Match 1: X Division Championship - Petey Williams (c) vs. Consequences Creed
This
is my first time reviewing a TNA show and it just so happens to be a
super random show. Regardless, we got a really good opening match here
between two guys with over-the-top gimmicks to go with it. Consequences
Creed is now known as Xavier Woods in the WWE and you could really tell
why the WWE signed this guy here. He was fantastic in playing with the
audience and definitely had that flair to him. Petey Williams was
mimicking Scott Steiner for whatever reason and the crowd was hot for
him. I can't recall what exactly the story is between he and Steiner,
it's been eight years! Sheik Abdul Bashir runs in with a steel chair and
nails Creed in the back with it to allow Williams to hit his Canadian
Destroyer for the victory. Bashir then gets on the mic and rips Creed.
Ridiculous gimmicks all over the place in what was a great opening
match. Fast, fun, and hectic.
Winner: Petey Williams
Rating: ***1/2
Match 2: Gail Kim, ODB & Taylor Wilde vs. Awesome Kong & The Beautiful People
I
almost forgot how ridiculous TNA was back in 2008, it felt like I was
watching a stereotypical professional wrestling show from 30 years ago.
Even the Knockouts have silly gimmicks. The match was really centered
around Awesome Kong getting her hands on the champ in Taylor Wilde. The
match itself was definitely much better than what you would see on WWE
television. Good action that eventually broke down with all the ladies
getting in the ring at once. Finally, Wilde was able to roll up Angelina
Love to score the win for her team.
Winners: Gail Kim, ODB & Taylor Wilde
Rating: **
Match 3: TNA World Tag Team Championships - The Latin American Xchange (c) vs. Beer Money, Inc.
TNA
always did tag team wrestling right, this match is a perfect example. I
love both teams and their different styles worked well here. Crowd was
very much into the match and fun would be the best way to describe this.
I loved their gimmicks, more stereotypical pro wrestling stuff but it
worked! The coolest spot of the match had to be Hernandez Border Tossing
Homicide over the post and onto Beer Money. It was pretty unreal.
However, Robert Roode was able to nail Homicide with a beer bottle which
allowed James Storm to cover Homicide for the win. Hectic match that
worked. Beer Money made for a great heel team and the win solidified the
way they do things. But let's just count how many odd finishes we get
for the rest of the night.
Winners: Beer Money
Rating: ***
Match 4: Black Tie Brawl & Chain - Jay Lethal vs. Sonjay Dutt
Would
you look at that, another typical TNA match! What does that mean? It
means chaining up two guys in tuxedos and having them rip their clothes
off each other for whatever reason. This has to be one of the most
embarrassing and most atrocious things I have ever seen in pro
wrestling. The crowd was crapping all over the match and it just looked
stupid to watch. They're chained together, why is Sonjay Dutt banned
from choking Jay Lethal with it? Why are they in tuxedos? Why are they
ripping it off each other? Why is Jay Lethal's family smiling when he is
getting tortured? Lethal wins with an elbow from the top rope. Geez.
Winner: Jay Lethal
Rating: 3/4*
Match 5: New Jersey Street Fight - Christian Cage & Rhino vs. Team 3D
I
always love me a good street fight. These four guys make for a great
combination in this style of a match. Who doesn't love it when the
action spills into the crowd? They brought out an array of weapons as if
we took a train ride back to the old ECW days. Just not as exciting. I
liked the concept but TNA does these matches at every PPV that it
becomes so forced. Christian Cage & Rhino score the win after Rhino
Gores Brother Ray through a table that barely broke. It made the finish
fall flat on its face. The match was fine but not as exciting as the
advertisement put it out to be. Johnny Devine comes out to Team 3D's
rescue until Abyss comes out and makes the save. You just can't get an
ending to a match without something happening.
Winners: Christian Cage & Rhino
Rating: **3/4
Match 6: Last Man Standing - AJ Styles vs. Kurt Angle
TNA's
version of a Last Man Standing match is different than the WWE's. You
need to be able to pin your opponent first before having the referee
start the count to ten. I get that they want to be different than the
WWE, but it definitely kills a little bit of the excitement for me.
Loved the story they told here, Kurt Angle did not look a tad bit
concerned in this match against AJ Styles. On the other side of things,
Styles did not look a tab bit concerned over Angle. Great energy here,
thy went at it from the start and I didn't feel like the match dragged
at all. Angle showed us what a beast he was, even in 2008. He looked
hungry and in incredible shape. The spots on top of the stage had me
both nervous and on the edge of my seat. They needed a big finish and
they gave us one as Styles hit a huge DDT from the top rope on Angle.
Styles was able to get the win as Angle continued to sell the move.
Styles then attacked Angle after the match as everybody else began to
show compassion for Angle. Great match despite my mixed feelings for the
guidelines for the match itself. Sting then appears and lays out Styles
before Kevin Nash came out to confront Sting. Seriously, there's just
way too much to digest here.
Winner: AJ Styles
Rating: ****
Match 7: TNA World Heavyweight Championship - Six Sides of Steel Weapons - Samoa Joe (c) vs. Booker T
This
is their rematch from Victory Road as the fluke finish leads to them
going at it within the confines of steel. Booker T utilizes the weapons
to his advantage early on and seems to be in control of the match. As a
matter of fact, I don't really recall Samoa Joe having any flashes of
dominating Booker throughout the entire match. I get he's the babyface
playing defense, but why to this extent? Booker T looks to finally close
out the match until the lights turn off and the entire arena is dark.
Samoa Joe emerges out of the darkness with a guitar and crushes Booker
with it for the very underwhelming victory. What on Earth was that? The
match looked to have some potential. It felt like it was just getting
out of first gear. And once it was about to, it came to a screeching
halt. Another stupid finish, another question for another PPV.
Winner: Samoa Joe
Rating: **3/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
It's
unbelievable to look back at a show like this in 2008 and wonder how
this company is still in business. It's almost like I went back to 1980
and watched a professional wrestling show at a circus. A couple matches
were good but everything else was bad to passable. But why exactly are
there so many shenanigans? Why does every match have to end with
somebody coming out for an ambush? More questions were made as compared
to how many were answered. This is a PPV, what a slap to the face of the
customer.
Rating: 5.75/10
Saturday, April 23, 2016
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
ROH Supercard of Honor IX Review
Match 1: ACH vs. Mark Briscoe
First time watching this since being there live a year ago. Good opening match here to set the tone for the night. You get your regular fun stuff from the two guys and the crowd was definitely with them throughout the whole ride. I should note how bad ROH is with their volume on these DVDs. Is it really necessary to turn down the in-ring volume so much for the commentary? Half the time, the audio was fucked up, too! Regardless, Mark Briscoe rolls up ACH for the win. I feel like Mark hasn't made much progress in spite of Jay's success. His gimmick is old and definitely needs a change. How I feel about ACH taking the loss is another story.
Winner: Mark Briscoe
Rating: **3/4
Match 2: Michael Elgin vs. Frankie Kazarian
It's been awhile since I've seen both these guys so this should be fun. You know you're going to get a good match whenever these two step in. Michael Elgin definitely embraced his role as a heel here and it showed in this match. Elgin hits an Elgin Bomb on Frankie Kazarian for the win. Daniels rushes to Frankie's help after the match but suffers a chair shot to the back and an Elgin Bomb for good measure. Really good following match here, nothing too crazy, just good action from the first bell and something the crowd really enjoyed. I don't know what to say here, it's an expected great match from the two and it's cool to see Elgin getting back in the title hunt.
Winner: Michael Elgin
Rating: ***1/4
Match 3: Andrew Everett vs. Moose vs. Caprice Coleman vs. Cedric Alexander vs. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Matt Sydal
Gotta love the six-man mayhems! Perfect way to get the guys on the card and have a fun match for the show with nothing taken too seriously. The match starts off with two guys squaring off as the other competitors stand on the apron. We all know how that goes. Things quickly turn into mayhem and the pace turns up a notch as the crowd gets louder and louder as the match winds down. Finally, Matt Sydal emerges as the victor to the delight of the crowd. Fun stuff here to take a break from the singles action, all men put in work and things fell into place nicely.
Winner: Matt Sydal
Rating: ***
Match 4: No Disqualification - BJ Whitmer vs. Jimmy Jacobs
We all know the story here, even if I didn't know when I was watching this live. This is Jimmy Jacobs' final match in Ring of Honor and it's against his old rival in BJ Whitmer. They embrace each other before they try to knock the living daylights out of each other. It's always fun to watch a match like this. They brought out the chairs and a table and just straight up had fun with everything. Even when the first table spot didn't work, they still managed to work around it. Whitmer picks up the win and after the match, Colby Corino attacks Jacobs from behind as Lacey comes out of nowhere to make the save. The two then embrace each other after the match. Cool moment from one of the company's most enigmatic stars.
Winner: BJ Whitmer
Rating: **3/4
Match 5: Christopher Daniels vs. Roderick Strong
Feels like yesterday that we were watching these two go at it for the ROH World Championship. They worked a pretty similar match here on a lesser scale. Solid action from the two, nothing crazy, just smart wrestling from the very beginning. There weren't any crazy flips or crazy dives but the crowd still enjoyed the action. Commentators took into consideration that Christopher Daniels wasn't at his best after suffering a beating from Michael Elgin earlier. Roderick Strong took advantage of that and won with the Stronghold. The two shake hands after as Strong picks up the big win and looks to get back into the title hunt. Good match, very reminiscent of their match at Fate of an Angel II. I felt like this one was just better and didn't suffer from dragging on so much like that match did.
Winner: Roderick Strong
Rating: ***1/2
Match 6: ROH World Tag Team Championships - reDRagon (c) vs. The Kingdom
I always say this and I will say it again, Michael Bennett does not get the recognition he deserves. Such a great heel and he played his role perfectly here once again. I love both teams, the contrast in styles gelled nicely here. The Kingdom almost wrestle like they work for the WWE while reDRagon wrestle as if they were MMA fighters. Both are unique in their own ways and it made for a fun match. I love how Bennett & Matt Taven toy with the crowd and their opponents, you just want to hate these guys. On the other hand, I love how Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly are so explosive and look like legit badasses. The finish, on the other hand, is a completely different story. Some dude in a mask ran in and looked to take out reDRagon. He tried to kick Fish in the face but landed it on Bennett instead. ReDRagon was able to capitalize on the situation and score the win. That finish looked so stupid. Regardless, the match was fun and a welcomed change of pace headed into the main events.
Winners: reDRagon
Rating: ***1/2
Match 7: ROH World Television Championship - Jay Lethal (c) vs. Jushin Liger
This is my first time watching Jushin Liger wrestle since 2010. It was a treat then and it's still a treat now. It's hard to believe he was 51 years old for this match, he more than held his own against the younger Jay Lethal. Great match here despite Adam Cole's annoying commentary. Liger was able to pull out his classic moves and Lethal was able to do his thing. Lethal gets to work with all the legends. What a treat for him. End saw Lethal pull out his belt and try to smack Liger in the face with it before Liger ducked. But for whatever reason, Liger picks up the belt to pose and by way of distraction, gets drilled in the face with a Superkick. Lethal is able to hit a Lethal Injection to pick up the big win. Liger then exits to a well-deserved standing ovation.
Winner: Jay Lethal
Rating: ***3/4
Match 8: ROH World Championship - Jay Briscoe (c) vs. Samoa Joe
Two ROH originals main eventing one of the company's marquee events, gotta love it! Jay Briscoe has become the face of the company and his second reign as champ was great. His match here against Samoa Joe proved that point. Stiff would be the best word to describe this match. It did start off a bit slower than expected but once the pace picked up, the crowd got more into the action and the match took off. Both guys were landing their big blows and finally, Briscoe was able to hit a Jay Driller to score the win over Joe that had become so elusive to him. Solid main event that felt just a bit underwhelming. The win for Briscoe over Joe was a good one, his stardom continues to rise. Nothing is better than seeing Jay get the recognition he has earned. When you want to talk ROH legends like Bryan Danielson, Nigel McGuinness, CM Punk or Samoa Joe, Jay Briscoe needs to be in that discussion.
Winner: Jay Briscoe
Rating: ***1/2
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Was it the best Supercard of Honor ever? Absolutely not. Was it an event worthy of the title? Absolutely. The matches didn't really blow me away, but they were all consistent and they all made sense. With that being said, this was still a great show that answered a lot of questions and still made room for new ones. Check this show out!
Rating: 8/10
First time watching this since being there live a year ago. Good opening match here to set the tone for the night. You get your regular fun stuff from the two guys and the crowd was definitely with them throughout the whole ride. I should note how bad ROH is with their volume on these DVDs. Is it really necessary to turn down the in-ring volume so much for the commentary? Half the time, the audio was fucked up, too! Regardless, Mark Briscoe rolls up ACH for the win. I feel like Mark hasn't made much progress in spite of Jay's success. His gimmick is old and definitely needs a change. How I feel about ACH taking the loss is another story.
Winner: Mark Briscoe
Rating: **3/4
Match 2: Michael Elgin vs. Frankie Kazarian
It's been awhile since I've seen both these guys so this should be fun. You know you're going to get a good match whenever these two step in. Michael Elgin definitely embraced his role as a heel here and it showed in this match. Elgin hits an Elgin Bomb on Frankie Kazarian for the win. Daniels rushes to Frankie's help after the match but suffers a chair shot to the back and an Elgin Bomb for good measure. Really good following match here, nothing too crazy, just good action from the first bell and something the crowd really enjoyed. I don't know what to say here, it's an expected great match from the two and it's cool to see Elgin getting back in the title hunt.
Winner: Michael Elgin
Rating: ***1/4
Match 3: Andrew Everett vs. Moose vs. Caprice Coleman vs. Cedric Alexander vs. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Matt Sydal
Gotta love the six-man mayhems! Perfect way to get the guys on the card and have a fun match for the show with nothing taken too seriously. The match starts off with two guys squaring off as the other competitors stand on the apron. We all know how that goes. Things quickly turn into mayhem and the pace turns up a notch as the crowd gets louder and louder as the match winds down. Finally, Matt Sydal emerges as the victor to the delight of the crowd. Fun stuff here to take a break from the singles action, all men put in work and things fell into place nicely.
Winner: Matt Sydal
Rating: ***
Match 4: No Disqualification - BJ Whitmer vs. Jimmy Jacobs
We all know the story here, even if I didn't know when I was watching this live. This is Jimmy Jacobs' final match in Ring of Honor and it's against his old rival in BJ Whitmer. They embrace each other before they try to knock the living daylights out of each other. It's always fun to watch a match like this. They brought out the chairs and a table and just straight up had fun with everything. Even when the first table spot didn't work, they still managed to work around it. Whitmer picks up the win and after the match, Colby Corino attacks Jacobs from behind as Lacey comes out of nowhere to make the save. The two then embrace each other after the match. Cool moment from one of the company's most enigmatic stars.
Winner: BJ Whitmer
Rating: **3/4
Match 5: Christopher Daniels vs. Roderick Strong
Feels like yesterday that we were watching these two go at it for the ROH World Championship. They worked a pretty similar match here on a lesser scale. Solid action from the two, nothing crazy, just smart wrestling from the very beginning. There weren't any crazy flips or crazy dives but the crowd still enjoyed the action. Commentators took into consideration that Christopher Daniels wasn't at his best after suffering a beating from Michael Elgin earlier. Roderick Strong took advantage of that and won with the Stronghold. The two shake hands after as Strong picks up the big win and looks to get back into the title hunt. Good match, very reminiscent of their match at Fate of an Angel II. I felt like this one was just better and didn't suffer from dragging on so much like that match did.
Winner: Roderick Strong
Rating: ***1/2
Match 6: ROH World Tag Team Championships - reDRagon (c) vs. The Kingdom
I always say this and I will say it again, Michael Bennett does not get the recognition he deserves. Such a great heel and he played his role perfectly here once again. I love both teams, the contrast in styles gelled nicely here. The Kingdom almost wrestle like they work for the WWE while reDRagon wrestle as if they were MMA fighters. Both are unique in their own ways and it made for a fun match. I love how Bennett & Matt Taven toy with the crowd and their opponents, you just want to hate these guys. On the other hand, I love how Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly are so explosive and look like legit badasses. The finish, on the other hand, is a completely different story. Some dude in a mask ran in and looked to take out reDRagon. He tried to kick Fish in the face but landed it on Bennett instead. ReDRagon was able to capitalize on the situation and score the win. That finish looked so stupid. Regardless, the match was fun and a welcomed change of pace headed into the main events.
Winners: reDRagon
Rating: ***1/2
Match 7: ROH World Television Championship - Jay Lethal (c) vs. Jushin Liger
This is my first time watching Jushin Liger wrestle since 2010. It was a treat then and it's still a treat now. It's hard to believe he was 51 years old for this match, he more than held his own against the younger Jay Lethal. Great match here despite Adam Cole's annoying commentary. Liger was able to pull out his classic moves and Lethal was able to do his thing. Lethal gets to work with all the legends. What a treat for him. End saw Lethal pull out his belt and try to smack Liger in the face with it before Liger ducked. But for whatever reason, Liger picks up the belt to pose and by way of distraction, gets drilled in the face with a Superkick. Lethal is able to hit a Lethal Injection to pick up the big win. Liger then exits to a well-deserved standing ovation.
Winner: Jay Lethal
Rating: ***3/4
Match 8: ROH World Championship - Jay Briscoe (c) vs. Samoa Joe
Two ROH originals main eventing one of the company's marquee events, gotta love it! Jay Briscoe has become the face of the company and his second reign as champ was great. His match here against Samoa Joe proved that point. Stiff would be the best word to describe this match. It did start off a bit slower than expected but once the pace picked up, the crowd got more into the action and the match took off. Both guys were landing their big blows and finally, Briscoe was able to hit a Jay Driller to score the win over Joe that had become so elusive to him. Solid main event that felt just a bit underwhelming. The win for Briscoe over Joe was a good one, his stardom continues to rise. Nothing is better than seeing Jay get the recognition he has earned. When you want to talk ROH legends like Bryan Danielson, Nigel McGuinness, CM Punk or Samoa Joe, Jay Briscoe needs to be in that discussion.
Winner: Jay Briscoe
Rating: ***1/2
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Was it the best Supercard of Honor ever? Absolutely not. Was it an event worthy of the title? Absolutely. The matches didn't really blow me away, but they were all consistent and they all made sense. With that being said, this was still a great show that answered a lot of questions and still made room for new ones. Check this show out!
Rating: 8/10
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Batista - The Animal Unleashed DVD (Disc 2) Review
Match 1: SmackDown 2006 - World Heavyweight Championship - Batista (c) vs. King Booker vs. Finlay
Batista gets to defend his World Heavyweight Championship against two former buddies in King Booker and Finlay. I miss these days from SmackDown, Batista gets a lot of crap but he really rose to the occasion every night for SmackDown. He made a great leader for the blue brand. While the predictability of this match was through the roof, they still put on a great match here. Finlay did his usual shenanigans with his shillelagh in hand and putting it to use behind the referee's back. Batista was able to turn the tides and hit a Batista Bomb on Finlay to secure the win. Good triple threat match here that allowed Batista to finally put these two away before moving on to WrestleMania season.
Winner: Batista
Rating: ***1/4
Match 2: SmackDown 2007 - Batista vs. Kane vs. Finlay vs. Mark Henry
Such a weird choice of a match to be placed on this DVD. Regardless, Edge is with JBL & Michael Cole to call this match and scout one of his future opponents. Winner gets to face Edge at One Night Stand for the strap. Decent match here that like the last match, really suffered from the predictability. And also like the last match, Batista was suffering from an injured hamstring which he nicely sold throughout the contest. But like the last match, he hit a Batista Bomb on Finlay before handing out Spears to everyone else for the win. He stares down a nervous Edge after the match. A good match but like I said, really strange to see this placed on the DVD.
Winner: Batista
Rating: **1/2
Match 3: SmackDown 2007 - Batista vs. Edge
You guessed it, another SmackDown match! This match was following their bout at Night of Champions where Batista failed to dethrone Edge. These two had really good chemistry for whatever reason and it definitely showed here. Edge is a master artist and Batista can hang with the very best of them. However, I've probably seen these two wrestle each other about a million times so nothing here is different or will stand out so much. Batista gets the clean win over the brand's top dog with a Batista Bomb. A strong television non-title match with a questionable finish. I get that they want Batista to look good and stay in contention, but a completely clean win over Edge made him look like a weaker champion. We all have different opinions but I just had to question why he scored the clean win here.
Winner: Batista
Rating: ***
Match 4: SmackDown 2007 - Last Man Standing - Batista vs. Kane
This is in late 2007 where Edge aligned himself with Vickie Guerrero and inserted himself into the World Heavyweight Championship picture. On this particular episode, Guerrero booked Edge against Funaki while Batista had to face Kane in a Last Man Standing match. Like I said in the previous bout, Batista can definitely hang with the best and when he works with a veteran like Kane, the psychology and storytelling go hand in hand. This is just something Batista never really gets the credit for. Last Man Standing matches do tend do drag but I feel like the did an efficient job of pacing the counts and making them look believable. Ending saw Batista hit a Spinebuster on Kane atop the announcers table before Edge appeared out of nowhere and hit a Spear on Batista. Batista was able to recover and get up before the ten count to win the match but the message was sent from Edge.
Winner: Batista
Rating: ***
Match 5: One Night Stand 2008 - Stretcher - Batista vs. Shawn Michaels
This match is another perfect example of how good a storyteller Batista really is. This was in the midst of Ric Flair's retirement and shaped into a Stretcher match after Shawn Michaels faked a knee injury at Backlash. While this match is between Batista and Shawn Michaels, seeds are still planted here for a long feud between Chris Jericho and Michaels. I really enjoyed this match and really enjoyed seeing Batista look like a man with no remorse, it felt like I was watching his Evolution days again. The match looked pretty even until Batista turned it up a notch, Batista was ready to win the match until Jericho came out for a second time and made the save. He started encouraging Michaels to get up and win. However, Batista brought out the bottom half of the steel steps and delivered a Spinebuster to Michaels on it. After, Batista placed Michaels on the stretcher before rolling him over the line for the win. Great match and great use of the stretcher throughout the match. Jericho added another layer to the match and Batista was brilliant in looking at Jericho in amusement. Great stuff all around.
Winner: Batista
Rating: ***3/4
Match 6: Great American Bash 2008 - World Heavyweight Championship - CM Punk (c) vs. Batista
CM Punk was booked like an absolute champ in 2008 as the champion for the red brand. Things didn't look too good for him as he had an animal in his way, Batista. If you haven't figured it out by now, Batista is almost booked as generously as John Cena. The commentators would not stop reminding us how Punk was the underdog of the match. The two worked a really good match around that story, Batista was fantastic in looking stronger while Punk was just as good in looking fast and cunning. Batista was understandably in control throughout the entire match but Punk wouldn't let up, putting his best efforts forward and made himself look like a legitimate contender. Credit to Batista for that, too. Batista hit a Spinebuster outside and once he rolled Punk back in the ring, Kane appeared out of nowhere and attacked both men which led to a disqualification. Punk raises his belt in front of Batista after Kane left and then handed out a Batista Bomb to Punk. I'm not sure what just happened. Is Batista a heel? Was Kane's interference absolute necessary? And why exactly did Punk raise the belt after a disqualification victory?
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: ***
Match 7: Cyber Sunday 2008 - World Heavyweight Championship - Chris Jericho (c) vs. Batista
I reviewed this match over five years ago and gave it a ***3/4. Let's see how that stands here in March of 2016. For the second year in a row, Batista is involved in the main event at Cyber Sunday for the World Heavyweight Championship with Stone Cold Steve Austin being the special guest referee. Chris Jericho tried to walk away from the match in the beginning until Austin made sure there wouldn't be any running away as a count out victory would lead to a title change. This was such a mess. I mean that in a good way and a bad way. Having JBL, Randy Orton and Shawn Michaels all jump on the boat was stupid fun to watch, especially with the crowd eating it up. The Stunner to Orton was a thing of beauty. Austin tried to hit one on Jericho who pushed Austin away but fell trap to a Batista Bomb. Batista scored the victory and shared a cold one with the legend afterwards. Like I said, a cluster of a match but it was definitely enjoyable to watch.
Winner: Batista
Rating: ***1/2
Overall Thoughts and Rating:
While some of the matches that were chosen for this disc were pretty odd, I still enjoyed them for the most part. We often underestimate just how good Batista actually is or was as a wrestler. He can tell a great story and make his opponents look good in the process, win or lose. If anything, this disc really shines that statement in the limelight. Would I have preferred to see other matches on here? Sure, but this was still a nice compilation. Disc 3 review coming up!
Rating: 7.25/10
Batista gets to defend his World Heavyweight Championship against two former buddies in King Booker and Finlay. I miss these days from SmackDown, Batista gets a lot of crap but he really rose to the occasion every night for SmackDown. He made a great leader for the blue brand. While the predictability of this match was through the roof, they still put on a great match here. Finlay did his usual shenanigans with his shillelagh in hand and putting it to use behind the referee's back. Batista was able to turn the tides and hit a Batista Bomb on Finlay to secure the win. Good triple threat match here that allowed Batista to finally put these two away before moving on to WrestleMania season.
Winner: Batista
Rating: ***1/4
Match 2: SmackDown 2007 - Batista vs. Kane vs. Finlay vs. Mark Henry
Such a weird choice of a match to be placed on this DVD. Regardless, Edge is with JBL & Michael Cole to call this match and scout one of his future opponents. Winner gets to face Edge at One Night Stand for the strap. Decent match here that like the last match, really suffered from the predictability. And also like the last match, Batista was suffering from an injured hamstring which he nicely sold throughout the contest. But like the last match, he hit a Batista Bomb on Finlay before handing out Spears to everyone else for the win. He stares down a nervous Edge after the match. A good match but like I said, really strange to see this placed on the DVD.
Winner: Batista
Rating: **1/2
Match 3: SmackDown 2007 - Batista vs. Edge
You guessed it, another SmackDown match! This match was following their bout at Night of Champions where Batista failed to dethrone Edge. These two had really good chemistry for whatever reason and it definitely showed here. Edge is a master artist and Batista can hang with the very best of them. However, I've probably seen these two wrestle each other about a million times so nothing here is different or will stand out so much. Batista gets the clean win over the brand's top dog with a Batista Bomb. A strong television non-title match with a questionable finish. I get that they want Batista to look good and stay in contention, but a completely clean win over Edge made him look like a weaker champion. We all have different opinions but I just had to question why he scored the clean win here.
Winner: Batista
Rating: ***
Match 4: SmackDown 2007 - Last Man Standing - Batista vs. Kane
This is in late 2007 where Edge aligned himself with Vickie Guerrero and inserted himself into the World Heavyweight Championship picture. On this particular episode, Guerrero booked Edge against Funaki while Batista had to face Kane in a Last Man Standing match. Like I said in the previous bout, Batista can definitely hang with the best and when he works with a veteran like Kane, the psychology and storytelling go hand in hand. This is just something Batista never really gets the credit for. Last Man Standing matches do tend do drag but I feel like the did an efficient job of pacing the counts and making them look believable. Ending saw Batista hit a Spinebuster on Kane atop the announcers table before Edge appeared out of nowhere and hit a Spear on Batista. Batista was able to recover and get up before the ten count to win the match but the message was sent from Edge.
Winner: Batista
Rating: ***
Match 5: One Night Stand 2008 - Stretcher - Batista vs. Shawn Michaels
This match is another perfect example of how good a storyteller Batista really is. This was in the midst of Ric Flair's retirement and shaped into a Stretcher match after Shawn Michaels faked a knee injury at Backlash. While this match is between Batista and Shawn Michaels, seeds are still planted here for a long feud between Chris Jericho and Michaels. I really enjoyed this match and really enjoyed seeing Batista look like a man with no remorse, it felt like I was watching his Evolution days again. The match looked pretty even until Batista turned it up a notch, Batista was ready to win the match until Jericho came out for a second time and made the save. He started encouraging Michaels to get up and win. However, Batista brought out the bottom half of the steel steps and delivered a Spinebuster to Michaels on it. After, Batista placed Michaels on the stretcher before rolling him over the line for the win. Great match and great use of the stretcher throughout the match. Jericho added another layer to the match and Batista was brilliant in looking at Jericho in amusement. Great stuff all around.
Winner: Batista
Rating: ***3/4
Match 6: Great American Bash 2008 - World Heavyweight Championship - CM Punk (c) vs. Batista
CM Punk was booked like an absolute champ in 2008 as the champion for the red brand. Things didn't look too good for him as he had an animal in his way, Batista. If you haven't figured it out by now, Batista is almost booked as generously as John Cena. The commentators would not stop reminding us how Punk was the underdog of the match. The two worked a really good match around that story, Batista was fantastic in looking stronger while Punk was just as good in looking fast and cunning. Batista was understandably in control throughout the entire match but Punk wouldn't let up, putting his best efforts forward and made himself look like a legitimate contender. Credit to Batista for that, too. Batista hit a Spinebuster outside and once he rolled Punk back in the ring, Kane appeared out of nowhere and attacked both men which led to a disqualification. Punk raises his belt in front of Batista after Kane left and then handed out a Batista Bomb to Punk. I'm not sure what just happened. Is Batista a heel? Was Kane's interference absolute necessary? And why exactly did Punk raise the belt after a disqualification victory?
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: ***
Match 7: Cyber Sunday 2008 - World Heavyweight Championship - Chris Jericho (c) vs. Batista
I reviewed this match over five years ago and gave it a ***3/4. Let's see how that stands here in March of 2016. For the second year in a row, Batista is involved in the main event at Cyber Sunday for the World Heavyweight Championship with Stone Cold Steve Austin being the special guest referee. Chris Jericho tried to walk away from the match in the beginning until Austin made sure there wouldn't be any running away as a count out victory would lead to a title change. This was such a mess. I mean that in a good way and a bad way. Having JBL, Randy Orton and Shawn Michaels all jump on the boat was stupid fun to watch, especially with the crowd eating it up. The Stunner to Orton was a thing of beauty. Austin tried to hit one on Jericho who pushed Austin away but fell trap to a Batista Bomb. Batista scored the victory and shared a cold one with the legend afterwards. Like I said, a cluster of a match but it was definitely enjoyable to watch.
Winner: Batista
Rating: ***1/2
Overall Thoughts and Rating:
While some of the matches that were chosen for this disc were pretty odd, I still enjoyed them for the most part. We often underestimate just how good Batista actually is or was as a wrestler. He can tell a great story and make his opponents look good in the process, win or lose. If anything, this disc really shines that statement in the limelight. Would I have preferred to see other matches on here? Sure, but this was still a nice compilation. Disc 3 review coming up!
Rating: 7.25/10
Thursday, March 10, 2016
WWE No Way Out 2007 Review
Match 1: MNM & MVP vs. The Hardys & Chris Benoit
Talk about a flashback. This is the opening contest of the night, just count how many of these guys are still around in 2016. This was just a fun opening contest to set the pace for the rest of the night. Fun action from all the guys involved and they really centered things around Chris Benoit being a badass. Saving him for the hot tags and JBL building him up on commentary was the perfect combination for this type of match. Everybody looked good here and the finish was really cool with Benoit rolling up Joey Mercury with his Crossface to score the win for his team. Nice way to open up the night!
Winners: The Hardys & Chris Benoit
Rating: ***1/4
Match 2: Cruiserweight Championship - Cruiserweight Open - Gregory Helms (c) vs. Scotty 2 Hotty vs. Daivari vs. Jimmy Wang Yang vs. Funaki vs. Shannon Moore vs. Chavo Guerrero vs. Jamie Noble
Gregory Helms has been the champion for over a year here and JBL is quick to let us know just how good Helms is. I love how good JBL is putting over these guys. Rules for this match are simple, two men in the ring at a time and after a pin or submission, a new guy enters the fray. JBL noted how Helms could have started the match before the show started and would still be the favorite. Action was nothing special. Fans kind of got taken out of the momentum from the previous match here but once Jimmy Wang Yang knocked off Helms, things did get a little more interesting. Wang Yank looked to have the win until Chavo Guerrero came out as a surprise entrant before hitting a Frog Splash to score the win.
Winner: Chavo Guerrero
Rating: *3/4
Match 3: Finlay & Little Bastard vs. The Boogeyman & Little Boogeyman
I can't believe what we're actually seeing here and nor can JBL on commentary. Finlay was the first guy to knock The Boogeyman out of the win column and stands here with Little Bastard to take on The Boogeyman and the little version of him. Can you believe this? They go through the bag of tricks before Finlay decks Little Boogeyman with his shillelagh. That part was actually not bad to see considering how badly I hate The Boogeyman and anything related to him. Other than that, this was a disaster from the top.
Winners: Finlay & Little Bastard
Rating: 1/4*
Match 4: Kane vs. King Booker
After King Booker was eliminated by Kane at the Royal Rumble, he looks to score some revenge here at No Way Out. I feel like we've been watching these guys for ages. Probably because we have. You get what you would expect from these two. Nothing really flashy, just really smart wrestling. Kane is truly the best at working these types of matches. He is able to not exert an insane amount of energy, he is just able to work a match with perfect pacing. It perfectly explains why he's had such incredible longevity upon his career. Queen Sharmell tried to become a factor here but Kane was still able to capture the win with a Chokeslam. Funny how a very basic match with fantastic psychology can turn into a great one. Two veterans out there doing their thing.
Winner: Kane
Rating: ***
Match 5: WWE Tag Team Championships - Paul London & Brian Kendrick (c) vs. Deuce 'N Domino
Paul London & Brian Kendrick have been dominating the tag team scene for over a year as the champs. However, Deuce 'N Domino seemingly have their number down. I personally enjoy watching both these tag teams, I think they definitely got overlooked back in 2007. Credit to Deuce 'N Domino, different gimmick and they made the absolute most out of it despite the fans not really giving them the credit for it. They played their roles nicely here as bullies and were in control of the match before London & Kendrick sneak out the win to retain the gold. Decent tag match that definitely could have used a little more time to really get things going. Deuce 'N Domino would go on to win the belts a couple months later on an edition of SmackDown!
Winners: Paul London & Brian Kendrick
Rating: **1/2
Match 6: ECW Championship - Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Mr. Kennedy
It's no secret, I've always been a Bobby Lashley fan. And before you ask, that includes him during his ECW Championship run. But what also is no secret was how green this dude was back in the start of 2007. It felt like he wasn't ready to make the next step, almost as if he was holding himself back in the ring. His match here against Mr. Kennedy proved that for me. Nothing really stood out to me, it felt like watching Lashley go through the motions with Kennedy in a very beginner-like style. I didn't feel the hate, I didn't feel the emotion, and I didn't feel like a title was on the line. The finish didn't help matters as Kennedy nails Lashley with a steel chair as the referee is distracted after taking a shot to the face. I should also note how the referee sold the shot horribly. He wasn't able to hear or see Kennedy drill Lashley with the chair right in front of him. However, he was able to see Lashley do it and disqualify him for it. Referee bumps are the absolute worst when it's done this badly. Fuck old school, if it looks this stupid, then don't do it. Lashley is disqualified and retains his title. Afterwards, Lashley takes his anger out upon Kennedy with a series of chair shots.
Winner: Mr. Kennedy
Rating: *3/4
Match 7: John Cena & Shawn Michaels vs. Batista & The Undertaker
This is brilliant booking at its absolute best. A perfect way to build the two championship bouts for WrestleMania 23. The animosity between the two teams is through the roof and once again, JBL is incredible on commentary here. He truly was a shining point for SmackDown in 2007, he made this main event feel even more epic than what it already was. The top four guys in the business going at it here at the Staples Center. The two teams worked accordingly throughout the match, but they still made you understand that the tension was still there. When you got decades of combined experience, this comes relatively easy for them. Business really picked up at the end when Batista & The Undertaker looked to finish off the match with the win. Batista hit a Spinebuster on Shawn Michaels while Undertaker hit a Chokeslam on John Cena right after! Batista throws the plan out the window and hits a Spinebuster on Undertaker! Awesome! This allows Cena & Michaels to score the win. Batista then looks over the body of The Undertaker to close the show. Great main event and an even better way to build for WrestleMania 23. You knew someone was going to turn on someone, you just didn't know who and when. But when the trigger was pulled, it all made sense and it all took you off guard.
Winners: John Cena & Shawn Michaels
Rating: ***3/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Despite a cool main event and a nice opener, this is the reason why they made PPVs include both brands. The slim roster allowed the show to come off as a bigger edition of SmackDown. Just a really weak show leading into the biggest show of the year, even with a great main event. And even then, the main event would later be featured on an edition of Monday Night Raw. Funny stuff.
Rating: 5.5/10
Talk about a flashback. This is the opening contest of the night, just count how many of these guys are still around in 2016. This was just a fun opening contest to set the pace for the rest of the night. Fun action from all the guys involved and they really centered things around Chris Benoit being a badass. Saving him for the hot tags and JBL building him up on commentary was the perfect combination for this type of match. Everybody looked good here and the finish was really cool with Benoit rolling up Joey Mercury with his Crossface to score the win for his team. Nice way to open up the night!
Winners: The Hardys & Chris Benoit
Rating: ***1/4
Match 2: Cruiserweight Championship - Cruiserweight Open - Gregory Helms (c) vs. Scotty 2 Hotty vs. Daivari vs. Jimmy Wang Yang vs. Funaki vs. Shannon Moore vs. Chavo Guerrero vs. Jamie Noble
Gregory Helms has been the champion for over a year here and JBL is quick to let us know just how good Helms is. I love how good JBL is putting over these guys. Rules for this match are simple, two men in the ring at a time and after a pin or submission, a new guy enters the fray. JBL noted how Helms could have started the match before the show started and would still be the favorite. Action was nothing special. Fans kind of got taken out of the momentum from the previous match here but once Jimmy Wang Yang knocked off Helms, things did get a little more interesting. Wang Yank looked to have the win until Chavo Guerrero came out as a surprise entrant before hitting a Frog Splash to score the win.
Winner: Chavo Guerrero
Rating: *3/4
Match 3: Finlay & Little Bastard vs. The Boogeyman & Little Boogeyman
I can't believe what we're actually seeing here and nor can JBL on commentary. Finlay was the first guy to knock The Boogeyman out of the win column and stands here with Little Bastard to take on The Boogeyman and the little version of him. Can you believe this? They go through the bag of tricks before Finlay decks Little Boogeyman with his shillelagh. That part was actually not bad to see considering how badly I hate The Boogeyman and anything related to him. Other than that, this was a disaster from the top.
Winners: Finlay & Little Bastard
Rating: 1/4*
Match 4: Kane vs. King Booker
After King Booker was eliminated by Kane at the Royal Rumble, he looks to score some revenge here at No Way Out. I feel like we've been watching these guys for ages. Probably because we have. You get what you would expect from these two. Nothing really flashy, just really smart wrestling. Kane is truly the best at working these types of matches. He is able to not exert an insane amount of energy, he is just able to work a match with perfect pacing. It perfectly explains why he's had such incredible longevity upon his career. Queen Sharmell tried to become a factor here but Kane was still able to capture the win with a Chokeslam. Funny how a very basic match with fantastic psychology can turn into a great one. Two veterans out there doing their thing.
Winner: Kane
Rating: ***
Match 5: WWE Tag Team Championships - Paul London & Brian Kendrick (c) vs. Deuce 'N Domino
Paul London & Brian Kendrick have been dominating the tag team scene for over a year as the champs. However, Deuce 'N Domino seemingly have their number down. I personally enjoy watching both these tag teams, I think they definitely got overlooked back in 2007. Credit to Deuce 'N Domino, different gimmick and they made the absolute most out of it despite the fans not really giving them the credit for it. They played their roles nicely here as bullies and were in control of the match before London & Kendrick sneak out the win to retain the gold. Decent tag match that definitely could have used a little more time to really get things going. Deuce 'N Domino would go on to win the belts a couple months later on an edition of SmackDown!
Winners: Paul London & Brian Kendrick
Rating: **1/2
Match 6: ECW Championship - Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Mr. Kennedy
It's no secret, I've always been a Bobby Lashley fan. And before you ask, that includes him during his ECW Championship run. But what also is no secret was how green this dude was back in the start of 2007. It felt like he wasn't ready to make the next step, almost as if he was holding himself back in the ring. His match here against Mr. Kennedy proved that for me. Nothing really stood out to me, it felt like watching Lashley go through the motions with Kennedy in a very beginner-like style. I didn't feel the hate, I didn't feel the emotion, and I didn't feel like a title was on the line. The finish didn't help matters as Kennedy nails Lashley with a steel chair as the referee is distracted after taking a shot to the face. I should also note how the referee sold the shot horribly. He wasn't able to hear or see Kennedy drill Lashley with the chair right in front of him. However, he was able to see Lashley do it and disqualify him for it. Referee bumps are the absolute worst when it's done this badly. Fuck old school, if it looks this stupid, then don't do it. Lashley is disqualified and retains his title. Afterwards, Lashley takes his anger out upon Kennedy with a series of chair shots.
Winner: Mr. Kennedy
Rating: *3/4
Match 7: John Cena & Shawn Michaels vs. Batista & The Undertaker
This is brilliant booking at its absolute best. A perfect way to build the two championship bouts for WrestleMania 23. The animosity between the two teams is through the roof and once again, JBL is incredible on commentary here. He truly was a shining point for SmackDown in 2007, he made this main event feel even more epic than what it already was. The top four guys in the business going at it here at the Staples Center. The two teams worked accordingly throughout the match, but they still made you understand that the tension was still there. When you got decades of combined experience, this comes relatively easy for them. Business really picked up at the end when Batista & The Undertaker looked to finish off the match with the win. Batista hit a Spinebuster on Shawn Michaels while Undertaker hit a Chokeslam on John Cena right after! Batista throws the plan out the window and hits a Spinebuster on Undertaker! Awesome! This allows Cena & Michaels to score the win. Batista then looks over the body of The Undertaker to close the show. Great main event and an even better way to build for WrestleMania 23. You knew someone was going to turn on someone, you just didn't know who and when. But when the trigger was pulled, it all made sense and it all took you off guard.
Winners: John Cena & Shawn Michaels
Rating: ***3/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Despite a cool main event and a nice opener, this is the reason why they made PPVs include both brands. The slim roster allowed the show to come off as a bigger edition of SmackDown. Just a really weak show leading into the biggest show of the year, even with a great main event. And even then, the main event would later be featured on an edition of Monday Night Raw. Funny stuff.
Rating: 5.5/10
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
The Road is Jericho DVD (Disc 3) Review
Match 1: Raw 2008 - World Heavyweight Championship - Street Fight - John Cena (c) vs. Chris Jericho
I love when the WWE put out dark matches on DVDs, you never really know what you're gonna get. I never felt like these two had the best chemistry together but listening to Chris Jericho talk about his love for dark matches made me intrigued by this one against the face of the company in John Cena. However, this match was basically Jericho beating down Cena for the entire match before getting hit by an Attitude Adjustment. They really didn't do much aside from Jericho toying with Cena's dad at ringside. I know it was a dark match but I don't really see how this one was worthy of being placed on the DVD.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: *1/4
Match 2: The Bash 2009 - Intercontinental Championship - Chris Jericho (c) vs. Rey Mysterio
It's been years since I last saw this match and it always hits home when I do go back and check it out. I recall watching this back in 2009 and being completely mesmerized by this match, it definitely holds very dear to my heart. They had an amazing feud back in 2009 which centered around the mask of Rey Mysterio. Chris Jericho noted how much he enjoyed working with Mysterio in the interview before the match on this DVD and how he had to convince Vince McMahon why exactly he wanted to take the mask from Mysterio. Simply put, because he could. The action was fast and furious, it almost felt like I stepped into a time machine and was watching an old ECW match. It's super rare to see matches like this in this era of the WWE, two veterans pretty much breaking out all the stops and showing just how athletic this sport truly is. This is one of those matches where I don't even need to explain what exactly they did. Rather, I'm just going to tell you to go out of your way to watch this. I do want to mention how awesome the finish was, Jericho had Mysterio in the Walls of Jericho before pulling off the mask of Mysterio. Jericho looked in awe at the mask he had pulled off before realizing that Mysterio had another mask underneath. Mysterio hit the 619 and scored the win and the Intercontinental Championship. The look on Jericho's face after was priceless and he held on to the mask he had pulled off. Fantastic stuff.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Rating: ****3/4
Match 3: Raw 2009 - Chris Jericho & The Big Show vs. D-Generation X vs. John Cena & The Undertaker
Chris Jericho noted how this match was included on the DVD because of what it represents, not necessarily the match quality. The absolute biggest stars in the company in the grandest arena in the entire world on the flagship show. I remember watching this on television and being so inspired by the all of this. Jericho was right, the match quality won't blow you away but the sheer quality in the star power and the stories that were being told will definitely blow you away. Just simply listening to the crowd react to everything in the match to the druids being sent out for The Undertaker's entrance, this was big time. All six men would go on to compete against each other for their respective brand's titles at the following PPV in Survivor Series. This also marked the first time Shawn Michaels would face The Undertaker in the ring since WrestleMania. John Cena scored the win for his team after landing an Attitude Adjustment on Triple H. The Undertaker then hit a Tombstone on Cena right after the victory. Incredible. They teased Triple H facing off against The Undertaker and they teased Cena facing off against The Undertaker. We would later go on to see Triple H go against Undertaker for two consecutive WrestleManias in the next couple years while we have yet to seen Cena face off against Undertaker. Maybe we will never get to see it? Maybe this Tombstone was the closest we would ever get to that super match. Gotta love how things play out like that.
Winners: John Cena & The Undertaker
Rating: ***1/2
Match 4: Extreme Rules 2012 - WWE Championship - Chicago Street Fight - CM Punk (c) vs. Chris Jericho
I think I've gotten to the point where I'm just over watching CM Punk matches. It's hard to watch somebody who could give two shits about the wrestling business, regardless of when the match was or how good it was. Still, they put on one hell of a show and a great street fight with the PG restrictions still in place. Chris Jericho had an incredible match against Shawn Michaels that was similar to this one. Both were personal and really violent without the blood. This one was a bit different, they relied more so on spots and took advantage of the Chicago crowd. They were hot and they popped big for every spot. They made sure to break out all the stops here. I always felt like their WrestleMania match was underwhelming and didn't live up to the potential with all the hype around it. However, this one felt more personal and at the same time, more entertaining. Punk gets the win as Jericho suffers another loss. Good stuff but for me, this isn't a match I'll be replaying anytime soon.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: ****1/4
Match 5: Raw 2013 - Chris Jericho vs. Rob Van Dam
I remember watching this match back in 2013 and just reminiscing about watching these guys go at it on the early days of the 2000s. This match was on an edition of Monday Night Raw that would see John Cena choose his opponent for Summerslam. Chris Jericho noted how this match became a lengthy one as it went through three commercial breaks, a rarity in today's age. It's almost hard to believe that these two guys would have the longest match on a broadcast of Raw in 2013. They showed off their athleticism and their experience, adjusting to the longer time they were given. It just shows how good these guys are to space out the match and not make it feel like it was dragging on for too long. Good television contest that saw Rob Van Dam score the win after hitting his patented Five Star Frog Splash. I also believe this was Van Dam's first match on Raw in several years.
Winner: Rob Van Dam
Rating: ***1/4
Match 6: Raw 2014 - Steel Cage - Bray Wyatt vs. Chris Jericho
This is another Raw match I can clearly remember watching. I wasn't too particularly big on Chris Jericho feuding with The Wyatt Family but this match maybe justified it for me. I'm a sucker for big matches on Raw and this one definitely had a different type of feel to it, it felt like watching a PPV match with a hot crowd to go along with the ride. Good action from the start of the match that saw Bray Wyatt hang with the legend in Chris Jericho. The moment of this match that really made things stand out was when Jericho looked to escape the cage only to see Luke Harper & Erick Rowan waiting for him at the bottom. This allowed Jericho to pay homage to Shawn Michaels and give the crowd a shrug before leaping off onto Wyatt. An awesome moment that Jericho proudly put over in the interview right before this match on the DVD. Wyatt would eventually scored the win after climbing over Jericho through the door before pounding on Jericho's wounded knee. Can we seriously get rid of winning this match through exiting the door? Other than that, it was a great match and very much worthy of being placed on here.
Winner: Bray Wyatt
Rating: ***1/2
Match 7: Night of Champions 2014 - Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton
I would love to know how many times these two have gone at it on television or PPV. I quickly recall their match in 2007 at Armageddon as I watch this. Can you believe it's nearly been seven years since that match as they wrestled here? They also have beef going back to 2010 when Orton punted Chris Jericho out of the WWE for a good while. Those matches were pretty underwhelming, they never really clicked like it did here. For whatever reason, everything just gelled nicely. They didn't bring any crazy tricks out of the bag, they simply did their thing the way veterans normally do. A slow start that gradually picked up and finally hit its peak as Orton landed a sweet RKO on Jericho who tried to slingshot himself onto Orton. Orton then posed after the RKO and covered Jericho for the win. Like I said, two veterans doing their thing out there and just straight up reminding us why they're the best in the game.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ****
Overall Thoughts and Rating:
It's interesting to see how Chris Jericho stands as a wrestler. If you notice, he loses so many of his matches yet his credibility is never played into question. He's just that good and this DVD amplifies that fact. Disc 3 is a great representation of how Jericho is one of the best in the game at adapting and changing. From being the serious heel to being the underdog against The Wyatt Family. His personality ranges and it has just become such a rarity in today's game. Would I have preferred some other matches on here? Sure, but I can't argue with what we got. Especially taking into consideration that they were Jericho's choices and they each told a different story. Check this DVD out.
Rating: 7.25/10
I love when the WWE put out dark matches on DVDs, you never really know what you're gonna get. I never felt like these two had the best chemistry together but listening to Chris Jericho talk about his love for dark matches made me intrigued by this one against the face of the company in John Cena. However, this match was basically Jericho beating down Cena for the entire match before getting hit by an Attitude Adjustment. They really didn't do much aside from Jericho toying with Cena's dad at ringside. I know it was a dark match but I don't really see how this one was worthy of being placed on the DVD.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: *1/4
Match 2: The Bash 2009 - Intercontinental Championship - Chris Jericho (c) vs. Rey Mysterio
It's been years since I last saw this match and it always hits home when I do go back and check it out. I recall watching this back in 2009 and being completely mesmerized by this match, it definitely holds very dear to my heart. They had an amazing feud back in 2009 which centered around the mask of Rey Mysterio. Chris Jericho noted how much he enjoyed working with Mysterio in the interview before the match on this DVD and how he had to convince Vince McMahon why exactly he wanted to take the mask from Mysterio. Simply put, because he could. The action was fast and furious, it almost felt like I stepped into a time machine and was watching an old ECW match. It's super rare to see matches like this in this era of the WWE, two veterans pretty much breaking out all the stops and showing just how athletic this sport truly is. This is one of those matches where I don't even need to explain what exactly they did. Rather, I'm just going to tell you to go out of your way to watch this. I do want to mention how awesome the finish was, Jericho had Mysterio in the Walls of Jericho before pulling off the mask of Mysterio. Jericho looked in awe at the mask he had pulled off before realizing that Mysterio had another mask underneath. Mysterio hit the 619 and scored the win and the Intercontinental Championship. The look on Jericho's face after was priceless and he held on to the mask he had pulled off. Fantastic stuff.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Rating: ****3/4
Match 3: Raw 2009 - Chris Jericho & The Big Show vs. D-Generation X vs. John Cena & The Undertaker
Chris Jericho noted how this match was included on the DVD because of what it represents, not necessarily the match quality. The absolute biggest stars in the company in the grandest arena in the entire world on the flagship show. I remember watching this on television and being so inspired by the all of this. Jericho was right, the match quality won't blow you away but the sheer quality in the star power and the stories that were being told will definitely blow you away. Just simply listening to the crowd react to everything in the match to the druids being sent out for The Undertaker's entrance, this was big time. All six men would go on to compete against each other for their respective brand's titles at the following PPV in Survivor Series. This also marked the first time Shawn Michaels would face The Undertaker in the ring since WrestleMania. John Cena scored the win for his team after landing an Attitude Adjustment on Triple H. The Undertaker then hit a Tombstone on Cena right after the victory. Incredible. They teased Triple H facing off against The Undertaker and they teased Cena facing off against The Undertaker. We would later go on to see Triple H go against Undertaker for two consecutive WrestleManias in the next couple years while we have yet to seen Cena face off against Undertaker. Maybe we will never get to see it? Maybe this Tombstone was the closest we would ever get to that super match. Gotta love how things play out like that.
Winners: John Cena & The Undertaker
Rating: ***1/2
Match 4: Extreme Rules 2012 - WWE Championship - Chicago Street Fight - CM Punk (c) vs. Chris Jericho
I think I've gotten to the point where I'm just over watching CM Punk matches. It's hard to watch somebody who could give two shits about the wrestling business, regardless of when the match was or how good it was. Still, they put on one hell of a show and a great street fight with the PG restrictions still in place. Chris Jericho had an incredible match against Shawn Michaels that was similar to this one. Both were personal and really violent without the blood. This one was a bit different, they relied more so on spots and took advantage of the Chicago crowd. They were hot and they popped big for every spot. They made sure to break out all the stops here. I always felt like their WrestleMania match was underwhelming and didn't live up to the potential with all the hype around it. However, this one felt more personal and at the same time, more entertaining. Punk gets the win as Jericho suffers another loss. Good stuff but for me, this isn't a match I'll be replaying anytime soon.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: ****1/4
Match 5: Raw 2013 - Chris Jericho vs. Rob Van Dam
I remember watching this match back in 2013 and just reminiscing about watching these guys go at it on the early days of the 2000s. This match was on an edition of Monday Night Raw that would see John Cena choose his opponent for Summerslam. Chris Jericho noted how this match became a lengthy one as it went through three commercial breaks, a rarity in today's age. It's almost hard to believe that these two guys would have the longest match on a broadcast of Raw in 2013. They showed off their athleticism and their experience, adjusting to the longer time they were given. It just shows how good these guys are to space out the match and not make it feel like it was dragging on for too long. Good television contest that saw Rob Van Dam score the win after hitting his patented Five Star Frog Splash. I also believe this was Van Dam's first match on Raw in several years.
Winner: Rob Van Dam
Rating: ***1/4
Match 6: Raw 2014 - Steel Cage - Bray Wyatt vs. Chris Jericho
This is another Raw match I can clearly remember watching. I wasn't too particularly big on Chris Jericho feuding with The Wyatt Family but this match maybe justified it for me. I'm a sucker for big matches on Raw and this one definitely had a different type of feel to it, it felt like watching a PPV match with a hot crowd to go along with the ride. Good action from the start of the match that saw Bray Wyatt hang with the legend in Chris Jericho. The moment of this match that really made things stand out was when Jericho looked to escape the cage only to see Luke Harper & Erick Rowan waiting for him at the bottom. This allowed Jericho to pay homage to Shawn Michaels and give the crowd a shrug before leaping off onto Wyatt. An awesome moment that Jericho proudly put over in the interview right before this match on the DVD. Wyatt would eventually scored the win after climbing over Jericho through the door before pounding on Jericho's wounded knee. Can we seriously get rid of winning this match through exiting the door? Other than that, it was a great match and very much worthy of being placed on here.
Winner: Bray Wyatt
Rating: ***1/2
Match 7: Night of Champions 2014 - Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton
I would love to know how many times these two have gone at it on television or PPV. I quickly recall their match in 2007 at Armageddon as I watch this. Can you believe it's nearly been seven years since that match as they wrestled here? They also have beef going back to 2010 when Orton punted Chris Jericho out of the WWE for a good while. Those matches were pretty underwhelming, they never really clicked like it did here. For whatever reason, everything just gelled nicely. They didn't bring any crazy tricks out of the bag, they simply did their thing the way veterans normally do. A slow start that gradually picked up and finally hit its peak as Orton landed a sweet RKO on Jericho who tried to slingshot himself onto Orton. Orton then posed after the RKO and covered Jericho for the win. Like I said, two veterans doing their thing out there and just straight up reminding us why they're the best in the game.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ****
Overall Thoughts and Rating:
It's interesting to see how Chris Jericho stands as a wrestler. If you notice, he loses so many of his matches yet his credibility is never played into question. He's just that good and this DVD amplifies that fact. Disc 3 is a great representation of how Jericho is one of the best in the game at adapting and changing. From being the serious heel to being the underdog against The Wyatt Family. His personality ranges and it has just become such a rarity in today's game. Would I have preferred some other matches on here? Sure, but I can't argue with what we got. Especially taking into consideration that they were Jericho's choices and they each told a different story. Check this DVD out.
Rating: 7.25/10
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
WWE Royal Rumble 2006 Review
Match 1: Cruiserweight Championship - Open Invitational - Kid Kash (c) vs. Funaki vs. Jamie Noble vs. Nunzio vs. Paul London vs. Gregory Helms
This is an open invitational for any former or current Cruiserweight champions as Gregory Helms enters the match as the only superstar from the Raw brand. Action was good and you get your cool spots here and there to get the crowd going. The SmackDown guys all made sure to take out Helms but the teamwork didn't last long as Helms was able to win the match when he hit a sweet Shining Wizard to Funaki. The ending was predictable but I liked it. Helms plays his role great as a heel and him being a Raw guy makes things more interesting. As for the match, it wasn't the most spectacular thing in the world but it certainly wasn't as bad as people made it out to be. Nice opening match to set the tone for the night.
Winner: Gregory Helms
Rating: **1/2
Match 2: Mickie James vs. Ashley
Before the match, Mickie James confesses her love to Trish Stratus. Oh, and Trish is the special referee for this contest. This is actually one of the only times that a Divas storyline intrigued me. I love how great Mickie James is in her role as the psycho lover to Trish who wants to have no part of this crush. Even during the match, James just looks so psycho, it's amazing how great she is here. Seeing her smile after ramming Ashley into a ring post was just brilliant. James scored the win when she slammed Ashley from the corner of the ring along with a handful of tights. Trish reluctantly made the count as James gave a huge hug to Trish after. The match was pretty horrid but the storyline progression was great.
Winner: Mickie James
Rating: 1/2*
Match 3: The Boogeyman vs. JBL
How the mighty have fallen. JBL went from headlining WrestleMania the previous year to being squashed by The Boogeyman. Boogeyman starts the match by spitting worms onto Jillian Hall before JBL ambushed him from behind. However, Boogeyman ended up scoring the win in less than five minutes. Wow.
Winner: The Boogeyman
Rating: 1/4*
Match 4: 2006 Royal Rumble
So many stories going into this Rumble and that is the exact way this match needs to be. From Shawn Michaels feuding with Vince McMahon, to Rey Mysterio representing Eddie Guerrero with Randy Orton in his way, or to Triple H meeting his former enemies in Ric Flair and The Big Show. They also had the two perfect guys starting the match in Triple H from the Raw brand and Mysterio from the SmackDown brand who is dedicating this match to Guerrero. I love when two big stars open up the match and I especially love when it's two guys from two separate brands. It almost felt like the match centered around these two and personally, I felt like it made the match work. The flow marched to a better beat of the drum and you knew it was going to be one of these two guys to win the match. The entrants kept piling on but it never really felt like there was a serious threat aside from those two and the #30 entrant in Orton. The final four came down to Rob Van Dam, Triple H, Orton and Rey Mysterio before Michaels was eliminated by Shane McMahon when Vince McMahon came out as a distraction. When Van Dam got eliminated, it was down to Triple H, Orton and Mysterio. The odds were definitely against Mysterio but after eliminating Triple H, it was down to Mysterio and Orton. Triple H rammed Mysterio into the steel steps before leaving to the back. All Orton had to do was toss Mysterio out. However, Mysterio defied the odds and flipped the switch on Orton and tossed him out to capture a shot at gold at WrestleMania 22. Aside from the predictability, I loved this Rumble. Great flow, great action, and a fantastic story told with Mysterio overcoming all the adversities. It's a simple story that always works when used correctly.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Rating: ****1/4
Match 5: WWE Championship - Edge (c) vs. John Cena
It's almost hard to believe that these two would go on to have the biggest feud of their careers just months later after this match. We all know the story here with Edge being the first to ever cash in the Money in the Bank contract against John Cena at New Year's Revolution after the Elimination Chamber match. Considering this match was ten years ago, it's also interesting to see how much Cena has improved in the ring. It almost felt like Edge was leading the pace throughout the match and Cena was just catching up. The chemistry wasn't yet there and while the match was good, it wasn't great when taking into account the matches they would have later in the year. Cena would eventually emerge victorious despite Lita doing her best to help Edge who would submit to the STFU. Edge capturing the gold for the first time in his career was spectacular but it came to a crashing halt to set up the main event for WrestleMania 22.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ***
Match 6: World Heavyweight Championship - Kurt Angle (c) vs. Mark Henry
Take a step back and understand what the main event for this show is. This is Kurt Angle defending his newly won World Heavyweight Championship against Mark Henry. It sounds weird now but Mark Henry's brand new character was hot at the time and this match here against Angle made sense. They built the match around Angle doing everything in his power to take out the bigger monster in Henry. It made sense, but nothing about this screamed main event and in no shape or form should this match be the headliner over the actual Royal Rumble match. What boggled me even more was how Angle won. He exposed a turnbuckle, he hit a low blow and finally hammered the stake with a chair shot to the head. Oh, and he held onto the ropes for leverage as the referee counted the pin. I get that they wanted to protect Henry... but what the hell?! That really didn't help Angle, either. And to think this was the main event of the show. The Undertaker then comes out on a chariot led by a horse and motions his hands around his waist to signify that he wants a shot at the gold. The Undertaker's appearance was cool and really washed the bad taste left in the audience's mouths.
Winner: Kurt Angle
Rating: *3/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Can you believe this show was ten freaking years ago?! This is definitely one of WWE's weakest Royal Rumble offerings. The Royal Rumble match itself delivered, aside from the predictability. The undercard was pretty bad and the two championship match offerings fell flat. Regardless, the Rumble match was definitely a memorable one and one everyone should still check out!
Rating: 5.75/10
This is an open invitational for any former or current Cruiserweight champions as Gregory Helms enters the match as the only superstar from the Raw brand. Action was good and you get your cool spots here and there to get the crowd going. The SmackDown guys all made sure to take out Helms but the teamwork didn't last long as Helms was able to win the match when he hit a sweet Shining Wizard to Funaki. The ending was predictable but I liked it. Helms plays his role great as a heel and him being a Raw guy makes things more interesting. As for the match, it wasn't the most spectacular thing in the world but it certainly wasn't as bad as people made it out to be. Nice opening match to set the tone for the night.
Winner: Gregory Helms
Rating: **1/2
Match 2: Mickie James vs. Ashley
Before the match, Mickie James confesses her love to Trish Stratus. Oh, and Trish is the special referee for this contest. This is actually one of the only times that a Divas storyline intrigued me. I love how great Mickie James is in her role as the psycho lover to Trish who wants to have no part of this crush. Even during the match, James just looks so psycho, it's amazing how great she is here. Seeing her smile after ramming Ashley into a ring post was just brilliant. James scored the win when she slammed Ashley from the corner of the ring along with a handful of tights. Trish reluctantly made the count as James gave a huge hug to Trish after. The match was pretty horrid but the storyline progression was great.
Winner: Mickie James
Rating: 1/2*
Match 3: The Boogeyman vs. JBL
How the mighty have fallen. JBL went from headlining WrestleMania the previous year to being squashed by The Boogeyman. Boogeyman starts the match by spitting worms onto Jillian Hall before JBL ambushed him from behind. However, Boogeyman ended up scoring the win in less than five minutes. Wow.
Winner: The Boogeyman
Rating: 1/4*
Match 4: 2006 Royal Rumble
So many stories going into this Rumble and that is the exact way this match needs to be. From Shawn Michaels feuding with Vince McMahon, to Rey Mysterio representing Eddie Guerrero with Randy Orton in his way, or to Triple H meeting his former enemies in Ric Flair and The Big Show. They also had the two perfect guys starting the match in Triple H from the Raw brand and Mysterio from the SmackDown brand who is dedicating this match to Guerrero. I love when two big stars open up the match and I especially love when it's two guys from two separate brands. It almost felt like the match centered around these two and personally, I felt like it made the match work. The flow marched to a better beat of the drum and you knew it was going to be one of these two guys to win the match. The entrants kept piling on but it never really felt like there was a serious threat aside from those two and the #30 entrant in Orton. The final four came down to Rob Van Dam, Triple H, Orton and Rey Mysterio before Michaels was eliminated by Shane McMahon when Vince McMahon came out as a distraction. When Van Dam got eliminated, it was down to Triple H, Orton and Mysterio. The odds were definitely against Mysterio but after eliminating Triple H, it was down to Mysterio and Orton. Triple H rammed Mysterio into the steel steps before leaving to the back. All Orton had to do was toss Mysterio out. However, Mysterio defied the odds and flipped the switch on Orton and tossed him out to capture a shot at gold at WrestleMania 22. Aside from the predictability, I loved this Rumble. Great flow, great action, and a fantastic story told with Mysterio overcoming all the adversities. It's a simple story that always works when used correctly.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Rating: ****1/4
Match 5: WWE Championship - Edge (c) vs. John Cena
It's almost hard to believe that these two would go on to have the biggest feud of their careers just months later after this match. We all know the story here with Edge being the first to ever cash in the Money in the Bank contract against John Cena at New Year's Revolution after the Elimination Chamber match. Considering this match was ten years ago, it's also interesting to see how much Cena has improved in the ring. It almost felt like Edge was leading the pace throughout the match and Cena was just catching up. The chemistry wasn't yet there and while the match was good, it wasn't great when taking into account the matches they would have later in the year. Cena would eventually emerge victorious despite Lita doing her best to help Edge who would submit to the STFU. Edge capturing the gold for the first time in his career was spectacular but it came to a crashing halt to set up the main event for WrestleMania 22.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ***
Match 6: World Heavyweight Championship - Kurt Angle (c) vs. Mark Henry
Take a step back and understand what the main event for this show is. This is Kurt Angle defending his newly won World Heavyweight Championship against Mark Henry. It sounds weird now but Mark Henry's brand new character was hot at the time and this match here against Angle made sense. They built the match around Angle doing everything in his power to take out the bigger monster in Henry. It made sense, but nothing about this screamed main event and in no shape or form should this match be the headliner over the actual Royal Rumble match. What boggled me even more was how Angle won. He exposed a turnbuckle, he hit a low blow and finally hammered the stake with a chair shot to the head. Oh, and he held onto the ropes for leverage as the referee counted the pin. I get that they wanted to protect Henry... but what the hell?! That really didn't help Angle, either. And to think this was the main event of the show. The Undertaker then comes out on a chariot led by a horse and motions his hands around his waist to signify that he wants a shot at the gold. The Undertaker's appearance was cool and really washed the bad taste left in the audience's mouths.
Winner: Kurt Angle
Rating: *3/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Can you believe this show was ten freaking years ago?! This is definitely one of WWE's weakest Royal Rumble offerings. The Royal Rumble match itself delivered, aside from the predictability. The undercard was pretty bad and the two championship match offerings fell flat. Regardless, the Rumble match was definitely a memorable one and one everyone should still check out!
Rating: 5.75/10
Sunday, January 3, 2016
WWE Live from Madison Square Garden 2015 Review
Match 1: Dolph Ziggler & Randy Orton vs. Rusev & Sheamus
Good choice of opener as we two two feuds intersecting in this tag match. The better part of this match was dominated mainly by the heels as Dolph Ziggler was playing the John Cena kind of role here. Crowd seemed to have trouble getting into the action, probably because we've seen these guys go at it over a billion times. Once Randy Orton got tagged in the match, things definitely picked up a little more. That's when Orton was able to duck a Brogue Kick from Sheamus which led to Ziggler kicking Sheamus in the jaw before Orton nails an RKO for the finish. Afterwards, Rusev puts down Sheamus for the loss before receiving a Brogue Kick. Wait, so is Sheamus a babyface now?
Winners: Dolph Ziggler & Randy Orton
Rating: **3/4
Match 2: Neville vs. Stardust
Is anyone else fed up of Stardust's gimmick as much as I am? Regardless, here he is on the card to take on Neville. It's almost as if the crowd could not care any less for this match. Your typical match you would see on Raw or any other house show. Stardust plays with Neville throughout the match and even wears his cape during one point. Neville gets the last laugh and hits his finisher for the win. What else do you need me to say here? Stardust is dead in the water at this point and needs some sort of career renaissance. Neville gets the win but you can't help but feel like there is no progression with his character.
Winner: Neville
Rating: **1/4
Match 3: Alicia Fox, Brie Bella & Nikki Bella vs. Paige, Becky Lynch & Charlotte
Crowd is on their feet for this one. Not really. Just like the last match, your basic match you would see on Raw or any other house show. Basic, bland, and lots of annoying screams from the Divas. Ending saw Paige try to tag in one of her partners before both Becky Lynch and Charlotte hopped off the apron. Nikki Bella then hit the Rack Attack for the win. Paige then grabbed a microphone and announced her displeasure with her teammates.
Winners: Alicia Fox, Brie Bella & Nikki Bella
Rating: *1/2
Match 4: Intercontinental Championship - Kevin Owens (c) vs. Chris Jericho
This is Chris Jericho's incredible 25th anniversary in the wrestling business and he celebrates it tonight against Kevin Owens for the Intercontinental Championship which he has won on so many occasions. Owens is the perfect opponent for this situation, another Canadian with lots on his shoulders and lots to prove against the seasoned veteran. Before the match, Jericho hypes up his anniversary and introduces the crowd to Lance Storm who is watching. Really cool. Who would have ever thought that we would be seeing Kevin Steen taking on Chris Jericho inside Madison Square Garden. Good action from the two that eventually saw Owens raking Jericho in the eyes and rolling him up for the victory. Owens walks away with the gold as he blows a kiss to Jericho and screams, "Happy anniversary!" Owens is the spoiler. Good stuff.
Winner: Kevin Owens
Rating: ***
Match 5: WWE Tag Team Championships - The New Day (c) vs. The Dudley Boyz
Like Chris Jericho, The Dudley Boyz look to capture gold again and put themselves in double digits. The only thing standing in the way for The Dudleyz is The New Day. For The Dudleyz, this is everything coming full circle for them. Finally back in the WWE and finally back in New York where they look to win big in the world's most famous arena. Good match here with Xavier Woods playing an vital part to the match. Not only was he great with his trumpet, but his yelling at ringside was just hilarious. He also helped his team retain the gold as The Dudleyz hit their 3D finisher and once they went for the pin, Woods crawled in and broke it up. The New Day beat down The Dudleyz soon after only for The Dudleyz to retaliate and drive Woods through a table with a 3D. Good match that served its purpose and the disqualification finish made sense for a rematch down the line with some sort of stipulation.
Winners: The Dudley Boyz
Rating: **1/2
Match 6: The Big Show vs. Brock Lesnar
Speaking of coming full circle. These two guys met over 13 years ago in a WWE Championship match at Survivor Series in the same exact building. Paul Heyman was at ringside for that match and is here again in 2015. As predicted, this was pretty much a squash match. The Big Show looked to have the advantage early on but nobody bought it and we were all just waiting for Brock Lesnar to land some suplexes and an F5 here and there. Lesnar began tossing the giant left and right to the amusement of the New York crowd. Lesnar finally hits an F5 and gets the finish. He then goes back to the ring after the match to deliver another one for good measure. It's almost unbelievable how much of a star Lesnar is. He literally has his own show devoted for him and seeing him F5 The Big Show is something that will never get old. A sight to behold. This dude is certainly a once in a lifetime superstar.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Rating: *1/2
Match 7: United States Championship - Steel Cage - John Cena (c) vs. Seth Rollins
My excitement for this match isn't really high when taking into account how many times I've seen these guys face each other. Then again, that could be said for most of tonight's card. They played a bit of hot potato with the United States Championship before settling the score here in a steel cage. John Cena was almost chasing the slimy Seth Rollins around as he did his best to assure that Rollins didn't sneak out of the cage. I always hate when the factor of escaping through the door gets placed into the equation but they played it off nicely here. Rollins wanted to sneak his way through the door while Cena refused to use it as a means of victory. After a low blow from Rollins, Rollins looked to score the big win by climbing the cage this time. Not sure how all this makes sense sometimes. Regardless, Kane comes out and Rollins decides to stay in the cage by going for a Frog Splash on Cena from the top. Cena moves and hits an Attitude Adjustment for the win. Kane then hits a Chokeslam and a Tombstone after as they meet at Hell in a Cell.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ***3/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
I love these WWE Network specials. The Beast in the East was awesome and this one was no different. It wasn't necessarily about the action in the ring, it was more so the ambiance the presentation brings. Nobody does this better than the WWE. There were a questionable decisions here and there but overall, the story progression and presentation stood tallest.
Rating: 7/10
Good choice of opener as we two two feuds intersecting in this tag match. The better part of this match was dominated mainly by the heels as Dolph Ziggler was playing the John Cena kind of role here. Crowd seemed to have trouble getting into the action, probably because we've seen these guys go at it over a billion times. Once Randy Orton got tagged in the match, things definitely picked up a little more. That's when Orton was able to duck a Brogue Kick from Sheamus which led to Ziggler kicking Sheamus in the jaw before Orton nails an RKO for the finish. Afterwards, Rusev puts down Sheamus for the loss before receiving a Brogue Kick. Wait, so is Sheamus a babyface now?
Winners: Dolph Ziggler & Randy Orton
Rating: **3/4
Match 2: Neville vs. Stardust
Is anyone else fed up of Stardust's gimmick as much as I am? Regardless, here he is on the card to take on Neville. It's almost as if the crowd could not care any less for this match. Your typical match you would see on Raw or any other house show. Stardust plays with Neville throughout the match and even wears his cape during one point. Neville gets the last laugh and hits his finisher for the win. What else do you need me to say here? Stardust is dead in the water at this point and needs some sort of career renaissance. Neville gets the win but you can't help but feel like there is no progression with his character.
Winner: Neville
Rating: **1/4
Match 3: Alicia Fox, Brie Bella & Nikki Bella vs. Paige, Becky Lynch & Charlotte
Crowd is on their feet for this one. Not really. Just like the last match, your basic match you would see on Raw or any other house show. Basic, bland, and lots of annoying screams from the Divas. Ending saw Paige try to tag in one of her partners before both Becky Lynch and Charlotte hopped off the apron. Nikki Bella then hit the Rack Attack for the win. Paige then grabbed a microphone and announced her displeasure with her teammates.
Winners: Alicia Fox, Brie Bella & Nikki Bella
Rating: *1/2
Match 4: Intercontinental Championship - Kevin Owens (c) vs. Chris Jericho
This is Chris Jericho's incredible 25th anniversary in the wrestling business and he celebrates it tonight against Kevin Owens for the Intercontinental Championship which he has won on so many occasions. Owens is the perfect opponent for this situation, another Canadian with lots on his shoulders and lots to prove against the seasoned veteran. Before the match, Jericho hypes up his anniversary and introduces the crowd to Lance Storm who is watching. Really cool. Who would have ever thought that we would be seeing Kevin Steen taking on Chris Jericho inside Madison Square Garden. Good action from the two that eventually saw Owens raking Jericho in the eyes and rolling him up for the victory. Owens walks away with the gold as he blows a kiss to Jericho and screams, "Happy anniversary!" Owens is the spoiler. Good stuff.
Winner: Kevin Owens
Rating: ***
Match 5: WWE Tag Team Championships - The New Day (c) vs. The Dudley Boyz
Like Chris Jericho, The Dudley Boyz look to capture gold again and put themselves in double digits. The only thing standing in the way for The Dudleyz is The New Day. For The Dudleyz, this is everything coming full circle for them. Finally back in the WWE and finally back in New York where they look to win big in the world's most famous arena. Good match here with Xavier Woods playing an vital part to the match. Not only was he great with his trumpet, but his yelling at ringside was just hilarious. He also helped his team retain the gold as The Dudleyz hit their 3D finisher and once they went for the pin, Woods crawled in and broke it up. The New Day beat down The Dudleyz soon after only for The Dudleyz to retaliate and drive Woods through a table with a 3D. Good match that served its purpose and the disqualification finish made sense for a rematch down the line with some sort of stipulation.
Winners: The Dudley Boyz
Rating: **1/2
Match 6: The Big Show vs. Brock Lesnar
Speaking of coming full circle. These two guys met over 13 years ago in a WWE Championship match at Survivor Series in the same exact building. Paul Heyman was at ringside for that match and is here again in 2015. As predicted, this was pretty much a squash match. The Big Show looked to have the advantage early on but nobody bought it and we were all just waiting for Brock Lesnar to land some suplexes and an F5 here and there. Lesnar began tossing the giant left and right to the amusement of the New York crowd. Lesnar finally hits an F5 and gets the finish. He then goes back to the ring after the match to deliver another one for good measure. It's almost unbelievable how much of a star Lesnar is. He literally has his own show devoted for him and seeing him F5 The Big Show is something that will never get old. A sight to behold. This dude is certainly a once in a lifetime superstar.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Rating: *1/2
Match 7: United States Championship - Steel Cage - John Cena (c) vs. Seth Rollins
My excitement for this match isn't really high when taking into account how many times I've seen these guys face each other. Then again, that could be said for most of tonight's card. They played a bit of hot potato with the United States Championship before settling the score here in a steel cage. John Cena was almost chasing the slimy Seth Rollins around as he did his best to assure that Rollins didn't sneak out of the cage. I always hate when the factor of escaping through the door gets placed into the equation but they played it off nicely here. Rollins wanted to sneak his way through the door while Cena refused to use it as a means of victory. After a low blow from Rollins, Rollins looked to score the big win by climbing the cage this time. Not sure how all this makes sense sometimes. Regardless, Kane comes out and Rollins decides to stay in the cage by going for a Frog Splash on Cena from the top. Cena moves and hits an Attitude Adjustment for the win. Kane then hits a Chokeslam and a Tombstone after as they meet at Hell in a Cell.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ***3/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
I love these WWE Network specials. The Beast in the East was awesome and this one was no different. It wasn't necessarily about the action in the ring, it was more so the ambiance the presentation brings. Nobody does this better than the WWE. There were a questionable decisions here and there but overall, the story progression and presentation stood tallest.
Rating: 7/10
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