The Scottish View: Armageddon 2003

Armageddon 2003 Review


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




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



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




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



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


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


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



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


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




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



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




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



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




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



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



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



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




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

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

Best in the World DVD Re-Do Review


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


                                                                                                                                                                 



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


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



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


(Oh yes they will)



Disc 2 :




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


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



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


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



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


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





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

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



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


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


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

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




Disc 3 :



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


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



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


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



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


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

CM Punk vs Chris Jericho

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

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


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


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




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



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

The Scottish View: No Mercy 2003

No Mercy 2003 Review



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


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



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



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




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



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



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


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



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



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




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



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



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

The Scottish View: Raw 25/11/13

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



Here we are the night after Survivor Series.


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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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




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



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



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



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



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



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



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

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



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


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



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


Orton attacks Cena afterwards and holds up both belts.




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

The Scottish View: Survivor Series 2013

Survivor Series 2013 Review


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


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



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



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



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



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



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



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


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



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

The Scottish View : Raw 11/18/13

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



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




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




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




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



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


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



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



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



Backstage Orton is pissed off.



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




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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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


It's time for the Main Event! Finally.



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


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




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

No Mercy 2006 Review

No Mercy 2006 Review


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




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


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



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



Backstage, Regal gets covered in food.



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



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


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



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



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




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



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



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