NXT September 18th 2014

NXT September 18th 2014



I am definitely going to start reviewing these shows after three awesome specials. This would've been up sooner but I had a little problem with the service that allows me to watch the Network but it has all been sorted now. Right then let's get started.




We get a video package showing the results of the major matches from the great Takeover II show.



Titus O'Neill comes out to the ring. He says it's an honor for the fans to be in the presence of him. He's pissed about Sami Zayn and co. coming to his show on Raw, so he wanted to return the favour. Apparently the show is now called NXTITUS. Thankfully Zayn interrupts. It looks like there might have been some editing involved with Titus talking so I'm guessing he fucked up. Zayn says Titus couldn't win a match if his life depended on it. True story. And out comes NXT Champion Adrian Neville. He says he's here to defend NXT from anyone. Zayn is offended by this and Tyson Kidd comes out. I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that Tyler Breeze will show up too.

Kidd calls them all losers. Both Zayn and Kidd are a bit disappointed in the way Neville retained the Title at Takeover. Neville says that Zayn will never be the Champion. Ohhhhhhhhh! I can't wait for the match between those two. Out comes William Regal as he pulls a Teddy Long and makes a main event featuring Zayn and Neville taking on Titus and Kidd. Holla!

Not much of an opening segment but it set up the main event and showed some tension between Sami and Adrian which is awesome. Seriously their match will be something special.


Later tonight, KENTA debuts as Hideo Itami!


Still pissed that my Breeze prediction didn't come true.



Charlotte vs Emma
I have to say that one of the things I love about NXT is the Women's division. It's been amazing so far. I'm glad Emma is back where she belongs as she was just going nowhere on the main roster. Emma knocks the Title out of Charlotte's hand to get a collective 'Ohhhhh' from the crowd. You don't fuck with Charlotte! This was too short to mean much but it gave Charlotte a nice win and the finishing sequence was pretty good, even featuring a close nearfall for Emma. *1/2



Hideo Itami vs Justin Gabriel
I've been looking forward to this one for a while. I've never seen KENTA in action before so I was interested to see why he is so popular. It was easy to see why as those high kicks of his were very impressive. This was just a squash match but it was fun to watch with Hideo showing the fans his work. I do love his finisher and it looks pretty damn powerful. I approve of this match! *3/4


After the match The Ascension takes out Hideo. I smell a feud.



CJ Parker vs Baron Corbin
I don't see this going well at all for Parker. Corbin just looks like a total badass. This lasted around thirty seconds just like their Takeover match and I think Parker is pretty much history by now. A total squash obviously but a fun one. 1/4*



Enzo Amore is working out in a gym when a woman named Carmella storms in and yells at Enzo saying she was fired thanks to him and she wants a job as a fighter. I take it that she's a new edition to the NXT roster.


Next week, a Takeover rematch between the Ascension and the Luchadors for the Tag Titles!




Sami Zayn & Adrian Neville vs Tyson Kidd & Titus O'Neill
I'm wondering why Titus is involved here but I'm guessing that Tyler Breeze was either busy with something else or he's injured. I liked the start of the match with Zayn and Neville showing their rivalry with blind tags and trying to outdo each other with athletic moves at the expense of Kidd. It probably didn't help that the crowd chanted 'Sami's better'. Even Titus was pretty good here. He'd probably be better off in NXT from now on. He can bring Heath Slater and Zack Ryder with him. A decent tag match but I think the face comeback could have been way longer. Still it was a nice main event and a good end to the show. **1/4



Once again NXT provides a fun hour of wrestling that you can't really get from any other show. Tune in next week for a Tag Title rematch!

Monday Nitro #1: September 4th 1995

Monday Nitro #1 : 4/9/95



Yes it's the very first episode of Nitro. I was planning on doing a series where I reviewed a Nitro and Raw from the same night and compared them, but WWE haven't posted any 1995 Raws that coincide with Nitro so I'm just gonna do Nitro on its own until Raw is finally updated. We'll just assume that Nitro was better since 1995 Raw was pretty awful. Anyway let's begin.


For some reason this is listed as Nitro episode 79 on the Network.



Eric Bischoff, Bobby Heenan and (nevermind that shit, here comes) Mongo are here to introduce us to Nitro and to do commentary for the evening.



Jushin Liger vs Brian Pillman
Now this is how you kick off a show in style! Great choices here with two of WCW's best athletes going at it to show us what Nitro is all about. I wish this had been a bit longer as it did feel quite short, but it was filled with a ton of high-flying action and there was never a dull moment to be had. A good match showing off the cruiserweight side of WCW as Brian rolls up Liger for the victory and receives a nice pop from the crowd. ***



We get an interview with Hulk Hogan and he says PastaMania way too many times in front of a pasta restauraunt. Good God Hogan was so stale at this point.



Sting vs Ric Flair
Have these two guys ever had a bad match together? If they have then I haven't seen it. Just before the match starts, Lex Luger makes his huge surprise return to WCW in a moment that really showed that there was a war about to begin between WCW and WWF. This was a ton of fun as it was basically just a condensed version of some of their classics but they have some of the best chemistry in the business and they were able to make it work. The match ends in DQ as Flair won't let go of the ropes. ***1/4


After the match, Arn Anderson attacks Flair. Apparently it's Anderson vs Sting at Fall Brawl for the US Title. By the way I will be reviewing the PPVs as I go along with the Nitro episodes and the same goes for Raw if they finally update their episodes.


Scott Norton starts ranting and raving at the commentators and Randy Savage comes out to challenge him. I guess that's a feud set up.


We get a vignette for Sabu. I had no idea he was even in WCW so I'm guessing it didn't last very long.


IRS is debuting as Mr WallStreet and takes a shot at the WWF's New Generation.



Hulk Hogan vs Big Bubba
The WCW World Title is on the line. Even Hogan's music was awful at this point. It doesn't look great for WCW when two former WWF stars are main eventing over two WCW stars, then again that is what WCW did: used WWF stars so they didn't have to build their own. This was just a standard Hogan match where he is beaten up, Hulks up and then wins. It was pretty obvious that the crowd was starting to lose interest in Hogan. Still it was a pretty fun match while it lasted. *3/4



After the match, the Dungeon of Doom comes out to attack Hogan, but Lex Luger comes out to help him and they almost get in a fist fight. Time for an ad break.


The commercial for Fall Brawl airs and the main event just looks dreadful. I'm not looking forward to reviewing it.


The break is over and Luger wants to fight Hogan for the World Title. Hogan accepts and the Title match is set for the next episode of Nitro! Wow what a way to end! No wonder the ratings went up for WCW.

And that's it for the first episode of Nitro.


A great episode and the perfect way to start for WCW. They showed off their talent in some good matches, set up future storylines and new wrestlers, and also gave everyone watching a reason to tune in to the next episode. The Monday Night War has begun!

NXT Takeover II

NXT Takeover II: Fatal 4 Way



Well the last show to be named Fatal 4 Way didn't end particularly well but hopefully this one will have better luck. I haven't been watching NXT as much as I probably should so I'll try and keep up as much as I can.


Just to keep you guys posted; I know I haven't posted in a while but I've been dealing with some job stuff that has kept me busy but I should start posting more often again.



Anyway let's get on with the review.




The Ascension vs Kalisto & Sin Cara
The NXT Tag Titles are on the line. Man how long have Ascension held those Titles anyway? Well apparently WWE thought they'd held them long enough too and finally gave them to someone else. I guess Ascension's heading for the main roster soon. The match was a good choice for the opener as the luchadors kept things energetic. I was really impressed by Kalisto and he really reminds me of a young Mysterio. The match started slowly with Ascension in control but once Cara got the hot tag things really picked up. Good stuff to start the night off. ***



CJ Parker vs Baron Corbin
I've not a lot to say about this one as it only lasted about fifteen seconds. It was a very impressive victory by Corbin who could be a great monster heel for NXT now that Rusev has left. His finisher looked awesome as well. Nice squash that didn't waste a lot of time.


Tyson Kidd's arrogant promo was awesome. He would definitely do well in the main roster with that attitude.


We also see Enzo in a salon as he accidentally covers a poodle with hair removal cream. The dog was named Fifi. Was Rene Dupree around?



Sylvester LeFort vs Enzo Amore
The loser has to have their head shaved bored. This wasn't much of a match and it didn't last very long, but the crowd was really behind Enzo which shows just how good he is on the mic because he doesn't seem to have much in-ring ability. It was slightly entertaining towards the end but it was pretty boring before that. Enzo wins with a roll up pin. *1/4



After the match Sylvester manages to avoid a shaving which does seem like a bit of a cop out on NXT's part, but Sylevester's little sidekick took the hair removal cream instead so it wasn't all bad.



NXT General Manager William Regal makes his way to the ring for an announcement. He's here to introduce Kenta. He is now working under the name of Hideo Itami. Not sure how I feel about that as I was fine with calling him Kenta but I'm sure it'll grow on me. Anything's better than Kassius Ohno. Hopefully Prince Devitt and Kevin Steen receive good names too. Nice moment for NXT. Ascension decides to attack Hideo but he's ready to fight back and sends them packing.



Bull Dempsey vs Mojo Rawley
Not much behind this match as it just seems that Mojo is wanting some revenge for losing to Bull some time ago. This was another very short match as it only seemed to last twenty seconds. Bull looked impressive with the dominating win though and even managed to cut Mojo's eye in that short amount of time. No rating for this one.



Enzo brings out LeFort's sidekick to show his baldness to the world. I'm actually starting to find Enzo very entertaining. He could be an awesome comedy wrestler on the main roster.



Charlotte vs Bayley
The NXT Women's Title is on the line. You'd never hear of the Diva's Title being a main event on a big WWE show which shows just how awesome NXT is. I was really looking forward to this one after Charlotte and Natalya's classic at the first Takeover show, and while this wasn't as good as that one this was still a good match and miles better than anything you'll see on WWE TV. I did enjoy the story of Charlotte underestimating Bayley's ability and Bayley coming back with everything she had including trying some quick pins and an awesome frankensteiner from the top rope. Good match and the best of the show so far. ***1/4



Hideo Itami will be debuting next week on NXT! I'll really need to watch that one.



Sami Zayn vs Tyler Breeze vs Tyson Kidd vs Adrian Neville
The NXT World Title is on the line. NXT can even do main event fatal four ways better than WWE can. This one was pretty unpredictable as I could have seen any one of these guys (well maybe not Breeze) leaving as the Champion. I was really hoping that Zayn would win but he'll get his chance someday and I'm hoping we'll get an epic face vs face match between Neville and Zayn at some point in the future. This took a little while to get going but once the faces got their comeback the momentum of this bout just grew and grew. This was an insanely fun four way and one of the best I've seen. There were some brilliant nearfalls where it looked like the end was coming but it just kept going and got better and better. Keep your WWE, I'm an NXT guy after this classic. Awesome match. ****1/2



7.5/10. Another good show from NXT and while it wasn't as good as Arrival or the first Takeover, it still delivered the goods and left me wanting more. All the important Title matches delivered including a must-see main event and the other content, while not great, didn't really hinder the show in any way. NXT really is taking over.

Backlash 2001

Backlash 2001 Review


This show has the hardest job in the world of having to follow the greatest Wrestlemania of all time. I don't know much about this show aside from a couple of the matches I've seen before so I'm looking forward to this. Let's get started on Backlash.




The Dudley Boyz vs X Factor
X Factor seems like the most randomly put together team ever, featuring Albert, X-Pac and Justin Credible. I'm pretty sure that X-Pac wasn't relevant anymore anyway. Six man tags are usually a good way to fire up the crowd and this one did that well, although this crowd seemed to be obsessed with tables for some reason. It could have been longer and could have had a better finish that didn't deflate the crowd, but it was a fun tag match while it lasted and a good way to open the show. The crowd got their wish for tables in the end. **1/2



Rhyno vs Raven
The Hardcore Title is on the line. This is starting to feel like an ECW show. Well the Invasion was just around the corner. Kane lost this Title very quickly, but then again this is the Hardcore Title so it's probably changed hands hundreds of times over. This was actually a damn good match and better than I was expecting. I did like some of the spots like the involvement of the stacked up steel steps outside of the ring, and Rhyno goring the shopping cart looked cool as well. Hell there were even some nice nearfalls too. Good stuff from these guys. ***



Chris Jericho vs William Regal : Duchess of Queensbury Rules
Regal brings out the Duchess of Queensbury who has been shown backstage all night. Couldn't we just let these guys have a standard match? They performed fine in a normal match at Mania. The rules to this one aren't explained until the time limit for the first round apparently runs out when Jericho's about to win. Is this really needed here? Also apparently submissions do not count which seems strange since Regal tried them a couple of times. Regal didn't look too good here as he needed the Duchess to stop him losing three times. The match itself wasn't bad purely thanks to the talents of both athletes, but this really needed to be a different gimmick match. **1/4



Kurt Angle vs Chris Benoit : Ultimate Submission Match
Benoit and Angle with a guaranteed thirty minutes against each other? Hell yeah! I'm gonna need some popcorn for this one. These guys had one of the best matches at Wrestlemania and Benoit wanted some revenge after Angle had to cheat for the win. This was very similar to their Mania match as it started off with some nice mat wrestling with Benoit constantly trying for the crossface but it didn't take long for the punches and the chops to be thrown. This was an awesome match and seeing these guys trying to outdo each other with their signature submissions (and even their opponent's submissions) was just a lot of fun. Any time these guys lock up it's a match worth talking about and this was no different. Easily the Match of the Night. ****



Shane McMahon vs The Big Show : Last Man Standing
I guess the McMahon vs McMahon storyline just had to continue. Show had decided to stay in the WWF with Vince instead of going to WCW. I guess this was before the Booker T vs Buff Bagwell match that stopped any chances of that happening. I did like the story here with Shane trying everything he could to keep the giant down, including a hell of a lot of weapon shots and even using chloroform to try and knock him out. I don't think the interference was really needed and it did disrupt the match quite a bit. The finish was awesome with Shane's death-defying drop from the top of the stage. Shane won but Show still looked strong in defeat. Pretty entertaining match overall. **3/4




Eddie Guerrero vs Matt Hardy vs Christian
The European Title is on the line. Matt only won the Title three days previously from Eddie. Don't know why Christian is involved then. Plus shouldn't Edge and Jeff be at ringside for their partners? Well they ended up doing the run ins at the end of the match so I guess that makes up for it. A short match but it was pretty good while it lasted and it even featured some innovative spots thanks to the athleticism of all three guys. Matt hits the Twist of Fate on Christian to retain the Title. **1/2



The Two Man Power Trip vs The Brothers of Destruction
This is a Winner Takes All match as the Power Trip is putting their IC and WWF Titles on the line and the BOD are putting their Tag Titles on the line. The winners will be ruling the WWF with all the major Titles unless it ends in a crappy DQ, but thankfully they didn't go down that path. This was a long match lasting around twenty-five minutes but surprisingly it never really became boring until some of HHH and Austin's heel heat segments but that was about it. It did get a bit overbooked at the end with some McMahons running interference but it was still a pretty fun match overall and a solid main event. ***1/4



6.5/10. A pretty good show here but it does feel like a bit of a letdown after a fantastic Wrestlemania. Still I'd say it's a show worth watching for a good main event and the Ultimate Submission match is definitely worth checking out although I'll admit it won't be to everyone's taste. There are no bad matches aside from a confusing Jericho/Regal match so it's a show worth wasting three hours with.

Wrestlemania X-Seven

Wrestlemania X-Seven Review



When I started doing the 2001 PPV series, I couldn't wait to get to this show again. I've already reviewed it a couple of times but I wanted to do a final, definitive one. There's not much more to say so here's Mania 17, the PPV equivalent of the Flair/Steamboat trilogy. (Rumble is Chi-Town Rumble, NWO is Clash of Champions, and this Mania is Wrestlewar).



And Limp Bizkit's My Way is still intact! Oh this is gonna be fucking awesome.




Chris Jericho vs William Regal
The IC Title is on the line. This must have felt like a let down to Jericho after having two classic IC Title matches in a row on PPV only to have this one given seven minutes. Still they both tried hard to give us a good opener. It may have been short but this was a fun match with some nice shoulder psychology on the part of Jericho and there was even some good storytelling with Regal's exposed turnbuckle coming back to haunt him in the finish. Good stuff to open the show with. ***1/4



Right To Censor vs The APA & Tazz
Not really much to say about this one as it was obviously just a filler match to get as many stars involved as possible for a Mania payday. I think Tazz was having neck problems so that explains why he looked a little sloppy. I will say that Bull Buchanan's athleticism was impressive. A short, energetic tag match that was pretty forgetful but it wasn't offensive to the show in any way at all and it got a good reaction out of the crowd. *3/4



Raven vs Kane vs The Big Show
The Hardcore Title is on the line. I've seen this match quite a few times now and it's one I always enjoy watching each time. It's just got a charm to it. Plus it is definitely one of the better Hardcore bouts at the time (until RVD came along). Raven took a nasty tumble through a window and it did sound like it hurt. The part with the golf carts was hilarious even though they apparently nearly shut down the power to the entire building. Just about the entire match took place backstage and it was a lot of fun. A good car crash match. ***



Eddie Guerrero vs Test
The European Title is on the line. Man this match is a lot harder to watch now, especially now knowing that Eddie went to rehab soon after this. RIP to both guys. This is definitely one of Test's better matches in the WWE thanks to the work of Eddie. Test did look very motivated as well. Another short match but it was another entertaining one save for a lull in the action in the middle portion. It did pick up again quite quickly thankfully. A good match with Eddie using his lying, cheating and stealing to win the Title. **3/4



Kurt Angle vs Chris Benoit
Oh yeah this is what I want! I'm pretty sure that this is their first meeting and, thankfully, not their last. Their feud isn't really explained, but who cares? It's Angle and Benoit for crying out loud! The mat wrestling sequence to start was incredible and I'm surprised that the crowd was really into it. This was the first time mat wrestling like that was really seen in the WWF and it's the kind of main event style that would eventually take over. Soon they were fighting back and forth with suplexes and it was awesome. Both guys trading each others submission moves was a brilliant sequence as well. The abrupt finish kind of ruins it a bit but at least it set up future matches between them, and everything that came before the finish was great anyway. A terrific contest. ****1/4



Chyna vs Ivory
The Women's Title is on the line. Well I guess the show had to go downhill somewhere didn't it? This is also the same match that brought down the Royal Rumble show and this one was just as bad, though luckily kept short. Thankfully Chyna would be leaving soon and wouldn't return again. This is pretty much the same match as before so I'll give it the same rating and reaction I gave the last one. DUD

 
  

I'm gonna end up using that video way too much in the future but it's just too funny. Anyway let's get the show back on track with some McMahon drama!




Shane McMahon vs Vince McMahon : Street Fight
Mick Foley is the guest referee. It's been a year since the McMahon in every corner at Mania 16 and the McMahons are still going at it! Just like Stephanie vs Trish at No Way Out, this is one of the best booked matches ever. It is totally overbooked but in a good way that masks the limitations of both participants. Shane's elbow drop and Van Daminator are always impressive to watch. One of my favourite parts of the match is Linda McMahon rising from her chair because the pop she receives from the crowd is just insane. Vince took another kick in the balls for the company and it was totally fun to watch. Just an entertaining match from start to finish. ***1/2






The Hardy Boyz vs The Dudley Boyz vs Edge & Christian : TLC
The Tag Titles are on the line. I would have thought that following up the first ever TLC match at Summerslam would have been nearly impossible, but these guys actually managed to surpass their last effort and gave us one of the greatest tag matches in wrestling history and probably the most amazing spot-fest of all time. Even the run-ins from Spike Dudley, Lita and Rhyno were well done as they all brought something to the bout and even added some spots of their own. Edge's 20ft spear to Jeff Hardy is one of the best spots ever and one that is still played on highlight packages to this day. The finish spot with Matt Hardy and Bubba Ray going through a bunch of piled up tables was fantastic as well. A Wrestlemania classic and in my opinion the greatest ladder match ever and I don't think it will ever be topped. Amazing stuff. *****






Gimmick Battle Royal
Oh yeah now this was a lot of fun! The actual match itself wasn't anything special aside from Sgt. Slaughter giving Iron Sheik the cobra clutch, but the entrances were the best part of this match. It was so much fun to watch all the silly gimmicks (some not silly like Sarge) coming to the ring and it was great for nostalgia. Heenan and Okerlund was funny to listen to as well. If I had to rate this I'd give it  * for the match and about  **1/4 overall with the entertainment value added. 



Triple H vs The Undertaker
The first of a great trilogy of matches at Wrestlemania. The biggest complaint people have about this match is about the referee being out for way too long, but it let these guys go all the out into the crowd to brawl so it's fine by me. This was also the first real time that Taker's Streak was really mentioned by the commentators. This was just a fantastic brawl from start to finish and it was so entertaining to watch. Both guys came out of it looking like main eventers. It might even be Taker's best match under the biker gimmick. Just an awesome match from start to finish. ****



Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock : No DQ
The WWF Title is on the line. This match came around at the perfect time, as Rock had firmly put himself as the top guy of the company, but Austin was still seen as #1, so it was time to see who was the very best between the two in this epic confrontation. They started off straight away trading punches, and it never slowed down at all. I enjoyed the submission parts of the match like Austin breaking out the Million Dollar Dream and Rock putting Austin in a sharpshooter in a throwback to the Mania 13 classic between Austin and Hart. I didn't mind Vince coming out either and it even made for some great nearfalls and proved that Austin needed help to truly beat the Rock. An all time classic match that should be watched by all professional wrestling fans. Possibly the best main event in Mania history and definitely one of the greatest matches of all time. *****




10/10. And so the greatest trilogy of PPV matches ever comes to a huge finish. Nothing surpasses this show and the only thing that comes close is the 1989 Great American Bash. The undercard was pretty damn good but it's once the show hits Angle/Benoit that the fun really begins. Chyna/Ivory is a lone dark spot but it only lasts about five minutes so it doesn't do too much damage. How could any fan pass up a PPV featuring Jericho/Regal, Angle/Benoit, Shane/Vince, HHH/Taker, a TLC match and Austin/Rock? You'd have to be absolutely insane to pass up a show like this, and if you haven't seen it I would highly recommend watching it as soon as possible. It doesn't get any better than this.

No Way Out 2001

No Way Out 2001 Review


After I finished the Rumble review I couldn't wait to start this one. I have watched it all the way through before but that was about two years ago so it'll feel fresh when I watch it again. Plus after this I've got Wrestlemania X-Seven to look forward to! And after that they stop trying because all the competition is dead. This has got to be the greatest PPV trilogy in wrestling history. I'd love to see anything else that comes close.

Anyway here is my take on the WWF's No Way Out 2001.





Raven vs The Big Show
The Hardcore Title is on the line. You can always expect some shenanigans during a Hardcore Title match but that's what makes them fun I suppose. This was almost a rematch at Mania except it had Kane added in. I was enjoying the story of Raven trying to use as many weapons as possible to take down Show, but the run-ins started very early. It was still pretty fun to watch but I'd have preferred it with just Raven and Show. A throwaway opener to start the night off. *1/2



Chris Jericho vs Chris Benoit vs Eddie Guerrero vs X-Pac
The IC Title is on the line. Replace Waltman with Rey Mysterio and you have a five star match on your hands. Jericho and Benoit have still got to be feeling bruised after that war at the Rumble. This was shorter than I would have liked it to have been at only around twelve minutes, but they still managed to give us a fight to remember. The action started off quite fast and furious and got even better once Eddie and Benoit started fighting each other. Things got even better from there as the pace managed to quicken even more and there was a ton of counter-wrestling and nearfalls. An awesome match that comes close to stealing the show. ****1/4



Stephanie McMahon vs Trish Stratus
On the list of the most surprisingly good matches in wrestling history, this one has got to be near the top somewhere (probably right next to Hogan/McMahon). Trish wasn't wrestling full time yet so this had no active wrestlers competing in it. Steph's clothesline from the railing was impressive. It wasn't a technical clinic or anything like that, but you could feel the intensity and the hatred between the two and it made for a fun match with non-stop action. Regal's involvement was funny as he couldn't decide who should win then just decided to take out Trish. A good match! ***1/4


 



Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Triple H : 3 Stages of Hell
 First fall is a standard match, second fall is a Street Fight, and the third fall is a Steel Cage. If you needed any reason at all to see this show, it would be this match. These guys had been feuding for ages and it was finally time to end it. Austin won the first fall which showed he was the better wrestler, and HHH won the Street Fight which showed that he was the better brawler. Probably should have been the other way around but at least it was unpredictable. Both falls were fantastic by the way with the Street Fight being a real highlight and the best of all three falls. I thought it was a bit weird that HHH was the winner since Austin was in the main event of Mania, but he looked as if he just got a lucky win as he landed on top of Austin after being knocked out and got the pin so it wasn't too bad. Definitely a career highlight for both men and could be either mans best match ever. One of the best of all time and a definite must see. Freaking amazing. *****





Enter a contest to co-host an episode of Fanatics with Mick Foley! That sounds pretty fun actually. If only it weren't thirteen years too late.


Steven Richards vs Jerry Lawler
I feel so bad for these guys having to follow that masterpiece. It is the perfect choice for the toilet break match though so it's got that going for it. As usual Jerry is fighting for the ladies and the Kat gets naked if Jerry wins. Go Lawler! This was pretty much a nothing match but it was pretty fun while it lasted and the crowd was surprisingly lively during it. Not bad. Lawler loses so Kat is still fully clothed. *1/2



The Dudley Boyz vs Edge & Christian vs The Brothers of Destruction : Tables Match
The Tag Titles are on the line. Man the BOD look like an unbeatable team. We're only one PPV away from tag team perfection with TLC 2.  Table matches have never really appealed to me but this was a good one. Well they are usually good when the Dudleys are involved. It was fun when the Dudleys fought Edge and Christian, but Kane and Taker did bring the pace down a bit when they got involved in the action. Still it was a good match that the crowd was into the whole way through. **1/2



The Rock vs Kurt Angle
The WWF Title is on the line. Angle's first run as the Champion wasn't really anything special, but it was about to go out on a high note with this match. It was pretty obvious that the Rock would win since Austin was the Rumble winner, but that didn't stop these guys from putting on a dramatic match. Angle looked intense during the bout and that may have been the first time he did it and it would become something he was known for doing quite often. Even though Angle lost he still looked good in defeat and looked like a main event star. This was an awesome back and forth match that never had a dull moment and gave the Rock a big win leading to his epic confrontation with Stone Cold at Wrestlemania. Earl Hebner did screw up the finishing pin and the Rock was visibly pissed, but it didn't hinder things too badly. Easily Angle's best match up to that point in time. ****1/4




9.75/10. Definitely one of the best PPVs of the 21st Century as the WWF are on a terrific role at the start of 2001. Austin and HHH put on a classic battle that no one will ever forget, Rock and Angle put on one hell of a main event, there was a surprisingly great women's match, and a fantastic match for the IC Title. What more do you need? 




 

Summerslam 2014

Summerslam 2014 Review


Oh man I've been looking forward to this event for months and I've heard mixed reviews so far, so let's see how this year's summer extravaganza holds up.




We start off with Hulk Hogan coming down to the ring. It's starting to feel like Wrestlemania all over again. He plugs the WWE Network as usual. They really missed a trick by not mentioning that the audience already has to pay about $55 for a single PPV. If they did that then the Network would sound like a much better deal. 


The video package was pretty cool as it looked and sounded like a Robert Rodriguez movie. Especially Machete.



Dolph Ziggler vs The Miz
The IC Title is on the line. I really wasn't looking forward to this one as Miz had just won the Title so I didn't think he'd drop it here, but holy crap was I surprised by the result. Ziggler finally got a big win! As for the match itself, it was great and much better than expected. I wish it had been longer because these guys showed chemistry. Ziggler was awesome as usual and even Miz looked pretty damn good. A fun match with a good story as Miz's overprotectiveness of his face was his downfall. A great opener with a hot crowd and a good finish. ***1/2



We get a recap of the stupid storyline with Daniel Bryan apparently cheating on Brie with his trainer. At least it makes me want to see Stephanie get her ass kicked.



AJ Lee vs Paige
The Divas Title is on the line. I was looking forward to this one seeing as it felt like they held back in their Battleground match, but they finally became enemies. This time it was freaking intense and Paige was awesome as the heel. I need to make that shot of Paige crawling over AJ my new screensaver. AJ's  flying clothesline to the outside was awesome too. Paige's DDT finish was great. Another match I wish was longer, but what we got was good and I'm looking forward to the rematch. **3/4



We get the Sting commercial for WWE 2k15 and it still looks fantastic.



Jack Swagger vs Rusev : Flag Match
The winner gets to fly their country's flag proud. A lot of people seemed to be complaining about the fact that this wasn't a proper flag match, but I hate those kind of matches anyway so I'm happy with pinfall and submission rules. There was some nice psychology here as Rusev sold his injured leg well and Swagger sold his injured ribs well. This was another good match that exceeded my expectations. The dramatic finishing sequence was great and both guys signature submissions made for some tense moments. Swagger looked good in defeat as he never tapped out and Rusev still got a dominant victory. Everybody wins! A good match and Rusev continues to look like a monster. ***


Rusev kicks Zeb Colter after the match to look like even more of an asshole.



Seth Rollins vs Dean Ambrose : Lumberjack Match
I think everyone has been looking forward to this one for months and a lot of anticipation dropped when it was announced as a Lumberjack match and even I was skeptical of the idea, but I shouldn't have doubted these two future World Champions. The match was a ton of fun to watch and even the lumberjacks were used well, even if they were a little restrictive at times. I absolutely loved this as it was just so much fun to watch and I cannot wait for the rematch. The crowd was right. This was awesome. I also loved Ambrose saying "I love you" to Seth and then having a look of regret and sadness when he hit Seth with the curb stomp as if he wishes that the past two months never happened. That's some great storytelling there. A terrific contest. ****



Bray Wyatt vs Chris Jericho
I have to say that I loved Jericho's classic countdown back in his entrance. Finally Bray gets a big win on PPV! I was beginning to lose hope. I wasn't really looking forward to this one after their disappointing Battleground match, but they managed to improve on it a little bit. The crowd was into it and the action was never really boring. I did enjoy Wyatt's line of "I cannot die for I am already dead!". Sounds badass. A good match with the right guy winning this time. ***1/4




Brie Bella vs Stephanie McMahon
I'll admit that I was really looking forward to this one as I was dying to see Stephanie getting her ass kicked after almost a year of acting like a bitch. The Raw segments weren't that great but at least they still made Steph look like a witch from hell. I am disappointed that Stephanie won, but I'm sure she'll get her just desserts at some point. I know a lot of people were predicting that Nikki would turn heel on Brie, but I never thought it would actually happen. This was actually a solid match and Stephanie looked great and wrestled better than most of the other divas on the main roster. A surprisingly good match. **3/4



Roman Reigns vs Randy Orton
This is another one I wasn't too interested in, as it felt like a generic feud and I'd rather have seen Reigns take on Triple H, but I guess that will happen at a different show. This one started off quite slowly but once they started building up a bit of momentum I was really digging what they were selling. Orton's RKO was insane and I can't believe that Reigns kicked out of it. That was an awesome false finish. Reigns is definitely a future star and this was his biggest win so far. Great stuff and delivered beyond my expectations. ***1/2




Even if the main event ends up being a disappointment this will still have been one hell of a show. 



John Cena vs Brock Lesnar
The WWE World Heavyweight Title is on the line. Last time we saw Lesnar in the ring, he defeated the Undertaker and ended the legendary Streak to the shock of millions. This time, he destroyed John Cena like no one ever has before. This guy is more than just a monster or a beast. He's something even worse and I freaking love him for it. Lesnar getting the F5 straight away was awesome. So many German suplexes! Lesnar doing Taker's sit up after taking an AA and laughing at Cena like a demon from hell was just sublime and one of the coolest moments I've ever seen in wrestling. Lesnar is just something else. This was truly something special and I'm still shocked after watching it. I've seen it twice now and it even holds up the second time. One of the most unique main events in WWE PPV history and one that will be remembered for a long time. ****1/2




9.25/10. I was expecting a good show but nothing this good! I still prefer the 2013 and 2002 editions but this has got to be up there somewhere in the top 5 or even top 3. There was nothing bad to be found here at all and all matches delivered in my view, and some even delivered beyond expectations. We got an exciting opener, two very solid divas matches, a very good Reigns/Orton match, a good Wyatt/Jericho match, a terrific Lumberjack match, a fun flag match and a main event to remember. This'll end up being one of my favourite shows and it's definitely one worth watching over and over again.