Match 1: Traditional Survivor Series Elimination - Team Angle (John
Cena, Chris Benoit, Bradshaw, Hardcore Holly & Kurt Angle) vs. Team
Lesnar (The Big Show, A-Train, Nathan Jones, Matt Morgan & Brock
Lesnar)
Crazy to go back and watch this to see how much star power
the company had at the time with this match being the curtain jerker.
Obviously, the main focus was around the WWE Champion in Brock Lesnar
and the main challenger in Kurt Angle as the two had epic matches
throughout the calendar year. This match just seemed so rush, almost
like they just wanted to get this match out of the way for the rest of
the card. The eliminations came so fast and so suddenly that it was hard
to digest them and really get an idea of what was going on. The first
two eliminations came so fast that it was practically a 4 vs. 4 match.
What really stood out to me was Brock Lesnar's elimination. I have no
problem with Chris Benoit making him submit but there wasn't a big deal
behind it. It kind of just happened and the reactions were pretty
nonexistent. Finally, the match came down to John Cena hitting an FU on
The Big Show to seal the win for Team Angle. Always thought Cena giving
the FU to Show at WrestleMania XX was the first time he had hit it on
him. Would have been pretty cool if they just teased it until then.
Regardless, it was still a nice opening match.
Winners: Team Angle
Rating: ***1/4
Match 2: Women's Championship - Molly Holly (c) vs. Lita
For
all the credit the women get in 2016, Molly Holly and Lita were
definitely no slouches themselves. They had a pretty good match here for
the very limited time they were allotted. Lita really knew how to work
with the audience and as did Molly Holly. Both were great in their roles
here as Molly Holly drove Lita into an exposed turnbuckle corner for
the finish. Like I said, it was a good match but could have been much
better if they were given more time. Give these ladies some credit.
Winner: Molly Holly
Rating: *1/2
Match 3: Ambulance - Kane vs. Shane McMahon
Even
in 2003, Shane McMahon was still living his daredevil lifestyle by
challenging the crazy Kane to an Ambulance match. I loved the way they
booked Kane as a heel in 2003. From him unmasking himself and it leading
to a feud with Shane was perfect. As goofy as some of the stuff may be,
it was all in good entertainment. They brought out all the tricks for
this match that saw the fight spill out to the backstage area where
Shane "rammed" a car into Kane. From Shane taking a plunge off the top
rope onto the announcers table or Shane jumping off the ambulance and
kicking Kane in the face, they wanted to hold nothing back for this one.
But like the first match of the night, I felt like the spots came too
fast and they didn't allow the audience to really digest what was
happening. Things felt rushed and while it was still a lot of fun to
watch, it wasn't the climactic ending we were all hoping for. Kane
eventually hits a Tombstone on the ramp and sends Shane to the hospital
in the ambulance. A lot of goofiness and a lot of fun for this one.
Winner: Kane
Rating: ***
Match 4: WWE Tag Team Championships - The Basham Brothers (c) vs. Los Guerreros
Feel
bad for The Basham Brothers, that gimmick they were running was the
weirdest. But I guess I shouldn't forget that the year here was 2003 so
the odd gimmicks were still out and about. Also, Chavo Guerrero was
actually relevant as he gelled nicely with Eddie Guerrero. Pretty good
match here but definitely had moments that had me scratching my head.
The referee had zero control over the match and the constant run-ins
were getting distracting. The Bashams pick up the win after a handful of
tights on the pin and steal the win in the Guerrero home state of
Texas. As good as you would expect from both teams, nothing to blow you away but it certainly served its purpose.
Winners: The Basham Brothers
Rating: **1/2
Match
5: Traditional Survivor Series Elimination - Team Bischoff (Chris
Jericho, Mark Henry, Christian, Scott Steiner & Randy Orton) vs.
Team Stone Cold (Booker T, The Dudley Boyz, Rob Van Dam & Shawn
Michaels)
Stone Cold Steve Austin's problems with Eric
Bischoff reached its peak during the fall of 2013 and the two looked to
settle the score here at Survivor Series. If Stone Cold's team wins, his
agreement to not physically harm anyone that doesn't provoke him ends.
However, if Bischoff's team wins, Stone Cold is gone from the WWE. While
I still felt that this match was a tad similar to the opener in that
some of the pins felt rushed, the pacing and action definitely had me
more on the edge. The match really turned another gear when Shawn
Michaels was left to fend for himself and his team. As soon as you saw
the blood pour out of his skull, the tension was brought to another
level. The crowd was definitely on the edge and roaring for Michaels to
score the win for Austin and a victory seemed inevitable when Austin hit
a Stunner on Orton before beating the crap out of Bischoff to the
backstage area. However, Batista appears out of nowhere and hits a nasty
Batista Bomb on Michaels! Orton covers and the match is over! Exciting
stuff with Jim Ross taking the match to another level. Never mind the
mini segment that happened after the match, nobody really believed that
Austin was done with the WWE. But damn, that finish was great.
Winners: Team Bischoff
Rating: ***1/2
Match 6: Buried Alive - The Undertaker vs. Mr. McMahon
This
has to be one of the more bizarre feuds in 2003 as Mr. McMahon made
things personal with The Undertaker and a Buried Alive match was
ignited. From the start, this was an absolute mauling from The Deadman
as blood poured fast and hard out of the skull of Mr. McMahon.
Undertaker brought the action to the outside as what seemed like gallons
of blood continued to pour out of the chairman of the board. The sound
of Undertaker smacking McMahon's cranium with a shovel was just brutal
to the eyes and ears. However, the direction of the match completely
changed once they spilled the action to the grave. McMahon was able to
low blow Undertaker into the grave before Undertaker fought back and
escape. Once Undertaker dropped McMahon into the grave, he looked to
have things in the bag until he climbed into the front loader before an
explosion erupts and out comes brother Kane. Kane beats the living hell
out of Undertaker and helps McMahon bury Undertaker alive. Can you just
imagine the WWE doing something like this in 2016? The amount of blood
was crazy, even for 2003. ** for the display of violence and
storytelling. Perfect way to begin their 2003-2004 feud with the
WrestleMania culmination.
Winner: Mr. McMahon
Rating: **
Match 7: World Heavyweight Championship - Goldberg (c) vs. Triple H
Who
would have guessed that 13 years later, Goldberg would return to the
WWE and face Brock Lesnar of all people in the main event at Survivor
Series. But before that, people tend to forget this match in 2003 that
had all kinds of steam behind it. Something about this match just felt underwhelming, the steam they had between the two here and for it to fall flat on its face like this was disappointing. What I did like was they didn't make this like your typical Goldberg match. He didn't truly dominate that match from the start and was selling his ankle injury nicely throughout. Even with the help of Batista and a sledgehammer, Triple H wasn't able to prevail as Goldberg's Spear was too much for The Game. A fairly short main event match here that went just under 12 minutes as it felt like they were trying to cram as much as they could within those 12 minutes. Felt more like WWE's way of sending the fans home happy for a big PPV before Triple H eventually regaining the strap a month later.
Winner: Goldberg
Rating: *3/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
The
Traditional Survivor Series Elimination matches both helped boost this
event but weren't enough to save it. The crowd was just too dead and the
action in the ring just wasn't at all that great. While there were a
couple cool moments like Kane burying The Undertaker and Goldberg
closing out the show over Evolution, this definitely goes down as one of
the weaker Survivor Series events.
Rating: 5.75/10
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Saturday, November 5, 2016
Hell in a Cell - The Greatest Hell in a Cell Matches of All Time DVD (Disc 1) Review
Match 1: Bad Blood 1997 - Hell in a Cell - Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker
It's nearly been 20 years since the first Hell in a Cell match. Put that in your head for a second and let it sink in. It's incredibly difficult to watch matches from 20 years ago and give them a proper rating. I've seen this match tons of times and I try to rate every match as if it was my first or second viewing. We all know how the match goes down. They truly made The Undertaker look unstoppable and at the same time, beatable. The look of sheer fear on the face of Michaels was awesome. He did his best to stop The Deadman but not even a Sweet Chin Music could beat him as Undertaker quickly sat up right after. The match really picked up here when Michaels escaped the cage before leading The Undertaker to the very top. Here, The Undertaker dropped Michaels off the top as he landed through an announcers table. We tend to forget that Michaels fell off it first. Back in the ring, Kane makes his legendary debut and Tombstones Undertaker before Michaels pins him for the big win. What an incredible debut for the match despite all the 1997 shenanigans. I'm going to go ahead and give it a ****1/4 even though I probably had it higher on my first or second viewings. But why should that even matter? Never hurts to go back and relive this match.
Winner: Shawn Michaels
Rating: ****1/4
Match 2: Raw 1998 - Hell in a Cell - Kane & Mankind vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin & The Undertaker
This is definitely one of the most forgotten Hell in a Cell matches of all time. I always find it funny when people complain about booking in 2016 and claim how great it was back during The Attitude Era. They booked some wacky stuff and this one was definitely a great example. Paul Bearer is with Kane & Mankind as he decides to lock himself the cage before The Undertaker could come out as Kane & Mankind work together to take out Stone Cold Steve Austin. However, Undertaker appears from under the ring and beats the living hell out of Bearer while Austin turns the tides against Mankind after Kane climbs the cage and tries to find a way inside the cage to help his dad. Just imagine if they booked something like this in 2016. Austin climbs the cage and beats the crap out of Kane as the footage stops there. If I'm correct, Austin & Undertaker go on to win the match but I guess they didn't feel the need to play the entire match. More of an angle than anything.
Winners: Stone Cold Steve Austin & The Undertaker
Rating: n/a
Match 3: King of the Ring 1998 - Hell in a Cell - Mankind vs. The Undertaker
Here it is. Easily the most legendary match of The Attitude Era and quite possibly, the most legendary match of all time. I could recall watching this match as a kid on VHS and just being in complete awe of what I was witnessing. As odd as it may sound, the violence was something that captivated me. In 2016, I feel the same way. Such an incredible feeling it is to go back and watch this match and reminisce about the yonder days. When they Mankind challenged The Undertaker to start the match on top of the cage, you knew shit was going to hit the deck. As nasty as that first fall was, the second one through the cage may have been worse. And as nasty as that was, it may even pale in comparison to the two drops Mankind took on the thumbtacks. Let's also not forget the commentary by Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler. The call has now become famous and replayed tons of times throughout history. Undertaker hitting a Tombstone on Mankind was one of the only times in wrestling where I was relieved to see a ***** match come to a close. It was an insane ride. Quite possibly the greatest match I have ever seen in my life. Even at 24 years of age, this simply does not get old.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: *****
Match 4: Raw 1998 - Hell in a Cell - Kane vs. Mankind
It's pretty remarkable to think how forgotten some of these older Hell in a Cell matches are, especially this one. But for good reason. Again, The Attitude Era featured some of the oddest booking decisions and this one is a prime example. Like the tag match they had months ago, this Hell in a Cell match was just used to promote an upcoming PPV. The Undertaker made an appearance where he threw Mankind off the cage as he was climbing it. Who remembers that? They also brought in some thumbtacks to the party as Kane hit a Tombstone and looked to seal the win. Stone Cold Steve Austin comes out and attacks Kane as the referee then calls for the disqualification finish. What? Undertaker is locked outside the cage and tries to enter inside as he climbs the cage and tries his best to kick his way inside. But out of nowhere, the cage raises and a shot of Vince McMahon raising the cage is shown. What did I just watch? This wasn't even a match, just chaos. And not really in a good way. I guess that's what was popular in 1998.
Winner: n/a
Rating *1/4
Match 5: No Way Out 2000 - WWF Championship - Hell in a Cell - Triple H (c) vs. Cactus Jack
After an insane match at Royal Rumble, these two wage war in another epic match inside the confines of Hell in a Cell. This was scheduled to be Cactus Jack's last match if he lost to Triple H. Well, we all know how that turned out. Either way, this match was another great one in the lineage of Hell in a Cell matches. Although this one tends to get overlooked because of Mick Foley's match against The Undertaker at King of the Ring, this one definitely holds it down. At this point, however, I started to get the feeling that they did the falls from the top of the cage for the simple sake of just doing it. The spot of having Cactus fall off when attempting to meet Triple H up there just seemed unnecessary. Before that, the action in the ring was good and the animosity between the two was felt before they broke open a side of the cage. They brought the famous 2x4 wrapped in barbed wire into play and took it a notch higher by lighting it on fire. Before making use of it, Triple H back dropped Cactus through the top cage and through the ring. Cactus got up to a Pedigree and lost the match. His career "ended" there. Great match and although they tried to top past matches, it didn't really hit that certain level of awe the Hell in a Cell match at King of the Ring reached.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: ****
Match 6: Armageddon 2000 - WWF Championship - Hell in a Cell - Kurt Angle (c) vs. Triple H vs. Rikishi vs. The Undertaker vs. The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
Incredible to look back at this match and realize that all of these guys will one day become a hall of famer if they haven't been inducted yet. Was this a bit of a chaotic frenzy? Sure. But was it a lot of fun? Hell yeah. You knew shit was going to hit the fan when Stone Cold Steve Austin came down to the ring and rung Kurt Angle's bell to get things going. One thing that really stood out to me was the amount of blood, they wanted to get over to us that this was going to be a war. They certainly did that and it came across so clearly when you see everybody shedding blood around. Kurt Angle's face looked like it had been ripped off. It was pretty odd when Vince McMahon came out with a truck and tried to end the match. His plan just seemed so odd, he wanted to tear the whole cage down so he tore off the door. Anyway, they spilled the action outside to the stage and finally, atop the cage. This is the iconic moment where The Undertaker Chokeslammed Rikishi off the top and onto the bed of the truck! That was certainly a sight. In the ring, Angle was able to pin an unconscious Rock for the win to retain the gold. Austin gave Angle a Stunner for his troubles afterwards. That was certainly something and definitely a breath of fresh air for the Hell in a Cell match. Another notch to its insane lineage.
Winner: Kurt Angle
Rating: ****1/2
Overall Thoughts and Rating:
Disc 1 represents the advent and early days of the Hell in a Cell and really displays how huge an impact this gimmick has had on the business. As for my score? I mean, how could I give a DVD less than a 10/10 when it features the greatest match in professional wrestling history? Everything else was just icing on the cake. And damn, that icing was good.
Rating: 10/10
It's nearly been 20 years since the first Hell in a Cell match. Put that in your head for a second and let it sink in. It's incredibly difficult to watch matches from 20 years ago and give them a proper rating. I've seen this match tons of times and I try to rate every match as if it was my first or second viewing. We all know how the match goes down. They truly made The Undertaker look unstoppable and at the same time, beatable. The look of sheer fear on the face of Michaels was awesome. He did his best to stop The Deadman but not even a Sweet Chin Music could beat him as Undertaker quickly sat up right after. The match really picked up here when Michaels escaped the cage before leading The Undertaker to the very top. Here, The Undertaker dropped Michaels off the top as he landed through an announcers table. We tend to forget that Michaels fell off it first. Back in the ring, Kane makes his legendary debut and Tombstones Undertaker before Michaels pins him for the big win. What an incredible debut for the match despite all the 1997 shenanigans. I'm going to go ahead and give it a ****1/4 even though I probably had it higher on my first or second viewings. But why should that even matter? Never hurts to go back and relive this match.
Winner: Shawn Michaels
Rating: ****1/4
Match 2: Raw 1998 - Hell in a Cell - Kane & Mankind vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin & The Undertaker
This is definitely one of the most forgotten Hell in a Cell matches of all time. I always find it funny when people complain about booking in 2016 and claim how great it was back during The Attitude Era. They booked some wacky stuff and this one was definitely a great example. Paul Bearer is with Kane & Mankind as he decides to lock himself the cage before The Undertaker could come out as Kane & Mankind work together to take out Stone Cold Steve Austin. However, Undertaker appears from under the ring and beats the living hell out of Bearer while Austin turns the tides against Mankind after Kane climbs the cage and tries to find a way inside the cage to help his dad. Just imagine if they booked something like this in 2016. Austin climbs the cage and beats the crap out of Kane as the footage stops there. If I'm correct, Austin & Undertaker go on to win the match but I guess they didn't feel the need to play the entire match. More of an angle than anything.
Winners: Stone Cold Steve Austin & The Undertaker
Rating: n/a
Match 3: King of the Ring 1998 - Hell in a Cell - Mankind vs. The Undertaker
Here it is. Easily the most legendary match of The Attitude Era and quite possibly, the most legendary match of all time. I could recall watching this match as a kid on VHS and just being in complete awe of what I was witnessing. As odd as it may sound, the violence was something that captivated me. In 2016, I feel the same way. Such an incredible feeling it is to go back and watch this match and reminisce about the yonder days. When they Mankind challenged The Undertaker to start the match on top of the cage, you knew shit was going to hit the deck. As nasty as that first fall was, the second one through the cage may have been worse. And as nasty as that was, it may even pale in comparison to the two drops Mankind took on the thumbtacks. Let's also not forget the commentary by Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler. The call has now become famous and replayed tons of times throughout history. Undertaker hitting a Tombstone on Mankind was one of the only times in wrestling where I was relieved to see a ***** match come to a close. It was an insane ride. Quite possibly the greatest match I have ever seen in my life. Even at 24 years of age, this simply does not get old.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: *****
Match 4: Raw 1998 - Hell in a Cell - Kane vs. Mankind
It's pretty remarkable to think how forgotten some of these older Hell in a Cell matches are, especially this one. But for good reason. Again, The Attitude Era featured some of the oddest booking decisions and this one is a prime example. Like the tag match they had months ago, this Hell in a Cell match was just used to promote an upcoming PPV. The Undertaker made an appearance where he threw Mankind off the cage as he was climbing it. Who remembers that? They also brought in some thumbtacks to the party as Kane hit a Tombstone and looked to seal the win. Stone Cold Steve Austin comes out and attacks Kane as the referee then calls for the disqualification finish. What? Undertaker is locked outside the cage and tries to enter inside as he climbs the cage and tries his best to kick his way inside. But out of nowhere, the cage raises and a shot of Vince McMahon raising the cage is shown. What did I just watch? This wasn't even a match, just chaos. And not really in a good way. I guess that's what was popular in 1998.
Winner: n/a
Rating *1/4
Match 5: No Way Out 2000 - WWF Championship - Hell in a Cell - Triple H (c) vs. Cactus Jack
After an insane match at Royal Rumble, these two wage war in another epic match inside the confines of Hell in a Cell. This was scheduled to be Cactus Jack's last match if he lost to Triple H. Well, we all know how that turned out. Either way, this match was another great one in the lineage of Hell in a Cell matches. Although this one tends to get overlooked because of Mick Foley's match against The Undertaker at King of the Ring, this one definitely holds it down. At this point, however, I started to get the feeling that they did the falls from the top of the cage for the simple sake of just doing it. The spot of having Cactus fall off when attempting to meet Triple H up there just seemed unnecessary. Before that, the action in the ring was good and the animosity between the two was felt before they broke open a side of the cage. They brought the famous 2x4 wrapped in barbed wire into play and took it a notch higher by lighting it on fire. Before making use of it, Triple H back dropped Cactus through the top cage and through the ring. Cactus got up to a Pedigree and lost the match. His career "ended" there. Great match and although they tried to top past matches, it didn't really hit that certain level of awe the Hell in a Cell match at King of the Ring reached.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: ****
Match 6: Armageddon 2000 - WWF Championship - Hell in a Cell - Kurt Angle (c) vs. Triple H vs. Rikishi vs. The Undertaker vs. The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
Incredible to look back at this match and realize that all of these guys will one day become a hall of famer if they haven't been inducted yet. Was this a bit of a chaotic frenzy? Sure. But was it a lot of fun? Hell yeah. You knew shit was going to hit the fan when Stone Cold Steve Austin came down to the ring and rung Kurt Angle's bell to get things going. One thing that really stood out to me was the amount of blood, they wanted to get over to us that this was going to be a war. They certainly did that and it came across so clearly when you see everybody shedding blood around. Kurt Angle's face looked like it had been ripped off. It was pretty odd when Vince McMahon came out with a truck and tried to end the match. His plan just seemed so odd, he wanted to tear the whole cage down so he tore off the door. Anyway, they spilled the action outside to the stage and finally, atop the cage. This is the iconic moment where The Undertaker Chokeslammed Rikishi off the top and onto the bed of the truck! That was certainly a sight. In the ring, Angle was able to pin an unconscious Rock for the win to retain the gold. Austin gave Angle a Stunner for his troubles afterwards. That was certainly something and definitely a breath of fresh air for the Hell in a Cell match. Another notch to its insane lineage.
Winner: Kurt Angle
Rating: ****1/2
Overall Thoughts and Rating:
Disc 1 represents the advent and early days of the Hell in a Cell and really displays how huge an impact this gimmick has had on the business. As for my score? I mean, how could I give a DVD less than a 10/10 when it features the greatest match in professional wrestling history? Everything else was just icing on the cake. And damn, that icing was good.
Rating: 10/10
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