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Saturday, 31 May 2014
NXT Takeover
NXT Takeover Review
It has been quite a while since I watched an episode of NXT so I don't know any of the storylines going on except for what I've read in Smark Rants and hopefully I'll get some video packages or info from the commentators as to what's going on.
The NXT Arrival review is coming soon after this. Let's get started!
Adam Rose comes out with the Exotic Express to start the show off in style.
Adam Rose vs Camacho
It's nice that Camacho found something to do after Hunico became Sin Cara. Apparently he's been attacking members of the Exotic Express. This earns him a 'party pooper' chant and is one of the oddest chants I've ever heard. Rose was way over with the crowd. A fun opening contest that got the crowd fired up (they were already pretty damn loud). It was short but it got the job done and it was fun to see Rose in action. **
The Ascension vs El Local & Kalisto
The NXT Tag Titles are on the line. I'll admit that I've never seen the Ascension in action before but they do look pretty badass, Konnor especially. He looks like a younger version of bald Undertaker. Another fun match as the Ascension showed off their powerful moveset and we got some nice high-flying and athleticism (with the exception of one near-botch) from the luchadores. Entertaining match. **
Sami Zayn vs Tyler Breeze
This is a No.1 Contenders match for the NXT Title. Tyler seems like a much flashier version of Dolph Ziggler, but he works well as a heel and I already have a dislike for his personality. How is Sami not on the main roster yet? The guy is amazing. This match was awesome and these guys had the crowd in the palm of their hand the entire time. Just a great back and forth contest that had some nice counter-wrestling and some great false finishes too, and you could never tell who the winner was going to be. Good luck following this one. ****
Rusev and Lana make their way to the ring. They do their usual routine of praising Putin when Mojo Rawley appears to defend the USA. He immediately gets his ass kicked by the Bulgarian Brute and that's the end of that segment. I smell a feud coming.
Natalya vs Charlotte
The vacated NXT Women's Title is on the line. A tournament started on NXT to crown a new Champion and this is the final match. Bret Hart's out for Natalya and Ric Flair's out for Charlotte. Well I'm happy the divas are finally getting attention somewhere. This is the first women's match I've watched that received a 'this is awesome' chant from the crowd and these ladies deserved it. A fantastic match that might be the best divas match ever and definitely the best since Lita vs Trish Stratus in 2006. A very technical bout with some nice psychology and the story of two family legacies clashing was awesome. They slowly built to an exciting finish and it was amazing to watch. I loved this. ****
Adrian Neville vs Tyson Kidd
The NXT Championship is on the line. Two fantastic athletes going at it here, and I'm always happy to see Tyson in action. Needless to say there was some amazing athleticism in this one, especially Neville's counter to Tyson's sunset powerbomb. A brilliant way to end the show as these guys just went all out and put on a superb contest. There were some great counters and some nice nearfalls to keep things exciting and unpredictable. Both guys came out looking great. Fantastic match. ****
9/10. Well I think I'm gonna be a regular viewer of NXT from now on. A fantastic show in which all three main matches delivered and exceeded expectations. If you have the Network get this one watched immediately if you haven't already. Three **** matches speak for themselves.
Wednesday, 28 May 2014
Monday Night Raw : January 11th 1993
Monday Night Raw 11/1/93 or 1/11/93
I have no idea why it took me so long to realise that they were showing every episode of Raw from the first one onwards and they're already up to August 1994 so I've got some catching up to do. These episodes are incredibly short so they're easy for me to write and upload, and perfect for constant content while I work on some Greatest Hits posts.
I've seen this episode before as an extra disc on the Raw Anniversary DVD but that was about three years ago so I've forgotten most of it. Without further ado, here is the debut of Monday Night Raw.
Live from the Manhattan Centre in New York!
Bobby Heenan is not supposed to be here and is banned from the building but that won't stop him from trying to get in to see the show.
I wish I was old enough to appreciate the days of having the Macho Man Randy Savage on commentary.
Koko B. Ware vs Yokozuna
The match that has the honour of being the first match in Raw's long history and lo and behold it's an old fashioned squash. Yoko is still undefeated. This was a quick match in which Koko got no offense at all. There's always something fun about watching someone getting squashed and this time it happened quite literally. 1/4*
Watch the Royal Rumble Live January 24th! I'll probably review that after the January 18th Raw.
Heenan taunts Mr Perfect in a pre-taped promo about the mystery of the Narcissist. His identity will be revealed at the Royal Rumble Pay Per View. I wonder who it could be?
The Steiner Brothers vs The Executioners
Yet another squash match here on Raw, but this one makes the Yokozuna squash look like a relaxing stroll through a park. The Steiner's just beat the tar out of these jobbers and they looked as if they were having fun doing it. Doink the Clown was running around the crowd for some reason. A painful-looking squash. 1/2*
A woman is trying to get into the building to see her nephew on Raw. Turns out its Bobby Heenan. I get the feeling we haven't seen the last of him on this night.
Razor Ramon is out with a weird looking suit (I'll just blame the 90s for that one). Ramon says he's ready to face Bret Hart at the Royal Rumble for the WWF Championship. He says it took Bret eight years to win the big one and it only took him eight and half months to get to the top. He taunts Bret as he talks about beating up Owen in the locker room. Pretty bland promo to be honest.
Tatanka encourages us to put a Headlock on Hunger and donate to the Somalia Relief Fund.
Shawn Michaels vs Max Moon
The IC Championship is on the line. Who in the name of holy shit is Max Moon? That looks like the worst gimmick ever. Sounds like something TNA might have came up with on their worst day. Still it's a Shawn Michaels match so it's gonna be good in some way and he managed to make it quite entertaining. What the hell was with the fake Mike Tyson interview during the match? That was freaking weird. A slightly entertaining match with HBK bumping all over the place as he retains his IC Title. **
Watch WWF Mania on Saturday mornings!
A report for the Royal Rumble as Gene Okerlund tells us about the show. Shawn Michaels vs Marty Janetty has been announced for the PPV.
Mr Perfect, Yokozuna and Hacksaw Jim Duggan are looking to win the Rumble match and head to Wrestlemania IX.
Bobby Heenan is trying to get into the building again and this time he's dressed as a Jewish man. Is that considered politically incorrect nowadays?
We get footage of Kamala attacking his managers.
Time for the main event!
The Undertaker vs Damien Demento
I've never heard of Demento before and yet he somehow got the honour of being in the main event of the first ever Raw show. At least we get to see him getting his ass kicked by the Undertaker. A very short match in which Taker quickly disposed of Demento with a tombstone piledriver. 1/4*
Doink the Clown pisses off Crush with a water pistol. Strange segment.
Bobby Heenan is finally allowed in the building but unfortunately the show is over.
If this was just a normal Raw it wouldn't be that good at all, but because it's the first one ever it gets a free pass and is worth watching once. It's a short show and it's never really boring so it's got that going for it.
Sunday, 25 May 2014
Dolph Ziggler: Greatest Hits
Dolph Ziggler: Greatest Hits
I've noticed that most of my other Greatest Hits posts have featured big names. I think now I'm gonna feature wrestlers that deserve to be noticed more for their talents, and what a way to start it off with the show off himself.
Dolph is one of those guys that is over with the audience just with his sheer talent in the ring and he always receives a big pop when he comes out. He got the second loudest ovation in the 2014 Royal Rumble. That's pretty damn impressive. Here are the matches that have made him a star.
By the way I'm going by the assumption that the Spirit Squad never existed.
Normally I include PPV debuts since it's usually a big deal for a performer, but Ziggler's PPV debut was against the Great Khali (The Bash) and I don't think he should be in any list that mentions the word 'Great'. Also the match did suck so we'll just leave it. For those interested I would rate the match 3/4*.
Dolph Ziggler vs Rey Mysterio
From Summerslam 2009 and the IC Title is on the line. Ziggler fought Mysterio for the Title the previous month at Night of Champions, but he lost that match and so he got another chance here. I'm not a big fan of the NOC match but this one ruled. The crowd was hot for it, it was exciting all the way through and featured many nearfalls and false finishes. Just a ton of fun and it made Ziggler look great in the process, even if he lost the match in the end. ***3/4
Dolph Ziggler vs John Morrison
From Hell in a Cell 2009 and the IC Title is on the line. I figure that Mysterio was meant to be in this match but he violated the wellness policy at the time. This one started off a little slowly but became a lot better and more entertaining as it went on and showed off the skills of both guys. Ziggler lost another IC Title match and wouldn't get another one on PPV for quite some time. Still this was a very good match from both men. ***1/4
Dolph Ziggler vs Kofi Kingston
From Night of Champions 2010 and the IC Title is on the line. Ziggler won the Title from Kofi on Smackdown a couple of months before this match. If Ziggler is DQ'd or counted out he will lose the Championship. This must have been the twentieth match together so they knew each other quite well at this point. This was a fun match that got the crowd fired up and it was given enough time as well. It got really exciting towards the end too as both guys traded their biggest moves until Ziggler hit the zig zag for the win. Great stuff. ***1/2
Daniel Bryan vs Dolph Ziggler
From Bragging Rights 2010 and this is a Smackdown vs Raw match with both guys holding the mid-card Championships. This was easily both guys best WWE match at this point in time. This PPV sucked and is one of the worst I've seen, but this is the sole bright spot. The only thing that put me off the match was the unnecessary fat jokes towards Vickie Guerrero. Bryan and Ziggler started slowly and gradually built to an exciting finish with nearfalls and counter-moves. A MOTYC for 2010 and deserving of the 'this is awesome' chant. ****1/2
Dolph Ziggler vs Edge
From Royal Rumble 2011 and the World Title is on the line. If Edge is caught using the spear, he will forfeit the Title. No one really gave Ziggler much of a chance of winning this one, but there were some moments that made him look like a viable contender, like when he almost pinned Edge with his finisher. I loved Edge paying homage to his best friend Christian by using his finisher to win. Awesome forgotten gem that made Ziggler look like a star. ****
Dolph Ziggler vs Kofi Kingston
From Capitol Punishment 2011 and the US Title is on the line. Good god how many times have these guys faced each other? The scary thing is that they would still face off many more times. I did like the story of these guys knowing each other so well as there were a ton of counters in this match. This was a lot of fun and we even got a few false finishes. The ending was a little confusing as the crowd didn't really know what happened, but it was still an awesome contest. The best they've had together. ***3/4
Dolph Ziggler vs John Morrison vs Alex Riley vs Jack Swagger
From Night of Champions 2011 and the US Title is on the line. I think Riley was the favourite to win this one at the time which seems ridiculous talking about it today. That poor guy went nowhere fast. Pretty unpredictable match that was a lot of fun. Swagger and Ziggler teased a break up but that never went anywhere in the future. Short and sweet match that had some good false finishes. ***1/2
Kofi Kingston & Evan Bourne vs Jack Swagger & Dolph Ziggler
From Vengeance 2011 and the Tag Team Titles are on the line. These two teams also had a match at the Hell in a Cell PPV, but I prefer this one overall. A great tag match and they were given enough time to work. Both teams have great chemistry with each other and all four guys performed very well (yes even Swagger). An exciting finishing sequence caps it off perfectly. ***1/2
Dolph Ziggler vs Zack Ryder
From TLC 2011 and the US Title is on the line. Yes I know that this would be more fitting for a Zack Ryder Greatest Hits, but I don't think he's ever gonna get one so Ziggler can have this one. This match was built very well as everyone had been dying to see Ryder win the Title for months, so when they finally pulled the trigger on him it was a great feel-good moment. The match itself was a lot of fun as well which obviously helped. Great job from both guys. ***1/2
Dolph Ziggler vs CM Punk
From Royal Rumble 2012 and the WWE Title is on the line. I think this is the first time Ziggler competed for the WWE Title so it's a pretty big moment for him. I would have had their November 2011 match here too but it's not on the Network. This one was going brilliantly until the finish which was a bit overbooked for my taste with the Laurinaitis storyline, but it was still a great back and forth contest and Ziggler looked like he had a chance of winning it. Great stuff. ***3/4
Dolph Ziggler vs Sheamus
From No Way Out 2012 and the World Title is on the line. This was originally meant be Sheamus vs Alberto Del Rio, but he was injured so Ziggler took his place which ended up being for the best in my opinion since they Ziggler gave Sheamus a great match that Del Rio never could. I think they caused a few heart attacks with the first few seconds of the match as it was almost a repeat of the 18 second Wrestlemania match. A great match that made Ziggler look like a real contender and the crowd absolutely loved him. Plus that facebuster from the top rope looked awesome. ***3/4
Dolph Ziggler vs Christian vs Tyson Kidd vs Tensai vs Cody Rhodes vs Damien Sandow vs Santino Marella vs Sin Cara
From Money in the Bank 2012. I remember at the time thinking that if either Tensai or Santino won the match, I'd go crazy with anger. Luckily that never happened. Christian and Ziggler were the clear favourites here, and Ziggler finally looked like he was heading to the top with his big win. Unfortunately that didn't work out too well for him. Tyson Kidd was impressive here, showing off his in-ring technique, and gave an awesome sunset powerbomb to Ziggler. Santino's fear of heights was a funny moment. An awesome ladder match overall. ****
Dolph Ziggler vs Chris Jericho
From Summerslam 2012. Definitely the best choice for the opener of the show as they got the crowd fired up nicely. There wasn't a lot on this show, but these guys stole it anyway. The story was that Jericho couldn't win the big one and Ziggler wanted to prove it by beating him. Ziggler was proven wrong as Jericho got the victory in the end. Nice nearfalls and great chemistry with these two awesome athletes. Jericho may have won, but Ziggler still looked great. ***1/2
Dolph Ziggler vs Randy Orton
From Night of Champions 2012. These guys had quite a few great TV matches together and now they finally had the chance to show off on PPV. This one is pretty infamous for Orton giving the finger to the pro-Ziggler crowd. Thankfully they were given a lot of time to work and we got a great match because of it. It did have quite a slow middle portion but it more than made up for it with an exciting final act. Ziggler lost again, but he looked good doing it. ***1/2
Dolph Ziggler / Wade Barrett / Alberto Del Rio / Damien Sandow / David Otunga vs Randy Orton / The Miz / Kofi Kingston / Kane / Daniel Bryan
From Survivor Series 2012. This is Ziggler's team vs Mick Foley's team. It was originally meant to be Foley's team vs CM Punk's team but they chickened out and made Punk defend his WWE Title instead. The final two came down to Orton vs Ziggler and it looked as if Orton was about to get a win over Ziggler once again, but the powers that be decided to make Ziggler the sole survivor as he got a clean pin on Orton and looked awesome in the process. A very fun elimination match that got better as it went on. ***1/2
Dolph Ziggler vs John Cena : Ladder Match
From TLC 2012 and Ziggler's Money in the Bank briefcase is on the line. This is Ziggler's first and only time in the main event (not counting Rumbles) and he made sure to make a statement while he was there. I was terrified at the time that Cena would take the briefcase, but thankfully that never happened. This wasn't the spotfest you would expect from a modern ladder match and they mainly focused on counter wrestling and weapon shots, and it worked very well as we got an awesome match out of it. Ziggler defeats Cena and has one of the biggest moments of his career. ****
Dolph Ziggler vs Alberto Del Rio
From Raw April 8th 2013 and the World Title is on the line. Ziggler is finally cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase on an injured Del Rio who was just in a match and the crowd is going absolutely wild. Everyone wanted to see Ziggler win here and when Del Rio locked in the armbreaker I think everyone (including myself) was screaming no into their TV. Luckily Ziggler got out of it, hit the zig zag and became the new World Champion. Obviously it wasn't much of a match, but it was a spectacular moment with an amazing crowd and it is worth watching countless times. For that I'm gonna give it ***
Dolph Ziggler vs Alberto Del Rio
From Payback 2013 and the World Heavyweight Title is on the line. It's a shame that Del Rio couldn't really keep his heel heat after this night because he became the most hated man in the WWE after this match. I think we were all expecting a good technical match at the time, but we got so much more than that. We received the best double turn since Wrestlemania 13 and some epic storytelling. Ziggler came out looking like a guy who wouldn't go down without a fight and Del Rio looked like a beast who would do anything possible to win the Title, even if it meant injuring a man. This was something different and it was awesome. The work to Ziggler's head was sick and made him very sympathetic. A fantastic match. ****1/4
Friday, 23 May 2014
Over The Limit 2011
Over The Limit 2011 Re-Review
This has to be one of the worst built PPVs in history. The matches either seemed predictable or they just weren't interesting at all. Well with three years past now, maybe the time has been kind to it. Let's see if it's really as bad as everyone remembers.
R-Truth vs Rey Mysterio
I really don't remember this feud at all. Truth had only recently turned heel and he was doing an amazing job of acting like a crazy bastard. He was funny to listen to almost all of the time. A pretty solid opener to start us off as their were some entertaining moments like Mysterio's bulldog from the second rope and Mysterio made Truth look good with a big clean win. Solid stuff. **1/2
It should be noted that the commentary is awful with only Booker T keeping things interesting and actually talking about the wrestling.
Oh good God I forgot all about the Kiss my Foot match. This show is gonna be LONG.
Wade Barrett vs Ezekiel Jackson
The IC Title is on the line. Jackson had just turned his back on the Corre (remember them?) to the excitement of nobody and became a generic, boring babyface. A dull match that ended with a shitty DQ and that means that the feud has to continue. Yippee. A forgettable contest that felt more like a bad Smackdown match. A waste of time. 3/4*
Sin Cara vs Chavo Guerrero
Watching a Sin Cara match feels like watching an episode of Botchamania. This is Cara's second match and he already screwed up his debut by screwing up his finish, so now he has a chance to screw up in front on a paying audience! The match was just a collection of high spots without any story or flow to it, and there were a couple of botches including the finish which was fucked up badly. Still it was slightly entertaining so I'll give it *1/4.
Alberto Del Rio shows up even though he has no match. He's here to talk about destiny. Oh God kill me now. He talks about Canadians sneaking across the border to America. Ok then. He says he going to become WWE Champion because it's his destiny. Sadly that came to be true. Thankfully Big Show and Kane interrupt. Kane is upset that the rapture didn't happen the other day in a funny moment. Del Rio is chased out of the ring to start the next match.
Big Show & Kane vs CM Punk & Mason Ryan
The Tag Team Titles are on the line. I think the Mason Ryan experiment had failed at this point as they tried to mold him into the new Batista but he just wasn't good in the ring. Punk showed respect to the recently departed Randy Savage (RIP) as he had 'Macho' written on his wrist tape and performed the Macho elbow for the first time and would use it for most of his matches in the future. Not a bad match but it has the same problem as all the other matches: they feel like TV matches. Still an entertaining tag match though. **
Brie Bella vs Kelly Kelly
The Divas Title is on the line. For once I completely agree with Michael Cole as he complains about having to sit through another boring divas match. Amen brother. Little Guido is the referee! How did I never notice that before? Bad divas match that was the usual sloppy nonsense. At least it was quick. DUD
Randy Orton vs Christian
The World Heavyweight Title is on the line. Thank God the savior of the show has arrived. At the time I wasn't looking forward to this one as I knew that Orton would win as he had only just won the Title (hated Orton for ages for taking the Title from Christian) but that didn't stop them from putting on a kick ass match and they even made me think that Christian had won once he hit the spear. This was a total show-stealer with some awesome counter wrestling and it was exciting to watch from beginning to end. A MOTYC to boot. Fantastic match and Christian's best non-gimmick match. ****1/2
Unfortunately there's still two matches to go.
Jerry Lawler vs Michael Cole : Kiss My Foot Match
Whose idea was it for this feud to go on this long? It definitely should have ended right after Wrestlemania, but for some reason it just kept going. Thankfully Michael Cole got his comeuppance from everyone he'd done wrong including Jim Ross, Eve Torres, and for some reason Bret Hart. I still find it ridiculous that Cole is allowed any offense at all in these matches. Still it was fun to watch Cole getting his ass kicked for a couple of minutes so it's got that going for it. 1/4*. Finally this feud ends.
John Cena vs The Miz : I Quit
The WWE Title is on the line. At the time I called this the worst I Quit match in WWE history and after another viewing I stand by that statement. This was just awful. How hard is it to screw up an I Quit match? John Cena has had a couple of great ones so I don't know what went wrong here. This was just way too long and too boring. Miz controlled most of the match up until the ending when SuperCena appeared and quickly disposed of the Miz without too much trouble. A bad ending to a bad show. 1/2*
4/10. If Orton/Christian never happened this would be one of the worst wrestling shows ever. The show is only worth watching for that one amazing match as every other match felt like a TV match or it just outright sucked. It was kind of fun seeing Cole getting his comeuppance even if it was way overdue. Avoid this one and just watch the World Title match.
Wednesday, 21 May 2014
Smackdown (May 11th 2007) Review
Smackdown May 11th 2007
I thought I'd start reviewing some of the classic TV shows on the Network from Raw and Smackdown. There aren't that many up just now but I'll get the ones that are currently up reviewed at some point. This gives me a nice break from the PPVs (which I'll probably still be doing anyway) and the Greatest Hits posts that I spend so much time doing.
I watched this episode when it first aired and all I can remember from it is the cage match between Undertaker and Batista, and what came afterwards. Let's get started.
The old Smackdown theme tune sucks, although I don't know if it has ever been good.
MVP & Finlay vs Chris Benoit & Matt Hardy
I'm really surprised that they put on an episode featuring Benoit. Maybe we'll get the one where he fights Stone Cold someday. I'm also surprised that Teddy Long didn't come out at the start to make this tag match. A short tag match that was entertaining while it lasted. The finish kind of came out of nowhere and the leg work didn't have time to develop, but it was still a fun contest with no slow points. **1/4
Looks like we're going to be getting a history of the Batista/Undertaker feud throughout the night. We start off with the night after the Rumble where Taker chose Batista as his Wrestlemania opponent.
Buy the Wrestlemania 23 DVD! Or just watch it on the Network.
Ozzy Osbourne comes to Smackdown next Friday to sing the Judgment Day theme song. Cool.
Jillian Hall is in the ring to sing very badly. That brings out her opponent.
Michelle McCool vs Jillian Hall
Thank you Michelle for saving my eardrums from a fate worse than death. A very short match that started very sloppily and stayed like that most of the way through. The only reason this doesn't get a dud rating is because of a couple of athletic moves from Jillian. Pointless match. The crowd didn't care and neither did I. 1/4*
Jesse and Festus (AKA Fake Kane and Luke Gallows) arrive in Teddy Long's office. Teddy gives them their debut match next week. Jesse and Festus debut and an Ozzy Osbourne performance? That sounds like one hell of a Smackdown!
More Batista/Taker history as we see the No Way Out tag match where Batista turned on the Deadman.
We get the Raw Rebound showing Edge defeating Mr Kennedy to win his Money in the Bank briefcase. I wonder if that'll factor into tonight?
Ashley is interviewed by Michael Cole to talk about Jillian Hall attacking her last week. This was as interesting as it sounds. Thankfully it looks like it's leading to a Paul London and Brian Kendrick tag match.
Nope it's just a singles match.
Paul London vs Domino
Everytime I see Deuce and Domino I completely forget that they were a tag team. Very forgettable team in other words. They won the Tag Titles last week on Smackdown from Kendrick and London in a dumbass move since K&P are a much better team. Not much of a match here and it seemed to feature a couple of screw-ups. Another forgettable contest. 1/2*
We see Undertaker and Batista beating the crap out of each other on Smackdown two days before Wrestlemania.
Snitsky makes his return! He didn't do much. Wasn't his fault though.
WWE Slam of the Week is brought to you by Just for Men! Was Kevin Nash still around at this point? All we see is MVP defeating Kane.
Kane vs Dave Taylor
Regal and Taylor cost Kane a shot at the US Title last week so Kane wants some revenge. Where Boogeyman fits in all this I don't know as he's Kane's manager for the night. Kane and Boogeyman would make quite a natural team. Just a squash match for Kane here and it made Taylor and Regal look like a couple of chumps. 1/4*
Batista and Undertaker have an unexpected great match at Wrestlemania and the Phenom becomes the new World Champion.
The Undertaker vs Batista : Steel Cage
The World Heavyweight Title is on the line. This would be their last match until Cyber Sunday later in the year. I think this is the only match from their 2007 feud that wasn't put on a DVD at any point so the Network may be the only way to watch it. The ad breaks are a pain in the ass. A great match as these guys just beat the hell out of each other for fifteen minutes and it ends in a draw as both their feet touch the floor at the same time. Taker is still the Champ. ***1/2
After the match, Mark Henry comes out to beat the tar out of Undertaker because THAT'S WHAT HE DOES!
Suddenly Edge's music starts to play and he comes out to cash his briefcase. This was pretty damn shocking and no one was expecting it since Edge was a Raw superstar. He spears the Deadman and pins him to become the new World Heavyweight Champion. One hell of an ending to a show.
Before the World Title match took place this was just an awful show with only the opening tag match being any good, but it was totally saved by a great main event and a surprising new World Champion in Edge.
Sunday, 18 May 2014
Triple H: Greatest Hits
Triple H: Greatest Hits
Every wrestling fan seems to have an opinion on this man. Whether or not they're good or bad, I don't think anyone can deny that the King of Kings is one of the best of all time and one of the most successful superstars in wrestling history. This Greatest Hits list will range from his start as the blue blood, Hunter Hearst Helmsley all the way to being the head of the Authority.
HHH only has one match from WCW at Starrcade 94 that's on the Network, but it was a pretty bad match so I'm just gonna leave it out and focus on the WWE stuff. His time in WCW sucked anyway.
Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs Fatu
From In Your House 4. Here we have HHH's PPV debut in the WWE. Good God there's gonna be a lot more. Fatu is of course also known as Rikishi and had a clean-cut Samoan gimmick at the time. His tights even said 'Just say no'. The match was pretty good. Not great but definitely not bad either and the crowd was really into it. **
Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs Marc Mero
From IYH: Beware of Dog. Mero would end up being the one to give HHH his first singles Title in the WWE but that won't be on this list since it's a Raw match. These guys were given around seventeen minutes so they could try and give us a great match and that's exactly what they gave us. The arm psychology used on Mero was sound and Mero even showed some nice athleticism and gave us some cool high-flying moves. A great match overall. ***1/2
Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs Stone Cold Steve Austin
From IYH: Buried Alive. A very early match between these two and of course they'd move on to bigger and better things. It was originally meant to be Austin vs Savio Vega but injuries prevented Vega from attending, so HHH was picked instead. The crowd loved Austin even though he was a heel. A good match that started slow and got better as it went on. A nice precursor to their future clashes. ***
Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs Mankind
From King of the Ring 1997 and this is the final match of the tournament to crown a king. HHH was meant to win the 96 KOTR but the MSG incident involving the kliq put him in the dog house so he'd have to wait a year for another chance. This started off as pretty boring but when Mankind hit the flying elbow on the outside it did pick up a bit. The pedigree on the table looked awesome. A good match and big moment for HHH. ***
Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs Mankind
From Canadian Stampede. This feud started four weeks previously at the King of the Ring PPV where Hunter beat Mankind to become the King. These guys have some amazing chemistry with each other, and they would only get better and better. A great opening contest that the crowd loved and Mankind was a great sympathetic babyface. The brawl that took place after the match and throughout the night was also awesome. The match combined with the brawl gets ***3/4 from me.
Hunter Heart Helmsley vs Mankind : Steel Cage
From Summerslam 1997. I'm not sure if they had the Falls Count Anywhere match on Raw but this point but I do think that this is the culmination of their feud. It had been going on a while by this point and had never been boring. Mankind took his usual big bumps like an awesome elbow drop from the top of the cage and taking a sick looking shot from the cage door. Another great match between the two. HHH may have lost but he came out looking good. ***3/4
Triple H vs Owen Hart
From Wrestlemania XIV and the European Title is on the line. This was the first time that the European Title was defended at Mania. Why didn't they just ban Chyna from ringside? Wouldn't that have been easier than being handcuffed to someone she could easily take out? Anyway this match isn't really talked about, which is a shame as it's quite the underrated gem. These guys went back and forth and had a fun match until Chyna helped HHH retain the Title. ***3/4
Triple H vs The Rock : Ladder Match
From Summerslam 1998 and the IC Title on the line. Two years later this could have main evented any show in the WWE. These guys were still mid-carders, but this was the match that showed that they would one day become superstars. An exciting ladder match that was a ton of fun all the way through and the fans at MSG loved it too. A show stealing performance from both guys and a match that will go down in history as one of their best and one of the better ladder matches in history. ****1/2
Triple H & X-Pac vs Kane & Chyna
From IYH: St Valentine's Day Massacre. So after this Chyna joined HHH and X-Pac, then Chyna and HHH betray X-Pac who would go on to tag with Kane who I guess is kind of his enemy. Got all of that? Because I don't. I guess that's the Attitude Era for you. Anyway this was a fun tag team match that had some very good pacing to it. The crowd was really into is as well. Better than I thought it would be. ***1/2
Triple H vs The Rock : Strap Match
From Fully Loaded 1999 and a shot at the WWF Title is on the line. Thankfully this isn't the strap match where you have to touch corners. Instead it's just pinfalls count anywhere which is fine by me. They also had a match at the 1998 Fully Loaded but that one wasn't that good. The strap was used well as a weapon and as a way to take advantage of the opponent. A good brawl that went all over the place and gave HHH a pretty big win. ***
Triple H vs Kane vs The British Bulldog vs The Big Show vs Mankind vs The Rock
From Unforgiven 1999 and the WWF Title is on the line. A hell of a lot of star power here as all six guys could be Hall of Famers someday (except for Mick as he's already in and obviously deserves it). The Title is vacant as Vince McMahon was the champ and decided to vacate the Title as he was an awful champion. This was a chaotic match and you couldn't really tell who were the legal men in the ring. Still this was a ton of fun with lots of action throughout and you could never tell who was going to win. Awesome stuff. ****
Triple H vs Cactus Jack : Street Fight
From Royal Rumble and the WWF Title is on the line. This is most definitely an easy contender for the best match of both of these guys' careers. HHH was made into a star thanks to Foley here, and unfortunately he let it go straight to his head and we're still suffering from it. Anyway this is still an all time classic featuring some brutal moments. There was a throwback to the 99 Rumble as HHH handcuffed Cactus and beat him with a chair. The pedigree onto the thumbtacks still looks absolutely insane, and I can't believe that anyone would take a bump like that. An all time great for sure. An absolute war and probably HHH's best match ever. *****
Triple H vs Cactus Jack : Hell in a Cell
From No Way Out 2000. If Cactus loses this match, his career must end. I don't think this is the five star classic match everyone calls it, but it's damn close and still an awesome match. Cactus falling through the cell will be an image that will live on forever. The stuff with the barbed wire bat was pretty damn cool as well. HHH wins with a pedigree. Foley started his career with Cactus Jack, and he ended it with Cactus Jack. Until he came back a couple of weeks later. ****1/2
The Rock vs Triple H
From Backlash 2000. This is probably the most memorable match from their awesome feud besides the Iron Man match. The odds were stacked against the Rock as HHH was basically running the company and Shane McMahon was the guest referee. The double Rock Bottom through the announce table looked awesome. The fans were already hot for this one but they just about blew the roof off when Austin returned. Fantastic match overall. ****1/4
Triple H vs The Rock : 60 Minute Iron Man Match
From Judgment Day 2000. Shawn Michaels was the ref for this match. For everyone who has heard so much about this match but has never seen it, you will not be disappointed. Every minute felt like it was adding to the match and it was never dull or boring, unlike some other Iron Man contests. The match ended 6-5 to HHH , as Undertaker made his goosebump-inducing return and got the Rock disqualified. Just brilliant and probably the best Iron Man match in WWE history. ****3/4
Triple H vs Chris Jericho : Last Man Standing
From Fully Loaded 2000. Jericho cost HHH a Title match and had been insulting Stephanie McMahon for weeks, so HHH was gonna get some payback. This is, without a doubt, Jericho's break out match and the one that made him a star. He may have came out as the loser, but that didn't matter as he'd put on an amazing performance against the Game. The story was incredible with Jericho giving everything he had to try and beat HHH, only to come up short at the end. The best Last Man Standing match ever and a career highlight for both athletes. Amazing stuff. ****3/4
Triple H vs Chris Benoit
From No Mercy 2000. Benoit gave Stephanie McMahon a headbutt and is still a heel. If someone did that today they would be cheered more than Daniel Bryan. He also cost HHH the chance to face the Rock tonight, so this was personal. The psychology was very good in this match, with HHH going after Benoit's leg, and Benoit going after HHH's arm. Shocking for an HHH match I know. A fantastic match from both men and Benoit looked good in defeat. ****1/4
Triple H vs Stone Cold Steve Austin : 3 Stages of Hell
From No Way Out 2001. First match is a standard contest, second match is a street fight, and the final match is a steel cage. These guys had been feuding for ages and it was finally going to culminate here. HHH won the first fall which showed he was the better wrestler, while Austin won the second fall and showed that he was the better brawler. Both guys were exhausted by the time the third fall started. An absolutely fantastic match the lasted about forty minutes. Both guys came out looking like legends. I don't know why HHH was given the win since Austin was going to the main event of Mania. Maybe it was to fuel his heel turn. Still, an amazing match and one of the best ever. *****
Triple H vs The Undertaker
From Wrestlemania X-Seven. Just like the Austin/Rock match at Mania 15, this is the first of three awesome matches and this is the worst of the three, even though it's still an awesome match. This was an entertaining brawl that went all the way into the crowd, where Taker would chokeslam HHH off the stage and that visual would be ruined by the cameraman showing the safety mat. The ref bump was ridiculously long too. Still it was a fun match overall, with an especially exciting finish. Taker's best match in years. ****
The 2002 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. It wasn't the worst rumble ever (that goes to the 1999 atrocity), but it certainly wasn't the best either. HHH got a nice moment out of it though as he won his first and only Rumble match to date. I'll go with ***
Triple H vs Shawn Michaels : Unsanctioned Street Fight
From Summerslam 2002. I don't think anyone was expecting the quality of match that we received on this night. Shawn had been out for over four years with a major back injury, and everyone questioned whether or not he would be able to even go a full match. We needn't have worried. Shawn showed us that he was better than ever before and it seemed like he had never been gone and showed no signs of ring rust. Amazingly, Shawn would give us another eight years of classic matches and moments. The match itself is absolutely fantastic with HHH working on HBK's back most of the time and he looked like the biggest heel in the company. An all time classic and possibly the best Summerslam match ever. *****
Triple H vs Rob Van Dam
From Unforgiven 2002 and the World Title is on the line. This would be HHH's first defense of the new World Title as he was awarded the belt from Eric Bischoff as Brock Lesnar took the WWE Title to Smackdown. HHH made RVD look pretty damn good here and made him look like a real World Title contender. A good back and forth encounter that would end up sowing the seeds for Evolution as Ric Flair joined with HHH and helped him win the match. Great stuff here. ***1/2
Let's just pretend that the year 2003 never existed as I don't think we need to relive matches involving Scott Steiner and Kevin Nash.
Triple H vs Shawn Michaels : Last Man Standing Match
From Royal Rumble 2004 and check out the blade job for the match :
Yeah it was pretty gruesome. This one had a hard time living up to the classic match that these guys had on Raw in December, but that didn't stop it from being a great match. Usually when these two have a match involving no DQ (aside from their dull 3 Stages of Hell match) it ends up being great and this was no exception. Even the double count-out finish was fine, since that ended up leading to the five star, Triple Threat match at Mania 20. It's not the best match they've ever had, but to me, it was a lot of fun. ***1/2
Triple H vs Shawn Michaels vs Chris Benoit
From Wrestlemania XX and the World Title is on the line. The Wrestlemania match that WWE wishes they could forget about. Yes the emotional impact has been destroyed due to Benoit's tragic actions, but this, at least in my mind, is still one of the greatest matches of all time and easily the best triple threat ever. All three guys worked very hard to make this a memorable match, with HHH and HBK giving themselves brutal looking blade jobs to add to the drama. Benoit and Eddie Guerrero embracing after the match is still one of my favourite moments in wrestling history and the match is just amazing. One of the best. *****
Triple H vs Shawn Michaels : Hell in a Cell
From Bad Blood 2004. Finally this two year old feud was going to end in the most appropriate way possible: Hell in a Cell. At this point both guys were still undefeated in the cell, and this was Shawn's second time in there, as he had only been in the original match before. This is one of those love it or hate it matches. Some (like me) feel that it was a great feud-ender and had some great psychology, whereas others find it to be a huge bore and hate the fact that it went on for fifty minutes. In my opinion it's an excellent match. Watch it for yourself to see what you think of it. ****
Triple H vs Randy Orton vs Edge vs Chris Benoit vs Batista vs Chris Jericho : Elimination Chamber
From New Year's Revolution 2005 and the World Title is on the line. The World Title was vacant at this point so a new champ was guaranteed. Shawn Michaels was also the guest referee. Everyone looked like a potential winner which is kind of rare for these Chamber matches. This is definitely one of the better Chamber matches in history as there was not one dull moment to be had and it was very entertaining all the way through. It even showed some early signs of the Batista/HHH feud. A fantastic match as HHH regains his World Championship. ****1/2
Triple H vs Randy Orton
From Royal Rumble 2005 and World Title is on the line. These guys had now been feuding since August 04 and this would be the final part of that particular feud since Orton would turn heel again soon after this. I think Orton was concussed during this as he really looked like the lights were on but no one was home. The leg work on Orton was pointless as he no sold it, but this was still a great back and forth contest and it even had some nice nearfalls. My favourite non-gimmick match between the two. ***1/2
Triple H vs Batista : Hell in a Cell
From Vengeance 2005 and the World Title is on the line. When it came to standard singles contests, these guys didn't have very good matches, but in this environment they excelled. Their feud had reached a boiling point and the HIAC was the only way for it to finally end. This was pretty brutal and they even ended up using a barbed wire steel chair which looked awesome. When Batista got the win, he looked like the top dog of the company. An amazing match overall. ****1/2
Triple H vs Ric Flair : Last Man Standing
From Survivor Series 2005. Why isn't the IC Title on the line? 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. One hell of a war. ****
John Cena vs Triple H
From Wrestlemania 22. For almost the entirety of 2005, Cena was treated like a huge star, but in my opinion this is the match that made him 'the man'. I think this was the first time that the crowd truly turned on Cena. He'd been booed before, but nothing on this scale with the fans chanting 'fuck you Cena'. Harsh. Still this was a great match that had a big match feel to it and was entertaining all the way through. Both guys came out looking good and HHH made yet another young guy look like a star at Wrestlemania. ****
DX vs The McMahons & The Big Show : Hell in a Cell
From Unforgiven 2006. I'm not sure if this feud really needed a HIAC match but it was a lot of fun anyway. This is another love it or hate it match and I'm one of the ones that really enjoyed it. There was a nice mix of comedy and brutality in this one. We got the comedy with all the low blows on Show and having Vince's head stuck on Show's ass, but there were some other sick moments in there too like the elbow drop on Shane while he had a chair around his neck and the sledgehammer breaking on Vince's back. A great match that's worth a look. ***1/2
Triple H vs Randy Orton : Last Man Standing
From No Mercy 2007. 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. ****
Triple H vs Umaga : Street Fight
From Cyber Sunday 2007. I don't know why HHH didn't get his rematch for the WWE Title, but I'm guessing it had something to do with his feud with Vince. This one started off quickly with both guys beating the crap out of each other. The spear through the stage looked cool. A great match that felt like a war and made Umaga look like a great monster heel. His running splash through the announce table looked awesome too. HHH needed a sledgehammer to slay the beast. Great stuff. ***3/4
Triple H vs Randy Orton vs JBL vs John Cena
From Backlash 2008 and the WWE Title is on the line. Elimination rules apply in this match. JBL and Cena (surprisingly) didn't last very long in the match, but Orton and HHH were given enough time to have a little match of their own. Orton got the most offense in including his dreaded chinlocks, but the finish was exciting as you were just waiting on one guy to hit his finisher and win, and that turned out to be the Game. Another WWE Title win for the King of Kings. Fun match overall. ***1/2
Triple H vs John Cena
From Night of Champions 2008. Their first singles match together since Wrestlemania 22, so this one was highly anticipated. This time HHH was the champ and both guys were faces. This had a big match feel throughout and it definitely lived up to the expectation with a classic main event-style match with nearfalls and false finishes. A great match that made both guys look great in the end and put the score at 1-1. ****
Triple H vs Jeff Hardy
From No Mercy 2008. The last time these guys fought on PPV was at the 2007 Armageddon show where Hardy beat the Game, so his chances were looking good. On any other show this would have stolen the show, but the ladder match between Jericho and HBK did that on this night. Still these guys went out there and put on one hell of a match and Jeff Hardy looked as if he was so close to winning the Title but he just wasn't good enough to beat HHH. Awesome match. ****1/4
DX vs Legacy
From Summerslam 2009. This is DX's return match and their first match together since New Year's Revolution 2007. Their entrance here looked friggin' cool with the big army tank coming out. Legacy looked pretty damn good in this match, as if they could keep up with the legends. The match was quite long and I think Legacy's offense was a bit dull at times, but I still enjoyed the hell out of this and it had an exciting finish. A great return for DX. ***1/2
DX vs JeriShow : TLC Match
From TLC 2009 and the Unified Tag Titles are on the line. Is this the only two on two TLC match in history? Strange, I thought there were more of them. I don't think we'll ever see the Tag Title match main event a PPV again. This was a fun match that featured some cool moves with the weapons like DX double-suplexing a ladder onto Jericho, and using HBK as a battering ram to hit HHH who was hanging off of a ladder. Jericho landed very badly at the end of the match though. Still it was a great match. ***3/4
Triple H vs The Undertaker : No Holds Barred
From Wrestlemania XXVII and HHH's second shot at the legendary Streak. This one seems to have some split opinions with some people loving it and some people hating it, but I thought it was great. Yes it does have it's slow moments with both guys taking a while to get up, but the drama made up for it with HHH looking at Taker as if he was from another world and that nothing could take him down. HHH's tombstone was a close call for the Streak to end. Great stuff here. ****1/4
Triple H vs CM Punk : No DQ
From Night of Champions 2011. This was originally meant to be Punk vs Kevin Nash but Nash wasn't cleared to compete so we got HHH instead. Definitely the better option there. The booking of this match did suck as Punk should have won, but I guess the result made sense in HHH's head. They were having an awesome match until Awesome Truth decided to interfere and overbook the thing, but it was still a great match and Punk still did look good coming out of it. ***3/4
Undertaker vs Triple H : Hell in a Cell
From Wrestlemania XXVIII. The second HIAC match in WM history, and luckily nowhere near as bad as the first. I think a lot of people were worried that this would be a rehash of their No Holds Barred match, but fortunately it was so much better. This is one of the greatest matches in Wrestlemania history thanks to Shawn Michaels adding more drama, and the awesome nearfalls as well. The DX Special was especially good, and I thought the match was over for sure. All three guys embracing after the match was the icing on an already delicious cake. *****
Triple H vs Brock Lesnar : Steel Cage
From Extreme Rules 2013. The rubber match of this (way too long) feud. Both of their matches at Summerslam and Wrestlemania were pretty underwhelming so the expectations weren't high for this one which worked to its advantage. This is definitely the best match of their feud and they finally had an excellent contest. This one started quickly with HHH attacking Lesnar before the match even began. I think this took place during the time of Bret Hart bad mouthing HHH, and so HHH locking in the sharpshooter was a fun 'fuck you' moment. Overall an awesome cage match and a fitting end to the long feud. ****
Triple H vs Daniel Bryan
From Wrestlemania XXX. Can I just mention how absolutely badass HHH's entrance was? His best yet. Seeing almost the entire arena erupt in Yes! chants was a sight to behold. The match itself was awesome and delivered everything expected and more. The shoulder psychology was very well done and was used later on the night too which is cool. Everyone was worried that HHH would somehow bury Bryan again, but luckily he put the little goat over in grand fashion and got the show off to a fantastic start. Best Mania opener since Bret vs Owen. ****1/2
The Shield vs Evolution
From Extreme Rules 2014. I'm surprised that this one went on as early as it did and I thought that it would be the main event. I suppose this is a bit of a dream match with two of the biggest teams of the last ten years going at it. Every member of the Shield shined here and each of them had a memorable moment. Reign's took out all three members of Evolution, Ambrose ran across two tables to take out HHH and Orton, and Rollins had an awesome dive in the crowd area. An excellent six man tag that turned into absolute chaos by the end and it was amazing. Incredible stuff as the Shield gets the big victory. ****1/4
Saturday, 17 May 2014
Over the Limit 2012
Over the Limit 2012 Re-Review
Well unfortunately there are no Payback shows left to go back and review, so I'll just go back to the show that was there before Payback: Over the Limit. There have been three Over the Limit shows and this was the final one. Was it a good end for what was a mediocre PPV series? Let's find out.
Here's the old review for shits and giggles: http://prowrestlingtvreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/over-limit-2012-review-punk-bryan-steal.html
Battle Royal
This is joined in progress and the winner goes on to face either the US Champion or the IC Champion later on in the night. I guess they knew it didn't matter which Title they picked as they were pretty pointless anyway. Christian made his return from injury here, making it obvious as to who was going to win. This was pretty predictable since Christian was the only conceivable option for a winner except for maybe Miz. Tyson Kidd got an impressive showing here. A standard battle royal with an exciting finishing sequence. **1/4
Good start to the show there.
Kofi Kingston & R-Truth vs Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger
The Tag Team Titles are on the line. These teams had some pretty damn good matches before Truth replaced Evan Bourne, but even with Truth (not that he's bad) they still managed to have a kick ass match. This was a very good, back and forth tag match that the crowd was hot for. Lawler's Vickie Guerrero observations were very annoying and put me off the match a bit, but the in-ring work brought me back in. Great stuff. ***1/2
Beth Phoenix vs Layla
The Divas Title is on the line. Layla returned at Extreme Rules the month previously and won the Title. The fans weren't interested in this one as they were chanting for Daniel Bryan and Colt Cabana, but this was a good divas match. The work on Layla's leg was well done and there some exciting moments during the finish like some nearfalls and Layla countering out of the glam slam. Good match in my opinion. **1/2
Sheamus vs Alberto Del Rio vs Chris Jericho vs Randy Orton
The World Heavyweight Title is on the line. I would say that Sheamus was the favourite to win this match since he hadn't been the Champion for that long, but everyone looked as if they had a chance of winning so it was pretty unpredictable. This is one of the best fatal four ways I've ever seen as it was fun throughout and became so exciting towards the finishing stretch. There were so many nearfalls and false finishes and you never knew who was going to get the big win. Jericho looked like he was gonna win it a few times. An incredible match that was a potential showstealer. ****1/4
Brodus Clay vs The Miz
Yeah I think it's safe to say that these Brodus squash matches were just a waste of time. Miz danced Thriller before the match and it was better that Brodus's dancing in my opinion. This was the best place for this kind of match since we all needed a breather after that awesome World Title match. Just a glorified squash with Miz only getting a little offense in. 1/2*
Cody Rhodes vs Christian
The IC Title is on the line. This really wasn't a good time for Cody as he lost the Title at Wrestlemania, regained it a month later, and is now dropping it again on this night. To make it worse he's being beaten by a man who's already competed tonight. The match was pretty solid and they'd have a better one at the next PPV, but I still enjoyed this one. A good match from both guys. **1/2
CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan
The WWE Championship is on the line. I'm pretty sure this was a wet dream for most fans (including myself) at the time and the match had high expectations as a result. They definitely lived up to those expectations and even managed to exceed them as they gave us a Match of the Decade candidate. Bryan looked great going against a top star in Punk and it made him look like a future superstar (which obviously he was). A stunning technical encounter and one of the best I've ever had the privilege of watching. The 'This is Awesome' chants were well deserved and very appropriate on this night. A true modern classic. *****
What an awesome way to end a show and this was such a great show. One of the best of 2012.
Wait what? It's not finished? There's still two matches to go?
Oh good God please no.
Ryback vs Camacho
Ah the Ryback squash matches. Don't worry Ryback you'll be challenging for the WWE Championship in a year's time. Just another squash match here and it lasted under two minutes so it wasn't too offensive. Ryback gets the definitive victory. 1/4*
John Cena vs John Laurinaitis
If Laurinaitis loses he is terminated. Holy crap whose idea was this? The match itself is bad enough, but the fact that it's the main event instead Punk/Bryan makes it even worse. I'm guessing that this was meant to involve Brock Lesnar originally but he was screwed over by the finish of Extreme Rules and left for a while. An awful comedy match that would lead to yet another boring Cena/Big Show feud. DUD. One of the worst main events in WWE history.
8/10. This could have been another classic PPV if the show had stopped after the WWE Title match, but unfortunately it had to keep going. Even though the main event and a couple of squash matches spoiled things, there was still a lot to enjoy here. You had a great tag match, two fantastic World Title matches, a solid divas match and a solid IC Title match. Everything bad outside of the main event was kept short, so this is still a highly recommended show.
Monday, 12 May 2014
Payback 2013
Payback 2013 Re-Review
It's been a wee while since I've posted anything, mainly because I've been really ill for the past week and I'm still feeling like shit today. However, the show must go on so here is last June's PPV: Payback.
I think this should be called the little pay per view that could since it had very little build-up and at the time I was only really interested in the Punk/Jericho match. It looked as if it was going to flop, but somehow it managed to overcome its obstacles and became one of the best shows of 2013. If it wasn't for Summerslam this could have probably been the show of the year.
But it has been a while since I've watched it, so is it still as good as I remember? Let's find out.
Curtis Axel vs The Miz vs Wade Barrett
The IC Title is on the line. Half the crowd seemed to be booing the Miz as he came out, and yet he's still a face today. Fandango was originally meant to be in this match but he was injured so Axel took his place. I was happy with Axel winning at the time since it was Father's Day which made it very appropriate, but he ended up being a very forgettable champion. He did look impressive here, using the moves his dad used to use. This match was a ton of fun and featured some great nearfalls and false finishes towards the finish. A great way to open the show. ***1/2
AJ Lee vs Kaitlyn
The Divas Title is on the line. The start of an almost year long Title reign for AJ. It's been a year now and I'm still waiting on another divas match to better this one. The storyline was pretty dumb with Kaitlyn thinking she had a secret admirer and it ended up being AJ just making fun of her. However, they managed to work through that and gave us a match that almost no one expected: a technically good divas match. The best divas match of 2013 and the best since Unforgiven 2006, as AJ was awesome in her crazy role. ***
We get a vignette for the arrival of the Wyatt Family. I don't think anyone expected them to be as successful as they became. Rowan and Harper speak during it which is really weird to see since they usually barely talk at all.
Kane vs Dean Ambrose
The US Title is on the line. The first of two matches featuring members of the Shield tonight. This was just after the Shield's first defeat on Smackdown so they had lost a bit of momentum. I thought I might have liked this better the second time but it was still a pretty dull match. Kane tried to keep up with the younger Ambrose, but the pace still felt very slow. Ambrose going for old school was a cool moment though. Not a very good match here. *1/2
Dolph Ziggler vs Alberto Del Rio
The World Heavyweight Title is on the line. It's a shame that Del Rio couldn't really keep his heel heat after this night because he became the most hated man in the WWE after this match. I think we were all expecting a good technical match at the time, but we got so much more than that. We received the best double turn since Wrestlemania 13 and some epic storytelling. Ziggler came out looking like a guy who wouldn't go down without a fight and Del Rio looked like a beast who would do anything possible to win the Title, even if it meant injuring a man. This was something different and it was awesome. The work to Ziggler's head was sick and made him very sympathetic. A fantastic match. ****1/4
CM Punk vs Chris Jericho
Punk is making his return here and it's his first match since losing to the Undertaker at Wrestlemania. I'm surprised this wasn't the main event, and in hindsight it probably should have been. This show is in Chicago and Punk got the typical huge reaction from his hometown crowd. It sucks that this might be their last match together, but at least they went out on a high note. A fantastic match that might have been their best yet which is saying a hell of a lot. Counter after counter, nearfall after nearfall this was just incredible and easily the match of the night and one of the best matches of the entire year. I'm gonna increase the rating this time. Amazing stuff. ****3/4
Randy Orton & Daniel Bryan vs The Shield
The Tag Team Titles are on the line. Good luck following that classic guys. This would normally be a horrible spot for any wrestler to be in, but the fans were still quite rowdy and didn't seem burned out at all. It's probably because of Bryan and he did get the loudest cheers from the audience. This was a fun tag match that sowed the seeds of the Bryan/Orton feud that would go on for most of 2013. Bryan was awesome here as he usually is, and the Shield help up their end too. Short but sweet. ***1/4
John Cena vs Ryback : 3 Stages of Hell
The WWE Championship is on the line. The first stage is a lumberjack match, the second is a tables match, and the final stage is an ambulance match. Their match at Extreme Rules was a great one, but I don't think anyone was really excited for a rematch, especially when it was first announced as just an ambulance match. Thankfully they changed it to a match that sounded a bit more interesting. Ryback looked impressive after the first fall as he pinned Cena clean in the middle of the ring. Cena wins the second fall with an AA through a table. Cena wins the third fall with an AA through the ambulance. Overall this was fun and a lot better than expected. A good way to end the show. ***1/2
9/10. Holy balls this was an awesome show. The Punk/Jericho and Del Rio/Ziggler matches alone are enough for a recommendation, but this also had a great opener, a great main event, a good divas match, and a fun tag team match. Only the US Title match brings it down, but aside from that you want all of this. A highly recommended show.
Tuesday, 6 May 2014
Ross's Raw Recap
Raw : May 5th 2014 Review
Extreme Rules was a great show, but how will Raw follow it up? Let's find out.
20 Man Battle Royal
The US Title is on the line. I'm glad that the Title seems to be defended more and more nowadays. I'm pretty sure that Santino just made himself a heel by eliminating Ziggler. I thought Sheamus was a good choice for the winner as he's more of a World Title contender, so he could make the Title mean a bit more. Fun battle royal. **1/2
HHH comes out to announce the main event which will be The Shield vs The Wyatts IV. Yes! Yes! Yes!
We've also got an IC Title rematch and Adam Rose makes his debut. Don't be a lemon!
Stephanie McMahon tells Daniel Bryan that Kane is still mad from his loss. I guess that confirms the rematch but please don't let it be a Buried Alive match. They're almost never good.
Rob Van Dam vs Cesaro
I guess RVD wanted payback for losing cleanly to Cesaro at Extreme Rules. Apparently Paul Heyman's client Brock Lesnar conquered the Undertaker's undefeated streak. Really? That's news to me. I liked how they played off and countered some of the moves that took place in the PPV match like Cesaro's German suplex or RVD's monkey flip. This was going very well until the crappy finish with Cesaro DQ'ing himself. ***1/4
The Wyatt Family is here. I suck at recapping promos so I'll just say that this is the kind of promo you would expect from Bray. Luke Harper looked incredibly creepy as well.
Ryback vs Cody Rhodes
Rhodes was eliminated by Rybaxel in the battle royal so I guess he wanted a bit of revenge. Short match that started off dull but got a bit more interesting and got a reaction from the crowd once Rhodes was on offense. *1/2
Bryan and Brie and creeped out by the light tricks of Kane.
Los Matadores are having a celebration until 3MB shows up (now it's a party!). I'm strangely enjoying this feud, probably because it's nice to see 3MB finally doing something. Mahal tells the Matadores to speak English. That made me laugh a bit I'll admit. A brawl breaks out and Los Matadores come out on top. Pretty pointless segment unless it sets up a rematch.
Kofi Kingston vs
I'm not sure why they took the 'Alexander' part of his name but they seem to be doing that to everyone now. How long until Daniel Bryan is just known as Bryan? The only reason I care for Rusev is because of Lana. My god she's amazing. A short, slightly enjoyable squash match. *
Bryan and Brie are in their car and for some reason there's a camera man in there too. Bryan is forced to compete tonight otherwise he'll be stripped of his Title.
Daniel Bryan vs Alberto Del Rio
Those segments of Bryan being afraid of Kane were just awful, so thankfully now he's doing what he does best: wrestling, and he has a good opponent in Del Rio. Del Rio was made to look good for the first time in a while and looked as if he could take down the Champion. A very good match with just a couple of sloppy moments and it had a nice finish with Bryan turning the hurricarana into the Yes lock. Good stuff. ***1/2
Kane's pyro goes off and Bryan runs back to his car with Brie. Kane appears in the car and Brie does some awful-sounding screaming. I couldn't concentrate on anything other than that. They get away safely and Bryan looks like a bit of a coward because of it. Pardon my French but that was fucking dreadful.
Big E vs Bad News Barrett
IC Title is on the line. Barrett does look good with the belt around his waist. I think Big E needs a heel turn. He's getting no sympathy from the audience. Speaking of which, why are they still chanting for CM Punk? He ain't coming back guys. Anyway this was a bland match that was nowhere near as good as their PPV match. *1/4
Zeb Colter is out for his usual anti-immigration speech. His deportation list did make me laugh and I'll admit that I'm happy that Drew McIntyre isn't on it. This brings out Adam Rose for his first appearance on Raw. His entrance was pretty damn cool. I like him already and look forward to seeing him in action. He tells Colter to be a rosebud and sends Swagger out of the ring so that he can get on with some partying.
The Shield vs The Wyatt Family
There's still thirty minutes left in the episode so it looks as if this is gonna be given plenty of time. Yes! Their three other matches have all been excellent and this one was no different. Can these teams have a bad match? I don't think so. The crowd was weirdly quiet for this but they've been shitty all night anyway so it doesn't matter too much. Evolution came in at the end to cost the Shield the match. A fantastic tag match that was a ton of fun. ****
Evolution destroys the Shield to end the show.
Kind of a mixed bag here as there were some good stuff and some bad stuff. There was more good than bad though like a few very good wrestling matches and an interesting debut for a new star. Not a bad episode at all.
Here are my predictions for the Payback PPV :
John Cena vs Bray Wyatt with Luke Harper and Erick Rowan put in shark cages above the ring
Dean Ambrose vs Sheamus for the US Title (Sheamus will be a heel)
Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns vs Triple H & Randy Orton (Batista will have sauntered back off to Hollywood)
Daniel Bryan vs Kane (Inferno/ Buried Alive / Ambulance / Casket Match. Just pick a stereotypical Kane gimmick)
Bad News Barrett vs Cesaro vs RVD for the IC Title ( Swagger can be the guest referee if he wants)
Paige vs AJ (I'd rather wait for Summerslam for this match but Paige doesn't really have any other oppenents to face right now)
El Torito vs Hornswoggle in a WeeLC rematch (you know you want it)
Let's see how these pan out in the weeks to come.
Monday, 5 May 2014
Extreme Rules 2014
Extreme Rules 2014 Review
Pre-Show
El Torito vs Hornswoggle : WeeLC
And cue just about every small joke you can think of, including mini-commentators, a mini ring announcer, mini weapons and a mini referee. This is so bad that it's good in a weird way and the crowd was really into it too. I'm starting to think that someone put acid in my pepsi. It even got a 'this is awesome chant'. A Match of the Year candidate! In all seriousness this was a lot of fun. There better be a rematch on Raw. ***
Extreme Rules 2014
Rob Van Dam vs Cesaro vs Jack Swagger
"Thou shalt not boo Paul Heyman". Amen brother. Elimination rules apply in this one. I thought that would just be Cesaro against Swagger, but RVD got added to it for some reason. I guess he needed something to do. There was quite a bit of innovative offense in this one. The crowd was a bit quiet until Cesaro broke out the swing and then they were hot for it. Swagger was the first eliminated to leave the fan favourites in the ring. Overall this was a great way to open the show as it was a ton of fun and gave Cesaro a big win. Great stuff. ***1/2
Alexander Rusev vs R-Truth & Xavier Woods
This reminds me of two years ago when Ryback would take out a couple of jobbers on PPV. Lana (so hot) mentioned that Vladimir Putin was their hero and that got her a bit of heat from the crowd. This was just a glorified squash for Rusev. 3/4*
Big E vs Bad News Barrett
IC Title is on the line. I've been looking forward to this one as it was built up well with the long tournament on Raw. Barrett has been looking incredible since his in-ring return and the Bad News segments have made him popular even though he's a heel. You would think that Big E was the heel here as he was jeered and Barrett got the support of the audience. The match was pretty good and there was some cool offense like Barrett's tornado suplex and Big E's spear through the ropes. Barrett picks up the Title. ***
The Shield vs Evolution
I'm surprised that this one went on as early as it did and I thought that it would be the main event. I suppose this is a bit of a dream match with two of the biggest teams of the last ten years going at it. Every member of the Shield shined here and each of them had a memorable moment. Reign's took out all three members of Evolution, Ambrose ran across two tables to take out HHH and Orton, and Rollins had an awesome dive in the crowd area. An excellent six man tag that turned into absolute chaos by the end and it was amazing. Incredible stuff as the Shield gets the big victory. ****1/4
John Cena vs Bray Wyatt : Steel Cage
Hey that means that Daniel Bryan is the main event! Yes! The choir of children on Raw was an awesome segment and incredibly creepy. Wyatt was at his creepy best here as he did things like orchestrate the crowd, spider-walked to the door and danced with a groggy Cena. The match had a slower pace to it, but it was still entertaining. Wyatt did look a little weak as he needed the family multiple times to save the match for him. But at least he has a win over Cena now. I loved the finish with the creepy kid singing to distract Cena and gave Wyatt the win. Good match. ***1/4
Paige vs Tamina Snuka
Divas Title is on the line. I was hoping that Paige would get a chance to show off her skills, and she did as she got an entertaining match out of Tamina. The crowd was completely dead but screw them I enjoyed it a bit. It wasn't great but it wasn't bad either. Paige looked impressive as she hooked her submission finisher onto Tamina to retain the Title. **
Daniel Bryan vs Kane : Extreme Rules
The WWE World Title is on the line. I've enjoyed this feud a lot more than I thought I would and it has been great to see Kane as a proper monster again. This reminded me of the Hardcore matches from the Attitude Era as they went to the backstage area and used weapons like snow shovels, tire irons and even a forklift that Bryan used for a brilliant flying headbutt. A flaming table was even brought out! I never thought I'd see that in the WWE again. This match was a ton of fin and I enjoyed the hell out of it. Kane's nest match in what feels like forever and a great end to the show. ****
8/10. Let's look at all the winners tonight: Cesaro, Rusev, Barrett, Shield, Wyatt, Paige and Bryan. Every winner was a rising star and future superstars of the company. That's pretty damn awesome. The show was a lot of fun and featured a few matches that were worth a watch like the opening triple threat, the six man tag, the cage match, the main event and even the IC Title match. The stuff that wasn't too good was kept short. Great show to follow Wrestlemania up with.
Sunday, 4 May 2014
The Greatest Hits of World Wrestling Entertainment
The Greatest Hits of the WWE
I think this is definitely the biggest Greatest Hits post I've ever done and probably ever will do. Not only will it feature the most critically acclaimed matches like the Mind Games main event or the No Mercy 02 tag match, but also the biggest moments from Hogan body-slamming Andre to the Undertaker's legendary Streak coming to an end.
This'll be a long one, so sit back, relax and enjoy the read. Let me know in the comments if I missed any of your favourites or if you disagree with any placements (I have a feeling the Benoit matches might ruffle some feathers).
Mr T & Hulk Hogan vs Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff
From Wrestlemania I. This match is the reason why we still have Wrestlemania today (or mainstream wrestling in general) and why it's the biggest show in wrestling. Vince took a gamble on Wrestlemania, and this match certainly paid it off in a very big way. The crowd was insanely hot for the match and that made it even better. The match was a ton of fun and worth watching more than once. One of the most important matches ever. ***
Ricky Steamboat vs Randy Savage
From Wrestlemania III and the IC Title is on the line. Without a doubt this is one of the most inspirational matches in wrestling history. It's because of this match that you see guys like Chris Jericho and some of the other smaller guys getting elevated to the top of the card and putting on show-stealing matches. Nothing was botched here and everything looked crisp clean, and featured so many dramatic nearfalls. This is quite possibly the best wrestling match in history and definitely one
of the best in Wrestlemania history. *****
Hulk Hogan vs Andre The Giant
From Wrestlemania III and the WWF Championship is on the line. Arguably the biggest match in the history of wrestling. The hero Hogan going up against the undefeated giant in Andre. This match drew 93,000 (if that is the real number) people into the Silverdome. The match isn't good, but that doesn't matter as it's all about the big match feel and the historical significance. The slam is still a goosebump-inducing moment. The match itself is about *1/2 but for what it did for professional wrestling and how important it is, it deserves *****.
Harley Race / Hercules / Ron Bass / Danny Davis / Honky Tonk Man vs Ricky Steamboat / Jake Roberts / Brutus Beefcake / Jim Duggan / Randy Savage
From Survivor Series 1987. The first ever Survivor Series event and this is the opening match of this new PPV concept. In turn that makes this the first ever traditional Survivor Series match, one that would lead to another twenty seven years of fun, meaningless matches. The match was a lot of fun and the crowd was really hot throughout. The pacing of the match was good as well as it was never really slow and there was always something going on. Good stuff. ***1/2
The 1988 Royal Rumble Match
From the 1988 Royal Rumble surprisingly enough. This is the first ever Rumble match and the rules are a bit different to a modern Rumble match. There were only twenty guys involved and it was a pretty meaningless match. The only thing the winner got was the pride in knowing he'd beaten nineteen other men. Bret Hart and Tito Santana had the honour of being the first two participants ever, and Butch Reed had the honour of being the first elimination ever. The match was pretty fun even if it was only made up of mid-carders, and Hacksaw Jim Duggan becomes the first winner, something that seems to be mentioned all the time. ***
Hulk Hogan & Randy Savage vs Ted Dibiase & Andre the Giant
From Summerslam 1988. The first ever main event of Summerslam, that lead to a hell of a lot more. I assume that this is Dibiase and Andre trying to get revenge for their defeat at Wrestlemania. Jesse Ventura is the referee for some reason. An entertaining match that felt like a big deal. The crowd was hot for it too. Overall it was a good match with a very memorable ending, as Liz shows off her underwear to distract the bad guys and give the Mega Powers the big win. ***
Randy Savage vs Hulk Hogan
From Wrestlemania V and the WWF Title is on the line. I suppose you could say this one was a year in the making. It was gonna be hard to live up to the great storyline and build-up of the Mega Powers exploding, but I'd say they delivered. Savage was a great heel here, running away from Hogan and using Liz as a shield. A great match with Savage wearing down Hogan for most of it, and Hogan hulking up to win back his Championship belt. ***3/4
Hulk Hogan vs The Ultimate Warrior
From Wrestlemania VI. Winner takes all here as both the WWF and IC Titles are on the line. I have a deeper appreciation for whoever booked this match after watching the train wreck at Halloween Havoc 98. The crowd couldn't decide who to cheer for and were split right down the middle. This is one of the best booked matches ever as it was fun and had a big match feel throughout, when it probably should have been awful. Awesome stuff here. This match makes me feel like a kid again. RIP Warrior. ****1/2
The Rockers vs The Orient Express
From the 1991 Royal Rumble. I'd heard a lot of great things about this match, and I wasn't disappointed. The match started straight away with an unbelievable pace that was awesome to watch. The great pace continues as the match goes on. Such a fantastic tag match with some awesome double team moments. I'm pretty sure the show has just been stolen. One of the best tag matches I've ever had the privilege of watching. ****1/2
The Ultimate Warrior vs Randy Savage
From Wrestlemania VII and the loser must retire (for a few months). This is easily Warrior's greatest match, and even one of Savage's best too. This one was a ton of fun with Savage trying everything he could to keep the Warrior down, but nothing worked. Savage even hit an amazing five top rope elbow drops and Warrior still kicked out. A definite Mania classic, and not just for what happened during the match but after. Elizabeth and Savage embracing for the first time in maybe three years was an emotional moment that capped off an incredible contest. ****3/4
Bret Hart vs Mr Perfect
From Summerslam 1991 and the IC Title is on the line. This isn't the only match between these two you'll see in this post. Perfect was coming in with an injured back and was in a lot of pain, but he really wanted to put Bret over because he respected him. And because of that, we got this classic battle. An amazing back and forth technical battle, even if the ref kind of screwed up the finish a little and rang the bell way too early. Classic stuff. ****1/2
The 1992 Royal Rumble Match
Then only Rumble to ever have a Championship on the line. This is universally considered to be the greatest Rumble of all time, although I do prefer the 2004 edition myself. It is a fantastic Rumble though and had everything you could want from like huge stars such as Hogan, Savage, Flair, Roberts, Taker, Piper and others. It was never boring and fun all the way through and gave Ric Flair a huge career moment as he won the thing. Amazing match that has to be seen. ****3/4
Randy Savage vs Ric Flair
From Wrestlemania VIII and the WWF Title is on the line. The story here was that Flair claimed to have been a love interest of Elizabeth, and that really pissed Savage off. Flair didn't get away with his blade job here and was fined, I think, around $5000. A fun, fast paced match here that should have been the main event of this show. Both Savage and Flair performed greatly. Both guys showed great hatred for one another, making this a dramatic match. A fantastic contest. ****1/2
Bret Hart vs British Bulldog
From Summerslam 1992 and the IC Title is on the line. Quite possibly the best match in Summerslam history and even wrestling history. Bret says that this is his favourite match, and it's not hard to see why. Bret basically carried this whole match and managed to get an all time classic out of the Bulldog who wasn't ready for a match of this caliber. The huge crowd helps as well. Just an amazing technical match, that made Bulldog look great and made Bret look like the best in the world (sorry Punk). Amazing match that led to Bret winning his first WWE Championship a few months later. *****
Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels
From Survivor Series 1992. This match really showed a changing of the guard in the WWE. These guys showed that they didn't have to be huge muscled up superstars to carry a show and also have the best match on the show. Four years before their Iron Man match and these guys were still having classics. Fantastic match. Probably their second best together and that's saying something. Bret made Michaels look great. ****1/2
Bret Hart vs Mr Perfect
From King of the Ring 1993 and the winner would go onto the finals of the tournament. I thought it would have been impossible for these guys to top their Summerslam match, but they managed it here. This time both guys were faces coming into this one, so it was a bit different from their usual matches where Perfect was the heel. From bell to bell this was just a brilliant technical clinic and there wasn't a botch or a sloppy moment to be found. They given a lot of time and they used every minute of it well. Incredible stuff. ****1/2
Bret Hart vs Owen Hart
From Wrestlemania X. Without a doubt the greatest opener for any PPV ever, and also one of the greatest matches of all time. Every move is performed perfectly with no mistakes, and it all builds to an exciting climax. Both guys were brilliant in their roles, with Owen as the jealous younger sibling, and Bret as the regretful and wiser older brother. Quite possibly the best match in Mania history, and maybe the best match in the careers of both of the athletes. A must-see match. *****
Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon : Ladder Match
From Wrestlemania X and the winner will be crowned the undisputed IC Champion. Some people don't enjoy this one because it doesn't have the crazy bumps of later ladder matches, but you have to remember that matches like this just didn't happen at this point in time. It's still a highly entertaining contest that built drama with each and every spot the ladder was used with, and that gave Shawn his first classic match at Wrestlemania. An iconic contest. ****3/4
Bret Hart vs Owen Hart : Steel Cage
From Summerslam 1994. The best steel cage match ever? Quite possibly. The best one without any blood? Absolutely! The drama was amazing as the crowd went crazy whenever either guy would try to climb out of the cage. Their brilliant chemistry together showed as well and there were every move hit perfectly. The superplex from the top of the cage looked fantastic and safe as well which was great. Another terrific contest from the Hart brothers and a MOTYC/all time classic to boot. *****
Shawn Michaels vs Jeff Jarrett
From In Your House 2. Man, Shawn gave us so many memorable matches from the IYH PPVs starting with this one (and more to come). This is easily Jarrett's best match in WWE, but I've not really seen any of his TNA stuff so I don't know if anything topped this (I highly doubt it). Jeff was in his hometown and was still getting booed by the crowd. There's tons of heat for this one, and the pacing is just excellent. A phenomenal back and forth match here, that is must-see in my book. ****1/2
Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon : Ladder Match
From Summerslam 1995 and the IC Title is on the line. I have to admit that I prefer this one to their Wrestlemania match. The ladder bumps were just as good as the original match, but this one had a lot more psychology to it thanks to Shawn's injured leg. In fact I would have given this one the full five stars if it wasn't for Shawn's temper tantrum at the very end. Kind of ruins it for me. Still this was an excellent match and probably the best one on one ladder match ever. ****3/4
Bret Hart vs British Bulldog
From Seasons Beatings IYH. Quite a forgotten classic here. Over three years since their classic Summerslam bout and they were still putting on amazing matches together. This time there's not really any historical value, but there's enough action to make a highly recommended watch. Just the fantastic technical match that you would expect from these two as Bret retains with a nice roll-up that he got from Chris Jericho. A MOTYC for 1995. ****1/2
Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hart : 60 Minute Iron Man Match
From Wrestlemania XII. This is one of those matches that people either love or hate, and I'm in the camp of love. That didn't sound right. Anyway I believe this is the first televisied Iron Man match in the WWF. Admittedly some people won't like this match and will find that it's too long and even boring, but I just found myself entertained with it the entire time, including the overtime. They paced themselves incredibly well for the full 60 minutes. In my opinion it's a classic and the boyhood dram has indeed come true for HBK. ****3/4
Shawn Michaels vs Mankind
From Mind Games IYH. Before Backlash 2004, Mick Foley described this as the greatest match of his career. I personally prefer his Royal Rumble 2000 match, but this is a very close second. These guys showed remarkable chemistry and went out there and put on what might be the Match of the Year for 1996. Even the DQ ending couldn't ruin it. The work on Mankind's leg was well done too. One of the greatest matches of all time and one of the best ever for the WWF Title. See this one immediately. *****
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Bret Hart
From Survivor Series 1996 and the winner will be the No.1 Contender for the WWF Title. This was also Bret's comeback match. I think this one gets overlooked quite a lot thanks to the amazing I Quit match at Wrestlemania 13, but this deserves some recognition for being almost as brilliant, and perhaps the best match of 1996. This felt like a war and featured a great mix of technical moves and even some brawling. By the end, both guys looked like the greatest wrestlers on the planet, and they might well have been. Awesome stuff. *****
Bret Hart vs Stone Cold Steve Austin : Submission Match
From Wrestlemania XIII and Ken Shamrock is the guest referee. When talking about professional wrestling's all time greatest matches, a lot of different ones are thrown around in conversation. But I don't think any match (with the exception of Taker/HBK) comes up quite as often as this one and for very good reason. It contains perhaps the most intense 20 minutes or so of a match that you'll ever see, the blade job is great, it has an iconic image of Austin dripping blood while in the sharpshooter, and the greatest double-turn in wrestling history with Austin being hailed as a hero when all is said and done. These are all ingredients to make the perfect match (why does that sound like a powerpuff girl reference?) and one of the greatest of all time, if not the greatest. A masterpiece. *****
Bret Hart / Owen Hart / Brian Pillman / Jim Neidhart / British Bulldog vs Stone Cold / Ken Shamrock / Goldust / Legion of Doom
From Canadian Stampede IYH. The other matches tonight may have been awesome, but this is why this event is remembered so fondly. The pop that the Hart Foundation gets from the audience is absolutely spine-chilling and one of the loudest crowd reactions I've ever heard. Not only that but the match was awesome all the way through its entire twenty-five minute runtime and the atmosphere was incredible with crowd making the whole building shake with their cheers. One of the coolest and most memorable matches in the history of professional wrestling that should be viewed by every fan. Amazing. *****
Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels : Hell in a Cell
From Badd Blood IYH. The first ever Cell match and the winner goes on to face the WWF Champion at Survivor Series, thus leading to the Montreal Screwjob. This was easily Taker's best match up to this point, and it wouldn't be topped for another twelve years, strangely enough with Shawn Michaels. Both guys were awesome in their roles with HBK as the cowardly heel and Taker as the monster. An all time classic match that never had a dull moment and also gave us the debut of Kane as he tombstoned his brother. Amazing match. *****
Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels
From Survivor Series 1997. One of the most historical matches contested for the WWF Title even if it's for all the wrong reasons. Every wrestling fan knows the story here and if you don't then I assume that you've been living under a rock your whole life. The match itself is pretty decent and was mostly a brawl, but of course it's the ending that everyone remembers. One of the most controversial moments in wrestling history. **3/4
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Shawn Michaels
From Wrestlemania XIV. Mike Tyson is the special enforcer. This match is great considering that Shawn was wrestling with a screwed up back and that Austin was still feeling the effects on the tombstone at Summerslam. In-ring wise this isn't a classic, but because of the historical significance and the fact that it started off the Attitude Era makes it an all time classic. Great match from both guys, even if Tyson counted a little too fast for the finish. ****
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Dude Love
From Over the Edge 1998. Vince was trying to put all the odds against Austin by making himself the special referee for the bout. Luckily Austin had Undertaker in his corner. This was an overbooked match but it was overbooked to perfection and made it a very exciting contest. These guys had an awesome brawl that went all over the place. One of Austin's best matches and a MOTYC for 1998. The Attitude Era at its best. ****1/2
Undertaker vs Mankind : Hell in a Cell
From King of the Ring 1998. This is the match that made me a fan of professional wrestling and it's still one of the most infamous matches in WWE history. The image of Mankind being thrown off the cell and then through the cell will stand the test of time as one of wrestling's most enduring images. Possibly the most brutal match of all time thanks to just two spots. Don't forget about the thumb tacks that came later. Incredible. ****1/2
The Rock vs Triple H : Ladder Match
From Summerslam 1998 and the IC Title on the line. Two years later this could have main evented any show in the WWE. These guys were still mid-carders, but this was the match that showed that they would one day become superstars. An exciting ladder match that was a ton of fun all the way through and the fans at MSG loved it too. A show stealing performance from both guys and a match that will go down in history as one of their best. ****1/2
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock
From Wrestlemania XV. This Wrestlemania was awful and definitely one of the worst, but this match just about saved the whole thing. The first of three awesome matches at Mania. This is probably the worst of the Austin/Rock matches at Mania, but it still deserves to be here since it was their first big match together and it showed just how great these guys worked together. An awesome, brawling main event. ****
Edge & Christian vs The Hardy Boyz : Ladder Match
From No Mercy 1999 and the managerial services of Terri are on the line along with some money. This is the first recorded Tag Team Ladder match in WWF history and it was the big chance for these guys to get over with the crowd, and they certainly succeeded there. These guys hit a ton high-flying moves that hadn't been seen in the WWF at this point in time. It may look tame compared to modern ladder matches, but this was epic for it's time and a must-see match. The crowd was silent to start with, and by the end they gave a standing ovation, showing how great this match is. WWF's MOTY for 1999. *****
Triple H vs Cactus Jack : Street Fight
From Royal Rumble and the WWF Title is on the line. This is most definitely an easy contender for the best match of both of these guys' careers. HHH was made into a star thanks to Foley here, and unfortunately he let it go straight to his head and we're still suffering from it. Anyway this is still an all time classic featuring some brutal moments. There was a throwback to the 99 Rumble as HHH handcuffed Cactus and beat him with a chair. The pedigree onto the thumbtacks still looks absolutely insane, and I can't believe that anyone would take a bump like that. An all time great for sure. An absolute war. *****
Triple H vs Cactus Jack : Hell in a Cell
From No Way Out 2000. If Cactus loses this match, his career must end. I don't think this is the five star classic match everyone calls it, but it's damn close and still an awesome match. Cactus falling through the cell will be an image that will live on forever. The stuff with the barbed wire bat was pretty damn cool as well. HHH wins with a pedigree. Foley started his career with Cactus Jack, and he ended it with Cactus Jack. Until he came back a couple of weeks later. ****1/2
Edge & Christian vs The Hardy Boyz vs The Dudley Boyz : Triangle Ladder Match
From Wrestlemania 2000 and the Tag Titles are hanging from the ceiling. A lot of people mistake this for the first TLC match, although it is like a TLC match since there's a quite a few tables around the place. Definitely a precursor to the TLC concept. A classic match here with some great innovative moves for the time and so many replayable moments. The scary part is that they would only get better and better. Amazing stuff from these six fearless guys, who would become stars after this performance (most notably Edge and Jeff) ****1/2
The Rock vs Triple H
From Backlash 2000. This is probably the most memorable match from their awesome feud besides the Iron Man match. The odds were stacked against the Rock as HHH was basically running the company and Shane McMahon was the guest referee. The double Rock Bottom through the announce table looked awesome. The fans were already hot for this one but they just about blew the roof off when Austin returned. Fantastic match overall. ****1/4
Triple H vs The Rock : 60 Minute Iron Man Match
From Judgment Day 2000. Shawn Michaels was the ref for this match. For everyone who has heard so much about this match but has never seen it, you will not be disappointed. Every minute felt like it was adding to the match and it was never dull or boring, unlike some other Iron Man contests. The match ended 6-5 to HHH , as Undertaker made his goosebump-inducing return and got the Rock disqualified. Just brilliant and probably the best Iron Man match in WWE history. ****3/4
Chris Jericho vs Triple H : Last Man Standing
From Fully Loaded 2000. Jericho cost HHH a Title match and had been insulting Stephanie McMahon for weeks, so HHH was gonna get some payback. This is, without a doubt, Jericho's break out match and the one that made him a star. He may have came out as the loser, but that didn't matter as he'd put on an amazing performance against the Game. The story was incredible with Jericho giving everything he had to try and beat HHH, only to come up short at the end. The best Last Man Standing match ever and a career highlight for both athletes. Amazing stuff. ****3/4
The Hardy Boyz vs Edge & Christian vs The Dudley Boyz : TLC Match
From Summerslam 2000. Here we are, the first ever TLC match and it was in the Hardy Boyz's hometown. Still makes me wonder why E&C won the thing. This could be the greatest TLC match ever. It's between this and the TLC at Wrestlemania 17. I never wanted this match to end. It feels much shorter than 15 minutes. Edge and Christian win after taking out all other competitors. Amazing is the word to describe this. Easily the match of the night, and maybe the match of the year. *****
Chris Benoit vs Chris Jericho : Ladder Match
From Royal Rumble 2001 and the IC Title is on the line. Finally these two fearsome rivals reach their final encounter, and boy did they try to destroy each other. This isn't the high-flying ladder match that you would expect, as these guys just wanted to beat the other up. The most (in)famous moment of the match comes from a suicide dive from Benoit as he goes head first into a steel chair, and it looks absolutely brutal. It was a war, and a terrific one at that. ****1/2
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Triple H : 3 Stages of Hell
From No Way Out 2001. First match is a standard contest, second match is a street fight, and the final match is a steel cage. These guys had been feuding for ages and it was finally going to culminate here. HHH won the first fall which showed he was the better wrestler, while Austin won the second fall and showed that he was the better brawler. Both guys were exhausted by the time the third fall started. An absolutely fantastic match the lasted about forty minutes. Both guys came out looking like legends. I don't know why HHH was given the win since Austin was going to the main event of Mania. Maybe it was to fuel his heel turn. Still, an amazing match and one of the best ever. *****
The Hardy Boyz vs Edge & Christian vs The Dudley Boyz : TLC
From Wrestlemania X-Seven and the Tag Titles are on the line. The second and best TLC match in history, and that's saying a lot considering how exciting those matches are. These guys were somehow able to come up with new and exciting spots different to those in previous matches and somehow make them even more memorable. The 20ft spear is a moment that is still shown in highlight videos to this day. Even the interference was well done as it kept the match exciting and added even more drama. Excellent match that will forever be remembered. *****
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock : No DQ
From Wrestlemania X-Seven and the WWF Title is on the line. The second and best of their Mania series. One of my favourite matches. The two biggest faces of the last three years going one on one to find out who's the best. From start to finish this was an intense contest and the pace never seemed to slow down thoughout the entire match. The drama was awesome and the nearfalls were very close calls. One of the best WWF Title matches ever and just one of the all time classics. Absolutely fantastic match and a milestone in the careers of both superstars. *****
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Kurt Angle
From Summerslam 2001. Now this is one hell of a forgotten gem. This one made Kurt Angle look like an absolute star. It may have ended in DQ but the DQ worked in terms of storytelling as Austin got himself DQ'd because he knew that he couldn't beat Angle on this night so he had to take the easy way out and attack all the refs. Angle kicked out of three stunners for god's sake! That was unbelievable to see. A fantastic contest that definitely deserves more recognition. A classic. ****1/2
Chris Jericho vs The Rock
From No Mercy 2001 and the WCW World Title is on the line. This is the first time that these guys fought each other on PPV and thankfully not the last. This is definitely their best match together, even if they did try to top themselves a few times in the future. A nice moment for Jericho as he wins his first World Title in one of his best matches. These guys cut an amazing pace and there was just non-stop, back and forth action from bell to bell. A fantastic match. ****1/2
The Rock / Undertaker / Kane / Chris Jericho / Big Show vs Steve Austin / Kurt Angle / Shane McMahon / Booker T / Rob Van Dam
From Survivor Series 2001. This was billed as 'Winner Takes All' to finally end the long, botched invasion storyline that everyone fondly remembers. This might be the best traditional Survivor Series match ever. It was a long one lasting forty-five minutes, but it never became boring and was just about always entertaining. The crowd was hot for it too which made it even better. The final two with Austin and the Rock was great as well. An appropriate way to end what should have been a great storyline. Awesome match and I loved it. ****1/2
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Chris Jericho
From Vengeance 2001 and the Undisputed Title is on the line. Both guys had already been in a match at this point so they must have been pretty exhausted. Because of that the match wasn't too great but it was still pretty solid. Booker T interfered to give Jericho the victory and the Undisputed Championship which he would still brag about years later and for good reason. Who else beat the Rock and Austin on the same night? **3/4
The Rock vs Hollywood Hogan
From Wrestlemania X-8. Icon vs Icon. Perhaps the greatest example of a crowd making a match a classic. The in-ring action wasn't terrific, but these guys got by with one of the hottest crowds ever and with sheer star power. Hogan hulking up for the first time in who knows how long is a genuine Wrestlemania moment and a great mark out moment. I wish they never tried to replicate it in 2003, to make this even more special. Still it's a great match and a Wrestlemania classic for sure. ****1/2
Triple H vs Shawn Michaels : Unsanctioned Street Fight
From Summerslam 2002. I don't think anyone was expecting the quality of match that we received on this night. Shawn had been out for over four years with a major back injury, and everyone questioned whether or not he would be able to even go a full match. We needn't have worried. Shawn showed us that he was better than ever before and it seemed like he had never been gone and showed no signs of ring rust. Amazingly, Shawn would give us another eight years of classic matches and moments. The match itself is absolutely fantastic with HHH working on HBK's back most of the time and he looked like the biggest heel in the company. An all time classic and possibly the best Summerslam match ever. *****
The Rock vs Brock Lesnar
From Summerslam 2002 and the Undisputed Title is on the line. Even though Brock had only been in the WWE for a few months at this point, it was his time to become the man. This one started straight away and they wasted no time in giving us an exciting, fast-paced match. The fans were really against the Rock here as he was heading back to Hollywood and the fans felt betrayed by it. An awesome match that made Brock look like an unbeatable monster. ****
Kurt Angle vs Chris Benoit
From Unforgiven 2002. These guys have had quite a few PPV battles together and I don't think there's a bad one among them. Angle was pissed with Benoit after Benoit laughed at Kurt while he was taking a stink face from Rikishi. Do you really need a story like that for these two guys? I could watch these guys trading suplexes and submission holds all day long. A short but fantastic contest here that featured nearfalls and great drama all the way through. One of the best of 2002. ****1/2
Edge & Rey Mysterio vs Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit
From No Mercy 2002 and the newly made Smackdown Tag Titles are on the line. Their prestige didn't last that long. Since buying the Network I've now watched this match dozens of times and I just can't get enough of it. This was an amazing contest, and is probably the best tag match I've ever seen. This one was filled with action from start to finish, with the final ten minutes being especially exciting. From awesome double team moves to close nearfalls, this one had just about everything you need for an awesome match. A must-see classic in my eyes. *****
Undertaker vs Brock Lesnar : Hell in a Cell
From No Mercy 2002 and the WWE Title is on the line. One of the better Cell matches in history but also one of the most brutal with Undertaker's blade job looking absolutely sick. He lost a ton of blood in this one. This one didn't need big spots or moments like previous Cell matches did. All it needed was two big guys beating the absolute shit out of one another. Even Paul Heyman took some licks here. By the end, Brock looked like a beast and a star. ****1/4
Triple H vs Shawn Michaels vs Kane vs Chris Jericho vs Booker T vs Rob Van Dam : Elimination Chamber
From Survivor Series 2002 and the World Title is on the line. Here we have the very first Chamber match in WWE history. You never can beat the original (except in 2011). Until I read Jericho's Undisputed book, I never knew that a lot went wrong with this match. Kane came out earlier than he was supposed to, HBK came out later than he was supposed to and this meant that they had to improvise most of the action, so it's amazing that it's as good as it is. It didn't help that HHH also injured his larynx. HBK winning was a nice, feel-good moment and finally put HHH's reign to an end (well for a month at least). All in all it's still an excellent match worth watching. ****1/2
Kurt Angle vs Chris Benoit
From Royal Rumble 2003. 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. Easily the Match of the Year. This might be their best contest together, and that is saying a hell of a lot. This one definitely 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. *****
Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels
From Wrestlemania XIX. Even with their awesome feud in 2008, this is still my favourite match between these two guys, and I'd even go so far as to say that it is probably the most underrated match in Wrestlemania history. It's probably Jericho's best match ever and definitely one of Shawn's best, as it was this match that made him realise that he was still the showstopper. This stole the show on an already stacked card. An absolutely amazing contest with a great story and some of the best back and forth action you will ever see. One for the ages that deserves more recognition. *****. Jericho kicking HBK in the nuts and spitting on him afterwards is the icing on the cake.
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock
From Wrestlemania XIX. Act III of the classic trilogy of matches between the two. Rock was desperate to prove that he could defeat Austin, and so challenged him to one final match-up. This match was a great way for Austin to ride into the sunset, as he would only appear as a General Manager after this. The finish of the match was basically just a finisher fest, but it was a great one. An awesome way to close out a legendary rivalry and a legendary career. ****1/4
Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle
From Wrestlemania XIX and the WWE Title is on the line. These guys had a lot of pressure to follow up and close an already amazing show, but they managed it spectacularly. They had a technically sound contest that went back and forth, and they got the quiet crowd into it. The shooting star press botch is still a scary moment to watch, but it doesn't really overshadow the match that came before it. In the end both guys came out worse for wear with Lesnar's concussion and Angle needing neck surgery. Still it was a brilliant wrestling match. ****1/4
Eddie Guerrero vs Chris Benoit
From Vengeance 2003. 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
The 2004 Royal Rumble Match
The best Rumble ever? If you can get over the fact that Benoit won the match, then, arguably, it is. It's easily my favourite Rumble match ever. The 1992 Rumble comes close, but 2004 just beats it. For its one hour run time, it's entertaining all the way through, and, unlike most other Rumble matches, it doesn't have a dull moment. Benoit winning was also an amazing moment at the time, which has obviously been extinguished now. Amazing match that I would say is must-see, and a great example of how to book a Rumble. *****
Eddie Guerrero vs Brock Lesnar
From No Way Out 2004. Definitely an all time classic here, and a genuinely heartwarming moment in wrestling history, especially now that Eddie is no longer with us. This is a guy who worked hard to get where he was and here he was finally rewarded with the biggest moment in his career. Probably one of the greatest matches of all time, and for good reason, as both guys looked incredibly motivated. Check this one out if you haven't seen it already. ****3/4
Eddie Guerrero vs Kurt Angle
From Wrestlemania XX and the WWE Title is on the line. These guys never really had a proper one on one feud with each other until this moment. Expectations were high due to the skills of both men, but this match definitely delivered the goods. They started with some nice mat wrestling and moved on to hitting their signature moves in an exciting back and forth clash. Eddie proved that lying, cheating and stealing always wins the match. Fantastic wrestling match. ****1/2
Triple H vs Shawn Michaels vs Chris Benoit
From Wrestlemania XX and the World Title is on the line. The Wrestlemania match that WWE wishes they could forget about. Yes the emotional impact has been destroyed due to Benoit's tragic actions, but this, at least in my mind, is still one of the greatest matches of all time and easily the best triple threat ever. All three guys worked very hard to make this a memorable match, with HHH and HBK giving themselves brutal looking blade jobs to add to the drama. Benoit and Eddie Guerrero embracing after the match is still one of my favourite moments in wrestling history and the match is just amazing. One of the best. *****
Randy Orton vs Mick Foley : No Holds Barred
From Backlash 2004 and the IC Title is on the line. Mick calls this his favourite match of his career, and it's not hard to see why. These guys managed to put on a brutal match whilst also putting Orton over in a huge way. I've seen this match a few times now, and the spot with the thumb tacks still makes me mark out and wince as I see how many thumb tacks were in the back of Orton. An amazingly fun match and also one of the best hardcore matches that you'll probably ever see. This one is definitely recommended viewing. A war for the ages. ****3/4
Triple H vs Shawn Michaels vs Chris Benoit
From Backlash 2004 and the World Title is on the line. It's a tough task to try and make a sequel as good and memorable as the original, but this one just about managed it. It didn't have the emotional impact of the original, but the in-ring action speaks for itself. The crowd was totally behind Benoit (surprised that wasn't edited) and absolutely against HBK, as they bombarded him with the usual 'You Screwed Bret' chants. Even if this wasn't as good as the Mania triple threat, it's still one of the best three way matches ever, and an exceptional main event to cap off one hell of a show. ****1/2
Kane vs Christian vs Chris Benoit vs Chris Jericho vs Shelton Benjamin vs Edge : Money in the Bank
From Wrestlemania 21. The first ever MITB match and still the best one. No MITB match has been able to beat this, and it might even be the best Ladder match of the 21st Century (TLCs don't count). It's tied with the HBK/Jericho match for me anyway. An amazing match with some very memorable spots, including Shelton running up a ladder and knocking Y2J off another ladder. They even managed some psychology with the work on Benoit's arm. Awesome match that needs to be seen, especially if you're an Edge fan. ****3/4
Shawn Michaels vs Kurt Angle
From Wrestlemania 21. I've seen this match so many times, but I still feel excited everytime I watch it. This may be the perfect example of a dream match living up to expectations. In fact it might have even exceeded a few of them. This match has already received tons of praise and there's not much I can add to it. All I can say is that it's an absolute classic that is hard to beat. It starts off with some great mat wrestling, and then the two just decide to beat the shit out of each other. Angle has HBK in the ankle lock for about two minutes when HBK submits. *****
John Cena vs JBL
From Wrestlemania 21. As far as star ratings go, this is probably gonna be the worst one here, but I think it deserves a place since it was a historical moment with Cena's first big Title win. The match was slow and plodding but worth watching once for Cena's victory. *1/4
John Cena vs JBL : I Quit
From Judgment Day 2005. The expectations weren't that high for this one since their Wrestlemania match was so boring, but without a doubt they definitely exceeded any and all expectations with this bloody brawl. Cena's blade job was sick (although overshadowed by Eddie Guerrero's the previous year) and one of the worst I've seen. One hell of a brawl and one of the better WWE I Quit matches I've seen. Cena had truly arrived at the big time. ****1/4
Shawn Michaels vs Kurt Angle
From Vengeance 2005. The rematch that everyone wanted to see. I don't think there was any way that they could have topped their all time classic Wrestlemania match, but they were damn sure gonna try here. That German suplex on the announce table looked awesome. What I love about this is that you could watch this and the Mania match back-to-back, and see two different matches. Not as good as the original, but still a very worth sequel, as Shawn gets his win back. ****1/2
Batista vs Triple H : Hell in a Cell
From Vengeance 2005 and the World Title is on the line. When it came to standard singles contests, these guys didn't have very good matches, but in this environment they excelled. Their feud had reached a boiling point and the HIAC was the only way for it to finally end. This was pretty brutal and they even ended up using a barbed wire steel chair which looked awesome. When Batista got the win, he looked like the top dog of the company. An amazing match overall. ****1/2
Shawn Michaels vs Hulk Hogan
From Summerslam 2005. Here we have Icon vs Icon and pretty much a dream match come true, even if only one of the combatants is in fighting condition. I think the story is that Shawn was originally booked to win, but Hogan used his politics to change that decision and give himself the win. Shawn got his own back by completely overselling Hogan's offense and it was hilarious to watch. I think the match itself was really good and very entertaining, mainly thanks to Shawn wrestling himself. Good stuff. ***1/2
Undertaker vs Kurt Angle
From No Way Out 2006 and the World Title is on the line. I would describe this as Taker's best non-gimmick, non-Wrestlemania match. Taker finally got to use his MMA style against an opponent and it worked very well, especially against a technical master like Angle. One hell of a back and forth match where you didn't know who was going to win. Maybe the WWE MOTY for 2006. If only we'd gotten a rematch. ****1/2
Edge vs Mick Foley : Hardcore Match
From Wrestlemania 22. Here's a match you won't see in the WWE ever again. Foley can make anyone into a star and on this night he did just that with Edge. Edge took some brutal bumps in this one like the back suplex onto the thumb tacks and an encounter with some barbed wire. The flaming table spot was fantastic and a true Wrestlemania moment in itself. An awesome match that stole the show on this night. One of Edge's best matches. ****1/4
John Cena vs Triple H
From Wrestlemania 22. For almost the entirety of 2005, Cena was treated like a huge star, but in my opinion this is the match that made him 'the man'. I think this was the first time that the crowd truly turned on Cena. He'd been booed before, but nothing on this scale with the fans chanting 'fuck you Cena'. Harsh. Still this was a great match that had a big match feel to it and was entertaining all the way through. Both guys came out looking good. ****
Edge vs John Cena : TLC Match
From Unforgiven 2006, and if Cena loses, he can never wrestle on Raw again. Also the WWE Title is on the line. Edge was in his hometown, so naturally he was cheered like a hero and Cena was booed by about 96% of the audience. An awesome TLC match here, and possibly the best one on one TLC bout. The spots were great, including the finish with Edge given an F-U through two tables. It looked amazing. Fantastic match and one of the best for both guys. ****1/2
John Cena vs Umaga : Last Man Standing
From Royal Rumble 2007. At New Year's Revolution these two had a damn good match, but with a match that had no rules they put on a show stealing performance. This is easily Umaga's best match during his time in WWE, and it was a sign that Cena could wrestle and put on a great match. An awesome no holds barred style of match, and Cena managed to pick up the win and still made Umaga look strong in the process, since he had to be made to pass out with the ring ropes around his throat. Great stuff here and one of the best Last Man Standing matches I've seen. ****1/2
Batista vs The Undertaker
From Wrestlemania 23 and the World Title is on the line. I remember thinking at the time that this would be a major bore, but oh man was I wrong about this and so were a lot of other people. These guys totally stole the show on this night and this would also be the start of Taker's run of amazing streak matches at Mania. Batista earned more respect with that performance. Excellent power match and it's probably my favourite match featuring Batista. ****1/4
John Cena vs Shawn Michaels
From Wrestlemania 23 and the WWE Title is on the line. This was originally meant to be Cena vs HHH, but HHH had torn his quad again, so HBK was his replacement and I actually think that that was the better choice. Cena had yet another star-making performance with Mr Wrestlemania. The piledriver onto the steps looked brutal. The finish was really exciting with nearfalls from both guys finishers and a close small package from HBK. An awesome match. ****1/2
Shawn Michaels vs Randy Orton
From Survivor Series 2007. HBK isn't allowed to use the superkick or he will lose the match and won't get a rematch. If Orton is DQ'd or counted out, he will lose the WWE Title to HBK. This match was great because both guys had to go against their usual strategies. It was great to see HBK busting out submission moves like the ankle lock or the crossface or the sharpshooter. The psychology was brilliant. HBK tries to go for a superkick, realises he can't, and eats an RKO for his hesitation. Awesome match. One of the best of 2007 and the match of the night. ****1/4
Shawn Michaels vs Ric Flair
From Wrestlemania XXIV and Flair's career is on the line. Some say that this one has lowered in quality since it took place, but not to me. I still love the fact that both guys worked their asses off, trying to pull off a brilliant match and give Flair the appropriate sendoff. Flair got to put in just about his whole move-set, which is always a good thing. I think HBK broke his ribs when he landed on the table early in the bout, so well done to him for keeping the match going. An emotionally charged classic. ****1/2
Edge vs The Undertaker
From Wrestlemania XXIV and the World Title is on the line. One of my personal favourite matches and probably Edge's best singles match. No one really gave Edge much of a chance here, but once he hit the spear, I think most fans thought that the Streak had ended. Luckily that wasn't the case. An awesome match featuring some great counter-wrestling and some well done nearfalls as well. A classic Wrestlemania main event. ****1/2
Batista vs John Cena
From Summerslam 2008. This was a pretty huge match at the time, since these were two of the biggest names in the WWE, and yet they had never really had any fights, except for the ending of the 2005 Rumble. They showed with this match that they had great chemistry together, and would go on to have a good feud in 2010 as well. Batista did injure Cena here though and put him out of action for a few months. Still it was an excellent contest. ****
Undertaker vs Edge : Hell in a Cell
From Summerslam 2008. The final match for one of the best feuds of 2008. This is very close to being their best match, but I'd have to give the edge (no pun intended) to their Wrestlemania match. This match did have some awesome spots like the spear through the announce table and the chokeslam through two wooden tables. Taker finally giving Edge his comeuppance was awesome and beat him using moves that Edge used against him, such as a spear and hitting him with a camera. Fantastic match overall. ****1/2
Shawn Michaels vs Chris Jericho : Unsanctioned Match
From Unforgiven 2008. I think history has shown that HBK + Unsanctioned Match = awesome. In storyline terms, Jericho absolutely deserved this beating. He injured Shawn's eye, punched his wife and then showed no remorse for it. An ass kicking was definitely coming his way. The great thing about these two guys is that they make you believe in their feud. They make it seem so real. I could've done without Lance Cade's interference, but at least it made Jericho look like more of a bastard. A physical, psychological, all out war. Fantastic stuff that is must see. Great finish with Jericho unable to take anymore punishment, and Shawn still punching away at him. Just awesome. ****1/2
Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels : Ladder
From No Mercy 2008 and the World Title is on the line. The best feud of 08 finally comes to a head in this amazing match. In this era of wrestling, ladder matches were all basically spotfests with little psychology, so this was a pleasant surprise as they managed to mix in big spots while also telling a brilliant story. You could feel the hatred with every single ladder shot and Jericho even lost a tooth in the melee. The best one on one ladder match since the days of HBK/Ramon. Might even be the match of the year. A phenomenal contest and a modern classic. ****3/4
Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels
From Wrestlemania XXV. I've seen this match countless times, and it never becomes boring even though I seem to know it inside out now. If you need an example of a perfect match, I would present this to you. To me, this is what wrestling is all about: two of the best in the business going out there with only pride on the line, to have an epic confrontation. If you haven't seen this one yet, I really do pity you, because you don't know what you're missing. The nearfalls are absolutely epic and these guys just looked like warriors by the end. In my view, the greatest match in Wrestlemania's long history. *****
John Cena vs Edge : Last Man Standing
The World Title is on the line. I liked that these guys used their history together for the storyline, with the fact that Edge could never keep Cena down. Edge absolutely hated Cena for that. This is the last PPV match these guys would have together. The story of the match was great with both guys knowing each others moveset, and having to resort to different tactics to win. Edge even broke out a sharpshooter. The AA into the audience was insane. The finish with Cena going into the stage spotlight was awesome, but unfortunately started the boring Cena/Big Show feud that no one wanted. Probably the best Last Man Standing match since Fully Loaded 2000. ****1/4
Chris Jericho vs Rey Mysterio
From The Bash 2009. Jericho's IC Title is on the line and Mysterio's mask is on the line as well. Two minutes into the match and Rey goes head first into the barricade. Ouch. I can't believe that Rey kicked out of that huge springboard codebreaker. Amazing action with some awesome counter-wrestling. Easily match of the night, and if Taker/HBK hadn't happened, it would likely be match of the year as well. Mysterio's second mask was a great idea and a great end to the story of Jericho wanting Rey's mask. Fantastic match. ****1/2
John Cena vs Triple H vs Shawn Michaels
From Survivor Series 2009. I originally thought that DX would team together to try and take out Cena and failing as SuperCena emerged, but thankfully they went a whole different route with it. HBK's sudden superkick to HHH was amazing and totally unexpected. The rest of the match was a ton of fun with many nearfalls and false finishes to keep things exciting. One of my favourite triple threat matches. ****
Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels
From Wrestlemania XXVI. The Streak vs The Career. I'm surprised that HBK has been able to stay away from wrestling for so long, as most expected him to come back as most wrestlers do. A fantastic match that was almost able to live up the original. This still had the excellent drama and exciting nearfalls of the first and an emotional moment with HBK making the final walk back to the curtain. A classic and the jumping tombstone was an awesome finish. *****
Team WWE vs The Nexus
From Summerslam 2010. This marks Bryan's first WWE PPV appearance, as he was stupidly fired for strangling Justin Roberts on TV. This was also Bret Hart's first Summerslam match since facing the Undertaker in 1997. Bryan received a nice pop from the crowd and looked great during the match as he was only eliminated by nefarious means, and got a couple of eliminations himself. The crowd was hot for this one thanks to the great build-up leading up to it. A tremendous tag team match, even if it ruined the Nexus in the long run due to SuperCena making an appearance. ****1/4
Edge vs Rey Mysterio vs Kane vs The Big Show vs Wade Barrett vs Drew McIntyre : Elimination Chamber
From Elimination Chamber 2011 and the World Title is on the line. This is probably my favourite Chamber match, and it might be the best one ever. There were multiple storylines woven through it, such as Drew wanting revenge on Edge for Kelly Kelly's departure, or Show wanting revenge on Barrett for all the stuff the Corre did to him. It helped that it was a ton of fun all the way through, and especially when it came down to Edge and Mysterio, because you had no idea who was going to win. Absolutely fantastic match, and one hell of a forgotten gem. ****3/4
Randy Orton vs Christian
From Over the Limit 2011. This PPV was pretty shitty up until this point, and these guys totally saved the show. They already had an awesome match on Smackdown, but they most definitely managed to top themselves here. This was an awesome match with a lot of counter-wrestling, and it was never boring and always entertaining. Christian had almost no chance here, but when he hit the spear I thought he had won the Title. Orton got an RKO out of nowhere to retain. Awesome match. ****1/4
CM Punk vs John Cena
From Money in the Bank 2011 and the WWE Title is on the line. What can I say about this match that hasn't already been said? It's one of those matches where you need to have the volume turned way up to enjoy it even more, due to the awesome crowd. One of the best WWE Title matches of all time and one of the best matches of the entire decade. Sadly the impact of the storyline was lost once HHH decided to ruin it himself. Still this will be a match that can be enjoyed for years to come and if you haven't seen it, find it right now. *****
Randy Orton vs Christian : No Holds Barred
From Summerslam 2011 and the World Title is on the line. A fantastic feud ends here in spectacular fashion. This is my favourite match from this feud. It's easily Christian's best singles match and one of Orton's best as well. This was insanely entertaining and exciting all the way through and they used the No Holds Barred stipulation well as they used a ton of weapons and Christian went through a total of three tables. A fantastic match with a sick ending as Christian is RKO'd onto steel steps. ****1/2
CM Punk vs John Cena
From Summerslam 2011 to decide who the Undisputed WWE Champion was. There was no way in hell that these guys were gonna be able to replicate the MITB classic, but they damn sure tried their best. Both guys being Champion made things interesting, and their insane chemistry only added fuel to the fire. HHH wasn't needed here though. The counter wrestling was great and kept the match unpredictable until the controversial finish. Classic stuff. ****1/2
CM Punk vs Alberto Del Rio
From Survivor Series 2011. I think by this time, everyone knew that Del Rio just wasn't gonna cut it as the top champion. Thankfully they realised that Punk should be the top guy (behind Cena) and so started the 434 day reign of Punk. This was an awesome match that had the crowd's attention throughout. A great way to start an historic Title reign. ***3/4
Undertaker vs Triple H : Hell in a Cell
From Wrestlemania XXVIII. The second HIAC match in history, and luckily nowhere near as bad as the first. I think a lot of people were worried that this would be a rehash of their No Holds Barred match, but fortunately it was so much better. This is one of the greatest matches in Wrestlemania history thanks to Shawn Michaels adding more drama, and the awesome nearfalls as well. The DX Special was especially good, and I thought the match was over for sure. All three guys embracing after the match was the icing on an already delicious cake. *****
CM Punk vs Chris Jericho
From Wrestlemania XXVIII. This is a match I always seem to change my rating on, but I think I've finally reached my final verdict on it. I think this match is pretty damn underrated, but that's probably because it's on the same show as Cena/Rock and Taker/HHH. This is one of the best WWE Title matches in Wrestlemania history, and my favourite match between these two guys. The crowd didn't seem interested at first, but these guys managed to get the crowd on their feet and cheering. Awesome stuff. ****1/2
John Cena vs The Rock
From Wrestlemania XXVIII. I think the Once in a Lifetime tagline can now be ripped from this. I don't think the fact that these guys have had more that one match detracts from this one at all. It still has a huge match feel to it and these guys managed to make the match entertaining for the entire half hour. A Wrestlemania classic for sure. One of the biggest matches in wrestling history. ****1/2
Taken from the Daniel Bryan Greatest Hits post:
Daniel Bryan vs Sheamus : 2/3 Falls
From Extreme Rules 2012 and the World Title is on the line. It has been two years since I reviewed this one, so I felt like it needed an update. Knowing that this could have been what we got at Wrestlemania 28, it's hard not to feel a sting. An awesome match that made Bryan look great, and showed that Sheamus is quite an underappreciated performer, and showed some great arm psychology. One of the best matches of 2012. ****1/2
CM Punk vs Chris Jericho : Chicago Street Fight
From Extreme Rules 2012 and the WWE Title is on the line. This is another match that is pretty damn underrated, as most people seem to remember Sheamus/Bryan and Lesnar/Cena rather than this forgotten gem. Both guys wore street clothes which added to the drama. Jericho was great as a heel here, going from threatening Punk's sister to pouring beer on Punk. An awesome street fight filled with nice weapons spots, nearfalls, and both guys came out looking like a million bucks. ****1/2
John Cena vs Brock Lesnar : Extreme Rules
From Extreme Rules 2012. It had been eight years since Lesnar had been in the WWE, so it was exciting to see him back again. Everyone was wondering what the match would be like since it was Lesnar's first in a long time, but I don't think anyone was prepared for what we got. The whole match felt real, as if it was a shoot fight. Every move looked painful (yes even the AA) and the first ten seconds gave us one of wrestling's most shocking moments when Brock legitimately busted Cena open. Cena winning is still dumb and I still don't know why they went with it. Still apart from a dumb booking decision this is a must see battle. ****3/4
Daniel Bryan vs CM Punk
From Over the Limit 2012 and the WWE Title is on the line. The two of these guys headlining (Cena vs Laurinaitis doesn't count) a PPV with the biggest Title on the line must have been a dream come true for a ton of fans, including myself. Bryan looked great going against the most popular guy in WWE at the time, and looked like a top star. This was an absolutely stunning match, and possibly the best of 2012. It's definitely one of the best of all time. The 'this is awesome' chants were well deserved and very appropriate. Fantastic stuff here. *****
CM Punk vs John Cena
From Night of Champions 2012. In my opinion, this should have been one of the main events of Summerslam, but unfortunately Lesnar/HHH wasn't allowed to be upstaged. Cena was in his hometown and was still being booed. As expected, these guys gave us another awesome match, and I didn't even mind the cop out ending the match was that good. They've had better, but I don't think we'll ever get enough of seeing Punk and Cena go one on one. ****1/2
The Shield vs Ryback & Team Hell No : TLC Match
From TLC 2012. The only TLC match to only count pinfalls and submissions. Here we have the Shield's PPV debut. This was originally meant to be CM Punk vs Ryback for the WWE Title, but Punk was injured so it was changed to this match. His injury may have been a blessing in disguise as it gave the Shield a chance to show their stuff and that may have turned them into stars straight away. An amazing match that was fun all the way through and featured some brutal bumps. Rollins is lucky he wasn't injured. The Shield had arrived. ****1/2
CM Punk vs The Rock
From Royal Rumble 2013 and the WWE Title is on the line. This match was pretty huge at the time and was pretty much a dream bout, so big that it came after the Rumble, and it definitely deserved to with a good build up. Punk's amazing 434 day Title reign came to an end here. The ending with the Shield interfering did hurt it a little bit, but this was still a great back and forth match that had that big match feel throughout. Rock hits the People's Elbow to win the Title for the first time in over ten years. ***1/2
The Undertaker vs CM Punk
From Wrestlemania XXIX. Almost a year later and this is still one of the best matches of 2013. For the past seven years, the Deadman's streak hasn't failed to deliver and this is no exception. Punk looked terrific in defeat as he seemed to take Undertaker to the very limit and even outsmarted him at times, sometimes with help from Paul Heyman. Undertaker looked amazing for a 'broken down old man' as some people seemed to be calling him. An awesome match worth watching again and again. ****1/2
John Cena vs The Rock
From Wrestlemania XXIX and the WWE Title is on the line. The slammy award winner for Match of the Year. I wouldn't agree with that, but it's a phony award so it doesn't really matter. I've said in the past that I seem to have a guilty pleasure with this and the original, and that still holds true: I love this match. People complain about the slow start, but I think it builds well to the finisher fest towards the end. Ok it was quite boring at times to start with, but it did get much better as it went on. Cena hits a third AA to win the Title. Awesome match. ****
CM Punk vs Chris Jericho
From Payback. I can't believe I've only watched this match once (As of this writing I've watched it about six times). It seems like the kind of match I would back and watch again and again (You did dummy). I hope this isn't the last time we see these guys square off because they seem to get better and better each time they fight. This was Punk's return after a couple months away, and what a way to return in his hometown of Chicago with a huge reaction. He was also sporting the Wolverine look he still has today. I loved the finish with Punk hitting two Go to Sleeps to win. Terrific match and easily one of the best matches of 2013. Excellent stuff. ****1/2
CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan vs Rob Van Dam vs Christian vs Sheamus vs Randy Orton
From Money in the Bank 2013. This was billed as an All Star MITB and it was definitely that, as everyone here has a definite star and had a good chance of winning. It also had the very highly anticipated return of RVD, and he showed absolutely no ring rust here. The clear cut favourites were both RVD and Bryan, so it was quite unexpected to see Orton pick up the win. We all know how that turned out. This match is relevant for starting the Heyman/Punk feud that had it's very high points, but also it's low points. Sheamus suffered a pretty bad leg injury that has kept him out of action for some time. Everyone in this match looked awesome, and just about all of them took some painful looking bumps. Awesome match, and almost as good as the original. ****1/2
CM Punk vs Brock Lesnar : No DQ
From Summerslam 2013. I've already heaped so much praise onto this match, but I'm gonna add some more, because this is my fifth time watching it and it's still one of the best matches I've ever seen. The intensity is off the charts, and both guys looked extremely motivated. Lesnar deserves more credit for his work in the ring, such as his trash talk because it can make a match that little bit better, and it was awesome here. It's just a shame that the Punk/Heyman storyline didn't end here and ended up going on for way too long with guys like Curtis Axel and Ryback. Anyway this is still quite easily the Match of the Year and the only other match coming close is the next match on the set. Absolutely fantastic stuff here. *****
Daniel Bryan vs John Cena
From Summerslam 2013. I feel so bad for not calling this the Match of the Year, but it definitely deserves like a runner up prize or a very honourable mention. What can I say about this match that hasn't already been said? This was Bryan's moment in the sun and he went over Cena completely cleanly and made himself a huge star in the process. It definitely helps that this was an amazing back and forth battle that felt like a war was being waged. Fantastic match and a fantastic moment as Bryan wins his first WWE Title, even if it was ruined by Orton. *****
The Shield vs The Wyatt Family
From Elimination Chamber 2014. You know you've got a money match when the crowd is chanting 'this is awesome' before the bell has even rang. For months this had been a dream match for all wrestling fans, and it was finally given to us on this night. I was worried that it wouldn't live up to the hype, and I was right, it didn't. It totally exceeded the hype in every way possible. This probably should have been the main event and is still the Match of the Year for most fans including myself. There was never a dull moment and both teams looked awesome in the end. Once again Roman Reigns stood out on his team and even Luke Harper stood out on his. An absolute modern classic that needs to be experienced. *****
Daniel Bryan vs Triple H
From Wrestlemania XXX. Can I just mention how absolutely badass HHH's entrance was? His best yet. Seeing almost the entire arena erupt in Yes! chants was a sight to behold. The match itself was awesome and delivered everything expected and more. The shoulder psychology was very well done and was used later on the night too which is cool. Everyone was worried that HHH would somehow bury Bryan again, but luckily he put the little goat over in grand fashion and got the show off to a fantastic start. Best Mania opener since Bret vs Owen. ****1/2
Undertaker vs Brock Lesnar
From Wrestlemania XXX. Looking back now that it has been a month since Mania, I'm happy with the way the Streak ended. Sure the match was very disappointing and not up to the Undertaker's usual Mania standard, but the shock of the finish (which I've now watched over a dozen times) was an amazing moment and there wasn't a wrestling fan that wasn't shocked by Lesnar's win. Lesnar was the right guy for the win and now hopefully WWE will use him better. ***1/4
Daniel Bryan vs Batista vs Randy Orton
From Wrestlemania XXX and the WWE World Title is on the line. I wasn't sure how good this one was going to be due to an injured Bryan, but it was much better than I thought it was going to be. Bryan, of course, was the total star of the match. That announce table spot looked scary and Orton looked as if he really injured himself coming down on the monitor. The final few nearfalls were nail-biting and it genuinely felt like any one of the three could leave with the Title. A classic Wrestlemania main event and a classic moment with Bryan's rise to glory. ****1/2
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