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)

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

Royal Rumble 2002 Review

Royal Rumble 2002 Review


This is the original DVD version, so no blurring for me! Let's begin.



The Dudley Boyz vs Tazz & Spike Dudley
Tag Titles are on the line. I never even knew that Tazz and Spike were ever a team, nevermind Tag Champs. I think the Dudleys are meant to be heels, but they received quite a loud cheer from the crowd when they entered. As usual Spike was great in his face in peril role. This was really short, but it was a lot of fun while it lasted. It got the crowd in the wrestling mood anyway. **



Edge vs William Regal
IC Title is on the line. If they knew that Wrestlemania was in Toronto that year, then why didn't they keep Edge as the champ to give him a proper match at Mania, instead of a random feud with Booker T? Who knows. This wasn't as good as I thought it might have been, and it was quite slow at times. It did get quite exciting by the end though. Regal is the new IC Champ. **



Trish Stratus vs Jazz
Jacqueline is the referee for this Women's Title match. I can't tell why she is the champ as it wasn't really explained. Trish's hand is all taped up after Jazz closed a box lid on it. This was a good match and I wish it had been longer because I was enjoying it. Jacqueline didn't do much as the ref except for pissing off Jazz. Solid, short match here. *1/2


The next review is from my McMahon DVD Review:  http://prowrestlingtvreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/mcmahon-dvd-review.html



Vince McMahon vs Ric Flair : Street Fight
This was never going to be a technical classic, but I'm sure both guys were trying their best to give us the most entertaining match they could. At the time, Ric was part owner of the WWE, and obviously that pissed off Vince. Ric also wasn't an active wrestler here. Didn't take long for Flair to blade. And yes this was a fun match. Not the best, but enjoyable. Vince is the master of making a bad-looking match highly entertaining.  **1/2



The Rock vs Chris Jericho
The Undisputed Title is on the line. These two have tremendous chemistry together, and this match definitely proves that point. Their No Mercy match was better, but this was still awesome. The run-ins don't hurt the match, but they do make Jericho look a little weak. A brilliant back and forth match between two of the all time greats, and easily the match of the night. ****



The Royal Rumble Match
I find it quite hard to rate a rumble match as a whole. I think the most memorable part of this match was Maven eliminating the Undertaker. It would have made him look quite good if Taker didn't immediately kick his ass afterwards. It was still pretty damn awesome though. Seeing Mr Perfect return was a nice moment too, and he hadn't changed a bit. That's about it for memorable moments. It wasn't the worst rumble ever (that goes to the 1999 atrocity), but it certainly wasn't the best either. I'll go with  ***



6/10. A solid PPV here. There was nothing bad about the undercard, but it was just unmemorable, except for the entertaining Street Fight. The Undisputed Championship match was awesome and the highlight of the night, and the Rumble was pretty enjoyable.

Summerslam 2013 Re-Do Review

Summerslam 2013 Re-Do Review


It has been three months since this PPV took place. So now that the dust has settled, is it still a fantastic show and one of the best Summerslam events ever? Let's find out.


I was gonna review the kickoff match since I missed it the first time around, but it turns out that the Blu Ray Exclusive match is only five minutes long and starts at what looks like ten minutes into it, so that's pissed me off already.

I was looking forward to watching that, you DVD making bastards!


Right lets start the re-do. I've not done one of these for a while, so I hope you still know how they work.


                                                                                                                                                                 






The Miz starts the show by welcoming us to Summerslam and is interrupted by Fandango. Unfortunately this would be a pointless running joke throughout the night.


(Unfortunately this would be a pointless feud that did nothing but annoy everybody)



Kane vs Bray Wyatt : Ring of Fire Match
Like an Inferno match except you can't set your opponent on fire because this is the PG era. I thought this was a bad decision for the opener as it was quite dull throughout and the fire was only there to make the match seem more interesting. It didn't do Wyatt any favours either since he looked easily beaten and needed his family to help him win. Not a great start to the night. *


(Kane wouldn't be seen again until the Hell in a Cell PPV, and soon after that he would turn into corporate Kane. Since this match took place, we found out that Wyatt wasn't a very good wrestler, and that it was in fact Luke Harper that was the talented one in the Wyatt family. Bray was beaten quite easily until the family came in, which didn't make him look too good. Not a very good match, but slightly better than I remembered. *1/2)



Cody Rhodes vs Damien Sandow
Now this should have been the opening match. I have to say that I love Sandow's new MITB Briefcase. Suits him well. I'd been looking forward to this match for a while, even if it didn't get heat from the buildup, and I'd say that they delivered here. They have great chemistry together and I'd love to see more from them in the future. My only problem is that it was too short. An extra five minutes or so could have made this a much more memorable bout. As it is, it's still a good match. ***


(I was hoping that these two would have a World Title feud at some point, but now that Sandow has lost the MITB briefcase I doubt it'll happen at all. Cody's face turn would get much better as it went on, thanks to the Authority storyline. Still a good match from these guys and they both looked pretty good coming out of it. ***)




Christian vs Alberto Del Rio
I'm slightly worrying that this could be Christian's last match after the video package. It was like something that would have been made for a Hall of Fame inductee. What was with Del Rio's huge shiner as well? I was worried that the match would be heatless since they had already fought each other a couple of times and the fact that there wasn't much buildup, but they surprised me with a great match. It was back and forth with some nice nearfalls and a great finish. It's a shame that it'll be forgotten thanks to other matches on the show. Worth checking out. ***3/4


(This is currently Christian's last PPV match, as he's been written off of TV thanks to an attack by the authority. Hopefully he'll be back soon. I'd say this is the best match of Del Rio's World Title reign. A great pace was kept throughout the match, and never became boring. The nearfalls were great, and the arm psychology was sound. An incredible championship bout that I need to increase the rating on. ****)



Natalya vs Brie Bella
I wondered if this match would have some heat thanks to the Total Divas show, but it's safe to say that the fans couldn't give a shit about it. They spent their time chanting for Zack Ryder and the commentators. The match was actually not bad thanks to the effort from Natalya, and she got the win which was a great decision because she is arguably the best diva in the WWE. Enough of the 'reality' show please. *


(I can't hate on this match too much, as we did need a cool down after that awesome World Title match. Plus it wasn't all that bad for a divas match. I think this deserves a higher rating, as it was quite the entertaining little match. *1/2)



CM Punk vs Brock Lesnar
The Best vs The Beast. This one had a great buildup thanks to all three guys putting their hearts into it. I had high expectations for this match and it managed to exceed them hugely. Everything about the match was fantastic, from the brawling, to the reversals and to Heyman's involvement. Quite possibly Lesnar's best match ever! The contest made CM Punk look like the best wrestler in the world and made Lesnar look like the biggest monster in the world, which is all you can ask for. I also love how neither guy kicked out of the other's main finisher, which isn't something you see in most big matchups. Match of the Year candidate for sure. *****



(I think we were all expecting a four star match here, but boy did they deliver way more than that. Unfortunately the Punk/Heyman feud would grow stale after this, but at least we got this highlight out of it. The video package beforehand was awesome, but then again the guys that do it have always done an amazing job. This is easily Lesnar's best match and could be Punk's, if not for the MITB match. It makes Brock's previous Summerslam match against HHH look like shit. A match truly worthy of the 'this is awesome' chant. I love how it wasn't the usual 'kick out of the other guy's finisher' that we get with these big matches. Phenomenal stuff here. I might have to change this to my match of the year, but we'll see how I feel about the main event soon enough. *****)



Dolph Ziggler & Kaitlyn vs Big E Langston & AJ Lee
I feel bad for these guys having to be the cool down match for that epic contest, but they did well with it. Ziggler bumped around awesomely as usual, and Big E showed that he has a bright future ahead of him as a very athletic big guy. More time and it could have been much better. **


(I do feel bad for these guys having to follow such an amazing match, but the show must go on. Both the guys and the gals performed well here and managed to make an entertaining match even with a quiet crowd. The crowd did liven up towards the end though. Solid match. **1/4)




John Cena vs Daniel Bryan
Needless to say, expectations for this match were huge. A lot of people, including myself, were annoyed when HHH was announced as the referee, but he did not hinder the match in the slightest. These two went out there and had a balls to the wall main event match that was reminiscent of the MITB 2011 main event. Bryan showed he deserves to be at the top, and Cena showed that he still has what it takes to be a main eventer. Awesome match all the way through and may be the best Summerslam main event ever and possibly the best Summerslam match ever. Now we can officially say that Bryan has held the WWE Championship! *****. My match of the year for 2013 and I doubt it will be topped.


(This match feels a lot like the Punk/Cena match from MITB, as the crowd was firmly behind the underdog champion and against Cena. I love that HHH didn't try to be the centre of attention until the match was over, we also got a very clean finish for Bryan and a new star was made. What more could you ask for? An amazing Match of the Year? Well it has that going for it too. Basically it's perfect. It's easily Bryan's best match and arguably Cena's best too. I can't decide which match I like more: this or the Punk/Lesnar match. Both are absolute classics. This rightfully stays at  *****)



But unfortunately, Bryan's feel-good moment ends with HHH turning heel and delivering a pedigree. Orton cashes in his briefcase and becomes the new WWE Champion.


(It sucks that Bryan lost the Title so quickly, but it made him very sympathetic to the crowd, and turned Orton into a great heel)





9.5/10. Well that's the best PPV of the year so far and quite possibly the best Summerslam of all time. If the two main events had delivered, this would have been a recommended show, but the two main events delivered above and beyond the expectations. Add in a great World Title match, a fun mixed tag match and a good grudge match, and you have an awesome PPV. Get this one now!



(Still 9.5/10 and still one of the best PPVs of the last thirty years. I've finally made my mind up: in my opinion (don't forget that part) this is the best Summerslam ever, and also beats the 2002 edition. You get two five star matches and a four star match, and if that wasn't enough, nothing was truly bad and everything was fun, including a good Rhodes/Sandow match. Pick this one up straight away so that WWE can't blame bad sales on Daniel Bryan!

Monday Night Raw Review 12/11/13

Monday Night Raw Review - 12/11/13 or 11/12/13, depending on where you're from.



We're in Manchester, England for this Raw, and the shows in England are usually quite memorable, so hopefully this will be the same.



Randy Orton comes out to tell us he's in charge, which brings out Brad Maddox to say that he's in charge, that in turn brings out Mr Kane to say that he's in charge. Ultimately it didn't matter as Vickie Guerrero appeared to make Orton face the tag champs. Kind of a pointless segment just to prove that HHH and Stephanie are actually on vacation. At least it set up a match.



Randy Orton vs The Rhodes Brothers
They've kind of pinned themselves into a corner with this one, because they don't want to make Orton lose a match, and they can't let Orton beat the tag champs as that would make the Tag Titles meaningless, and the champs weak. Plus if they go for the usual count-out or DQ finish, then they'll probably piss off the live crowd. The match was pretty good while it lasted with the Tag Champs looking good against the WWE Champion, but it did lead to that inevitable count-out loss. **



But here comes the Big Show and he wants a piece of Orton. Show beats him up around the ring, before giving him a huge chokeslam through the announce table. That got me more interested in seeing their match at Survivor Series. But where the hell was the Shield when all of this was going on?



During the commercial break, Big Show grabs a black cab and goes for a pint with the driver. Sounds like my kind of guy.



Los Matadores & Santino Marella vs The Union Jacks
I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired of this gimmick. In what world is that one of the best entrances ever? The Union Jacks are actually 3MB, and I'm already wanting them to win.(As a side note, Drew got the biggest pop at the Glasgow show, and they had him lose to the Usos playing heel. Couldn't they give the hometown boy his win, or is it a sign of the Usos turning heel? It still pisses me off). Just a short comendy filler match here. 1/2*


Doplh Ziggler will face Curtis Axel for the IC Title. I smell a title change! At least I hope I do.



Damien Sandow vs Kofi Kingston
The crowd seemed to be behind Sandow in this one. Good, he deserves a push after that MITB match performance. This was just an extended squash for Sandow, as Kofi got very little offense in. Sandow wins with the full nelson slam which he now calls the 'You're Welcome'. 1/2*



Dolph Ziggler vs Curtis Axel
IC Title is on the line, now the reason as to why I'm excited about this one is that the WWE seems to like Title changes when they're in a different country, and the IC Title is sorely needing a new champion. Don't get me wrong, I like Axel, but he's just not the right guy for the Title just now. The crowd was basically dead for Axel's moments of offense which isn't a good sign for him. Axel did look pretty good as he kicked out of a few nearfalls. I guess my prediction was wrong as Axel retains the Championship. Solid match. **1/2



We've got another two handicap matches with John Cena facing the Real Americans, and CM Punk and Daniel Bryan will be taking on the Shield.



Daughter of Jimmy Snuka vs Nikki Bella
I think it was Nikki Bella, althought it might be Brie, I wasn't paying attention. I think Nikki nearly had another nip slip. I love the fans chants of 'We want tables' and I think I may have a sarcastic 'This is awesome' chant. This match sucked. DUD



Oh crap the fans are back to 'Fandangoing'. How long until WWE sucks all the fun out of it again?



Fandango vs Tyson Kidd
Thank god that Kidd gets a singles match. It better get enought time to show his awesome athleticism. Please don't put Tyson in all that reality tv bullshit. Unfortunately it's a short match that Fandango wins. At least Tyson got to show off some moves. 3/4*



John Cena vs The Real Americans
If Cena beats either of these guys cleanly, I will be annoyed. I'm already annoyed that Del Rio is getting a rematch for the World Title at Survivor Series. If Cena doesn't win that match, I'll be the most surprised person on the planet. Cesaro's uppercut to Cena was awesome, and got more of a pop than anything Cena did. Cesaro looked great in this one. Swagger taps to the STF to give Cena the win. Boooo. We didn't even get to see a swing. Fun match though. **3/4


After the match, Del Rio attacks Cena with a chair, and Big E Langston gets the save. That'll probably set up a match.



Ryback vs R-Truth
I didn't realise how fun it was to shout 'What's Up' at a WWE Live show. I know it was stupid but it was fun. Short, unspectacular match that gave R-Truth a fluke win. Ryback has definitely lost a lot of his threat. 1/2*



Big E Langston vs Alberto Del Rio
Another match where they can't really give either superstar a loss. Big E needs to look like a great up-and-comer, and Del Rio needs to look like a World Title contender. Del Rio got no reaction for his entrance. The crowd even starts a wave! Big E taps out to end the match. Well that will have killed his momentum. Just not a good match here. 3/4*



They usually sell us WWE Live in the UK DVDs over here, but unless the main event is awesome, I can't see anyone buying this one.


Cena and Del Rio will have an arm wrestling contest on Smackdown. Are you fucking kidding?



Paul Heyman is back! He basically tells us that Ryback was shit in his role, and blames all of us for his beating at Hell in a Cell. Don't blame me Paul, I didn't even wanna see the match. Heyman will return with a vengeance, and I'm guessing that it's name will be Brock Lesnar. CM Punk comes out, takes out Axel, and Heyman knows he's screwed. Punk hits Paul a few times with the kendo stick and that ends that segment, because it's time for the main event!



CM Punk & Daniel Bryan vs The Shield
I'm guessing that this will end with the Wyatt Family interfering, but I'm just gonna enjoy the journey with what should be a good match. I just realised that this is the first time that Punk has faced the Shield in a match. Thought it was interesting. This was a great match with a hot finish until the Wyatt's turned up (called it). ***1/2


The Wyatt's and the Shield have a showdown! There's a match I wanna see. They make a truce and go after Punk and Bryan. Here comes the Usos and the Tag Champs to even things up! I smell a Survivor Series match.



The only things I remember about this Raw were the opening and closing segments (with the closing being particularly awesome) and the main event. Everything else was forgettable and never really lead to anything except for that dumb arm wrestling contest on Smackdown.


Next up on my review list is the Summerslam 2013 Blu Ray which I'll probably do later today.

Vengeance 2003 Review

Vengeance 2003 Review


Here we have the first Smackdown only PPV. Were they able to put on a good show without Raw? Of course they did! But lets find out how good it is.



Eddie Guerrero vs Chris Benoit
Someone give a medal to the guy that put this as the opener. Great idea that was always gonna end well. This was for the newly (re)made US Title, though sadly it would end up redundant for the next ten years or so. Of course this was a great match, how could it not be with these two in the ring? This is why I watch wrestling, to see two very talented guys trying to prove who's better with a very entertaining match, and that's exactly what we got here, a great, technical bout from the masters of technical wrestling. Eddie cheating towards the end was great too. A classic match. ****1/4



Backstage the McMahon soap opera takes a pointless and boring turn as Vince acts like a dick. What else is new.



Billy Gunn vs Jamie Noble
This is an Indecent Proposal match. The fuck is that? Well I'm glad you asked: Noble was acting a bit rapey towards Torrie Wilson, so Torrie put her body on the line, and put her faith in Billy. Not the best guy to put your faith in. I suppose for every Guerrero/Benoit there's this. This storyline was creepy beyond belief, and didn't Nidia get a say in this? Well she did try to cost Noble the match so there's that. Noble really carried Billy here, and the match wasn't long enough to be too bad. Noble wins and is allowed to screw Torrie. Lucky bastard. *1/2




Backstage there's the APA, Funkaki, some Jack Daniels, and the Easter Bunny. Yes that happened.




The APA Invitational
What does an APA invitational even accomplish? A title shot? Doubt it. Even Brother Love and Doink the Clown make an appearance! This is worth the pointless segment already. A young John Morrison is in there looking like Elvis Presley.This is putting me in the mood for a fourth beer. Just a bar room brawl here, but it was fun to watch. No Rating.



Do you know what this show could use? Another awesome match. I think I hear one coming now.



Rey Mysterio & Billy Kidman vs The World's Greatest Tag Team
Tag Titles on the line. It would have been near impossible to follow the excellent opener, but these guys damn sure tried their best!  Might be the best WWE tag match of the year. Kidman's springboard shooting star press to the outside was freaking insane. Just fantastic action all throughout this match and every guy performed exceptionally well. Overall : awesome! Huge double team move gives Haas the pinfall. WWE needs to sign these guys again. Insanely fun match. ****



Stephanie McMahon vs Sable
Once again I guess the quality had to dip somewhere. This was announced as a catfight. No rules were announced except that there are no countouts. Vince made this match, and, unfortunately, the storyline would continue for another few months. Sable didn't look as good as she did in 1998. The crowd was into it, but it just wasn't good. It wasn't as bad as it should have been, but it was still pretty bad. Albert, I mean Tensai, sorry I mean A-Train interferes to give Sable the win. *



Undertaker vs John Cena
Funny how ten years later this is considered a big dream match for Wrestlemania. Cena would eventually get a win over Taker, but it definitely would have meant more if he had done it on PPV. Well I think the kid has done well for himself, so it didn't affect him too much. Cena did look good against the Deadman, and looked to be a match for him. Very good match. ***1/4



Zach Gowen vs Vince McMahon
Yes Vince McMahon is a dick, we get it. Vince winning this didn't help Zach's momentum. The match was pretty entertaining, as Vince is a natural heel, and Zach was a great underdog. After a chair shot, Vince had a nasty looking cut on his head and was pouring blood. Entertaining while it lasted, even if the wrong man won. **



Brock Lesnar vs Big Show vs Kurt Angle
WWE Championship is on the line. This was Angle's PPV return from his neck surgery that was supposed to keep him out for a year, so the fact that he came back after only a few months is amazing. All three guys were made to look like threats, especially Show, which is something that makes these triple threat matches great. The action was never slow and was never boring. Lesnar's powerbomb to Show was amazing. An awesome triple threat match, and one of the better ones I've seen. ****



9/10. A fantastic show that woukd have been the best of 2003 if not for Wrestlemania XIX. Three matches at four stars or above makes this an easy recommendation, but add in a very good  Taker/Cena match, and you've got one hell of a show. Only a couple of things drag it down, like the Indecent Proposal match and the pointless APA Invitational, but that doesn't stop it from being highly recommended by me.

Survivor Series 2004 Review

Survivor Series 2004 Review


Since Survivor Series 2013 is coming up, I thought it would be appropriate to review my one of my personal favourites of the November PPV. I haven't watched it in years, so is it still good? Let's find out.




Spike Dudley vs Rey Mysterio vs Billy Kidman vs Chavo Guerrero
Cruiserweight Title on the line. Chavo had just returned from injury after a botched shooting star press from Kidman that led to Kidman's heel turn and Chavo's face turn. The face turn didn't last very long. Spike Dudley wasn't a good heel. He's much better at being an underdog. Great opening match that stayed exciting throughout, with Mysterio especially impressing as he was flying all over the place. Great stuff. ***1/2



Shelton Benjamin vs Christian 
IC Title on the line. Trust Shelton Benjamin to go out there and just about steal the show, something he would do quite a few times. It helps that he was in there with a great talent like Christian. They were given enough time to go out and have a great match, and that's exactly what they did. Shelton's amazing athletisicm was very impressive. If only he was good on the mic he could have became something great. Awesome back and forth match that might be the match of the night. ***3/4



Backstage the seeds are sown for Kurt Angle vs Shawn Michaels



Kurt Angle / Luther Reigns / Mark Jindrak / Carlito vs John Cena / Big Show / Rob Van Dam / Eddie Guerrero: Elimination Match
Cena had just returned after being injured by Carlito, so Cena was gunning for Carlito. Straight away Carlito is eliminated from the match, as he leaves the arena to get away from Cena. The match did go into a bit of a lull when Eddie was continually attacked by Team Angle, but it gained a nice pace when Eddie got the tag. The eliminations came quite quickly, but I didn't really mind that. Overall it was a fun match. ***1/4



Backstage, Snitsky attacks Maven to take him out of the elimination match.



Undertaker vs Heidenreich
Heidenreich angered Taker by driving a truck into the hearse that Taker was inside, which is a stupid idea seeing as nothing ever kills the Deadman. Heidenreich didn't move onto much except for another PPV match with Taker, and a member of the Legion of Doom. A lot of people were expecting this match to be awful, but it actually wasn't bad. It wasn't great or very good, but it was enjoyable. The match was mostly carried by Taker. **



Trish Stratus vs Lita
Womens Title on the line. This storyline was based on Trish making fun of Lita's 'miscarriage'. Very sensitive there Trish. More of an angle than a match here, as Lita DQ'd herself about a minute into the match. DUD. After the match, Lita beats the hell out of Trish. At least this would lead to their Raw main event match the next month.


Backstage, Cena is given a US Title match against Carlito on Smackdown.



Booker T vs JBL
WWE Championship on the line. At this point, everyone, especially myself, was becoming sick of JBL as the champ. I was desperate for Booker to win this one, but unfortunately JBL managed to get yet another lucky win to retain the Title. The match was quite entertaining, even if it was dull when JBL was on offense. JBL hits Booker with the title belt to retain. Solid bout. **3/4



Randy Orton / Chris Benoit / Chris Jericho vs Triple H / Batista / Edge / Gene Snitsky: Elimination Match
The great thing about this elimination match is that there was actually something on the line. Each member of the winning team would get to be the General Manager of Raw for one week. These matches are much better when something is on the line, and this is no exception. Benoit was eliminated a bit too quickly for my liking, but I guess that's just the way of it. Maven came back into the match to beat the hell out of Snitsky, and even got a nice crowd reaction. It's a shame they ruined it by turning him heel. Orton is the sole survivor of his team and gets the win. Awesome match that was entertaining all the way through. ****



8/10. Great show here as only the Womens Title match was a DUD and that segment only lasted about five minutes anyway. Even the Taker/Heidenreich match was entertaining and the WWE Title match was solidly good. I'd recommend the cruiserweight match, the IC Title match, and the main event. Overall a great PPV from the WWE, during a year when there wasn't many.

Monday Night Raw Review 11/4/13

Monday Night Raw Review : 4/11/13 or 11/4/13 , depending on 

where you're from.


It's been ages since I last tried reviewing an episode of Raw, but I'm gonna try it again and see how it goes. I'm mostly gonna focus on match ratings, but I'll probably mention some of the other segments too. Right let's begin.



CM Punk vs Luke Harper
Harper has been getting praise for his work in the ring, so I have a feeling that this'll be a good one as long as the shenanigans are kept to a minimum. Commercial break was annoying as we missed a great big boot from Harper to Punk. Harper looked great against Punk, and looked like an actual threat. I'd love to see Daniel Bryan taking on Harper. Punk wins via a roll-up. I hope these two have some more matches together, as their was some chemistry between them. **3/4


After the match, the Wyatt's team up to attack Punk, and Bryan comes in with a chair to even up the odds and the crowd goes absolutely wild. Awesome stuff and I look forward to the inevitable PPV match.


I find it strange that Big Show is banned from the WWE for life and yet he's being advertised for shows in Ireland over here.


Time to vote on the WWE app for Orton's opponent: Dolph Ziggler, Big E Langston, or the Miz. My guess would be Big E.


We're also getting a Smackdown rematch with Cena and the Rhodes Brothers taking on the Real Americans and Sandow. I don't mind as that was an awesome match on Friday.


Paul Heyman is on the telephone to tell us he's hurt.


Ryback vs The Great Khali
Oh this'll be good. Ryback is back to his bullying ways because he has nothing better to do. Strange to think that last year he was really over and very protected. Khali looks like he's going to collapse after every move. Meat hook clothesline finishes this yawn fest. Just here to show how much of a bully Ryback is. DUD



Kofi Kingston vs Alberto Del Rio
Do we really need a another rematch between Del Rio and Cena? We know who's gonna win. Kofi flies over the top rope and just about completely misses Del Rio, but Del Rio still sells it. This wasn't the total squash I thought it was going to be, as Kofi gets some offense in, such as a couple of nice-looking crossbodies. Del Rio applies the cross-armbreaker to win. **



I find this lawsuit storyline between Big Show and Triple H pretty boring, but I suppose that it's the only way they could bring him back in.


Jesus Christ I wish they'd stop with the WWE app promotion. They've been telling us to download it for over a year, if there's anyone that wants it, they'll already have it! So just shut the fuck up already.


Hey I was right! It was Big E!



Randy Orton vs Big E Langston
Big E has really impressed me in the last few weeks, so I hope that this match will signal a push for the big guy. Langston looked great against Orton, and even looked like his equal. I loved how Orton didn't need to throw Langston over the ropes to hit the DDT, and instead just lifted him up. He should do that more often so it doesn't look planned out. Orton hits the RKO to win. Good match here and maybe Langston's best so far. ***  Orton is great at making mid-carders look like stars in the ring.


Another match is shown from WWE 2K14. I would totally recommend this game, as the universe mode is better than ever, there's a great tournament mode, and the 30 Years of Wrestlemania mode will have you marking out. The Streak mode leaves a lot to be desired, but it's still pretty fun. Plus you can change the cover from the Rock to Daniel Bryan which is amazing.



Fandango & Summer Rae vs Tyson Kidd & Natalya
Tyson Kidd has returned! Thank god that we don't have to see Natalya with Khali and Santino anymore. Hopefully he won't be a jobber again. Kidd looked better than ever here, and I can't wait to see him in some singles matches. Sharpshooter makes Fandango submit. *3/4



 John Cena hits the ring to talk about the Breast Cancer merchandise, and thanks everyone in the back and all of the fans. This was a nice segment.



John Cena & The Rhodes Brothers vs The Real Americans & Damien Sandow
Like I said earlier, this match first took place on last Friday's Smackdown and had a  ****  match, so this should be a good one. The commentary is awful with Colter arguing with Del Rio and Michael Cole. JBL didn't help either. Does Cena think he's a cruiserweight now? because he was flipping all over the place. He looked good doing it mind you. Cesaro's swing was making me dizzy. Goldust hits the final cut to win. Awesome tag match that lived up to the one on Smackdown. ****


How did Big Show get in if he's banned? Ah the infamous board of directors allowed him inside the building.



Dolph Ziggler vs Curtis Axel
I wonder how Curtis will do without Heyman. He's good in the ring but he hasn't exactly got the mic skills to go along with it. If anyone could make him look good, Ziggler's the man to do it. Well Axel didn't look too great seeing as he lost in five minutes cleanly. Decent match that sets up an IC Title program between both guys. *1/2



The Usos vs 3MB
I just realised that the Shield haven't appeared at all tonight. I've missed their presence. I'm glad we have the Usos instead of Los Matadores against 3MB for the millionth time. Short match to keep the Usos relevant. 1/2*



AJ Lee / Tamina Snuka / Aksana vs Eva Marie & The Bella Twins
I feel like we've seen this match already, but who knows, they're usually forgettable anyway. AJ Lee needs something better to do. She's the best diva on the roster and she's stuck in a boring feud with Brie Bella. I could make a joke about Tamina being the daughter of Jimmy 'Supersly' Snuka, but there's already been so many. Eva Marie rolls up Tamina to win. Nothing match here. DUD


Daniel Bryan vs Luke Harper on Smackdown! I'll definitely be watching.


Triple H and Stephanie McMahon come out to meet with Big Show, so that they can settle things. Like that's gonna happen. After a bit of talking, Big Show gets his job back, and finally! here comes The Shield! I've missed you boys! Show also gets a WWE Title match at Survivor Series. A four on one handicap match is made.


It's not really a match so I won't rate it as Big Show is destroyed thanks to Orton, The Shield...... and Kane in a suit and tie with hair. That just looks strange. Show is put throught the announce table to end the show with the Authority on top.



For the first two hours this was a damn good show, but the third hour let it down. I liked the final segment, but the burial of Axel and the filler tag matches were boring. You should definitely check out the six man tag match though because that was awesome.

Judgment Day 2002 Review

Judgment Day 2002 Review


I don't know why it's taken me so long to review this one, as I was extremely excited when I purchased the DVD a couple of weeks ago. This one is mostly famous for being the first PPV to use the WWE name, and also because it is exceptionally hard to find a copy of the DVD. I just got lucky I guess. So is the show actually any good? Let's find out!




Eddie Guerrero vs Rob Van Dam
IC Title on the line. These guys had a good but slightly disappointing match at the Backlash PPV and it wouldn't be long until they had their classic ladder match on Raw. As usual Eddie was awesome, and RVD kept up with him nicely. Much better than their Backlash match, and a great opener to boot. Great fast-paced action that's going to be hard to follow. ***1/2



Stacy Kiebler vs Trish Stratus
Womens Title on the line. This feud started over a swimsuit contest. Riveting plotline aside, it's strange to see Batista as D-Von's deacon. This reminded me of the Wrestlemania 2000 main event, as there was a Dudley in every corner here. This only lasted a couple of minutes and it was still more entertaining than most divas matches nowadays. This wasn't too bad while it lasted. 3/4*. Still very unmemorable though. After the match, D-Von attacks Bubba to set up a feud I guess.



Brock Lesnar & Paul Heyman vs The Hardy Boyz
At the Backlash PPV, Brock destroyed Jeff in a short match, and so the feud continues in the form of this tag match. The feud didn't make the Hardys look too great, but it did help Lesnar to look like a beast. Brock even got some 'Goldberg' chants from the fans, just like Ryback, except that Brock is better than both of those guys put together. Anyway the match never became boring during it's short runtime, and it helped Lesnar to look powerful, so it was a job well done. **



Stone Cold vs Big Show & Ric Flair
This would be Stone Cold's last PPV until No Way Out 2003, after he walked out of Raw because Vince wanted him to job to Brock Lesnar for a King of the Ring match. To be honest if Austin was to put someone over, it should definitely be on PPV. Seems stupid to do it on free TV. This feud is over a draft pick. No wonder Austin didn't like the creative team. I'm not a big fan of handicap matches, but this was a good one and was kept interesting mainly due to Austin's natural charisma, and even Show's offense was never really boring. Good match overall. ***  I still don't get how X-Pac wasn't DQ'd after kicking Show in the face, right in front of the ref.



Edge vs Kurt Angle
The loser of this match would have their head shaved bald. I love this match and it's definitely one of the best singles matches of Edge's career. It's kind of stupid that this feud started with an insulting t-shirt, but since it led to this match, I don't really care. It's quite historical too, as it started the look of Angle that we know today. A classic bout with some great back and forth action and some exciting nearfalls to add to the drama. ****1/4  Angle wouldn't have his head shaved until later on in the night.



Triple H vs Chris Jericho : Hell in a Cell
This wasn't a feud that really warranted a Cell match. The match is mostly remembered for being the bout that ended the career of referee Tim White. When the most memorable part of a match is a ref bump, you know it wasn't a spectacular match. It was a bit too long for my liking, but it did have it's moments, like the finish on top of the Cell. It's still better than most HIAC matches nowadays anyway. ***1/2



Billy & Chuck vs Rico & Rikishi
Tag Titles are on the line, and this is your official cool down match of the evening. Rico was the manager of Billy and Chuck, so I don't really see the point in making him an opponent while he's still their manager. I guess it's meant to be the main attraction of the match. I dread to think of the storyline that came about after this. 1/2*



Undertaker vs Hulk Hogan
Undisputed Title on the line. WWE tried to cash in on Hogan's popularity by making him the Undisputed Champion, but it backfired on them since Hogan was very much passed his prime, and so we get this match to take the Title away from Hogan. I have a feeling that Hogan would have bitched and moaned backstage at having to lose the Title. This wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it was still pretty bad. Hogan couldn't even take a chokeslam. *



7/10. If you get this one, stop once the Cell match has finished, because it's pretty bad after that. The Cell match should have been the main event, but I guess the ego of Hogan took over. The IC Title match, the Hair vs Hair and the HIAC matches are worth watching, and even the handicap match is worth a look.