No Way Out 2008
February 17th, 2008 – Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada – Attendance: 13,306
After making a shocking return at the Royal Rumble, John Cena did something that no man has ever done before. He chose to get his WWE Title shot at No Way Out instead of at WrestleMania, which leads us to a Randy Orton vs. John Cena match on this show. At this time, the feud was still relatively fresh since they had only met twice before this I believe. Of course, No Way Out features two Elimination Chamber matches as well, which should be great as it is one of my favorite gimmick matches ever.
Our opening package is relatively generic in a good way. It doesn’t really mention any Superstar by name but shows clips of how brutal the Elimination Chamber can and has been. The video also shows off the two title matches set for the evening. Commentary is Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler but it moves to Joey Styles and Tazz.
ECW Championship
Chavo Guerrero (c) vs. CM Punk
I was never a big Chavo Guerrero fan but the man knows what he’s doing in the ring and I’m a huge CM Punk fan so this should be good. This feud featured the infamous Gulf of Mexico match. Chavo slaps Punk and is instantly kicked in the head. Punk whips Chavo into the corner but is the one who ends up knocked outside. Chavo demands the referee start the count as I guess they’re going with the “champion wants to retain in any possible way” scenario. They trade shots as Chavo gets a near fall with a front flip. He hits a very nice looking suplex and applies the body scissors. Talk about a move that looks like it does NOTHING to the opponent. Punk gets out and hits a slingshot into the corner like it’s the mid-90s. He goes for his signature knee in the corner but it’s stopped and then Chavo also reverses the GTS into a hurricanrana. An impactful tornado DDT earns Chavo two. He stalks Punk but ends up eating an enziguri for tow. Punk channels Eddie Guerrero and tries the Three Amigos to heat. That’s not good. Chavo blocks the third but gets the knee strike/bulldog combo and kicks out. A small “Chavo” chant breaks out as he holds the top rope to avoid the GTS. He ends up on the apron and is kicked hard to the mat. Inside, Punk crotches Chavo on the top and goes for a top rope hurricanrana but Chavo blocks it. After Punk knocks himself out from hitting the mat, Chavo hits the Frog Splash for the surprise clean win. He gets a decent pop as well.
Winner and Still ECW Champion: Chavo Guerrero in 7:15
A bit disappointing. Both guys are damn good but it didn’t click. I did like the play of Eddie’s suplexes and that Chavo actually got a clean win. **3/4
The incomparable Mike Adamle interviews Rey Mysterio and gets his name right. Rey admits he does have a torn bicep and he shows off the bruise, which looks like it hurts a ton. As he starts speaking Spanish, Floyd Mayweather comes up to him and says what’s up. Mike Adamle looks like a total nerd the whole time. Smackdown commentary, which is Michael Cole and Jonathan Coachman, take over for the next match.
Number One Contender for World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber
Batista vs. Big Daddy V w/ Matt Striker vs. Finlay vs. United States Champion MVP vs. The Great Khali w/ Ranjin Singh vs. The Undertaker
Who the hell thought Big Daddy V should A) wear that outfit and B) be in a Pay-Per-View match? So, Batista and The Undertaker are the two to start. In other words, the only LEGIT threats to win this thing. These two engaged in a fantastic rivalry throughout 2007 and slug it out here. They go outside and Batista is grated against a steel chain but is back in the driver’s seat in the ring. Batista looks really weird with wristbands. Neither guy gets a clear advantage and do a double big boot spot as Big Daddy V enters the fray. Viscera dominates, even hitting a Samoan drop while his boobs flop around. Cole says that Mabel stepping on you is like a minivan being on you. He headbutts Undertaker who falls through the Chamber door. Really? This mass, powerful structure that we hear so much about can’t handle a 299 pound man softly bumping into the door? Vis runs at Batista and I swear my WWE Network went into slow motion. Batista plants Mabel with a spinebuster, tosses him outside and Undertaker DDTs him. Batista covers and Viscera is out at 9:07.
The Great Khali joins us at the ten minute mark. I would be okay with each guy getting eliminated before the next one come sin, leaving Batista and Undertaker alone. Khali gets in his usual offense, even getting near falls on both superior opponents. Vise Grip is applied on Batista and Cole continues with his ridiculous comparisons, calling Khali’s hands “NFL football like”. Batista breaks free and Spears Khali but is taken out by Undertaker, who then makes Khali tap out to the Hell’s Gates submission at 12:38. Maybe my prediction about the eliminations will come true. Finlay is next, so the youngest guy in the match will get the least amount of time. He runs in but eats a big boot instantly. He comes back with the Celtic Cross on Undertaker but doesn’t get the three obviously. Outside, Finlay gets slingshot into the steel chains. Finlay stays strong though and throws Undertaker through the glass chamber in the least memorable spot like that in history. So much for my prediction as Finlay is still in when MVP is supposed to enter. He doesn’t want to join, so Undertaker comes in and beats him down.
When MVP does come in, he kicks both Batista and Undertaker, gaining a near fall before choking Finlay with his chain. The Deadman is bleeding as MVP fires away with the chain but he won’t fall down. Since he won’t fall, MVP runs away to the top of a pod. Undertaker grabs him and choke tosses him off! Finlay covers and MVP is unfortunately gone at 22:31. With all three remaining men down, Hornswoggle pops his head up from under the chamber and hands Finlay the shillelagh! He hit both guys with it, even blocking a Batista Bomb with a shot but Batista kicks out. Undertaker grabs Finlay and Chokeslams him onto the steel outside to eliminate him around 24:11. As expected, it comes down to Batista and The Undertaker. They get up on opposite sides outside of the ring and get into a slugfest inside. Batista nails the Batista Bomb but is too hurt to cover quickly, so Undertaker gets his shoulder up! Batista must not have watched Undertaker matches because he goes for ten punches in the corner, hitting about twelve, but Undertaker powers up with the Last Ride. He is also too weary to cover quickly and can garner two only. Undertaker signals for the end but Batista counters the Tombstone and sends him outside. As Batista drives Undertaker’s face into the chamber, Cole points out that he’s targeting the left arm. Umm, no he’s not. Batista has Undertaker on his shoulder and goes to drive him headfirst into the chamber again but it’s blocked and they use the top rope so Undertaker can slip over and hit a creative Tombstone for the finish.
Winner: The Undertaker in 29:28
Not one of the best Elimination Chamber matches but still damn good. They did their best with the talent involved as Undertaker and Batista should be commended for their performance. I wish we got more from MVP though as that could have helped for sure. ***
Edge is in the back with the Edgeheads, and he’s nervous about facing The Undertaker at WrestleMania, however he doesn’t want to look past Rey Mysterio. Theodore Long comes in, PLAYA, and bans Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder from ringside. YA FEEL ME? HOLLA.
After a WrestleMania commercial featuring Kelly Kelly and Mae Young, we go to highlights of Maria Kanellis and Ashley Massaro at the Playboy mansion. Maria decides to pose for Playboy, which is up there as maybe my second favorite WWE Playboy ever.
Career Threatening Match
Mr. Kennedy vs. Ric Flair
Lil’ Naitch, Charles Robinson is the referee here so I just can’t see him counting the three that ends Ric Flair’s career. Mr. Kennedy hits a shoulder block early on and struts, taunting Flair. A hard knife edge chop allows Flair to strut back. Kennedy gets in his offense now, and goes with a half Boston crab because Flair has a bandage on his knee. Kennedy must have watched some heel Bret Hart as he uses the ring post Figure Four. HOW DARE HE? He’s stealing from all the greats when he locks in Flair’s own Figure Four. Flair reaches the ropes and Kennedy hits the Green Bay Plunge for two. He goes to the well again but Flair slips free and uses a chop block. Kennedy tries to win with a handful of tights and his feet on the ropes but is caught because he’s heeling wrong. After kicking out a small package, Flair uses the Figure Four to make Kennedy submit.
Winner: Ric Flair in 7:13
I liked Mr. Kennedy going after the knee and trying to steal all of Ric Flair’s signature stuff. The cocky heel was too brash and it cost him. The crowd didn’t believe Kennedy would win though and that hurt. **
Backstage, Mr. McMahon mocks Finlay as he’s being checked on by doctors. He tells Finlay that there’s nothing he can do to help Hornswoggle tomorrow when Vince steps into a Steel Cage with him tomorrow night on Raw!
World Heavyweight Championship
Edge (c) vs. Rey Mysterio
Even though these are two guys who have really good chemistry, I don’t expect to this be much since Rey is going with a torn bicep. It’s clear very early that Rey is in a ton of pain. Even a flying head scissors causes him a lot of discomfort. Edge uses a big boot to take control and Rey regroups outside. Coachman “you have to wonder if Rey’s ever competed with a torn bicep before”. I doubt it Coach, that’s serious business. Edge throws Rey into the steel steps and taunts inside the ring. Rey is asked if he wants to call the match but he declines, so Edge tries an arm submission but it’s blocked. He hangs Rey up in the tree of woe and goes for a baseball slide but Rey moves and Edge hits the ring post. Moonsault from Rey gets him two and a tornado DDT leads Edge to putting his foot on the bottom rope, breaking a pin. Rey connects with the 619 but can’t capitalize. He tries a springboard but eats a midair Spear to end this.
Winner and Still World Heavyweight Champion: Edge in 5:27
Not much here, but I have to give credit for Rey Mysterio’s gutsy performance. *3/4
Officials and medical personnel check on Rey Mysterio when Big Show’s theme hits. He comes out and reveals that he is a MUCH slimmer Big Show, having dropped some sixty pounds since he was last seen. He cuts a promo about being happy to be back and that he will be a champion again. I was wrong as he has lost 108 pounds. Show goes outside and starts to bully Rey Mysterio. There goes that seemingly face appearance. He mocks Floyd Mayweather at ringside causing Floyd to jump the barricade! All of his entourage/security get in with him, making this seem like a big deal. Show continues to mock him, dropping down to one knee so Mayweather socks him, breaking his nose. Show gives chase but Mayweather escapes and Shane McMahon has to try and restrain him. The angle was greatly done, Show looked legit, Mayweather looked legit, commentary was silent to help sell it and it led to a surprisingly good WrestleMania match. Show would later say that he told Floyd not to hit him in the nose and that’s exactly what Floyd did, so Show was actually seeing red somewhat as he chased him down.
WWE Championship
Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena
John Cena won the Royal Rumble a month prior and decided to cash in his title shot tonight instead of at WrestleMania, which was something that I completely hated. I’m not a fan of how this starts because the video package built it up as Cena lost his WWE Title because of an injury that Orton caused, so he should have wanted his hands on him badly. Instead, we get them trying to out wrestle one another. Cena gets some early near falls with a bulldog and elbow drop. He goes to the top and connects with the leg drop bulldog for another two count. He goes for the FU but Orton elbows out and starts to pick Cena apart. VINTAGE Orton as he locks in a rest hold to slow things down. Cena rallies and hits the shoulder block combo before the Five Knuckle Shuffle, but Orton slips free of the FU. They fight outside and both guys run in just before the count of ten, but Orton looked dumb here. He is all about retaining the belt by any means, so a countout loss is something he should have been okay with. Orton goes for the RKO but Cena counters and puts on the STFU! Orton slips outside and starts to shout “COUNT ME OUT” at the referee. See what I mean? Saving himself from being counted out earlier is an inconsistency. Cena tries to get Orton but is hit with an RKO FROM OUTTA NOWHERE! Cena beats the countout once again. Orton decides to strike the referee, getting himself disqualified.
Winner via disqualification: John Cena in 15:50
This was just like most other John Cena vs. Randy Orton matches in the fact that it was kind of dull. They’ve never had great chemistry and this had serious storytelling mistakes. **
John Cena, in his frustrated state, attacks Randy Orton after the match with an FU and STFU. Unlike other situations, the referee just leaves and doesn’t call for anyone to break this up. Triple H and Shawn Michaels have a bit of a serious talk backstage before the Chamber. We also see the poll results for who the fans think will win the main event and Jeff Hardy just edges out Triple H 38%-31%. That says a lot about where Jeff would be headed from here until he left in August 2009.
Number One Contender for WWE Championship Elimination Chamber
Chris Jericho vs. Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy vs. JBL vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H vs. Umaga
Lillian Garcia totally botches announcing the rules for the match. Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels start the match, but if I were booking, I’d have had Jeff start and last until the end in a great performance. This is a review, not a fantasy booking though. The Shawn/Jericho stuff is their usual goodness. Jericho goes for the Walls but Shawn counters and tries a Sharpshooter, only for Jericho to pull him into a small package for two. I recently watched these two at WrestleMania XIX and that was fantastic. They would go on to have another fantastic rivalry later in this year. They collide and are both down when the buzzer goes off, bringing in Umaga. THE SAMOAN BULLDOZER! He does instant damage and Lawler says it’s similar to what Viscera did earlier. His name is Big Daddy V dammit! Umaga, in a great show of strength, hits a double Samoan drop on both guys. Shawn gets a big kick that knocks him outside, which Jim Ross calls “an impactful kick where you could hear the impact.” No kidding. After missing a splash, Umaga eats Shawn’s elbow drop. Jericho applies the Walls and, since he won’t submit, Shawn adds the Crossface! The buzzer sounds and in comes JBL, to make the save.
JBL pounds away on Chris Jericho in the corner, as they are coming off of a feud at the Royal Rumble for some strange reason. A DOUBLE FEATURE shows us that Shawn took an elbow earlier and is busted open. Everyone is outside now but that doesn’t last long. Our fifth entrant arrives and it is Triple H. The Game, who had returned from his second quad injury a few months prior, is on fire. Double A spinebusters all around until Jericho stops him. He misses the Lionsault though. JBL hits the Clothesline from Hell on Hunter but turns right into a Codebreaker for our first elimination at 13:46. JBL is pissed so he gets a chair and lays out Jericho, HBK and Umaga. The chair shot has bused Jericho open, Shawn is bleeding like Ric Flair an all four men are down as Jeff Hardy joins the fray. He goes after everyone, even using Jericho for Poetry in Motion and taking out DX with Whisper in the Wind. Umaga stops him and dominates for a bit with the biggest move being his running ASS SMASH to Jericho through the chamber glass. Holy shit! When they get back in the ring, Umaga eats Sweet Chin Music, a Codebreaker, a Pedigree and then a Swanton Bomb from the top of a pod! That is clearly enough to do him in at 19:46.
Chris Jericho got the cover and gets up right into Sweet Chin Music, so Jeff Hardy pins and eliminates him at 19:54. Rapid fire stuff here. Shawn is a mess and he gets hit with the Swanton Bomb. Triple H throws Jeff outside and hits the Pedigree on his best friend to eliminate Shawn at the 20:28 mark. Trips and Jeff slug it out outside and Jeff connects with a DDT on the steel. He busts Hunter open by throwing him into the steel a few times. Jeff takes a risk and it nearly costs him but he reverses a Pedigree. He misses a Swanton though and gets the Pedigree but somehow kicks out! The crowd looks legit stunned. He tries it again but Jeff low blows him and hits the Twist of Fate on a steel chair. Or does he? Triple H countered it I guess and nails the Pedigree on the chair to win.
Winner: Triple H in 24:55
Better than the previous Elimination Chamber. My main issue was the quick barrage of eliminations and that I wish we got a bit more time between Jeff and Hunter. Besides that, this was really good and I especially loved how Umaga looked like a total monster. ****
Overall: 5/10; Mediocre. About half of the show is good. The two Chambers are the best part of the show and the ECW Title match is solid. Besides that, Randy Orton/John Cena underwhelmed, the World Title was lackluster because of Rey’s injury and Kennedy/Flair was there. The main issue was that everything was predictable on the show with the exception of Orton keeping the belt. Anyway, middle of the pack show. Next on “Random Network Reviews” is One Night Stand 2007!
Raw in Newark, New Jersey kicked off with Seth Rollins and J&J Security. He discussed the Daily Show with Jon Stewart stuff, who is scheduled to appear latter. He was cut off by Roman Reigns. Seth continued by saying he was a better talker than Stewart, better rapper than Wiz Khalifa (who will perform next week) and a better wrestler than Reigns. He ain't lying there. He also teased cashing in the night after WrestleMania. Reigns stumbled over his words a bit but in the end, took out Seth and J&J Security because he's a powerhouse. Didn't you know? Backstage, Seth isn't pleased and Randy Orton comes up to him. He says that he believes in Seth and suggests he demand a match with Roman. I still don't see the point in this Orton stuff. Surprisingly, the WWE actually hypes a Divas Title match tonight as Paige gets a rematch. We'll see if #GiveTheDivasAChance did anything. Our opening contest pit Bad News Barrett against the man currently holding his title hostage, Dean Ambrose. R-Truth was back out on commentary and continued to be his pretty insane self. It's fun. He stole the Intercontinental Title before Luke Harper appeared behind him from out of nowhere and he stole it. The distraction allowed Ambrose to sneak up and plant Barrett with Dirty Deeds. I like that we're heading towards what should be a fun ladder match at WrestleMania, but Barrett losing every single week is only really hurting him. It's like Dolph Ziggler was the only guy booked strongly as an IC Champ.Truth stole the segment by saying he's scared of heights and wants to use small ladders like they do for "Hornswoggle and Dean Malenko."
On Smackdown, The Miz stole a commercial from Damien Mizdow. He didn't ask for a script and freestyled this. He had some scrubs backstage for his commercial premiere, only to find out it was for an erectile dysfunction ad. He was pissed and slapped Mizdow, which led to Mizdow coming face to face with him before backing down. It was clear from the crowd's response that when Mizdow inevitably gets fed up and lays out Miz, the place is going to explode. Maybe during the Andre the Giant Battle Royal? Bray Wyatt comes out next with a casket to build his WrestleMania match alone. I've actually enjoyed the promos on Undertaker more than his usual stuff. He seems to be more focused and it is shining through in the work.
Our first look at the divas following the hashtag stuff is a six person tag match. The Tag Team Champions, Tyson Kidd and Cesaro teamed with Natalya to face the Usos and Naomi. I appreciate that we haven't had this incarnation of this feud yet. The match was solid and played into Kidd being a great chickenshit heel. He avoided a double superkick and tagged in Nattie. She wasn't pleased as she was nursing an ankle injury. Her yelling at Tyson allowed Naomi to slip in and win. I wonder if they're actually going to give us a straight up Tag Team Title match at WrestleMania. We get the Sheamus Returns ad again. I wonder when that will actually happen. I mean, WrestleMania is right around the corner.
John Cena appears to address his WrestleMania future. He does his whole "the crowd is divided" stuff and points to the WrestleMania sign a few times. If you made a drinking game out of stuff Cena always does in promos, you'd be drunk halfway through. Since Rusev won't give him a rematch (rightfully so) he declares himself for the Andre the Giant Battle Royal. Stephanie McMahon interrupts and tells him he can't just declare himself in the match, so Cena tells her that's what everyone has done so far. Stephanie drops truth bombs, telling Cena that he doesn't define the WWE and they, and WrestleMania, can thrive without him. She won't put him in the match and it brings out Curtis Axel. #AXELMANIA! Axel says he'd make a fine opponent for Rusev, kisses Stephanie's ass, and gets the crowd to chant "AxelMania." He claimed to be "often imitated, never eliminated". He does the Hogan shirt rip and asks "WHATCHA GONNA DO WHEN AXELMANIA RUNS WILD ON YOU?" but loses to Cena in relatively quick fashion, bringing out Rusev. He delivers a quick promo and once again denies Cena his match. This was a highly entertaining segment highlighted by Axel.
Our WrestleMania feuds are being built by one guy due to part timers mostly. This was evident again as Triple H come out to build his match with Sting. He brought Booker T into the ring, and questioned him about Sting. It led to him firing Booker, only to say it was a fake out as Booker was leaving. It was supposed to him showing how much power he has and being an asshole. Decent at best segment. The Divas Championship was on the line next as Paige got her rematch with Nikki Bella. They were given a commercial break and about seven minutes, which was appreciated. Paige knocked Brie off the apron and had Nikki in the PTO, which is a move that I see no counter for once it is on. The crowd popped for the possibility of her winning, until Brie came in to cause the disqualification. The Bellas then took the opportunity to double team Paige until the theme of AJ Lee hit to a HUGE pop from her hometown fans. She stood tall with Paige as the Bellas retreat. If they had build Brie as competent and not a complete idiot, they could have done a Fatal Four Way at WrestleMania. As it stands, I sense we get a tag team match instead, which is fine. Seeing AJ Lee return was for the best as it adds something to the division for sure. Backstage, Renee Young interviews AJ and Paige after the break. My heart couldn't handle the three of them on screen at the same time and I nearly died. Both girls are sick of the Bella Twins bullying the division around.
We are at the two hour mark and it's time for the Daily Show with Seth Rollins. He tells some shitty jokes until Jon Stewart interrupts. Stewart was excellent here, which makes sense since he talks for a living. He calls out Seth for not earning things in his career, though this could be directed at Roman Reigns perhaps. He said Seth looks like a SWAT Team stripper with Lady Gaga hair which made me laugh. Seth got pissed and grabbed him, which brought out Randy Orton to calm things down. The distraction allowed Jon to kick him low and leave. Good segment and Stewart looked like he had a blast. Next, we had Daniel Bryan take on Luke Harper. I would love to see these two get a PPV match down the line with build and time. Bryan wins quicker than expected while the title stealing continued. Truth, Ambrose and Barrett all got involved, but Harper went to leave with the belt only to be greeted with a superkick by Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler climbed a ladder on the stage and posed with the belt. They have big names involved but with all of the match results seemingly irrelevant, it's like a battle of the biggest losers at WrestleMania. Next, we get more talking as Paul Heyman is out. He redeems himself after last week's shit promo. He came out aggressively and said that Brock Lesnar may just "Ronda Rousey" Roman Reigns' ass. I won't lie, I think that would be hilarious and an incredible sight to behold. Our main event was next as Rollins took on Reigns. A lot of Seth tonight huh? He wins thanks to help from Orton. Seriously? The guy that's supposed to beat Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania loses right before? They couldn't have had Seth beat him months ago when it would have been okay? Whatever. Roman beats up the Authority post match and hits a big dive to the outside. It was nice and he should have waited to bust that out during a match.
In the end, I rather enjoyed this Raw. It wasn't big on the actual wrestling as it was promo heavy but sometimes that's fine. I'll take five meaningful promos over seven rematches with little to no meaning. There was no Kane and Big Show, which allowed me to enjoy this way more than usual. The divas stuff was damn good, the Daily Show segment was enjoyable and the show moved quickly. 7.5/10
1) reDRagon: I was able to catch Ring of Honor's 13th Anniversary show a bit late, but still found it relatively enjoyable. The best match, to me, on the card was the ROH World Tag Team Title match. reDRagon successfully retained their titles against the Young Bucks. I've always felt that the Young Bucks are a bit overrated but this match was a lot of fun. reDRagon seems to be an absolute tear and show no signs of slowing down. I remember seeing Bobby Fish back in 2007 and he didn't impress me at all. He seems to have improved greatly however. reDRagon has gone out and are possibly going to go down as the second most successful tag team in ROH history, behind only the Briscoes. They have become one of the hottest tag teams in all of pro wrestling, picking up titles over in NJPW as well. In a relatively slow week, reDRagon outshone everyone else to earn the top spot.
2) Jay Lethal: Remember when this guy kept hitting the glass ceiling in TNA? After leaving TNA and making a return to Ring of Honor, Lethal was rejuvenated. He has been on a massive roll and is the only two time Television Champion in company history. He's in the midst of a heel run that I didn't think he had in him. Granted, the Book of Truth stuff is a bit tired now, but Lethal continues to shine. It wasn't the cleanest of wins at the 13th Anniversary Show, but a win over someone like Alberto El Patron still means something. It was a pretty obvious outcome since El Patron has limited dates but it was still big for Lethal.
3) Akira Tozawa: I'll be the first to admit, I don't watch Dragon Gate as often as I probably should. However, when I do watch the occasional match or show, Akira Tozawa is kind of a constant. He's been hovering around the company for the better part of a decade. This week, he had what could be considered his proudest moment. After years in Dragon Gate, he captured his first singles title, winning the Open the Brave Gate Championship. It's a belt I first saw when Matt Sydal held it and since then, has been held by some very talented performers. Ricochet, PAC (currently Adrian Neville), and CIMA among others. It's pretty cool to see him having some solo success.
4) Jay Briscoe: When I first became a fan of ROH, the Briscoes were on a tear. I always saw Jay as the brother with higher potential. Fast forward some years and while others have left for greener pastures, Jay and Mark remained loyal. Jay would go on to not only win the ROH World Title, but join Austin Aries as the only two time winners. At the 13th Anniversary Show, he successfully retained his belt against three tough challengers. It wasn't a main event that I loved by any means, but it was still solid stuff. Jay has been THE constant in Ring of Honor and is always there to deliver for the company, which he did again on their 13th anniversary. Don't be surprised if you see Jay Briscoe make this list a lot more over the rest of the year as he looks to be a fixture and focal point for Ring of Honor for a long time coming.
5) AJ Styles: You see that picture on the left? That's a group of "TNA Originals" that have all left after being spurned by the company. This was taken before the 13th Anniversary Show last night. The focus here is on AJ Styles. The guy who used to bleed TNA more than anyone. Since leaving there, he has experienced a career resurgence, having good to great matches all over and becoming a two time IWGP Heavyweight Champion. As the current champion, he went to ROH last night and faced ACH in an interesting matchup. I haven't seen as much of ACH as I'd like but he impressed me here and more than held his own with one of the best in the world. He just slightly missed out on this list. That being said, the IWGP Champion wasn't about to take a pinfall loss and Styles came out as a winner. I look forward to what the rest of 2015 holds for the Phenomenal One.
In Your House: Canadian Stampede
July 6th, 1997 – Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada – Attendance: 12,151
1997 is an amazing year for the WWF. Bret Hart was in the midst of a heated rivalry with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and basically all of America. Bret during this time period is one of my favorite characters of all time as he was beloved when they traveled to Canada and booed in the United States. On this show, in his home town, the main event was a big ten men tag team match. I remember loving this Pay-Per-View and I’m excited to see if it holds up. Fun fact, this is the last two hour In Your House Pay-Per-View.
The opening video package is tremendous because it perfectly captures the WWF’s changing ways. The clean cut good guys, like Bret Hart, became the one who gets booed, while an anti-hero like Steve Austin is loved. The WWF was in a moral state of gray and it worked beautifully. Commentary is Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross, dressed as cowboys.
Hunter Hearst Helmsley w/ Chyna vs. Mankind
About a month ago, Hunter won the King of the Ring by beating Mankind in the Finals. This was the start of Mankind showing his personality and not just being a lunatic. Before the bell we get a slugfest as this is going to be a straight up fight. He drops a leg across Hunter’s giant nose and nails the double arm DDT early, but it’s not his finisher so he doesn’t cover. He steals Hunter’s taunt and back body drops him outside. Classic Cactus Jack apron elbow and Jim Ross actually calls it that. Helmsley wants no more of this and goes to walk out but is caught on the ramp. He connects with a suplex on the ramp and the crowd is hot for this. Hunter tries a sunset flip but Mankind puts on the Mandible Claw! Chyna breaks it by leveling Mankind out of the referee’s view. Hunter reverses a whip outside and Chyna catches Mankind with a hip toss, sending his calf into the steel steps. CLASSIC FOLEY! The future “Cerebral Assassin” strikes the leg with a chair and starts to target it in the ring. Being a HUGE Ric Flair fan, Hunter applies a Figure Four, using the ropes for leverage. The referee breaks it so he goes for a Pedigree and Mankind counters. He’s pushed into the corner and falls out, right onto Hunter’s junk. MRS. FOLEY’S BABY BOY fires away with right hands and Hunter does the Shawn bump in the corner, getting hung up in the tree of woe. Mankind follows in with an elbow and an excellently old school pulling piledriver for a near fall. Mankind goes to use a chair but is stopped by the official before Chyna clotheslines him hard. Vince talks about Mankind’s physique, which, let’s be honest, isn’t the best. Hunter climbs to the top, not a strong point of his game and Mankind crotches him. Mandible Claw is in but again, Chyna trips him up. She has played a pivotal role here. Things spill outside and into the crowd when the bell rings.
Match ends in a double countout after 13:14
That was damn good. Everyone played their role well, including Chyna. It was a physical match with some great psychology and showed that these two were future major stars. ****
The fight is still going on through the crowd, even with Chyna involved. They fight to the back and the cameras end up losing them.
After some clips of the WWF’s week in Canada, Dok Hendrix goes to interview the Hart Foundation. He questions what will happen if they lose, so Bret says “Don’t be stupid” before Steve Austin tries to attack them all in the locker room. He’s held back and Bret says they don’t want five on one, they want five on five later.
The Great Sasuke vs. Taka Michinoku
See, the WCW was destroying the WWF with the cruiserweight division, so the WWF was trying to bring in a Light Heavyweight division. Before the match, Mankind and Helmsley are still brawling and come back into the arena. They follow the action until they leave and then the bell rings. These polite Japanese wrestlers are so nice. It starts with a basic feeling out process while commentary does a good job putting over Sasuke being a legend and Taka being a rookie. Taka manages to win out and works the arm before running right into a big spin kick. Sasuke locks on a gross looking half Boston crab. He bent Taka funny. He charges at Sasuke and gets sent outside, so Sasuke follows with a top rope kick. Sasuke kicks the hell out of Taka in the corner and Taka is wobbly. Taka catches a kick and wrenches in a dragon screw before leaping into a springboard plancha to the outside for a big hand from the appreciative crowd. He goes to suplex Sasuke in but it’s countered and Taka lands on his feet on a German suplex attempt. He gets a near fall with a hurricanrana but runs into a cartwheel back elbow. Asai moonsault from Sasuke and this is going much faster than I can type. AND I TYPE 75 WORDS PER MINUTE! A belly to belly suplex inside gets Taka two and he hits a running knee/springboard dropkick combination. MICHINOKU DRIVER but Sasuke kicks out. The crowd is completely into this after not caring at the start. He jumps from the top right into a front dropkick. Sasuke nails another Asai moonsault for two and then powerbombs him, followed by a dragon suplex. The flurry is enough.
Winner: The Great Sasuke in 10:00
Fast paced and a ton of fun. Both guys wanted to go out and win over the crowd. They accomplished that feat. ***3/4
Mankind and Hunter Hearst Helmsley are STILL fighting around the arena. Even Chyna is involved. There are so many officials trying to break this up that I’m surprised the previous match even had one. They’re really making this look personal and the Steel Cage match they would have the following month makes total sense. Dok Hendrix interviews Vader and Uncle Paul Bearer. Paul had recently brought up the whole “you killed your family” stuff with The Undertaker that would lead to Kane. They go back to Vader defeating The Undertaker at the Royal Rumble. I appreciate callbacks like that.
WWF Championship
The Undertaker (c) vs. Vader w/ Paul Bearer
Undertaker, using his new strike based offense, just dominates right after the bell, taking down Vader and earning a near fall with a leg drop. He goes up top for some early Old School getting another two count. Vader finally gets him down but he sits up because he rises from the dead. Big running clothesline from Undertaker gets two once again. Vader slows things down and shoulder blocks Undertaker down, and he can’t sit up this time. Undertaker fights back with two big boots, the second taking Vader over and out. Jim Ross calls The Undertaker arguably the greatest big man ever and that’s true, but Vader is up there. He whips the Champion into the steps, allowing Paul Bearer to trash talk him. Snapmare on the top turns the tide and Undertaker goes up top for a pretty flying clothesline. A big uppercut sends Vader outside again so Undertaker stalks Bearer, who waddles away. Vader attacks from behind and pounds away back inside. Vader jumps off the second rope with some sort of attack that gets a near fall. I’m not really sure what it was. We move to a rest hold but Undertaker fights out with a flurry of right hands, only to walk into a clothesline. SOUPBONES in the corner and Vader is reeling. The Chokeslam attempt is stopped with a low blow that doesn’t draw a DQ. Undertaker still goes for a Tombstone but it fails also. Vader goes to the second rope and prepares for the Vader Bomb but Undertaker is up and pays him back for the low blow with one of his own. From the second rope he delivers a big Chokeslam but Vader somehow gets his shoulder up. Undertaker picks him up and hits a second Chokeslam, which also only gets two. The Champion is tired of the Chokeslam not working, so he goes with the Tombstone, which does the trick.
Winner and Still WWF Champion: The Undertaker in 12:39
This was the opposite of the last match but in a good way. It was slower but it was exactly what it needed to be with two badass big men. Great big man match and it goes to show again that The Undertaker’s 1997 WWF Title reign is criminally underrated. ****
More clips of the weekend in Calgary is shown, this one focusing on how popular the Hart Foundation is. After a short video package, Dok Hendrix interviews the strange group that is the American team. Austin says nothing and just heads out. The crowd pops HARD when it is announced that the Canadian National Anthem will be sung before the match.
Ten Man Tag Team Match
The Hart Foundation vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Goldust, Ken Shamrock and the Legion of Doom
Each person gets their own entrance, and Steve Austin seems to relish his negative response. He comes out trash talking and hype. The Hart Foundation’s separate intros are a thing of beauty, which each pop getting insanely louder building up to Bret Hart. The crowd is absolutely RABID to say the least. Everybody goes face to face but its Austin and Hart who start out and get right into a fist fight at the bell. Bret backs him into the corner and stomps a mudhole in him as the crowd is losing their minds. Austin switches to MASSIVE heat and ends up stomping a mudhole in Bret. Million Dollar Dream is applied and Bret does the Survivor Series ’96 spot to nearly win. Great callback. Anvil gets the tag but eats a LOU THEZ PRESS, RIGHT HANDS! RIGHT HANDS! THE RATTLESNAKE STRIKES! Ken Shamrock enters and goes for the Ankle Lock but Pillman breaks it, to a big pop. You know, I think I would have enjoyed a Shamrock/Neidhart feud. Pillman gets the tag and the Foundation can do no wrong in the crowd’s eyes. Biting and spitting both draw huge cheers. Shamrock hits a belly to belly and Owen gets the tag, as does Goldust. Austin talks trash to the Hart Family outside, drawing “Austin Sucks” chants. Hawk comes in and misses a dropkick, so Owen tries the Sharpshooter but it’s broken up. British Bulldog tags in and nails the stalling vertical suplex for two. Bret and Goldust do some solid work for a bit and Goldust gets put in the tree of woe, allowing the Foundation to just completely jump him. More tags lead to Owen coming in for a spinning heel kick and missile dropkick. He kicks up and the place continues to go ballistic. Animal rallies with power moves and panders to the fans like an idiot. Doomsday Device hits but Anvil breaks it up. Everyone starts going at it in the ring and Austin gets in some cheap shots on Owen. He goes to use a chair but Bruce Hart stops him from the crowd. Bret yells that Owen is hurt and he’s helped to the back. Austin becomes the legal man and takes the gang warfare beat down in the corner. Pillman, with half of his ass hanging out, takes the Stunner so Bret brings Austin over and works his leg on the post the same way that Austin did to Owen. He uses a fire extinguisher on it and the vicious RING POST FIGURE FOUR! That’s heel Bret at his finest and Austin has to be taken back too. Animal and Neidhart get into a test of strength as we’re down to four on four. Shamrock comes in with Bret and tries to play to the crowd like a complete buffoon. A brawl ensues outside while Bulldog and Shamrock go at it, complete with a double bird from Bulldog. Shamrock realizes they are the heels tonight and goes with the low blow. Goldust gets the tag and hits a bulldog on the Bulldog, signaling a Dusty Rhodes like “If you will” from JR. Pillman breaks up the pin attempt and Bulldog nails a superplex for two. Huge boos are heard as Austin limps back to ringside. He gets the tag and so des Bret and they are just going at it. Austin wins and we get the trademark Bret bump in the corner. He rallies and nails his awesome backbreaker and second rope elbow for two. Sleeper from Bret is countered with a jawbreaker for a near fall. Bret goes for the Sharpshooter but Animal saves Austin. Now Austin locks in the Sharpshooter as Owen Hart limps out and makes the save to a THUNDEROUS POP. Bret tags him in and he spills outside with Austin. As Austin stomps on him in front of the Hart Family, Bruce throws beer on him so he goes after Stu. This leads to some of the brothers coming over and attacking Austin. As Austin is rolled back in, Owen rolls him up and scores the win!
Winners: The Hart Foundation in 24:31
That was amazing. The crowd was molten hot, the in-ring action never wavered, and the right team won. Just everything about this match is fantastic. You could not ask for a better match. The first ever perfect score I’ve given a match. *****
The brawl continues as the entire Hart Family comes in and clears Team Austin out. After they leave, Austin, ever the badass, returns alone with a steel chair but gets destroyed by the Hart Family. He is taken out in handcuffs by police. Shouldn’t it be Mounties though? After he is taken out, Stu, Helen and the rest of the family comes in, including a very young future Divas Champion in Natalya.
Overall: 10/10; Perfect. There is, literally, nothing wrong with this Pay-Per-View. You get a hot opener, a better than expected light heavyweight match, a badass big man brawl for the WWF Title and a five star main event. The crowd helped the show as they were rabid all night long. Easily a top five Pay-Per-View in wrestling history. If you’ve never seen this show, you should do so this instant. I don’t think my next “Random Network Review” will be able to top this but it’s worth a shot. No Way Out 2008, you have a tough task ahead of you.
Clash of the Champions XX
September 2nd, 1992 – Center Stage Theater in Atlanta, Georgia
For the big 20th Clash of the Champions, WCW would celebrate twenty years of being on TBS and they would do so with a pretty big card. I haven’t seen much of it, but I have heard great things about WCW in 1992. They had some serious talent in Cactus Jack, The Steiner Brothers, Steve Austin, Vader, Ricky Steamboat and more. This will also only be the second ever Clash of the Champions that I watch on the WWE Network.
The show opens with old footage of Andre the Giant before we go to a scrapbook of WCW’s history on TBS. For 1992, it’s not half bad. Tony Schiavone and Missy Hyatt are outside of the arena with Gordon Solie and Andre the Giant. Andre is in bad shape as we’re near the end of his life. Ron Simmons, the WCW World Champion arrives and they’re making this out to be like an award show. Sting and WCW executives also show up but things get AWESOME when Teddy Long is shown in a suit and SPARKLY PURPLE DU-RAG. If you’re wondering, I’m not making this up.
Commentary for the evening consists of Jim Ross and Jesse Ventura, so I’m sure this will be a highlight of the broadcast. An eleven year old girl, accompanied by Johnny B. Badd sings the National Anthem and is pretty terrible. I feel bad since she’s so young, but it’s bad.
WCW World Television Championship No Disqualification Match
Steve Austin (c) w/ Paul E. Dangerously vs. Ricky Steamboat
Well I am excited for this opener considering it features two Hall of Famers and a manager who is sure to make it in. Dangerously has to be put into a cage and raised above the ring, so this will be one on one. Steamboat is nursing some previously broken ribs and Austin goes right for them. Steamboat wisely goes to the mat to avoid a slugfest on his ribs. Austin nails a hip toss and elbow but ends up back in a headlock. Austin goes to back suplex out of it but Steamboat lands on his feet and applies it again. He gets tired of that and just pulls the Dragon’s hair to break it. Steamboat is set up top and Austin launches him, rib first to the mat. You can tell it’s the early 90’s as Austin uses a good old fashioned abdominal stretch and it makes perfect sense here actually. Hip toss gets Steamboat out and the rally is on. He hits a cross body but Austin rolls over and gets two. Slingshot on Austin also earns a near fall before Austin uses the ropes and can’t win. Nick Patrick always reminds me of Danny McBride. The competitors swap Tombstone positions until Steamboat hits one that looks better than most Kane ones for two. Austin wants a superplex but Steamboat reverses and leaps off into a right hand. Inside cradle gets two for one of them, I couldn’t tell. Austin sends Steamboat over the top but he skins the cat before Shawn Michaels made it cool in 1995. He ends up getting knocked out anyway, which doesn’t end this because it’s no DQ. Steamboat crawls under the ring to the other side, climbs the top and nails the flying cross body to win the strap.
Winner and New WCW World Television Champion: Ricky Steamboat in 14:44
I appreciated the psychology of the rib work here. Also, I was going to mention that the No DQ stipulation was useless until the end when Ricky flying from the top rope to win put it into play. Good stuff but could’ve been better. ***
Clips showcasing the history of tag teams on TBS are shown. We get some of the Briscoe Brothers, the Fabulous Freebirds, the Road Warriors and others. It’s a cool idea but each clip lasts far too long. Next, a promo airs for Halloween Havoc. SPIN THE WHEEL, MAKE THE DEAL! Jesse Ventura interviews Michael Hayes, who is going to manage Arn Anderson and Bobby Eaton, saying they are a mix of the three best tag teams of the 80’s.
Arn Anderson and Bobby Eaton w/ Michael Hayes vs. Dick Slater and Greg Valentine w/ Larry Zbyszko
Both of these teams are heels so the crowd isn’t sure what to do here. Eaton and Anderson double team Valentine to Slater runs in and all four heels are just TOTALLY ignoring the official. This happens once again and the poor referee looks lost. Both teams are doing the most basic of offense and don’t seem too motivated tonight. Valentine locks in the Figure Four so Eaton breaks it up. DOUBLE A SPINEBUSTER but Slater breaks it up. Zbyszko goes to cheat but hits Valentine by mistake and Eaton nails the Alabama Jam, which allows Anderson to make the pin.
Winners: Arn Anderson and Bobby Eaton in 5:42
The fact that both teams are heels made this strange. The crowd didn’t know who to cheer for and this was just there. *1/2
We get an interview with Bruno Sammartino, who praises WCW and says negative things about the “other league”. We also hear from Teddy Long, Bob Armstrong, Ted Turner and Tony Schiavone. Brad Armstrong, the Light Heavyweight Champion, was injured in Japan so he had to be stripped of the title.
Brad Armstrong is interviewed but interrupted by Brian Pillman. Armstrong talks about his heart while Pillman calls him a coward. It’s been about 10 minutes since we’ve had a match as another 20 Years on TBS scrapbook is shown. Oh my goodness, more video packages as the SPTIN THE WHEEL MAKE THE DEAL promo comes back. A Ron Simmons vignette airs before another scrapbook comes on.
WCW World Heavyweight Championship
Ron Simmons (c) vs. Cactus Jack
Finally some wrestling is back on. Ron Simmons uses his upper body strength to his advantage in the early stages, as Cactus Jack is more of a brawler. Cactus hits a running headbutt, which I don’t think I’ve seen before. They go outside and Simmons is ready for a fight there, which makes Cactus give this second thoughts and he stays in. The Champion gives up on the idea of a wrestling match and just pummels Cactus in the corner. They continue to trade shots and I completely thought Cactus would do an enziguri, but instead he spins and nails a clothesline. He slows things with a rest hold but Simmons fights out, only to eat more headbutts. Maybe it’s just me, but I find it hard to consider Simmons a serious World Champion. I just don’t think he is flag-bearer material. Three point stances from Simmons leads to two forearms for near falls. Because he’s Cactus Jack, he hits a body slam on the floor and drops the apron elbow. They go back inside and Simmons hits a powerslam from out of nowhere to win.
Winner and Still WCW World Heavyweight Champion: Ron Simmons in 8:49
That was an abrupt ending. Simmons was in trouble and hits a powerslam from nowhere. This was below average. **
A recap airs of Masahiro Chono winning the NWA World Heavyweight Title from Rick Rude in Japan is shown. The match looks like it was probably pretty good. Next up…yet another SPIN THE DEAL MAKE THE WHEEL promo. Yes, I wrote that backwards on purpose. Cactus Jack, standing with Barbarian, cuts a promo introducing Butch Reed as The Barbarian’s upcoming tag team partner and a threat to Ron Simmons since they used to be partners.
The Barbarian and Butch Reed vs. Barry Windham and Dustin Rhodes
He was good, but man Dustin Rhodes was bland as heel before Goldust. He starts with Barbarian and Cactus Jack joins commentary. Dustin sunset flips over Barbarian and Windham nails him with a shoulder block. Back to back double dropkicks from the Texans get a pop. Rhodes and Reed do battle and Dustin misses a shoulder block in the corner and flies to the outside. I’ve never seen that as he COMPLETELY missed the post. Because of this, Dustin will be playing the face in peril. In the WWF, Reed was the “Natural” and in WCW, that’s Dustin’s nickname. Commentary puts over Dustin’s resilience, even Cactus. A backdrop from Dustin nearly gets him the hot tag, but he’s stopped and does the double clothesline spot with Reed. Windham gets the hot tag and comes in on fire, hitting a superplex on Barbarian. After another double dropkick, Barbarian kicks Windham in the face and scores the pin.
Winners: The Barbarian and Butch Reed in 8:12
Basic tag formula and I emphasize the word basic. Nothing special here, move it right along. **
Eight Man Elimination Tag Team Match
Nikita Koloff, The Steiner Brothers and Sting vs. Big Van Vader, Jake Roberts, Rick Rude and Super Invader w/ Harley Race & Madusa
My randomizer must have known that it’s Survivor Series time of the year as it selected a Clash of the Champions with an elimination match. Two things of note; one is that it’s so strange to see Rude and Roberts teaming and two; Super Invader is Hercules but with a mask. Rick and Vader start by exchanging shots. Vader nails the Vader Bomb in the corner and clotheslines Rick down. Rick impresses the hell out of me with a belly to belly suplex and poses with his brother while Vader regroups. Both guys tag out and in comes Invader and Koloff. They go back and forth and I see that Invader’s mask is just like, a stocking. Scott and Rude are in now but that changes quickly as Invader is tagged in. Scott hits him with a double underhook suplex and goes for the Frankensteiner but Rude blind tags in and undercuts him. Rude Awakening is nailed but doesn’t even get a one. WHAT? Vader gets the tag and beats the hell out of Scott. Tag goes to Koloff but he gets rolled up by Roberts and is gone at 7:27. Sting comes in and kills because he’s Sting. He pins Invader with a facebuster at the 8:04 mark.
Rick takes out Vader with the STEINERLINE before hitting a PHENOMENAL German suplex on Vader. It’s one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen, right up there with Cesaro walking with Big Show at WrestleMania XXX. Vader splashes Rick from the second rope but only gets two. Rick ends up slamming Vader from the second rope but Rude breaks up the count. He tries to get Vader on his shoulders and does it somewhat, allowing Scott to hit a big clothesline. Because Scott came off the top, and this is early 90’s WCW, he is disqualified at 11:33. Rick gets counted out after falling there at 12:25. Sting is all alone but he comes in on fire, hitting a Stinger Splash. He goes for the Scorpion Deathlock but Rude breaks it up. Vade also gets disqualified for jumping off the top at 14:23, even though he landed on his partner by mistake. Jake signals for the DDT and actually connects to win.
Winners: Big Van Vader, Jake Roberts, Rick Rude and Super Invader in 15:23
This was fun but needed something more. I think Sting should have made the big rally, even if he lost in the end. Instead, he just went and lost. Rick Steiner, I can’t believe I’m saying this, is the MVP. **3/4
An extended Halloween Havoc commercial is shown. SPIN THE DEAL, MAKE THE WHEEL! It features Sting, Madusa and Jake Roberts mainly.
Overall: 5/10; Mediocre. Well, it was better than the last Clash of the Champions that I watched. Nothing about this show sucked, it just was there. The opener was good and the main event was decent. Everything in between was average or below average. What also hurt was the fact that there were a million video packages and not enough in ring stuff. Side note, this was the last ever television appearance by Andre the Giant. Up next on “Random Network Reviews” will be In Your House: Canadian Stampede!
Daniel Bryan opens this week's Smackdown, by cutting a promo about how he main evented WrestleMania last year, but failed to repeat the feat this year. He promises that the "Yes Movement" isn't dead and he says that he has big plans for WrestleMania this year. Before he can tell us what, Bad News Barrett interrupts. Barrett tells him that he's a loser so he doesn't get a spot at WrestleMania. As he threatens Bryan, out comes Dean Ambrose, carrying Barrett's Interconinental Title. Ambrose immediately brawls with Barrett outside, leaving the title inside. Bryan picks it up and stares at it until Ambrose comes in and they both nail the champion. On the WWE App, it was announced that at WrestleMania, Barrett will defend his belt in a multi-man ladder match. It's a big step down for Bryan for sure, especially since I feel that Ambrose HAS to win because he just keeps losing at PPVs constantly. The top two faces in the company, Bryan and John Cena, look like they will be in mid-card title matches at the biggest show of the year. While that's good for those titles, it says something about Roman Reigns being in the big title match over them.
Dean Ambrose stayed in the ring for a match against the Miz. Damien Mizdow was not around because he's reportedly off shooting the commercial that he was offered. The match it around three minutes and Bad News Barrett comes back out to take back his title. Ambrose beats Miz with Dirty Deeds and isn't happy about Barrett having his gold back. After some recaps of the Randy Orton return and Raw main event, it's time for Divas action. Naomi, with the Usos, would take on Natalya, with Tyson Kidd and Cesaro. The girls have a nice little athletic contest that actually goes longer than the opener. Granted, it was only about 10 seconds longer but still much better than the 30 seconds he ladies got on Raw. After the guys go at it, Nattie wins after pulling a Bret Hart and playing possum with the ankle she hurt on Raw. I am absolutely loving Nattie's descent into heeldom. She adds something to the already great tandem of Kidd and Cesaro.
Rusev and Lana are now out, to discuss the John Cena situation. They rightfully discuss how Cena doesn't really deserve a rematch. I liked how it started but hated them going back to the Vladimir Puin stuff as Lana read an e-mail from him, praising Rusev. Jack Swagger, obviously forgetting what went down during the summer and at TLC, comes out to confront Rusev. It ends the same way it always does. With Rusev killing him. The segment was disappointing. Rusev and Lana have been on point lately but the Putin and Swagger stuff is tired for sure. Next, we get a non-title match as Bad News Barrett faces Daniel Bryan. R-Truth is on commentary again, and hilariously keeps calling Byron Saxton "Coach". Insane R-Truth is almost always fun. He even tells him that he loved his work on Sportscenter. This is our longest match of the night so far, spanning a commercial break and going nearly ten minutes. During the bout, Truth sneaks up and hides the IC Title under his shirt. BNB is frantically searching for it and questions Truth, who denies knowing anything. He looks so sad and deflated. Oh, and he lost. At least this is a loss that makes some sense for the IC Champion. Barrett is like 0-8 since winning the belt.
Byron Saxton conducted a sit-down interview with Roman Reigns earlier in the day. Like Brock Lesnar, he's better in these situations but still not very good. He says that he will bear Brock at WrestleMania. Backstage, R-Truth gives the Intercontinental Title to Dean Ambrose. Strange that he'd do that if he wants the belt. Hold it hostage for a shot at Barrett. Anyway, Fandango is in the ring before we're joined by Curtis Axel. #AxelMania! He brags about having never been eliminated from the Royal Rumble and even has a giant clock now that shows how long he's been in the Rumble. We are now at around 32 days and 7 hours. He botches the promo, and commentary shits on him even though they're worse a their jobs. Unfortunately, he loses to Fandango in a minute. I have enjoyed the AxelMania stuff and feel he could be a solid mid-carder but he's booked as a joke. We see a clip of Daniem Sandow filming his commercial until the Miz interrupts. The director wants Miz instead, even though he tosses the script aside. Miz dismisses Sandow and takes his spotlight.
After highlights of the Sting/Triple H confrontation, we get a match between Adam Rose and Goldust. Again, this is kept rather short and Goldust wins. As he's leaving, a Rosebud attacks him, and reveals himself to be Stardust. He finishes off his brother with Cross Rhodes. If you aren't Cody anymore, then why do his finisher? Bray Wyatt cuts another promo on the Undertaker. He wonders when Undertaker will stop dodging him. I wonder if he's actually going to show before WrestleMania. Our main event is a Fast Lane rematch as Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan and Ryback take on Seth Rollins, Kane and Big Show. It's similar to the match at Fast Lane and goes for about the same of time too. J&J Security get involved but it doesn't matter. A superkick and ShellShock is enough to put down Seth Rollins and give the faces the win this time around. I liked this, but didn't see why Seth had to take the pin. Maybe it's punishment for the nude photo stuff. I don't know.
Another solid yet unspectacular episode of Smackdown. They've gone back to the format of solid wrestling but not much storyline advancement, which is not the way to go if you want people to tune in. You could miss Smackdown and not really miss anything important. The wrestling portion was pretty good though, which made this episode rather fly by. 6.5/10.
