The inaugural Over the Limit PPV sees the final chapter to the John Cena and Batista rivalry as the two meet in an I Quit match for the WWE Championship. Also, Jack Swagger puts his World Heavyweight Championship on the line against The Big Show.
Match 1: WWE Intercontinental Championship - Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Kofi Kingston
Look how far we have come, Drew McIntyre defends his Intercontinental Championship against Kofi Kingston in the opening contest. Also a little strange to think Kingston would become a WWE Champion before McIntyre. At this point, McIntyre was still fairly green and despite the praises from Vince McMahon himself, McIntyre just wasn't connecting very well with the audience. His offense here against Kingston certainly wasn't the flashiest thing ever and never once did I really feel like this dude was the hottest thing to come. Kingston is able to hit an S.O.S. on McIntyre to score the win and the Intercontinental Championship. Fairly basic opening match here between the two, always nice to see Kingston win some gold. Still so crazy to think he would finally break out as a WWE Champion nearly a decade later.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
Rating: **1/2
Match 2: R-Truth vs. Ted DiBiase
Being accompanied by Virgil, Ted DiBiase still has his hands full with R-Truth after the two have been beefing for weeks on Raw. Definitely a filler of a match here and one the crowd just couldn't really get behind. Truth is able to hit his Lie Detector finisher to score the fairly quick win. Interesting to see DiBiase take the L here, such an odd career he had in the WWE and almost as if the steam behind him completely disappeared once he left Randy Orton's side.
Winner: R-Truth
Rating: *1/4
Match 3: CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio
Interesting match here with CM Punk having to shave his head upon a Rey Mysterio victory. However, a CM Punk victory would result in Mysterio having to join the Straight Edge Society. As expected, great action here from the two that was slowed down a bit once Punk had a bloody cut that had to be taken of right when the two were getting out of the first gear. Regardless, they were still able to pick the action up afterwards and despite not breaking out all the stops, they still provided us with a great performance. Loved the ending with Mysterio hitting a 619 on Punk but being unable to pin Punk as Punk dodged the splash from Mysterio right after. However, a quick recovery from Mysterio allowed him to roll Punk up for the victory out of nowhere. Loved Punk's reaction after the match as he was in complete shambles from the finish. His partners come out to attack Mysterio until Kane arrived to the scene to save the day. Afterwards, Mysterio handcuffed Punk to the ropes and shaved his long hair. Great scene with Mysterio celebrating the biggest hit Punk's Straight Edge Society had taken.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Rating: ***1/4
Match 4: WWE Unified Tag Team Championship - The Hart Dynasty (c) vs. The Miz & Chris Jericho
How many tag partners have The Miz and Chris Jericho have had in their careers? Would certainly be an interesting stat. They take on David Hart Smith and Tyson Kidd of The Hart Dynasty with Natalya leading their charge. Almost seems pretty odd to just pair up Miz and Jericho to pit them in a match against The Hart Dynasty. Regardless, decent tag match for what it was with the young Hart Dynasty team still trying to find their feet with the crowd as babyfaces. Hart Dynasty are able to tackle the tandem of Miz and Jericho with a Hart Attack on The Miz to score the win. Forgettable match for the night. The Miz definitely deserved better than this. For someone they were trying to hype to the moon, he was certainly booked like a chump.
Winners: The Hart Dynasty
Rating: **3/4
Match 5: Edge vs. Randy Orton
Edge's run as a babyface in the beginning of 2010 didn't last long when he was drafted to Monday Night Raw and delivered a Spear to Randy Orton that cost him the WWE Championship. With Orton fuming, it looked like he was ready to eviscerate Edge here. Dig the big word? Unfortunately, this match wasn't exactly as clean and thrilling as the bouts they've had against each other in years past. Edge was diligent in focusing on the midsection but eventually, Orton would lure Edge right where he wanted him for an RKO. Unfortunately for Orton, he appeared to inadvertently injure himself as he was taunting Edge before hitting the RKO by slamming his arms on the canvas. The action spilled to the outside where Edge missed a Spear and went right into the barricade outside. The referee then counted both of them out as Orton was taken to the back with some medical attention. Such a disappointing match with an odd finish. Almost sad to see a match with such great talent really fall flat on its face.
Winner: n/a (double countout)
Rating: **
Match 6: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Jack Swagger (c) vs. The Big Show
Jack Swagger gets another big test as the World Heavyweight Champion in a bout here against the newest member of SmackDown, The Big Show. Unfortunately, like the previous match, this one suffered with a finish that had me scratching my head. They wrestled for less than about five minutes and Swagger did a great job in making Show feel like the dominant giant that he is. However, Swagger decided to end the match early by hitting Show with the title belt for the disqualification finish. Afterwards, Big Show gives two Chokeslams to Swagger and followed it with a Knockout Punch for his troubles. What a disappointment, they couldn't at least have Swagger try to do all this behind the referee's back? Building up a big match for a PPV and having it finish like this almost felt like a slap to the face of the customer.
Winner: The Big Show (via disqualification)
Rating: *
Match 7: WWE Divas Championship - Eve Torres (c) vs. Maryse
Maryse gets a crack at the Divas Championship against Eve Torres in a match to bridge the gap between the main events. Per usual, short contest here but surprisingly pretty solid for what it was. Maryse actually works very well as a heel and loved her taunts throughout the match here. Unfortunately for her, Eve is able to lock her knees between the head of Maryse and drive her head straight into the canvas for the win.
Winner: Eve Torres
Rating: *1/4
Match 8: WWE Championship - I Quit - John Cena (c) vs. Batista (Taken from Batista - The Animal Unleashed DVD (Disc 3) Review)
This would later go on to be Batista's final match in the WWE before
returning to the company four years later. Love how Batista starts the
match on the mic as he gives John Cena a chance at quitting before the
match even begins. Of course, Cena politely declines by slamming the mic
to Batista's skull. Like Last Man Standing matches, I Quit matches can
tend to drag with the referee constantly becoming a factor in stopping
the pace of the match. That wasn't much of a problem here as the action
flowed nicely and the two got a pretty equal amount of offense in with
the high spots in Batista slamming Cena through the announce table and
Cena tossing Batista off a ledge as he landed onto security. Ending saw
Batista try to ram the car on the set into Cena who got out of the way
and hit an Attitude Adjustment onto Batista atop the hood of the car.
Batista then quit as Cena looked to give him another AA off the top of
the car. However, Cena went ahead and gave him the AA as he drove
Batista through the stage. Fun match and a decisive way for Cena to cap
off his feud against The Animal. Interesting fact in Batista noting in
interviews four years later that the finish ended up breaking his back.
Fortunately for him, Batista would go on to take a long break from the
company soon after.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ****1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Aside from the main event and maybe the CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio match, this was such a forgettable and bland PPV offering from the WWE. 2010 was certainly a weak year in terms of PPV quality for the WWE and this one is definitely a reminder of that fact.
Rating: 5.25/10
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
Friday, May 10, 2019
WWE Greatest Royal Rumble 2018 Review (Part 2)
The fallout from WrestleMania spills into Saudi Arabia as WWE brings
its biggest Royal Rumble event ever with the Greatest Royal Rumble. John
Cena and Triple H face off once again in their first match in nearly a
decade, Brock Lesnar defends his Universal Championship against Roman
Reigns in a Steel Cage and 50 men battle each other in the biggest Royal
Rumble match ever!
Match 6: WWE Intercontinental Championship - Ladder - Seth Rollins (c) vs. The Miz vs. Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor
Seth Rollins defends his Intercontinental Championship in a WrestleMania rematch with Samoa Joe being added to the mix to spice things up. This is certainly an internet wrestling fan's dream with all the internet favorites being in one match. Who would have guessed I would being saying that about The Miz. Fun match here with the crowd really getting behind Rollins here. I mean, whenever you add these guys and ladders to a ring, you get good stuff. Wish this was given a few more minutes and we probably could have gotten a real show stealer here. Finn Balor looked to capture the win and the championship before Rollins would spring out of nowhere onto a ladder and grabbed the title right in front of Balor to retain the gold. Again, really fun match despite them not really breaking out all the stops.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Rating: ***1/2
Match 7: WWE Championship - AJ Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
These two had a fairly disappointing match at WrestleMania and the rematch sees Shinsuke Nakamura going against AJ Styles as a heel. Of course, Nakamura's new finisher is the devastating low blow and had been using it to perfection leading up to this match. Although the crowd barely payed any attention to the action in the ring, they were treated to a solid display of action and a nice balance of offense from each side. Nakamura went back to his mischievous ways as he gave Styles another one of his patented low blows as the referee had his back turned. Here, Styles absolutely snapped and gave Nakamura a beating outside the ring as the referee counted them both out. Afterwards, Styles continued his onslaught and capped it off with a Phenomenal Forearm to Nakamura outside the ring. Solid match here as expected from the two. Loved the double countout finish as this helps build their feud and gives them a reason to have another rematch with a stipulation added at the next PPV.
Winner: n/a (double countout)
Rating: ***1/4
Match 8: Casket - Rusev vs. The Undertaker
This is The Undertaker's first Casket match since 2008 where he went against The Big Show at Survivor Series. His newest victim... Rusev. As expected, this match was more style than actual substance. Rusev was very intimidated by The Deadman and the casket early on before somewhat getting into his groove and supplying a tad bit of offense. Undertaker was able to hit a Chokeslam on Rusev before hitting a Tombstone on Aiden English where he placed both of them in the casket to win the match. This was basically just The Undertaker squashing the popular team of Rusev and Aiden English. Sucks that somebody had to eat the L against The Undertaker here but The Phenom is like a god in Saudi Arabia, they gotta throw him a cookie. As much as I love The Undertaker, I think we are all ready to move on.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: *1/4
Match 9: WWE Universal Championship - Steel Cage - Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns
While this is only their third encounter ever, the internet fans still had their panties in a bunch at this point because they were so tired of this same match happening again. Like their previous encounter, this match consisted of the two delivering their biggest blows with F5s, Superman Punches and Spears galore throughout. I mean, I can't really be the only one who enjoys these two heavyweights beating the crap out of each other? For the life of me, I will never understand the hate for these guys. Maybe because they don't do any flips, that'd be my only assumption. After the two beat the crap out of each other, Reigns finally gets the upper hand and goes for a Spear on Lesnar who is lodged between the ring ropes and the steel cage. The Spear breaks through the cage and Lesnar is declared the winner as he "touches the floor first" over Reigns. Interesting finish that certainly sets up a rematch down the line which I love considering how much it annoyed the internet fans.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Rating: ***1/4
Match 10: 2018 Greatest Royal Rumble
50 men enter the main event here to declare the winner of the biggest Royal Rumble match in the history of the WWE. I don't really even know where to get started with this one. Let's just start off by saying... 50 entrants is way too much and after a very long show, an extremely long match like this one doesn't particularly sound too appetizing. With 50 entrants, you get a good amount of talent that you've never heard of or seen before. While it could be a solid way to get some of these guys over, they were usually just quickly tossed out before I could even remember their names. Keep in mind that everybody's music just about sounds the same and the crowd could not care to even differentiate some of them. The best moments of the match were the times I has hit with nostalgia as guys like Kurt Angle, Rey Mysterio, Shane McMahon and even The Great Khali gave some sparks to the match. But I would be remiss if I didn't mention the names of Daniel Bryan and Titus O'Neil. Bryan shined throughout the match and lasted longer than any other Rumble competitor, fine way to get his star going again since making his return. And of course, Titus gave us the entrance of the century where he slid under the ring when he was running down from his entrance. Truly made this Rumble match stand out from all the other ones. But of course, the biggest star of the show was Braun Strowman who tore everybody apart and even threw Shane through an announcers table from the top rope. Strowman was able to toss Big Cass out of the ring to win the match and close out the night to an impressive display of fireworks. Long and fairly boring for the better part of the match before finally picking up later on. No reason why Strowman shouldn't have been given a title shot after this.
Winner: Braun Strowman
Rating: **3/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
While certainly one of the biggest spectacles the WWE has ever presented, the quality of the show wasn't able to match that energy. There was some good and some bad here, almost like this was the biggest house show the WWE ever rolled out. Watch it for the pageantry of the event and not so much the actual quality of the matches.
Rating: 7.25/10
Match 6: WWE Intercontinental Championship - Ladder - Seth Rollins (c) vs. The Miz vs. Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor
Seth Rollins defends his Intercontinental Championship in a WrestleMania rematch with Samoa Joe being added to the mix to spice things up. This is certainly an internet wrestling fan's dream with all the internet favorites being in one match. Who would have guessed I would being saying that about The Miz. Fun match here with the crowd really getting behind Rollins here. I mean, whenever you add these guys and ladders to a ring, you get good stuff. Wish this was given a few more minutes and we probably could have gotten a real show stealer here. Finn Balor looked to capture the win and the championship before Rollins would spring out of nowhere onto a ladder and grabbed the title right in front of Balor to retain the gold. Again, really fun match despite them not really breaking out all the stops.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Rating: ***1/2
Match 7: WWE Championship - AJ Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
These two had a fairly disappointing match at WrestleMania and the rematch sees Shinsuke Nakamura going against AJ Styles as a heel. Of course, Nakamura's new finisher is the devastating low blow and had been using it to perfection leading up to this match. Although the crowd barely payed any attention to the action in the ring, they were treated to a solid display of action and a nice balance of offense from each side. Nakamura went back to his mischievous ways as he gave Styles another one of his patented low blows as the referee had his back turned. Here, Styles absolutely snapped and gave Nakamura a beating outside the ring as the referee counted them both out. Afterwards, Styles continued his onslaught and capped it off with a Phenomenal Forearm to Nakamura outside the ring. Solid match here as expected from the two. Loved the double countout finish as this helps build their feud and gives them a reason to have another rematch with a stipulation added at the next PPV.
Winner: n/a (double countout)
Rating: ***1/4
Match 8: Casket - Rusev vs. The Undertaker
This is The Undertaker's first Casket match since 2008 where he went against The Big Show at Survivor Series. His newest victim... Rusev. As expected, this match was more style than actual substance. Rusev was very intimidated by The Deadman and the casket early on before somewhat getting into his groove and supplying a tad bit of offense. Undertaker was able to hit a Chokeslam on Rusev before hitting a Tombstone on Aiden English where he placed both of them in the casket to win the match. This was basically just The Undertaker squashing the popular team of Rusev and Aiden English. Sucks that somebody had to eat the L against The Undertaker here but The Phenom is like a god in Saudi Arabia, they gotta throw him a cookie. As much as I love The Undertaker, I think we are all ready to move on.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: *1/4
Match 9: WWE Universal Championship - Steel Cage - Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns
While this is only their third encounter ever, the internet fans still had their panties in a bunch at this point because they were so tired of this same match happening again. Like their previous encounter, this match consisted of the two delivering their biggest blows with F5s, Superman Punches and Spears galore throughout. I mean, I can't really be the only one who enjoys these two heavyweights beating the crap out of each other? For the life of me, I will never understand the hate for these guys. Maybe because they don't do any flips, that'd be my only assumption. After the two beat the crap out of each other, Reigns finally gets the upper hand and goes for a Spear on Lesnar who is lodged between the ring ropes and the steel cage. The Spear breaks through the cage and Lesnar is declared the winner as he "touches the floor first" over Reigns. Interesting finish that certainly sets up a rematch down the line which I love considering how much it annoyed the internet fans.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Rating: ***1/4
Match 10: 2018 Greatest Royal Rumble
50 men enter the main event here to declare the winner of the biggest Royal Rumble match in the history of the WWE. I don't really even know where to get started with this one. Let's just start off by saying... 50 entrants is way too much and after a very long show, an extremely long match like this one doesn't particularly sound too appetizing. With 50 entrants, you get a good amount of talent that you've never heard of or seen before. While it could be a solid way to get some of these guys over, they were usually just quickly tossed out before I could even remember their names. Keep in mind that everybody's music just about sounds the same and the crowd could not care to even differentiate some of them. The best moments of the match were the times I has hit with nostalgia as guys like Kurt Angle, Rey Mysterio, Shane McMahon and even The Great Khali gave some sparks to the match. But I would be remiss if I didn't mention the names of Daniel Bryan and Titus O'Neil. Bryan shined throughout the match and lasted longer than any other Rumble competitor, fine way to get his star going again since making his return. And of course, Titus gave us the entrance of the century where he slid under the ring when he was running down from his entrance. Truly made this Rumble match stand out from all the other ones. But of course, the biggest star of the show was Braun Strowman who tore everybody apart and even threw Shane through an announcers table from the top rope. Strowman was able to toss Big Cass out of the ring to win the match and close out the night to an impressive display of fireworks. Long and fairly boring for the better part of the match before finally picking up later on. No reason why Strowman shouldn't have been given a title shot after this.
Winner: Braun Strowman
Rating: **3/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
While certainly one of the biggest spectacles the WWE has ever presented, the quality of the show wasn't able to match that energy. There was some good and some bad here, almost like this was the biggest house show the WWE ever rolled out. Watch it for the pageantry of the event and not so much the actual quality of the matches.
Rating: 7.25/10
Wednesday, May 8, 2019
WWE Greatest Royal Rumble 2018 Review (Part 1)
The fallout from WrestleMania spills into Saudi Arabia as WWE brings its biggest Royal Rumble event ever with the Greatest Royal Rumble. John Cena and Triple H face off once again in their first match in nearly a decade, Brock Lesnar defends his Universal Championship against Roman Reigns in a Steel Cage and 50 men battle each other in the biggest Royal Rumble match ever!
Match 1: Triple H vs. John Cena
I am definitely in the minority here when I say how much I loved the singles matches between Triple H and John Cena. Also, the WWE has done such a great job of using this match for bigger situations and not letting this become such a milked thing. Incredible to see the sights and sounds of the opening followed by the two coming out to such grand entrances. Of course, I wasn't expecting a classic match here like their first two singles matches, but they did have a fun match to open the show with the crowd just being super hyped to see the two superstars live. After a third Attitude Adjustment on Triple H, Cena walks away with the win and shows love for the Saudi Arabia audience. Again, not their greatest match ever but it served its purpose very well. Smart match to open the night.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ***1/4
Match 2: WWE Cruiserweight Championship - Cedric Alexander (c) vs. Kalisto
After capturing the Cruiserweight Championship at WrestleMania, Cedric Alexander was defend it against the former champion in Kalisto. Like most cruiserweight matches, this one really went under the radar and despite all the big moves and tricks, the crowd unfortunately just wasn't too invested into it. These two are easily some of the most athletic guys on the scene right now and seeing them dive all over the place was certainly a treat to watch. Despite Kalisto bringing everything he had to the table, Alexander was able to land a Lumbar Check to secure the win and retain the championship. Solid match.
Winner: Cedric Alexander
Rating: ***1/4
Match 3: WWE Raw Tag Team Championships - Bray Wyatt & Matt Hardy vs. The Bar
Cesaro & Sheamus of The Bar get another opportunity at capturing the Raw Tag Team Championships against the newest team of Bray Wyatt & Matt Hardy here in Jeddah. Also cool to see the huge crowd light their phones up for Wyatt as both he and Hardy made their way to the ring. The match itself left a little more to be desired but again, the finish was the main story here with Wyatt holding up Sheamus as Hardy gave Sheamus an elevated Twist of Fate to win the quick match and score the Raw Tag Team Championships for his team. Passable match here but definitely cool to see Hardy win more gold with a new partner. Has anyone had an odder journey than him?
Winners: Bray Wyatt & Matt Hardy
Rating: **
Match 4: WWE United States Championship - Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Jinder Mahal
With Jinder Mahal quickly losing his United States Championship to Jeff Hardy just a little over a week after capturing it, he gets his rematch here with a chance to regain the gold. But really, this match was simply another basic match on the card before leading into the bigger ones later on in the night. You get your usual fix of Hardy moves here with Jinder nearly pulling off the win with some help of Samir Singh at ringside. However, Hardy is able to land a Swanton Bomb to seal the win as he and his brother both score wins for the night. After this, the experiment known as Jinder Mahal basically came to a screeching halt. Shame considering he was so rushed into the main event scene and was starting to really come into his own. Let the hate begin, I stand by what I just typed.
Winner: Jeff Hardy
Rating: **1/4
Match 5: WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships - The Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs. The Usos
After winning the SmackDown Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania, The Bludgeon Brothers get their chance to defend them against a tough team in The Usos. More than anything, this was a glorified squash match with The Usos getting a bit of offense here but ultimately failing to tackle the bigger and stronger team of Harper & Rowan. Again, the crowd was really not involved too much with the action as Harper & Rowan continued their onslaught across the tag division and retain the belts here. The run of The Bludgeon Brothers wouldn't continue much longer after this and for shame. Like Mahal, they were really finally getting to come onto their own and finally leaving their Wyatt Family personas behind. Shame how injuries can really throw things off.
Winners: The Bludgeon Brothers
Rating: *1/4
Match 1: Triple H vs. John Cena
I am definitely in the minority here when I say how much I loved the singles matches between Triple H and John Cena. Also, the WWE has done such a great job of using this match for bigger situations and not letting this become such a milked thing. Incredible to see the sights and sounds of the opening followed by the two coming out to such grand entrances. Of course, I wasn't expecting a classic match here like their first two singles matches, but they did have a fun match to open the show with the crowd just being super hyped to see the two superstars live. After a third Attitude Adjustment on Triple H, Cena walks away with the win and shows love for the Saudi Arabia audience. Again, not their greatest match ever but it served its purpose very well. Smart match to open the night.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ***1/4
Match 2: WWE Cruiserweight Championship - Cedric Alexander (c) vs. Kalisto
After capturing the Cruiserweight Championship at WrestleMania, Cedric Alexander was defend it against the former champion in Kalisto. Like most cruiserweight matches, this one really went under the radar and despite all the big moves and tricks, the crowd unfortunately just wasn't too invested into it. These two are easily some of the most athletic guys on the scene right now and seeing them dive all over the place was certainly a treat to watch. Despite Kalisto bringing everything he had to the table, Alexander was able to land a Lumbar Check to secure the win and retain the championship. Solid match.
Winner: Cedric Alexander
Rating: ***1/4
Match 3: WWE Raw Tag Team Championships - Bray Wyatt & Matt Hardy vs. The Bar
Cesaro & Sheamus of The Bar get another opportunity at capturing the Raw Tag Team Championships against the newest team of Bray Wyatt & Matt Hardy here in Jeddah. Also cool to see the huge crowd light their phones up for Wyatt as both he and Hardy made their way to the ring. The match itself left a little more to be desired but again, the finish was the main story here with Wyatt holding up Sheamus as Hardy gave Sheamus an elevated Twist of Fate to win the quick match and score the Raw Tag Team Championships for his team. Passable match here but definitely cool to see Hardy win more gold with a new partner. Has anyone had an odder journey than him?
Winners: Bray Wyatt & Matt Hardy
Rating: **
Match 4: WWE United States Championship - Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Jinder Mahal
With Jinder Mahal quickly losing his United States Championship to Jeff Hardy just a little over a week after capturing it, he gets his rematch here with a chance to regain the gold. But really, this match was simply another basic match on the card before leading into the bigger ones later on in the night. You get your usual fix of Hardy moves here with Jinder nearly pulling off the win with some help of Samir Singh at ringside. However, Hardy is able to land a Swanton Bomb to seal the win as he and his brother both score wins for the night. After this, the experiment known as Jinder Mahal basically came to a screeching halt. Shame considering he was so rushed into the main event scene and was starting to really come into his own. Let the hate begin, I stand by what I just typed.
Winner: Jeff Hardy
Rating: **1/4
Match 5: WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships - The Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs. The Usos
After winning the SmackDown Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania, The Bludgeon Brothers get their chance to defend them against a tough team in The Usos. More than anything, this was a glorified squash match with The Usos getting a bit of offense here but ultimately failing to tackle the bigger and stronger team of Harper & Rowan. Again, the crowd was really not involved too much with the action as Harper & Rowan continued their onslaught across the tag division and retain the belts here. The run of The Bludgeon Brothers wouldn't continue much longer after this and for shame. Like Mahal, they were really finally getting to come onto their own and finally leaving their Wyatt Family personas behind. Shame how injuries can really throw things off.
Winners: The Bludgeon Brothers
Rating: *1/4
Monday, May 6, 2019
WWE Backlash 2008 Review
The battles after WrestleMania continue with a stacked Backlash card. Randy Orton defends his WWE Championship against three other superstars in the main event while Edge looks to regain his World Heavyweight Championship against The Undertaker.
Match 1: WWE United States Championship - MVP (c) vs. Matt Hardy
These two had one of the best feuds of 2007 and with Matt Hardy returning at WrestleMania to ruin MVP's chances of winning the Money in the Bank Ladder match, the beef needed to be settled here. Very nice action here between the two to start off the show as the chemistry they had from their feud the previous year continued to shine here. MVP misses a kick in the corner and falls right into a Twist of Fate as Hardy comes back from his injury with a bang and captures the title that had been so elusive to him. I cannot remember if they had a bigger blow off to their feud but this was certainly a cool way to have Hardy get the last laugh if it was. However, with the awesome feud they had in 2007, I kind of wish this match would have been inside a steel cage or something.
Winner: ***1/4
Rating: Matt Hardy
Match 2: ECW Championship - Kane (c) vs. Chavo Guerrero
For those who forgot, Mike Adamle is on the call for this one and as brutal as it was to listen to him, Tazz did a fantastic job and adjusting the drive and allowing me to really enjoy the action here. Chavo Guerrero gets his WrestleMania rematch and another shot at the ECW Championship. Chavo had his bodyguard in Bam Neely nearby for any help and despite the huge size differential, Chavo was fantastic in looking believable in stacking the odds against the champion. Once Chavo had an opening to hit a Frog Splash on Kane, Kane caught him with a Chokeslam to win the match and retain his title. That completely blew away any expectations I had coming into this, very well done!
Winner: Kane
Rating: ***1/4
Match 3: The Great Khali vs. The Big Show
Unfortunately for The Big Show, he comes off the biggest match of his career to go straight into a PPV match against The Great Khali in a pretty silly feud. Despite the low expectations and the crowd crapping all over this one, the match itself was actually pretty good considering how short it was. Show looks so much healthier than he did during his previous 2006 run and really made Khali look like a believable and respectable giant. Show would eventually go on to land a Chokeslam on Khali to seal the win and be able to move on to bigger things... no pun intended.
Winner: The Big Show
Rating: *1/4
Match 4: Batista vs. Shawn Michaels
This is the beginning of the greatest feud the WWE had ever seen between Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho as Jericho served as the special guest referee in a match between Michaels and Batista. Batista was angry at Michaels for ending the career of Ric Flair and the buildup towards this match was nothing short of excellent. Their little feud gets lost in the scuffle because it gets overshadowed by the feud between Michaels and Jericho. Solid match here with a great amount of offense from the two. Awesome ending to the match where Michaels seemingly hurt his knee before hitting a Sweet Chin Music out of nowhere on Batista to seal the win. Of course, it would later be revealed that Michaels faked the injury and it led to an incredible roller coaster of emotions between him and Jericho. Such an underrated match with a great ending of Michaels basically playing chess against a guy who was playing checkers in Batista.
Winner: Shawn Michaels
Rating: ***3/4
Match 5: Beth Phoenix, Melina, Victoria, Jillian, Natalya & Layla vs. Mickie James, Maria, Michelle McCool, Ashley, Cherry & Kelly Kelly
The Divas from all brands jumble up together to form a cluster of a tag match before we head into the main event matches. Quick match here with all the Divas getting a move in at the end with Beth Phoenix being the only real standout of the match by suplexing Ashley to seal the win for her team. The former champion looks as dominant as ever.
Winners: Beth Phoenix, Melina, Victoria, Jillian, Natalya & Layla
Rating: *
Match 6: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - The Undertaker (c) vs. Edge
This is the forgotten rematch from their classic bout a month prior at WrestleMania XXIV. While the mystique and ambiance of the match wasn't as present like their first match, there was still definitely a lot of hype behind this rematch with Vickie Guerrero putting The Undertaker through a rigorous string of matches on SmackDown before facing Edge in the rematch. While it wasn't as dramatic as their first encounter, the action here was still solid as Edge is fantastic in his role in making himself a believable competitor against the bigger Undertaker. The story, however, with this match was much different than the first time around. The level of hate The Undertaker held against Edge was certainly at a higher level and they really built the match around that. Despite Edge getting help from his Edgeheads, Undertaker was able to lock Edge in his Hell's Gate submission to secure the win. After Edge tapped, Undertaker refused to let go of the submission and put Edge out of consciousness. Afterwards, Vickie Guerrero comes out and screams at the sight of blood pouring out of the mouth of Edge. This feud just went up another notch...
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: ***1/2
Match 7: WWE Championship - Elimination - Randy Orton (c) vs. Triple H vs. JBL vs. John Cena
With Randy Orton retaining the WWE Championship at WrestleMania in a triple threat match, I guess the company didn't really have too much of a creative idea on what to do afterwards here. So... they just put those three guys back in the main event and added JBL to the equation. As predicted, JBL is eliminated first as John Cena takes him out of the fray. However, a punt to the head by Orton then puts Cena out of the chase for the gold. Pretty crazy how fast they killed Cena's momentum from his amazing Royal Rumble return. Finally, it came down to Randy Orton and Triple H. A match we have seen so many times and a match that we would continue to watch for so many more times after this. While the action between the two here was enjoyable, it didn't feel fresh at all and it almost became hard for me to invest my time into it considering I've seen these two go against each other so many times. Triple H is able to Pedigree Orton to score the win and win another WWE Championship. You really gotta question the decision to why exactly they had Orton score the win at WrestleMania. Was it to swerve us? It just seemed like Orton was destined for such a long title reign and this loss felt like such an underwhelming and abrupt ending.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: ***1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
While this was certainly a solid follower to WrestleMania and another solid 2008 PPV, it also felt like a pretty lazy card put together with much of the card just really feeling like a lesser WrestleMania. Despite that, the matches that carried the show delivered and helped lead feuds into bigger things.
Rating: 7.75/10
Match 1: WWE United States Championship - MVP (c) vs. Matt Hardy
These two had one of the best feuds of 2007 and with Matt Hardy returning at WrestleMania to ruin MVP's chances of winning the Money in the Bank Ladder match, the beef needed to be settled here. Very nice action here between the two to start off the show as the chemistry they had from their feud the previous year continued to shine here. MVP misses a kick in the corner and falls right into a Twist of Fate as Hardy comes back from his injury with a bang and captures the title that had been so elusive to him. I cannot remember if they had a bigger blow off to their feud but this was certainly a cool way to have Hardy get the last laugh if it was. However, with the awesome feud they had in 2007, I kind of wish this match would have been inside a steel cage or something.
Winner: ***1/4
Rating: Matt Hardy
Match 2: ECW Championship - Kane (c) vs. Chavo Guerrero
For those who forgot, Mike Adamle is on the call for this one and as brutal as it was to listen to him, Tazz did a fantastic job and adjusting the drive and allowing me to really enjoy the action here. Chavo Guerrero gets his WrestleMania rematch and another shot at the ECW Championship. Chavo had his bodyguard in Bam Neely nearby for any help and despite the huge size differential, Chavo was fantastic in looking believable in stacking the odds against the champion. Once Chavo had an opening to hit a Frog Splash on Kane, Kane caught him with a Chokeslam to win the match and retain his title. That completely blew away any expectations I had coming into this, very well done!
Winner: Kane
Rating: ***1/4
Match 3: The Great Khali vs. The Big Show
Unfortunately for The Big Show, he comes off the biggest match of his career to go straight into a PPV match against The Great Khali in a pretty silly feud. Despite the low expectations and the crowd crapping all over this one, the match itself was actually pretty good considering how short it was. Show looks so much healthier than he did during his previous 2006 run and really made Khali look like a believable and respectable giant. Show would eventually go on to land a Chokeslam on Khali to seal the win and be able to move on to bigger things... no pun intended.
Winner: The Big Show
Rating: *1/4
Match 4: Batista vs. Shawn Michaels
This is the beginning of the greatest feud the WWE had ever seen between Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho as Jericho served as the special guest referee in a match between Michaels and Batista. Batista was angry at Michaels for ending the career of Ric Flair and the buildup towards this match was nothing short of excellent. Their little feud gets lost in the scuffle because it gets overshadowed by the feud between Michaels and Jericho. Solid match here with a great amount of offense from the two. Awesome ending to the match where Michaels seemingly hurt his knee before hitting a Sweet Chin Music out of nowhere on Batista to seal the win. Of course, it would later be revealed that Michaels faked the injury and it led to an incredible roller coaster of emotions between him and Jericho. Such an underrated match with a great ending of Michaels basically playing chess against a guy who was playing checkers in Batista.
Winner: Shawn Michaels
Rating: ***3/4
Match 5: Beth Phoenix, Melina, Victoria, Jillian, Natalya & Layla vs. Mickie James, Maria, Michelle McCool, Ashley, Cherry & Kelly Kelly
The Divas from all brands jumble up together to form a cluster of a tag match before we head into the main event matches. Quick match here with all the Divas getting a move in at the end with Beth Phoenix being the only real standout of the match by suplexing Ashley to seal the win for her team. The former champion looks as dominant as ever.
Winners: Beth Phoenix, Melina, Victoria, Jillian, Natalya & Layla
Rating: *
Match 6: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - The Undertaker (c) vs. Edge
This is the forgotten rematch from their classic bout a month prior at WrestleMania XXIV. While the mystique and ambiance of the match wasn't as present like their first match, there was still definitely a lot of hype behind this rematch with Vickie Guerrero putting The Undertaker through a rigorous string of matches on SmackDown before facing Edge in the rematch. While it wasn't as dramatic as their first encounter, the action here was still solid as Edge is fantastic in his role in making himself a believable competitor against the bigger Undertaker. The story, however, with this match was much different than the first time around. The level of hate The Undertaker held against Edge was certainly at a higher level and they really built the match around that. Despite Edge getting help from his Edgeheads, Undertaker was able to lock Edge in his Hell's Gate submission to secure the win. After Edge tapped, Undertaker refused to let go of the submission and put Edge out of consciousness. Afterwards, Vickie Guerrero comes out and screams at the sight of blood pouring out of the mouth of Edge. This feud just went up another notch...
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: ***1/2
Match 7: WWE Championship - Elimination - Randy Orton (c) vs. Triple H vs. JBL vs. John Cena
With Randy Orton retaining the WWE Championship at WrestleMania in a triple threat match, I guess the company didn't really have too much of a creative idea on what to do afterwards here. So... they just put those three guys back in the main event and added JBL to the equation. As predicted, JBL is eliminated first as John Cena takes him out of the fray. However, a punt to the head by Orton then puts Cena out of the chase for the gold. Pretty crazy how fast they killed Cena's momentum from his amazing Royal Rumble return. Finally, it came down to Randy Orton and Triple H. A match we have seen so many times and a match that we would continue to watch for so many more times after this. While the action between the two here was enjoyable, it didn't feel fresh at all and it almost became hard for me to invest my time into it considering I've seen these two go against each other so many times. Triple H is able to Pedigree Orton to score the win and win another WWE Championship. You really gotta question the decision to why exactly they had Orton score the win at WrestleMania. Was it to swerve us? It just seemed like Orton was destined for such a long title reign and this loss felt like such an underwhelming and abrupt ending.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: ***1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
While this was certainly a solid follower to WrestleMania and another solid 2008 PPV, it also felt like a pretty lazy card put together with much of the card just really feeling like a lesser WrestleMania. Despite that, the matches that carried the show delivered and helped lead feuds into bigger things.
Rating: 7.75/10
Thursday, April 25, 2019
WWE WrestleMania 33 Review (Part 2)
It's the ultimate thrill ride. WrestleMania returns to Orlando
with a stacked card! Brock Lesnar looks to remove the only blemish of
his career against Goldberg for the Universal Championship and Roman
Reigns looks to be the second person in history to defeat The Undertaker
on the biggest stage of the year.
Match 6: Non-Sanctioned - Triple H vs. Seth Rollins
After losing to Roman Reigns in the previous year, Seth Rollins looks to follow in his Shield brother's footsteps and take out The Game on the biggest stage of the year. The two had a fantastic feud leading up to this match with much emphasis being placed on the injured knee of Rollins. As usual, Triple H came out to another spectacular entrance with a police escort as he and Stephanie McMahon rode down a sweet looking motorcycle. Like the veteran that he is, Triple H focused much of the match around that exact injured knee of Rollins and managed to really get a good control of the match. However, the match itself felt like it ran a little longer than it needed to and as a result, much of the crowd was taken out of the action. Even while trying to take out Rollins with the help of a sledgehammer, Triple H fell to a Pedigree after inadvertently knocking his wife off the top apron through a table. Solid match and solid win for Rollins despite the match itself being just a few minutes too much longer than it needed to be.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Rating: ***1/4
Match 7: WWE Championship - Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Randy Orton
Let me just say that Randy Orton cut one of his coolest (and probably corniest) promo ever where he burned down The Wyatt Family Compound. If you haven't seen it, go check it out! As for the match... Before we get into that, it is also necessary to note how ridiculous Orton's entrance was with a digital snake following him down the ramp. Even he bashed it and who could blame him? The thing looked ridiculous. Anyways, this match was probably one of the biggest disappointments in WrestleMania history and the crowd was just not into any of the action at all. Well, for the little amount of action there was. Wyatt's mind games reached its peak with images of bugs popping up on the ring canvas a few times throughout the match. Yes, you read that right. Everybody was just as confused. Orton hits an RKO on Bray Wyatt to secure the fairly quick win over Wyatt to capture another WWE Championship.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: 3/4*
Match 8: WWE Universal Championship - Goldberg (c) vs. Brock Lesnar
This is it, the third chapter to their rivalry and likely their last with Goldberg holding the two victories. As pretty much expected, this was a fairly quick match with the two exchanging their signature moves left and right. And well... it worked. The fans didn't expect a wrestling clinic from the two and nor did they really want it from them. Even with a Spear through the barricade outside the ring and another one inside the ring, Brock Lesnar is able to counter the storm and hit an F5 to win and capture the Universal Championship to the delight of the crowd. Again, the match wasn't anything amazing but it was really what it needed to be and that is more than enough here. Interesting to see this match not close out the night, though.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Rating: ***
Match 9: WWE SmackDown Women's Championship - Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Becky Lynch vs. Mickie James vs. Carmella vs. Natalya vs. Naomi
To bridge the gap between the two main events, Alexa Bliss must defend her SmackDown Women's Championship against 5 other competitors. Standard and quick women's match here with a few cool spots before Naomi submits Bliss in the middle of the ring to capture the championship in front of her home crowd. Nice moment for Naomi but the crowd was barely invested into any of the action. This almost felt like a match that was quickly put together as an afterthought.
Winner: Naomi
Rating: *1/2
Match 10: No Holds Barred - Roman Reigns vs. The Undertaker
For the first time since WrestleMania XXVI, The Undertaker closes out a WrestleMania show. Ironically, he also closed out WrestleMania against Edge in 2008 at the very same stadium. This time around, he is older and almost a shell of himself as he faces the biggest dog in the yard... Roman Reigns. While The Undertaker seemingly looked like he could hang with Reigns early on, the tides very quickly changed and the age of The Deadman began to show. He looked slow and tired throughout much of the match and it became very disheartening to watch. Reigns would pour on an onslaught against The Undertaker with steel chair shots before finally finishing him up with a big running Spear. Reigns celebrated with an incredible display of pyro shooting off in the background. Finally, The Undertaker gets up to a rousing ovation before placing his attire in the middle of the ring as the screen quickly cut to black. Watching this in person was nothing short of emotional and watching it again a couple years later gave me the same emotions despite him coming back a year later. It was the perfect ending to an incredible career and certainly one of the coolest endings to a WrestleMania event ever.
Winner: Roman Reigns
Rating: **
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
On paper, this is a seriously stacked card. However, there was less substance to the actual show than what I expected. If you were to go back and remember this show, it would be for the moments rather than the actual in-ring stuff. However, much of those memorable moments quickly became forgotten or brushed aside quickly after. John Cena's proposal became void after he and Nikki Bella ended up calling things off. The Undertaker's perfect ending to his career very quickly became erased once he decided to continue wrestling. And Brock Lesnar's win over Goldberg felt underwhelming and not even remotely close to being as memorable as their previous encounters. Tough to rate this show considering how disappointing some of the matches were but also am quick to remember the good matches on the card and the cool moments it brought us. If I'm going to remember this show for one thing, then it's going to be watching Matt & Jeff Hardy return to the company.
Rating: 6.75/10
Match 6: Non-Sanctioned - Triple H vs. Seth Rollins
After losing to Roman Reigns in the previous year, Seth Rollins looks to follow in his Shield brother's footsteps and take out The Game on the biggest stage of the year. The two had a fantastic feud leading up to this match with much emphasis being placed on the injured knee of Rollins. As usual, Triple H came out to another spectacular entrance with a police escort as he and Stephanie McMahon rode down a sweet looking motorcycle. Like the veteran that he is, Triple H focused much of the match around that exact injured knee of Rollins and managed to really get a good control of the match. However, the match itself felt like it ran a little longer than it needed to and as a result, much of the crowd was taken out of the action. Even while trying to take out Rollins with the help of a sledgehammer, Triple H fell to a Pedigree after inadvertently knocking his wife off the top apron through a table. Solid match and solid win for Rollins despite the match itself being just a few minutes too much longer than it needed to be.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Rating: ***1/4
Match 7: WWE Championship - Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Randy Orton
Let me just say that Randy Orton cut one of his coolest (and probably corniest) promo ever where he burned down The Wyatt Family Compound. If you haven't seen it, go check it out! As for the match... Before we get into that, it is also necessary to note how ridiculous Orton's entrance was with a digital snake following him down the ramp. Even he bashed it and who could blame him? The thing looked ridiculous. Anyways, this match was probably one of the biggest disappointments in WrestleMania history and the crowd was just not into any of the action at all. Well, for the little amount of action there was. Wyatt's mind games reached its peak with images of bugs popping up on the ring canvas a few times throughout the match. Yes, you read that right. Everybody was just as confused. Orton hits an RKO on Bray Wyatt to secure the fairly quick win over Wyatt to capture another WWE Championship.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: 3/4*
Match 8: WWE Universal Championship - Goldberg (c) vs. Brock Lesnar
This is it, the third chapter to their rivalry and likely their last with Goldberg holding the two victories. As pretty much expected, this was a fairly quick match with the two exchanging their signature moves left and right. And well... it worked. The fans didn't expect a wrestling clinic from the two and nor did they really want it from them. Even with a Spear through the barricade outside the ring and another one inside the ring, Brock Lesnar is able to counter the storm and hit an F5 to win and capture the Universal Championship to the delight of the crowd. Again, the match wasn't anything amazing but it was really what it needed to be and that is more than enough here. Interesting to see this match not close out the night, though.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Rating: ***
Match 9: WWE SmackDown Women's Championship - Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Becky Lynch vs. Mickie James vs. Carmella vs. Natalya vs. Naomi
To bridge the gap between the two main events, Alexa Bliss must defend her SmackDown Women's Championship against 5 other competitors. Standard and quick women's match here with a few cool spots before Naomi submits Bliss in the middle of the ring to capture the championship in front of her home crowd. Nice moment for Naomi but the crowd was barely invested into any of the action. This almost felt like a match that was quickly put together as an afterthought.
Winner: Naomi
Rating: *1/2
Match 10: No Holds Barred - Roman Reigns vs. The Undertaker
For the first time since WrestleMania XXVI, The Undertaker closes out a WrestleMania show. Ironically, he also closed out WrestleMania against Edge in 2008 at the very same stadium. This time around, he is older and almost a shell of himself as he faces the biggest dog in the yard... Roman Reigns. While The Undertaker seemingly looked like he could hang with Reigns early on, the tides very quickly changed and the age of The Deadman began to show. He looked slow and tired throughout much of the match and it became very disheartening to watch. Reigns would pour on an onslaught against The Undertaker with steel chair shots before finally finishing him up with a big running Spear. Reigns celebrated with an incredible display of pyro shooting off in the background. Finally, The Undertaker gets up to a rousing ovation before placing his attire in the middle of the ring as the screen quickly cut to black. Watching this in person was nothing short of emotional and watching it again a couple years later gave me the same emotions despite him coming back a year later. It was the perfect ending to an incredible career and certainly one of the coolest endings to a WrestleMania event ever.
Winner: Roman Reigns
Rating: **
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
On paper, this is a seriously stacked card. However, there was less substance to the actual show than what I expected. If you were to go back and remember this show, it would be for the moments rather than the actual in-ring stuff. However, much of those memorable moments quickly became forgotten or brushed aside quickly after. John Cena's proposal became void after he and Nikki Bella ended up calling things off. The Undertaker's perfect ending to his career very quickly became erased once he decided to continue wrestling. And Brock Lesnar's win over Goldberg felt underwhelming and not even remotely close to being as memorable as their previous encounters. Tough to rate this show considering how disappointing some of the matches were but also am quick to remember the good matches on the card and the cool moments it brought us. If I'm going to remember this show for one thing, then it's going to be watching Matt & Jeff Hardy return to the company.
Rating: 6.75/10
Monday, April 15, 2019
WWE WrestleMania 33 Review (Part 1)
It's the ultimate thrill ride. WrestleMania returns to Orlando
with a stacked card! Brock Lesnar looks to remove the only blemish of
his career against Goldberg for the Universal Championship and Roman Reigns looks to be the second person in history to defeat The Undertaker
on the biggest stage of the year.
Match 1: Shane McMahon vs. AJ Styles
Awesome choice of an opening match with SmackDown Live commissioner taking on the frustrated AJ Styles. As unpopular of an opinion this may be in 2019, I always have and likely always will enjoy watching Shane McMahon wrestling in the ring, he always brings the goods when it calls for it. McMahon fought fire with fire here and used a lot of his wrestling skills against Styles as he elected to also display his MMA training background with a plethora of sweet submission holds and muay thai strikes. However, the match went up another gear once Styles accidentally kicked the referee in a the head. Trashcans were brought into the match where McMahon was able to hit Styles with his famous Coast to Coast before missing an elbow dive later on through an announcers table. Styles then capitalized with a Phenomenal Forearm to seal the win. Solid opening match to get the show rolling.
Winner: AJ Styles
Rating: ***1/2
Match 2: WWE United States Championship - Chris Jericho (c) vs. Kevin Owens
This match is their culmination of their huge breakup following their months of friendship. Action in the ring was fairly basic from the two and they didn't really give me the feeling they were fighting out of hate. It honestly just felt like I was watching a regular match on an episode of Monday Night Raw. Owens is able to hit a Pop-Up Powerbomb outside on the ring apron to secure the win and the gold from Chris Jericho. For a match that was so personal, maybe making this a no disqualification match or something could have helped a lot. I don't remember a match at WrestleMania being as big of a disappointment as this one. So much hype and not much of a payoff.
Winner: Kevin Owens
Rating: **
Match 3: WWE Raw Women's Championship - Elimination - Bayley (c) vs. Nia Jax vs. Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair
Bayley's dream went from winning the Raw Women's Championship to walking in as champion to finally walking out as champion. With Nia Jax being the wildcard in the match, the three other women in the match were able to team up and eliminate her from the equation. Charlotte Flair let the best friends in Bayley and Sasha Banks fight it out themselves before entering the match again and elimination Sasha. Finally, it was down to Bayley and Charlotte. Bayley paid homage to the late Randy Savage with an elbow drop from the top to score the win. A bit of an underwhelming match when compared to last year's women's contest. Nonetheless, nice way to place these women on the card.
Winner: Bayley
Rating: **1/2
Match 4: WWE Raw Tag Team Championships - Ladder - Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson (c) The Bar vs. Enzo & Big Cass vs. The Hardy Boyz
Before the match begins, The New Day come out to the ring and announce that a new tag team has been added to the match... THE FREAKING HARDY BOYZ. I will never forget the pop they received and it was certainly one of the coolest moments I have ever gotten the pleasure to witness in person. As for the other competitors, they never stood a chance and the crowd wanted one thing... to see The Hardy Boyz leave as champs. Pretty fun ladder match that never overstayed its welcome with all teams getting in their offenses with the main part having Jeff Hardy hit a Swanton Bomb off the top of a ladder onto The Bar outside the ring. Matt Hardy climbs the ladder in the middle of the ring afterwards to grab the belts and secure the win for himself and his brother Jeff. The match itself wasn't anything too crazy but the ambiance of having The Hardy Boyz back was unbelievable. Certainly one of the coolest moments in WrestleMania history.
Winners: The Hardy Boyz
Rating: ***1/2
Match 5: The Miz & Maryse vs. John Cena & Nikki Bella
One thing I completely forgot about was how The Miz and John Cena actually headlined a WrestleMania way back in 2011 before meeting again here in 2017. As expected, this was as basic of a match you could really get here because the shine was saved for the moment after the match. But I'll get into that in a bit. Anytime Cena is in a WrestleMania match, the crowd will certainly be involved and the case was no different here. Cena is able to weather the storm from The Miz and hit an Attitude Adjustment as Nikki Bella hits her Rack Attack 2.0 on Maryse at the same time. The referee counts and Cena leaves WrestleMania with another big win... the only difference this time around, he did it with a tag partner. Afterwards, Cena proposes to Nikki in a very touching moment as the two hug, kiss and enjoy the moment. Shame they split up a year later.
Winners: John Cena & Nikki Bella
Rating: *3/4
Match 1: Shane McMahon vs. AJ Styles
Awesome choice of an opening match with SmackDown Live commissioner taking on the frustrated AJ Styles. As unpopular of an opinion this may be in 2019, I always have and likely always will enjoy watching Shane McMahon wrestling in the ring, he always brings the goods when it calls for it. McMahon fought fire with fire here and used a lot of his wrestling skills against Styles as he elected to also display his MMA training background with a plethora of sweet submission holds and muay thai strikes. However, the match went up another gear once Styles accidentally kicked the referee in a the head. Trashcans were brought into the match where McMahon was able to hit Styles with his famous Coast to Coast before missing an elbow dive later on through an announcers table. Styles then capitalized with a Phenomenal Forearm to seal the win. Solid opening match to get the show rolling.
Winner: AJ Styles
Rating: ***1/2
Match 2: WWE United States Championship - Chris Jericho (c) vs. Kevin Owens
This match is their culmination of their huge breakup following their months of friendship. Action in the ring was fairly basic from the two and they didn't really give me the feeling they were fighting out of hate. It honestly just felt like I was watching a regular match on an episode of Monday Night Raw. Owens is able to hit a Pop-Up Powerbomb outside on the ring apron to secure the win and the gold from Chris Jericho. For a match that was so personal, maybe making this a no disqualification match or something could have helped a lot. I don't remember a match at WrestleMania being as big of a disappointment as this one. So much hype and not much of a payoff.
Winner: Kevin Owens
Rating: **
Match 3: WWE Raw Women's Championship - Elimination - Bayley (c) vs. Nia Jax vs. Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair
Bayley's dream went from winning the Raw Women's Championship to walking in as champion to finally walking out as champion. With Nia Jax being the wildcard in the match, the three other women in the match were able to team up and eliminate her from the equation. Charlotte Flair let the best friends in Bayley and Sasha Banks fight it out themselves before entering the match again and elimination Sasha. Finally, it was down to Bayley and Charlotte. Bayley paid homage to the late Randy Savage with an elbow drop from the top to score the win. A bit of an underwhelming match when compared to last year's women's contest. Nonetheless, nice way to place these women on the card.
Winner: Bayley
Rating: **1/2
Match 4: WWE Raw Tag Team Championships - Ladder - Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson (c) The Bar vs. Enzo & Big Cass vs. The Hardy Boyz
Before the match begins, The New Day come out to the ring and announce that a new tag team has been added to the match... THE FREAKING HARDY BOYZ. I will never forget the pop they received and it was certainly one of the coolest moments I have ever gotten the pleasure to witness in person. As for the other competitors, they never stood a chance and the crowd wanted one thing... to see The Hardy Boyz leave as champs. Pretty fun ladder match that never overstayed its welcome with all teams getting in their offenses with the main part having Jeff Hardy hit a Swanton Bomb off the top of a ladder onto The Bar outside the ring. Matt Hardy climbs the ladder in the middle of the ring afterwards to grab the belts and secure the win for himself and his brother Jeff. The match itself wasn't anything too crazy but the ambiance of having The Hardy Boyz back was unbelievable. Certainly one of the coolest moments in WrestleMania history.
Winners: The Hardy Boyz
Rating: ***1/2
Match 5: The Miz & Maryse vs. John Cena & Nikki Bella
One thing I completely forgot about was how The Miz and John Cena actually headlined a WrestleMania way back in 2011 before meeting again here in 2017. As expected, this was as basic of a match you could really get here because the shine was saved for the moment after the match. But I'll get into that in a bit. Anytime Cena is in a WrestleMania match, the crowd will certainly be involved and the case was no different here. Cena is able to weather the storm from The Miz and hit an Attitude Adjustment as Nikki Bella hits her Rack Attack 2.0 on Maryse at the same time. The referee counts and Cena leaves WrestleMania with another big win... the only difference this time around, he did it with a tag partner. Afterwards, Cena proposes to Nikki in a very touching moment as the two hug, kiss and enjoy the moment. Shame they split up a year later.
Winners: John Cena & Nikki Bella
Rating: *3/4
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
WWE WrestleMania 21 Review
WrestleMania goes Hollywood! Before they meet at WrestleMania in 2019, Batista and Triple H met at the main event of WrestleMania 21 for the World Heavyweight Championship. Also, a new era begins as John Cena wins his first WWE Championship against JBL.
Match 1: Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero (Taken from Rey Mysterio - The Life of a Masked Man DVD (Disc 2) Review)
This is the match that kicked off the big WrestleMania in Los Angeles and featured Mysterio taking on the late Eddie Guerrero. It's also the first time in which tag team champions went against each other at a WrestleMania. Watching this match is like going through a time warp and watching an old school ECW match. This match was absolutely packed with so many amazing maneuvers and really showcased both men's abilities and how they were still able to go out and put on a great old school classic match honoring their roots. Watching matches like this really make me miss how great of a wrestler and person Eddie Guerrero was. Awesome way to start off the show. The only gripe would probably be the time it received, I really wish this match had gone a few minutes longer because then we would have gotten a real classic. Nonetheless, a terrific bout with lots of counters and reversals.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Rating: ****
Match 2: Money in the Bank Ladder - Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit vs. Christian vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Edge vs. Kane
This is the inaugural Money in the Bank Ladder match in history and it was an absolute banger. Everybody in this match brought something to the table and there was zero downtime in between everything. The two standouts of the match were easily Shelton Benjamin and Chris Benoit. With Benjamin, he was able to really display his insane athleticism with one spot in particular where he ran up a ladder than was basically set up as a ramp towards the top of another ladder and knocked off Chris Jericho. Did that description make sense? Just watch the damn match. As for Benoit, he came off as the gutsy babyface trying to once again overcome the odds. Kane clamped Benoit's arm early on the match and Benoit sold the injury perfectly throughout the match. Finally, he was able to fight off Kane at the end before Edge sneaks in with a steel chair and blasts Benoit's arm as he tried climbing up the ladder for the briefcase. Edge grabs the briefcase and Jim Ross on commentary begs for someone to stop him. Wow. Unreal match with an incredible finish that truly launched Edge into another atmosphere.
Winner: Edge
Rating: ****1/2
Match 3: The Undertaker vs. Randy Orton
Legend vs. Legend Killer. Randy Orton looks to continue his tour of "killing legends" by challenging the biggest opponent of his career so far... The Undertaker. Orton tries to become the only blemish in The Deadman's legendary career at WrestleMania. This seems to be one of The Undertaker's forgotten WrestleMania matches as it really gets overshadowed by all the amazing matches he had past WrestleMania 23 against Batista. Solid action in the ring here with Orton showing flashes of possibly taking down The Phenom. The match really ramped up to another gear in the closing minutes with Cowboy Bob Orton making an appearance and drilling The Undertaker with his famous cast. After a very close count, Randy was able to land a sweet RKO as the crowd went absolutely bonkers. Undertaker was able to once again kick out which led to Orton trying to close things out with a Tombstone of his own. However, Undertaker is able to reverse that into his own Tombstone to close out the match as the crowd in the background eats it all up. 13-0.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: ***3/4
Match 4: WWE Women's Championship - Trish Stratus (c) vs. Christy Hemme
With Christy Hemme getting some notoriety after posing for Playboy, Trish Stratus took disdain in the magazine listing her as a champion. Stratus even spray painted the word "SLUT" on Hemme's back. Hemme then recruited Lita to train her in preparation for this match against Trish on the biggest stage of the year. Hemme is able to muster up some offense her but Stratus is the star of the match and is able to retain the championship with a Chick Kick. Few more minutes and this could definitely have been a more memorable Divas match.
Winner: Trish Stratus
Rating: *1/2
Match 5: Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle
The second Raw vs. SmackDown match of the night sees Mr. WrestleMania try to defeat an Olympic gold medalist in Kurt Angle in a match that was absolutely hyped to the moon. Early on, the match consisted of the two mat wrestling before turning things into an all out professional wrestling match very quickly and turning things up a notch. Angle was quick to work on the ankles and legs of Shawn Michaels. Angle was able to Angle Slam Michaels on the ring post outside the ring and drive the leg of Michaels right into that post. From then on, Angle knew he had Michaels on his last legs. No pun intended. However, a couple more Angle Slams including one off the top rope wasn't enough to beat Michaels as the crowd was absolutely going crazy. Angle was screaming into the face of Michaels out of frustration and ate a Sweet Chin Music for it! Michaels isn't able to win off that and instead, gets locked with an Ankle Lock! Michaels does his best to fight out of it but Angle won't let go! Michaels taps! Unbelievable match! Really, a match ahead of the curve in 2005. So much athleticism from the two and a perfect story with Angle deadly focusing on breaking the ankle of Michaels. Incredible. Five stars and don't even fight me on this.
Winner: Kurt Angle
Rating: *****
Match 6: Sumo - Akebono vs. The Big Show
The Big Show has never really had that big WrestleMania before this... and that streak continues here as he participates in a sumo match against the legendary Akebono. Definitely more of an attraction than an actual match here with the crowd watching in confusement as Akebono easily tossed Show out of the ring to win the match. Just a match to use as a bridge before heading into the two main events.
Winner: Akebono
Rating: n/a
Match 7: WWE Championship - JBL (c) vs. John Cena
After winning the 2005 Royal Rumble, John Cena gets his biggest opportunity of his career, a WWE Championship match against JBL here at WrestleMania 21. JBL leaves his Cabinet in the limo as he decides to take on Cena without any help as dollar bills with JBL's face get dropped into the crowd from the arena. Pretty dull match here, especially with all the other bangers on the card. JBL is dominant throughout with Cena finally fighting back at the end and scoring an FU after dodging a Clothesline from Hell to capture his first WWE Championship. He celebrates in the crowd and he ushers in the era of John Cena. I'm not sure if this was just foreshadowing to how Cena's reigns as the top dog would be with him overcoming the odds at the very end of the match to win, but I just didn't feel like this was the match nor the moment to really help the audience get ready for the new era. Regardless, Cena was their guy and in 2019, it was certainly the smart decision to have him go big in 2005.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: **1/2
Match 8: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Triple H (c) vs. Batista
This is the culmination of years of anticipation as the implosion of Evolution reaches its course as Batista challenges his mentor Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship. This is easily one of the most intriguing stories in WWE history and one of the best built stories heading into a main event for WrestleMania. Loved having Triple H come down to the ring with Motorhead playing his theme song live as he would then await his challenger and old friend in Batista. Triple H doesn't seem to be worried on in the beginning of the match as he's able to seemingly have control of the match with Ric Flair helping him in the background. However, Batista is able to drastically and dramatically turn the tides after busting open The Game on a ring post. The complexity of the match changed and went right into another gear. Triple H was able to hit Batista with the championship belt but it wasn't enough to give him room for a Pedigree finish. Batista pulls the trigger first and lands a Batista Bomb to beat Triple H. Afterwards, Batista stares down a bloodied and beaten Triple H. Amazing main event and easily one of the most underrated moments with Batista celebrating to cap off the night. From humble beginnings to headlining the biggest show of the year.
Winner: Batista
Rating: ****1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
An incredible WrestleMania that for whatever reason, doesn't really get the credit I think it absolutely deserves. From the Hollywood theme to the incredible action in the ring to seeing Edge, Randy Orton, John Cena and Batista shine as the new faces of the company, this was one of the best WrestleManias of all time.
Rating: 10/10
Match 1: Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero (Taken from Rey Mysterio - The Life of a Masked Man DVD (Disc 2) Review)
This is the match that kicked off the big WrestleMania in Los Angeles and featured Mysterio taking on the late Eddie Guerrero. It's also the first time in which tag team champions went against each other at a WrestleMania. Watching this match is like going through a time warp and watching an old school ECW match. This match was absolutely packed with so many amazing maneuvers and really showcased both men's abilities and how they were still able to go out and put on a great old school classic match honoring their roots. Watching matches like this really make me miss how great of a wrestler and person Eddie Guerrero was. Awesome way to start off the show. The only gripe would probably be the time it received, I really wish this match had gone a few minutes longer because then we would have gotten a real classic. Nonetheless, a terrific bout with lots of counters and reversals.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Rating: ****
Match 2: Money in the Bank Ladder - Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit vs. Christian vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Edge vs. Kane
This is the inaugural Money in the Bank Ladder match in history and it was an absolute banger. Everybody in this match brought something to the table and there was zero downtime in between everything. The two standouts of the match were easily Shelton Benjamin and Chris Benoit. With Benjamin, he was able to really display his insane athleticism with one spot in particular where he ran up a ladder than was basically set up as a ramp towards the top of another ladder and knocked off Chris Jericho. Did that description make sense? Just watch the damn match. As for Benoit, he came off as the gutsy babyface trying to once again overcome the odds. Kane clamped Benoit's arm early on the match and Benoit sold the injury perfectly throughout the match. Finally, he was able to fight off Kane at the end before Edge sneaks in with a steel chair and blasts Benoit's arm as he tried climbing up the ladder for the briefcase. Edge grabs the briefcase and Jim Ross on commentary begs for someone to stop him. Wow. Unreal match with an incredible finish that truly launched Edge into another atmosphere.
Winner: Edge
Rating: ****1/2
Match 3: The Undertaker vs. Randy Orton
Legend vs. Legend Killer. Randy Orton looks to continue his tour of "killing legends" by challenging the biggest opponent of his career so far... The Undertaker. Orton tries to become the only blemish in The Deadman's legendary career at WrestleMania. This seems to be one of The Undertaker's forgotten WrestleMania matches as it really gets overshadowed by all the amazing matches he had past WrestleMania 23 against Batista. Solid action in the ring here with Orton showing flashes of possibly taking down The Phenom. The match really ramped up to another gear in the closing minutes with Cowboy Bob Orton making an appearance and drilling The Undertaker with his famous cast. After a very close count, Randy was able to land a sweet RKO as the crowd went absolutely bonkers. Undertaker was able to once again kick out which led to Orton trying to close things out with a Tombstone of his own. However, Undertaker is able to reverse that into his own Tombstone to close out the match as the crowd in the background eats it all up. 13-0.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: ***3/4
Match 4: WWE Women's Championship - Trish Stratus (c) vs. Christy Hemme
With Christy Hemme getting some notoriety after posing for Playboy, Trish Stratus took disdain in the magazine listing her as a champion. Stratus even spray painted the word "SLUT" on Hemme's back. Hemme then recruited Lita to train her in preparation for this match against Trish on the biggest stage of the year. Hemme is able to muster up some offense her but Stratus is the star of the match and is able to retain the championship with a Chick Kick. Few more minutes and this could definitely have been a more memorable Divas match.
Winner: Trish Stratus
Rating: *1/2
Match 5: Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle
The second Raw vs. SmackDown match of the night sees Mr. WrestleMania try to defeat an Olympic gold medalist in Kurt Angle in a match that was absolutely hyped to the moon. Early on, the match consisted of the two mat wrestling before turning things into an all out professional wrestling match very quickly and turning things up a notch. Angle was quick to work on the ankles and legs of Shawn Michaels. Angle was able to Angle Slam Michaels on the ring post outside the ring and drive the leg of Michaels right into that post. From then on, Angle knew he had Michaels on his last legs. No pun intended. However, a couple more Angle Slams including one off the top rope wasn't enough to beat Michaels as the crowd was absolutely going crazy. Angle was screaming into the face of Michaels out of frustration and ate a Sweet Chin Music for it! Michaels isn't able to win off that and instead, gets locked with an Ankle Lock! Michaels does his best to fight out of it but Angle won't let go! Michaels taps! Unbelievable match! Really, a match ahead of the curve in 2005. So much athleticism from the two and a perfect story with Angle deadly focusing on breaking the ankle of Michaels. Incredible. Five stars and don't even fight me on this.
Winner: Kurt Angle
Rating: *****
Match 6: Sumo - Akebono vs. The Big Show
The Big Show has never really had that big WrestleMania before this... and that streak continues here as he participates in a sumo match against the legendary Akebono. Definitely more of an attraction than an actual match here with the crowd watching in confusement as Akebono easily tossed Show out of the ring to win the match. Just a match to use as a bridge before heading into the two main events.
Winner: Akebono
Rating: n/a
Match 7: WWE Championship - JBL (c) vs. John Cena
After winning the 2005 Royal Rumble, John Cena gets his biggest opportunity of his career, a WWE Championship match against JBL here at WrestleMania 21. JBL leaves his Cabinet in the limo as he decides to take on Cena without any help as dollar bills with JBL's face get dropped into the crowd from the arena. Pretty dull match here, especially with all the other bangers on the card. JBL is dominant throughout with Cena finally fighting back at the end and scoring an FU after dodging a Clothesline from Hell to capture his first WWE Championship. He celebrates in the crowd and he ushers in the era of John Cena. I'm not sure if this was just foreshadowing to how Cena's reigns as the top dog would be with him overcoming the odds at the very end of the match to win, but I just didn't feel like this was the match nor the moment to really help the audience get ready for the new era. Regardless, Cena was their guy and in 2019, it was certainly the smart decision to have him go big in 2005.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: **1/2
Match 8: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Triple H (c) vs. Batista
This is the culmination of years of anticipation as the implosion of Evolution reaches its course as Batista challenges his mentor Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship. This is easily one of the most intriguing stories in WWE history and one of the best built stories heading into a main event for WrestleMania. Loved having Triple H come down to the ring with Motorhead playing his theme song live as he would then await his challenger and old friend in Batista. Triple H doesn't seem to be worried on in the beginning of the match as he's able to seemingly have control of the match with Ric Flair helping him in the background. However, Batista is able to drastically and dramatically turn the tides after busting open The Game on a ring post. The complexity of the match changed and went right into another gear. Triple H was able to hit Batista with the championship belt but it wasn't enough to give him room for a Pedigree finish. Batista pulls the trigger first and lands a Batista Bomb to beat Triple H. Afterwards, Batista stares down a bloodied and beaten Triple H. Amazing main event and easily one of the most underrated moments with Batista celebrating to cap off the night. From humble beginnings to headlining the biggest show of the year.
Winner: Batista
Rating: ****1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
An incredible WrestleMania that for whatever reason, doesn't really get the credit I think it absolutely deserves. From the Hollywood theme to the incredible action in the ring to seeing Edge, Randy Orton, John Cena and Batista shine as the new faces of the company, this was one of the best WrestleManias of all time.
Rating: 10/10
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
