Randy Savage in a Falls Count Anywhere match.
Crush w/ Mr. Fuji vs. Thornberg
I didn’t catch the first name of the jobber. Crush gets in all of the offense, hitting a bad martial arts kick and winning with the CLAW!
Winner: Crush in 2:34
It’s Crush so you know it isn’t good. At least it was short though. ½*
Overall: 3.5/10. This was such a bad crop of episodes, with none of them being any good. This one was “highlighted” by a boring marquee match and some dull squashes, though I did not hate the first two matches. |
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Sept 6, 2015 8:03:38 GMT -5
Royal Rumble 1998
January 18th, 1998 | San Jose Arena in San Jose, California | Attendance: 18,542
After a thrilling 1997, the WWF was about to head into the “Austin Era”. Before he could win the big one at WrestleMania, he had to compete in the Royal Rumble. During the build up to this Royal Rumble, the focus was almost 100% on Steve Austin, kind of giving away the outcome. Mike Tyson is a special guest at this event and it’s a pretty historic show for multiple reasons (Mick Foley’s multiple appearances, Tyson and HBK’s last match before semi-retirement). This would be the 11th Royal Rumble Pay-Per-View in history.
The opening video package is well done, hyping the WWF Title match and the Royal Rumble match itself. Commentary is Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler, as you would expect for this era.
The Artist Formerly Known as Goldust w/ Luna Vachon vs. Vader
Over the past few weeks, Goldust had dressed stranger and stranger with his outfits ranging from a baby to Sable and tons of odd stuff in between. Jim Ross tries to say that Goldust needs to use his quickness, but he’s in pretty bad shape and isn’t moving fast. He is in control at the start until Vader wallops him with a charging shot. As he starts to comeback, Luna distracts the referee, allowing Goldust to hit a low blow. Vader still is near winning so Luna leaps on his back. Vader just climbs and hits the Vader Bomb with Luna on his back. It’s a cool visual and the fans react accordingly as Vader wins.
Winner: Vader in 7:47
Up until the cool and creative finish, this was nothing. Both guys were in the midst of disappointing runs and seemed to be going through the motions throughout. I gave it a slight bump for the visual of the finish. *¾
Battalion, El Torito and Tarantula vs. Max Mini, Mini Nova and Mosaic
Sunny is the special referee here since they can’t find anything important for her to do. These guys tend to have relatively fun matches, but it felt pretty out of place in this era. Max Mini seems to be billed as the top star as he gets in most of the high flying stuff. The fans can’t get into it despite the efforts of the workers. They never gave these guys any personality and they are here as a novelty act so the fans don’t have a reason to care. Also, Jerry Lawler makes tons of TERRIBLE short jokes throughout. Sunny gets involved, assisting Max Mini at one point. JR gets in a dig, saying that he heard Sunny liked short guys, which could have bene a shot at one Chris Candido. Mini wins for his guys with a rollup.
Winners: Max Mini, Mini Nova and Mosaic in 7:49
Actually, this was rather fun. The fact that the fans weren’t interested, Sunny looked like she didn’t want to be there and Jerry Lawler made awful jokes hurt my feelings towards it, but they did their job. Put on a fast paced match that was a bit of fun. **½
Some Nation of Domination stuff is shown. They try to find Steve Austin to attack him but his locker room is empty. Then the Rock is interviewed before his upcoming match. You could just sense that he was ready for big things.
WWF Intercontinental Championship
The Rock (c) vs. Ken Shamrock
Just one month ago, Ken Shamrock beat the WWF Champion on PPV via disqualification. I like the dynamic between these two early on. Rock is the brash heel and Shamrock is the badass dude that is gonna put him in his place. We have to listen to Jim Ross talk about Rock’s football career for a while. He sure does go to that well often. Rock gets two on that stupid float over DDT he used to do. I always felt like it was a cool idea that never looked very good. You could tell that Shamrock was pretty damn over. He goes into his rally and everything gets a pop. He also had a pretty good hurricanrana. The Nation run out and Shamrock takes them out, only to get hit with brass knuckles. Rock grossly puts them in Shamrock’s tights but he kicks out. Shamrock hits a belly to belly and scores the victory. BUT WAIT! Rock complains to the referee and says to check the tights. Mike Chioda missed the belly to belly and thinks Shamrock used the brass knuckles to win, so he reverses the decision.
Winner via disqualification: The Rock in 10:53
This wasn’t a bad match and would have probably gotten an average score from me up until the finish. That was a pretty dumb ending and it hurts the score of what was a solid little match. Their matches would get better over time. **¼
WWF Tag Team Championship
The New Age Outlaws (c) vs. The Legion of Doom
During the build to this, the Outlaws and DX took out the LOD, putting Animal through a table and shaving Hawk’s hair. It was the first sign of what DX would become. The Outlaws aren’t insanely over just yet. They pull the basic heel stuff with an attack from behind and, when that backfires, they try to head for the hills. This is very much all LOD as it should be considering the story they’ve been telling during the feud. The Outlaws turn things around by beating up Animal, They wisely then manage to handcuff Hawk to the ring post, making Animal ripe for the picking. Or so they think as Animal starts kicking their ass, causing the Outlaws to have to get themselves disqualified.
Winners via disqualification: The Legion of Doom in 7:56
While the actual ring work wasn’t great here, it was a pretty smartly executed bout. They knew the idea was to have the LOD kick ass but for the Outlaws to be cunning. They did that well but the match was rather dull and the finish wasn’t the best. *½
Royal Rumble Match
The first two entrants are Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie, who are tag partners and hardcore icons. As they beat each other with chairs, Tom Brandi arrives third and lasts about 10 seconds. The Rock draws number four after Cactus suplexes Charlie onto two open chairs. Rock slowly walks while they fight until Charlie knocks down Cactus and hilarious falls on his own. Rock takes a beating from both anyway until Mosh draws the fifth spot. Phineas is out next, citing Jim Ross to say that he is what you get when first cousins reproduce. Wow. The jobbers keep coming as 8-Ball is next. Couldn’t he have just drawn 8? Cactus gets eliminated by Charlie. Blackjack Bradshaw is left. Are there nothing by tag team wrestlers in this thing? Since the Rock showed up, things have been pretty boring. Owen Hart gets a solid pop next but Jeff Jarrett attacks him from behind. HEY, YOU GUYS ARE GONNA BE PARTNERS NEXT YEAR! Owen is taken to the back leaving the Rumble in a boring spot. Charlie is skinning the cat all over the place. Steve Blackman shows up ninth.
In tenth is D-Lo Brown. YOU BETTER RECOGNIZE! Despite being there and helping Rock, they end up trading blows. Kurrgan enters at 11 in the midst of a slight push as an unstoppable monster. He eliminates Mosh. The crowd pops next due to the arrival of Sable as Marc Mero draws 12. Kurrgan dumps Blackman and doesn’t get taken off his fest until Ken Shamrock comes in next. This leads to everyone ganging up to get rid of him. Good. Thrasher comes in but the best thing is seeing D-Lo shake his head while trash talking and choking the Rock. To the confusion of many fans, Mankind is next, as Mick Foley makes some history. He gets rid of Charlie. The crowd starts to pop as Shamrock works over Rocky for earlier. Goldust draws number 17 and eliminates Mankind. In a funny moment, everyone is fighting and Mero is in the middle so he just starts to celebrate. Jeff Jarrett struts out next with Jim Cornette. Owen Hart runs out and goes right for Jarrett. The fans respond so positively to him eliminating Jarrett. Honky Tonk Man is 19 for some reason. Triple H and Chyna show up to distract Owen. They use Hunter’s crutches to hurt and eliminate Owen even though he isn’t in the match.
At twenty, Ahmed Johnson steps out. At a point that the camera missed, Rock used a low blow to help eliminate Shamrock. I feel Shamrock should have lasted far longer. Mark Henry, 10+ years away from his best run, enters at 21. JR tells us that 17 people in this thing are making their Rumble debuts. Things continue to stand still until the buzzer goes off for 22 and we get nobody coming out. Ahmed is eliminated like he’s worthless as does Phineas. How did he last so long? Ahmed attacks Phineas for no reason outside. Commentary barely even acknowledges it. D-Lo continues to go after his Nation buddies. Kama draws 23 and shoves Ahmed when he comes out. Ahmed goes to fight back but just stops and turns away. It looks super funny. The glass breaks at 24 and EVERYTHING in the ring stops as everyone wants Austin. He comes through the crowd to dump Mero and then 8-Ball. Some people gave up on trying to fight him but not D-Lo, who eats two low blows. Henry Godwin runs out next. Savio Vega comes out with all of Los Boricuas but they do nothing of note. Lucky number 27 is Faarooq, currently the leader of the Nation. The crowd goes nuts since he goes right after the Rock. Another pop as Dude Love draws 28, giving Foley the complete triple header and he eliminates Bradshaw. The former Underfaker comes in at 29, now going by Chainz. Somehow Honky Tonk Man is still in. Our final entrant is Vader.
Honky finally goes. The ring is far too full and it’s just pretty plodding. As if they hear me, the eliminations start coming in rapid fire form. The final four comes down to former Tag Team Champions Austin and Dude Love opposite from Nation members Rock and Faarooq. Austin and Love work together until Austin is all like “DTA”. Faarooq then tosses Love and Rock turns on Faarooq to get rid of him. It’s down to two of the biggest stars in history. Crazy to think that these two had a PPV Intercontinental Title match a month prior and are now the final two. A Stunner allows Austin to win.
Winner: Steve Austin in 55:24
Not one of the better Royal Rumbles. Early on it was fun but between entrants number 5 until Austin showed up, everyone was kind of just there waiting. Then, even after Austin showed up, too many people stayed in the ring and it made for relatively boring TV. Cool points for Foley’s triple duty and ending with the two next mega stars, Austin and Rock, but other than that, this was disappointing. **¼
WWF Championship Casket Match
Shawn Michaels (c) vs. The Undertaker
These two had an all-time great at Hell in a Cell three months prior where Undertaker beat the hell out of Shawn, only to lose because of Kane. Here, it seemed like Kane and Undertaker may be on good terms. Early on, this follows Hell in a Cell as Undertaker is in control and we see the infamous casket bump that would take out HBK for four years. Since he can’t make Undertaker’s power, Shawn takes to the air but it doesn’t help much. Shawn finally takes some control with a major piledriver on the steel steps. It gets the kind of reaction they wanted. They do a few casket teases. Arrogant Shawn tries to crotch chop Undertaker while standing over the open casket and it backfires big time. Shawn does an ugly elbow onto Undertaker into the casket and dumbass Earl Hebner closes it on both guys. Shawn crawls out and we get the awesome camera shot of Undertaker dragging him back in. Similar to the mugging at the 1994 Rumble, a bunch of heels show up to attack Undertaker. It’s the Outlaws and Los Boricuas. When Kane’s music hits, the crowd loses their minds. Kane makes the save, only to assault his brother. He then puts Undertaker in the casket to give Michaels the victory.
Winner and Still WWF Champion: Shawn Michaels in 20:37
While I don’t think this was a mark on their best work, it was still probably the best casket match in WWE history. Solid work from both guys, especially considering the amount of pain Shawn might have been in. ***¼
Overall: 4.5/10. I really wanted to like this show more. 1998 was a big year for the WWF, but Pay-Per-View wise, it didn’t get off to a great start. It does however start a trend for the WWF during this era. The undercard is not very good, while the main event scene is the best thing about the shows. Only recommended if you want to see it for the historical stuff. Other than that, this is an easy skip. According to my randomizer, the next “Random Network Review” is set to be Fastlane 2015! |
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Sept 7, 2015 16:45:59 GMT -5
Raw History
Episode #52
February 21st, 1994 | Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York
We are live, which is always a treat. Macho Man is joining Vince McMahon for commentary.
WWF Tag Team Championship
The Quebecers (c) w/ Johnny Polo vs. 1-2-3 Kid and Razor Ramon
This was scheduled to be Marty Jannetty and Razor Ramon. I’m pretty sure Marty is gone for a while from the company. As has become the norm with Quebecer title matches, their opponents start hot and force them to regroup. Razor gets the crowd behind him as Vince McMahon announces the upcoming ladder match at WrestleMania. Johnny Polo gets involved so Razor, wanting none of that, ends him with a Razor’s Edge on the floor. Razor and Kid work very well together, which is expected due to their real life friendship. They are in control until Diesel shows up in the aisle. Kid starts to play the face in peril, which is exactly how it needs to be. Razor gets the hot tag and hits a second rope back suplex. He ends up incredibly close to winning, only for Shawn Michaels to come in and cause a DQ.
Winners via disqualification: 1-2-3 Kid and Razor Ramon in 16:05
Pretty solid tag team match here. People don’t mention it often, but the Quebecers have been steady performers and some of the best people to watch in recent months. Despite the outcome being very obvious with Diesel out there, I rather liked this. ***
Next week, Macho Man goes for his third WWF Championship as he faced Yokozuna. God, imagine if he would have won and it led to Bret Hart vs. Macho Man?
Jim Cornette is out to tell Macho Man that he has no chance next week. He then introduces Tom Pritchard.
Bret Hart vs. Tom Pritchard w/ Jim Cornette
The two men go through some mat exchanges that Bret always gets the better of, so Pritchard blames hair pulling. Vince McMahon points out Nikolai Volkoff in the front row, leading Randy Savage to straight up call him ugly. He then tells us that Donnie Wahlberg will be at WrestleMania! Pritchard takes control and wears down Bret for a bit. When Bret begins his comeback, Cornette tries to get involved, only for Macho Man to leap up and lay him out. Cheating managers are sure running into trouble this week huh? As Bret lands outside, Owen rolls him inside, saying Bret needs his help. Pritchard is too much of a scrub to take advantage though, and ends up submitting to the Sharpshooter.
Winner: Bret Hart in 12:14
Decent little match here but rather disappointing. Tom Pritchard was always a decent hand but he did nothing not note here. **½
Owen Hart’s reaction to Bret winning is priceless. Bret wants to fight now, but officials keep it separate.
Todd Pettengill and his dumb hat bring us the WrestleMania Report. Less than 4 weeks away! Little Richard, Jennie Garth, Donnie Wahlberg, Bucky and Vinny and Sy Sperling will appear. He runs down the card, starting with the Falls Count Anywhere and Ladder matches. He announces a Women’s Championship match, but no opponent for Alundra Blayze, Bigelow and Luna facing Doink and Dink and Ludvig Borga vs. Earthquake. That last match would not happen.
Jim Cornette brings out Yokozuna to get his racket back from Macho Man. Savage and Yokozuna go to brawl as the show goes off the air, leaving you in suspense for next week.
Overall: 7.5/10. The show only had two matches but both were relatively solid. That’s much better than the usual fare of squash match after squash match. I thought the Tag Title match was good and the Bret Hart match was decent. The show didn’t have too much flak, using the rest of the time to build towards next week’s WWF Title match and WrestleMania.
Raw History
Episode #53
February 28th, 1994 | Fernwood Resort in Bushkill, Pennsylvania
Tonight’s episode is taped. Harvey Wippleman is with Vince on commentary.
WWF Championship
Yokozuna (c) w/ Mr. Fuji vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage
Yokozuna takes too long to get ready so Savage attacks but it backfires. Yokozuna pounds away on Savage and is already sweating profusely. Savage sends Yokozuna outside with a high knee and takes out Mr. Fuji. He then hits a double axe handle onto Yokozuna outside and the crowd is going nuts as we head to commercial. When we return, Savage is having issues because he can’t bring Yokozuna back in the ring. Yokozuna beats on him there, but Savage hits a cross body inside for two. The crowd buys into every Savage near fall. When Yokozuna gets back in control, Savage looks to be out of it but avoids a leg drop. Jim Cornette is out and distracts the official. Fuji gives Yokozuna a bucket but Savage blocks the shot and levels Yokozuna with it. He only gets two because he took too long to cover. He climbs up and hits the elbow but Crush runs out to ruin things.
Winner via disqualification: Randy Savage in 10:57
I figured that was going to be the finish but Randy Savage did everything in his power to not only get a good match out of Yokozuna, but to build sympathy and have the fans buy into him winning the title with a few weeks until WrestleMania. That takes something special. ***¼
Bret Hart comes out next to help Macho Man and then Lex Luger shows up as well. They take out the evil duo of Yokozuna and Crush.
Bam Bam Bigelow w/ Luna Vachon vs. Mike Khoury
Bigelow goes on the offensive instantly and just beats on Mike Khoury. Khoury avoids a headbutt and hits a dropkick but Bigelow no sells and slams him. Poor Bigelow is good, but is stuck in this dumb Doink feud. He wins with an enziguri.
Winner: Bam Bam Bigelow in 2:36
Bigelow is hit or miss in his squash matches but this was one of the easier ones to watch. It was short and all Bigelow, which is how I like them. *
Earthquake vs. The Black Phantom
According to Vince, Earthquake’s return was “triumphant”. I mean, he won, but it wasn’t a big deal. Phantom tries to his Quake but it has little to no effect. Vince announces that Borga is injured and we’ll get Earthquake vs. Adam Bomb at WrestleMania. Earthquake hits a damn dropkick, which was shockingly decent. He finishes with the ass splash.
Winner: Earthquake in 1:38
Similar to the last match it was kept short. That’s even better when it’s someone like Earthquake. ¾*
This week’s WrestleMania Report is more of the same old news except that we get told about the Tag Team Title match between the Quebecers and Men on a Mission, as well a ten man tag pitting Sparky Plugg, 1-2-3 Kid, Tatanka and the Smoking Guns against the Headshrinkers, Rick Martel, IRS and Jeff Jarrett. This match would end up not making the card.
Kwang vs. John Crystal
While Kwang goes through his offense, Sy Sperling calls in to talk about giving Howard Finkel a makeover. Kwang brings the green mist this week instead of the red.
Winner: Kwang in 1:32
Hey look at this. Another short squash from another guy who I don’t tend to enjoy. Alright. ½*
Stan Lane as an interviewer goes to interview Shawn Michaels but he’s just in a towel and wants to put something more on. All he does is put the Intercontinental Title over the towel. He is asked about Razor Ramon being the undisputed IC Champ, but Shawn is obviously disputing this. Shawn says that he will take Razor’s belt and give it to Diesel.
Next Monday, Crush and Owen Hart face the Smoking Gunns. I just realized that I’ve been calling them the Smoking Guns with one “n” this whole time.
Men on a Mission w/ Oscar vs. Brooklyn Brawler and Steve Smith
Men on a Mission plod through their awful offense. Mo is somehow more winded than Mabel and looks like he’s dying on the apron. Mabel squashes Smith in the corner and splashes him for the 1-2-3.
Winners: Men on a Mission in 3:13
Vince McMahon’s reactions to Men on a Mission on commentary is far and away the best thing about their matches. That should say something. ½*
Overall: 5.5/10. Not a bad episode. Our big WWF Title match was better than I thought it would be and, while the rest of the show was full of squash matches, at least they were kept short. That made them inoffensive, but still not exactly “must see” television.
Raw History
Episode #54
March 7th, 1994 | Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York
Another pre-recorded episode tonight. Ted Dibiase is out to join Vince on commentary.
Crush and Owen Hart w/ Mr. Fuji vs. The Smoking Gunns
Owen Hart starts against Bart Gunn and they go through a relatively fast paced exchange. Bart even hits a body press on Crush. It’s bugging me that the Gunns are wearing different shades of blue in their jeans. MATCH DAMMIT! Owen Hart is the key to this, putting on the best performance of anyone included. The Gunns get near victory after a bit but Crush breaks up the pin. He then chop blocks Bart, which Vince believes is like the dirtiest move ever. Owen does the Sharpshooter and Bart gives.
Winners: Owen Hart and Crush in 6:57
Decent little tag team match here. About as good as one could expect from a makeshift team and a duo like the Gunns. **
Time for the WrestleMania Report, where Todd Pettengill confuses people by talking about next Sunday’s “March to WrestleMania” show featuring Bret Hart vs. Crush.
Jeff Jarrett vs. Virgil
I can’t believe Virgil is still employed. He works a hammerlock and that’s about all he does. Well to be fair, he also does a sloppy sunset flip for two. Jarrett hits a DDT to win.
Winner: Jeff Jarrett in 3:45
Too much Virgil offense and too much time in general. Jeff Jarrett has been pretty dull since his debut and this was no exception. ¼*
Doink w/ Dink vs. “Iron” Mike Sharpe
Commentary spends the match explaining the rules of the upcoming mixed tag team match at WrestleMania. Mike Sharpe and his loud selling are again a highlight. Doink wins with the Whoopee Cushion.
Winner: Doink in 2:19
Typical Doink squash made a tad better by Mike Sharpe and his selling. ½*
Vince McMahon now leads a segment with Chief Wahoo McDaniel, Chief Jay Strongbow and another guy that hands Tatanka a ceremonial Indian headdress. He cries a bit and they embrace in a segment wasn’t very good.
IRS vs. Mark Thomas
Oh great. Another IRS squash. I bet you this is boring. He goes through some dull stuff on the jacked jobber. IRS sweats a hell of a lot for a guy who does next to nothing in the ring. Maybe it’s the attire. He wins with the Write Off.
Winner: IRS in 3:38
I was right. IRS puts on another boring performance. ¼*
Vince McMahon interviews Jim Cornette at ringside because Jimmy Del Ray of the Heavenly Bodies will face Lex Luger on the “March to WrestleMania”. He tries to diss things “made in the USA” like Luger, but fudges up the line. He wants Jimmy to busy up Luger before WrestleMania.
Overall: 3/10. After two relatively enjoyable episodes, this one falls back down. The hyped tag match was decent at best and the rest was a bunch of squash matches that nobody cared about and weren’t interesting in the least. |
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Sept 10, 2015 21:47:09 GMT -5
Fastlane 2015
February 22nd, 2015 | FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee | Attendance: 13,416
Coming off of the heels of one of their most negatively received Pay-Per-Views in history, the WWE was looking to turn things around at this event. One month prior, their Royal Rumble ended with Roman Reigns winning and receiving an incredibly negative response from the live crowd. It ruined his moment and the fans basically hijacked the entire Rumble match. Here, we have the first ever Fastlane event, which replaced Elimination Chamber and would set the stage for WrestleMania. Unlike a lot of PPVs from the Network era, this one does not have a Kickoff match.
For being the WWE in 2015, this is a rather disappointing opening video package.
Big Show, Kane and Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan and Ryback
The face team here were all fired for their roles against the Authority at Survivor Series. This is a diet version of that match. The crowd is pretty hot for Dolph Ziggler and Ryback, and the Authority are the most hated heels, so this is a good choice to open things. Commentary tries to put Show over by saying nobody can go toe to toe with him. Lawler suggests Brock Lesnar and JBL claims he would love to see that. Dude, it just happened a year ago and Brock murdered him. Rowan plays the face in peril, which is a problem because he’s the one the fans care least about. That’s not a good way to build sympathy. Ryback is rightfully the guy to get the hot tag and does some of his impressive power offense. He eventually gets stalled by the Authority and Dolph enters. He gets close to a win but is knocked out by Big Show, allowing Kane to win it.
Winners: Big Show, Kane and Seth Rollins in 13:01
With Erick Rowan playing the face in peril, the mostly dead crowd was even quieter than really dead. The match itself was decent but the finish was atrocious. The man who came back from down 3 on 1 at Survivor Series gets pinned and it’s not even by the guy that was the next big star, it was by Kane of all people. **¼
The Authority beat up their opponents after the match until Randy Orton returns. Like a bad face, he’s late as hell in making the save. He comes back in his gear, which I’ve always hated. Why would he be in his ring attire? That doesn’t make any sense.
Goldust vs. Stardust
The late Dusty Rhodes has a heart to heart with Goldust before the match. If you’re looking for an amazing match, this wasn’t it but I think there was some good storytelling. It starts with them exchanging moves but when Goldust gets the upper hand, we start to see more of Stardust shine though. He goes deeper into character and his expressions do a good job of showing his frustrations. There’s a cool spot where they each drop to the mat for an uppercut like strike. Cody shouting “who’s your favorite?” as he beats up his brother was well done. Stardust goes for his finish, but Goldust counters into a crucifix. The referee only counts two but then calls for the bell.
Winner: Goldust in 8:56
While I thought they tried to tell a good story, the actual in ring action left something to be desired. The dead crowd didn’t help a match that was relatively dull and had a terrible finish. Cody Rhodes’ ability to completely lose himself in his gimmick is the highlight of this match. **¼
We get a recap of the homemade videos from Jon Stewart and Seth Rollins during their mini-feud.
Backstage, Stardust attacks Goldust in front of Dusty. When Dusty shouts “Cody”, Stardust goes nuts. He says that Cody, the breakout star of Legacy, the Intercontinental Champion, dashing, the Prince Cody…is dead and he blames Dusty for sticking him with him Goldust.
WWE Tag Team Championship
The Usos (c) w/ Naomi vs. Tyson Kidd and Cesaro w/ Natalya
The fact that Cesaro and Tyson Kidd were a thrown together team but managed to mesh incredibly well together, is a thing of beauty. The challengers, being fantastic wrestlers, pick a body part and work it. They choose Jimmy’s knee and do everything to it well. From a half crab to Cesaro doing a one legged swing. Jey gets the hot tag but ends up in trouble when Cesaro hits his dead life superplex right into Kidd nailing an elbow. Great tag team work here. Kidd tries the Sharpshooter but it is countered. WE GET US SOME FLYING USOS MAGGLE! A creative spot comes when an Uso pulls Kidd’s leg from the apron into a Samoan drop into the barricade. Inside, things break down with a Sharpshooter and superkick before Cesaro and Jimmy or Jey fall outside. Kidd uses a kick to Jimmy’s leg to set up his finisher and win the straps.
Winners and New WWE Tag Team Champions: Tyson Kidd and Cesaro in 9:34
Really good old fashioned tag team wrestling here. They went out and had a no nonsense match that was just straight up enjoyable. The leg work made sense and actually played into the finish, the outcome was kind of unexpected and it just worked. A few more minutes to build stuff and this could have been great. ***½
I’m not a fan of long promos on Pay-Per-Views but that’s what we get here. Triple H comes out, “meaning business” because he has a leather jacket on. He calls out Sting after running down WCW, even though their feud “wasn’t about WCW”. Sting comes out and Triple H wants to keep his legacy alive with merchandise sales, which is a dumb offer since WWE Shop was already selling a ton of Sting stuff. Thigs get physical, HHH goes for the sledgehammer but Sting has the bat. He points to the WrestleMania logo before planting HHH with a Scorpion Death Drop. That is how the WWE set up the TERRIBLE Sting/Triple H match at Mania.
WWE Divas Championship
Nikki Bella (c) w/ Brie Bella vs. Paige
Fun fact; I met Paige at Comic-Con the night before this show and she was one of the nicest and coolest wrestlers I’ve ever met. Surprisingly, this is the first PPV meeting between these two, despite the fact that they had a never-ending rivalry. Paige attacked quickly since the Bellas made her life hell in recent weeks. Nikki turned it around and threw her into the guardrail. Nikki is trying to bust out the big offense, showing off an Alabama Slam for two. They botch a rollup into the turnbuckle, which came off looking really bad. Nikki then hits a big powerbomb but that only gets two also. Paige comes back, looking for the PTO but Nikki reaches the ropes. She then retains after a rollup with a handful of tights.
Winner and Still WWE Divas Champion: Nikki Bella in 5:35
Outside of the rollup botch, this was a well-executed match. Of all of the Divas on the main roster, Paige and Nikki probably have the best chemistry. My biggest issue with the match was that it was so short and they tried to cram a lot into it, as well as the cheap finish. **½
WWE Intercontinental Championship
Bad News Barrett (c) vs. Dean Ambrose
Between the Fall of 2014 and early 2015, Dean Ambrose’s booking was absolutely baffling. Here, we have a shining example. The guy is over like crazy and attacks Barrett early. In recent weeks, Barrett had been dodging him, so this made sense. Barrett knocks Dean off the top to take control, getting in some shots to Dean’s ribs. He’s in control until Dean does his variation of Nigel McGuinness’ rebound lariat, but on the outside. Dean comes close with a small package and looks to be on the verge of victory. Ambrose kicks out of Wasteland and dodges the Bull Hammer before coming back with a loud rebound lariat. Barrett escapes Dirty Deeds and tries to leave but eats a suicide dive. Here goes that baffling Ambrose booking as he attacks Barrett and the referee calls the match because he doesn’t stop at the five count.
Winner via disqualification: Bad News Barrett in 8:03
When I first saw this show, I gave this match a better score but I take that back now. They worked at a decent pace for the time but this felt like something that belonged on a Smackdown, rather than a PPV. The booking of Dean Ambrose was also dumb and this finish was not what the crowd wanted. *¾
We now get what we think is the Undertaker, but when the casket brought to ringside is opened, it is Bray Wyatt. He cuts a promo about resurrecting the “Deadman” and becoming the new “Face of Fear.” This was long and while Bray is interesting, this was just another promo to build towards a WrestleMania match. Not exactly what I want to see on my Pay-Per-Views.
WWE United States Championship
Rusev (c) w/ Lana vs. John Cena
Neither guy is really able to grab the upper hand through the early stages of his match. When Rusev finally does get in the driver’s seat, he picks Cena apart. I would like to commend Lana at ringside, as she is great at her facial expressions throughout this entire thing. Rusev begins to grow frustrated when he can’t put Cena away, making me question if he’s ever watched a Cena match before. HE FEARS NOTHING AND REGRETS LESS! He goes into the FIVE MOVES OF DOOM, telling Lana that she can’t see him. Rusev blocks the AA and hits some big offense for two, including a spinning slam and jumping kick. Cena hits the AA eventually but Rusev joins the now long list of people to kick out of it. Remember when doing so was a big deal? Rusev powerbombs Cena and puts on the Accolade. Cena, being Cena, powers out until Lana enters the ring. The referee pulls her out and helps her out of the ring. With him distracted, Rusev kicks Cena in the dick, then the face and then puts the Accolade back on. Cena is out like a light.
Winner and Still WWE United States Champion: Rusev in 18:42
This was one of those situations where these are two guys who just never really clicked in the ring. They would have three more singles matches on PPV and none would be better than this, which wasn’t great. Rusev did a fine job in his first big time PPV showing and it only got really good near the end. ***
Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns
The winner of this match gets the “prize” of facing Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. Commentary hammers home the idea that while Bryan is the better wrester, Reigns is the better brawler. Funnily, JBL says that if add wrestling ability and brawling together, you get Brock. Makes sense. Bryan tries some of his submission holds but Reigns powers out, and Bryan’s reaction to this is great. Like, he realizes what happened but is also ready to adjust. They continue to trade blows and it’s power against technical skill still. Reigns even busts out some offense that I haven’t seen him use since and didn’t see before. Bryan avoids a Superman punch with a kick to the mid-section. This wisely brings in the hernia injury that took Reigns out of action for three months. Bryan attacks that injury and Reigns sells it very well. Bryan hits a suicide dive, but goes to the well too often as Reigns catches his next attempt with a belly to belly suplex. After Reigns misses and hits the steps, they tease a double countout. Bryan kicks out of a superman punch and then counters the Spear with a small package in a brilliant reverse. Reigns kicks out of the running knee, which Cole says is the first time it happened, but I’m pretty sure Randy Orton did it at Mania. Bryan goes into his kicks but Reigns catches one so he slaps him and goes to the Yes Lock. Reigns survives it and then powerbombs out of another submission. With both guys on the mat they go into a series of strikes that Bryan wins with kicks. He goes for another running knee, but is met with a Spear that ends this.
Winner: Roman Reigns in 20:10
This was the type of star making performance that Roman Reigns needed to have before winning the Royal Rumble to avoid that backlash. I loved this match. They played the power vs. technical stuff extremely well. It wasn’t like Reigns dominated and Bryan rallied either or vice versa. Neither guy gained a true upper hand and both had to go through a lot. The hernia injury coming into play was masterful and I like that they didn’t overdo the false finishes like a lot of big WWE matches. Bryan gave Reigns the rub that he needed and this did exactly what it needed to. ****¼
After the match, Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns shake hands.
Overall: 4.5/10; Below average. I wanted to like this show more. The main event is fantastic and the Tag Team Title match is worth checking out for sure. Rusev/Cena is their best outing, but still nothing you need to see. My biggest issues with this show were the fact that we had a lot of lame finishes (IC Title, Divas Title, US Title), disappointing matches (opener & Dust Brothers), too many promos and it just came off as a giant commercial for WrestleMania. This could have been an episode of Raw instead of a PPV. Up next, “Random Network Reviews” has me look at Superbrawl 2000! |
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Sept 12, 2015 15:32:17 GMT -5
Raw History
Episode #55
March 21st, 1994 | Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York
We are live and 24 hours removed from WrestleMania X, a show that featured two classics. The big title change coming out of the show is Bret Hart as the new WWF Champion.
Non-Title Match
The Quebecers w/ Johnny Polo vs. The Bushwhackers
Why are the Bushwhackers still employed? This starts with the Bushwhackers doing their typical antics. Vince McMahon apologizes because a ten man tag from WrestleMania was cut due to the “teams not being able to get on the same page”. In other words, they were cut for time restraints. The match will happen in two weeks on Raw. The Bushwhackers have control until the commercial break, when the Quebecers take over. This match is getting far too much time. Some Polo interference allows the Quebecers to win this.
Winners: The Quebecers in 9:21
I really hope I never have to see the Bushwhackers on Raw again. This lasted far too long and should have just been the Quebecers beating them rather handily. ½*
As Vince McMahon tries to get a word with the winners, Capt. Lou Albano comes out saying that he’s going to put together a team and wants a shot at the belts. The Quebecers accept. I guess there will finally be some payoff for the Albano stuff that we saw months ago.
After some still images from WrestleMania X, IRS gives us some tax advice. Can you believe this guy would stick around for another year or so?
Tatanka vs. Chris Hammrick
This is the same Hammrick that would be in ECW a few years later if I’m correct. Tatanka had on his GIANT ceremonial headdress. Hammrick misses a move and falls straight to the ropes to the outside. It looked pretty nasty. Tatanka takes too long here, stalling since he knows he must kill time. He wins with his Samoan or Native American drop.
Winner: Tatanka in 4:46
Too long for a squash match, especially considering Tatanka is not really a fun guy to watch. ½*
Todd Pettengill, supposedly in the locker room in Madison Square Garden, brings us a WrestleMania report. Make sure to order the encore!
Diesel vs. Ken Lucia
The Diesel push is about to get serious. Diesel hits a big leaping clothesline or shoulder block. It’s hard to see because the camera angle was far back. Diesel hits his four or so moves, the side slam, snake eyes, big boot and the Jackknife wins it.
Winner: Diesel in 2:36
All Diesel and that’s how it should be at this time. As I said, the mega-push is coming. *
Next week, Lex Luger takes on Rick Martel! Luger is pissed because he came up short in a big match again.
Vince McMahon brings out the new WWF Champion, Bret Hart, for an in-ring interview. Vince recaps how Bret won and Bret says that he will be the fighting champion that he was last year. Vince then brings up how Owen Hart defeated Bret to open the show. Bret gives Owen props for winning and makes no excuses, but says things are different now that he’s champion again.
Jeff Jarrett vs. Koko B. Ware
Is tonight a showcase for guys who shouldn’t still be signed at this point? He hits a shoulder block but Jarrett controls this thing. It’s funny that Owen Hart has gone way high in the card while Koko is still rocking the High Energy gear here. Koko tries to make a comeback after being beaten up for most of the match, but falls short. Jarrett picks up the win with a DDT.
Winner: Jeff Jarrett in 5:04
This wasn’t exactly a squash match, though the outcome wasn’t really ever in doubt. Still, it was relatively dull. ½*
For some reason, Jeff Jarrett gets in Randy Savage’s face after the match. They go in the ring and the crowd wants Savage. He sends Jarrett packing and celebrates with Koko B. Ware.
Overall: 1/10. What the hell was this? You come off of the heels of your biggest show of the year and you follow it up with this? Four bad matches and an interview with the WWF that didn’t really go anywhere? Think about this…the best match was a short Diesel squash and the fallout from WrestleMania episode ends with Koko B. Ware. That’s just horrible.
Raw History
Episode #56
March 28th, 1994 | Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York
Footage from earlier tonight is shown, where Ted Dibiase buys ringside seats from fans. Your hosts tonight are Vince McMahon and Jim Cornette.
Lex Luger vs. Rick Martel
Vince McMahon complains through the first few minutes about Mr. Perfect “costing” Lex Luger the WWF Title at WrestleMania. Going back and watching that match though, it’s pretty clear that Mr. Perfect did the right thing. Luger starts hot with some of his classic SCREAMING CLOTHESLINES! Luger slows things down with an extended headlock sequence. Martel takes over and Luger does some piss poor selling. Cornette actually insinuates that due to losing at Mania, Luger may try to commit suicide. Martel points to his brain to state how smart he is, allowing the Luger comeback, which ends with a torture rack.
Winner: Lex Luger in 14:47
Acceptable wrestling match here. Not too bad and not too good, but a bit dull at times. Luger’s poor selling also takes something out of this as well as the fact that it went too long. *¾
Owen Hart vs. Jobber Freeman
We don’t get the name of the jobber, though he screams jobber in the worst way. During the match, we get a promo from Ted Dibiase from his seat. It’s a strange camera angle to work with. As Vince and Cornette talk nonsense on commentary, Owen has to stall. Hey, Vince calls the jobber “Freeman” so I’ll go with that. Owen wins with the Sharpshooter.
Winner: Owen Hart in 5:09
Normally, Owen Hart delivers here but this was pretty bad. I think the main issue was that he was forced to stall. ¼*
Doink vs. Eric Cody
There hasn’t been much in the way of promos tonight. Dink does some of his annoying antics early. At one point, he steps on Eric Cody, which makes me question why there wasn’t a disqualification called. Doink wins with the Whoopee Cushion.
Winner: Doink in 3:30
Another ho-hum Doink match. I miss Matt Osbourne. ¼*
Jim Cornette brings out Johnny Polo and the Quebecers. As Cornette praises them, Capt. Lou Albano comes out. He wants to know if they accept his challenge from last week. They laugh it off and say they accept, so Lou goes back to get his team. He brings out the Headshrinkers. The Quebecers have second thoughts and Polo tries to back out, but already accepted and is stuck.
Next Monday, a WrestleMania rematch! That’s right, Adam Bomb vs. Earthquake.
1-2-3 Kid vs. Black Phantom
I’ve found out that the Black Phantom is Gangrel. These two would have a PPV match about five years later. Phantom tosses Kid around early but he uses that quick offense to swing the momentum in his favor. Cornette does a good job in mentioning that Kid wins with his speed and risks, but it is also how he loses. He wins here with a moonsault.
Winner: 1-2-3 Kid in 2:24
Why did this get the least time of all of the squashes? They were actually two capable workers. ½*
Crush w/ Mr. Fuji vs. Ray Hudson
Nikolai Volkoff is at ringside again and Vince points out that he’s wearing the same suit. They’re trying to say he’s broke, but it could be because of the long black of tapings. Crush plods through his offense and stalls a bit before winning.
Winner: Crush in 3:22
Again, who keeps giving guys like Crush time? He always sucks. Literally always. ¼*
Overall: 2.5/10. Another bad episode of Raw coming out of WrestleMania. It’s as if they aren’t trying at all. I know that the next PPV isn’t for another few months but there should still be some sort of effort on these episodes.
Raw History
Episode #57
April 4th, 1994 | Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York
The show starts with Adam Bomb and Earthquake arguing backstage. Vince McMahon and Gorilla Monsoon are our hosts and they are CLEARLY standing in front of a green screen.
Adam Bomb w/ Harvey Wippleman vs. Earthquake
These two met at WrestleMania. Instead of putting over the new, big guy with some potential, Earthquake won. As Adam Bomb works over Earthquake, it leads to Harvey Wippleman and Howard Finkel getting in each other’s faces. Oh goodness, their feud is coming. Bomb hits a flying clothesline for two. Earthquake actually hits a solid belly to belly suplex. He then wins with the ass splash.
Winner: Earthquake in 4:18
That was slow, boring and had the added awfulness of the ringside antics between Harvey and Fink. Also, the wrong guy won again. ¼*
A recap is shown of Lex Luger coming up short again at WrestleMania when he lost via disqualification. Luger is going to take it out on Mr. Perfect.
Gorilla Monsoon brings out Mr. Perfect for an interview about the outcome of the match at WrestleMania. He says his side of the story, which is the right one. Yes, Luger had Yokozuna beaten but Perfect had to get rid of the interfering managers. Then, Luger pushed him and was rightfully disqualified. Monsoon thinks he had a vendetta against Luger and it ends there.
Razor Ramon vs. Austin Steele
Looking at these two guys, it’s pretty clear how this is going to work. Razor Ramon dominates, slapping the pudgy Austin Steele around. The biggest news comes from commentary. First, Vince tells us that Razor will be defending the belt against Diesel soon. Then, he tells us that Men on a Mission won the Tag Titles on a house show, only to drop them back to the Quebecers two nights later. Razor does his usual stuff and wins with the Razor’s Edge.
Winner: Razor Ramon in 3:43
Standard Razor Ramon squash match. ¾*
A recap is shown of the Headshrinkers and Lou Albano looking for a Tag Team Title shot. Jack Tunney is looking into it and while he does that, next week, the Quebecers are defending the belts. Against who? The fans choose between the Smoking Guns, Men on a Mission and the Bushwhackers. YOU CAN VOTE FOR JUST $1.49 PER MINUTE!
IRS, Jeff Jarrett, Rick Martel & the Headshrinkers w/ Afa vs. 1-2-3 Kid, Thurman Plugg, Tatanka and the Smoking Gunns
This is the match that was cut from WrestleMania. Also, didn’t the Headshrinkers turn face last week? Everyone seems to be motivated as they work at a quick pace. Maybe they’re trying to show that they belonged on WrestleMania. IRS gets tagged and thankfully isn’t on offense, so not even he can slow things down. It’s a lot of fun seeing everyone fly around the ring, especially the Kid. Things break down into a major brawl with everyone fighting everyone. IRS steals a pin after 1-2-3 Kid misses a splash.
Winners: IRS, Jeff Jarrett, Rick Martel and the Headshrinkers in 11:47
Hey, that was actually pretty fun. That would have been better to have on Mania than Adam Bomb/Earthquake or 11 minutes of Luger/Yokozuna. **¾
Shawn Michaels and Diesel bring us the first ever HEARTBREAK HOTEL! After putting himself and the idea of this talk show over, Shawn turns the attention to Razor Ramon and the fact that Diesel is going to challenge Razor for the IC Title.
Yokozuna w/ Mr. Fuji vs. Scott Powers
Gorilla Monsoon tries to blame Yokozuna falling at WrestleMania on slippery ropes. Yokozuna dominates and wins with the Banzai Drop.
Winner: Yokozuna in 2:26
All Yokozuna. ½*
Overall: 3.5/10. The best episode of a bad bunch. We finally get some forward movement with the Diesel/Razor stuff and the six man tag match was a fun match. Nothing else was particularly good, but it was a step in the right direction after two piss poor weeks. |
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