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Saturday 28 December 2013

The Scottish View: New Year's Revolution 2007

Weirdest Poster Art Ever?


New Year's Revolution 2007 Review


Well we're quickly coming up to the end of 2013, so I thought this PPV was appropriate. I've never watched this one at all, so everything will be new to me, except for maybe a few winners and losers. So how did WWE start what is possibly their worst year ever? Let's find out.




Jeff Hardy vs Johnny Nitro : Steel Cage
Sounds like a great way to start off a show, and it's for the IC Title. These guys were having some great matches around this time, including a great Ladder match on Raw. I think Nitro wanted some revenge for Joey Mercury's smashed face at the previous month's Armageddon Ladder match. I knew that the pace wouldn't be as quick as their other matches, but that didn't stop them from having a very entertaining match with some nice spots. The finish was awesome too with Nitro being crotched on the cage door while Hardy escaped. Great stuff to open the show with. ***1/2



Tag Team Turmoil
These matches can either be fun or dull. This is apparantly a late Christmas present and the winner will get a future shot at the Raw Tag Titles. The World's Greatest Tag Team and the Highlanders start. (Can I just say that Scotland needs a wrestling representative. We had Roddy Piper and he wasn't even Scottish! Drew McIntyre came close but he's been buried with 3MB. I don't even remember these Highlander guys. Anyway back to the review). Highlanders are out and out comes Super Crazy..... and Jim Duggan? Ok then. Crazy is pinned to bring out Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch. Both teams are heels so the crowd doesn't know how to react. Haas is pinned to bring out Cryme Tyme. This one was dull at times and seemed to drain the crowd, but it did have it's fun moments. Cryme Tyme wins the match. *1/2


Backstage, Vince McMahon plants the seed for his feud with Donald Trump. I think this also set up a match featuring 'Rosie O'Donnell' vs 'Donald Trump'. It's an extra feature on the DVD along with Cena's match with Kevin Federline, but I ain't reviewing those pieces of crap.



Kenny Dykstra vs Ric Flair
Kenny came out wearing Flair's robe for some reason. At the time, Kenny was meant to be the star from the Spirit Squad tag team. Turns out that Dolph Ziggler was the much better choice. This wasn't a very interesting match and felt more like a long TV match, rather than something you'd want to see on PPV. It wasn't bad due to the crowd's love of Flair, but it wasn't all that good either. The fact that Kenny had to cheat to win probably didn't make him look too good in the long run. *1/2




Victoria vs Mickie James
The Women's Title is on the line. I didn't realise that Victoria was still in the WWE at this point. I thought she'd already made her way to TNA. This match already has extra points for Mickie's ridiculously short skirt. The match didn't start off too well, but it had an exciting finish that incorperated Victoria's storyline of beating every diva on the roster. *



DX vs Rated RKO
The Raw Tag Titles are on the line. A hell of a lot of star power in this match. These two teams had been feuding for a while, and reached it's peak with the assault on Ric Flair, which angered DX. This match is mainly remembered for HHH tearing his second quad and missing eight months of action. I liked the brawling start to the match. Always a fun way to start a match. The match did a great job of making the feud look very personal, and it really got the crowd into it. Either that or because HBK is an amazing face-in-peril. The match did lose it's pacing once HHH tore his quad, but that's completely understandable. Orton had a blade job that was very reminiscent of Eddie Guerrero in 2004. Overall a very good match even though it didn't have an official finish. ***1/4. Hard to watch though thanks to the injury.



Carlito vs Chris Masters
These poor guys are stuck in the cool-down spot where the crowd doesn't really give a shit. These two guys were fighting becasue Masters put Torrie in the masterlock and Carlito is her boyfriend. I think. Strange to think that both guys were in the main event at the previous year's New Year's Revolution PPV. The match wasn't too bad, but the dead crowd definitely hurt it. Masters wins by pulling the tights on the pin. *1/4. Afterwards, Masters puts Carlito in the Masterlock.



John Cena vs Umaga
The WWE Title is on the line. At this point Umaga had still not been pinned or made to submit, so he had a very good chance of winning here. I love the Last Man Standing match from the Royal Rumble between these two. This wasn't nearly as good as that match, but it was still a good match, and was one of the first times we saw that Cena could have a good match with just about anyone. Umaga looked great here as he dominated Cena for most of the bout and looked pretty unstoppable. I really enjoyed this one. Cena rolls up Umaga to retain the Title. ***1/4



5/10. Hey at least it wasn't as bad as No Way Out a month later. Three matches over three stars is pretty good, but apart from that there's really nothing else to enjoy. A forgettable PPV overall.



Friday 27 December 2013

The Scottish View: Royal Rumble 2008



Royal Rumble 2008 Review


I've seen this show quite a few times as I've had it on DVD for a while, but I'm still gonna watch it all the way through again to make sure that my opinion is still the same. Let's begin.


This show takes place in the greatest wrestling arena of them all, (at least in my opinion), Madison Square Garden.



MVP vs Ric Flair
If the Nature Boy loses this match, his career is over. Vince McMahon made that stipulation about a month previously. It was pretty obvious that Flair's career would not end against MVP in an opening match. Wrestlemania seemed much more appropriate and ended up being the best choice. This didn't seem like much of a match as Flair looked way too old in there, and MVP seemed limited with what he could do with him. The superplex was pretty good though, and the crowd was into it thanks to Flair. Overall it was a pretty solid match as MVP tapped to the figure four. **1/2




Chris Jericho vs JBL
Jericho had only been back for about a month, and this was the feud they had waiting for him? Seems a little strange. It wasn't much of a feud as this was their only real match together. The main reason as to why I didn't like this feud was because it JBL away from the announcing table, which is where he worked best in my opinion. The botched running bulldog is edited out. Jericho was pretty badly busted open here. The match wasn't bad, but the DQ finish was an abrupt ending that kind of ruined it. **




Edge vs Rey Mysterio
The World Heavyweight Title is on the line. Mysterio was really just the challenger to keep Edge busy until he faced Undertaker at Wrestlemania. That didn't stop this from being good though. The crowd was really against Mysterio and they were cheering for Edge. They must have still been pissed off about the Eddie storyline. Anyway this was a great match, as there was some great offense from Mysterio, Edge was a great heel as always, and Mysterio sold the leg very well. This feud wasn't over yet. ***1/2




Jeff Hardy vs Randy Orton
WWE Title is on the line. Usually when people order this PPV, they have the Rumble match mainly in mind, but on this occasion, I think most people ordered this show to see if Hardy could win the big one. Hardy looked like a great underdog, and that's why he was in the same kind of storyline towards the end of the year and got great reactions from the crowd. I think most would have been disappointed by the outcome, but it was still a very good match. Not as good as the World Title match, but I'd say it's worth a watch. Orton reverses the twist of fate into the RKO to retain. ***1/4



The Royal Rumble Match
MSG is a great place for a Rumble, as the placement of the entrance area means that the camera can stay on the action in the ring, while a superstar is coming out. I loved the beginning of the match as it started with the last two entrants of the 2007 Rumble: Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. Once again they showed their amazing chemistry and put on an entertaining show while the first few entrants arrived. Seeing Taker and Batista stare each other down after a year long rivalry was pretty awesome. They continued the Jamie Noble vs Chuck Palumbo feud here (I don't remember it either). Seems pretty small-time for the Rumble. One of my favourite Rumble moments is the surprise entries of Jimmy Snuka and Roddy Piper. Sure they couldn't work properly but it was a ton of fun. Although what everyone remembers from this match is the very surprising entry and return of John Cena who was meant to be out for another few months. He seems to have a habit of doing that. The final two of HHH and Cena was fantastic, and you didn't know who was going to win. One of my personal favourite Rumble's and overall I would say that it's great. It was never really boring and reached a fever pitch towards the finish. ****



7.5/10. Very good Rumble show here, as the Rumble was awesome and the two World Title matches were very good and worth a look. The first two matches weren't great but they were still entertaining. The stuff with Maria and Santino brought it down a bit. I never mentioned that stuff because it wasn't worth mentioning. Anyway overall it was a very good show worth watching.


Wednesday 18 December 2013

The Scottish View: Royal Rumble 2009




Royal Rumble 2009 Review



The road to Wrestlemania has begun, so with the Royal Rumble on it's way, I thought I'd review some Rumble's of the past (and maybe re-doing some I've already done)




The opening video package was awesome, showing moments of Rumble history and then moving onto the then-hot storyline of Randy Orton punting Vince McMahon in the head.



I had to watch the opener twice as I lost focus while my cat was trying to chew on the laptop cable.


Jack Swagger vs Matt Hardy
The WWECW Title is on the line. Matt Striker says that Swagger is undefeated. Definitely can't say that nowadays. For some reason people seem to love the silver version of the WWECW Title, but I've never gotten why. Looks pretty ugly to me. Swagger had only won the Title two weeks previously, so there wasn't much of a chance of him losing it. This was a good opener, with a nice nearfall towards the end, and the crowd was into it. Good stuff. ***




Melina vs Beth Phoenix
Women's Title is on the line and with the talent here, this could be pretty good. The crowd wasn't really into it, but when are they ever into a divas match? The way Beth bent Melina's leg and used it to beat her head with it was awesome. Melina did botch a few moves in there, but Beth managed to make it work. Solid divas match I'd say. **



John Cena vs JBL
World Heavyweight Title is on the line. This match was mainly about the JBL/HBK storyline. JBL told Shawn that he'd set him free and give him a place in the Rumble if he became World Champion. Cena and JBL really need a gimmick for their matches, otherwise it's just dull as this matched proved. The HBK/JBL storyline made it a bit better towards the end but not by much. Outside of the I Quit match, it's one of the better Cena/JBL encounters I've seen. **1/2



Edge vs Jeff Hardy: No DQ
WWE Title on the line. Ok what was the point of taking the belt off of Edge only to put it back on him a month later? 2009 was filled with these Title changes. This whole match was here basically to start off the brother vs brother feud that worked about as well as it did in 2001. Matt's just not a good evil heel, he's much better as a funny heel like when he was Version 1. I think it was meant to originally be Christian that cost Hardy the match, but the crowd was too smart and saw it coming, so they changed it to Matt. Good choice guys. This one was a bit slow at times, but it was still entertaining and the twist of fate on the apron looked cool. It did get much better after the table spot, as the crowd really got into it and so did I. Good match. ***1/4




Royal Rumble Match
I love how they didn't edit out the part where Jerry Lawler says that Orton needs to be the winner of this Rumble and basically ruined it. Anyway this one started off well with some high-flying action, featuring Rey Mysterio, John Morrison and Carlito. Things slowed down when Khali arrived. Seeing Kozlov going against Khali was interesting for all of two seconds. Santino beating the Warlord's record for fastest elimination was fun. One problem with this rumble is that there are too many guys in the ring at one time, so there guys just filling time with punches and kicks. It did have good moments though like Orton going on an RKO frenzy only to be stopped by a pedigree. Everyone's reaction to Undertaker's entrance was awesome too. The Brothers of Destruction reuniting was a nice moment too. Rob Van Dam's return got one of the biggest pops I've heard in a while. Overall I'd say that this was a damn good Rumble and not as bad as some people make it up to be. Not the best Rumble but nowhere near the worst either. ***1/2



6.5/10. There's nothing wrong with this show, it's just the fact that it's pretty forgettable outside of the Rumble match. The opener was good, as was the WWE Title match but they just weren't very memorable. Don't get me wrong, this was a fun show and is a good choice for when you wanna watch some wrestling, it's just that you won't remember most of it. Aside from that, I'd recommend it.

Tuesday 17 December 2013

The Scottish View: TLC 2013





TLC 2013 Review


I haven't really been looking forward to this since there hasn't been a good WWE PPV since Summerslam, but I get it for free on Sky Sports so I might as well watch it. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.



HHH and Stephanie come out to tell us about the importance of both World Championships. Wow great way to start off a show.




CM Punk vs The Shield
Like most other people, I wasn't a fan of the idea of two 3 on 1 handicap matches on one show, but I'd say they managed to surpass my expectations, starting with this fun opener. I know there will be people that will say that the Shield was buried because they lost to one guy, but they weren't, as it was done very well with the Shield making big mistakes and Punk capitalising on them. Plus it starts the inevitable storyline of Roman Reigns becoming his own man, which should be fun. Good opener. ***1/4



AJ Lee vs Natalya
I knew that these two could have a good match given the chance, and that's exactly what they did. AJ and Natalya are definitely the best divas in the entire division, and they proved it here with a solid match. Given an extra five minutes or so, this could have been something great. I look forward to the rematch. **1/4



Big E Langston vs Damien Sandow
If they stick with the whole 'one world champion' thing, then I would say that the IC Title has elevated in status, and in turn, Big E Langston as well. Don't know where that leaves the US Title, but that hasn't been defended in months anyway. I was surprised that these two guys had good chemistry together, and gave us a solid match. This is another match that could have used more time, and once again, I look forward to a rematch. **1/2



The Rhodes Brothers vs The Real Americans vs The Ex-Heyman Guys vs The Mysterious Show
I guess they had nothing for Show and Mysterio, but they do make a good tag team so I'm fine with it. Elimination rules apply here, and I will admit that I was wishing for a ladder match to be made here like at Armageddon 2006. What the hell is with the lack of gimmick matches in this show though? Anyway this match, quite frankly, stole the entire show. They were given plenty of time with twenty minutes and it was so much fun. When it came down to the final two teams, I had no idea of who was going to win, and that made it so exciting. Match of the Night. ****



Brodus Clay vs R-Truth
This was more of an angle advancement than a match as it was basically the heel turn for Brodus Clay. No reason for it to be on PPV though and it was pretty damn boring. 1/2*



Kofi Kingston vs The Miz : No DQ
This was an impromptu match made on the pre-show after Kofi attacked Miz. Nobody really cares about this feud and that was made evident with the live crowd chanting 'boring'. It wasn't too bad and started off quite well, but it was pretty boring in the middle. Just make Miz a full heel already! **



Daniel Bryan vs The Wyatt Family
A lot of people seem mad about the fact that Bryan was beaten here, but he was beaten by three huge guys, so it's not like he's been buried. This did have it's slow moments when the Wyatt's were in control, but when Bryan was in control, it was a ton of fun. I didn't enjoy this one as much as the opener, but it was still good. ***



John Cena vs Randy Orton : TLC
I'm still shocked by the fact that a Cena/Orton match was given a 'this is awesome' chant from the audience. This is the 'biggest match in WWE history' and to be frank, it was pretty damn awesome which I really wasn't expecting. This was never going to be the usual high-flying TLC match that we're used to, but they still managed to make it work with some stiff chair shots and table spots. The slow climbing was a little annoying but you always get that with these matches. I even loved the throwback to their I Quit match with the handcuffs. I don't think anyone expected this one to end cleanly with no interference at all, but that's exactly what we got and the match was all the better for it. Great match. ***3/4



8/10. Finally for the first time since Summerslam, WWE have given us a good PPV, and it wasn't just good, it was great! There was nothing really terrible outside of the Brodus/Truth match. The main event definitely delivered, we had two very good handicap matches, a good divas match, a fun IC Title match, and a must-see Tag Title match. A recommended show for sure.

Friday 13 December 2013

The Scottish View: No Way Out 2007




No Way Out 2007 Review



Once again we have a Smackdown vs Raw main event, but who will come out on top as it's Mania Main Event vs Mania Main Event? Let's find out.





The Hardy Boyz & Chris Benoit vs MNM & MVP
Sounds like a fun way to start off a show. MNM were still in their long feud with the Hardys, and Benoit and MVP were gearing up for their US Title match at Wrestlemania. Mercury still had his face mask on after his incident with a ladder in December. Good choice for the opener as it got the crowd fired up and had a fun, chaotic finish. Crossface makes Mercury submit to end the match. ***1/4



Backstage, Finlay gives Hornswoggle a pep talk before putting him in a trash can that the Little Boogeyman was also inside. Yes that just happened.



Cruiserweight Open
Cruiserweight Title is on the line. There were a lot of these multi-man cruiserweight matches during this time period, probably because creative didn't have anything for them. Scotty 2 Hotty and Daivari start things off. The Worm eliminates Daivari to bring in the champ, Gregory Helms. A codebreaker-like move eliminates Scotty to bring out Funaki. A very quick pin (just like at Mania XX) takes out Funaki and brings out Shannon Moore. Moore out, Jimmy Wang Yang out next. No one's really getting a chance besides Helms. That is until the champ is eliminated. Jamie Noble out next and a new champ is guaranteed. Noble out and Chavo in. Chavo hits the frog splash to win the Title. Entertaining match, but there were way too many guys in there. **3/4



Finlay & Hornswoggle vs The Boogeyman & Little Boogeyman
Yes this match took place on PPV. No wonder they got rid of the single-brand PPVs if this is the kind of match creative comes up with. I couldn't tell you why this feud is happening, but apparently Hornswoggle is afraid of little people. Oh god. For some reason the crowd went wild when the little guys were in the ring.I can't even expalin this match, but it probably shouldn't exist. DUD



Kane vs King Booker
This feud started at the Royal Rumble when Booker was eliminated by Kane, and Booker decided to eliminate Kane and attack him. That's about it. Apparently that warrants a PPV match. The crowd wasn't really into this, but who can blame them? It just wasn't very interesting and these guys didn't really have chemistry. Booker was trying, but Kane didn't seem to care until it came to his comeback. It was also a bit too long for my liking. *1/2



Paul London & Brian Kendrick vs Deuce & Domino
WWE Tag Titles are on the line. I never really liked Deuce and Domino as their gimmick was silly. Deuce was mainly famous for almost killing the Undertaker at Wrestlemania 25, as he just about failed to catch him for his big dive. This was a match that seemed more like a TV match. Deuce and Domino got most of the offense, and only a lucky roll up gave the champs the win. *3/4



Bobby Lashley vs Mr Kennedy
WWECW Title on the line. So Kennedy went from challenging for the World Title at the Rumble, to challenging for the WWECW Title a month later? Tough break. Smackdown seemingly didn't have enough talent for one PPV, so they needed a match from another brand. Doesn't help that the main event is the same. Good god this was a boring contest. The crowd didn't care for either guy, especially Lashley. I never want to see this match again. Yes it was that awful. And it ended on a DQ. Terrible match. Fifteen minutes of mind-numbing boredom. DUD. And there I thought the midget match would have been the worst of the night.


How long until the damn main event? Man this show went south very quickly. What's up next? Divas? Oh fuck.

And it's not even a match!




This is the Divas Talent Invitational. The Miz is hosting. Well at least the divas are looking sexy, even if it's totally pointless. Jillian comes out to ruin things and sing. I don't know what happened next because I skipped it before my head exploded.


Finally it's time for the main event.



Undertaker & Batista vs John Cena & Shawn Michaels
Nothing on the line here except for maybe pride and trust. Yes it's the Smackdown Mania Main Event against Raw's Mania Main Event. This is also one of the only times you can see Taker going against Cena while he's the face of the company. Hopefully not the last time either. I think everyone was expecting HBK to turn on Cena, but it turns out that the Smackdown guys would turn on each other. It's always great to see Taker and HBK go against each other. One hell of a tag match and I enjoyed every second of it. Easily Match of the Night and one worth watching. ***3/4



3.5/10. This looked like a one match show going in, and that's basically what we got. The opener was fun, but almost everything between that and the main event was either average, mediocre or terrible. Outside of the main event, I wouldn't watch this one.
















Sunday 8 December 2013

The Scottish View: Royal Rumble 2003



Royal Rumble 2003 Review


One of my earliest wrestling memories is receiving this PPV on DVD for my 10th birthday and watching it with all of my friends. Even though I still loved everything to do with WWE, I knew that the World Title match was awful. So how does this PPV hold up eleven years later? Let's find out.



Brock Lesnar vs Big Show
The winner of this match advances to the Rumble match. Lesnar was still trying to get his revenge on Paul Heyman after he betrayed him at Survivor Series. Strange how we had the same kind of angle ten years later. The matches between these two were always entertaining because Lesnar was able to suplex Show around the place. Entertaining opener that got the crowd fired up as Lesnar heads to the Rumble. **1/2



The Dudley Boyz vs Lance Storm & William Regal
The World Tag Titles are on the line. I think the Tag Titles had just recently changed their design, but I could be wrong about that. Not much to say about this one as it was just a generic tag match with the Dudleys hitting all their signature moves and winning the tag titles. It was an enjoyable match though. **1/4



Dawn Marie vs Torrie Wilson
Good god not this awful storyline. This didn't belong on TV nevermind a PPV. There was nothing good about this story and it didn't even lead to anything or do anything for anybody. Pointless and the match was awful too. DUD


And speaking of badness, it's time for the World Title match.



Triple H vs Scott Steiner
Do I really have anything to say about this match that hasn't already been said? The buildup was awful due to the pose down contests and the arm wrestling matches and the pushup contests. I hope the person that decided to give this eighteen minutes was fired shortly after. Horrific World Title match and probably one of the worst if not the very worst. DUD


Time to get this show back on the road.



Kurt Angle vs Chris Benoit
The WWE Championship is on the line. I'm still pissed off at the fact that the HHH/Steiner match was given a rematch, and this one didn't happen on PPV again. No wonder 2003 was an bad year for the WWE. Anyway enough of the negativity, because we just came out of hell and into heaven with this bout. An absolute technical masterpiece that has to be seen. Easilyy the Match of the Year. This might be their best contest together, and that is saying a hell of a lot. This one match easily made up for the last two blunders. I didn't want this to end, but unfortunately it had to as Angle retains with the ankle lock. After the match Benoit gets a well deserved standing ovation from the crowd. Unbelievable stuff. *****



Royal Rumble Match
There weren't a lot of storylines going into this rumble, but I did enjoy Jericho trolling Shawn Michaels at the start of the match, which would end up leading to their awesome Mania match. Overall I'd say it was a very fun Rumble that also featured the return of the Undertaker. Brock winning was kind of obvious but it was still a great Rumble match. ***3/4



7/10. Man those two DUDs almost brought a halt to the whole show, but the Angle/Benoit classic brought it back again, along with a great Rumble. The first two matches were pretty enjoyble, but definitely skip the two matches after them. The WWE Title match is must-see.

Saturday 7 December 2013

The Scottish View: No Mercy 2007




No Mercy 2007 Review


This is quite the interesting PPV and quite unique. Shortly before this show took place, John Cena suffered an injury that kept him out for three months, and there was no time to make a new match on TV. So what did WWE do? Let's find out.




Vince McMahon comes out with Raw GM William Regal to make an announcement. He says that Cena is no longer the WWE Champion. He's gonna give the people what they want. The fans chant for Y2J but Vince says no. He brings out the new WWE Champion: Randy Orton! What is it with authority and handing over Titles to Orton? HHH comes out to challenge Orton for the Title right now! Holy crap that's big.



Triple H vs Randy Orton
Aside from the Elimination Chamber match in 2012, I can't remember another time when a WWE Title match opened up a PPV. When's the last time HHH opened up a PPV as well? 1998? Anyway this was quite the exciting match and the crowd was really into it. Orton and HHH seem to have a mix in quality with their matches, but they showed their chemistry in this one. Good, quite surreal match to open the show. HHH rolls up Orton to win the WWE Title. ***




Brian Kendrick, Paul London & Jeff Hardy vs Trevor Murdoch, Lance Cade & Mr Kennedy
Apparently this is special bonus match of the night. Usually impromptu PPV matches aren't such a great idea, but this was a fun little six-man tag match. The high-flying face team made things very entertaining as they were just all over the place with their athleticism. Kennedy gets the win for the heels. **3/4



Vince tells HHH that he still has his scheduled match with Umaga later and the Title will be on the line.



CM Punk vs Big Daddy V
ECW Title is on the line. Ok what the hell was this? Punk was in his hometown and they gave him a match that lasted a minute, which also contained one of the shittiest DQ endings you will ever see. Striker cost his own guy the match for no reason at all. Just dreadful. It doesn't help that Punk was destroyed afterwards. DUD



Matt Hardy and MVP have a pizza eating contest. Just skip it because I did. This show has gone off track.



Triple H vs Umaga
The odds are really against HHH here as he goes against the Samoan Bulldozer. This was a short match and not their best since it was mostly dominated by Umaga and HHH got the quick win, but they'd have a better match at the next PPV anyway. Umaga was quite awesome heel. HHH hits a quick pedigree to retain. **




Rey Mysterio vs Finlay
I know these two were feuding, but I have no idea why. There's not even a clip or video package to tell us. I also remember their pretty good stretcher match from Cyber Sunday. These guys had surprisingly good chemistry and it shows here. The match was solid and could have used more time. The ending was inventive with Finlay feigning a concussion to sneak attack Mysterio. The match had no definitive finish. **3/4



Backstage, Vince makes the main event of Orton vs HHH in a Last Man Standing match.



Beth Phoenix vs Candice Michelle
Women's Title is on the line. I figured that this would have been placed between the World and WWE Title matches, but they must have known that no one was gonna be excited about a Khali match. I think Beth was still pretty new and was destroying all of the divas. Not a bad match. Beth pins Candice to win the Title. *1/2



Batista vs The Great Khali : Punjabi Prison Match
World Title is on the line. At Unforgiven, Batista (thankfully) won the World Title from Khali in a triple threat match. I've never seen this kind of match before so I'm not sure how it works. I imagined that it would be like a Hell in a Cell, but it's really not. More like a cage match with bamboo as the cage. This is a Khali match, so obviously it's not very good, but Batista tried hard to make it entertaining, including an awesome leap to the outside cage. Not great, but not too bad either. **



Triple H vs Randy Orton : Last Man Standing
This is now HHH's third match of the night. He didn't have much of a chance after already facing Orton and Umaga. These guys have had three Last Man Standing matches together, and this is easily the best of the bunch. This is also probably the best HHH/Orton match, and believe me there have been plenty! HHH had a lot of sympathy from the fans after they had seen how exhausted he was from the earlier matches. A very well paced Last Man Standing match here, with even some great storytelling, as Orton tried to punt HHH like he had punted HBK, and HHH wouldn't end it like that! Awesome match that made you feel sympathetic towards the Game. ****



7/10. A good show here that was pretty unique with the three WWE Title matches that are worth a look, especially the great main event. The crappy ECW Title match and the pizza contest bring it down, but the rest of the card was quite solid. I'd recommend this one.



The Scottish View: Survivor Series 2005



Survivor Series 2005 Review


On this night it was Raw vs Smackdown. Probably to promote the game series. Also coming up is a Last Man Standing match, the WWE Title will be on the line, and we get the epic finale to the feud of the year, Bischoff vs Long! Let's see what the show is like.



Booker T vs Chris Benoit
This was their first match in their Best of Seven Series for the US Title. The feud wouldn't end until No Way Out in February, so it lasted a while which wasn't a bad thing since they had chemistry in the ring. Good choice for the opener as it was an exciting contest that built well towards the finish, and the crowd was solidly behind Benoit. Booker cheats to get the pin to go 1-0. ***



Backstage, WHAT THE HELL DID VINCE SAY? : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nn-x6tMm-M



Melina vs Trish Stratus
Womens Title is on the line. This is an interpromotional match as Melina was on the Smackdown roster and Trish was Raw. Mickie James accompanied Trish, as she was in her awesome psycho bitch stage. Melina wasn't really an established wrestler at this point, but she performed well here. Very solid divas match and one of the better ones I've watched. **1/2



Triple H vs Ric Flair : Last Man Standing
Wasn't the IC Title on the line at Taboo Tuesday? Why wasn't it here? Oh yeah I forgot: HHH would never dream of holding a midcard Title. It's a shame as it could have given the Title a bit more prestige. The match is pretty damn brutal, and it's amazing that Flair was having these kind of matches this far into his career. Unbelievable that it took three pedigrees and a sledgehammer shot to put Flair down. Only Undertaker has survived through that. Flair looked like the ultimate underdog here and the crowd got right behind him because of it. Good luck to the match that has to follow this. One hell of a war. ****



Edge comes out to announce the debut of the Cutting Edge on Raw the next night, and makes fun of the Detroit Tigers. Well that riled the crowd up. Kind of a pointless segment, but it was fun so I can't fault it.




John Cena vs Kurt Angle
Daivari is the guest referee in this match for the WWE Title. These two have had dozens of matches together and I think this may have been their last one, so hopefully their chemistry in the ring was at it's peak. They kept trying to make Cena an underdog, but it just seemed to make the fans hate him even more, leading to his 50/50 fan reaction you even hear today. This was a good match, but the referee shenanigans did water it down a bit. Still good though. ***1/4




Eric Bischoff vs Theodore Long
And this show was going so well. Who in the name of hell thought that this was a good idea? Why did it need two referees as well? Boogeyman comes out to attack Bischoff and that gives Long the win. Well at least it's the only bad thing tonight. DUD



Carlito / Chris Masters / Kane / Big Show / Shawn Michaels vs Batista / Randy Orton / JBL / Rey Mysterio / Bobby Lashley
Here's the traditional Survivor Series match for the night, and it's Smackdown vs Raw! There's nothing on the line except bragging rights for the winners, and shame for the losers. Well for one night at least, it'll probably be forgotton about in a couple of weeks time. The commentators were annoying as they argued the entire time, but that didn't stop this from being a great little Survivor Series match. It did start off a bit slow, but it was tons of fun once Lashley had been eliminated. Great stuff here. Team Smackdown leaves with the win. ***3/4


After the match the lights go out, the druids appear with a casket, and here comes the Undertaker to kick the asses of some jobbers and William Regal. Orton escapes as we wait for the Hell in a Cell match to end the feud.



8/10. Well this was a nice surprise! Quite the gem here as I really wasn't expecting this show to be great, but it managed to exceed my expectations by some margin. The only bad thing was the general managers match, but that was pretty short. Everything else was entertaining at the least, including the divas match and even Edge's in-ring promo. The Last Man Standing match and the main event are matches that are definitely worth a watch. Check this one out.



Wednesday 4 December 2013

The Scottish View: Armageddon 2004




Armageddon 2004 Review


I first saw this event the day after it aired when I was just ten years old. I loved it because I loved everything WWE related at the time. I see that Raw was quick to drop this PPV after their bad 2003 event, and shove it over to Smackdown. Would they do a better job? Let's find out.




Rob Van Dam & Rey Mysterio vs Kenzo Suzuki & Rene Dupree
The Tag Titles are on the line. Dupree and Suzuki really didn't look like threats to the Titles, mainly because RVD and Mysterio had only just won the titles, so there was no way they were losing to these guys. The match was going well until the heel heat segment that almost sucked the life out of the crowd and myself. It got back on track afterwards. A solid opener that did it's job and fired up the crowd. **3/4


Daniel Puder gives a pretty shitty promo for his match later.


Kurt Angle invites Santa Claus to come out and fight him. Angle calls Tazz one of Santa's elves and I'll admit, it made me laugh. Angle's pissed that his daughter would rather write to Santa rather than spend time with her dad. The bell rang but I'm not rating it. Kurt beat Santa immediately. Santa looked like Domino from the Deuce N' Domino tag team.


Mike Mizanin gives a decent promo. Better than Puder's anyway. They show a video of all seven competitors and I didn't realise that Ryback was one of them.

Teddy Long comes out to tell the fans about the Tough Enough match, but they are pretty much silent, and Teddy looks like he's really struggling out there. Suddenly I really don't feel like watching the rest of the show, but I'll press on.


Daniel Puder vs Mike Mizanin : Dixie Dogfight
This really doesn't deserve to be on PPV and the fact that it's a boxing match makes it worse. I think if you told someone at the time that Mike would become a WWE Champion and a Grand Slam Champion, they would think you were on some strong drugs, but here we are. Puder won this but he wouldn't go onto anything except for a PPV appearance in the Rumble in which he was basically a punching bag. The crowd started booing after the second round. Just awful. Big fat DUD. WWE should be refunding anyone who had to watch this. There was really no point either as the fans still had to vote for who won. This took up WAY too much time.


Hopefully we'll get back to some wrestling.



Charlie Haas & Hardcore Holly vs The Basham Brothers
This is an impromptu match that wasn't even mentioned on the back of the DVD case. Haas would reappear later on in the night as a special ref. Really just a filler match and not a good one at that. It even received the dreaded 'boring' chants from the crowd. Dawn Marie comes out to help Charlie and Miss Jackie comes out to yell at here. This leads to a bad small package to give the Bashams the win. Just bad. 1/4*


Hilarious ad for the 2005 Royal Rumble plays.



John Cena vs Jesus : Street Fight
US Title is on the line. This is the only match I can remember Jesus ever participating in (not a religious joke, I was genuinely talking about Carlito's bodyguard). He's not much of a bodyguard and even got his ass kicked easily by Cena at Survivor Series. This was another ass kicking for Jesus except that this time it was a proper match and for some reason the Title was on the line. Just a very boring match in which Jesus got basically zero offense in and looked like a complete jobber. 1/2*. Afterwards Cena takes out Carlito with his chain.



Four matches in and we've only had one match that was over one star. And we have a divas match next. This isn't looking good.



Miss Jackie vs Dawn Marie
Charlie Haas is the special referee for this one. Jackie and Charlie were engaged and Dawn kept hitting on Charlie, so this match was made. At least I think that's the story. I think it started two months before this show. How does Dawn Marie keep getting put in awful storylines? Anyway another awful match for tonight. DUD. Afterwards Charlie dumps both of them and no one cares.



Good god this show sucks. Luckily Kurt Angle's on next, so hopefully the show is back on track.



Big Show vs Luther Reigns, Mark Jindrak & Kurt Angle
Couldn't this just have been a one-on-one match between Show and Angle? No one cares about the other two. This feud had lasted for a couple of months after Angle and company decided to shave Show bald, into the look that we all know today. It's hard to make a handicap match a good match, and this one fell into that same pitfall. It was decent when Show was on offense, but dull when he wasn't and even Angle couldn't make it fun. Show wins with an F5. When did he start using that? Ok match. *1/2



Spike Dudley vs Funaki
Seriously? Funaki was the only challenger for the cruiserweight title? Wasn't Chavo Guerrero a face at this point? The fans weren't into this one with another 'boring' chant. I was hoping that the cruiserweights could somehow have a show-stealing match here, but alas, we have yet another borefest. Funaki actually manages to pin Spike and win the Title. No wonder the Title wasn't considered anything special. *


I'm gonna have to watch Summerslam 2013 after watching this show to remind myself that wrestling is actually good. The main event would need to be Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels from Mania 25 to save the show.



JBL vs Undertaker vs Booker T vs Eddie Guerrero
The WWE Championship is on the line. What made this pretty cool is that JBL had a history with all three of these men throughout 2004. It was pretty unpredictable as it was hard to tell who would win the match. Everyone was sick and tired of JBL as the champ and winning every match unfairly. So how does this match end? Unfairly with JBL still champ. Goddamn it. It didn't help that the finish also continued the boring Taker/Heidenreich feud. This match started off slowly, but got a little better as it went on. It was thanks to Eddie that the match wasn't too dull. Good match to end this horrible night. ***



2/10. Holy hell what a bad show. Easily one of the worst PPVs I've ever watched and maybe the worst. All you have is a solid opener and a good main event, but neither one is worth going out of your way to see. Nothing really changed on this night except the whole Charlie Haas thing. Whoopdy doo. God I need a drink after that. Stay away from this one.




Sunday 1 December 2013

The Scottish View: Armageddon 2003




Armageddon 2003 Review


I've heard that this PPV is pretty awful, so of course, I'm looking forward to it. Let's see how it is.




Lilian Garcia sings the American National Anthem. I'm not sure of the occasion or why they're putting it in the show, but Lilian does a great job as usual.



Oh right Saddam was caught, that makes a lot of sense now. And now for some wrestling. Hopefully.




Booker T vs Mark Henry
I'm not sure why these guys were feuding, but I think it was because Henry pinned Booker a couple of times. Bit of a sore loser then. Unfortunately this is the Henry that hadn't figured out how to be an awesome monster heel yet. Not a bad match here, and it even had a nice nearfall towards the end. The finish did seem a bit out of nowhere though. **



Backstage, Eric Bischoff tells Jericho and Christian to embarrass Lita and Trish.


Co-GM Mick Foley enters the ring and gets a cheap pop. He does a Dr Evil impression and says that the petition to bring back Steve Austin has one million signatures. Way to make the Survivor Series match look pointless. Stacy Kiebler comes out as a sexy cheerleader to brighten up the place. And just when I thought this was all pointless, Randy Orton comes out to further the soon-to-be-awesome feud between himself and Foley. Foley reveals himself as the guest referee and starts the IC Title match.


I've already reviewed this match in my Evolution of a Predator Blu Ray Review, so I'll just re-do it. Here's the original match review:



Randy Orton vs Rob Van Dam
From Armageddon 2003 . Big moment and match for Orton here as this was the contest in which he won his first and only IC Title . Mick Foley was the guest referee for the bout .This was a good match and it made Orton look good as well . Orton hits a sick looking RKO to win the match . ***1/4


(Well this is certainly a historical match thanks to Orton's first Title win that would help him on his way to stardom. He did look very good coming out of the match, and even made the IC Title look prestigious, as you could tell that he was overjoyed to win it. This might have been the first time that Orton used the rope DDT. Orton's sleepers were boring, but apart from that this was a very good match. I'll keep the rating at  ***1/4)




That's enough of the re-doing for this show.



Chris Jericho & Christian vs Trish Stratus & Lita
This was billed as the Battle of the Sexes. This story would have it's culmination at Wrestlemania when (SPOILER ALERT) Trish turned on Jericho. Jericho didn't want to fight, but Christian had no problem fighting the women. Jericho was fine with fighting Lita, just not Trish. The match was good at getting the guys heat from the crowd. This was never gonna be a technical classic, but it was entertaining, especially when the women had the advantage. **1/2




Shawn Michaels vs Batista
This feud started at Survivor Series when Batista cost Shawn the match with a powerbomb. Batista was still green at this point and hadn't had a lot of PPV matches, but if one guy could give him a good match, it would be HBK. HBK has a good record of great matches with big guys. This was quite slow due to Batista's offense, but Shawn made it as good as he could. Solid match. The ref did seem to ignore the fact that Shawn's shoulders were down during the pin. Still, it was a good effort. **3/4



Maven comes out as he was scheduled to face Matt Hardy, but Batista is still in the ring, so they fight outside the ring. Hardy tosses Maven into the ring and Batista takes him out, so the match doesn't take place. I don't think anyone is really disappointed.




Tag Team Turmoil Match
Tag Team Titles are on the line here. For some reason I like these kind of matches. La Resistance and Hurricane & Rosey start the match off. The Frenchmen are eliminated by a big frog splash, and that brings out Jindrak & Cade who sneak attack the Superheroes to get a very quick pin. Val Venis and Lance Storm are out next. Crowd didn't seem to care about either of these teams. Venis eliminated and that brings the Dudleyz out. The 3D takes out Jindrak & Cade, and that brings out Scott Steiner and Test. This match is WAY too long. Team 3D seemingly win, but Bischoff comes out and adds Batista and Flair as a team. Batista hits the powerbomb to win. This match was too long and only decent at best. *3/4



Molly Holly vs Ivory
Womens Title is on the line. I didn't even know that Ivory was still in the WWE at this point. This match was basically just here as filler until we got to the main event. JR and King's commentary during this match was just atrocious. The match wasn't too bad, but it was too short. *1/2



It's time for the main event and hopefully it can save the show.



Goldberg vs Triple H vs Kane
World Heavyweight Title is on the line. I think Kane was just added because the HHH/Goldberg feud was boring, and they had to give him something to do after that silly feud with Shane McMahon that lasted for three or four months. Pretty good triple threat match, and I liked the power-move style of the match. HHH wins to put himself back on top, and to give Evolution every Title on Raw. ***




4/10. Damn this was a pretty dire show. There's nothing truly terrible here, but the only thing going out of your way to see is Orton's first Title win, which you can find on his DVD anyway. Give this one a miss guys.









Saturday 30 November 2013

The Scottish Re-Do: CM Punk - Best in the World




Best in the World DVD Re-Do Review


It's been over a year since I purchased and reviewed this fantastic DVD set. To be honest I'm only really re-doing because I really want to watch it again. Is it as good as I remember? Let's find out.


                                                                                                                                                                 



The documentary was fantastic . It was pretty revealing and even put the higher-ups of the WWE in a bad light which I wasn't expecting since they usually get the final word on everything . It lasts an hour and fifty minutes , and would have loved an extra hour . Hell I would have loved an extra two hours ! The doc. on its own I would give 9.75/10 , but add in the interesting special features from the first disc and it's an easy 10/10 , and easily one of the best features the WWE has ever released . Worth the price of the set just for this one disc . I would easily put this up against the Rise and Fall of ECW DVD set .


(Yeah the documentary is still fantastic and still one of, if not the, best they've ever put together. It's such a rewatchable feature, and you can't really say that about the Rise and Fall of ECW feature since that one runs for three hours. Two hours still feels too short because Punk's story is so interesting and he's just so charismatic. He truly is the Best in the World. Full points from me. 10/10)



I'm pretty sure the matches will make this even better .


(Oh yes they will)



Disc 2 :




CM Punk vs Brent Albright
From an OVW event . This was apparently one of the biggest feuds in OVW history . Punk says he thought he had great chemistry with Brent and loved wrestling him . Punk looks to have injured his leg at one point , but the match continues . Brent wins as Punk passes out from an STF . Overall I'll give it  *** .


(I'm still a bit disappointed that we never got to have any ROH matches on the set, but an OVW match will do fine, especially a good one like this. I should say that I like the sidebars for the non-HD matches, as they don't distract from the matches at all. This was a good indie-style matchup. ***)



CM Punk vs Justin Credible
Here we have Punk's WWE debut , which took place in ECW . The ECW fans welcomed Punk and that helped give us a nice , exciting debut match for Punk . Credible taps to the anaconda vice . **


(Nice to see the ECW TV show before it all went to shit and became just another WWE show. Good little debut for Punk who got a great reception from the ECW crowd. Solid match. **1/4)



CM Punk vs John Morrison
These two had some disappointing matches before this one . This is the match that they finally clicked on . This was Punk's last chance to win the title . I love that WWE kept the action shown , even through commercial breaks . Why not do that with all matches ? Punk wins the ECW Title with a GTS . ***1/2


(Yeah their PPV matches weren't very good and were solid at best, but on this night they were ready to steal the show and show that they had talent. They were finally given enough time to put on a proper match, and they used it very well. I still love that we get to see what happened during the commercial breaks. An awesome TV match that had some nice nearfalls, and the crowd went wild for the finish. ***3/4)





Money In The Bank : Wrestlemania XXIV
One of the best spotfests in WWE . It worked really well for a match that had 2 faces and 5 heels . Loved the sunset flip suplex off the ladder and Shelton falling all the way outside the ring onto another ladder . Brilliant match . Punk wins his first , but not his last , MITB . ****

(Probably one of the better MITB matches in history. At the time I thought having only two faces was bad, but look at the recent MITB match that had nothing but heels! (2013). Anyway this match was awesome all the way through, and just about everyone had something to bring to the match. It was all about the spots, but they were all awesome. The interference of Matt Hardy was very well done too. Punk deserved the big win, and even though the Title run wasn't great, it did bring him a step closer to the top. ****)



CM Punk & Kofi Kingston vs Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase
Tag titles on the line . Punk described his partnership with Kofi as a lot of fun . Another match that has action where the breaks are meant to be . Hopefully this is now the norm for DVD sets . Punk wins the tag titles with a GTS to Dibiase . ***


(I really don't remember Kofi and Punk as a team, but they both looked like they were having fun together. These guys were given plenty of time and they gave us a nice tag match out of it. Much better than I remembered. ***1/2)


CM Punk vs William Regal : No DQ Match
Now here you can expect a real stiff match . I suspect it's also going to be a great match . IC Title on the line . A little too short as I was enjoying it , but still a very good match . Punk wins the IC Title with a GTS . ***1/4

(Regal and Punk were good friends backstage, and I think Regal requested this match. Even though they were friends, they still worked a stiff match to entertain the fans. Punk was also in Chicago, so the loud fans made things even better. It was pretty damn short but it was very good and made the IC Title look pretty prestigious. ***1/4)




Disc 3 :



CM Punk vs Jeff Hardy : TLC Match
One of the best feuds of 2009 hits its breaking point with a TLC match . Jeff Hardy's specialty match . Nice to see they got the main event spot . Jeff being dropped onto a set-up chair looked brutal . The superplex on the ladder looked very sick . Jeff's swanton onto the announce table was the holy shit moment of the match . Punk knocks Jeff off the ladder and grabs the title to become the new champ . Incredible . ****1/4


(It's been a while since I've watched this one, so I was looking forward to it. This was probably the best feud of 2009, as the two had a great feud with their polar opposite personalities, and the fact that they had chemistry in the ring. This was the best match of their feud and it was an awesome car crash style match with a good story behind it. I don't know what they were thinking with that superplex on the ladder, but it looked fucking nasty and still makes me flinch. The swanton bomb through the announce table is still an awesome moment. ****1/4)



CM Punk vs Rey Mysterio : Hair vs Pledge
Can these guys actually have a match less than 3 stars ? Brutal when Rey was thrown into that barber chair. Hated when they stopped the match for blood , it just kills all the momentum . But Punk managed to pick it up by going crazy on Rey . Just an awesome match here . ****1/4


(I do love the feud these guys had in 2010, and this is still probably my favourite match of their series. Quite the historical match as well, since it led to the haircut that Punk still has today. I know that the blood stoppage did stop the momentum a bit, but they definitely picked it back up with an awesome back and forth contest. Still  ****1/4 to me)



John Cena vs CM Punk
What can i say about this match that hasn't already been said ? The best example of a modern day WWE classic . The crowd was absolutely electric for the match and that made it much better . Just half an hour of great wrestling and breathtaking action , with a finish that no one saw coming . I think about 95% of fans thought that Cena would leave with the title or a MITB winner would leave , but no , CM Punk left as WWE champion . A classic in every sense of the word . *****


(Oh yeah as if the rating on this match is gonna change. Not much else to say, it's still one of the greatest matches of all time and one of the best of the modern era. Punk and Cena's best match ever in my opinion. *****)



CM Punk vs Chris Jericho
The match started off a bit slow but Jericho's heel antics trying to get disqualified were awesome and kept it going . Great finishing sequence where no one knew what was going to happen . This gets better with every viewing . Punk retains with the anaconda vice . A modern Wrestlemania classic . ****

(I always seem to change my mind on the rating for this one. Hopefully this time it'll stick. They had to deal with a crowd that was saving their energy for Cena/Rock, but they worked through it well and managed to get the crowd fired up. They even worked through the restricting DQ Title change stipulation. Jericho trying to get Punk to DQ himself was pretty cool. Just great action throughout, including a painful-looking suplex to the floor. Awesome stuff. Probably the best match between these two. I'll increase the rating to  ****1/2)


CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan
The match we'd all been waiting for . This was just amazing , with both these guys putting on a great performance . Apparently the match lasted for 25 minutes but for me it felt like 15 as the match just whizzed by . This is what we want WWE ! After a spectacular showing , Punk is able to roll Bryan up for a three count . ****1/2


(This is another match I haven't watched for quite a while, but I'm really looking forward to experiencing this one again. Such a great way to end this phenomenal DVD set. At the time, I was disappointed that Bryan didn't win the title, but now that he won it at Summerslam I can love this match even more. Bryan looked great in this match, and looked like Punk's equal, and even managed to make him tap out at the end of the match. Pardon my French, but this match fucking ruled. Even better than I remember, and I remember it being amazing! This is a WRESTLING match. It really reminded me of the Bret/Owen Mania match with both men trying to one-up the other. An absolute classic that would be the best of 2012 if not for HHH/Taker. *****)




9.5/10 . Absolutely fantastic set . One of the best ever . You get easily of the best wrestling documentaries and every match on the set felt like it should have been there . Not to mention the amount of classics here . Buy this as quickly as possible !



(10/10. Aside from no ROH matches, I can find no fault with this set. Even the cover is fantastic! Still the amazing set I remember, and I even increased a lot of the match ratings. One of the best documentaries ever, filled with some of the greatest matches ever. If you still don't have this one I would totally recommend it. An astounding set)

Thursday 28 November 2013

The Scottish View: No Mercy 2003




No Mercy 2003 Review



Sorry it's taken me a while to do another review of an older show, I've just been working on other things at the same time such as a three re-dos (History of the WWE Title, CM Punk DVD, Brock Blu Ray) and the History of the World Title DVD. For those who would like to know, the next PPV I plan to review will be Armageddon 2003. For now here's No Mercy 2003.


This is an event that I've never watched before, except for the McMahon family soap opera match, so I'm looking forward to seeing some matches I've never watched before. After their first amazing PPV, would Smackdown be able to replicate another one? Let's find out.



Rey Mysterio vs Tajiri
The Cruiserwight Title is on the line. This is how you start off a show, with some high-flying cruiserweight action. This one might put some people off though, as it was slower paced compared to most cruiserweight matches, but that doesn't make it boring as there's some nice arm work by Tajiri, and Mysterio brought the high-flying action. The pace definitely picked up towards the end with some nice nearfalls and innovative moves. Great opener. ***1/2



A-Train vs Chris Benoit
I know that these two had a ton of matches in 2003, probably because Benoit was the only guy that could give him a good match. The match was pretty boring when A-Train was on offense, but it got rolling once Benoit was on the attack. Benoit took a nasty head bump right onto a steel chair. Damn that looked painful. A-Train taps to the sharpshooter to end the match. Pretty good stuff here. **3/4




Matt Hardy vs Zach Gowen
This would be Zach's last PPV match in the WWE. After Zach's feud with Vince McMahon, they really didn't have anything for him and this was proof of it. This match is taking place because Zach wants a win. Zach didn't get much of a reaction from the crowd during his entrance. It was a pretty entertaining match while it lasted though, and gave Zach his first win. **



Backstage Vince makes the rule that Stephanie can with the I Quit match by pinfall and submission, while Vince can only win by submission. And it's also No Holds Barred.



The APA vs The Bashams
The Bashams challenged the APA to this match on Sunday Night Heat. The Basham's got no reaction at all during their entrance. This was obviously just a filler match but it was actually quite fun while it lasted, which I wasn't expecting. Shaniqua interferes to give the Bashams the win. **1/4


Next up it's McMahon time! The only one you won't see is Shane who was on Raw taking on Kane.



Vince McMahon vs Stephanie McMahon : I Quit
I think this might be the only mixed gender I Quit match in history. I don't think it's technically an I Quit match though since Stephanie can pin Vince. Vince was sick of Stephanie as the general manager of Smackdown, and so wanted to get rid of her like any normal boss would do. Try and beat her to death. Apparently this was 6 days before Stephanie's wedding, so they had to be extra careful here. I have to admit, the nearfalls were very well done. Unexpectedly good match here. Linda throws in the towel for Stephanie to give Vince the win. **1/4



John Cena vs Kurt Angle
This was just before Cena would turn face and his career would skyrocket to the top. This match was based on respect and some funny rap battles between the two. Cena got quite a face reaction here. Cena still seemed a little inexperienced here, but Angle still managed to pull a great match out of him, and made him look good in the process. It looked like Angle hurt his neck on that powerbomb in the corner. Angle kicked out of the FU, and barely anyone gets to do that now. Great match here and the best match of the night so far. ***3/4




Eddie Guerrero vs Big Show
US Title on the line. Show wasn't having very good matches at this time, but if anyone could get one out of him, it would be Eddie. I don't get the point of Show winning the Title since he would defend it about three times between this PPV and Wrestlemania XX. He's like a very long transitional champ. Show got most of the offense here and it was pretty dull. When Eddie was on offense it was entertaining. He used his Lie, Cheat and Steal mentality to make it fun. Solid match overall I'd say. **1/4



Brock Lesnar vs Undertaker: Biker Chain Match
WWE Championship on the line. I'm pretty sure the show would have a lower buyrate if the words 'on a pole' were added to the match gimmick, even if that's essentially what is it. I'm a fan of the matches these guys had in 2002, so I was looking forward to this. Cole says it's ironic that Stephanie made this match and this led to her match. In what way is that ironic? Sadly I was disappointed by this match, thanks to the gimmick of it and because of the run-ins from the FBI and Vince McMahon to set up the Buried Alive match at Survivor Series. The action was pretty boring at times too. The piledriver on the steps was pretty cool though. Decent match. **1/2



5/10. This was nowhere near as good as Vengeance was. Just not a very good show here, as their was nothing terrible, but there was nothing worth watching outside of the opener and the Cena/Angle match. The I Quit match might be worth a watch, but it wasn't spectacular.




Tuesday 26 November 2013

The Scottish View: Raw 25/11/13




Monday Night Raw Review: 25/11/13 or 11/25/13



Here we are the night after Survivor Series.


According to Cole this is episode 1070. Raw takes place in Long Island, so hopefully we'll see Zack Ryder at some point.



WWE Champion Randy Orton makes his entrance. He wants an apology from the cynics. Here comes the McMahon-Helmsley regime to tell Orton that their proud of his victory. Orton's pissed off that his win was tainted because of them. Huge Daniel Bryan chant starts. Orton says that no one can take away his title, and that brings out Cena. Cena says that everyone is sick of the Authority. True. Cena thinks there should be only one champ. Hopefully we'll have unified Titles. Cena challenges Orton with both Titles on the line. HHH makes the match for TLC in a Tables Ladders and Chairs match. I'm looking forward to that one.



Rey Mysterio & The Rhodes Brothers vs The Shield
Before the match we're shown pictures of Roman Reigns amazing performance at Survivor Series. With the amazing quality of WWE's tag matches at the moment, this one should be good. Rey was great in this match, and took away my fears that he was close to retirement. I really wish this had been longer because it was so much fun while it was going. Roman Reigns looked like a beast once again. Ambrose hits his finisher for the win. **3/4



Michael Strahan is here next. I don't watch American Football so I don't know who he is.



MizTV is here for an interview with Michael Strahan. After Miz's heel turn I'm actually looking forward to this for once. Strahan comes out, but it's not him, it's Titus O' Neill dressed like him. They both make fun of Strahan for a little bit. I've missed this Miz. The real Strahan appears. He makes the main event of Orton and Del Rio taking on Cena and Big Show. Strahan wants to take a hip toss, but Miz is too weak and so is Titus. Strahan gives Miz and Titus a hip toss. This was a very long segment, plus I'm pretty sure that Strahan broke kayfabe and called wrestling 'pretend'.



Curtis Axel & Ryback vs Big E Langston & Mark Henry
Henry and Langston would make an awesome tag team combination. Ryback has a shiner on his left eye. Must have been from the PPV match. Ryback managed to press slam Langston, and it did impress me. Short match to show the domination of Langston and Henry. *



Up next we have a rematch of the traditional Survivor Series divas tag match. I'd rather have the other traditional match.



Total Divas 'Stars' vs Total Divas Rejects
Straight away the crowd has started to chant for JBL. This was just the same as the divas match at Survivor Series, with the quick elimiantions and the crowd not caring. Tamina looked pretty good though. Natalya and Tamina will never be able to find their own identities if the announcers won't stop mentioning their fathers. AJ Lee got the biggest crowd reaction. Summer Rae got a good reaction too. *




Damien Sandow vs Dolph Ziggler: Hardcore Match
This is the WWE App match for the evening. The other choices were Street Fight or a Lumberjack match. I'm happy with the Hardcore match. There are some strange weapons in the ring like tennis balls and racquets. Even some golf clubs. Dolph is wearing a Zack Ryder shirt and I love him for it. It inspires a 'We want Ryder' chants. This wasn't as good as the Broadway Brawl, but it was still very entertaining. Sandow gets the win with a full nelson slam on a trash can. **3/4



Erick Rowan appears backstage to give Strahan a goat mask. Ok then.



CM Punk and Daniel Bryan are interviewed in the ring by Renee Young. Punk asks a bunch of questions and Bryan answers Yes! almost everytime. Punk also questions HHH's creativity. Nice intensity from both Punk and Bryan. Here come the Wyatts to start the match.



CM Punk & Daniel Bryan vs The Wyatt Family
The tag match from Survivor Series was awesome, so hopefully the addition of Bray Wyatt will only make it better. This one was going greatly until the match ended because the ref lost control. Good match and I'd love to see more between both teams in the future, especially if Bryan is as fired up as he was tonight. ***



After the match the Wyatts carry Bryan out of the arena. Punk goes to make the save but takes a spear from Roman Reigns. Do the Shield and the Wyatts have an alliance? Or was HHH pissed off at Punk's comments? I guess we'll find out soon. This was some awesome stuff though.



Kofi Kingston vs The Miz
This a rematch of the Survivor Series pre-show match that I didn't see because my connection sucked. I'm still just so glad that Miz is no longer a face. All I need now is R-Truth to go crazy heel again and I'm good. The crowd wasn't really into this, but it was ok, even if it was paced quite slowly. Miz gets a lucky pin for the win. *



I don't like it when WWE shows their merchandise table with superstars trying to shill products, but it was worth it this time to see Mick Foley, Dude Love and Mankind! Too bad Cactus Jack wasn't around.

Jerry Lawler interviews a benefit auction winner who calls himself the Kosher Butcher, who says that his finisher would be called the 'Circumcision'. I'm glad I wasn't drinking anything because that caught me off guard and I couldn't stop laughing.



Xavier Woods vs Heath Slater
For some reason Xavier used Brodus Clay's music and the Funkadactyls for his entrance. Is there a rule that every debut has to feature a member of 3MB? The crowd chants for the Kosher Butcher. Just a squash for Woods here. 1/2*


Backstage the Divas meet Strahan and Goldust snorts at him. Goldust was the most interesting person here.



Randy Orton & Alberto Del Rio vs John Cena & The Big Show
Does this count as a rematch from Survivor Series? I like to think it does. Big Show is still pissed off about his loss against Orton. This was just an average tag match here, with Cena and Orton rightfully not interacting too much to build up their match. The crowd (and myself) wants Ryder, but we're not getting him. Decent match. **


Orton attacks Cena afterwards and holds up both belts.




Not a good show tonight, as there wasn't anything memorable outside of the TLC match announcement and the stuff with the 2 on 3 handicap match. A weak show indeed.











Monday 25 November 2013

The Scottish View: Survivor Series 2013




Survivor Series 2013 Review


WWE haven't had a stand-out PPV since the amazing Summerslam PPV of August. Would this big four show get it right? Let's find out.


The Usos / Rhodes Brothers / Rey Mysterio vs The Shield & The Real Americans
After all the amazing tag matches we've seen over the past couple of months, I was expecting this one to be great, and I'd say it delivered. I love these elimination matches, as they are usually tons of fun, and this one was no exception. It was never really boring, and the eliminations weren't too quick or slow either. It also managed to make a star with it's sole survivor Roman Reigns. I can see a bright future for him. Seth Rollins and Antonio Cesaro also stood out as two very talented performers. Mysterio didn't look to have any ring rust and hit every move nicely. Overall a great match and maybe the best of the night. ***3/4



Big E Langston vs Curtis Axel
I didn't really have any high hopes for this one, as their Raw match wasn't great and it was pretty obvious as to who the victor would be. The match was actually quite solid, even if the crowd didn't care about it, although this crowd was pretty shitty tonight. The bout was only slightly better than the Raw match, but it wasn't bad. **



Total Divas 'Stars' vs Total Divas Rejects
I wish the WWE would stop trying to get the Total Divas over. No one gives a shit, and the only person on their team that got a reaction from the crowd was Jojo, who was destroyed by the daughter of Jimmy Snuka anyway. The match was just basically a 'finisher' fest with a member of each team being eliminated in turns, and Natalya came out as the winner even though Nikki Bella was never eliminated (pretty big fuck-up from the commentators). *



Ryback vs Mark Henry
Henry finally makes his return here in this Wrestlemania rematch. I was petrified that Khali would answer Ryback's challenge, but thankfully we got Sexual Chocolate. I enjoyed this match a bit more than their Mania match, even if it was still pretty slow. I'm just happy that Henry's back. *3/4



John Cena vs Alberto Del Rio
This was another match I wasn't particualry psyched for, as I was pretty certain that Cena was gonna win. To be honest you could just look at what I said about their Hell in a Cell match, as it was pretty much the same match again with the same finish. A good match even if a tad predictable and quite unspectacular. ***1/4



CM Punk & Daniel Bryan vs The Wyatt Family
I had the privilage of seeing this match live earlier this month, but this was so much better. Punk and Bryan were their usual great selves here, but Luke Harper impressed, and Rowan managed to hold his own as well. I'm surprised that this seemed to be the definitive ending of the feud with Punk winning clean, as I thought they might have continued the feud. All in all a great match that is tied with the opener for Match of the Night. ***3/4



Randy Orton vs Big Show
A lot of people weren't looking forward to this match when it was announced, but I wanted to give it a chance. It's now safe to say that I was wrong and that this was pretty damn bad. I didn't think the match would be great, but I wasn't expecting what would have even been a bad TV match. Neither guy seemed to care about the match and there were some pretty sloppy moments too. A bad main event to the show, no doubt about that. *


John Cena comes out to show Orton his belt. Oh great this feud again.



5.5/10. This was a pretty bland show, but it might be the best one since Summerslam so it's got that going for it. You should definitely check out the opening elimination match and the Punk & Bryan tag match, but there's really nothing else besides Mark Henry's return and the World Title match that is just the same as their last match.

Tuesday 19 November 2013

The Scottish View : Raw 11/18/13





The Scottish View: Raw (Country) 11/18/13 or 18/11/13



I'm trying to come up with a name for the reviews I do, so for now it's The Scottish View. Tonights Raw is a Country special. I'm gonna make a prediction and say that it'll be offensive to Southern America and that we may get an appearance from the Honky Tonk Man. Let's find out.




We're getting a live performance from a band called the Florida Georgia Line. I've never heard of them. We're also getting an IC Title match between Curtis Axel and Big E. Really hoping that Big E wins that one. And we're also getting the match that I wanted at Survivor Series, a 12 man tag match with CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, The Usos and The Rhodes Brother vs The Shield and The Wyatts.




Triple H and Stephanie come out to tell us that last week's Raw sucked and that the Authority is necessary. The way they were talking you would think that they had been gone for months. If only. Orton comes to the ring and looks pissed off. He blames HHH and Stephanie for his chokeslam through the table. Brad Maddox and Vickie Guerrero come out. Maddox says it was all Vickie's fault in a funny moment. Stephanie announces that Vickie and Brad will be in seperate matches tonight. Oh yippee. Maddox's match is up right now against Orton. It's No DQ. I smell a screwy finish. Well that established nothing except that the Authority are bullies which we already know, and made a couple of matches that don't spark interest.




Randy Orton vs Brad Maddox : No DQ
I was hoping for Orton to be in another show stealing match, but I doubt this'll be it. Maddox did have the support of the crowd. I did enjoy the start of the match with Maddox getting some offense on Orton and even a nearfall. The ref ends the match as Maddox can't continue. I was expecting an interference from Big Show there. So what was the point of the match then? To make Orton look like even more of a dick? 1/4*



Big E Langston vs Curtis Axel
IC Title is on the line. Like I've said before, I do enjoy the ring work of Axel, but he's just not right for the IC Title right now. I think Big E would have had more momentum going into this match had he not tapped within five minutes to Del Rio last week. The match wasn't great, but it was awesome to see Big E win the IC Title. Hopefully he can make it mean something. **


We get some clips to show us the Florida Georgia Line. Great way to build to Survivor Series guys.



Oh Jesus Christ we're getting musical chairs. Lawler says that Cruise by Florida Georgia Line is one of the most downloaded songs on iTunes ever. Bullshit. The reason that musical chairs worked in 2004 is because there was a title shot involved and it featured charismatic guys like Jericho and Flair. Thankfully this turns into a brawl and ends quickly. Completely pointless crap.



Big Show vs Ryback
I guess the rumors on this being a Wrestlemania match were made-up, seeing as Show got a pretty definitive win here. At least Ryback didn't get completely squashed like I thought he would. This match was actually pretty damn good and I was enjoying it. Ryback managed to hit Show with an awesome shellshock, but Show kicked out, and I believe he's the first person to do so. **1/2  Orton comes in and takes a spear from Show.



Backstage Orton is pissed off.



The Real Americans vs Kofi Kingston & The Miz
I'm betting that the Real Americans get a bigger face reaction than Miz and Kingston. Ok I was wrong about that as Kingston got a good reaction. Kofi goes to tag Miz but Miz jumps off the apron. Finally! Miz is a heel again just where he belongs. Thank god for that. Fun match. **




Backstage Vickie pretends to faint to get out of her match. Hopefully it works.



AJ Lee vs Vickie Guerrero
Unfortunately it didn't work and we're getting this match. Won't this match make AJ a face? I hope not because she's great as a heel. Somehow an 'Eddie' chant starts. AJ locks in the black widow and Vickie immediately taps. AJ was awesome here but this was shit. DUD



Dolph Ziggler vs Damien Sandow : Broadway Brawl
Nobody seems to explain the rules of this match, and there are many instruments in the ring, so I have no idea what's going to happen. Looks like they can use the instruments as weapons. That seems like a waste of some nice guitars. I think this is the first time that anyone has ever went through a keyboard. This was fun in a garbage sort of way. When it came down to actually wrestling, it was good. Ziggler pins Sandow to win. ***



Once this show is over, I want them to promise never to do a Country Special again.



Cena comes out with a sling around his left arm. He tells us that he has the determination to beat Del Rio and stay World Champ. Nothing new then. Del Rio comes out. Turns out Cena was faking with the sling and is fine. Well that was pretty dull.



The Rhinestone Cowboys vs R-Truth & Xavier Woods
When was Xavier called up to the main roster. I figured that he was dead in the water when JBL had no idea who he was on live television. Oh yeah, the Cowboys are 3MB. I kinda like their gimmick of changing their style depending on where they are. Ok match I guess but it didn't really mean anything. *



HHH says there will be no interference in the WWE Title match at Survivor Series. Yeah right.



Florida Georgia Line performs. I can't tell you anything about it as I fast forwarded through it.


It's time for the Main Event! Finally.



Daniel Bryan / CM Punk / The Usos / The Rhodes Brothers vs The Shield & The Wyatt Family
I would have absolutely loved to have seen this as a Survivor Series elimination match, but I'm completely happy to be seeing it here. This should be one hell of a contest. The Shield and Wyatt's can't even shake hands before the match. The match did seem to be more about the tension between the Shield and the Wyatt's, but it was fun to watch. And speaking of fun to watch, this match was amazingly fun. ***3/4


The Real Americans come out to attack, and REY MYSTERIO! makes his return! Awesome ending to the night.




This was a much better Raw than I thought it would be, even with the silly country theme. Watch for the IC Title change, Miz turning heel, a good Ziggler/Sandow match, and the main event. Roll on Survivor Series!

Monday 18 November 2013

No Mercy 2006 Review




No Mercy 2006 Review


I found this one quite cheaply in a shop, so I thought I'd give it a watch. I've heard it was one of the better PPVs that year and one of the better single-brand PPVs overall. Does it hold up today if that's true? Let's find out.




Matt Hardy vs Gregory Helms
On paper, this looked like a filler match, but who would've known that they would almost steal the whole damn show! The feud seemed to be built on both guys hitting each other in the balls on Smackdown, but luckily it's the in-ring work that was more memorable. A great opener with some nice nearfalls and some good counter-wrestling. Find this one if you can, it's worth a look. ***1/2


Backstage, King Booker wants William Regal to help him out. Booker was pretty good at putting his opponents over here.



Paul London & Brian Kendrick vs KC James & Idol Stevens
The Tag Titles are on the line. Idol Stevens is also known as the Intellectual Saviour, Damien Sandow. It's strange seeing him without his majestic beard. Just a standard tag match here with nothing really standing out, except for the amazing athleticism of London and Kendrick. It was still pretty damn entertaining too. **1/2



Backstage, Regal gets covered in food.



The Miz is out to celebrate his birthday. I think if somebody during this time met a time traveller that told them that Miz would be WWE Champion, they would have vomited on the spot. This is a pointless segment except for a very sexy looking Layla. I can see why people hated the Miz at this point. He was fucking annoying. And of course, Big Dick Johnson comes out to embarrass Miz. Couldn't they have just added five minutes to the opener?



MVP vs Marty Garner
This is MVP's debut match. Since it's a show people are paying for, they could have at least gave MVP someone from the actual roster to fight. The crowd does turn on the match quite quickly. Just a total squash here. DUD


Backstage, Regal runs into more shenanigans. Teddy Long puts Regal in a match later on.



Undertaker vs Mr Kennedy
This was during Kennedy's run of beating former World Champs. It was a great way of making him look good, and a good idea in general, but the fact that some wrestlers didn't like working with him and that he kept hurting himself led to his firing in 2009. This feud would continue to December. Solid match that started pretty boring but got more entertaining as it went on. Always nice to see a classic piledriver. Even if it looks pretty dangerous. The DQ finish ruins it a bit, but it was still quite good. **3/4



Rey Mysterio vs Chavo Guerrero : Falls Count Anywhere
The fan sign in the crowd put it best 'Let Eddie RIP'. Yes after almost a year they were still milking all that they could out of Eddie Guerrero's tragic death. This would be Rey's last PPV match until Summerslam 2007, ten months later. These guys have great chemistry, so this was almost guaranteed to be good. They made good use of the stipulation, as they were barely in the ring at all. Fun little match here. ***




Chris Benoit vs William Regal
Quite the impromptu match here. If they were smart they would have advertised this match, as it would have gotten pure wrestling fans excited for it. This was Benoit's return match. Two stiff workers going at it. Regal was busted open after a nasty headbutt from Benoit. The only thing I didn't like about this match was the amount of time it got. Take away the pointless Miz segment, the MVP squash, give the time to this match and you have a classic. Very stiff technical bout. It's not often that an impromptu match is the best of the night, although Armageddon would do the same two months later. ***1/2



King Booker vs Finlay vs Bobby Lashley vs Batista
World Heavyweight Title is on the line. To be honest, the only challenger that looked to have a chance of winning the Title was Batista, but that didn't stop it from being a fun match. I do wish Batista had won this, so that we wouldn't have to see their bad match at Survivor Series. This was very entertaining, with every guy getting an opportunity to look good, and they took it. Great fatal four way. ***1/2



7.5/10. Very good show here as there wasn't a lot of garbage apart from the pointless Miz segment and the MVP squash, but those didn't last long anyway. You have three great matches, an entertaining Falls Count Anywhere match and a solid Taker/Kennedy match. Watch this one if you get the chance.