It's time for a change. 2009 marked the year that TNA Wrestling decided to make its biggest decision yet in bringing in Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff into the fray. But before they were introduced to the audience, TNA brought out the goods for one of its most memorable PPVs of all time.
Match 1: TNA X Division Championship - Amazing Red (c) vs. Homicide
Let me just say how much I love Don West. I used to cringe at his voice on commentary but I eventually saw how much work he put in and how much he improved that I had no choice but to like the guy. But then TNA pulled the plug on him in 2009. However, he found a good spot as Amazing Red's manager. Really solid opening match here that saw the X Division wrestlers showcase their athleticism with action that was as crisp as it was fast. Good nearfalls and cool spots that led to Red hitting his patented Code Red finisher to pick up the win and retain the gold. Always wonder why TNA drops the ball on this division when they can put on great matches like this and pump the crowd up in the process.
Winner: Amazing Red
Rating: ***1/4
Match 2: TNA Knockouts Championship and TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championships - ODB, Taylor Wilde and Sarita (c) vs. The Beautiful People
Okay, surely I am not the only one who hates it when TNA puts more than one title on the line in a match. I can't help but feel like it diminishes the value of the championships. Decent match here for what it was as Mike Tenay and Taz had themselves a time on the commentary booth. ODB scores the pin for her team as they all quickly retain their titles. Hard to take this seriously when the guys in the booth are more interested in making jokes rather than calling the action in the ring.
Winners: ODB, Taylor Wilde and Sarita
Rating: *1/2
Match 3: TNA World Tag Team Championships - The British Invasion (c) vs. Beer Money, Inc. vs. The Motor City Machine Guns
TNA really had something special with their tag team division around this time with these three teams being the true focal points. What really is there to say about this? The three teams had a great match and the action was as fun as you could watch for a match that never really got the time it deserved. I wish I could say more but we know who is in the ring and we know how capable these guys are of putting on a good match. Eric Young came out to help his guys of The British Invasion before Kevin Nash came out to get in his face. However, Nash ended up laying out James Storm which allowed The British Invasion to score a pinfall on Robert Roode inside the ring. Another strong contest for the night, would have loved to see them get more time here but they certainly had more matches afterwards to fill that void. I guess you can consider this an appetizer.
Winners: The British Invasion
Rating: ***1/4
Match 4: Six Sides of Steel - Tara vs. Awesome Kong
These two are definitely the standard bearers in the Knockouts division for the company and it is certainly cool to see them compete in a steel cage match. The complete opposite of what the WWE was doing with their Divas division at the time. Another good match here that suffered from a lack of time but the two certainly made the most of it. This was about as physical as you would be able to see between two women and they definitely held their own in the cage. Tara was ready to escape the cage until she turned around and dove off the top and took out Awesome Kong on the way down to pick up the solid win.
Winner: Tara
Rating: **3/4
Match 5: Rhino and Team 3D vs. D'Angelo Dinero, Hernandez and Matt Morgan
TNA also really loves to stuff guys in random tag matches for their PPVs and on occasion, it can make sense. Thankfully, the match worked here and Team 3D never got enough credit for their run in TNA, especially around this time when they were working as great heels. They told a great story here with the heels focusing their attention on D'Angelo Dinero who appeared to be the weakest link in the match as the team of Hernandez and Matt Morgan were the true threats in the match. Eventually, Brother Devon brought a steel chair into play as he hit Hernandez with a body shot before Rhino nails a Spear to seal the win. Good win for the heels and a good match to protect Hernandez and Matt Morgan to set up a future match with them and Team 3D.
Winners: Rhino and Team 3D
Rating: ***
Match 6: No Disqualification - Scott Steiner vs. Bobby Lashley
Falls also count anywhere in this grudge match that saw Scott Steiner stalking Bobby Lashley's wife leading up to this. If I'm correct, this also was Lashley's first PPV match for TNA and possibly his first match in the company. Regardless, the ring rust was definitely put on display here for Lashley and Steiner isn't necessarily the best opponent for him to adjust to the game because this match was as stiff as it could be. They did their best to hide their limitations in the ring by having the fight spill across the entire Impact Zone... which TNA feels the need to do at least once every PPV for whatever reason. Finally after some weak chair shots, Steiner drills Lashley in the head with a steep pipe to secure the win. Considering how much steam and how much stock they put into Lashley, wouldn't it make sense for him to win? Guess not.
Winner: Scott Steiner
Rating: **
Match 7: Desmond Wolfe vs. Kurt Angle
Speaking of making their debuts, Desmond Wolfe's debut in TNA was certainly one of the best and most memorable. The hype was huge for this on the internet during this time, it was almost obvious that this dream match was going to deliver. The question was, how big would it deliver? No bones about it, this was a remarkable match that really showcased why Wolfe belongs on the big stage and how quickly he is able to adapt to not only a person he's never wrestled against, but also to the new environment that surrounds him. Let's also give credit to Angle, he sold Wolfe's offense perfectly from both leading to the match and in the match itself, allowing the audience to understand Wolfe and his very different style of offense with a huge array of technical moves that many have never seen before. Match went on for about 25 minutes with Wolfe battling out of an Ankle Lock before finally submitting to a side triangle choke that looked like it was straight out of an MMA fight. Awesome finish for an awesome match between two of the smoothest wrestlers in the business.
Winner: Kurt Angle
Rating: ****1/2
Match 8: TNA World Heavyweight Championship - AJ Styles (c) vs. Daniels vs. Samoa Joe
Here it is, the biggest rematch in company history. For those who don't know, these three guys in AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, and Samoa Joe had what was arguably the greatest match in company history at Unbreakable 2005 for the X Division Championship. Four years later, the three compete again in the main event for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Pretty cool to see how things change but always remain the same. The buildup for this match was no joke either, they were sure to let us know of the history they had and how the friendship between Styles and Daniels was quickly deteriorating. As expected, this match was as fast as you could imagine with some of the sweetest moves and reversals that you wouldn't even be able to think of. Nobody had the advantage and everybody was getting in their offense at a fast rate. Incredible finish that saw Daniels hit a BME on Joe before Styles was able to hit a 450 Splash out of nowhere on the both of them with Daniels getting the brunt of it. Another fantastic match to close out the show on a high note. It's almost as if these guys had a chip on their shoulder after the company signed Hulk Hogan and they wanted to prove a point that they were still the mainstay and the reason to tune in every week. Styles going over was easily the right call, he was white hot at the time and the perfect guy to lead the company's charge into the new direction they were headed. While this did feel like an indy spotfest here and there, it was still a remarkable display of athleticism and professional wrestling at its finest.
Winner: AJ Styles
Rating: ****1/2
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
This was easily one of the company's best PPV outings in a long time and maybe even in company history. It's almost as if bringing in Hulk Hogan into the company opened up the eyes of many of the wrestlers. Obviously, the two main reasons to go back and watch this show were the two last matches. Desmond Wolfe being introduced to the masses and the biggest rematch in company history definitely did not disappoint at all. Shame the company wasn't able to capitalize from this energy a year later.
Rating: 8.75/10
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
Monday, November 20, 2017
WWE Survivor Series 2005 Review
Survivor Series in 2016 and 2017 weren't the first time that the two big WWE brands collided... Survivor Series 2005 featured Superstars of Raw and SmackDown facing off in a classic Traditional Survivor Series Elimination match! Was Shawn Michaels able to lead Team Raw over Batista and the rest of Team SmackDown in a battle for brand supremacy?
Match 1: WWE United States Championship - Best of 7 Series - Chris Benoit (c) vs. Booker T
The opening match of the night sees the opening match of the best of 7 series for the United States Championship between Chris Benoit and Booker T. Of course, these two have had huge careers outside the WWE and it is really cool to see them go against each other on such a big stage. Nice action here between two veterans that saw Sharmell play the role as a distraction against Benoit who missing a headbutt from the top rope which led to Booker T pinning him with his feet on the ropes for leverage. Booker T draws the first blood against Benoit in a fun opening match for the night.
Winner: Booker T
Rating: ***
Match 2: WWE Women's Championship - Trish Stratus (c) vs. Melina
This is the first Raw vs. SmackDown match of the night and it's for the Women's Championship. MNM accompany Melina to the match but are quickly booted out by the referee when they try to take out Trish Stratus. Stratus is able to win the match with a Stratisfaction from the top after dodging a hit on the apron from Melina with a little help from Mickie James. Another Divas match that maybe could have been better if they were given a little more time. Other than that, just a basic Divas match, take it or leave it.
Winner: Trish Stratus
Rating: *1/4
Match 3: Last Man Standing - Triple H vs. Ric Flair
Like Ric Flair's feud with Randy Orton, I really loved the one he had in late 2005 against his former protege in Triple H. The two had a bloodbath of a match inside a steel cage at Taboo Tuesday and looked to finish things off here at Survivor Series. This was another bloodbath as the two brought out all the stops for this violent matches. There were screwdrivers, kendo sticks, steel chairs, sledgehammers and did I mention... screwdrivers? Last Man Standing matches can very much tend to drag but I thought that the two did a great job of making each count matter and add to the story they were trying to convey. Triple H was dominating the match until Flair was able to backdrop Triple H through a table and use his dirty skills to limit The Game. However, Triple H would later drop three Pedigrees on Flair and followed it up with a sledgehammer shot to his back for the win. Afterwards, Triple H symbolically makes a gun out of his hand and shoots a prone Ric Flair as he spits on him before heading to the back. Great and bloody match that really solidifies Triple H as the top heel of the company leading into WrestleMania.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: ****1/4
Match 4: WWE Championship - John Cena (c) vs. Kurt Angle
With Daivari being the special guest referee for the contest, the odds were seemingly stacked against John Cena and his chances of walking out as WWE Champion. Of course, Kurt Angle was still in his prime here and he brought the intensity to the match at another level. The idea of bringing in Daivari as the referee led to this match becoming a huge cluster with a bunch of ref bumps that pretty much defined the entire match. However, that is not to take away any of the action the two brought in the fairly short amount of time they had for this match. They had good chemistry with each other but the antics with the Angle cheating and Cena doing his best to counter everything dominated the story so much that there just was not enough time to digest the action. Daivari got called back in by Angle to make a count but he ended up eating a DDT before Cena hit an FU on Angle to seal the win. Of course, the referee who made the count was a SmackDown referee so it gives Angle an out and a reason for them to continue the program. While the referee stuff may have seemed like a bit much, it certainly worked here and was still a lot of fun to watch.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ***1/4
Match 5: Eric Bischoff vs. Theodore Long
Another inter-promotional match of the night saw the two general managers go against each other in a match that downright cringe-worthy to watch. The crowd had no interest in seeing this and the action only got worse when The Boogeyman made an appearance and dropped Eric Bischoff. Theodore Long was able to quickly get the pin and secure a win for his brand. Yikes.
Winner: Theodore Long
Rating: 1/4*
Match 6: Traditional Survivor Series Elimination - Team SmackDown (Batista, JBL, Rey Mysterio, Bobby Lashley and Randy Orton) vs. Team Raw (Shawn Michaels, Carlito, Chris Masters, The Big Show and Kane)
So many good stories built around this match like Team SmackDown not being able to coexist, Batista nursing an injury, and the momentum Team Raw has had from weeks past. This was also one of the few times that I enjoyed the banter that was on commentary, really made me feel the hate between the two sides. Action was fun and fast, with every pin either being an elimination or being really close. All the eliminations made sense aside from maybe Bobby Lashley being written off a bit too prematurely. It eventually came down to Shawn Michaels against Rey Mysterio, JBL and Randy Orton. Michaels was able to hit a Sweet Chin Music on Mysterio who tried to springboard his way back into the ring before quickly disposing JBL. It came down to Michaels and Orton who was not only trying to win for his team, but also becoming a sole survivor for a third consecutive year. After a distraction from JBL, Orton hit an RKO on Michaels to pick up the win for his team. Afterwards, the SmackDown locker room comes out to congratulate Orton before The Undertaker returns by coming out of a flaming coffin and laying waste to the SmackDown roster as Orton watches. Fantastic main event and a fantastic way to shift the focus from the brand rivalry into the return of The Undertaker.
Winners: Team SmackDown
Rating: ****1/2
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
This was the first time the WWE built a PPV around the two brands going up against each other and it worked really well. Aside from the Divas match and the general managers match, everything delivered and served their purposes. The main event goes down as one of my favorite Survivor Series matches of all time and certainly one to write home about.
Rating: 7.75/10
Match 1: WWE United States Championship - Best of 7 Series - Chris Benoit (c) vs. Booker T
The opening match of the night sees the opening match of the best of 7 series for the United States Championship between Chris Benoit and Booker T. Of course, these two have had huge careers outside the WWE and it is really cool to see them go against each other on such a big stage. Nice action here between two veterans that saw Sharmell play the role as a distraction against Benoit who missing a headbutt from the top rope which led to Booker T pinning him with his feet on the ropes for leverage. Booker T draws the first blood against Benoit in a fun opening match for the night.
Winner: Booker T
Rating: ***
Match 2: WWE Women's Championship - Trish Stratus (c) vs. Melina
This is the first Raw vs. SmackDown match of the night and it's for the Women's Championship. MNM accompany Melina to the match but are quickly booted out by the referee when they try to take out Trish Stratus. Stratus is able to win the match with a Stratisfaction from the top after dodging a hit on the apron from Melina with a little help from Mickie James. Another Divas match that maybe could have been better if they were given a little more time. Other than that, just a basic Divas match, take it or leave it.
Winner: Trish Stratus
Rating: *1/4
Match 3: Last Man Standing - Triple H vs. Ric Flair
Like Ric Flair's feud with Randy Orton, I really loved the one he had in late 2005 against his former protege in Triple H. The two had a bloodbath of a match inside a steel cage at Taboo Tuesday and looked to finish things off here at Survivor Series. This was another bloodbath as the two brought out all the stops for this violent matches. There were screwdrivers, kendo sticks, steel chairs, sledgehammers and did I mention... screwdrivers? Last Man Standing matches can very much tend to drag but I thought that the two did a great job of making each count matter and add to the story they were trying to convey. Triple H was dominating the match until Flair was able to backdrop Triple H through a table and use his dirty skills to limit The Game. However, Triple H would later drop three Pedigrees on Flair and followed it up with a sledgehammer shot to his back for the win. Afterwards, Triple H symbolically makes a gun out of his hand and shoots a prone Ric Flair as he spits on him before heading to the back. Great and bloody match that really solidifies Triple H as the top heel of the company leading into WrestleMania.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: ****1/4
Match 4: WWE Championship - John Cena (c) vs. Kurt Angle
With Daivari being the special guest referee for the contest, the odds were seemingly stacked against John Cena and his chances of walking out as WWE Champion. Of course, Kurt Angle was still in his prime here and he brought the intensity to the match at another level. The idea of bringing in Daivari as the referee led to this match becoming a huge cluster with a bunch of ref bumps that pretty much defined the entire match. However, that is not to take away any of the action the two brought in the fairly short amount of time they had for this match. They had good chemistry with each other but the antics with the Angle cheating and Cena doing his best to counter everything dominated the story so much that there just was not enough time to digest the action. Daivari got called back in by Angle to make a count but he ended up eating a DDT before Cena hit an FU on Angle to seal the win. Of course, the referee who made the count was a SmackDown referee so it gives Angle an out and a reason for them to continue the program. While the referee stuff may have seemed like a bit much, it certainly worked here and was still a lot of fun to watch.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ***1/4
Match 5: Eric Bischoff vs. Theodore Long
Another inter-promotional match of the night saw the two general managers go against each other in a match that downright cringe-worthy to watch. The crowd had no interest in seeing this and the action only got worse when The Boogeyman made an appearance and dropped Eric Bischoff. Theodore Long was able to quickly get the pin and secure a win for his brand. Yikes.
Winner: Theodore Long
Rating: 1/4*
Match 6: Traditional Survivor Series Elimination - Team SmackDown (Batista, JBL, Rey Mysterio, Bobby Lashley and Randy Orton) vs. Team Raw (Shawn Michaels, Carlito, Chris Masters, The Big Show and Kane)
So many good stories built around this match like Team SmackDown not being able to coexist, Batista nursing an injury, and the momentum Team Raw has had from weeks past. This was also one of the few times that I enjoyed the banter that was on commentary, really made me feel the hate between the two sides. Action was fun and fast, with every pin either being an elimination or being really close. All the eliminations made sense aside from maybe Bobby Lashley being written off a bit too prematurely. It eventually came down to Shawn Michaels against Rey Mysterio, JBL and Randy Orton. Michaels was able to hit a Sweet Chin Music on Mysterio who tried to springboard his way back into the ring before quickly disposing JBL. It came down to Michaels and Orton who was not only trying to win for his team, but also becoming a sole survivor for a third consecutive year. After a distraction from JBL, Orton hit an RKO on Michaels to pick up the win for his team. Afterwards, the SmackDown locker room comes out to congratulate Orton before The Undertaker returns by coming out of a flaming coffin and laying waste to the SmackDown roster as Orton watches. Fantastic main event and a fantastic way to shift the focus from the brand rivalry into the return of The Undertaker.
Winners: Team SmackDown
Rating: ****1/2
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
This was the first time the WWE built a PPV around the two brands going up against each other and it worked really well. Aside from the Divas match and the general managers match, everything delivered and served their purposes. The main event goes down as one of my favorite Survivor Series matches of all time and certainly one to write home about.
Rating: 7.75/10
Friday, October 27, 2017
WWE Taboo Tuesday 2004 Review
For this first time in WWE History, the fate of the superstars is in the hands of the fans. The Raw-exclusive Tuesday PPV saw the fans vote online on who they wanted to see challenge champions and what type of matches they wanted to see the superstars compete in. Was the first Taboo Tuesday a success or a flop?
Match 1: WWE Intercontinental Championship - Chris Jericho (c) vs. Shelton Benjamin
Aside from a couple, the list of guys that fans had to choose from to face Chris Jericho was pretty laughable. Shelton Benjamin ended up beating out the guys and scored an opportunity. Jericho has gone on to mention that he didn't even know who he was facing until it got revealed as he was waiting in the ring. At this point, Benjamin looked to be getting molded as a main eventer as he scored big wins over Triple H on Monday Night Raw. Crowd was certainly behind him here in a pretty good opening contest that saw him pick up the win and the Intercontinental Championship in the process. Great show of sportsmanship afterwards as Jericho handed the championship to Benjamin.
Winner: Shelton Benjamin
Rating: ***
Match 2: WWE Women's Championship - Fulfill Your Fantasy Battle Royal - Trish Stratus (c) vs. Jazz vs. Nidia vs. Gail Kim vs. Molly Holly vs. Victoria vs. Stacy Keibler
The fans voted on what attire they wanted to see the Divas wear and it was decided that they would dress up as schoolgirls. Just think of the WWE doing this in 2017. Really dumb battle royal with Trish Stratus last eliminating Molly Holly to win and retain her title. Please give me my time back.
Winner: Trish Stratus
Rating: 1/4*
Match 3: Weapon of Choice - Gene Snitsky vs. Kane
Poor Kane, always wrapped up in some of the dumbest possible storylines imaginable. The fans had the options of choosing which weapon would be legal for the match in a lead pipe, a steel chair or a steel chain. However, this proved to be pointless when Gene Snitsky brought in a steel chair and started hitting Kane with it. Prior to that, Snitsky was beating down Kane with some of the lamest chain shots you could ever imagine. Snitsky was able to win the match after placing the chair between Kane's neck and crushing it off the top rope. Blood starting pouring out of Kane's neck, nice touch. Afterwards, Kane gets stretchered to the back before Snitsky makes another appearance and drops Kane to the floor. Not a bad match and Jim Ross on commentary was brilliant in making this seem more serious with the ridiculous storyline hanging around in the background.
Winner: Gene Snitsky
Rating: **3/4
Match 4: Eric Bischoff vs. Eugene
The fans are able to decided the punishment for the loser with the choices being the loser being their servant, the loser wearing a dress or the loser getting shaved bald. You can just pretty much imagine what this match was... Eric Bischoff beating up Eugene for a little bit before Eugene gets angry and hits a leg drop on his uncle to score the win. However, Jonathon Coachman runs down and basically tosses out Bischoff's penalty until Mr. McMahon comes out and forces Bischoff to get his head shaved by Eugene while also forcing Coachman to wear the dress. Bischoff getting his head shaved was funny for a quick second but this shtick got old pretty fast.
Winner: Eugene
Rating: 1/2*
Match 5: WWE World Tag Team Championship - La Resistance (c) vs. Chris Benoit & Edge
Since Shawn Michaels won the vote to challenge Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship later on, the other two nominees in Chris Benoit and Edge were then forced to team with each other to challenge La Resistance for the World Tag Team Championships. Always thought that the team of La Resistance were fairly overlooked and much of that had to do with the way they were booked, like chumps. The two teams had a pretty strong match here with Edge leaving his partner high and dry before driving out of the arena. However, Benoit was able to lock in a Crippler Crossface on Rob Conway to seal the win for himself and Edge. Another example of La Resistance being booked like chumps in what was a pretty damn good match.
Winners: Chris Benoit & Edge
Rating: ***1/4
Match 6: Lingerie Pillow Fight - Carmella vs. Christy
Wonderful! A second Divas match for the night. The fans vote to see these two in a lingerie pillow fight because there really wasn't any other option. The two get dressed in front of the crowd behind dressing rooms that showed their shadows. Afterwards, they fought int the ring with pillows before Christy tackled Carmella down and pinned her for the win. If I could rate this any lower, I would. That is two 1/4* Divas matches for the night. Wow.
Winner: Christy
Rating: 1/4*
Match 7: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Triple H (c) vs. Shawn Michaels
Although Shawn Michaels was nursing a knee injury, the fans still selected him to challenge his old partner in Triple H. These two faced off numerous times throughout the year for the World Heavyweight Championship and it looks as if the fans didn't mind seeing it again. With that being said, a really good portion of the match just saw Triple H dominating handily and focusing on that injured knee of Michaels. I get that they wanted to do something different since they had so many matches throughout the course of the year, but it just didn't make for a very exciting match. Finally, Michaels is able to hit a Sweet Chin Music on Triple H but a distraction from Batista leads to the referee turning his back on Edge running in and hitting a Spear on Michaels before The Game was able to cover for the win. Predictable winner along with a dull match makes this the weakest match between the two that I have ever watched. Very disappointing considering they could really have had something special here.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: **1/4
Match 8: Steel Cage - Ric Flair vs. Randy Orton
Loved the feud these two were having headed up to this match with Ric Flair feeling like Randy Orton was disrespecting him with his comments about being Triple H's bitch. Although this felt pretty short, they definitely made the most out of it and managed to tell a good story out of it, especially with the blood that poured out of both men. They were bleeding buckets and it certainly added another layer to the match. Great action throughout and fun to see the desperateness of Flair as he even pulled out the brass knuckles and a steel chair. However, a sweet RKO on a bloody Flair was enough for Orton to capture the win to close out the night. Afterwards, the two embrace each other as the blood continues to run down their faces.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Easily one of the worst PPVs of the year. The Divas matches were just plain terrible and everything else was either good or just acceptable. If there was a saving grace for the show, it was the main event which isn't even really a good enough reason for me to go back and watch. Very disappointing start ot a PPV concept that would only last one more year. Would be interesting to see WWE bring this back for something on The WWE Network or even an episode of SmackDown Live.
Rating: 4/10
Match 1: WWE Intercontinental Championship - Chris Jericho (c) vs. Shelton Benjamin
Aside from a couple, the list of guys that fans had to choose from to face Chris Jericho was pretty laughable. Shelton Benjamin ended up beating out the guys and scored an opportunity. Jericho has gone on to mention that he didn't even know who he was facing until it got revealed as he was waiting in the ring. At this point, Benjamin looked to be getting molded as a main eventer as he scored big wins over Triple H on Monday Night Raw. Crowd was certainly behind him here in a pretty good opening contest that saw him pick up the win and the Intercontinental Championship in the process. Great show of sportsmanship afterwards as Jericho handed the championship to Benjamin.
Winner: Shelton Benjamin
Rating: ***
Match 2: WWE Women's Championship - Fulfill Your Fantasy Battle Royal - Trish Stratus (c) vs. Jazz vs. Nidia vs. Gail Kim vs. Molly Holly vs. Victoria vs. Stacy Keibler
The fans voted on what attire they wanted to see the Divas wear and it was decided that they would dress up as schoolgirls. Just think of the WWE doing this in 2017. Really dumb battle royal with Trish Stratus last eliminating Molly Holly to win and retain her title. Please give me my time back.
Winner: Trish Stratus
Rating: 1/4*
Match 3: Weapon of Choice - Gene Snitsky vs. Kane
Poor Kane, always wrapped up in some of the dumbest possible storylines imaginable. The fans had the options of choosing which weapon would be legal for the match in a lead pipe, a steel chair or a steel chain. However, this proved to be pointless when Gene Snitsky brought in a steel chair and started hitting Kane with it. Prior to that, Snitsky was beating down Kane with some of the lamest chain shots you could ever imagine. Snitsky was able to win the match after placing the chair between Kane's neck and crushing it off the top rope. Blood starting pouring out of Kane's neck, nice touch. Afterwards, Kane gets stretchered to the back before Snitsky makes another appearance and drops Kane to the floor. Not a bad match and Jim Ross on commentary was brilliant in making this seem more serious with the ridiculous storyline hanging around in the background.
Winner: Gene Snitsky
Rating: **3/4
Match 4: Eric Bischoff vs. Eugene
The fans are able to decided the punishment for the loser with the choices being the loser being their servant, the loser wearing a dress or the loser getting shaved bald. You can just pretty much imagine what this match was... Eric Bischoff beating up Eugene for a little bit before Eugene gets angry and hits a leg drop on his uncle to score the win. However, Jonathon Coachman runs down and basically tosses out Bischoff's penalty until Mr. McMahon comes out and forces Bischoff to get his head shaved by Eugene while also forcing Coachman to wear the dress. Bischoff getting his head shaved was funny for a quick second but this shtick got old pretty fast.
Winner: Eugene
Rating: 1/2*
Match 5: WWE World Tag Team Championship - La Resistance (c) vs. Chris Benoit & Edge
Since Shawn Michaels won the vote to challenge Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship later on, the other two nominees in Chris Benoit and Edge were then forced to team with each other to challenge La Resistance for the World Tag Team Championships. Always thought that the team of La Resistance were fairly overlooked and much of that had to do with the way they were booked, like chumps. The two teams had a pretty strong match here with Edge leaving his partner high and dry before driving out of the arena. However, Benoit was able to lock in a Crippler Crossface on Rob Conway to seal the win for himself and Edge. Another example of La Resistance being booked like chumps in what was a pretty damn good match.
Winners: Chris Benoit & Edge
Rating: ***1/4
Match 6: Lingerie Pillow Fight - Carmella vs. Christy
Wonderful! A second Divas match for the night. The fans vote to see these two in a lingerie pillow fight because there really wasn't any other option. The two get dressed in front of the crowd behind dressing rooms that showed their shadows. Afterwards, they fought int the ring with pillows before Christy tackled Carmella down and pinned her for the win. If I could rate this any lower, I would. That is two 1/4* Divas matches for the night. Wow.
Winner: Christy
Rating: 1/4*
Match 7: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Triple H (c) vs. Shawn Michaels
Although Shawn Michaels was nursing a knee injury, the fans still selected him to challenge his old partner in Triple H. These two faced off numerous times throughout the year for the World Heavyweight Championship and it looks as if the fans didn't mind seeing it again. With that being said, a really good portion of the match just saw Triple H dominating handily and focusing on that injured knee of Michaels. I get that they wanted to do something different since they had so many matches throughout the course of the year, but it just didn't make for a very exciting match. Finally, Michaels is able to hit a Sweet Chin Music on Triple H but a distraction from Batista leads to the referee turning his back on Edge running in and hitting a Spear on Michaels before The Game was able to cover for the win. Predictable winner along with a dull match makes this the weakest match between the two that I have ever watched. Very disappointing considering they could really have had something special here.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: **1/4
Match 8: Steel Cage - Ric Flair vs. Randy Orton
Loved the feud these two were having headed up to this match with Ric Flair feeling like Randy Orton was disrespecting him with his comments about being Triple H's bitch. Although this felt pretty short, they definitely made the most out of it and managed to tell a good story out of it, especially with the blood that poured out of both men. They were bleeding buckets and it certainly added another layer to the match. Great action throughout and fun to see the desperateness of Flair as he even pulled out the brass knuckles and a steel chair. However, a sweet RKO on a bloody Flair was enough for Orton to capture the win to close out the night. Afterwards, the two embrace each other as the blood continues to run down their faces.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Easily one of the worst PPVs of the year. The Divas matches were just plain terrible and everything else was either good or just acceptable. If there was a saving grace for the show, it was the main event which isn't even really a good enough reason for me to go back and watch. Very disappointing start ot a PPV concept that would only last one more year. Would be interesting to see WWE bring this back for something on The WWE Network or even an episode of SmackDown Live.
Rating: 4/10
Friday, October 13, 2017
WWE TLC 2013 Review
The WWE was billing the main event between John Cena and Randy Orton
for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship as the biggest match in the
history of the industry. However, fan-favorite Daniel Bryan was all the
Houston crowd could care for. Was the 2013 edition of TLC still able to
deliver?
Match 1: CM Punk vs. The Shield
The last PPV review I did was Hell in a Cell 2012, a PPV that infamously featured a match pitting CM Punk against Ryback in a match Punk later ranted about on a podcast. Another match he talked about was this one, a handicap match against The Shield where he was instructed by so many people to make Roman Reigns look good. Let's just cut to chase... why exactly did Punk go over here? They had a fun little match here that saw Reigns miss a Spear and damage his eye on the outside as he landed on JBL's chair. Punk took advantage of the injury and dissected The Shield before Reigns accidentally Speared Dean Ambrose for Punk to pick up the win. I guess if you're going to have Punk go over the WWE's hottest commodity, then this is the way to do it. This really did no help for anyone.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: **3/4
Match 2: WWE Divas Championship - AJ Lee (c) vs. Natalya
Natalya looks to finally recapture the Divas Championship from AJ Lee is in on a tear. Just a pretty short Divas match here with AJ Lee using Natalya's hair as leverage to score the win. Nothing special here, very quick and to the point like most Divas matches. Fans and commentators virtually had no interest in this.
Winner: AJ Lee
Rating: *
Match 3: WWE Intercontinental Championship - Big E Langston (c) vs. Damien Sandow
After losing his World Heavyweight Championship match against John Cena, Damien Sandow looks to rebuild from where he started against Big E Langston. Much like the previous match and much like you will see later on, this was another filler of a match. Decent action from the two before Langston hits his Big Ending finisher to score the W. Both of these guys would later go on to switch up their characters the following year or so and go on to do much better things. After watching this, you could just tell that they needed a character change.
Winner: Big E Langston
Rating: **
Match 4: WWE Tag Team Championships - Elimination - Cody Rhodes & Goldust (c) vs. The Real Americans vs. Rey Mysterio & The Big Show vs. RybAxel
Almost a shame to look back at this and see how bad Cody Rhodes was booked, no reason why this dude never got a real push as a singles competitor. However, he did make a pretty nice pairing with his brother in Goldust. Agree with me or not, but I dig the teams they assembled here and their styles meshed well against each other for a fast and fun match. Rhodes was able to hit a Cross Rhodes on Mysterio to finish the match and retain the titles for his team. Really strong match here after the first three matches left a sour taste in my mouth. Lots of cool spots and the addition of The Big Show made things that much more exciting. The two teams then share an awkward exchange of sportsmanship afterwards.
Winners: Cody Rhodes & Goldust
Rating: ***3/4
Match 5: Brodus Clay vs. R-Truth
Can you imagine paying about 50 bucks for this? This might be a high for a WWE PPV of fillers on a card. Brodus Clay dominated this match pretty thoroughly until he and Sweet T (Albert) started arguing at ringside because Clay was being a little too stiff with Truth and not taking the match seriously. Finally, Sweet T leaves Clay before The Funkadactyles left right after. R-Truth is able to quickly roll Clay up for the win. Again, can you believe this was on PPV?
Winner: R-Truth
Rating: 3/4*
Match 6: No Disqualification - Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz
The two got into a little bit of a scuffle prior to the start of the PPV and a match was made for tonight with no disqualification rules. How many times I've seen this match before? No idea, but it certainly feels like it's up there. The match was as basic as you could imagine with these two and the crowd began getting restless at the end as they started to chant "boring." The Miz removes the padding from a corner of a turnbuckle before it backfires on him as Kofi Kingston launches Miz into it before getting knocked out with a Trouble in Paradise. As basic as you could imagine, passable match but nothing acceptable for a PPV.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
Rating: **1/4
Match 7: Daniel Bryan vs. The Wyatt Family
The crowd was calling for Daniel Bryan the whole night and they finally got him... in a handicap against The Wyatt Family. Almost a shame that Bryan was booked into a corner here, crowd was so hot for him but it just wouldn't make any sense for him to win against the hot team in The Wyatt Family. Then again, CM Punk did beat The Shield in the first match of the night. Regardless, the match was fairly enjoyable for what it was but watching The Wyatt Family beat down Bryan for a good portion of the match got pretty old fast. Bryan, however, almost had the match won until Bray Wyatt came into play to hit a Sister Abigail on Bryan to seal the win for his team. Decent match that would set up a few more matches with Bryan against The Wyatt Family in the next couple months, serves its purpose but still not the best way to go about it.
Winners: The Wyatt Family
Rating: **3/4
Match 8: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - TLC - Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena (c)
This is Randy Orton vs. John Cena going against each other on PPV for about the 105th time. Of course, this is a unification match for Randy Orton's WWE Championship and John Cena's World Heavyweight Championship. I have reviewed nearly all their matches against each other so trying to differentiate each one becomes increasingly harder. I had trouble getting into the match, the action for a TLC match was just too slow for me to sink my teeth into. The table spots seemed forced and the severity of the match didn't seem as big as they made this match out to be, especially when JBL said that we will remember this match in 100 years from now. Plus, I didn't believe any of the spots that saw the two trying to grab the belts. And I know it's a ladder match and everyone always tends to climb the ladder slowly... but this was ridiculous! The ending saw Orton handcuff Cena to the bottom rope as Cena ridiculously tried to break free. Finally, he unscrewed the bottom turnbuckle before climbing up the ladder to meet Orton. Orton then tugged on the rope that was still tied to Cena and yanked him off the ladder as he crashed onto a table set up in the corner. Or at least tried to, Cena barely hit the table and sold the spot as if he just hit his face on it. Anyway, Orton then climbs the ladder and retrieves the belts to win. Afterwards, Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon & Triple H of The Authority come out to congratulate Orton and raise his hand. Interesting way to close the year with the two established stars of the company continuing to be the focal points of the company. Let's see how that worked out come WrestleMania...
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Another very poor PPV offering from the WWE which really puts into perspective how the WWE Network has certainly become a blessing. Aside from maybe the tag match and the main event, every match on the card was either bad or just bland. While I love having TLC as a concept for a PPV, it doesn't mean anything if it can't deliver on its promises.
Rating: 4.75/10
Match 1: CM Punk vs. The Shield
The last PPV review I did was Hell in a Cell 2012, a PPV that infamously featured a match pitting CM Punk against Ryback in a match Punk later ranted about on a podcast. Another match he talked about was this one, a handicap match against The Shield where he was instructed by so many people to make Roman Reigns look good. Let's just cut to chase... why exactly did Punk go over here? They had a fun little match here that saw Reigns miss a Spear and damage his eye on the outside as he landed on JBL's chair. Punk took advantage of the injury and dissected The Shield before Reigns accidentally Speared Dean Ambrose for Punk to pick up the win. I guess if you're going to have Punk go over the WWE's hottest commodity, then this is the way to do it. This really did no help for anyone.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: **3/4
Match 2: WWE Divas Championship - AJ Lee (c) vs. Natalya
Natalya looks to finally recapture the Divas Championship from AJ Lee is in on a tear. Just a pretty short Divas match here with AJ Lee using Natalya's hair as leverage to score the win. Nothing special here, very quick and to the point like most Divas matches. Fans and commentators virtually had no interest in this.
Winner: AJ Lee
Rating: *
Match 3: WWE Intercontinental Championship - Big E Langston (c) vs. Damien Sandow
After losing his World Heavyweight Championship match against John Cena, Damien Sandow looks to rebuild from where he started against Big E Langston. Much like the previous match and much like you will see later on, this was another filler of a match. Decent action from the two before Langston hits his Big Ending finisher to score the W. Both of these guys would later go on to switch up their characters the following year or so and go on to do much better things. After watching this, you could just tell that they needed a character change.
Winner: Big E Langston
Rating: **
Match 4: WWE Tag Team Championships - Elimination - Cody Rhodes & Goldust (c) vs. The Real Americans vs. Rey Mysterio & The Big Show vs. RybAxel
Almost a shame to look back at this and see how bad Cody Rhodes was booked, no reason why this dude never got a real push as a singles competitor. However, he did make a pretty nice pairing with his brother in Goldust. Agree with me or not, but I dig the teams they assembled here and their styles meshed well against each other for a fast and fun match. Rhodes was able to hit a Cross Rhodes on Mysterio to finish the match and retain the titles for his team. Really strong match here after the first three matches left a sour taste in my mouth. Lots of cool spots and the addition of The Big Show made things that much more exciting. The two teams then share an awkward exchange of sportsmanship afterwards.
Winners: Cody Rhodes & Goldust
Rating: ***3/4
Match 5: Brodus Clay vs. R-Truth
Can you imagine paying about 50 bucks for this? This might be a high for a WWE PPV of fillers on a card. Brodus Clay dominated this match pretty thoroughly until he and Sweet T (Albert) started arguing at ringside because Clay was being a little too stiff with Truth and not taking the match seriously. Finally, Sweet T leaves Clay before The Funkadactyles left right after. R-Truth is able to quickly roll Clay up for the win. Again, can you believe this was on PPV?
Winner: R-Truth
Rating: 3/4*
Match 6: No Disqualification - Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz
The two got into a little bit of a scuffle prior to the start of the PPV and a match was made for tonight with no disqualification rules. How many times I've seen this match before? No idea, but it certainly feels like it's up there. The match was as basic as you could imagine with these two and the crowd began getting restless at the end as they started to chant "boring." The Miz removes the padding from a corner of a turnbuckle before it backfires on him as Kofi Kingston launches Miz into it before getting knocked out with a Trouble in Paradise. As basic as you could imagine, passable match but nothing acceptable for a PPV.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
Rating: **1/4
Match 7: Daniel Bryan vs. The Wyatt Family
The crowd was calling for Daniel Bryan the whole night and they finally got him... in a handicap against The Wyatt Family. Almost a shame that Bryan was booked into a corner here, crowd was so hot for him but it just wouldn't make any sense for him to win against the hot team in The Wyatt Family. Then again, CM Punk did beat The Shield in the first match of the night. Regardless, the match was fairly enjoyable for what it was but watching The Wyatt Family beat down Bryan for a good portion of the match got pretty old fast. Bryan, however, almost had the match won until Bray Wyatt came into play to hit a Sister Abigail on Bryan to seal the win for his team. Decent match that would set up a few more matches with Bryan against The Wyatt Family in the next couple months, serves its purpose but still not the best way to go about it.
Winners: The Wyatt Family
Rating: **3/4
Match 8: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - TLC - Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena (c)
This is Randy Orton vs. John Cena going against each other on PPV for about the 105th time. Of course, this is a unification match for Randy Orton's WWE Championship and John Cena's World Heavyweight Championship. I have reviewed nearly all their matches against each other so trying to differentiate each one becomes increasingly harder. I had trouble getting into the match, the action for a TLC match was just too slow for me to sink my teeth into. The table spots seemed forced and the severity of the match didn't seem as big as they made this match out to be, especially when JBL said that we will remember this match in 100 years from now. Plus, I didn't believe any of the spots that saw the two trying to grab the belts. And I know it's a ladder match and everyone always tends to climb the ladder slowly... but this was ridiculous! The ending saw Orton handcuff Cena to the bottom rope as Cena ridiculously tried to break free. Finally, he unscrewed the bottom turnbuckle before climbing up the ladder to meet Orton. Orton then tugged on the rope that was still tied to Cena and yanked him off the ladder as he crashed onto a table set up in the corner. Or at least tried to, Cena barely hit the table and sold the spot as if he just hit his face on it. Anyway, Orton then climbs the ladder and retrieves the belts to win. Afterwards, Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon & Triple H of The Authority come out to congratulate Orton and raise his hand. Interesting way to close the year with the two established stars of the company continuing to be the focal points of the company. Let's see how that worked out come WrestleMania...
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Another very poor PPV offering from the WWE which really puts into perspective how the WWE Network has certainly become a blessing. Aside from maybe the tag match and the main event, every match on the card was either bad or just bland. While I love having TLC as a concept for a PPV, it doesn't mean anything if it can't deliver on its promises.
Rating: 4.75/10
Monday, October 9, 2017
WWE Hell in a Cell 2012 Review
The 2012 installment of WWE's annual Hell in a Cell event took place
in Atlanta as the Ryback train looked to steamroll over CM Punk for the
WWE Championship.
Match 1: Alberto Del Rio vs. Randy Orton
Pretty big match at the time to kick off the show, especially considering how WWE was really high on Alberto Del Rio during his initial run the first few years in. He looked pretty dominant here in his match against Randy Orton as more than none, this match saw Del Rio handling Orton pretty easily. However, a couple mistakes on Del Rio's part led to a very sweet RKO from Orton. Del Rio looked to kick Orton's skull in the corner but Orton quickly got out of the way and hit an RKO as Del Rio was descending down. Good opening match that saw Orton pick up a needed win but didn't make Del Rio look bad in the process.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***1/4
Match 2: Tag Team Championships - Team Hell No (c) vs. Team Rhodes Scholars
Got to love the odd pairing of Daniel Bryan and Kane. And who could ever forget the great pairing of Cody Rhodes and Damian Sandow? Right? Right? Anyway, this match was more of a story arch for the growing pains between Bryan and Kane. The action for the match itself was fine but it never really shifted itself into a high gear, but the crowd still enjoyed it either way. Kane beats down Team Rhodes Scholars himself in the corner which calls for the referee to end the match in a disqualification. Afterwards, the two argue as Bryan storms off with his belt. Feel like this should have been a result for a match on Raw instead of on PPV, would it really hurt to have Team Hell No to just go over in a fishy finish?
Winners: Team Rhodes Scholars
Rating: **
Match 3: Intercontinental Championship - Kofi Kingston (c) vs. The Miz
Talk about a filler of the century featuring the decade's two biggest midcarders. Is that an accurate statement to make? Thankfully, the two were able to make career makeovers a few years later. Still don't think The Miz has contended for a world championship since losing it in 2011. If someone could fill me in, that would be splendid. Another pretty standard match here that saw Miz focus on Kofi Kingston's knee throughout the match before Kingston was able to fight through the pain and hit a Trouble in Paradise for the victory. I'm not really too sure what to say here because let's be honest, you've seen this show about a million times on Raw.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
Rating: **1/4
Match 4: United States Championship - Antonio Cesaro (c) vs. Justin Gabriel
Was always a fan of Justin Gabriel, very fun to watch in the ring but for whatever reason, he just couldn't click with the fans that well. Antonio Cesaro was still in his introductory stages of his career in the WWE but he captured the United States Championship fairly quickly, but it was really the title that was making him at the time instead of him making the title. Some good action here that saw Cesaro hit a huge European uppercut on the outside to a diving Gabriel before hitting a Neutralizer in the ring to pick up the win and retain the title. Another decent and pretty forgettable match on the card.
Winner: Antonio Cesaro
Rating: **1/2
Match 5: Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara vs. The Primetime Players
No wonder Rey Mysterio ultimately decided to leave the company, this dude got totally lost in the scuffle at this point in his career. Would love to see him back within the company one day, though. Crowd really couldn't care less about anyone in the ring aside from Mysterio as the pacing of the match wasn't helping any matters. Sin Cara just can't seem to connect to the audience the way Mysterio does. Mysterio gets a hot tag in and hits a 619 on Darren Young to score the win for his team.
Winners: Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara
Rating: *3/4
Match 6: World Heavyweight Championship - Sheamus (c) vs. The Big Show
With this match actually being the co-main event, it really screams how slim the WWE roster was during the fall of 2012, or at least how this PPV makes it look out to be. The Big Show had a little bit of a career revitalization within the past couple years and certainly earned his spot here against Sheamus for the gold. These two brought the goods to the show as the nearfalls after a Chokeslam, a White Noise, a KO Punch, and even a Brogue Kick had the kick going in a frenzy. Big Show doesn't always match up well with his opponents but he certainly did match up well here against the brawling style of Sheamus. Sheamus wanted to hit another Brogue Kick and looked to have the match sealed in the bag but The Big Show hits a KO Punch out of nowhere to get the win! Awesome match and very cool to see Show hold a major title once again after really stepping up his game. Great match to lead into the main event.
Winner: The Big Show
Rating: ****1/4
Match 7: Divas Championship - Eve (c) vs. Layla vs. Kaitlyn
I'm a huge fan of all three ladies in the ring but even I can't defend this one. Heck, the commentators could not care less for this since they were more interested in making jokes. Hard to get into the action when it was just so sloppy and the crowd was just sitting on their hands. Eve retains her title after hitting a Swanton Bomb on Kaitlyn who was covering Layla. As a matter of fact, I think she even missed her target. Regardless, she gets the win and we get to move on.
Winner: Kaitlyn
Rating: 1/2*
Match 8: WWE Championship - Hell in a Cell - CM Punk (c) vs. Ryback
The fall of 2012 was the pinnacle of Ryback's popularity as he was inserted into the main event position here against CM Punk for the richest prize in the company. Of course, this is the first of two infamous Hell in a Cell matches that Punk would later complain about on a podcast concerning Ryback's carelessness and how stiff he was throughout the matches. The match itself was as underwhelming as you could imagine, Atlanta isn't always the rowdiest of crowds and they didn't really help matters for this match along with much of the whole card. Punk managed to squeak in a nice amount of offense but Ryback looked to be too much for him and as Ryback tried to end the match with a Shell Shocked, the referee stood in his way. The referee, who later was revealed to be Brad Maddox, low blowed Ryback and assisted Punk in making a fast count for the win. Afterwards, Punk and Maddox try to exit but Ryback stops them and destroys the two in their tracks. He then took chased Punk to the top of the cage and hit a Shell Shocked to close the show. I guess if they were going to do a funny finish for the match, this was the way to go considering Ryback was so hot and they didn't want him to eat the pin. Even still, a very bland main event for a pretty bland night.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: **1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
The event featured a couple bright spots with the World Heavyweight Championship match standing out the most. However, the rest of the card and the main event did not deliver on any promises. As I mentioned earlier, the fall of 2012 saw a very slim roster for the WWE until The Shield would make their debut a month later. October PPVs always seem to hit a rut for me and this is no different.
Rating: 5/10
Match 1: Alberto Del Rio vs. Randy Orton
Pretty big match at the time to kick off the show, especially considering how WWE was really high on Alberto Del Rio during his initial run the first few years in. He looked pretty dominant here in his match against Randy Orton as more than none, this match saw Del Rio handling Orton pretty easily. However, a couple mistakes on Del Rio's part led to a very sweet RKO from Orton. Del Rio looked to kick Orton's skull in the corner but Orton quickly got out of the way and hit an RKO as Del Rio was descending down. Good opening match that saw Orton pick up a needed win but didn't make Del Rio look bad in the process.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***1/4
Match 2: Tag Team Championships - Team Hell No (c) vs. Team Rhodes Scholars
Got to love the odd pairing of Daniel Bryan and Kane. And who could ever forget the great pairing of Cody Rhodes and Damian Sandow? Right? Right? Anyway, this match was more of a story arch for the growing pains between Bryan and Kane. The action for the match itself was fine but it never really shifted itself into a high gear, but the crowd still enjoyed it either way. Kane beats down Team Rhodes Scholars himself in the corner which calls for the referee to end the match in a disqualification. Afterwards, the two argue as Bryan storms off with his belt. Feel like this should have been a result for a match on Raw instead of on PPV, would it really hurt to have Team Hell No to just go over in a fishy finish?
Winners: Team Rhodes Scholars
Rating: **
Match 3: Intercontinental Championship - Kofi Kingston (c) vs. The Miz
Talk about a filler of the century featuring the decade's two biggest midcarders. Is that an accurate statement to make? Thankfully, the two were able to make career makeovers a few years later. Still don't think The Miz has contended for a world championship since losing it in 2011. If someone could fill me in, that would be splendid. Another pretty standard match here that saw Miz focus on Kofi Kingston's knee throughout the match before Kingston was able to fight through the pain and hit a Trouble in Paradise for the victory. I'm not really too sure what to say here because let's be honest, you've seen this show about a million times on Raw.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
Rating: **1/4
Match 4: United States Championship - Antonio Cesaro (c) vs. Justin Gabriel
Was always a fan of Justin Gabriel, very fun to watch in the ring but for whatever reason, he just couldn't click with the fans that well. Antonio Cesaro was still in his introductory stages of his career in the WWE but he captured the United States Championship fairly quickly, but it was really the title that was making him at the time instead of him making the title. Some good action here that saw Cesaro hit a huge European uppercut on the outside to a diving Gabriel before hitting a Neutralizer in the ring to pick up the win and retain the title. Another decent and pretty forgettable match on the card.
Winner: Antonio Cesaro
Rating: **1/2
Match 5: Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara vs. The Primetime Players
No wonder Rey Mysterio ultimately decided to leave the company, this dude got totally lost in the scuffle at this point in his career. Would love to see him back within the company one day, though. Crowd really couldn't care less about anyone in the ring aside from Mysterio as the pacing of the match wasn't helping any matters. Sin Cara just can't seem to connect to the audience the way Mysterio does. Mysterio gets a hot tag in and hits a 619 on Darren Young to score the win for his team.
Winners: Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara
Rating: *3/4
Match 6: World Heavyweight Championship - Sheamus (c) vs. The Big Show
With this match actually being the co-main event, it really screams how slim the WWE roster was during the fall of 2012, or at least how this PPV makes it look out to be. The Big Show had a little bit of a career revitalization within the past couple years and certainly earned his spot here against Sheamus for the gold. These two brought the goods to the show as the nearfalls after a Chokeslam, a White Noise, a KO Punch, and even a Brogue Kick had the kick going in a frenzy. Big Show doesn't always match up well with his opponents but he certainly did match up well here against the brawling style of Sheamus. Sheamus wanted to hit another Brogue Kick and looked to have the match sealed in the bag but The Big Show hits a KO Punch out of nowhere to get the win! Awesome match and very cool to see Show hold a major title once again after really stepping up his game. Great match to lead into the main event.
Winner: The Big Show
Rating: ****1/4
Match 7: Divas Championship - Eve (c) vs. Layla vs. Kaitlyn
I'm a huge fan of all three ladies in the ring but even I can't defend this one. Heck, the commentators could not care less for this since they were more interested in making jokes. Hard to get into the action when it was just so sloppy and the crowd was just sitting on their hands. Eve retains her title after hitting a Swanton Bomb on Kaitlyn who was covering Layla. As a matter of fact, I think she even missed her target. Regardless, she gets the win and we get to move on.
Winner: Kaitlyn
Rating: 1/2*
Match 8: WWE Championship - Hell in a Cell - CM Punk (c) vs. Ryback
The fall of 2012 was the pinnacle of Ryback's popularity as he was inserted into the main event position here against CM Punk for the richest prize in the company. Of course, this is the first of two infamous Hell in a Cell matches that Punk would later complain about on a podcast concerning Ryback's carelessness and how stiff he was throughout the matches. The match itself was as underwhelming as you could imagine, Atlanta isn't always the rowdiest of crowds and they didn't really help matters for this match along with much of the whole card. Punk managed to squeak in a nice amount of offense but Ryback looked to be too much for him and as Ryback tried to end the match with a Shell Shocked, the referee stood in his way. The referee, who later was revealed to be Brad Maddox, low blowed Ryback and assisted Punk in making a fast count for the win. Afterwards, Punk and Maddox try to exit but Ryback stops them and destroys the two in their tracks. He then took chased Punk to the top of the cage and hit a Shell Shocked to close the show. I guess if they were going to do a funny finish for the match, this was the way to go considering Ryback was so hot and they didn't want him to eat the pin. Even still, a very bland main event for a pretty bland night.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: **1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
The event featured a couple bright spots with the World Heavyweight Championship match standing out the most. However, the rest of the card and the main event did not deliver on any promises. As I mentioned earlier, the fall of 2012 saw a very slim roster for the WWE until The Shield would make their debut a month later. October PPVs always seem to hit a rut for me and this is no different.
Rating: 5/10
Thursday, August 10, 2017
WWE Summerslam 2008 Review
Match 1: Jeff Hardy vs. MVP
Hard to believe that prior to this, Jeff Hardy hasn't been on a Summerslam card since 2001. He is back at the biggest blockbuster of the summer against MVP in 2008. Good opening match here that really made me forget how good these guys were. Hardy had good chemistry with pretty much the entire roster during his 2008 roller coaster year and the same could be said for MVP. Shelton Benjamin came out to cause a distraction against Hardy that led to MVP hitting his Drive-By Kick to score the win. Good way to have MVP score the win while Hardy has an out for his loss. Shame this one didn't go on any longer.
Winner: MVP
Rating: **3/4
Match 2: Intercontinental & Women's Championship - Kofi Kingston (c) & Mickie James (c) vs. Santino Marella & Beth Phoenix
Booked by Raw general manager Mike Adamle, this intergender match is for Kofi Kingston's Intercontinental Championship and Mickie James' Women's Championship. Fun match here to bridge the gap between the opener and the emotional segment with Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho that followed this. Phoenix pins James to score the win for her team as Santino hilariously celebrates even though Phoenix did the heavy lifting. Phoenix then carries Santino out on her shoulders as he celebrates.
Winners: Santino Marella & Beth Phoenix
Rating: *1/4
Match 3: ECW Championship - Mark Henry (c) vs. Matt Hardy
This was easily one of the worst Summerslam moments in a long time. Matt Hardy hits a Twist of Fate on Mark Henry but Tony Atlas removes Hardy from the ring as the referee calls for the disqualification. Jeff Hardy comes down to help beat down Henry afterwards but ultimately, Henry retains the title. What was the point of that? I get that they really wanted to have an ECW representation on the card but why the stupid finish? That only made ECW look worse than what it was already.
Winner: Matt Hardy
Rating: 1/4*
Match 4: World Heavyweight Championship - CM Punk (c) vs. JBL
Remember CM Punk's first reign as the world heavyweight champion? He was booked like a chump. It was one of those cases where the belt made the man rather than the man making the belt. Punk needed a big win here against the challenger in John Bradshaw Layfield. Decent action here with JBL doing a great job of utilizing his size to take down the faster and more agile CM Punk. As much as I hate saying this, it just didn't look like Punk was ready for this role yet. The crowd just wasn't reacting too much to him and the way he was getting booked didn't help matters. Punk eventually hit a GTS to secure his first PPV win since gaining the World Heavyweight Championship.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: **3/4
Match 5: WWE Championship - Triple H (c) vs. The Great Khali
I always wondered why they decided to have The Great Khali challenge Triple H for the strap here, was there really no one else more suitable? Maybe Triple H wanted the challenge and be the man who could put on the best possible match with Khali. As much hate as I might get for this one, Triple H succeeded. This was easily the best singles Khali match that I could remember. Triple H did a great job of hiding Khali's flaws and using his size to make him seem like he truly was an unstoppable giant. I like how they centered the match around Triple H not being able to hit his Pedigree on the bigger Khali, something they messed around with during episodes of Smackdown leading up to this match. Triple H had trouble locking it in throughout the match as he basically carried Khali for the entire thing. However, Triple H was able to hit a Pedigree and secure the win. Not bad, especially for a Khali match.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: ***
Match 6: John Cena vs. Batista
I scored this match ****1/4 on my last viewing so let's see how that stands. I always thought they should have held this match off until WrestleMania but nonetheless, the build and hype for this match was tremendous, always loved how they were tag champs for a week. Both men rose to prominence at WrestleMania 21 and find themselves squaring off against each other for the first time as the top dogs of the company. Crowd was definitely on their toes for this one and the match just had a big-fight feel to it. Great exchanges from the top as they fight a stalemate throughout with nobody truly getting the advantage. However, things change when John Cena dives off the top rope where Batista counters it into a nasty looking Batista Bomb. Cena is able to kick out of it but after another Batista Bomb, Batista wins cleanly. Couldn't go wrong with anyone winning here. However, Batista winning makes more sense as it leads to Cena wanting to avenge his loss which he would go on to do at a future WrestleMania. Also, Cena would head to the disabled list shortly after this match which led to the WWE having a Cena-less fall until Survivor Series.
Winner: Batista
Rating: ****1/4
Original Rating: ****1/4
Match 7: Hell in a Cell - Edge vs. The Undertaker
I have seen this match so many times that I actually can't even remember if I have ever even reviewed this before so I'm just going to pretend like this is the first time for both. 2008's feud of the year was Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels but one that often gets overlooked that year is between these two, Edge and The Undertaker. They feuded throughout the year and it culminated here in a Hell in a Cell match at Summerslam in the main event. One of my favorite promos of all time came on an edition of SmackDown leading to this event that saw Edge feature Mick Foley on an edition of The Cutting Edge. If you haven't seen it, do yourself the favor. A huge gripe that many often have with this match is that it felt like a big spot after big spot type of match. Personally, I loved the spots and I love how they spaced them out perfectly. They couldn't do any blood so they made up for it with some incredible table spots and storytelling. Loved the spot where Edge drove a steel chair through the heart of The Undertaker through a table before saying to himself, "I understand." Referencing his promo with Mick Foley. Undertaker scores the big win after hitting a Spear and a Tombstone. Afterwards, Undertaker Chokeslams Edge off a ladder through the ring before fire erupts out of nowhere. Memorable finish and ending to the show as Edge would go on to take a much-needed break before like Cena, returning at Survivor Series.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: ****3/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
While I definitely enjoyed the show and the main events, I still have trouble giving the show a 9/10 simply because of the fairly lackluster start to the show. Aside from that, the last three matches either met expectations or exceeded them. Regardless, this was a very memorable Summerslam capped off with a fantastic main event. I also took into consideration the incredible angle between Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels which may be my favorite Summerslam moment of all time.
Rating: 8.75/10
Hard to believe that prior to this, Jeff Hardy hasn't been on a Summerslam card since 2001. He is back at the biggest blockbuster of the summer against MVP in 2008. Good opening match here that really made me forget how good these guys were. Hardy had good chemistry with pretty much the entire roster during his 2008 roller coaster year and the same could be said for MVP. Shelton Benjamin came out to cause a distraction against Hardy that led to MVP hitting his Drive-By Kick to score the win. Good way to have MVP score the win while Hardy has an out for his loss. Shame this one didn't go on any longer.
Winner: MVP
Rating: **3/4
Match 2: Intercontinental & Women's Championship - Kofi Kingston (c) & Mickie James (c) vs. Santino Marella & Beth Phoenix
Booked by Raw general manager Mike Adamle, this intergender match is for Kofi Kingston's Intercontinental Championship and Mickie James' Women's Championship. Fun match here to bridge the gap between the opener and the emotional segment with Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho that followed this. Phoenix pins James to score the win for her team as Santino hilariously celebrates even though Phoenix did the heavy lifting. Phoenix then carries Santino out on her shoulders as he celebrates.
Winners: Santino Marella & Beth Phoenix
Rating: *1/4
Match 3: ECW Championship - Mark Henry (c) vs. Matt Hardy
This was easily one of the worst Summerslam moments in a long time. Matt Hardy hits a Twist of Fate on Mark Henry but Tony Atlas removes Hardy from the ring as the referee calls for the disqualification. Jeff Hardy comes down to help beat down Henry afterwards but ultimately, Henry retains the title. What was the point of that? I get that they really wanted to have an ECW representation on the card but why the stupid finish? That only made ECW look worse than what it was already.
Winner: Matt Hardy
Rating: 1/4*
Match 4: World Heavyweight Championship - CM Punk (c) vs. JBL
Remember CM Punk's first reign as the world heavyweight champion? He was booked like a chump. It was one of those cases where the belt made the man rather than the man making the belt. Punk needed a big win here against the challenger in John Bradshaw Layfield. Decent action here with JBL doing a great job of utilizing his size to take down the faster and more agile CM Punk. As much as I hate saying this, it just didn't look like Punk was ready for this role yet. The crowd just wasn't reacting too much to him and the way he was getting booked didn't help matters. Punk eventually hit a GTS to secure his first PPV win since gaining the World Heavyweight Championship.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: **3/4
Match 5: WWE Championship - Triple H (c) vs. The Great Khali
I always wondered why they decided to have The Great Khali challenge Triple H for the strap here, was there really no one else more suitable? Maybe Triple H wanted the challenge and be the man who could put on the best possible match with Khali. As much hate as I might get for this one, Triple H succeeded. This was easily the best singles Khali match that I could remember. Triple H did a great job of hiding Khali's flaws and using his size to make him seem like he truly was an unstoppable giant. I like how they centered the match around Triple H not being able to hit his Pedigree on the bigger Khali, something they messed around with during episodes of Smackdown leading up to this match. Triple H had trouble locking it in throughout the match as he basically carried Khali for the entire thing. However, Triple H was able to hit a Pedigree and secure the win. Not bad, especially for a Khali match.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: ***
Match 6: John Cena vs. Batista
I scored this match ****1/4 on my last viewing so let's see how that stands. I always thought they should have held this match off until WrestleMania but nonetheless, the build and hype for this match was tremendous, always loved how they were tag champs for a week. Both men rose to prominence at WrestleMania 21 and find themselves squaring off against each other for the first time as the top dogs of the company. Crowd was definitely on their toes for this one and the match just had a big-fight feel to it. Great exchanges from the top as they fight a stalemate throughout with nobody truly getting the advantage. However, things change when John Cena dives off the top rope where Batista counters it into a nasty looking Batista Bomb. Cena is able to kick out of it but after another Batista Bomb, Batista wins cleanly. Couldn't go wrong with anyone winning here. However, Batista winning makes more sense as it leads to Cena wanting to avenge his loss which he would go on to do at a future WrestleMania. Also, Cena would head to the disabled list shortly after this match which led to the WWE having a Cena-less fall until Survivor Series.
Winner: Batista
Rating: ****1/4
Original Rating: ****1/4
Match 7: Hell in a Cell - Edge vs. The Undertaker
I have seen this match so many times that I actually can't even remember if I have ever even reviewed this before so I'm just going to pretend like this is the first time for both. 2008's feud of the year was Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels but one that often gets overlooked that year is between these two, Edge and The Undertaker. They feuded throughout the year and it culminated here in a Hell in a Cell match at Summerslam in the main event. One of my favorite promos of all time came on an edition of SmackDown leading to this event that saw Edge feature Mick Foley on an edition of The Cutting Edge. If you haven't seen it, do yourself the favor. A huge gripe that many often have with this match is that it felt like a big spot after big spot type of match. Personally, I loved the spots and I love how they spaced them out perfectly. They couldn't do any blood so they made up for it with some incredible table spots and storytelling. Loved the spot where Edge drove a steel chair through the heart of The Undertaker through a table before saying to himself, "I understand." Referencing his promo with Mick Foley. Undertaker scores the big win after hitting a Spear and a Tombstone. Afterwards, Undertaker Chokeslams Edge off a ladder through the ring before fire erupts out of nowhere. Memorable finish and ending to the show as Edge would go on to take a much-needed break before like Cena, returning at Survivor Series.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: ****3/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
While I definitely enjoyed the show and the main events, I still have trouble giving the show a 9/10 simply because of the fairly lackluster start to the show. Aside from that, the last three matches either met expectations or exceeded them. Regardless, this was a very memorable Summerslam capped off with a fantastic main event. I also took into consideration the incredible angle between Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels which may be my favorite Summerslam moment of all time.
Rating: 8.75/10
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
TNA Victory Road 2010 Review
TNA's annual July PPV on the path to Bound for Glory stops at Victory Road. The vacant World Tag Team Championships are on the line, Kurt Angle's career is on the line and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship is also on the line in the main event!
Match 1: X Division Championship - Ultimate X - Douglas Williams (c) vs. Brian Kendrick
Good choice to open the match, just always wished that they limited the Ultimate X match for bigger PPV events rather than having one every other month or something. For this edition, a winner can also be crowned champion by not only grabbing the belt from the top, but by also submitting their opponent. Kind of takes a little bit of the drama away. Regardless, the two had a pretty good match here with a pretty limited amount of time. The two climb the structure and fall off together from the wire leading to the belt which led to Doug Williams choking out Brian Kendrick to secure the win.
Winner: Doug Williams
Rating: **1/4
Match 2: Brother Ray vs. Jesse Neal vs. Brother Devon
Brother Ray beings the match by hiding within the stage and attacking Jesse Neal from behind before cameras reveal that Ray had locked Brother Devon in the locker room. Only in TNA. Ray is beating down Neal before the old ECW guys appear in the stands for whatever reason as the tides turn with Neal hitting his Spear. Devon eventually comes out and begins brawling with Ray before Ray finishes off Neal with a Bubba Bomb. More of an angle than an actual match here. Too much happened in such little time. However, I like the call of giving Ray the win. Only the start of Ray's ascension to the top as the company's top heel.
Winner: Brother Ray
Rating: *1/2
Match 3: Knockouts Championship - Madison Rayne (c) vs. Angelina Love
If Angelina Love loses the match, her career also ends in the process. With that taken into consideration, the two have a match that lasts about a couple minutes until a mysterious figure comes out in a motorcycle and attacks both Love and the referee. Therefore, Madison Rayne is disqualified and loses the title. She then leaves with the chick on her motorcycle as Love celebrates her title win as if she had accomplished it without any funny stuff happening. This was so ridiculous on all levels, even Taz couldn't hide the crap.
Winner: Angelina Love
Rating: 1/4*
Match 4: AJ Styles & Kazarian vs. Rob Terry & Samoa Joe
Ric Flair booked AJ Styles & Kazarian in a tag match with the opponents being a secret. Their opponents turn out to be the odd pairing of Rob Terry & Samoa Joe. Decent and short match here that saw both squads get in their fun displays of offense before Desmond Wolfe appears out of nowhere to attack Joe. This leads to Styles & Kaz capitalizing on the distraction as they take out Terry to score the fairly easy win. Afterwards, Joe takes care of Wolfe for his troubles. Another basic match that gets booked on a PPV.
Winners: AJ Styles & Kazarian
Rating: **
Match 5: Steel Cage - Matt Morgan vs. Hernandez
This was one of the company's best feuds at the time. Huge fan of both guys and loved their breakup. As weird as that sounds. Hernandez starts off the match on the better end of things before Matt Morgan turns the tides and gains momentum as he does not let up. I absolutely love Morgan as a heel, he is so cocky and what makes it best is that he is able to back it all up. As he makes blood pour out of the head of Hernandez, he wipes the blood on the hand and displays it to each section of the audience. He even asked the crowd which side of the cage he should exit from. However, Hernandez does not let up, even after Morgan decided to handcuff him Morgan climbs the cage and continues to taunt Hernandez but Hernandez breaks free from the cuffs and launches himself through the door for the win. Great match here with Morgan playing the great role of a bastard heel and Hernandez being the underdog. Absolutely loved the ending, these guys didn't get enough credit.
Winner: Hernandez
Rating: ***1/2
Match 6: Jay Lethal vs. Ric Flair
One of 2010's biggest shining spots for TNA was Jay Lethal's impression of Ric Flair. Ultimately, it led to a very personal feud between the two and a match here at Victory Road. All the hate that was going around for Flair wrestling again but in all honesty, he had a pretty damn good match here against the younger Lethal. You get the usual Flair spots but the crowd absolutely ate it up and Lethal was so good in his role, especially in making Flair look like a legitimate threat. Loved Flair's exchange with Earl Hebner and loved the spot with Lethal exposing Flair's rear to the crowd before Flair would eventually tap out to a Figure Four from Lethal. Great match and moment for Lethal.
Winner: Jay Lethal
Rating: ***
Match 7: World Tag Team Championships - Beer Money, Inc. vs. The Motor City Machine Guns
Always enjoyed the matches these two teams had and it was cool to see them go at it for the vacant World Tag Team Championships. You know you will be getting quality wrestling whenever the two teams square off and they delivered here. Loved the finish when after getting blinded by a spit of beer, another referee is called to the ring. Here, both teams roll each other up as the referees make the count at the same time and call for the bell. They then restart the match as The Guns get the win shortly after. That was a very TNA finish and while it seems like we have seen the company do this on multiple times, it worked here. I also liked how they didn't drag the match out too much further after this as The Guns got the quick pin after the match got restarted. It almost felt as if they didn't want to break out all the stops for this one as they were saving it for the rest of the year. The best was certainly yet to come.
Winners: The Motor City Machine Guns
Rating: ***
Match 8: D'Angelo Dinero vs. Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle's quest back to the TNA World Championship sees him taking on the #8 seed in D'Angelo Dinero. Always fun to see two big faces in a match and the two made it work really well here. Angle was able to look dominant in the match but also allow Dinero to look like a very suitable opponent for him. The chain wrestling in the beginning was definitely a treat to watch and Taz on commentary adding information to all the suplexes Angle was tossing was certainly a nice touch. Angle was able to lock in an Ankle Lock on Dinero to win the match before the two shook hands afterwards. Another *** match for the night and a nice co-main event for the night, as well.
Winner: Kurt Angle
Rating: ***
Match 9: TNA World Heavyweight Championship - Rob Van Dam (c) vs. Mr. Anderson vs. Abyss vs. Jeff Hardy
After disagreements of who should be the #1 contender for Rob Van Dam's TNA World Heavyweight Championship, the main event turns into a four-way match. I like the booking decision to have all four guys main event the show considering this isn't the biggest PPV of the year and storyline progression should be the biggest factor here without blowing their load. Abyss, of course, is back to being crazy as he brings out a 2x4 with nails plastered all over it. However, the other participants of the match team up early against Abyss to try and eliminate him from the match. It was definitely fun to see all the styles of these four guys clash against each other. After Abyss Chokeslams Jeff Hardy atop Mr. Anderson, RVD hits a Five Star Frog Splash on everyone as he pins Anderson to retain the gold. Afterwards, Abyss goes berserk and tries to smash RVD with the 2x4 as RVD narrowly escapes. The show closes with a deranged Abyss holding the 2x4 as a concerned RVD looks relieved to have escaped. Nice closing to the show that allows their Abyss storyline to continue into a bigger volume.
Winner: Rob Van Dam
Rating: ***1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
With a rather slow start to the show, the rest of the card followed it with very good matches and progressions for their respective storylines that actually made sense. Ric Flair back in the ring was a treat to watch and the main event was suitable for the show. Not the best, but definitely a good PPV showing from TNA.
Rating: 7/10
Match 1: X Division Championship - Ultimate X - Douglas Williams (c) vs. Brian Kendrick
Good choice to open the match, just always wished that they limited the Ultimate X match for bigger PPV events rather than having one every other month or something. For this edition, a winner can also be crowned champion by not only grabbing the belt from the top, but by also submitting their opponent. Kind of takes a little bit of the drama away. Regardless, the two had a pretty good match here with a pretty limited amount of time. The two climb the structure and fall off together from the wire leading to the belt which led to Doug Williams choking out Brian Kendrick to secure the win.
Winner: Doug Williams
Rating: **1/4
Match 2: Brother Ray vs. Jesse Neal vs. Brother Devon
Brother Ray beings the match by hiding within the stage and attacking Jesse Neal from behind before cameras reveal that Ray had locked Brother Devon in the locker room. Only in TNA. Ray is beating down Neal before the old ECW guys appear in the stands for whatever reason as the tides turn with Neal hitting his Spear. Devon eventually comes out and begins brawling with Ray before Ray finishes off Neal with a Bubba Bomb. More of an angle than an actual match here. Too much happened in such little time. However, I like the call of giving Ray the win. Only the start of Ray's ascension to the top as the company's top heel.
Winner: Brother Ray
Rating: *1/2
Match 3: Knockouts Championship - Madison Rayne (c) vs. Angelina Love
If Angelina Love loses the match, her career also ends in the process. With that taken into consideration, the two have a match that lasts about a couple minutes until a mysterious figure comes out in a motorcycle and attacks both Love and the referee. Therefore, Madison Rayne is disqualified and loses the title. She then leaves with the chick on her motorcycle as Love celebrates her title win as if she had accomplished it without any funny stuff happening. This was so ridiculous on all levels, even Taz couldn't hide the crap.
Winner: Angelina Love
Rating: 1/4*
Match 4: AJ Styles & Kazarian vs. Rob Terry & Samoa Joe
Ric Flair booked AJ Styles & Kazarian in a tag match with the opponents being a secret. Their opponents turn out to be the odd pairing of Rob Terry & Samoa Joe. Decent and short match here that saw both squads get in their fun displays of offense before Desmond Wolfe appears out of nowhere to attack Joe. This leads to Styles & Kaz capitalizing on the distraction as they take out Terry to score the fairly easy win. Afterwards, Joe takes care of Wolfe for his troubles. Another basic match that gets booked on a PPV.
Winners: AJ Styles & Kazarian
Rating: **
Match 5: Steel Cage - Matt Morgan vs. Hernandez
This was one of the company's best feuds at the time. Huge fan of both guys and loved their breakup. As weird as that sounds. Hernandez starts off the match on the better end of things before Matt Morgan turns the tides and gains momentum as he does not let up. I absolutely love Morgan as a heel, he is so cocky and what makes it best is that he is able to back it all up. As he makes blood pour out of the head of Hernandez, he wipes the blood on the hand and displays it to each section of the audience. He even asked the crowd which side of the cage he should exit from. However, Hernandez does not let up, even after Morgan decided to handcuff him Morgan climbs the cage and continues to taunt Hernandez but Hernandez breaks free from the cuffs and launches himself through the door for the win. Great match here with Morgan playing the great role of a bastard heel and Hernandez being the underdog. Absolutely loved the ending, these guys didn't get enough credit.
Winner: Hernandez
Rating: ***1/2
Match 6: Jay Lethal vs. Ric Flair
One of 2010's biggest shining spots for TNA was Jay Lethal's impression of Ric Flair. Ultimately, it led to a very personal feud between the two and a match here at Victory Road. All the hate that was going around for Flair wrestling again but in all honesty, he had a pretty damn good match here against the younger Lethal. You get the usual Flair spots but the crowd absolutely ate it up and Lethal was so good in his role, especially in making Flair look like a legitimate threat. Loved Flair's exchange with Earl Hebner and loved the spot with Lethal exposing Flair's rear to the crowd before Flair would eventually tap out to a Figure Four from Lethal. Great match and moment for Lethal.
Winner: Jay Lethal
Rating: ***
Match 7: World Tag Team Championships - Beer Money, Inc. vs. The Motor City Machine Guns
Always enjoyed the matches these two teams had and it was cool to see them go at it for the vacant World Tag Team Championships. You know you will be getting quality wrestling whenever the two teams square off and they delivered here. Loved the finish when after getting blinded by a spit of beer, another referee is called to the ring. Here, both teams roll each other up as the referees make the count at the same time and call for the bell. They then restart the match as The Guns get the win shortly after. That was a very TNA finish and while it seems like we have seen the company do this on multiple times, it worked here. I also liked how they didn't drag the match out too much further after this as The Guns got the quick pin after the match got restarted. It almost felt as if they didn't want to break out all the stops for this one as they were saving it for the rest of the year. The best was certainly yet to come.
Winners: The Motor City Machine Guns
Rating: ***
Match 8: D'Angelo Dinero vs. Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle's quest back to the TNA World Championship sees him taking on the #8 seed in D'Angelo Dinero. Always fun to see two big faces in a match and the two made it work really well here. Angle was able to look dominant in the match but also allow Dinero to look like a very suitable opponent for him. The chain wrestling in the beginning was definitely a treat to watch and Taz on commentary adding information to all the suplexes Angle was tossing was certainly a nice touch. Angle was able to lock in an Ankle Lock on Dinero to win the match before the two shook hands afterwards. Another *** match for the night and a nice co-main event for the night, as well.
Winner: Kurt Angle
Rating: ***
Match 9: TNA World Heavyweight Championship - Rob Van Dam (c) vs. Mr. Anderson vs. Abyss vs. Jeff Hardy
After disagreements of who should be the #1 contender for Rob Van Dam's TNA World Heavyweight Championship, the main event turns into a four-way match. I like the booking decision to have all four guys main event the show considering this isn't the biggest PPV of the year and storyline progression should be the biggest factor here without blowing their load. Abyss, of course, is back to being crazy as he brings out a 2x4 with nails plastered all over it. However, the other participants of the match team up early against Abyss to try and eliminate him from the match. It was definitely fun to see all the styles of these four guys clash against each other. After Abyss Chokeslams Jeff Hardy atop Mr. Anderson, RVD hits a Five Star Frog Splash on everyone as he pins Anderson to retain the gold. Afterwards, Abyss goes berserk and tries to smash RVD with the 2x4 as RVD narrowly escapes. The show closes with a deranged Abyss holding the 2x4 as a concerned RVD looks relieved to have escaped. Nice closing to the show that allows their Abyss storyline to continue into a bigger volume.
Winner: Rob Van Dam
Rating: ***1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
With a rather slow start to the show, the rest of the card followed it with very good matches and progressions for their respective storylines that actually made sense. Ric Flair back in the ring was a treat to watch and the main event was suitable for the show. Not the best, but definitely a good PPV showing from TNA.
Rating: 7/10
Friday, June 30, 2017
WWE The Great American Bash 2006 Review
In wake of the WWE bringing back the Punjabi Prison match, let's take a look back at the show that held the very first one in the 2006 installment of The Great American Bash! The Undertaker took on The Big Show inside the prison while Rey Mysterio faced another hurdle as World Heavyweight Champion against King Booker!
Match 1: WWE Tag Team Championships - Paul London & Brian Kendrick (c) vs. The Pitbulls
Anyone remember The Pitbulls? They were comprised of Jamie Noble and Kid Kash as they made their way to the ring with chains wrapped around their neck. Goodness. JBL did a great job in the booth of hyping up both teams and breaking down the analysis of the match to the tee. Fun action from the two teams as the fast style of Paul London & Brian Kendrick clashed nicely against the harder style of The Pitbulls. Nice opening match here with the champions retaining their belts in a very competitive match. Good start to get the crowd going.
Winners: Paul London & Brian Kendrick
Rating: **3/4
Match 2: United States Championship - Finlay (c) vs. William Regal
Prior to the match, general manager Teddy Long came out and announced that due to elevated enzymes in his liver, Bobby Lashley had been removed from the match. Finlay and William Regal then both come out before Teddy makes a match between the two for Finlay's United States Championship. You have to question the booking decision here to have two heels fight each other after a fairly hot start to the show. The crowd certainly was taken out of the show, despite the quality inside the ring. Finlay used leverage from the ropes along with some help from Hornwoggle to score the win over his friend and partner in Regal to retain the gold.
Winner: Finlay
Rating: ***
Match 3: Matt Hardy vs. Gregory Helms
Love how JBL hypes up Gregory Helms to the moon, this was during his reign as the Cruiserweight Champion and was basically cleaning house. Matt Hardy was his opponent here but since Hardy exceeded the maximum weight for the division, the title was not at stake. Another decent match between the two here with Helms scoring the win after a handful of tights. Hardy's career was seemingly going down at this point while his arch nemesis in Edge was reaching his peak. The match was fine but nothing that screamed PPV quality to me.
Winner: Gregory Helms
Rating: **3/4
Match 4: Punjabi Prison - The Big Show vs. The Undertaker
Although this match was billed as The Great Khali's specialty match, he was replaced by The Big Show because of a backstage ambush by Show from the orders of Teddy Long. This was likely because the WWE just didn't have enough faith in Khali to execute a new match like this against The Undertaker. For all the flack this match gets, I like the uniqueness it brought to the table and in my opinion, it's always cool to see interesting ideas like this brought to the table in the WWE. No matter how confusing it may be the first time around. Unfortunately, even switching Khali's role with The Big Show wasn't enough to save this match. The crowd had trouble getting into it and that's likely because it was pretty damn hard to see what was actually happening with the bamboo structure obstructing our vision. Also, it just didn't seem like the crowd was completely understanding of the rules. However, once they escaped the first structure, the action definitely picked up a bit. Loved the spot where The Undertaker had to scale the first structure and step over onto the second one before swinging and kicking Show off it with a rope. Khali makes an appearance but is too late as Undertaker slams himself off the first structure onto The Big Show which breaks through the second structure. The Undertaker was declared the winner. This was a mess, no bones about it. They experimented one more time with the match a year later and while that one was definitely better than this one, it still wasn't enough for the WWE to warrant a comeback for it until 2017! Then again, this was the first time the WWE tried this out and the second one did feature The Great Khali in it so maybe with smaller guys in the cages, things might go better the third time around.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: *3/4
Match 5: Bra & Panties - Krystal vs. Michelle McCool vs. Jillian Hall vs. Ashley Massaro
So after the serious and brutal match in the Punjabi Prison, we get this. I forget how bad some of these matches were back in the day, it's crazy how far we have come with women's wrestling. Ashley Massaro picks up the win after stripping Krystal. She then celebrates with Jillian Hall afterwards as they both undress each other. That was tough to watch.
Winner: Ashley Massaro
Rating: 1/4*
Match 6: Batista vs. Mr. Kennedy
I remember the heat Batista had with Mark Henry in their feud leading up to their match at this event. It was electric and the buzz for both guys was so high. Unfortunately, Henry got injured and we never got to witness the hot match between the two at this show. Batista had a few interesting things to say about their feud in his book and in his DVD. Mr. Kennedy steps in for Henry and ends up taking the beating of a lifetime. The amount of blood that Kennedy shed for this match was brutal. But it all made sense and the sight of Batista crushing Kennedy in the corner with kicks told the story. Batista gets disqualified but does not leave before hitting a Batista Bomb on Kennedy. Great booking move here. Please the fans with Batista beating down Kennedy to his teeth and giving Kennedy the out with the disqualification win.
Winner: Mr. Kennedy
Rating: **1/4
Match 7: World Heavyweight Championship - Rey Mysterio (c) vs. King Booker
Remarkable to think that two WCW guys would be main eventing a WWE PPV for the World Heavyweight Championship at the time. Also very cool to see Booker T finally rise to the occasion and become the face of SmackDown. Kudos to him for taking his new gimmick to another level. Hard to say that I could have seen that coming in 2006. Booker seems confident in the start but after Mysterio becomes too much to handle, Booker resorts to having Queen Sharmell help him out. However, the referee tosses her out and the match is finally going to be called without any distractions. But after a referee bump and a low blow from Booker, Chavo Guerrero comes out and looks to help out his best friend! But Guerrero strikes Mysterio with one of the nastiest and swiftest chair shots I have ever seen! Booker covers Mysterio and completes his promise, King Booker is a World Heavyweight Champion in the WWE! It looked pretty predictable that Chavo was going to turn on Mysterio but the execution was so perfectly done by Chavo. Much credit to him on that and much credit to Mysterio for selling it like a champ. No pun intended. The show closes with Sharmell cheering on her husband.
Winner: King Booker
Rating: ***3/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Another poor PPV display from the WWE as we are reminded once more why the company decided to ditch these brand-exclusive PPVs a year later. The debut Punjabi Prison was a flop, Mark Henry getting injured was a disappointed and the main event wasn't enough to save the show. But if you were to remember this show for one thing, it will be for the coronation of King Booker.
Rating: 5.5/10
Match 1: WWE Tag Team Championships - Paul London & Brian Kendrick (c) vs. The Pitbulls
Anyone remember The Pitbulls? They were comprised of Jamie Noble and Kid Kash as they made their way to the ring with chains wrapped around their neck. Goodness. JBL did a great job in the booth of hyping up both teams and breaking down the analysis of the match to the tee. Fun action from the two teams as the fast style of Paul London & Brian Kendrick clashed nicely against the harder style of The Pitbulls. Nice opening match here with the champions retaining their belts in a very competitive match. Good start to get the crowd going.
Winners: Paul London & Brian Kendrick
Rating: **3/4
Match 2: United States Championship - Finlay (c) vs. William Regal
Prior to the match, general manager Teddy Long came out and announced that due to elevated enzymes in his liver, Bobby Lashley had been removed from the match. Finlay and William Regal then both come out before Teddy makes a match between the two for Finlay's United States Championship. You have to question the booking decision here to have two heels fight each other after a fairly hot start to the show. The crowd certainly was taken out of the show, despite the quality inside the ring. Finlay used leverage from the ropes along with some help from Hornwoggle to score the win over his friend and partner in Regal to retain the gold.
Winner: Finlay
Rating: ***
Match 3: Matt Hardy vs. Gregory Helms
Love how JBL hypes up Gregory Helms to the moon, this was during his reign as the Cruiserweight Champion and was basically cleaning house. Matt Hardy was his opponent here but since Hardy exceeded the maximum weight for the division, the title was not at stake. Another decent match between the two here with Helms scoring the win after a handful of tights. Hardy's career was seemingly going down at this point while his arch nemesis in Edge was reaching his peak. The match was fine but nothing that screamed PPV quality to me.
Winner: Gregory Helms
Rating: **3/4
Match 4: Punjabi Prison - The Big Show vs. The Undertaker
Although this match was billed as The Great Khali's specialty match, he was replaced by The Big Show because of a backstage ambush by Show from the orders of Teddy Long. This was likely because the WWE just didn't have enough faith in Khali to execute a new match like this against The Undertaker. For all the flack this match gets, I like the uniqueness it brought to the table and in my opinion, it's always cool to see interesting ideas like this brought to the table in the WWE. No matter how confusing it may be the first time around. Unfortunately, even switching Khali's role with The Big Show wasn't enough to save this match. The crowd had trouble getting into it and that's likely because it was pretty damn hard to see what was actually happening with the bamboo structure obstructing our vision. Also, it just didn't seem like the crowd was completely understanding of the rules. However, once they escaped the first structure, the action definitely picked up a bit. Loved the spot where The Undertaker had to scale the first structure and step over onto the second one before swinging and kicking Show off it with a rope. Khali makes an appearance but is too late as Undertaker slams himself off the first structure onto The Big Show which breaks through the second structure. The Undertaker was declared the winner. This was a mess, no bones about it. They experimented one more time with the match a year later and while that one was definitely better than this one, it still wasn't enough for the WWE to warrant a comeback for it until 2017! Then again, this was the first time the WWE tried this out and the second one did feature The Great Khali in it so maybe with smaller guys in the cages, things might go better the third time around.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: *3/4
Match 5: Bra & Panties - Krystal vs. Michelle McCool vs. Jillian Hall vs. Ashley Massaro
So after the serious and brutal match in the Punjabi Prison, we get this. I forget how bad some of these matches were back in the day, it's crazy how far we have come with women's wrestling. Ashley Massaro picks up the win after stripping Krystal. She then celebrates with Jillian Hall afterwards as they both undress each other. That was tough to watch.
Winner: Ashley Massaro
Rating: 1/4*
Match 6: Batista vs. Mr. Kennedy
I remember the heat Batista had with Mark Henry in their feud leading up to their match at this event. It was electric and the buzz for both guys was so high. Unfortunately, Henry got injured and we never got to witness the hot match between the two at this show. Batista had a few interesting things to say about their feud in his book and in his DVD. Mr. Kennedy steps in for Henry and ends up taking the beating of a lifetime. The amount of blood that Kennedy shed for this match was brutal. But it all made sense and the sight of Batista crushing Kennedy in the corner with kicks told the story. Batista gets disqualified but does not leave before hitting a Batista Bomb on Kennedy. Great booking move here. Please the fans with Batista beating down Kennedy to his teeth and giving Kennedy the out with the disqualification win.
Winner: Mr. Kennedy
Rating: **1/4
Match 7: World Heavyweight Championship - Rey Mysterio (c) vs. King Booker
Remarkable to think that two WCW guys would be main eventing a WWE PPV for the World Heavyweight Championship at the time. Also very cool to see Booker T finally rise to the occasion and become the face of SmackDown. Kudos to him for taking his new gimmick to another level. Hard to say that I could have seen that coming in 2006. Booker seems confident in the start but after Mysterio becomes too much to handle, Booker resorts to having Queen Sharmell help him out. However, the referee tosses her out and the match is finally going to be called without any distractions. But after a referee bump and a low blow from Booker, Chavo Guerrero comes out and looks to help out his best friend! But Guerrero strikes Mysterio with one of the nastiest and swiftest chair shots I have ever seen! Booker covers Mysterio and completes his promise, King Booker is a World Heavyweight Champion in the WWE! It looked pretty predictable that Chavo was going to turn on Mysterio but the execution was so perfectly done by Chavo. Much credit to him on that and much credit to Mysterio for selling it like a champ. No pun intended. The show closes with Sharmell cheering on her husband.
Winner: King Booker
Rating: ***3/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Another poor PPV display from the WWE as we are reminded once more why the company decided to ditch these brand-exclusive PPVs a year later. The debut Punjabi Prison was a flop, Mark Henry getting injured was a disappointed and the main event wasn't enough to save the show. But if you were to remember this show for one thing, it will be for the coronation of King Booker.
Rating: 5.5/10
Sunday, May 21, 2017
WWE Judgment Day 2006 Review
Match 1: WWE Tag Team Championships - MNM (c) vs. Paul London & Brian Kendrick
These guys had countless matches back in the day on SmackDown but I don't recall any of them being as good as this one. Really good and fast-paced match to open up the night with Melina doing everything in her power to have her team in MNM secure the win. Melina was so good in her role, it was pretty hilarious to see her break up a pin attempt by sliding in the ring and screaming at the referee. Paul London & Brian Kendrick were really coming into their own as a team at this point as their chemistry was as good as any other established team on the roster. After some miscommunication from MNM, London & Kendrick pick up the win and capture the gold as they embrace each other afterwards. Then, Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury begin to argue as Melina screams down at Mercury which caused the team to explode as they beat in to each other. Great match and a great way to disband the team of MNM.
Winners: Paul London & Brian Kendrick
Rating: ***1/4
Match 2: Chris Benoit vs. Finlay
This is a rematch from contest they had weeks ago on an edition of SmackDown in the 1st round of the King of the Ring tournament. Two veterans going at it in a regular match with no stipulations, what more could you ask for? While it is certainly tough to watch Chris Benoit matches, I am still able to appreciate good wrestling and good technique in the ring. It's almost crazy how good these two were back in the day, as if they were on a completely different level. They slowly built up the match with sweet submissions before escalating things with moves that others may call casual like a suplex before finally putting into play their finishers. Eventually, Benoit caught Finlay with a Crippler Crossface to score the win. Good stuff.
Winner: Chris Benoit
Rating: ***1/4
Match 3: Jillian Hall vs. Melina
Before the match, Johnny Nitro accompanies Melina to the ring before getting kicked out by the referee. I love Melina and she did a great job in her role here as her whole world was seemingly coming down on her. Unfortunately, her match here with Jillian Hall was a typical Divas match with no substance. Just a few basic moves and some annoying screams tossed in there. Hall rolls up Melina to score the win as the referee didn't catch Melina grabbing the bottom rope. At least we got a finish that made sense. What didn't make sense was having Krystal come out after to have a few words with Melina. Melina attacked Krystal before Krystal turned the tables on here. Moving on.
Winner: Jillian Hall
Rating: 3/4*
Match 4: Cruiserweight Championship - Gregory Helms (c) vs. Super Crazy
Back in 2006, Gregory Helms was actually being booked like a real champ and was doing a great job in his role as the Cruiserweight champion. Almost as if turning heel was a career renaissance for him. Decent match here that felt more or less like Helms was just being fed another random contender to boost his stock. You get your cool dives from Super Crazy and you can call it a night. Using leverage with the ropes, Helms is able to successfully pin Super Crazy to score the win and to retain his belt.
Winner: Gregory Helms
Rating: *3/4
Match 5: Mark Henry vs. Kurt Angle
The two have been feuding for months on SmackDown with their first match being at the Royal Rumble in the main event. However, they rekindled their hate for each other after Mark Henry cost Kurt Angle the World Heavyweight Championship and slammed him through a table on two separate occasions. Henry has the huge advantage here as Angle is nursing injured ribs which allows Henry to take advantage of. Henry takes the fight outside and crushes Angle against the post before the referee counts out Angle. Henry looks to attack Angle afterwards until Angle turns the tides and eventually hits an Angle Slam on Henry atop the announcers table. The WWE was really high on Henry at this time, it's almost as if he was the Braun Strowman of 2006 with better skills on the microphone. Regardless, this was a fine match to have both guys on the card and protect them from suffering legit losses.
Winner: Mark Henry
Rating: **
Match 6: King of the Ring Tournament Finals - Booker T vs. Bobby Lashley
Loved how they brought back the King of the Ring in 2006 and of course, they were spot on with the winner. It all came down to this, Booker T going up against Bobby Lashley with the winner earning the crown and title of the King of the Ring. Pretty good match here with Lashley doing his best to fight off both Booker and Sharmell. Also helped that the crowd was pretty hot for this one. Lashley finally got an advantage but Finlay appeared out of nowhere and knocked Lashley out with a shillelagh. Booker took advantage of the opening and finished off Lashley to become the 2006 King of the Ring. Afterwards, Lashley Spears Booker through the throne. Great ending to the revitalization of the tournament with Booker scoring the huge win which would eventually lead him to perhaps the biggest run in his career.
Winner: Booker T
Rating: ***
Match 7: The Great Khali vs. The Undertaker
Remember when The Great Khali debuted in the WWE? I was in the 7th grade and had no idea who or what this guy was and was in awe of how small he made The Undertaker look. This is the infamous match that saw Khali not only beat The Undertaker clean, but also had him score the pin by placing one boot over his chest. I just want to know what was going through The Undertaker's mind when this happened? I guess it shows how devoted he was to the company. Regardless, this match gets a bad reputation for that and is basically remembered as a squash match. However, I disagree with that notion. Sure, the match was pretty bad but credit to The Undertaker for getting in a good amount of offense and making this match tolerable. I'm not saying this is a match of the year by any standards, but I don't think it is as bad as people make it out to be. Of course, Khali wins the match and wins the World Heavyweight Championship a year later when the entire SmackDown roster went down in flames. As for The Undertaker, he would later get his revenge. But the match did its job, it got people talking. Whether they were mad or well, mad, everyone had to voice their opinion on it and at the end of the day, that is exactly what Vince McMahon wants.
Winner: The Great Khali
Rating: *1/2
Match 8: World Heavyweight Championship - Rey Mysterio (c) vs. JBL
After Rey Mysterio captured the coveted World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 22, his first PPV defense was against JBL himself. If you recall, they quickly booked Mysterio to be a chump as the build for this match saw Mysterio get beaten down week after week. Surely we're supposed to believe that JBL has this in the bag, right? Right? JBL is such a great heel, really knows how to make the crowd hate him and his gimmick works so well against the lovable Mysterio. To nobody's surprise, much of this match saw JBL dominate as Mysterio once again had to embrace the underdog role. Blood began to leak underneath the mask of Mysterio as JBL started talking trash to Mysterio's family who were sitting ringside. JBL pulled out all the heel moves to win the match including tossing the referee in harm's way and striking another one. Eventually, Mysterio was able to hit a 619 and a Frog Splash in honor of Eddie Guerrero to secure the big win. Certainly not the strongest main event match ever but it more than served its purpose and gives Mysterio a needed victory.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Rating: ***1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
This is exactly why the WWE did away with these brand-exclusive PPVs. The quality just wasn't there and it's hard to constantly recycle the same matches and keep people interested in purchasing these expensive shows. The worst part of this, this wasn't even the worst PPV offering of the year.
Rating: 5.5/10
These guys had countless matches back in the day on SmackDown but I don't recall any of them being as good as this one. Really good and fast-paced match to open up the night with Melina doing everything in her power to have her team in MNM secure the win. Melina was so good in her role, it was pretty hilarious to see her break up a pin attempt by sliding in the ring and screaming at the referee. Paul London & Brian Kendrick were really coming into their own as a team at this point as their chemistry was as good as any other established team on the roster. After some miscommunication from MNM, London & Kendrick pick up the win and capture the gold as they embrace each other afterwards. Then, Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury begin to argue as Melina screams down at Mercury which caused the team to explode as they beat in to each other. Great match and a great way to disband the team of MNM.
Winners: Paul London & Brian Kendrick
Rating: ***1/4
Match 2: Chris Benoit vs. Finlay
This is a rematch from contest they had weeks ago on an edition of SmackDown in the 1st round of the King of the Ring tournament. Two veterans going at it in a regular match with no stipulations, what more could you ask for? While it is certainly tough to watch Chris Benoit matches, I am still able to appreciate good wrestling and good technique in the ring. It's almost crazy how good these two were back in the day, as if they were on a completely different level. They slowly built up the match with sweet submissions before escalating things with moves that others may call casual like a suplex before finally putting into play their finishers. Eventually, Benoit caught Finlay with a Crippler Crossface to score the win. Good stuff.
Winner: Chris Benoit
Rating: ***1/4
Match 3: Jillian Hall vs. Melina
Before the match, Johnny Nitro accompanies Melina to the ring before getting kicked out by the referee. I love Melina and she did a great job in her role here as her whole world was seemingly coming down on her. Unfortunately, her match here with Jillian Hall was a typical Divas match with no substance. Just a few basic moves and some annoying screams tossed in there. Hall rolls up Melina to score the win as the referee didn't catch Melina grabbing the bottom rope. At least we got a finish that made sense. What didn't make sense was having Krystal come out after to have a few words with Melina. Melina attacked Krystal before Krystal turned the tables on here. Moving on.
Winner: Jillian Hall
Rating: 3/4*
Match 4: Cruiserweight Championship - Gregory Helms (c) vs. Super Crazy
Back in 2006, Gregory Helms was actually being booked like a real champ and was doing a great job in his role as the Cruiserweight champion. Almost as if turning heel was a career renaissance for him. Decent match here that felt more or less like Helms was just being fed another random contender to boost his stock. You get your cool dives from Super Crazy and you can call it a night. Using leverage with the ropes, Helms is able to successfully pin Super Crazy to score the win and to retain his belt.
Winner: Gregory Helms
Rating: *3/4
Match 5: Mark Henry vs. Kurt Angle
The two have been feuding for months on SmackDown with their first match being at the Royal Rumble in the main event. However, they rekindled their hate for each other after Mark Henry cost Kurt Angle the World Heavyweight Championship and slammed him through a table on two separate occasions. Henry has the huge advantage here as Angle is nursing injured ribs which allows Henry to take advantage of. Henry takes the fight outside and crushes Angle against the post before the referee counts out Angle. Henry looks to attack Angle afterwards until Angle turns the tides and eventually hits an Angle Slam on Henry atop the announcers table. The WWE was really high on Henry at this time, it's almost as if he was the Braun Strowman of 2006 with better skills on the microphone. Regardless, this was a fine match to have both guys on the card and protect them from suffering legit losses.
Winner: Mark Henry
Rating: **
Match 6: King of the Ring Tournament Finals - Booker T vs. Bobby Lashley
Loved how they brought back the King of the Ring in 2006 and of course, they were spot on with the winner. It all came down to this, Booker T going up against Bobby Lashley with the winner earning the crown and title of the King of the Ring. Pretty good match here with Lashley doing his best to fight off both Booker and Sharmell. Also helped that the crowd was pretty hot for this one. Lashley finally got an advantage but Finlay appeared out of nowhere and knocked Lashley out with a shillelagh. Booker took advantage of the opening and finished off Lashley to become the 2006 King of the Ring. Afterwards, Lashley Spears Booker through the throne. Great ending to the revitalization of the tournament with Booker scoring the huge win which would eventually lead him to perhaps the biggest run in his career.
Winner: Booker T
Rating: ***
Match 7: The Great Khali vs. The Undertaker
Remember when The Great Khali debuted in the WWE? I was in the 7th grade and had no idea who or what this guy was and was in awe of how small he made The Undertaker look. This is the infamous match that saw Khali not only beat The Undertaker clean, but also had him score the pin by placing one boot over his chest. I just want to know what was going through The Undertaker's mind when this happened? I guess it shows how devoted he was to the company. Regardless, this match gets a bad reputation for that and is basically remembered as a squash match. However, I disagree with that notion. Sure, the match was pretty bad but credit to The Undertaker for getting in a good amount of offense and making this match tolerable. I'm not saying this is a match of the year by any standards, but I don't think it is as bad as people make it out to be. Of course, Khali wins the match and wins the World Heavyweight Championship a year later when the entire SmackDown roster went down in flames. As for The Undertaker, he would later get his revenge. But the match did its job, it got people talking. Whether they were mad or well, mad, everyone had to voice their opinion on it and at the end of the day, that is exactly what Vince McMahon wants.
Winner: The Great Khali
Rating: *1/2
Match 8: World Heavyweight Championship - Rey Mysterio (c) vs. JBL
After Rey Mysterio captured the coveted World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 22, his first PPV defense was against JBL himself. If you recall, they quickly booked Mysterio to be a chump as the build for this match saw Mysterio get beaten down week after week. Surely we're supposed to believe that JBL has this in the bag, right? Right? JBL is such a great heel, really knows how to make the crowd hate him and his gimmick works so well against the lovable Mysterio. To nobody's surprise, much of this match saw JBL dominate as Mysterio once again had to embrace the underdog role. Blood began to leak underneath the mask of Mysterio as JBL started talking trash to Mysterio's family who were sitting ringside. JBL pulled out all the heel moves to win the match including tossing the referee in harm's way and striking another one. Eventually, Mysterio was able to hit a 619 and a Frog Splash in honor of Eddie Guerrero to secure the big win. Certainly not the strongest main event match ever but it more than served its purpose and gives Mysterio a needed victory.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Rating: ***1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
This is exactly why the WWE did away with these brand-exclusive PPVs. The quality just wasn't there and it's hard to constantly recycle the same matches and keep people interested in purchasing these expensive shows. The worst part of this, this wasn't even the worst PPV offering of the year.
Rating: 5.5/10
Monday, April 24, 2017
TNA Lockdown 2010 Review
It's one of TNA's biggest shows of the year, Lockdown! The 2010
edition may have been the biggest one in the company's history. With big
matches like Team Hogan facing off against Team Flair in a Lethal
Lockdown match along with AJ Styles defending his gold against D'Angelo
Dinero, perhaps none were more epic than Kurt Angle taking on Mr.
Anderson in the company's biggest grudge match of all time!
Match 1: Rob Van Dam vs. James Storm
Winner of the match gives their respective team the entry advantage for the Lethal Lockdown match later in the night. The match spills outside the ring before the bell rings as Rob Van Dam gets cut open early on. Pretty basic opening match here that saw James Storm focus on the cut of RVD and nearly pick up the win after spitting beer in his face before landing a sick DDT. However, RVD was able to turn the tide and hit his patented Frog Splash to score the win for himself and for Team Hogan in the Lethal Lockdown match later on.
Winner: Rob Van Dam
Rating: **
Match 2: Xscape - Homicide vs. Brian Kendrick vs. Alex Shelley vs. Chris Sabin
The second match of the night has similar rules as the winner of this match joins the X Division match later in the evening. Why do they have to do this? Why can't they just have a separate match for these guys if they really wanted to have them on the card instead of booking them in such a short match? This was a fairly quick and forgettable match here that saw Homicide trick Brian Kendrick in double teaming against Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin before making the quick escape. Liked the ending, but that match did no favors for anyone else. If anything, it really made The Motor City Machine Guns look like complete fools.
Winner: Homicide
Rating: *1/4
Match 3: Eric Young vs. Kevin Nash
After being betrayed by Kevin Nash, Eric Young seeks revenge inside the steel cage. Unfortunately for him, Nash was more than enough for him to handle. Young managed to squeak in a tad bit of offense before Nash hit a Jackknife Powerbomb to seal his fate. Poor Eric Young, a guy who completely deserves so much better yet falls to one of Hulk Hogan's friends. Afterwards, Nash gets on the microphone and inserts himself into the Team 3D vs. The Band match later on.
Winner: Kevin Nash
Rating: 1/2*
Match 4: Knockouts Championship & Knockouts Tag Team Championships - The Beautiful People vs. Angelina Love (c) & Tara
Can you believe TNA really had Angelina Love win the Knockouts Championship by opening up a box? And they really booked all the Knockouts belts in one match. Man. Love is forced to team up with Tara as they take on The Beautiful People who have Lacey Von Erich in their corner. Long story short, Von Erich interferes in the match as Tara eats the pin in a quick match. With that pin, Love loses her to title to Madison Rayne because reasons. Afterwards, Tara beats down Love. That was a joke.
Winners: The Beautiful People
Rating: 1/2*
Match 5: X Division Championship - Homicide vs. Kazarian vs. Shannon Moore
With the champion in Douglas Williams being unable to make the show, this match is now for the vacant X Division Championship. That also means that the winner of this match won't have the physical belt since Williams still has it. Only in TNA. Regardless, the match itself here was pretty decent as the three guys got in an equal amount of offense as they Kazarian eventually captured the win and earning himself the vacated X Division Championship in the process. If they were given more time, I guarantee you that this may have had the chance to be the best match on the card. Glad Kaz at least got the win.
Winner: Kazarian
Rating: **1/4
Match 6: St. Louis Street Fight - Team 3D vs. The Band
I feel like every TNA PPV that I have seen involves Team 3D spilling the match to the stands. Because Syxx-Pac didn't show up to the event, Kevin Nash replaced him as Scott Hall's partner for this thing. The match starts outside the ring before finally The Band gain an advantage by trapping Brother Devon inside the cage while Brother Ray looked on from the outside. Ray is finally to get himself in the ring as Team 3D get the upper hand. Team 3D then hit a 3D on Hall through a table to get the win. That may have been the easiest paycheck of Nash's life. Just glad that The Band didn't get the win here. The card has been pretty lackluster so far, let's see if the next matches can take a turn in the right direction.
Winners: Team 3D
Rating: *1/2
Match 7: Mr. Anderson vs. Kurt Angle
One of the biggest hidden gems in the history of TNA Wrestling was the 2010 feud between these two. During this time, there was a lot of hot garbage being tossed around but the chemistry these two were able to display throughout their feud was incredible. It all started when Mr. Anderson beat Kurt Angle in a match at Against All Odds that left Angle in a pool of his own blood. Anderson used a necklace that was given to Angle by a soldier to carve him up with. This led to some awesome promos between the two before they finally looked to settle the score here. They had a ladder match prior to this on Impact with the winner gaining possession of the key to open the cage door. It seemed a bit unnecessary to do that but they made it work for this match and even built a little story around the key during this match. First off, I loved Anderson's entrance to this match. He kissed the microphone and looked cool and calm for this match as the video promo before the match presented him to be the driver's seat. One word to describe this match would be intense. The crowd came back to life for this as Angle got cut up early on in the match as Anderson pounded away at the cut and even mocked him as he drove Angle's skull into the steel cage. Angle eventually got the upper hand on Anderson and had the chance to escape through the cage door before he locked it and pretended to throw the key away. The announcers failed to realize that Angle faked the toss and it led to some confusion later on when Angle actually opened the lock with the key. Anyway, Anderson was absolutely relentless in his ways and even tried choking out Angle with the wrist tape. You couldn't help but feel bad for the defenseless Angle as he spit out his mouth guard and had blood pour down his face. Angle is the best at this. However, Angle suplexed his way out of the jam and even hit one off the middle rope. The crowd roared as the intensity grew. Then, Angle looked to the top of the cage and slowly made the climb up. Angle leaped off the top of the cage and hit a moonsault onto Anderson. What. A. Sight. Angle majestically flipped himself off the top of the cage and barely hit his target. The silence both Mike Tenay & Taz presented was a nice touch. Let the picture speak for itself. Surely, this is the end of the match. Not even close. Angle looked to leave the cage as he unlocked the lock with the key he had pretended to throw away earlier as Tenay tells us that he got another key somehow. Angle looks back as Anderson screams and flips off Angle. So awesome. Angle steps back into the ring only to walk into a low blow and a Mic Check! What is going on?! Anderson might seriously win this match! However, Angle puts Anderson in an Ankle Lock as Anderson tries to escape! Anderson is tapping but the only way to win is through the door! Anderson rolls himself out of the lock and tosses Angle into the cage in the process! Anderson tries to escape once more by slithering out. Such a nice touch to show the desperation in Anderson at this point. Angle pulls out the necklace given to him by the soldier and chokes the living daylight out of Anderson! Angle then spits at Anderson's unconscious body before stepping out of the ring and kicking Anderson in his junk before finally walking out and winning the match. The lifeless face of Anderson tells the entire story. Wow. They really left it all out there. Angle then gets on the microphone and says he needs to take some time off as the blood pours down his face. Angle said that when he comes back, his only goal was to regain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. He would eventually come back a month or so later which kind of made that promo pointless. The only things that bothered me were after Angle's big jump off the cage, they did not really sell it as long and as much as they needed to. Also, Angle faking to throw the key away was somewhat confusing as the commentators did not know where Angle got the key later on to open the lock. However, I am not going to let that stop me from giving this match the full *****. That was incredible from the start to the finish and writing about this only makes me want to watch it again. Hands down, my favorite cage match of all time and one of my favorite Angle matches. The intensity was there and the stories all tied together. Take away the epic leap off the cage and this match is just as good. I loved everything about this match, from Anderson's cockiness to Angle choking out Angle at the very end. Credit to both men on what I believe to be the biggest hidden gem in the company's history. Go out of your way to watch this match!
Winner: Kurt Angle
Rating: *****
Match 8: TNA World Heavyweight Championship - AJ Styles (c) vs. D'Angelo Dinero
Before the match even begins, referee Earl Hebner dismisses Ric Flair from being ringside for AJ Styles. Loved their little exchange as Hebner refused to back down from Flair. D'Angelo Dinero won the tournament at Against All Odds to earn his shot for the richest prize in TNA against AJ Styles. Really good exchanges from the two, Styles basically has good chemistry with anyone. It's basically impossible for him to have a bad match, especially with someone as talented as Dinero. They gradually turned the heat up on the match and even saw Styles leap off the top and miss a dive onto Dinero who narrowly missed the win following it. The leap was smooth but didn't have the same effect like the one Angle did. Styles was able to take a pen from a cameraman and hide it from the referee before stabbing Dinero in the eye with it. That was corny. And why did he have to hide the pen? Isn't this no disqualification or am I missing something? Styles follows up with a Styles Clash to retain. Great match here as Styles was hitting his strides on all cylinders at this point. A better ending would have bumped this up to ****, but take it for what it was, a great championship match.
Winner: AJ Styles
Rating: ***3/4
Match 9: Lethal Lockdown - Team Hogan (Abyss, Rob Van Dam, Jeff Jarrett & Jeff Hardy) vs. Team Flair (Robert Roode, Desmond Wolfe, James Storm & Sting)
Because Rob Van Dam won his match earlier against James Storm, his team gets the man advantage when the participants enter the match. I'm normally all for stupid fun here and there, but this crossed the line. No pun intended. This match was simply a perfect representation of how TNA was stuck in their old ways and basically wanting to make this company WCW 2.0. I don't know where to begin. Team Hogan looked to be in trouble when Jeff Hardy was savagely beat down by Sting backstage which left their team down a man. However, Hardy makes a comeback and saves the day before taking out Beer Money, Inc. by himself on top of the cage through a table. I'll admit, that was cool. It was all the drama that was so bad. Why do they always insist on bring thumbtacks out? The novelty has been murdered to death in TNA. Ric Flair sees that his team is in trouble so he comes out to take matters into his own hands before Hulk Hogan comes out. Of course, Eric Bischoff has to come out to convince Hogan to stop before tossing him brass knuckles. Hogan beats down Flair and drops him in the tacks. Abyss hits a Black Hole Slam on Desmond Wolfe to secure the win for his team. Team Hogan then celebrates as they salute Hardy who is on top of the cage. Feels like I was watching a movie from 1980 with that corny ending. The match should have ended once Hardy jumped off the ladder or even when Sting got Chokeslammed by Abyss. That was just another bad ending to another bad TNA PPV. Hard to believe these guys really thought they were making groundbreaking content at the time.
Winners: Team Hogan
Rating: *3/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
This is the peak of TNA's 2010 disaster year. Aside from the two matches that actually did deliver, everything else was pretty much a train wreck. The main event really showed how TNA had no idea what they were doing and it was very evident that Hulk Hogan basically owned the company. However, go out of your way to watch Mr. Anderson vs. Kurt Angle because that was easily the company's best match in a very long time.
Rating: 5/10
Match 1: Rob Van Dam vs. James Storm
Winner of the match gives their respective team the entry advantage for the Lethal Lockdown match later in the night. The match spills outside the ring before the bell rings as Rob Van Dam gets cut open early on. Pretty basic opening match here that saw James Storm focus on the cut of RVD and nearly pick up the win after spitting beer in his face before landing a sick DDT. However, RVD was able to turn the tide and hit his patented Frog Splash to score the win for himself and for Team Hogan in the Lethal Lockdown match later on.
Winner: Rob Van Dam
Rating: **
Match 2: Xscape - Homicide vs. Brian Kendrick vs. Alex Shelley vs. Chris Sabin
The second match of the night has similar rules as the winner of this match joins the X Division match later in the evening. Why do they have to do this? Why can't they just have a separate match for these guys if they really wanted to have them on the card instead of booking them in such a short match? This was a fairly quick and forgettable match here that saw Homicide trick Brian Kendrick in double teaming against Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin before making the quick escape. Liked the ending, but that match did no favors for anyone else. If anything, it really made The Motor City Machine Guns look like complete fools.
Winner: Homicide
Rating: *1/4
Match 3: Eric Young vs. Kevin Nash
After being betrayed by Kevin Nash, Eric Young seeks revenge inside the steel cage. Unfortunately for him, Nash was more than enough for him to handle. Young managed to squeak in a tad bit of offense before Nash hit a Jackknife Powerbomb to seal his fate. Poor Eric Young, a guy who completely deserves so much better yet falls to one of Hulk Hogan's friends. Afterwards, Nash gets on the microphone and inserts himself into the Team 3D vs. The Band match later on.
Winner: Kevin Nash
Rating: 1/2*
Match 4: Knockouts Championship & Knockouts Tag Team Championships - The Beautiful People vs. Angelina Love (c) & Tara
Can you believe TNA really had Angelina Love win the Knockouts Championship by opening up a box? And they really booked all the Knockouts belts in one match. Man. Love is forced to team up with Tara as they take on The Beautiful People who have Lacey Von Erich in their corner. Long story short, Von Erich interferes in the match as Tara eats the pin in a quick match. With that pin, Love loses her to title to Madison Rayne because reasons. Afterwards, Tara beats down Love. That was a joke.
Winners: The Beautiful People
Rating: 1/2*
Match 5: X Division Championship - Homicide vs. Kazarian vs. Shannon Moore
With the champion in Douglas Williams being unable to make the show, this match is now for the vacant X Division Championship. That also means that the winner of this match won't have the physical belt since Williams still has it. Only in TNA. Regardless, the match itself here was pretty decent as the three guys got in an equal amount of offense as they Kazarian eventually captured the win and earning himself the vacated X Division Championship in the process. If they were given more time, I guarantee you that this may have had the chance to be the best match on the card. Glad Kaz at least got the win.
Winner: Kazarian
Rating: **1/4
Match 6: St. Louis Street Fight - Team 3D vs. The Band
I feel like every TNA PPV that I have seen involves Team 3D spilling the match to the stands. Because Syxx-Pac didn't show up to the event, Kevin Nash replaced him as Scott Hall's partner for this thing. The match starts outside the ring before finally The Band gain an advantage by trapping Brother Devon inside the cage while Brother Ray looked on from the outside. Ray is finally to get himself in the ring as Team 3D get the upper hand. Team 3D then hit a 3D on Hall through a table to get the win. That may have been the easiest paycheck of Nash's life. Just glad that The Band didn't get the win here. The card has been pretty lackluster so far, let's see if the next matches can take a turn in the right direction.
Winners: Team 3D
Rating: *1/2
Match 7: Mr. Anderson vs. Kurt Angle
One of the biggest hidden gems in the history of TNA Wrestling was the 2010 feud between these two. During this time, there was a lot of hot garbage being tossed around but the chemistry these two were able to display throughout their feud was incredible. It all started when Mr. Anderson beat Kurt Angle in a match at Against All Odds that left Angle in a pool of his own blood. Anderson used a necklace that was given to Angle by a soldier to carve him up with. This led to some awesome promos between the two before they finally looked to settle the score here. They had a ladder match prior to this on Impact with the winner gaining possession of the key to open the cage door. It seemed a bit unnecessary to do that but they made it work for this match and even built a little story around the key during this match. First off, I loved Anderson's entrance to this match. He kissed the microphone and looked cool and calm for this match as the video promo before the match presented him to be the driver's seat. One word to describe this match would be intense. The crowd came back to life for this as Angle got cut up early on in the match as Anderson pounded away at the cut and even mocked him as he drove Angle's skull into the steel cage. Angle eventually got the upper hand on Anderson and had the chance to escape through the cage door before he locked it and pretended to throw the key away. The announcers failed to realize that Angle faked the toss and it led to some confusion later on when Angle actually opened the lock with the key. Anyway, Anderson was absolutely relentless in his ways and even tried choking out Angle with the wrist tape. You couldn't help but feel bad for the defenseless Angle as he spit out his mouth guard and had blood pour down his face. Angle is the best at this. However, Angle suplexed his way out of the jam and even hit one off the middle rope. The crowd roared as the intensity grew. Then, Angle looked to the top of the cage and slowly made the climb up. Angle leaped off the top of the cage and hit a moonsault onto Anderson. What. A. Sight. Angle majestically flipped himself off the top of the cage and barely hit his target. The silence both Mike Tenay & Taz presented was a nice touch. Let the picture speak for itself. Surely, this is the end of the match. Not even close. Angle looked to leave the cage as he unlocked the lock with the key he had pretended to throw away earlier as Tenay tells us that he got another key somehow. Angle looks back as Anderson screams and flips off Angle. So awesome. Angle steps back into the ring only to walk into a low blow and a Mic Check! What is going on?! Anderson might seriously win this match! However, Angle puts Anderson in an Ankle Lock as Anderson tries to escape! Anderson is tapping but the only way to win is through the door! Anderson rolls himself out of the lock and tosses Angle into the cage in the process! Anderson tries to escape once more by slithering out. Such a nice touch to show the desperation in Anderson at this point. Angle pulls out the necklace given to him by the soldier and chokes the living daylight out of Anderson! Angle then spits at Anderson's unconscious body before stepping out of the ring and kicking Anderson in his junk before finally walking out and winning the match. The lifeless face of Anderson tells the entire story. Wow. They really left it all out there. Angle then gets on the microphone and says he needs to take some time off as the blood pours down his face. Angle said that when he comes back, his only goal was to regain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. He would eventually come back a month or so later which kind of made that promo pointless. The only things that bothered me were after Angle's big jump off the cage, they did not really sell it as long and as much as they needed to. Also, Angle faking to throw the key away was somewhat confusing as the commentators did not know where Angle got the key later on to open the lock. However, I am not going to let that stop me from giving this match the full *****. That was incredible from the start to the finish and writing about this only makes me want to watch it again. Hands down, my favorite cage match of all time and one of my favorite Angle matches. The intensity was there and the stories all tied together. Take away the epic leap off the cage and this match is just as good. I loved everything about this match, from Anderson's cockiness to Angle choking out Angle at the very end. Credit to both men on what I believe to be the biggest hidden gem in the company's history. Go out of your way to watch this match!
Winner: Kurt Angle
Rating: *****
Match 8: TNA World Heavyweight Championship - AJ Styles (c) vs. D'Angelo Dinero
Before the match even begins, referee Earl Hebner dismisses Ric Flair from being ringside for AJ Styles. Loved their little exchange as Hebner refused to back down from Flair. D'Angelo Dinero won the tournament at Against All Odds to earn his shot for the richest prize in TNA against AJ Styles. Really good exchanges from the two, Styles basically has good chemistry with anyone. It's basically impossible for him to have a bad match, especially with someone as talented as Dinero. They gradually turned the heat up on the match and even saw Styles leap off the top and miss a dive onto Dinero who narrowly missed the win following it. The leap was smooth but didn't have the same effect like the one Angle did. Styles was able to take a pen from a cameraman and hide it from the referee before stabbing Dinero in the eye with it. That was corny. And why did he have to hide the pen? Isn't this no disqualification or am I missing something? Styles follows up with a Styles Clash to retain. Great match here as Styles was hitting his strides on all cylinders at this point. A better ending would have bumped this up to ****, but take it for what it was, a great championship match.
Winner: AJ Styles
Rating: ***3/4
Match 9: Lethal Lockdown - Team Hogan (Abyss, Rob Van Dam, Jeff Jarrett & Jeff Hardy) vs. Team Flair (Robert Roode, Desmond Wolfe, James Storm & Sting)
Because Rob Van Dam won his match earlier against James Storm, his team gets the man advantage when the participants enter the match. I'm normally all for stupid fun here and there, but this crossed the line. No pun intended. This match was simply a perfect representation of how TNA was stuck in their old ways and basically wanting to make this company WCW 2.0. I don't know where to begin. Team Hogan looked to be in trouble when Jeff Hardy was savagely beat down by Sting backstage which left their team down a man. However, Hardy makes a comeback and saves the day before taking out Beer Money, Inc. by himself on top of the cage through a table. I'll admit, that was cool. It was all the drama that was so bad. Why do they always insist on bring thumbtacks out? The novelty has been murdered to death in TNA. Ric Flair sees that his team is in trouble so he comes out to take matters into his own hands before Hulk Hogan comes out. Of course, Eric Bischoff has to come out to convince Hogan to stop before tossing him brass knuckles. Hogan beats down Flair and drops him in the tacks. Abyss hits a Black Hole Slam on Desmond Wolfe to secure the win for his team. Team Hogan then celebrates as they salute Hardy who is on top of the cage. Feels like I was watching a movie from 1980 with that corny ending. The match should have ended once Hardy jumped off the ladder or even when Sting got Chokeslammed by Abyss. That was just another bad ending to another bad TNA PPV. Hard to believe these guys really thought they were making groundbreaking content at the time.
Winners: Team Hogan
Rating: *3/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
This is the peak of TNA's 2010 disaster year. Aside from the two matches that actually did deliver, everything else was pretty much a train wreck. The main event really showed how TNA had no idea what they were doing and it was very evident that Hulk Hogan basically owned the company. However, go out of your way to watch Mr. Anderson vs. Kurt Angle because that was easily the company's best match in a very long time.
Rating: 5/10
Thursday, March 23, 2017
WWE WrestleMania XXIV Review
We wish you were here! 2017 marks the year that WrestleMania soaks up the Orlando sun! However, this isn't the first time the big event comes to Florida. 2008 saw WrestleMania XXIV with one of the most stacked cards of all time along with being the first WrestleMania to be broadcasted in high definition. Randy Orton defends his WWE Championship against John Cena and Triple H, Ric Flair puts his career on the line against Shawn Michaels, Floyd Mayweather takes on The Big Show in a fight for the ages, and The Undertaker closes out the show against Edge for the coveted World Heavyweight Championship! Before we head to WrestleMania 33, let's look back at this classic event.
Match 1: Belfast Brawl - JBL vs. Finlay
This feud may have to be one of the most ridiculous things the WWE has ever came up with. Either way, a match between these two is a nice way to put them on the card and also give us a cool opener. They really tried their best to make this a very heated and personal feud, but it just didn't work. With little Hornswoggle by his side, Finlay looks to defend his son's honor against JBL. Can't believe I just said that, how silly is this for a WrestleMania match. They brought in all the gimmicks that included a trash can and a table as they beat the crap out of each other to the crowd's delight. Hilarious spot came when JBL tossed a trash can at Hornswoggle. Despite Finlay driving JBL through a table, JBL still squeaks out the win after a Clothesline from Hell. This feud can finally be put to rest. Very cool to see the show start with the sun still out.
Winner: JBL
Rating: **
Match 2: Money in the Bank - John Morrison vs. Carlito vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. CM Punk vs. Mr. Kennedy vs. MVP vs. Chris Jericho
This is easily one of my favorite Money in the Bank matches, good amount of star power with a bunch of cool spots along with an awesome finish. Of course, this was the match that Jeff Hardy was scheduled to win until you know, extracurricular activities got in the way. Regardless, these guys put on a show as everyone in the match was involved with some sort of marquee spot. Marquee spots that also Matt Hardy make his grand return and hit a Twist of Fate to MVP off the ladder. Perfect booking, only if his brother Jeff was still around for this. But nothing was perhaps bigger than Shelton Benjamin being tossed off a ladder and crashing through a ladder on the outside. Chris Jericho and CM Punk battled at the very end until Jericho got caught up within the ladder to allow Punk to secure the briefcase. The perfect ending to the match with the right guy picking up the win. Many predicted Jericho to win but his status is fine without winning, why not make a new star out of this which they did in CM Punk. This was truly the start of Punk's rise into the main event.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: ****1/4
Match 3: Batista vs. Umaga
What a sight it is to see the stadium lit up in the night as Batista and Umaga make their grand entrances for the battle of brand supremacy match. This feels like WrestleMania. This is also the WWE's way to put these guys on the card. Somewhat of a shame for Batista considering he basically carried the company in a terrible year that was 2007. Always felt like he deserved a better spot on the card because of that. I dug how they had the general managers come out and announce their respective participants. Nice little touch. Umaga dominated most of the match before Batista made a final comeback and hit him with a sweet Batista Bomb that he just barely got off. Batista falling backwards as he hit it made it look even nicer, regardless if he nearly botched it. Very quick match here to just put these guys on the card.
Winner: Batista
Rating: *3/4
Match 4: ECW Championship - Chavo Guerrero (c) vs. Kane
Kane won a battle royal earlier in the day to score himself a shot at Chavo Guerrero's ECW Championship. Really? What a cheap way to get Chavo an opponent for the show. Like the last match, they had the brand's general manager in Armando Estrada announce the participants for the match. Guerrero looks pumped up as he awaits his opponent in Kane who comes out from under the ring to hit a Chokeslam for the win. Why did Kane have to attack him from behind? Why do they constantly have to bury ECW like this? That literally did no favors for anyone.
Winner: Kane
Rating: n/a
Match 5: Career Threatening - Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair
"My game plan? To be the man!" - Ric Flair. The buildup to this match was off the charts. Loved how Shawn Michaels gradually accepted the challenge before giving his classic Old Yeller promo. If you haven't seen that promo before or haven't seen it in a good minute, do yourselves a favor and watch it before this match! The atmosphere for this match was simply electric, from the crowd down to Jim Ross on commentary. Michaels brought out all the big moves and false finishes here as he carried Flair to the best match they could possibly have before Michaels ends Flair's career with a Sweet Chin Music. It's almost as if you knew Flair's career was coming to a close, but you just didn't want to believe it. Do people tend to overrate the match? Sure. And sure, the ending was pretty corny but it went well with the moment and this was more than a suitable finish to Flair's in-ring career with the WWE. Of course, this would definitely mean more if he never competed in TNA years later. Regardless, this remains an iconic WrestleMania moment and this wasn't even the best part of the night.
Winner: Shawn Michaels
Rating: ***1/2
Match 6: Playboy BunnyMania Lumberjack - Maria & Ashley vs. Beth Phoenix & Melina
After the emotional retirement match of Ric Flair, we have Snoop Dogg leading the Divas down to the ring for a the filler of the century. The best part of the match was Santino Marella who I always thought was gold as a heel. Unfortunate part of the show struck here when the lights completely shut off during the match that I'm sure left Vince McMahon run around like a mad man in the back. Jerry Lawler knocks out Marella after Marella pulled Maria out of the ring during a pin attempt. However, Beth Phoenix still manages to finish Maria off for the win. Afterwards, Snoop Dogg comes in and clotheslines Marella before kissing Maria. The match blew but the ending scene with Snoop was pretty sweet. Time for the main events!
Winners: Beth Phoenix & Melina
Rating: 3/4*
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***1/4
Match 8: No Disqualification - The Big Show vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Is this the biggest celebrity match in the history of the WWE? This very well might be. I recall the crazy amount of buzz the angle at No Way Out received through huge media outlets that included TMZ and I think even ESPN. I'm not sure if the crowd was just drained from the card or if they just didn't care much for this match, but they were certainly quiet for the first half of the match. But give credit where it is absolutely due, Floyd Mayweather Jr. certainly loves the spotlight and for good reason, he is good. He got more heat than just about anyone else on the card here. Even with the crowd not really being in to the match for the first portion of it, he still did a fantastic job of setting things up for the second half and leading us to believe that The Big Show had this in the bag. Things really picked up when Mayweather and his team decided they wanted out as they left the match and walked up the ramp, Big Show had none of it. Show ran up the ramp, ran through Mayweather's team and proceeded to drag Mayweather back to the ring. Can't believe that Mayweather allowed Show to chop him and even step on him like that. Kudos to him for that. However, Mayweather manged to bring Show down to his knees with a steel chair before grabbing a pair of brass knuckles and knocking out Show with one gruesome punch to his jaw. Wow. That surely exceeded anyone's expectations. Great stuff from top to bottom with Mayweather cementing himself as an overall star. Good to see Big Show get his WrestleMania moment on a huge spot on the card.
Winner: Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Rating: ***1/2
Match 9: World Heavyweight Championship - Edge (c) vs. The Undertaker
How cool was it to have the SmackDown main event close out the show? The last time that had happened before this? That would be WrestleMania XIX in 2003. Plus, Edge more than earned his spot in the main event and more than earned his spot at WrestleMania against The Undertaker. Oh, and last time The Undertaker closed out a WrestleMania before this? WrestleMania 13 in 1997. Couple more fun facts, this was the only WrestleMania that Edge would close out and also one of Edge's last WrestleManias as he would retire only three years later. Who would have thought that Edge's career was on its last legs at this moment? I got chills watching Edge come down to the ring as The Undertaker looked on. The years of hard work had finally rewarded him with the ultimate spot in the business. And what a match it was. I love how Edge did not look afraid of neither The Undertaker nor the spotlight, he stood in there and hung with the best. Loved the false finishes and loved seeing The Deadman Chokeslam the Edgeheads on top of each other. Edge hit a Spear on Undertaker that wasn't enough to finish him off, he tried hitting another one but got caught up in The Phenom's Hell's Gate finisher. Edge taps! Awesome match and an awesome finish! The Undertaker continues to reinvent himself as he more than establishes his new submission finisher to close out the night. The sight of The Undertaker hoisting the World Heavyweight Championship as the pyro sets off was the perfect ending to the night.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: ****1/2
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
The 2008 edition of WrestleMania delivered on so many different levels. The special attraction match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. was spectacular, Ric Flair's historic last match in the WWE was as emotional as it can get, Randy Orton retaining his gold cemented him as a star, CM Punk winning an awesome Money in the Bank match and lastly, the main event closing out the night on an incredible note. I think this is one WrestleMania that we will look back at in years to come and remember how great it was.
Rating: 9/10
Match 1: Belfast Brawl - JBL vs. Finlay
This feud may have to be one of the most ridiculous things the WWE has ever came up with. Either way, a match between these two is a nice way to put them on the card and also give us a cool opener. They really tried their best to make this a very heated and personal feud, but it just didn't work. With little Hornswoggle by his side, Finlay looks to defend his son's honor against JBL. Can't believe I just said that, how silly is this for a WrestleMania match. They brought in all the gimmicks that included a trash can and a table as they beat the crap out of each other to the crowd's delight. Hilarious spot came when JBL tossed a trash can at Hornswoggle. Despite Finlay driving JBL through a table, JBL still squeaks out the win after a Clothesline from Hell. This feud can finally be put to rest. Very cool to see the show start with the sun still out.
Winner: JBL
Rating: **
Match 2: Money in the Bank - John Morrison vs. Carlito vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. CM Punk vs. Mr. Kennedy vs. MVP vs. Chris Jericho
This is easily one of my favorite Money in the Bank matches, good amount of star power with a bunch of cool spots along with an awesome finish. Of course, this was the match that Jeff Hardy was scheduled to win until you know, extracurricular activities got in the way. Regardless, these guys put on a show as everyone in the match was involved with some sort of marquee spot. Marquee spots that also Matt Hardy make his grand return and hit a Twist of Fate to MVP off the ladder. Perfect booking, only if his brother Jeff was still around for this. But nothing was perhaps bigger than Shelton Benjamin being tossed off a ladder and crashing through a ladder on the outside. Chris Jericho and CM Punk battled at the very end until Jericho got caught up within the ladder to allow Punk to secure the briefcase. The perfect ending to the match with the right guy picking up the win. Many predicted Jericho to win but his status is fine without winning, why not make a new star out of this which they did in CM Punk. This was truly the start of Punk's rise into the main event.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: ****1/4
Match 3: Batista vs. Umaga
What a sight it is to see the stadium lit up in the night as Batista and Umaga make their grand entrances for the battle of brand supremacy match. This feels like WrestleMania. This is also the WWE's way to put these guys on the card. Somewhat of a shame for Batista considering he basically carried the company in a terrible year that was 2007. Always felt like he deserved a better spot on the card because of that. I dug how they had the general managers come out and announce their respective participants. Nice little touch. Umaga dominated most of the match before Batista made a final comeback and hit him with a sweet Batista Bomb that he just barely got off. Batista falling backwards as he hit it made it look even nicer, regardless if he nearly botched it. Very quick match here to just put these guys on the card.
Winner: Batista
Rating: *3/4
Match 4: ECW Championship - Chavo Guerrero (c) vs. Kane
Kane won a battle royal earlier in the day to score himself a shot at Chavo Guerrero's ECW Championship. Really? What a cheap way to get Chavo an opponent for the show. Like the last match, they had the brand's general manager in Armando Estrada announce the participants for the match. Guerrero looks pumped up as he awaits his opponent in Kane who comes out from under the ring to hit a Chokeslam for the win. Why did Kane have to attack him from behind? Why do they constantly have to bury ECW like this? That literally did no favors for anyone.
Winner: Kane
Rating: n/a
Match 5: Career Threatening - Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair
"My game plan? To be the man!" - Ric Flair. The buildup to this match was off the charts. Loved how Shawn Michaels gradually accepted the challenge before giving his classic Old Yeller promo. If you haven't seen that promo before or haven't seen it in a good minute, do yourselves a favor and watch it before this match! The atmosphere for this match was simply electric, from the crowd down to Jim Ross on commentary. Michaels brought out all the big moves and false finishes here as he carried Flair to the best match they could possibly have before Michaels ends Flair's career with a Sweet Chin Music. It's almost as if you knew Flair's career was coming to a close, but you just didn't want to believe it. Do people tend to overrate the match? Sure. And sure, the ending was pretty corny but it went well with the moment and this was more than a suitable finish to Flair's in-ring career with the WWE. Of course, this would definitely mean more if he never competed in TNA years later. Regardless, this remains an iconic WrestleMania moment and this wasn't even the best part of the night.
Winner: Shawn Michaels
Rating: ***1/2
Match 6: Playboy BunnyMania Lumberjack - Maria & Ashley vs. Beth Phoenix & Melina
After the emotional retirement match of Ric Flair, we have Snoop Dogg leading the Divas down to the ring for a the filler of the century. The best part of the match was Santino Marella who I always thought was gold as a heel. Unfortunate part of the show struck here when the lights completely shut off during the match that I'm sure left Vince McMahon run around like a mad man in the back. Jerry Lawler knocks out Marella after Marella pulled Maria out of the ring during a pin attempt. However, Beth Phoenix still manages to finish Maria off for the win. Afterwards, Snoop Dogg comes in and clotheslines Marella before kissing Maria. The match blew but the ending scene with Snoop was pretty sweet. Time for the main events!
Winners: Beth Phoenix & Melina
Rating: 3/4*
Match 7: WWE Championship - Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena vs. Triple H (Taken from Randy Orton - The Evolution of a Predator DVD (Disc 3) Review)
Some fantastic entrances for these guys as it is time for Raw's
WrestleMania main event. Funny to see how white John Cena is compared to
the tanned bodies of Randy Orton and Triple H. I remember the hype
being pretty high for this match and it falling flat on its face. While I
won't go as far as saying it fell flat on its face, it definitely
didn't live up to its expectations. Everything just felt so rushed and I
wasn't able to feel the tension between the three guys that was built
so well before this. However, that's not to say I didn't enjoy the
match. I could almost compare this match to the triple threat match at
WrestleMania 22 for the World Heavyweight Championship. There was never
really a dull moment but I never really got the chance to stop and
digest everything. A rather forgettable match with a couple cool spots
like Orton delivering a DDT simultaneously to Cena and Triple H off the
middle rope or Cena hoisting both Orton and Triple H on his back for the
FU. The finish saw Orton punt Triple H in the skull and cover Cena for
the win as he escapes with the WWE Championship. Although Cena had a lot
of steam coming from his return at the Royal Rumble, Orton was
ultimately the right choice here. He was for sure the wild card of
everything and got his big WrestleMania win.Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***1/4
Match 8: No Disqualification - The Big Show vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Is this the biggest celebrity match in the history of the WWE? This very well might be. I recall the crazy amount of buzz the angle at No Way Out received through huge media outlets that included TMZ and I think even ESPN. I'm not sure if the crowd was just drained from the card or if they just didn't care much for this match, but they were certainly quiet for the first half of the match. But give credit where it is absolutely due, Floyd Mayweather Jr. certainly loves the spotlight and for good reason, he is good. He got more heat than just about anyone else on the card here. Even with the crowd not really being in to the match for the first portion of it, he still did a fantastic job of setting things up for the second half and leading us to believe that The Big Show had this in the bag. Things really picked up when Mayweather and his team decided they wanted out as they left the match and walked up the ramp, Big Show had none of it. Show ran up the ramp, ran through Mayweather's team and proceeded to drag Mayweather back to the ring. Can't believe that Mayweather allowed Show to chop him and even step on him like that. Kudos to him for that. However, Mayweather manged to bring Show down to his knees with a steel chair before grabbing a pair of brass knuckles and knocking out Show with one gruesome punch to his jaw. Wow. That surely exceeded anyone's expectations. Great stuff from top to bottom with Mayweather cementing himself as an overall star. Good to see Big Show get his WrestleMania moment on a huge spot on the card.
Winner: Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Rating: ***1/2
Match 9: World Heavyweight Championship - Edge (c) vs. The Undertaker
How cool was it to have the SmackDown main event close out the show? The last time that had happened before this? That would be WrestleMania XIX in 2003. Plus, Edge more than earned his spot in the main event and more than earned his spot at WrestleMania against The Undertaker. Oh, and last time The Undertaker closed out a WrestleMania before this? WrestleMania 13 in 1997. Couple more fun facts, this was the only WrestleMania that Edge would close out and also one of Edge's last WrestleManias as he would retire only three years later. Who would have thought that Edge's career was on its last legs at this moment? I got chills watching Edge come down to the ring as The Undertaker looked on. The years of hard work had finally rewarded him with the ultimate spot in the business. And what a match it was. I love how Edge did not look afraid of neither The Undertaker nor the spotlight, he stood in there and hung with the best. Loved the false finishes and loved seeing The Deadman Chokeslam the Edgeheads on top of each other. Edge hit a Spear on Undertaker that wasn't enough to finish him off, he tried hitting another one but got caught up in The Phenom's Hell's Gate finisher. Edge taps! Awesome match and an awesome finish! The Undertaker continues to reinvent himself as he more than establishes his new submission finisher to close out the night. The sight of The Undertaker hoisting the World Heavyweight Championship as the pyro sets off was the perfect ending to the night.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: ****1/2
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
The 2008 edition of WrestleMania delivered on so many different levels. The special attraction match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. was spectacular, Ric Flair's historic last match in the WWE was as emotional as it can get, Randy Orton retaining his gold cemented him as a star, CM Punk winning an awesome Money in the Bank match and lastly, the main event closing out the night on an incredible note. I think this is one WrestleMania that we will look back at in years to come and remember how great it was.
Rating: 9/10
Saturday, March 4, 2017
WWE No Way Out 2008 Review
As WrestleMania returns to Orlando here in 2017, let's take a step
back to 2008 where WrestleMania made its first appearance to the
beautiful city. However, the road to WrestleMania XXIV took a screeching
halt in Las Vegas for No Way Out. Two Elimination Chamber matches that
put the main events of WrestleMania in a whirlwind.
Match 1: ECW Championship - Chavo Guerrero (c) vs. CM Punk
I can easily recall watching these guys wrestle each other every week on ECW. Despite all the hate, I personally thought that they had some good matches and moments like CM Punk bashing Chavo Guerrero over the head with a guitar or Punk tossing Chavo into the Gulf of Mexico. Punk gets another shot at the gold here in the opening match. Only problem with this match was that it was basically a carbon copy of the other 50 matches they had already. Could there just not have been an added stipulation to this? Crowd tried to get into it since it was the opener but to no real avail. Chavo hits his Frog Splash to secure the win in a fairly short match.
Winner: Chavo Guerrero
Rating: **1/4
Match 2: Elimination Chamber - MVP vs. Big Daddy V vs. The Great Khali vs. Finlay vs. Batista vs. The Undertaker
I can clearly remember people groaning over this when the participants were made for this. Just makes you realize to never come to a full assessment of something before it actually happens because they blew all expectations out of the water. They started the match off with the two big stars in Batista and The Undertaker as both Big Daddy V and The Great Khali were unloaded next. However, Big Daddy V and Khali were both quickly eliminated as the final four came down to best four guys in the match. I like how they had both Big Daddy V and Khali in the match to create some sort of ambiance to differ from the Raw Elimination Chamber and I like how their eliminations came fast. Allows us to really place our emphasis on the guys who could really kick this match up a notch. One thing I will also say about this match, the eliminations were perfect. The Undertaker hitting a Chokeslam to MVP off the top of the pod and delivering another one to Finlay on the steel grate made me cringe. Finally, Undertaker delivering a Tombstone to Batista after flipping it from the outside into the ring was a great ending. Fantastic Chamber match to set up Undertaker's match against Edge at WrestleMania. While it started a bit slow in the beginning, it definitely picked up and quickly became an intense match that had me on the edge. No pun intended.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: ****1/2
Match 3: Career Threatening - Mr. Kennedy vs. Ric Flair
After watching an interview weeks ago with Mr. Kennedy, he mentioned how he was in a good spot on SmackDown before being fed to the sharks as he was later drafted to Monday Night Raw. This was different from Ric Flair's match against MVP at Royal Rumble. MVP looked more dominant and had a spot during the match where he thought he had won so the finish did not make MVP look too weak in spite of the loss. Here, Kennedy got in some offense but Flair ultimately came back and locked in a Figure Four fairly quickly to win the match. Could we have not gotten a finish that would see Flair win by a low blow or an eye rake? Did Flair really have to win so cleanly and easily like that?
Winner: Ric Flair
Rating: *3/4
Match 4: World Heavyweight Championship - Edge (c) vs. Rey Mysterio
One of 2008's more underrated feuds came in the start of the year between Edge and Rey Mysterio. It truly planted the seeds for Edge's incredible run on SmackDown for the rest of the year and it certainly does not get the respect it deserves. After a great showing at the Royal Rumble PPV, they have their return match here. Unfortunately, Mysterio was nursing an injury and it limited him in this match. Edge quickly won the match by hitting a Spear as Mysterio was coming down from the top rope. They really did the best they could with Mysterio's injury and it came off pretty damn good considering the circumstances. It really is a testament to the chemistry these two veterans have with each other. Afterwards, The Big Show makes his return and begins toying with Mysterio before touting that he will be a champion once again. Mysterio's friend in Floyd Mayweather comes to his rescue as he stares down Show! Finally, Show gets on his knee and takes punches to his face. Blood starts pouring down Show's face as Mayweather and his crew booked it out. Still got chills watching Mayweather land those nasty shots to Big Show's face. What a spectacle that segment was. Sure, it took away pretty much everything around the match but since Mysterio wasn't going anywhere with his injury, it was a nice way for Show to insert himself back as a heel. The sight of Big Show trampling Mayweather's team was something else and it felt as genuine and authentic as it could. Perfect way for them to set up their money match at WrestleMania.
Winner: Edge
Rating: **
Match 5: WWE Championship - Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena
As much as I really dislike watching these guys wrestle against each other since we've seen it over a billion times, I really think the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania XXIV should have just been between these two. But that's just my opinion, feel free to disagree. Fortunately here, a match between these two was still relatively fresh and the crowd was very much into the action. Randy Orton does a good job of focusing on John Cena's pectoral injury before Cena finally makes his comeback. However, Orton smacks the referee in his face and intentionally disqualifies himself. Didn't see that coming. Cena then beats the hell out of Orton afterwards. Maybe it's simply because I've seen these two wrestle against each other so many times but I just can't go over *** for this. It was good for what it was and the crowd was electric, it also helped set up the main event for WrestleMania. It accomplished its main goal and that's really all you expect from this match.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ***
Match 6: Elimination Chamber - Triple H vs. Umaga vs. JBL vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels
This may be one of the most stacked Elimination Chambers of all time. Good call to have Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels start the match, set the pace early on with Umaga coming in afterwards to wreck havoc. As brutal as the first Chamber match was, they really did bring out all the stops for this one. The eliminations were nicely done and all made sense. Loved how Jericho eliminated his rival in JBL before JBL came back into the ring and smashed everyone's brains in with a steel chair. And don't forget about Umaga running through Jericho and breaking a pod in the process. The crowd was eating this up. Jeff Hardy, who entered in last, eliminated Umaga with a sweet Swanton Bomb off one of the pods. Michaels was eventually eliminated by Triple H and it came down to Hardy and The Game. They had an incredible exchange to close out the match with Hardy desperately doing everything in his power to win, that includes a low blow. However, Triple H countered a Twist of Fate onto a steel chair and drilled Hardy with a Pedigree for the win. In a perfect world, Hardy wins this match and wins the championship at WrestleMania since he was white hot. Or plan b, have Hardy win the Money in the Bank match and cash in the same night. Of course, that's barring his suspension and again, that's in a perfect world. Regardless, Triple H was also hot during this time and a spot in the main event at WrestleMania wasn't a bad choice. Incredible match with a heart-racing finish. Besides, Hardy would eventually get his moment later in the year.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: ****3/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Add in the segment with Floyd Mayweather punching The Big Show's nose in along with two incredible Elimination Chamber matches, this PPV more than delivered. Sure, the other matches themselves did not necessarily set the world on fire, but the story development heading into WrestleMania was absolutely fantastic. In the end, that really is the whole point of this PPV. WrestleMania XXIV really started to look good after this.
Rating: 8/10
Match 1: ECW Championship - Chavo Guerrero (c) vs. CM Punk
I can easily recall watching these guys wrestle each other every week on ECW. Despite all the hate, I personally thought that they had some good matches and moments like CM Punk bashing Chavo Guerrero over the head with a guitar or Punk tossing Chavo into the Gulf of Mexico. Punk gets another shot at the gold here in the opening match. Only problem with this match was that it was basically a carbon copy of the other 50 matches they had already. Could there just not have been an added stipulation to this? Crowd tried to get into it since it was the opener but to no real avail. Chavo hits his Frog Splash to secure the win in a fairly short match.
Winner: Chavo Guerrero
Rating: **1/4
Match 2: Elimination Chamber - MVP vs. Big Daddy V vs. The Great Khali vs. Finlay vs. Batista vs. The Undertaker
I can clearly remember people groaning over this when the participants were made for this. Just makes you realize to never come to a full assessment of something before it actually happens because they blew all expectations out of the water. They started the match off with the two big stars in Batista and The Undertaker as both Big Daddy V and The Great Khali were unloaded next. However, Big Daddy V and Khali were both quickly eliminated as the final four came down to best four guys in the match. I like how they had both Big Daddy V and Khali in the match to create some sort of ambiance to differ from the Raw Elimination Chamber and I like how their eliminations came fast. Allows us to really place our emphasis on the guys who could really kick this match up a notch. One thing I will also say about this match, the eliminations were perfect. The Undertaker hitting a Chokeslam to MVP off the top of the pod and delivering another one to Finlay on the steel grate made me cringe. Finally, Undertaker delivering a Tombstone to Batista after flipping it from the outside into the ring was a great ending. Fantastic Chamber match to set up Undertaker's match against Edge at WrestleMania. While it started a bit slow in the beginning, it definitely picked up and quickly became an intense match that had me on the edge. No pun intended.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: ****1/2
Match 3: Career Threatening - Mr. Kennedy vs. Ric Flair
After watching an interview weeks ago with Mr. Kennedy, he mentioned how he was in a good spot on SmackDown before being fed to the sharks as he was later drafted to Monday Night Raw. This was different from Ric Flair's match against MVP at Royal Rumble. MVP looked more dominant and had a spot during the match where he thought he had won so the finish did not make MVP look too weak in spite of the loss. Here, Kennedy got in some offense but Flair ultimately came back and locked in a Figure Four fairly quickly to win the match. Could we have not gotten a finish that would see Flair win by a low blow or an eye rake? Did Flair really have to win so cleanly and easily like that?
Winner: Ric Flair
Rating: *3/4
Match 4: World Heavyweight Championship - Edge (c) vs. Rey Mysterio
One of 2008's more underrated feuds came in the start of the year between Edge and Rey Mysterio. It truly planted the seeds for Edge's incredible run on SmackDown for the rest of the year and it certainly does not get the respect it deserves. After a great showing at the Royal Rumble PPV, they have their return match here. Unfortunately, Mysterio was nursing an injury and it limited him in this match. Edge quickly won the match by hitting a Spear as Mysterio was coming down from the top rope. They really did the best they could with Mysterio's injury and it came off pretty damn good considering the circumstances. It really is a testament to the chemistry these two veterans have with each other. Afterwards, The Big Show makes his return and begins toying with Mysterio before touting that he will be a champion once again. Mysterio's friend in Floyd Mayweather comes to his rescue as he stares down Show! Finally, Show gets on his knee and takes punches to his face. Blood starts pouring down Show's face as Mayweather and his crew booked it out. Still got chills watching Mayweather land those nasty shots to Big Show's face. What a spectacle that segment was. Sure, it took away pretty much everything around the match but since Mysterio wasn't going anywhere with his injury, it was a nice way for Show to insert himself back as a heel. The sight of Big Show trampling Mayweather's team was something else and it felt as genuine and authentic as it could. Perfect way for them to set up their money match at WrestleMania.
Winner: Edge
Rating: **
Match 5: WWE Championship - Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena
As much as I really dislike watching these guys wrestle against each other since we've seen it over a billion times, I really think the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania XXIV should have just been between these two. But that's just my opinion, feel free to disagree. Fortunately here, a match between these two was still relatively fresh and the crowd was very much into the action. Randy Orton does a good job of focusing on John Cena's pectoral injury before Cena finally makes his comeback. However, Orton smacks the referee in his face and intentionally disqualifies himself. Didn't see that coming. Cena then beats the hell out of Orton afterwards. Maybe it's simply because I've seen these two wrestle against each other so many times but I just can't go over *** for this. It was good for what it was and the crowd was electric, it also helped set up the main event for WrestleMania. It accomplished its main goal and that's really all you expect from this match.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ***
Match 6: Elimination Chamber - Triple H vs. Umaga vs. JBL vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels
This may be one of the most stacked Elimination Chambers of all time. Good call to have Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels start the match, set the pace early on with Umaga coming in afterwards to wreck havoc. As brutal as the first Chamber match was, they really did bring out all the stops for this one. The eliminations were nicely done and all made sense. Loved how Jericho eliminated his rival in JBL before JBL came back into the ring and smashed everyone's brains in with a steel chair. And don't forget about Umaga running through Jericho and breaking a pod in the process. The crowd was eating this up. Jeff Hardy, who entered in last, eliminated Umaga with a sweet Swanton Bomb off one of the pods. Michaels was eventually eliminated by Triple H and it came down to Hardy and The Game. They had an incredible exchange to close out the match with Hardy desperately doing everything in his power to win, that includes a low blow. However, Triple H countered a Twist of Fate onto a steel chair and drilled Hardy with a Pedigree for the win. In a perfect world, Hardy wins this match and wins the championship at WrestleMania since he was white hot. Or plan b, have Hardy win the Money in the Bank match and cash in the same night. Of course, that's barring his suspension and again, that's in a perfect world. Regardless, Triple H was also hot during this time and a spot in the main event at WrestleMania wasn't a bad choice. Incredible match with a heart-racing finish. Besides, Hardy would eventually get his moment later in the year.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: ****3/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Add in the segment with Floyd Mayweather punching The Big Show's nose in along with two incredible Elimination Chamber matches, this PPV more than delivered. Sure, the other matches themselves did not necessarily set the world on fire, but the story development heading into WrestleMania was absolutely fantastic. In the end, that really is the whole point of this PPV. WrestleMania XXIV really started to look good after this.
Rating: 8/10
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