Sunday, October 30, 2005

WWE Smackdown! – 10/07/05

1. Orlando Jordan vs. Booker T – 5
2. Slyvan vs. Hardcore Holly – 3
3. L.O.D. vs. Paul Burchill and William Regal – 3
4. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper vs. Randy Orton and “Cowboy” Bob Orton - Handicap Match – 4
5. Bobby Lashley vs. Eddie Craven – 2
6. Eddy Guerrero, J.B.L., and Christian vs. Rey Mysertio, Chris Benoit, and Batista – 5

A show blemished by terrible writing, this was yet another bland installment of Smackdown!. It was fun seeing Piper on TV, while simultaneously very difficult to watch. I personally like mid-card feuds, like Slyvan and Holly, think back to the early-90’s, on pay-per-view events there’d be 10+ matches per show, and mid-card talent would be involved in programs, too. Let’s see more of that, Vince! You piece of shit. No, I mean seriously… less divas and more dropkicks.

Thursday, October 27, 2005

TNA Bound for Glory '05

1. Alex Shelley vs. Roderick Strong vs. Austin Aries vs. Sonjay Dutt - 7
2. Jushin "Thunder" Liger vs. Samoa Joe - 6
3. The Diamonds in the Rough vs. Apolo, Sonny Siaki, and Sharkboy - 4
4. Lance Hoyt vs. "The Alpha Male" Monty Brown - 5
5. Team Canada vs. 3 Live Kru - 3
6. Petey Williams vs. Matt Bentley vs. Chris Sabin - Ultimate X Match - 5
7. America's Most Wanted vs. The Naturals - 5
8. Abyss vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Rhino vs. Sabu - Monster's Ball 2 - 8
9. Christopher Daniels vs. AJ Styles - Ironman Match - 8
10. 10 Man Gauntlet Match - Sabu, Jeff Hardy, Abyss, Rhino, Kip James, Samoa Joe, Ron "The Truth" Killings, Lance Hoyt, AJ Styles, and Monty Brown - 5
11. Rhino vs. Jeff Jarrett - 5

Proclaimed to be T.N.A.’s equivalent to WrestleMania, by those standards, T.N.A. fell flat. Don’t get me wrong; there was a lot to like about this show, but it wasn’t their biggest pay-per-view, in fact, their last two pay-per-view outings were vastly superior overall.

The four-way dance, featuring three Ring of Honor mainstays, was exceptional. It was actually aired for free, on the pre-show, and they delivered a fantastic match, with a fast-pace and lots of phenomenal work. The actual show opened up with the international match of Liger versus Joe, unfortunately, not only did we have difficulty seeing the initial airing, but also we even completely missed the replay of the show due to cable difficulties. I only saw the last three minutes of the bout, but it looked uniformly solid, albeit, Liger looked a little slow in his old age. The six-man tag match was mostly forgettable, save the sequence where absolutely everybody did huge dives to the floor. Hoyt versus Brown was surprisingly entertaining, as the crowd was really into it, but it wasn’t anything too special.

The Ultimate X match… wow, what a freaking disaster! If you haven’t read, they had a big “X” hanging up, as opposed to a title belt, and to win the match you had to procure it. Well, the X dropped without anyone being near it, so they had the crew guys put it back up while the wrestlers just watched dumbfounded. Then, mere moments later, it fell again, and Williams nonchalantly caught it in the biggest televised botched ending in years. The wrestlers were visually very upset afterwards, which is understandable yet unprofessional, as it’s exposing the businesses.

A.M.W. and Naturals had a decent tag match that was mostly brawling; they’ve had so many better matches together, though, that it made it less forgivable. Monster’s Ball 2 stole the show, honestly. Yes, it was a hardcore match, so it wasn’t a masterpiece; but it was damn fun to watch. Sabu was nuts, and Hardy did perhaps the sickest swanton bomb he’s ever attempted in a breathtaking spot where he went off the set on the ramp (15+ foot) to the floor on Abyss through two tables. The crowd was exhausted, but Daniels and Styles still put together a brilliant match that’s comparable to their first T.N.A. Ironman match a couple months prior. Styles took a few nasty bumps that seemed to legit effect his work, and scored the only pin in the match at 29:58.

Since Kevin Nash didn’t show up for his main event match, they threw together a 10-man battle royal. It started off entertaining, but most of the guys were gassed, and it started to get pretty awful near the end. Rhino won, and then wrestled Jarrett, in a short match where Jarrett proceeded to beat Rhino up for 6 minutes, hit him with a guitar, but then get hit with a surprise gore (Rhino’s tackle) and lose the belt in an unexpected finale to a borderline-average show.

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

WWE Raw – 09/26/05

1. Trish Stratus vs. Victoria – 3
2. Big Show vs. Snitsky – Street Fight – 5
3. Shelton Benjamin vs. Kerwin White – 4
4. Viscera and Val Venis vs. Trevor Murdoch and Lance Cade – 4
5. Eugene vs. Rob Conway – 3
6. Carlito and Chris Masters vs. Shawn Michaels and John Cena – Table Match – 6

The street fight was fun in its lameness, but the majority of this show lacked any matches that thoroughly told a story. This was a lot of interference and muddled endings. The main event was chaotic, there were a lot of punches that weren’t sold and mistakes made, but it definitely had the right energy. Michaels bump off the top buckle to the table outside the ring looked nasty.

WWF World Tour 1992 Video


Lord Alfred Hayes opens the tape in front of Big Ben and informs us of what’s in store for us for the next few hours. He checks back at Big Ben and informs us that it’s time for action.

1) The Mountie vs. The Texas Tornado - 3
An insanely terrible match between these two. Mountie does the usual heel tactics with stalling and such. Unfortunately, we don’t get to hear his signature “IYAMMDAMOUNNNTIEEE” scream. Tornado was nearing the end of his somewhat successful WWF run and would disappear shortly after the 1992 Royal Rumble. Mountie hung around for a bit longer. Slow paced match and Mountie wins with his feet on the ropes.

Al and Bobby are in the Queen’s Box of the Royal Albert Hall. Bobby mentions that he needs to use the throne. Funny segment.

We move into a profile of the British Bulldog, who happens to be one of my all time favorites. The ending of a battle royal is shown with Typhoon, Mountie, and Bulldog in the ring. Looked to be a pretty good match but they only showed the end. Anyway, Bulldog wins by eliminating Typhoon. Alfred then sits down with the Bulldog and his parents. They yack about how he ate steak and milkshakes to get as big as he is. Dear God, I hate these segments! By the way, you don’t get muscle mass from eating those foods, you get fat from eating those foods! I guess they figured that the people watching wouldn’t be smart enough to figure that out.

2) The British Bulldog vs. Irwin R. Schyster - 5
Suprisingly good match. Usual quality performance from both competitors here with lots of near falls. The crowd was seriously behind the Bulldog, being that the match was in Europe and was hot for the entire match.

Another mind polluting segment with Al and the Bulldog. This time they are at a school where they claim the Bulldog attended as a child. Yeah, whatever … next!

3) The British Bulldog vs. Earthquake - 2
Well, that wasn’t worth much. Bulldog comes out with Andre who at this point in time could barely stand let alone walk without a crutch. Bulldog wins after Andre whacks Quake in the back.

We return to Lord Alfred who is in front of Buckingham Palace and informs us that we are now going to visit El Matador at home. Dammit! Does anyone else get the sensation that I’m getting very frustrated with this tape so far?

El Matador yacks about family history and gets edited into a bullfight. Who cares!!! Corny? Yes. Worthwhile? No. Let’s move along.

4) Rowdy Roddy Piper vs. The Barbarian - 3
At least they kept it short and sweet. Not much to see here and the standard outing from these two. Piper sold Barbarian’s moves like a car dealer.

Next, we are graced with a battle royal that is joined in progress. Clipped matches don’t get shit in my book but they do warrant a brief once over. Ten guys are in the ring when we join the bout. Who were they? I’m glad you asked because I have no idea. Eventually, we get down to Bulldog, Slaughter, Mountie, and … Jerry Saggs? Anyway, Bulldog wins again by eliminating The Mountie. It seems to me that this has become a Bulldog love fest.

5) Bret Hart vs. Rick Martel - 5
Very solid match here as Bret and Martel show that technical wrestling is not dead. Even though it’s the standard fare from both men, it’s probably the best match presented thus far on this video. Martel proves that he belongs in the IC title ranks and doesn’t need a stupid male model gimmick to get him there. Good effort.

6) Randy “Macho Man” Savage vs. Shawn Michaels - 4
Michaels comes out with Sherri and you can automatically assume that she’ll be involved. Some nice spots start off and get the crowd into it. Savage is selling a knee injury here and is actually guilty of overselling it at some points. Michaels works the knee for pretty much the whole match. Sherri interferes quite a bit and that really brought down the rating on this one. Overall, not a bad showing from either person here.

Lord Alfred leaves us with some parting thoughts by the Thames River.

Unlike most of these tapes, which contain terrible matches, this one was actually quite good. Three solid outings, especially Hart vs. Martel, make this a watchable tape. However, it’s still filled with the lame segments about superstar backgrounds and all this other garbage. Hart vs. Martel was really good but doesn’t warrant any special recognition nor does it help with the overall product. Not recommended.

Thursday, October 20, 2005

WWE Velocity – 04/03/05

1. Paul London vs. Brian Kendrick – 6
2. Hardcore Holly vs. Steve Madison – 3
3. Doug Basham vs. Michael Patrick – 2
4. Super Crazy vs. Nunzio – 5

It was nice to see Kendrick back on American TV, and he had a nice match with London, although given more time and opportunity, they could have a real amazing bout. The mid-portion of the show was two forgettable squashes. Michael Patrick is the palest wrestler I’ve seen in a decade. Crazy and Nunzio had an enjoyable little match, marred by interference.

WWE Smackdown! – 09/23/05

1. Booker T vs. Christian – 6
2. Animal and Heidenreich vs. two jobbers – 2
3. Slyvan vs. Hardcore Holly – 4
4. Mr. Kennedy vs. Rey Mysterio – 5
5. Simon Dean vs. Bobby Lashley – 3
6. Chris Benoit vs. Orlando Jordan – 1
7. Batista and Eddy Guerrero vs. M.N.M. – 4

WWE Monday Night Raw - 10/3/05


We get a very nice video package profiling the history of Raw and move right into the intros. JR, The King, and The Coach are live from Dallas. Piper’s Pit is up first!

Piper’s Pit
Foley introduces Piper. They go back and forth about how each person is sick minded. Piper plugs Foley’s new book Scooter. The Ortons crash the party as Randy insults Piper. A brawl ensues in which Randy gives the RKO to both Piper and Foley. Please tell me they’re not seriously considering an in-ring return for Piper. Not much to see here as it was merely set up to get Randy Orton even more over as the “legend killer” and to let the fans think that he’s actually going to beat The Undertaker in a casket match. Yeah, right.

1) 30-Minute Iron Man Match: Shawn Michaels vs Kurt Angle - 6
These two have battled each other on and off throughout this year. Their match at WrestleMania was timeless and from what I’ve heard, their match at Vengeance pretty much tore the house down. JR kept touting that the winner of this one would be the #1 contender for the WWE Title. Since the match ended in a draw, does that mean that Angle, Michaels, and Cena will battle in a triple threat? That would be awesome! Not as good as their previous encounters but still a quality match nonetheless. They wrestle back and forth and seem to pretty much know each other move for move and hold for hold. Here’s an idea. Give these two an hour and throw it on pay-per-view. That’ll get some buyrates from those of us who tune in to wrestling to see … um, well … wrestling!

Kevin Von Erich is introduced to the crowd to a tremendous ovation. It should be noted that the guy looks in great shape and could wrestle a match at anytime.

Vinnie Mac comes to the ring doing his signature strut and JR wonders if he walks to the can like that. Vinnie shows us some footage where he one-upped Austin. Austin comes out and shows footage where he got the best of McMahon. Vince tries to leave and is stunned by Austin. Shane-O-Mac comes out and is stunned. Same thing happens with Linda and Stephanie. Wow, that was a lame segment that did nothing but hurt the show. It ran really long and was really bad to watch.

2) Loser Leaves Raw Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Edge v. Matt Hardy - 4
I swear that the only reason the creative team gives Edge and Lita screen time is so that they can make out. Hardy has really been stuck in a rut since he came back to WWE and since creative botched the feud with Edge, you gotta wonder how they’re going to bury him even more. The whole concept behind this that the loser leaves Raw. Guess what? That means that the loser will wind up on SmackDown, even the dumbest wrestling fan could figure that one out. Standard Edge/Hardy match here. The ladder didn’t really come into play at all and there were very few cool spots. Being that I’m a sucker for a good ladder match, I’m being generous here. But even generosity can’t save this one. The finish was really terrible as Hardy was wrapped in the ropes and Lita wrapped herself around his arms to keep him from getting free. Can you say lame? Very good, now let’s move on.

Trish tests Ashley’s attire to make sure it’s rip-proof for the Bra and Panties Match. Mae Young walks in bearing one of the leading causes of ticket refunds in the country while mentioning bras and panties. Moolah stops it and shoves her out of the locker room and right in front of Ted DiBiase, Jimmy Snuka, and Hacksaw Duggan. DiBiase offers Mae money to put her shirt back on. Jimmy steals the money and tells DiBiase that he’ll pay him back and chases after Mae. Funny stuff.

3) Triple H & Ric Flair vs. Chris Masters & Carlito - 4
This one was pretty much your standard TV tag match. Not too much to describe in this one as HHH and Flair pretty much school Masters and Carlito. Carlito has a lot of potential and could be big player in the future. Masters, however, as impressive as he looks, moves about like a wall and wrestles pretty much the same way. HHH turns on Flair after the match by hitting him with the sledgehammer. A HHH vs. Flair feud over the IC Title could really help re-establish its credibility and breathe new life into a long suffering division.

Dusty Rhodes and the legends hold court in the ring. Rob Conway comes out to interrupt the proceedings and promptly gets his ass handed to him by Race, Rhodes, Von Erich, and Snuka, who even graces us with a Superfly Splash. The legends celebrate as Conway bails.

4) Handicap Bra and Panties Match: Trish Stratus & Ashley vs. Torrie Wilson, Victoria, & Candice - 1
Oh come on! Do I have to rate this one? This was a pretty pointless match with a pretty pointless outcome and only two good workers out of the five. And they made one of those look like crap. Basic filler right here. Is there even a point to this feud because if there is, then I’m sure as hell not seeing it.

John Bradshaw Layfield, Eddie Guerrero, & Christian fought Chris Benoit, Rey Mysterio, & Batista to a no contest when Bischoff stopped the match immediately after it started and turns the lights out on it. No rating on this one because nothing really happened. This one doesn’t even qualify as a match.

Mean Gene introduces Hulk Hogan who spews his usual mind-numbing crap about how he beat Andre at WrestleMania III, how he fought The Rock at WrestleMania X-8, and how he beat Shawn Michaels. He challenges Stone Cold and proceeds to pose. Spare me. I don’t give a rat’s ass about Hogan anymore and hate that he’s still hogging the spotlight 20 years later!

6) No Disqualification Match: John Cena vs. Eric Bischoff - 1
Bischoff changed it to a No DQ match after McMahon left the arena. This was laden with interference by Angle and did nothing to help the show’s cause because the whole thing pretty much sucked. Cena wins in brief fashion after Angle whacked himself in the head with a chair. We get a Raw vs. SmackDown free-for-all in the ring following the match to set up a feud between the two shows.

After promoting the crap out of this show, you’d think that WWE would deliver a quality program to really set the standard on USA Network. Well, you thought wrong. This was your typical Raw with the typical matches. The only really big thing to come out of this was HHH’s return and the beginning of the Flair/HHH rivalry as well as to further the Cena/Angle feud as well. I should’ve taped the UFC show instead.

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

WWE Raw – 09/19/05

1. Torrie Wilson vs. Trish Stratus – 2
2. Trevor Murdoch vs. Hurricane – 5
3. Tyson Tomko vs. Eddie Craven – 2
4. Carlito vs. Ric Flair – 6
5. Big Show, Shawn Michaels, Matt Hardy, and John Cena vs. Chris Masters, Edge, Snitsky, and Kurt Angle – 5

Fortunately for you I don’t remember much about this particular episode of Raw, besides it was on of the last ones aired on Spike TV. Call me crazy but I’m kind of digging Murdoch, and I liked what he and Hurricane did. Flair and Carlito stole the show, and Flair got legit banged up pretty badly. The main event was fun, but on the other hand also entirely forgettable. Go rent Waking Life.

Monday, October 17, 2005

TNA Impact – 10/01/05

1. Roderick Strong vs. AJ Styles – 6
2. Monty Brown vs. Lex Lovett – 3
3. Alex Shelly vs. Chris Sabin vs. Petey Williams – 7
4. Rhino vs. Jeff Hardy – 5

This was T.N.A.’s first episode on Spike TV and was a very fun show. The opener was flashy and strong, followed be a requisite Monty Brown squash. The three-way match was awesome, these guys busted out a lot of reversals and killer moves. All three of these guys are extremely talented. The main event was pretty average, and afterwards mayhem ensured with Jeff Jarrett, A.M.W., Team 3-D, and Kevin Nash getting involved.

TNA Impact - 10/8/05



1) 3 Live Kru vs. Eric Young, Bobby Roode, & A-1 - 3
The Kru has run its course in my opinion and I think it’s time for these men to go their separate ways. Killings could be a top contender to either the X-Division or NWA World Title because of his uncanny athletic ability. B.G. James could tag with Kip James and Konnan could … well he could just disappear and it wouldn’t bother me any. As for the match, it sucked.


2) Christopher Daniels vs. Austin Aries vs. Matt Bentley - 4
Not as good as the three way the previous week but a solid showcase to put over Daniels for the Ironman Match at Bound for Glory. This was the first time that I saw Aries in action and I was quite impressed. Bentley has come a long way but still needs to work on polishing his moves a bit.

3) Abyss def. Sonny Siaki - 2
Abyss pretty much destroyed Siaki. Siaki at one time looked like he was headed for the main event scene but now he’s used pretty much as enhancement talent. TNA could us this guy to be their Rock type superstar because he has the look to be a big player. Abyss is just big anyway and with James Mitchell, known as the Sinister Minister in ECW, he can go a long way.

Mike Tenay is in the ring with Larry Zbyszko who announces that Tito Ortiz will be the special referee for the NWA World Title match at Bound for Glory. Ortiz gets on the mic and spews off something about rules. Ortiz is terrible on the mic and really proves that he has no place in a wrestling ring. Nash and Jarrett come down and a brawl ensues.

Shane Douglas is with Christopher Daniels who pretty much says that he’s the king of the X Division. He challenges A.J. to find three guys to face him in an Ironman challenge next week. A.J. accepts and proclaims that he knows exactly who he’s going to pick. He leaves and Daniels looks worried.

4) Team 3-D vs. America’s Most Wanted - 3
This one was dubbed a “dream match” and it pretty much put me to sleep dreaming of a much better match. Team 3D was still stuck in WWE mode with their moves and it’s probably going to take them a while to get used to the way TNA does things. Gail Kim debuted at the end of this one and the ref DQ’ed AMW. Jarrett couldn’t seem to resist getting involved and nailed Devon with the guitar.

After the satisfactory debut show, I thought this was going to be another good show. Aside from the three way match, this show was pretty lame.

TNA Impact - 10/1/05



1) A.J. Styles vs. Roderick Strong - 5
The fans had voted for A.J. Styles to wrestle in the first match on Impact. Really fast paced match but it felt a little rushed, probably due to the TV time constraints. We get the normal fare from Styles and Strong shows some hints of offense but it’s too little, too late as Styles finishes him off with the Clash.

Shane Douglas is backstage with Monty Brown who graces us with one of the worst promos in the history of wrestling.

2) Monty Brown vs. Lex Lovett - 1
Total squash. Lovett gets no offense in whatsoever and TNA tries to build Brown up as a top contender. The problem with that is because after tagging with Kip James for the past few months, Brown is so far away from the title scene, he’d need to buy a plane ticket just to get there.

3) Chris Sabin vs. Petey Williams vs. Alex Shelley - 5
The insanely long commercial break killed any momentum this match had. Standard X Division fare in this one. Like the opening match, it was really fast paced and looked like the wrestlers were moving on fast forward. Williams has one of the all-time best finishers and hits it on Sabin after the match.

4) Jeff Hardy vs. Rhino - 3
Hardy and Rhino looked sloppy as hell in this one and the interference by Abyss and Sabu didn’t help matters any. TNA used this to hype the Monster’s Ball Match at the upcoming Bound for Glory pay-per-view, which is basically a four way No DQ match.

Jarrett and AMW are in the ring. Jarrett gloats about how he knew he would have the title when TNA hit Spike TV. Team Canada coach Scott D’Amore comes out to tell everyone that he was the one who set up the title match in Canada where Jarrett won the belt back. Kevin Nash comes out and challenges Jarrett for the NWA Title at Bound for Glory. Jarrett accepts and Nash is beat down in the ring until Team 3D makes the save. Good show. Let's see where it goes from here.

Friday, October 14, 2005

WWE Heat 08/28/05

1 Antonio v. Val Venis- good work, Val is one of the best on RAW brand, short but had a uniqe finish- 4

2 Matt Striker v. Russel Simpson- Striker seems like an unusual character and that means in WWE, you won't last long, odd match that had a few neat things in it- 3

3 Hurricane v. Johnny Parisi- wasn't much substance, not one punch was thrown- 1

4 Tyson Tomko v. ?- dumbest gimmick ever, the jobber dropped his contacts and got kicked in the back of the head- 0

5 Tajiri v. Kerwin White- without all the gimmick garbage, this worked, of course trying to mire through all the gimmick garbage would take several years; a polo shirt and a wooden hanger were involved, need I say more- 3

WWE Great American Bash 2005


1) Road Warrior Animal & Heidenreich vs. MNM - 3
First off, Heidenreich is not Hawk and never will be Hawk, so why must the Animal & Heidenreich be called L.O.D.? Personally, I think it’s blasphemy of the good name of the Legion of Doom. That being said, MNM is a great team with loads of potential so why did they do the title switch? That’s another reason the tag division is in such disarray, the titles switch every three months or so. Animal pins Mercury after the Doomsday Device for the win. I was shocked that they did a title switch here because I thought that MNM was starting to get momentum. While Heidenreich has drastically improved in the ring, I just don’t see the logic behind this title switch.

Steve Romero is backstage with Eddie Guerrero who was a new stipulation for tonight’s match. In so many words, he says that Dominic will be at ringside. Yeah, whatever. I hate this storyline! It would be something if the story was good and the matches were good enough to back it up. Unfortunately for us, that’s not the case and we will be force fed this garbage for the forseeable future.

2) Booker T vs. Christian - 3
There wasn’t really much story going into this one except for the fact that Booker wanted to avenge his loss to Christian on SmackDown. Oh yeah, Booker’s wife, Sharmell, is now accompanying him to ringside. If that’s an effort to freshen his character, it’s not working. These two are capable of way better. It seemed like the whole match was on slow motion. Clearly, they were not putting forth a full effort.

3) Orlando Jordan vs. Chris Benoit - 5
Why give someone a title if you have no plans for them? I think at one time there was a plan for Jordan but once JBL’s cabinet went by the wayside, there wasn’t anywhere for him. This presented a problem since he had the U.S. Title. Another problem is that Jordan has had roughly zero ring exposure so no one knows what to expect. Fortunatley, Benoit is one of those workers who could have a good match with a broom. He carries Jordan to a semi-decent match and helps the meaning of the belt in the process. Probably the best match of the night so far. Benoit hits all of his signatures and Jordan shows a glimmer of the skills that he has. Personally, I think Jordan could be a big deal, just like Shelton Benjamin is on Raw.

4) The Undertaker vs. Muhammad Hassan - 3
Hassan’s character had been banned from television two weeks before this event so that led to very little build-up. Hassan has his mercenaries with him and they surround the ring. Was this turned into a lumberjack match at the last minute? Whatever. Tons of interference from the dudes around the ring (yes, this includes Hassan’s lackey, Daivari). Taker finally pins Hassan to end the misery. Afterwards, Taker brawls with all the mercenaries, tombstones Daivari, and throws Hassan through the stage, thus killing off the character. No pun intended. Crowd wasn’t really into it and only cheered when Taker scored on offense. Since Taker won, I guess he’s the #1 contender for the World Heavyweight Title. As if anyone really cares at this point. By the way, so far this show is only 1 for 4 in the good match department. Hopefully, the second half will make everything balance out.

Paramedics load Hassan onto the gurney and it’s time for a six-man tag …

5) The Mexicools vs. The B.W.O. - 3
This is your standard filler match right here, brother. Mexicools come out on Juan Deere’s and b.W.o. comes out on blue big wheels. Funny stuff. You know what’s sad? That was pretty much the highlight of this one. It was good to see the b.W.o. on pay-per-view. Not so nice to see them job. Next!!

6) Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero - 4
As I said before, I hate this friggin storyline! With that said, logic would say that these two could have a classic match, as was evident at WCW Halloween Havoc 1997, right? Obviously, Vince doesn’t think like you and me and thinks that cruiserweights need to wrestle like the muscle-driven main eventers. That makes for one hell of a boring cruiserweight match. The match starts off somewhat quick but then Eddie takes control and uses rest holds and stalling and rest holds and stalling. This pattern contines for the whole match! Rey finally scores the pin with a small package. This match totally killed the crowd for the rest of the show. So far, this show has been nothing but a waste of time and money. Well, there’s always the main event to save everything. I’m trying to keep a positive outlook but it’s becoming really difficult.


7) Bra and Panties Match (Special ref: Candice Michelle): Melina vs. Torrie Wilson - 0
They claw, they kick, and they strip. This one gets the big goose egg because absolutely nothing happened. Next.

8) John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Batista (c) - 4
This has been one of the most horrid shows on record but hopefully these two can put together a strong showing to save the show. Instead we get pretty much the same thing we got in the Guerrero/Mysterio match. Rest holds, stalling, rest holds, stalling. Then, to put the nail in the coffin, we get a ref bump and interference by Orlando Jordan who introduces a chair. Batista drills both OJ and JBL with the chair. The ref sees this and DQs Batista. A crappy match to cap off a crappy show. Need I say more?

This show was definitely not worth the money I paid for it, even on DVD. Aside from the Benoit/Jordan match, the entire show was a total disaster. Nothing of value aside from the write-off of the Hassan character happened. The entire crowd was dead by the main event thanks to the Guerrero/Mysterio match. Hmmm … I wonder if I can go back to the store and get a refund. I feel hosed. Not recommened.

Thursday, October 13, 2005

John Cena – Word Life DVD – Extras

1. John Cena vs. Chris Benoit (Smackdown! 04/17/03) – 6
2. John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar (Backlash 04/27/03) – 7
3. John Cena vs. The Undertaker (Smackdown! 08/07/03) – 6
4. John Cena vs. Eddie Guerrero (Smackdown! 08/28/03) – 6
5. John Cena vs. Kurt Angle (No Mercy 10/19/03) – 7

I got this DVD from the local library and fellow RTW wrestling writer Jessie and I sat down one night to unabashedly watch it. I wasn’t anticipating liking much of it. Although Cena is obviously carried by all of these superior workers, he holds his own and the end result are some strangely likeable matches. I liked the ones against Lesnar and Angle; they were both from pay-per-views, so they were given more time, and were both intense. The match with Undertaker was probably the most unforeseen treat. I didn’t watch the actual DVD, just the extras, but I’d recommend buying it used for these matches alone.

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

W.W.E. Smackdown! – 09/09/05

1. Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio – Cage Match – 6
2. Orlando Jordan vs. Chris Benoit – 1
3. John “Bradshow” Layfield vs. Batista – Bull Rope Match – 5

This was the first-ever Friday night Smackdown! and it was only an hour in length. The opening cage match provided tons of excitement and was a brilliant opener. A note to the bookers, we’re fed up with the 25 second Jordan squash matches… it was cool once, but lost its luster after the fifth time. The main featuring Layfield and Batista, who’ve had some difficulty working together in the past, was made more entertaining with the bull rope gimmick. It was a pretty fun first show.

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

WWE Unforgiven – 09/18/05

1. Ric Flair vs. Carlito – 6
2. Ashley and Trish Stratus vs. Torrie Wilson and Victoria – 5
3. Snitsky vs. Big Show – 4
4. Kerwin White vs. Shelton Benjamin – 4
5. Edge vs. Matt Hardy – Cage Match – 8
6. Rosey and Hurricane vs. Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch – 5
7. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Masters – 6
8. John Cena vs. Kurt Angle – 6

My friends and I weren’t honestly expecting a very memorable pay-per-view when ordering this. We were, however, pleasantly surprised. It was great to see Flair win gold again in the opener, and the following woman’s tag match surprisingly wasn’t that bad. The next two bouts were pretty standard. The cage match stole the show, though; with the highlight being Edge bleeding profusely and Hardy dropping a leg drop from the top of the cage in a career highlight spot. The Michaels versus Masters match contained some pretty good stuff, and the main event would have scored higher, had it not been ruined by a horrible DQ finish.

Monday, October 10, 2005

WWE Heat 07/31/05

1 Rob "Con"Way v. Rosey- These two look like total buffoons, well, you can add Stacy Keibler to that list, Conway attempted an elbow off the apron, bad, has he ever seen Foley do it? If he had, he should have just walked to the back after his attempt, Rosey looks like a fat Blankman, everything in this is half-assed- 2

2 Johnny Parisi v. Matt Machesney- this jobber is wet beyond the ears, I see water dripping to the mat, Parisi's head size dominates everything I can see in the ring, looks like a training school drill, basic bumps, the finish was a DDT from one knee, Huh?- 1

3 Rene Dupree v. Hurricane- Dupree looks like Ming from Flash Gordon, he landed some stiff strikes, less than a minute in and he locks on a chinlock, looks more like a sleeping bear laying on a fresh kill, Dupree tributes Bulldog and falls on his neck in the corner, he had less mobility than Bulldog does right now, Hurricane sold big for the finish, but this match had no sizzle- 2

Random Matches
1 Wrestlemania 21 Battle Royal- no memorable eliminations and it looked more like a Road Rules/ Real World Challenge with those t-shirts on, pretty poor- 2

Sunday, October 9, 2005

Brock Lesnar – Here Comes the Pain DVD – Extras

1. Brock Lesnar vs. Hulk Hogan (Smackdown! 08/06/02) – 6
2. Brock Lesnar vs. Big Show (Smackdown! 06/12/03) – 4

Both of these are from the Brock DVD, which also included a handful of other misc. matches. The Hogan one is memorable in that Brock essentially beat Hogan with a bearhug. Outside of that historical moment, Hogan’s punches looked weaker than our nation’s economy and he should have been in bed. The match with Big Show stunk, too, and was memorable only for the finish where they did a superplex from the buckles that “broke” the entire ring forcing it to collapse. Hooray for sports entertainment.

ECW Anarchy Rulz 1999


Joey and Cyrus are in the ring. Cyrus says they’ll have some “intellectual intercourse”. That’s probably one of the greatest lines ever.

1) Lance Storm vs. Jerry Lynn - 7
You want great scientific wrestling? Look no further than this match. This match has it all, high-flying, mat wrestling, and a little brawling. This was a great way to kick off a pay-per-view event. Lynn sells the bruised ribs tremendously and Lance Storm demonstrates his athleticism. I think this match ran long, however, because Storm won it with a three-quarter stack, for all you amateur wrestlers out there. It set the trend for the entire show. An amazing match between two amazing techinical wrestlers who were severely under-utilized by the other organizations. Actually to be fair, Storm got a decent push but Lynn got nothing but the shit stick.

2) Simon Diamond & Tony DeVito vs. Chris Chetti & Nova - 1
Not much to say here. Somewhere in this foray was a match that involved Simon Diamond and DeVito vs. Chetti and Nova. Chetti hurts his knee when he slips on DeVito’s t-shirt while trying a running moonsault. DeVito totally botches a urinache. Roadkill, Doring and a whole host of others come in and start fighting each other. New Jack comes in and cleans house with his weapons. Was this even actually a match? Or was it just some lame-ass segment. For some reason, I find joy when New Jack just beats the living crap out of people even though he can’t actually wrestle worth a shit.

3) Three Way Dance: Yoshihiro Tajiri vs. Little Guido vs. Super Crazy - 6
Even though this match has been done to death, it’s still fun to watch because it highlighted the three best cruiserweights in ECW at the time. Everything meshes really well here and it provides a welcome change from the previous … um … thing. As you can tell, this was elimination style, which was a trademark in ECW three-ways. This was simply the best cruiserweight action you could find … anywhere. Great ring action and insane high-flying moves. Once again, a great match by three guys who were turned into nothing but glorified crap by WWE.

4) Justin Credible vs. Sabu - 5
A great hardcore brawl between these two guys. Insane spots such as Justin Credible going backwards through a table highlight the match. This match is laden with interference by Jason Knight, who was more of a manager than a wrestler. In was is viewed as a major upset, Credible defeated Sabu with his version of the Tombstone piledriver. Not quite as scientific as the opener and the three-way but a pretty good match for what it’s worth. Justin Credible was another guy who was turned into crap by WWE. Some of you may be noticing a trend here.

5) Taz vs. Masato Tanaka vs. Mike Awesome - 6
They promoted this match as Tanaka vs. Taz, however, Taz spotted Awesome in the crowd and invited him into the match. It was a nice touch and added to the match when Awesome won because Styles cried foul because he wasn’t advertised. Anyway, this was Taz’s swan song in ECW. Everyone knew he was going to sign with the WWF but the problem was he was the ECW World champion. He did the gracious thing and bowed out of the match first to let Awesome and Tanaka kill each other over the title (completely the opposite of what Awesome did in April 2000 by jumping to WCW while still holding the ECW Title, that’s a different story though). Hardcore mayhem ensued and Awesome was crowned victorious and the new champ. Taz’s rant before the match even starts is great stuff. The touch where Awesome comes in, unadvertised, and wins the belt was good too. For the record, Awesome vs. Tanaka is pure hardcore bliss and they would have a pretty brutal match at November to Remember 99.

6) Tommy Dreamer & Raven vs. Steve Corino & Jack Victory - 1
This started as Dreamer vs. Rhino and broke down into Corino and Victory vs. Dreamer & Raven. There wasn’t much to this one so there is no sense to go into great detail. Like I said, not much to it. Just a bunch of something happening that was supposedly a tag match. Kinda like earlier.

Axl Rotten comes out and talks smack about Mike Awesome and challenges him to a match. Lance Storm reappears and they fight. Another brawl ensues with a number of wrestlers including Jhonny Smith (no, that’s not a typo), Balls Mahoney, Spike Dudley, and others. The ring gets cleared and Axl calls for Rob Van Dam to fight Balls Mahoney. So we end up with …

7) Rob Van Dam vs. Balls Mahoney - 5
This was advertised as Rob Van Dam vs. Jhonny Smith but with Smith involved in the pre-match melee, we wind up with RVD vs. Balls Mahoney. It turns into a pretty decent match with RVD carrying most of the load since Balls isn’t that great of a worker. This marks the second pay-per-view in a row that RVD has main-evented. He sells the chair shots like crazy and gains the victory with the Five-Star Frogsplash. RVD continued to be ECW’s main draw until they went out of business in early 2001. Pretty standard match but for RVD fans it’s worth viewing

The two tag matches were nothing but garbage and brought down the show but most everything else is worth watching, especially the World Title match and Lynn/Storm. Recommended.

Saturday, October 8, 2005

WWE Global Warning Tour – Melbourne – 08/10/02

1. Rikishi vs. Rico – Kiss My Ass Match – 2
2. Jamie Noble vs. Hurricane – 5
3. Lance Storm and Christian vs. Billy Kidman and Rey Mysterio – 5
4. Chris Jericho vs. Edge – 6
5. Stacy Keibler vs. Torrie Wilson – Bra and Panties Match – 3
6. Brock Lesner vs. The Rock vs. Triple H – 6

The foreign show isn’t a pay-per-view quality spectacle; it’s more akin to your typical TV fare. The main event was interesting, if not just for the array of talent involved. Most of the show was bland, though, albeit a hot Australian crowd. Edge and Jericho received the award for having the best wrestling match of the night, in an enjoyable encounter that I’d recommend viewing.

Friday, October 7, 2005

WWE Raw – 08/29/05

1. Big Show vs. Steve Madison and Buck Quartermane – Handicap Match – 3
2. Victoria vs. Ashley – 3
3. Edge vs. Matt Hardy – Street Fight – 5
4. Tyson Tomko vs. Rosey – 4
5. Chris Masters and Carlito vs. Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair – 6

I was awfully giving when rating this particular show. The opening squash was uninspired. The woman’s match deserved a lesser grade, but I find enjoyment in watching an untrained “diva” so obviously struggle. The street fight was okay, but the finish was a total joke. Matt executing a move on Edge off of the ramp onto a padded and protected set, but sold by the announcer’s as a deadly spot, even going as far as having the wrestlers visibly crying and carried off on stretchers. Tomko squashing Rosey was poor, but Tyson’s brutal big boot was a pleasing enough finish to grant its rank. The main event, essentially a handicap match, with Flair not showing up until the very end, was entertaining given the circumstances. Michaels played the role of the face in peril well, and the young guys didn’t look like total greenhorns.

WWE Raw - 09/12/05

1. Edge vs. Big Show – 1
2. Edge and Snitsky vs. Big Show and Matt Hardy – 4
3. Kerin White vs. Shelton Benjamin – 5
4. Ric Flair vs. Chris Masters – 6
5. Tajiri and Eugene vs. Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch – 5
6. Kurt Angle and Tyson Tomko vs. John Cena – Handicap Match – 5

When a sixty year-old man (Flair) is having the best match on your big TV show, the young guys need to take that as a hint to step-up their game and deliver.

WWE Raw – 09/05/05

1. Eugene vs. Kurt Angle – 5
2. Heartthrobs vs. Viscera and Val Venis – 5
3. Matt Hardy vs. Snitsky – 3
4. John Cena vs. Tyson Tomko – 5
5. Torrie Wilson vs. Ashley – 1
6. Shelton Benjamin vs. Rob Conway – 4
7. Rosey and Hurricane vs. Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch – 5

Wednesday, October 5, 2005

WWE Smackdown 9/01/05

1 Heidenreich v. Joey Mercury- these guys looked so Lost they should have been on a tropical island with 41 other passengers and then found a secret quarantined hatch in the ground where a foreign runner lived, waiting for "him" of course if they were that Lost, they'd have better ratings- 2

2 Chris Benoit v. Orlando Jordan- another quick squash, Benoit should do a skit where we see if we can change the channel quicker than he can beat Jordan- 1
3 Christy Hemme v. Stacy Keibler- no match- 0

4 Booker T v. Ken Kennedy- decent action, Kennedy needs a lot of work, but has some enthusiasm, stiff finish- 4

5 Simon Dean v. Batisita- squash, comedy, stiff- 1

6 William Regal/ Paul Burchill v. Funaki/ Scotty 2 Hotty- the Brits had good teamwork, they did some of that nasty British stuff, no, not that stuff, you sick minded readers!- 4

7 Randy Orton v. Rey Mysterio- Orton is going to go far, he can work, Mysterio still lives under his glass ceiling, they had some great spots, but I'm tired of old Orton getting involved, can't anyone retired just sit home and collect checks? They all have to find part time jobs, didn't get to see the end of this one

BPW @ The Butler County Fair - 7/26/05


1) Lotus & Crazy J vs. Carlton Kaz & Fabulous Frederick - 3
I’ve seen Lotus & Crazy J in some good matches, specifically with the HWA, but this was just terrible. Maybe just because it was so blasted hot outside but this match just blew terribly. Couple of blown spots really killed any momentum Lotus and Crazy had going in. What about their opposition? Yeah, they sucked too.

2) Nigel McGuinness vs. Chad Collyer (pinfall) - 4
Better than the previous match but still not what you would call a quality encounter. Some good technical stuff but nothing to write home about. Nigel goes over and Collyer goes home. Next debauchery please!

The ring announcer shamelessly plugs the next BPW event.

3) Mongo def. Mr. Reality Check - 0
Yep, the first ever match I’ve given the big goose egg to. For those of you who haven’t seen this Mongo character (and be glad you haven’t), imagine a really fat, completely untalented guy dressed in dark jungle fatigues with a silly mask. Yep, it sucked. This one made me wish for a thunderstorm to wash this whole thing away.

Intermission time. Shark Boy, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, and other sign autographs as I get a bottle of water and a bag of chips. So far, that’s been the highlight of the show.

4) Matt Stryker vs. Shawn Osborne - 5
By the way, the Matt Stryker involved in this one is not the WWE goof whom I refer to as Matt Martel. Standard fare from Stryker who has a quality work ethic and is always a pleasure to talk with after a show.

5) Koko B. Ware vs. Greg “The Hammer” Valentine - 2
I would’ve liked to seen this one … in 1987!!! Unfortunately, these guys are merely a shell of their former selves as they stumbled through a really terrible match. Koko tells the super small crowd that Frankie, his beloved bird, burnt up in a house fire recently. My group starts a “Frank-ie, Frank-ie” chant.

6) Six Man Elimination Tag Match: Shark Boy, Spyder Nate Webb, & Abyss vs. The Shooting Stars & Cody Hawk - 5
Yes, you read that right, two TNA stars make an appearance here. Shark Boy, who runs this here federation and Abyss, from what I’ve been told once wrestled in this area. Webb, who is pretty much X-Pac with talent, works the crowd during his entrance. The Stars are green as a garden hose in this one so I’m not expecting a lot out of them. Hawk is the BPW Champion and has had some wars with Stryker in the HWA and is one of the best talents this area has to offer. I was able to get down close to the ring following the show and when TNA calls Abyss a monster, that’s no shit. He’s huge! Semi-decent main event. Not great in terms of ring work but good in terms of name value, especially on the face side. Abyss pins Hawk at the end to put himself over as a threat to the BPW Title. All I can say is that thank God this show is over.

Tuesday, October 4, 2005

Best of L.O.D. – Disc #1 extras

1. 06/11/83 – Road Warriors vs. Joe Young & Randy Barber – 2
2. 08/07/83 – Road Warriors vs. Arn Anderson and Paul Jones – 1
3. 08/28/83 – Road Warriors vs. Brisco Brothers – Texas Tornado Match – 4
4. 12/03/83 – Road Warriors vs. Mike Jackson & Stone – 2
5. 08/25/84 – Road Warriors vs. Crusher and Baron Von Raschke – 5

The matches on the first disc of this retrospective are extremely poor quality. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to see this old footage in pristine DVD quality video; and it’s a joy to see some pieces of history and watch legends in-action. But three of these matches are complete squashes, and the two actual matches are fun to check out, but L.O.D. are completely green still at this point.

Sunday, October 2, 2005

WWE Velocity- 07/30/05

Well, it's been a while since I reviewed any wrestling in a typed format, and a lot of things have changed. Well, I don't mean HHH isn't on top, that hasn't changed. The world around us has though, and gas being so expensive doesn't make it easy to get to and fro to use a computer, but I'm making the best of it.

1 Paul London v. Nunzio- London isn't afraid of using basic mat wrestling and has a terrific armdrag; well, he shouldn't be, because he's on Velocity and no one's watching. London wrestles great on the fly, which is a useful tool in the industry and Nunzio seems to be struggling a little to keep up. London totally gives himself to his opponent on defense, which is very admirable and has a lot of innovative offense. He hit his shooting star finish to perfection, he is leagues beyond Kidman in his prime. 6

2 Funaki v. Kazarian- Funaki possesses so many great skills, unfortunately none of them will make him a big star, Kazarian is very innovative, but some times to the point where his moves just look bad, not sure if he meant to, but he worked Funaki's neck, folded him once with a sick suplex that was straight from Japan, good match- 5

3 MNM v. Scotty Sabre/ Steven Lee- no chance for offense from the jobbers, devastating finish move, MNM have good team work- 2

4 Hardcore Holly v. Simon Dean- I find Dean interestingly funny, call me crazy, Holly's hand are pure leather, Dean seems to find Holly's limitations midway through the match and Holly's getting pretty surly in his old age, they have some obvious set ups and Holly's dropkick has lost it's luster, this match started unraveling towards the end- 3

TNA Unbreakable '05

1. Cassidy Riley vs. Jarrell Clark – 2
2. Mikey Batts vs. Shark Boy – 4
3. Diamonds in the Rough vs. 3 Live Kru – 3
4. Roderick Strong vs. Austin Aries – 6
5. Lance Hoyt and Apollo vs. Kip James and Monty Brown – 5
6. Petey Williams vs. Chris Sabin – 7
7. Abyss vs. Sabu – 6
8. Booby Roode vs. Jeff Hardy – 4
9. The Naturals vs. A.M.W. vs. Alex Shelley vs. Team Canada – 6
10. Rhino vs. Raven – 5
11. AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe vs. Chris Daniels – 9

This was a fantastic pay-per-view. The pre-show matches were filler fare. R.O.H. mainstays Strong and Aries had a nice bout. I was surprised to enjoy the Hoyt/Apollo versus James/Brown tag match as much as I did. Williams and Sabin had a very solid match, and then Abyss and Sabu (although relying on garbage spots) pulled us in even more so. Roode and Hardy had arguably the most disappointing match of the evening, it had absolutely no story nor build. The four-team (Sean Waltman was supposed to be Shelly’s partner but didn’t show) match was worked well, although it felt a bit long at certain points. Rhino and Raven’s World title match was a little lackluster, there was some brutal spots, but it wasn’t memorable. The main event, featuring three of the best talents in the USA, did not disappoint. There was everything you could want from a match; intensity, high flying, submissions, reversals, and a solid finish. These guys really earned a standing ovation by pulling out all the stops and putting on a hell of a show.

WWF Backlash 2002

1) Yoshihiro Tajiri vs. Billy Kidman - 6
Super stiff kicks by Tajiri and great moves by Kidman make this a watchable match. When these guys first came into the WWF, they were given a decent push and fought over the newly introduced cruiserweight title. Just for the record, this is when Vince gave a shit about the cruiserweights. Now, they’re regulated to opening match slots on Velocity. Probably one of the better cruiserweight matches under the WWF/WWE banner. It makes me want to scream when I see what has recently happened to the division.

2) Scott Hall vs. Bradshaw - 4
Nothing really much to say about this one. Hall seemed to have lost a bit since his glory days of Razor Ramon. I’ll give him credit, he didn’t look too awful.
Not a bad match. Seemed to be a bit longer than it needed to be. By now Vince’s version of the n.W.o. was pretty much dead and they were involved in second-rate feuds.

3) Jazz vs. Trish Stratus - 4
Trish beat Molly on Raw to set this one up. Molly came out before the match, cut a promo, and beat up Trish. Jazz just pretty much finished what Molly started. Once again, a division that has seen better days. But not a bad match, overall. Jazz retains after Molly beat up Trish before the match.

4) Brock Lesnar vs. Jeff Hardy - 3
This was Brock’s pay-per-view debut. I never really was a Lesnar fan, but I’ll give him credit, he could actually move in the ring unlike most people his size. Teddy Long was the ref for this one. Just thought I’d throw that out there. Brock pretty much uses Jeff as a punching bag. Hardy would be gone in less than a year and Lesnar would be champion in less than six months.

5) Kurt Angle vs. Edge - 6
So far this hasn’t been a bad show. This has the makings of a quality match. Now, I’ve never really been a fan of either of these guys so to say I was pleased by this one would be a safe conclusion. Angle actually carries Edge to a good match. Lots and lots of near falls and actually … gasp … wrestling! Good match that closes out the first half of the show nicely. These two would square off again at the next pay-per-view in a hair vs. hair match.

Chris Jericho Promo
Jericho comes out to rant and rave about how he was in the main event at WrestleMania and now he doesn’t even have a match. He has a valid point. Nice little rant by Jericho, who can be great on the mic when he wants to be. It serves its purpose to get Jericho over as a heel even more and to set up a possible run-in the main event.

6) Eddie Guerrero vs. Rob Van Dam - 5
This show just keeps getting better and better. Guerrero had just returned to the WWF on the first episode of Raw under the brand extension and RVD had won the belt from William Regal the month before at WrestleMania. I was expecting more out of these two, especially in a title match. Had this been just a regular match in the opening slot, it probably would’ve gotten a better rating. If it’s a title match, I expect just a tad more effort.

7) The Undertaker vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin (Special ref: Ric Flair) - 3
You would think that these two would put on a somewhat decent match, right? Wrong. I think there was maybe four minutes of actual wrestling in this match and 23 minutes of rest holds. Probably the most boring match I’ve ever seen in my life. Flair counts three with Austin’s foot on the rope and he doesn’t see it. That had to be the absolute worst match in the last five years. And yes, Buff Bagwell matches are included in that. Crowd was totally dead by the end of this one after 27 minutes of sheer boredom. Next please.

Jonathan Coachman catches up with Flair in the back and shows him the replay of the fall. He asks him if he saw Austin’s foot on the rope. Flair is speechless and pretty much realizes that he made a mistake. This would help start a program between Austin and Flair which would culminate at Judgment Day.

8) Billy Gunn & Chuck Palumbo vs. Al Snow & Maven - 4
There was more action and movement in this match than there was in all 27 minutes of the previous match. Maven never amounted to much during his tenure and was just recently released. It served it’s purpose to get B&C over. It also woke up the crowd for the main event, most of whom were asleep from the previous blunder.

9) Hulk Hogan vs. Triple H - 5
I was somewhat skeptical of this one because these are two of the most immobile wrestlers in the WWF. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised by this one. This isn’t their best by any means but it’s not bad either. I don’t get the finish though. Jericho interferes to hit Hogan with a chair and Undertaker interferes to hit HHH with a chair. You know, it’s just me, but Jericho should be angry at HHH for beating him at Mania so wouldn’t he want to hit HHH? I don’t know. Hogan wins to get the title for a brief nostalgia run. Suprisingly good, but not great. Nice way to close out the show.

This show was suprisingly good. I normally don’t expect much from shows that immediatley follow any of the four major shows but this one was quite pleasing. This show set up three feuds going into the next show and continued the RVD/Guerrero and Angle/Edge programs. Aside from Austin/Undertaker, the work ethic was great as well and helped the overall result. Recommended.