Top Ten Thursday: NJPW Performers

Taking a break from my look at WrestleMania topics, I'm looking at my picks for the top performers currently in New Japan Pro Wrestling. I first got into NJPW at the start of 2015 and spent the last year learning as much as I possibly could, watching every show and watching a ton of stuff from the past. Now, had I compiled this list a few months back it would have looked very different. AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura and Kota Ibushi would have all been in the top five, while Karl Anderson would have probably made the list as well. All of those guys are gone, opening the door for lots of other guys to get chances. I've already done the top ten WWE females, NXT and Lucha Underground performers. Expect a WWE, ROH and maybe even an Evolve or NOAH top ten down the line.

10. Tomoaki Honma

If you don’t watch New Japan Pro Wrestling and you just looked at the results, you’d question this selection. Tomoaki Honma has a horrible win/loss record. Why does he make the cut you ask? It all started in 2014. He entered the G1 Climax as a replacement for the injured Kota Ibushi. He proceeded to lose every single one of his matches, finishing in dead last. However, the G1 style worked to his strengths and he became the perfect underdog. He kept losing and losing but the crowd reactions got louder and louder. Honma got a pinfall win in a tag at Wrestle Kingdom 9 to the crowd’s joy before having several match of the year candidates with Tomohiro Ishii. Honma finally beat Ishii to win his first G1 match later in the year and the reaction was insane. Honma has developed into the best underdog in all of wrestling. Not many guys can constantly lose, over and over, and be among the most popular guys on the roster. There’s something about Tomoaki Honma that is just infectious. Earlier this year he finally got to win some gold with partner Togi Makabe and remains a vital part of the NJPW roster. I wonder if he’ll get more than one G1 win this time around.

9. Kenny Omega

Over and over, I’ve mentioned that I’m not a fan of Kenny Omega. For the most part, that remains true. His runs as the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion were pretty lackluster in several ways. He’s also far too much of an over actor. However, 2016 has been a pretty great year for him so far. As part of one of the best angles all year, Omega turned on AJ Styles and became the leader of the Bullet Club shortly after pinning Shinsuke Nakamura. He topped that by besting Hiroshi Tanahashi in a really good match to win the vacant Intercontinental Title. Adding on, he and the Young Bucks, who are my least favorite act in wrestling, won the NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Titles. The man has not only managed to find tons of success in 2016 but it looks like he’s headed for even more. I expected a spirited run in the G1 Climax this year. While I still dislike his tendency to overact and put on strange facial expressions, his in ring work so far this year has been pretty strong. Last year, he wouldn’t have even smelled this list. Now though, he makes it on.

8. Michael Elgin

When Michael Elgin was announced as a participant in the G1 Climax 25, the wrestling world mostly groaned. He had more than worn out his welcome in the United States across most independent promotions. The thing is, Elgin loves Japan and working there had been his lifelong dream. Well, he certainly made the best of it. Elgin won over the Japan crowd with his incredible array of power based offense and brought something different to the table from the rest of the G1 field. It also helped that the G1 style plays to his strength. Instead of having to try and work 30 minute “classics”, he was able to stick to what he’s good at in the compact 10-15 minute window. Since then, he’s entered a fun tag team with Hiroshi Tanahashi and earned himself a multi-year deal with NJPW. It’s literally a dream come true. With several high profile gaijins gone, the door is now open for Elgin to move into the top gaijin spot. I expect to see him get a great showing in the G1 this year and hell, he and Tanahashi could even get a short Tag Team Title run. The fans love him, Gedo loves him and Elgin loves it in Japan. That’s a combination for success.

7. Hirooki Goto 

Hirooki Goto’s booking has been a sore point for plenty of New Japan fans over the past few years. For a very long time, Goto has consistently been one of the best wrestlers and most popular talents in NJPW. Truthfully, he’s done a fair amount. He’s won the G1 Climax in the past, held the Tag Team Titles, the Intercontinental Title and won several New Japan Cup Tournaments. The issue is that Goto has never been given the big one. Goto currently stands at 0-8 in shots at the IWGP Heavyweight Title. Hell, even when he was the Intercontinental Champion last year, they cut him off at the legs. He beat Shinsuke Nakamura twice and even pinned Kazuchika Okada cleanly in the G1. All of that was wasted when he dropped the belt back to Nakamura in September and ended up in the only Wrestle Kingdom match not to be contested for a championship. Despite the lame booking, Goto has indeed remained very popular. He consistently puts on good to great matches with a variety of opponents. There is still some hope that he can win the big one but even if he doesn’t, there aren’t many better in NJPW.

6. Kazuchika Okada 

Here’s where I could see some controversy with this placement. Kazuchika Okada is not only the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, but he’s been handpicked to be the “ace” of New Japan Pro Wrestling going forward. He has put on several fantastic matches, including one at King of Pro Wrestling 2013 that might be the best I’ve ever watched. So why does he only rank sixth? Well for one thing, I personally enjoy the five guys ahead of him more. Also, I have some issues with Okada matches. For example, if he’s leading the way, his matches leave something to be desired. While he’ll have classics with Shinsuke Nakamura, Hiroshi Tanahashi and AJ Styles, it’s usually those guys setting the tone. Take Wrestle Kingdom 10. Some people gave his match with Tanahashi five stars. I found it to be their worst match ever. You could cut the first 15 minutes and not miss anything. His title defense against Goto in February also left a lot to be desired. There are too many times when he sleepwalks through the first half of a match before picking it up in a big way down the stretch. That out of the way, Okada is a prodigy. He’s still very good despite being just 28 years old. Even if I have some issues with him, he’s as good a choice as any to be the top star, seems to be loyal to the company and has a very long future ahead of him.

5. KUSHIDA 

Yes, I put the Jr. Heavyweight Champion above the Heavyweight Champion. Maybe Kazuchika Okada is a better wrestler than KUSHIDA but man, I love me some KUSHIDA. For too long the New Japan Junior divisions have been stale and stagnant. Everyone is kind of similar and since Prince Devitt left and Kota Ibushi became a heavyweight, the title hasn’t seemed very important. Ryusuke Taguchi was a lame choice for champion and Kenny Omega was highly disappointing in the role. KUSHIDA changes all of that. He breaks up the monotony of the division and can have great matches with just about anyone. If he’s wrestling in ROH, he can have awesome matches. If he’s working with heavyweights, he’s great. If he’s in tag matches, he rules. Whatever you give KUSHIDA, he’ll kill it. In my “Top 100 Matches of 2015” last year, KUSHIDA appeared in every junior heavyweight match to make the list along with some others. He’s versatile, consistent and is someone that I truly look forward to seeing each time I watch New Japan. KUSHIDA needs to be the guy they build and fix the division around.

4. Tomohiro Ishii 

The first NJPW, it was for Wrestle Kingdom 9. Tomohiro Ishii had a really good match with Togi Makabe but for some reason, something about him didn’t click for me. For the next few months, I was disinterested in a lot of what he did. That all eventually changed. From watching him in the G1 Climax 25 as well as going back and reviewing the G1 Climax 24, I began to have a fond appreciation for Ishii. It’s actually more than that because his style of wrestling is something I’ve grown to love. Ishii is awesome and, with Nakamura gone, is my favorite member of the Chaos stable. I know that Makabe had a fair amount of success with the NEVER Title, but for me, it was Ishii that kind of put it on the map and really got going with it. Going back and watching things, Ishii has grown from underdog into a very valuable asset for the company even though he’s already in the later stage of his career. Now the reigning ROH Television Champion, Ishii should have more dates in the States, which will only help raise his profile. Some of my favorite matches (namely the G1 Climax 23 bout with Shibata) have involved Ishii. Honestly, there aren’t many better wrestlers in the world right now.

3. Katsuyori Shibata 

I love Katsuyori Shibata. I really, really do. His style isn’t for everyone as, similar to Tomohiro Ishii, I’ve heard complaints about the stiff work and things like the headbutts done in his matches. I understand that, I truly do. It works for me though. I like all kinds of wrestling and lately, the style that speaks to me the most is Shibata’s. Sometimes I just want to watch two guys enter a ring and beat the shit out of each other. When Shibata enters a ring, you truly feel like you’re watching a fight. I don’t want an entire card of those matches, but seeing Shibata is such a nice change from the rest of the NJPW roster, outside of a select few. Shibata has also grown to become one of the more popular guys on the roster and has had big moments at the last two Wrestle Kingdoms (Tag Title win at 9 and NEVER Title win at 10). There is always the worry that he won’t move up any higher due to him walking out of the company back when they needed him, but I could see that changing due to how damn good he’s been. In recent G1 Climaxes and recent shows in general, Shibata has delivered nearly every single time out there. Shibata is the baddest dude in New Japan and it’s glorious.

2. Tetsuya Naito 

Outside of the New Day, I can’t remember a recent heel turn that worked to fix somebody’s career so well. When I first watched New Japan Pro Wrestling, Tetsuya Naito didn’t stand out. He was the whitest of white meat babyfaces. Sure he could do some athletic stuff and have good matches but he felt so hollow and bland. Fast forward a few months, after a tour with CMLL, and heel Tetsuya Naito was born. He teamed with La Sombra while in CMLL and joined the Los Ingobernables stable. Now he had some personality. Naito began to show a severe lack of care towards anything. Even while in the G1 Climax, he just had an attitude that showed nothing mattered to him. He’s managed to take that character and continue to put on good to great matches. There aren’t many characters in wrestling that I enjoy more than Naito. He’s added EVIL and BUSHI to Los Ingobernables de Japon, forming a little stable that has found some success. Naito is currently set to face Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Title and, in my opinion, should absolutely win it. He’d be the first man not named Tanahashi, Okada or Styles to hold it since 2010. In terms of pure character work, Naito has no peer in NJPW.

1. Hiroshi Tanahashi 

The years continue to pass, but one thing remains the same. Hiroshi Tanahashi is the best in New Japan Pro Wrestling. He may have finally officially passed the proverbial torch to Kazuchika Okada at this year’s Wrestle Kingdom, but make no mistake; Tanahashi is still the man. There is so much he can do for the company in so many different ways. He’s been IWGP Heavyweight Champion time after time after time and now, he’s moved into a different faze of his illustrious career. When Shinsuke Nakamura left and the company needed someone to put over Kenny Omega and solidify him as a heavyweight star, they turned to Tanahashi, who did a great job. As noted earlier, he and Michael Elgin could give it a run in the tag division and win those titles. With Tanahashi involved, the Tag Titles could rise in prominence and even headline some events. There is nobody better at telling a story in the ring right now than Tanahashi. He almost always has great matches, the fans absolutely adore him and he can do just about anything they’ll need him to do. Until he retires, I can’t see anyone overtaking Tanahashi in this spot. 

Lucha Underground "Aztec Warfare II" Review

Last season, the inaugural Aztec Warfare was one of the best matches of the year and crowned the first ever Lucha Underground Champion, Prince Puma. Tonight, 20 luchadors go at it again.

Things open with Fenix and Pentagon Jr. backstage as Pentagon says tonight is his night. Catrina interrupts saying Vampiro may teach him the dark arts, but he knows nothing of the darkness. She says that Pentagon isn't in Aztec Warfare because he put his hands on her. Pentagon isn't scared of her or Mil, saying he only listens to his master.

This will be a more detailed version of my normal Lucha Underground reviews. Not play-by-play exactly though.

Aztec Warfare for the Lucha Underground Championship
As noted last week, Fenix, the brand new Lucha Underground Champion, entered at number one. Making his official debut, Rey Mysterio drew number two and got a MASSIVE pop. I actually feel like it rivaled, if not bettered AJ's reveal at the Rumble. Fenix and Rey had a great, quick paced exchange. Rey seemed motivated and it was kind of like he was looking into his past. Famous B was at ringside. At number 3, the man who has had a great feud with Fenix this season, King Cuerno entered. Argenis, formerly of the Disciples of Death, came in at 4 but didn't last long. Rey got rid of him at 3:54. Johnny Mundo showed up at 5, and had a bit of a staredown with Rey. After a break, they got to relive some of their old WWE IC Title matches for a bit. Joey Ryan, who won a four way match exclusive to YouTube, entered at six but handcuffed himself to the guardrail outside, avoiding getting eliminated. Famous B gave him his card. I love Famous B. The Temple exploded when Prince Puma drew number 7. Puma killed it, taking out everyone with a dive and even punching Ryan. At 8, the "Dragon Slayer" Jack Evans came in. Mysterio eliminated Cuerno at 8:17 with an armbar. Everybody ganged up on Evans until Mundo saved him since they're both gringos. RACE WAR! Taya showed up at 9 to even the odds of gringos/gringas vs. luchadors. The non-masked group grabbed the advantage until #10, Cage, showed up.

Mundo got scared and Cage ran over him, Taya and Evans. He really looked to be having fun out there. There was another break before things turned bad for Cage. Mundo tossed him through the office window like his name was Alberto El Patron. At 11, Mascarita Sagrada made his season two debut. Unlike El Patron, Cage emerged from the window and murdered Mundo with a clothesline. Cage kicked his ass, allowing Puma to pin Mundo with a shooting star press at 13:03. Marty Martinez drew number 12. Commentary questioned who was creepier, him or Ryan. Marty showed off some cool offense for a bit. Drago, in some sweet attire, came in at 13, which forced Jack Evans to soil himself basically. Commercial break time. Evans tried to attack Evans but it backfired. Drago tried to spit mist at him but he also missed and caught Joey Ryan with it instead. Mascarita and Rey double teamed Marty inside, and a double pin eliminated him at 15:43. Famous B was impressed. The Mack entered at #14. Before Marty exited, Mack laid him out with a stunner. As Cage and Mack had a staredown, reigniting their feud from season one, Evans seemed to get thrown down the stairs. Drago powerbombed Evans in the audience as Chavo came out at 15. He put Mascarita in the camel clutch, eliminating at 18:07. Mundo returned and destroyed Cage with a cinder block. Taya pinned him at 18:37, before Fenix got rid of her with a German at 18:49. PJ Black showed up at 16 and went after Drago. At number 17 was Aerostar in his season two debut. His attire was pretty rad. In the ring, it was basically Black and Evans against Drago and Aerostar. Aerostar killed Evans with a top rope flipping piledriver at 20:55. At the same time, Black eliminated Drago. Number 18 arrived and it's the debut of Dragon Azteca Jr. He got some time to shine and showed off his quickness. At 19, Texano showed up and things went to a commercial. Texano dove out onto a group of guys, highlighting his time in the ring. At the 23:09 mark, Texano eliminated Black with a powerbomb. Mil Muertes got the last spot at 20, which we found out at last week. BUT WAIT! Pentagon came in through the crowd and attacked Mil with a chair! The crowd reaction for Pentagon was insane. Rey splashed Mil and he and Puma pinned him almost instantly at 24:31.Catrina yelled at ampiro and kicked him out of the Temple. The clock still went at she slapped Vamp and DARIO FUCKING CUETO WAS ATOP THE STAIRS! He said this is his Temple and he's El Jefe. He introduces entrant number 21...OHMYFUCKINGGOD IT'S MATANZA CUETO! The guys in the match had no idea what to do about this. Matanza was still wearing the blood stained clothes from last week.

Everyone attacked him but he threw them all off. He caught Fenix with a reverse powerslam at 27:11 and got rid of the new champion, giving Fenix a one week reign. Mack hit him with a stunner, but then took a German and is gone at 27:31. Another German took care of Aerostar at 27:49. Texano attacked with the bullrope but Matanza killed him with a powerbomb at 28:13. Matanza found handcuffed Joey Ryan and attacked, ropping the cuffs off the railing. He got rid of Joey with a series of gutwrench suplexes at 29:17. Outside, Chavo, Rey, Puma and Azteca were left with Matanta. Chavo quickly turned on them. Azteca used his quickness for an upper hand but Matanza caught him with a massive chokeslam at 30:30 to send him packing. Chavo tried making an alliance with Dario but when Chavo turned his back, Dario gave Matanza the signal to end him, which he did with a fucking standing shooting star press at 31:11. it came down to Matanza, Puma and Rey. They worked together against him. It still wasn't enough as he just showed off impressive power move after impressive power move. Matanza killed Puma with a sick German at 32:20. A nervous Rey timidly entered the ring. Even the referee looked scared. Rey fought him off as best as he could, using his speed upper hand. Matanza caught the 619 but Rey still slipped out and hit the 619 on the second attempt. He jumped off the top but Matanza blocked a rana and caught him with the same reverse slam that eliminated Fenix to win.

Winner and New Lucha Underground Champion: Matanza in 34:53
Like last year's match, that was so much fucking fun. Non-stop action and multiple feuds being focused on throughout. I loved the little things like Famous B at ringside and Joey Ryan being sleazy. Pentagon and Mil continued their story, Rey's debut was tremendous and Matanza's was even better. So many new directions to go after a fantastic match. ****1/2

Dario announced his brother as the new champion and posed with him to end the show.

Overall: 10/10. Aztec Warfare is two for two in producing great matches. I liked this one more than last year's, which I loved. I noted most of the positives about this in the match review it self. Everything about this episode was great, from the surprises to the action to the character work and everything in between. Lucha Underground continues to deliver.

If you do want to check out Lucha Underground, which you absolutely should, and don't get El Rey Network (like me), you can sign up for the streaming service Fubo.TV. It's a great way to support the company and channel while streaming the show online. You can sign up and get Lucha Underground here at Fubo.tv!

Raw Review 3/21/16

In a totally unsurprising move, Raw opened up with Stephanie McMahon coming to the ring. She announced that Triple H wasn't in the building due to work and not due to Roman Reigns. This brought out Reigns, giving us a very familiar scene to start Raw. At least they kept it short as Reigns blocked a slap from Stephanie and said that he was the authority now. I didn't know that's all it took to get a position of power in the WWE. Nothing was really accomplished in the segment either and the crowd was 50/50 at best for Reigns. The opening match was much better as AJ Styles took on Kevin Owens. They allowed them to work through two commercial breaks, giving them nearly twenty minutes to do their thing. It could have been up there with New Day/Y2AJ for best Raw match in 2016 but they rehashed the same finish from Smackdown and it took away from it for me. Owens won via Chris Jericho distraction. Owens got on the mic and said that nobody deserved a shot at his title at KOMania. Out came Dolph Ziggler, the Miz and Sami Zayn to stake their claim. There would be a Triple Threat match later on to determine the top contender.

Last week, Mick Foley gave Dean Ambrose his barbed wire bat, "Barbie". This week, Dean was in a Philadelphia bar with Terry fucking Funk. He gave Dean his chainsaw, which Dean used to saw a table in half. This was so much fun. The League of Nations were in the ring next and ran down New Day. New Day came out and responded, ripping LON to shreds by dissing Barrett for having no crown and Del Rio for losing everything cool about himself. Big E then beat Rusev, which was curious. If the New Day keeps beating LON, why should I care about Mania? Also, couldn't Barrett, who is leaving soon, do the job instead? It was right around here that the show took a tumble and fell off of a cliff.

Big Show came out to talk and promote the yearly Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. The Social Outcasts interrupted and ended up fighting with Show until Kane came out. The two old behemoths cleared the ring and then Kane hit a hideous chokeslam off the top rope on Kane. Moving on, they did a WrestleMania 29 rematch with Chris Jericho and Fandango. AJ Styles showed up to distract Jericho, but looked like an idiot because it backfired and Jericho just beat Fandango. Jericho ran from AJ, who challenged him to a match at the one place he's never wrestled before, WrestleMania. Jericho walked away before responding. It's here that things just got plain stupid. Owens had the Triple Threat contender's match made but not with Zayn, Ziggler and Miz. Instead, it was Sin Cara, Stardust and Zack Ryder. He did it as a joke. The other three showed up and somehow there was a DQ in a Triple Threat match. All six guys beat up Owens, who complained to Stephanie in the back. Stephanie announced a seven man ladder match for Mania. Why? You literally just told us that three of the guys are jokes. Why was there a DQ? Why are Owens and Zayn tossed into a multi-man match that makes no sense when Kalisto and Ryback get the singles match at Mania? What fucking sense does any of this make? Just so unbelievably stupid. I love Stardust but on what planet does he, Ryder and Cara belong here?

Triple H arrived to pick up Stephanie. They go to leave but Roman Reigns is revealed to be behind the gate. Nobody chooses to lock their fucking doors, so Reigns gets in and attacks Hunter. It came off as an unprovoked attack but at least he looked badass. The problem was, again, that the crowd didn't give a shit. In a rematch from Roadblock, Charlotte took on Natalya. It was a lesser version of that match and Charlotte won again. The issue was commentary. I love Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch but there were two problems with them in the booth. One, Becky seems comfortable on the mic but not on commentary. It's always awkward. Two, they were just catty with each other because of WWE's trademark "all women are bitches" attitude. It sucked. Next, they promoted the Rock being at WrestleMania, but we still have no idea what he's doing there. Creative probably doesn't either. Moving on, Bubba Ray Dudley beat R-Truth via distraction/interference, and then the Usos showed up after Goldust failed to make the save. They almost put the Dudleys through the table but the old school team escaped.

All night, they hyped a "special Hell in a Cell announcement" from Mr. McMahon himself. He came out and said that Undertaker is his bitch and if he loses at WrestleMania, it will be his last. It's kind of a dumb, anti-climactic stipulation since if Shane wins, he could just reverse that ruling. Super lame segment. Dean Ambrose came out and passed Vince on his way out, for a dull main event. He took on the incredibly boring Braun Strowman and their match got a "this is boring" chant. It really was. Dean ended up going for the chair and getting himself DQed. It was done to show that he can take out a bigger opponent, as Paul Heyman nervously watched on commentary. However, it was a shit way to close the show. This was a very lackluster Raw. It's like the WWE's road to WrestleMania has been bad for the past few years. Most of the first hour was great but everything else was shit and a vast majority of the show fell very flat. 4/10.

Fave Five 3/14/16-3/20/16

1) Fenix: There have been some truly great matches so far this year. None, for me at least, have been better than this week's Lucha Underground main event. The tremendous rivalry between Fenix and Mil Muertes came back to the forefront as Fenix cashed in his Gift of the God's Championship for a shot at Mil's Lucha Underground Championship. When these two get into the ring, you can just feel the hatred and it's glorious. Like their Grave Consequences match last year, they had a phenomenal war that just hooked me from the start. Considering their history and the story behind their rivalry, it made for beautiful TV. Fenix was able to dethrone the "Man of 1000 Deaths" to become Lucha Underground Champion.

2) The New Day: The only WWE performers to make the list this week are the New Day, who continue to kill it. After a successful defense of the Tag Team Titles at Roadblock, New Day was back at it just two nights later on Raw. They defended the belts against the other two (and better) League of Nation members, Alberto Del Rio and Rusev. Much like the Roadblock defense, they put on a good match and kept the titles, moving past the 200 day mark of their reign. On Smackdown, Kofi Kingston defeated King Barrett, keeping their hot streak alive. On top of all of that, Kofi himself became the longest reigning Tag Team Champion in the new lineage of the belts, dating back to 2002.

3) Angelico, Ivelisse and Son of Havoc: Man, what a great episode of Lucha Underground this week. I feel like I say that every week but this one was special. Besides Fenix winning the Lucha Underground Title, the show opened with a Trios Title match. My favorite team throughout the first season was the unlikely trio of Angelico, Ivelisse and Son of Havoc. While they were an uneasy group in season one, you could see their growth in their match this week as they worked as a unit. Gotta love character development. The trio was able to defeat the Disciples of Death and win the belts for the second time. Hopefully, they hold them until the end of the season.

            4) Killer Elite Squad: Gaijins in Japanese wrestling have been pretty successful, especially in recent years. When it comes to Pro Wrestling NOAH, the Killer Elite Squad are pretty much the most successful. They are part of the Suzuki-Gun stable that mostly dominates Pro Wrestling NOAH and this week, they retained their GHC Heavyweight Tag Team Titles against Go Shiozaki and Maybach Taniguchi. It wasn't just a typical win either, as it moved them into second place for the longest reigning GHC Tag Team Champions in history. They now stand just about seventy days shy of breaking that record.

5) Zack Sabre Jr.: This past weekend, Evolve held their 56th and 57th shows. Zack Sabre Jr. has asked to complete a series against some of the best that Evolve has to offer. He went out and succeeded in his two matches this weekend. First, he took on one of Evolve's top stars in Johnny Gargano in a match that some are calling a match of the year contender. Then, at Evolve 57, Sabre defeated Drew Gulak in another match that has gotten some rave reviews. Sabre continues to find winning ways nearly everywhere that he goes. I'm interested in where the rest of this series goes.

Raw History: Episodes #31-33

Raw History
Episode #31
September 13th, 1993 | Manhattan Center in New York, New York

Raw was off the air for a while in between the 30th and 31st episodes. We’re talking nearly a month since the last episode. During that time SummerSlam aired, where Lex Luger beat Yokozuna by countout, but had a celebration like he actually won the gold. Coming up short would be a theme for Luger’s WWF run.

Vince McMahon, Bobby Heenan and Macho Man introduce things from the red hot Manhattan Center.

WWF Tag Team Championship Quebec Province Rules
The Steiner Brothers (c) vs. The Quebecers w/ Johnny Polo
Quebec Province Rules mean that the titles can change hands on a countout or DQ. Also, throwing an opponent over the top is a DQ, as is performing a piledriver and any move off the top. Wow. Rick starts with Jacques and instantly powerslams the hell out of him. Scott and Pierre come in and Scott just hits a tiger suplex because why not? The Steiners play no games. Pierre hits a second rope flying clothesline for two. Some high impact offense early on. They work through a commercial as Vince mentions scores to football games. It sounds so weird knowing that they avoid things like that now. The Steiners actually have to stop one another from doing a piledriver to save the belts. Pierre looks for a second rope suplex that Rick counters into a front one for two. For our second commercial, the Quebecers do the talk strategy outside with Johnny Polo. Returning, they are in control. Vince badmouths Monday Night Football, which is kind of the opposite of him talking football earlier. The Quebecers are going all in on the classic heel tactics. Great stuff. They are milking Scott as the face in peril for a while. Polo goes for a hockey stick shot outside but surprisingly decides against it. Rick gets the hot tag but somehow Scott is legal and hits a Frankensteiner. It gets broken up. Rick knocks Polo off the apron and the hockey stick comes into play. Scott takes it from Jacques and uses it on him, only to get caught by the referee.

Winners and New WWF Tag Team Champions: The Quebecers in 17:43
That was a really solid tag team match up until the ending. I get that they wanted the disqualification finish to play into the rules but Scott Steiner just came off looking incredibly dumb. Still, before that, it was damn good with some classic heel tag work and fun back and forth. ***¼

Mr. Perfect vs. Tony DeVito
At SummerSlam, Mr. Perfect lost to Shawn Michaels in an IC Title match. I’ve mentioned it before but Tony DeVito would lose weird and go bald before becoming a member of the ECW roster during their final years. He hits Perfect and goes outside to taunt before running away. He actually makes it backstage but is brought back by Mr. Perfect. Shockingly, DeVito gets in a bit more offense before falling outside on a dropkick. Mr. Perfect gets tired of toying around and wins with the Perfectplex.

Winner: Mr. Perfect in 2:43
A rather extended squash where Tony DeVito got more offense than expected. It was entertaining and better than some squashes. *

ICOPRO! You’ve gotta want it!

Vince McMahon talks to Macho Man about Lex Luger’s bittersweet celebration at SummerSlam. During this pointless celebration, Ludvig Borga walked in to confront Luger. As if having Yokozuna on the roster wasn’t enough, we now have two evil foreigner gimmicks.

Razor Ramon vs. The Executioner
Razor Ramon is now officially a full-fledged face. He defeated Ted Dibiase at SummerSlam in what proved to be Ted’s final match. Executioner actually knocks Razor loopy when he hits him outside. Bobby Heenan asks “Is Conan O’Brien still on the air?” Funny considering he still is some 20+ years later. Razor hits a sweet Chokeslam and the fallaway slam. Razor wins with a top rope back suplex in short order.

Winner: Razor Ramon in 2:36
Another pretty basic squash. Standard fare. *

Razor Ramon gives the fans what they want next with a Razor’s Edge. He was a face but still did some heel stuff, making him rather cool.

Vince McMahon is in the ring to conduct an interview with the new WWF Tag Team Champions, the Quebecers. They talk about the Canadian success as of late in sports. Vince asks about the Steiners getting their rematch. Johnny Polo claims that if one of the Steiners can beat one of the Quebecers they can get their shot. The Steiners come out but get held back by officials. This ultimately leads nowhere.

Doink the Clown vs. Rich Myers
So far in 1993, Doink has arguably been the MVP of Raw. At SummerSlam, he lost to Bret Hart and there’s no shame there. Rich Myers attacks from behind before the bell. He has a blonde mullet and baby blue pants, so he absolutely has the jobber look down. “Let’s go Doink” chants start because he’s awesome. He starts tossing Myers around and nearly kills him with a German suplex. During the match, Crush calls in with his stupid Hawaiian accent. After talking a bit about coming back, he hears Macho Man and hangs up. Doink wins with the whoopee cushion.

Winner: Doink in 2:09
My favorite squash of the night because Doink is pretty gangster. He just tossed Myers around in pretty great fashion. If you’re gonna beat a jobber, you might as well nearly kill him. *¾

Bobby Heenan tries to convince Doink to throw his bucket of water on Vince and Savage, but Doink changes his mind and does it to Heenan. After a commercial, Doink comes back out and looks under the ring for another bucket. He goes to throw it on the fans but it turns out to be confetti. Before the show goes off the air, Vince tells us that we get Pierre vs. Scott Steiner next week.

Overall: 7/10; Good. I have to say, that was an enjoyable return for Raw. The opening match took up a good chunk of time and was really fun despite the finish. The other three squashes featured three guys that I like and they made sure the squashes weren’t worthless. The interview segment and post-match Doink stuff wasn’t great, but all in all, this was fun.

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Raw History
Episode #32
September 20th, 1993 | Manhattan Center in New York, New York

We open with a recap of the WWF Tag Team Title change from last week. It’s a rather extended look at it. Commentary is the usual McMahon/Savage/Heenan combination.

Pierre w/ Johnny Polo vs. Scott Steiner
Scott Steiner is rocking his Michigan colors tonight. It starts with a slugfest and Scott throws Pierre over the top, which he couldn’t do last week due to the rules. To continue that trend, he does a piledriver, which is a fun play off the Quebec Province Rules. During this era, Scott’s move set was pretty long as he applies an Indian deathlock. Scott is just dominating as we go to commercial when Pierre leaves ringside. Returning, Pierre is back with Jacques and out comes Rick Steiner to help even the odds. Despite this, a distraction allows Pierre to take control. Pierre does well here with a nice headbutt and even the VADER BOMB! He was always underrated in my book. He gets two on a second rope leg drop. Scott begins to rally with the STEINERLINE, butterfly bomb and Frankensteiner to earn a title shot.

Winner: Scott Steiner in 12:41
Much like last week’s tag team opener, this was pretty fun. Both guys busted out some impressive offense and it was just a really solid match. ***

Bam Bam Bigelow w/ Luna Vachon vs. Laverne McGill
Bigelow starts with a nice dropkick and when McGill tries his own, he whiffs badly. Bobby Heenan asks where Laverne’s partner Shelly is. I love Heenan. Bigelow does the Flair bump in the corner impressively. McGill goes to the dropkick well too often and misses. Just like last week, Crush calls in for a bit but ignores Macho Man. They push how they are friends but Crush straight up claims he will never speak to Savage again. Look at the WWF setting up a WrestleMania program in September. Luna gets in a cheap shot on McGill. Is that needed in a squash? Oh well, at least it gets more heat. Bigelow wins following a senton.

Winner: Bam Bam Bigelow in 5:18
This went on for far too long. They knew they had to sell the Crush stuff and killed time during it. Bigelow should be crushing jobbers, not selling for them. ¼*

Time for another in ring interview, this time with Bret Hart. They run down what happened at SummerSlam, where Bret Hart would not release the Sharpshooter on Jerry Lawler and got disqualified. Lawler was taken out on a stretcher but celebrated because he is the “true king”. Bret calls out referees and Jack Tunney for allowing Lawler to call himself the king when he’s done nothing to earn it. Bret’s only regret is that he didn’t keep the move held in longer.

Mr. Perfect vs. Mike Bell
Mike Bell gets in a hip toss and not much more. Mr. Perfect is extra aggressive here, seemingly stiffing Bell with some shots. Bell sets early for a backdrop, which is a mistake against Perfect. The Perfectplex connects and that’s a wrap.

Winner: Mr. Perfect in 3:54
Another standard Mr. Perfect squash. His are better than most. *

A Ludvig Borga vignette is shown to talk about how much he hates filthy Americans. Then, we see two people get engaged in the first row, while Bobby Heenan acts like a total dick. Hilariously, he gives her his wet Kleenex to hold during this.

IRS vs. PJ Walker
Justin Credible is here to job again. IRS goes into his incredibly dull offense but Razor Ramon comes out to give us something interesting. The distraction allows Walker to rollup IRS for the win. I was wrong about the jobbing!

Winner: PJ Walker in 1:20
Probably the best IRS enhancement match ever since he didn’t get enough time to bore us to death. The upset obviously didn’t carry the same weight as 1-2-3 Kid’s, but the fans do chant “1-2-3”. I’ll give it a full star for helping me avoid IRS’ dullness. *

Bobby Heenan interviews the Quebecers backstage. They say they won’t be giving the Steiner Brothers a title shot next week, but they will give one of the deserving teams a shot. It could be the Headshrinkers or Well Dunn. I forget the other team they mention.

Overall: 5/10; Mediocre. Not on the level of last week’s episode even though it started just as strong. The Bigelow squash was awful and the other two matches were at least watchable. The Bret Hart interview was a major step up from what we were subjected to from the Quebecers last week as well. I don’t get why people are so down on Bret’s promos.

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Raw History
Episode #33
September 27th, 1993 | New Haven Coliseum in New Haven, Connecticut

WWF President Jack Tunney starts things in his office announcing that Shawn Michaels failed to appear at shows and, since he hasn’t defended his belt in over 30 days, will be stripped of the Intercontinental Championship. A battle royal will take place next week and the final two guys meet the week after to determine the new champion. In reality, there were reports that Shawn was suspended for testing positive for steroids and even had an offer from WCW on the table. 

Our usual commentary team joins us to hype the show. We’ll have a Tag Team Title match and the return of Jimmy Snuka.

Tatanka vs. Rick Martel
Oh good lord, Tatanka is back. I was enjoying things without him. As Rick Martel takes the advantage a small “let’s go Rick” chant starts. When Tatanka turns things around slightly, Martel stalls outside like a good old fashioned heel. Tatanka gives chase, falling for classic heel tactic #5. After a commercial, Tatanka gets two on a sunset flip. They continue to go back and forth. The stuff is technical decent but there’s no heat and both guys seem to just be going through the motions. Tatanka starts his dancing rally but ends up knocked outside. Martel gets pulled out and the referee starts his count. The brawling doesn’t stop, leading to a double countout.

Double Countout in 10:49
I’ve seen much worse but I’ve also seen much better. There wasn’t much effort from either guy, but I guess it did the job of building towards the upcoming battle royal next week. *¾

Some weird dude gives us the news about the battle royal next week, announcing the twenty participants. IRS, Macho Man, Adam Bomb, Giant Gonzalez, Mr. Perfect, Owen Hart, Rick Martel, Jimmy Snuka, Bob Backlund, Pierre, Jacques, Razor Ramon, Mabel, Diesel, MVP, 1-2-3 Kid, Bigelow, Marty Jannetty, Tatanka and Batsion Booger.

Ludvig Borga vs. Phil Apollo
Ludvig Borga attacks at the bell and clotheslines the jobber down. He pounds on his opponent and finds the one dude in history with a Ludvig Borga sign and points him out. For every move he does, he spends time jawing with the fans. Borga wins with a torture rack.

Winner: Ludvig Borga in 3:15
Blah. Ludvig Borga was never very good and this was one of the more boring squash matches I can recall. ¼*

Jimmy Snuka vs. Jobber
Before the jobber can get introduced, Jimmy Snuka attacks like a heel or something. Vince says his name but I can’t really catch it. Snuka does his basic stuff but looks pretty bad doing so. The best thing about this is Bobby Heenan calling Crush to ask if he’s in the Intercontinental Title battle royal since Macho Man got in. Crush blames politics on it but it’s hilarious to hear him try and be a badass with his ridiculous accent. Snuka hits a weak backbreaker and the splash, which was the best looking thing he did.

Winner: Jimmy Snuka in 4:33
Who thought they should bring him back? Outside of the splash, he looked pretty bad throughout. I won’t give it the full DUD score for the unintentionally funny Crush stuff and the splash.¼*

After a video clip of IRS losing to PJ Walker last week, we go to IRS doing his taxes or something. Vince calls him Mr. Rotundo, killing kayfabe for me. 

WWF Tag Team Championship
The Quebecers (c) w/ Johnny Polo vs. Barry Horowitz and the 1-2-3 Kid
The original plan was to face Horowitz and Reno Riggins, but Reno wasn’t there so Kid is the replacement. The joke is that the Quebecers are obviously not facing a legit top ten tag team in the company. The champs take this lightly but Kid overwhelms them and causes them to actually regroup outside. They go to double team tactics to take control, beating on the Kid. He’s really good at building sympathy. Jacques seems to get hurt outside and they do a stretcher job but it is announced that even with only one Quebecer, the match will continue. Kid rallies but misses a spinning heel kick that sends him to the outside hard. Polo rolls him inside, where he lays with Pierre for a while, until Pierre just covers him in disappointing fashion.

Winners and Still WWF Tag Team Champions: The Quebecers in 9:56
I don’t get what they tried to accomplish here. The 1-2-3 Kid was already the resilient team and the Quebecers were weasels. Unless Jacques was legit injured, I don’t see why they went that way. The ending was super anti-climactic as well. *½

Razor Ramon gets interviewed about the battle royal next week. He and Macho Man get into it in competitive spirit but it doesn’t really lead anywhere.

Overall: 2/10; Terrible. In recent episodes, the Quebecers have been a surprising breath of fresh air, putting on some good matches. Here, the match was not very good and there was nothing else to save the show. They continually talked about the battle royal next week, making this show kind of a wash.

Random Network Reviews: Tribute to the Troops 2006

Tribute to the Troops 2006
December 25th, 2006 | Baghdad, Iraq | Attendance: 3,000

Only recently did I add the Tribute to the Troops shows to my list of potential reviews and I’ve now pulled one out for the first time. If you don’t know, these are special shows done for the troops. They originally would take place over in Iraq, like here, but eventually would stick to the states. I feel like that took away from the appeal of these as a fan honestly. This was recorded on 12/7, but aired on Christmas.

After a short video to talk about the troops, we go straight to the action. Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler are on commentary. They sound like they didn’t make the trip and are in a studio somewhere.

Non-Title Match
WWE Champion John Cena vs. World Tag Team Champion Edge
I was right about commentary as Lawler admits they are in WWE Headquarters. These two had a big series of matches over the summer so they are no stranger to each other. They start like two guys that know each other, jockeying for the upper hand. Edge gets in a cheap shot but Cena returns with a hip toss and slam for two. Edge hits a DDT and the crowd is pretty hot. Edge seems one step ahead of Cena throughout, which makes sense given his veteran advantage. Cena comes back, climbing to the top but is knocked outside by Edge who then mocks the “you can’t see me” gesture. After a commercial break, Edge is wearing down Cena in the middle of the ring. Cena fights out, but Edge goes to bring in a steel chair. The referee stops it considering how Rated RKO nearly killed DX the previous week with chairs. Edge turns back the clock and nails a spinning heel kick before applying a camel clutch. That’s a great move due to the history of it and where the match is taking place. Cena powers out and goes into the five moves of doom. Commentary promotes his upcoming match with Kevin Federline. He tries the FU but Edge counters into a DDT. An electric chair drop from Edge as these two guys are not just going through the motions like some do on these shows. Edge goes for the Spear, but Cena hits the FU instead to win.

Winner: John Cena in 14:00
Better than I expected. I sensed this would be similar to the UK Pay-Per-Views, where the guys kind of mail it in because the crowd will be hot regardless. Instead, both guys worked hard and looked guy. Edge using the camel clutch was genius too. The right guy won to make the crowd happy. ***¼

We go to a patriotic slideshow of the WWE’s time with the troops before CM Punk and Shelton Benjamin wish the fans a Merry Christmas.

CM Punk vs. Shelton Benjamin
I expect this to be good. CM Punk takes over Shelton Benjamin with quick arm drags, so a frustrated Shelton just slugs him. Punk just does it again, so Shelton goes to leave but Punk brings him back to the ring. Benjamin turns the tide by working over Punk’s arm. Punk comes back with a leg lariat. He only uses the right arm for some clotheslines, selling the left arm work. The knee strike/bulldog combination only earns two. A helicopter flies by, getting a major pop. Shelton tries to best it by leaping to the top and coming off with a snap superplex for two. Shelton makes a mistake as Punk rolls him up and wins.

Winner: CM Punk in 4:49
Too short to be really good, but it was still fun. Kudos to Punk for selling the arm throughout and even after the match, which adds to this. **

Johnny Nitro w/ Melina vs. The Undertaker
Here’s an intriguing matchup that I can’t remember seeing any other time. Johnny Nitro and Melina get military paparazzi, which I thought was a nice touch. Nitro does his best to avoid Undertaker, but once he gets caught, the fans pop hard. I can’t recall another time that Undertaker made the trip to Iraq. OLD SCHOOL connects as you can tell this will relatively be a squash. He tries the Last Ride but Melina gets on the apron. Nitro nails an enziguri while Melina shrieks at the top of her lungs. Undertaker is done with allowing Nitro offense and puts him down with the chokeslam and Tombstone. 

Winner: The Undertaker in 3:53
An extended squash for the Undertaker so the fans can see him. There are worse squashes I could see as this was a pretty cool sight. **

We are taken to Lillian Garcia’s emotional National Anthem from earlier in the show. Then we get some questions answered by soldiers. There is also footage of an attack that happened while the show was being set up.

Non-Title Match
ECW Champion Bobby Lashley vs. Hardcore Holly
This was during the time that it was announced as the “ECW World Heavyweight Title”. Lashley had just captured the title three weeks earlier in the Extreme Elimination Chamber. Holly wants a test of strength, but knows that’s a dumb move so he goes for a cheap shot. Holly throws him into the steel steps, getting more offense than I expected so far. Lashley, like Undertaker in the previous match, gets tired of the lack of offense and busts out a belly to belly suplex. Lashley hits a torture rack backbreaker, or the Rack Attack, if you’re more familiar with the current product. He then goes all British Bulldog by winning with a running powerslam.

Winner: ECW Champion Bobby Lashley in 6:26
Pretty basic and dull here. Hardcore Holly was a good hand at this point but never really had classics. It was smart for Lashley to work him to help his improvement, but it didn’t make for a good match. *¼

Again, a ton of time gets spent on the troops and some of their stories. Melina cries when discussing a funeral they attended for a soldier that sacrificed himself.

Non-Title Match
WWE Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy vs. Umaga
In 2008, these two would have a pretty fun feud. At this point, Umaga was undefeated and headed towards a World Title match. Jeff Hardy tries to use his speed to gain an advantage, and it works for a moment as he hits a dropkick. Umaga kicks out at one but is knocked outside, where Jeff follows with a baseball slide and plancha. The plancha is caught though and he’s driven into the ring post. Umaga is now in firm control until he misses a top rope splash. Jeff hits the Twist of Fate, but when he goes up for the Swanton Bomb, the “Samoan Bulldozer” gets his knees up. RUNNING ASS ATTACK! He nails the Samoan Spike to remain undefeated.

Winner: Umaga in 5:50
The best match since the opener. It wasn’t great but it was fun. Umaga was splendid in this role, while Jeff Hardy played the underdog great too. **¼ 

Carlito vs. World Tag Team Champion Randy Orton
If memory serves me right, these two had a match at Unforgiven a few months prior that had a spectacular finish where Carlito double springboarded into an RKO. Carlito is in control early, outworking Orton on the mat. A thumb to the eye turns the tide for Orton. As he applies a chinlock, we get some credits at the bottom of the screen, which is odd. Carlito quickens the pace for a near fall before a springboard back elbow. His springboard offense always looked slower than most. Orton nails that excellent inverted backbreaker. Orton tries to steal a win with his feet on the ropes, only for the referee to catch him in the act. He argues, allowing Carlito to roll him up with a handful of tights and steal it.

Winner: Carlito in 5:04
Fun little match here as I always enjoy a face that can cheat and have it be fun. They did well with the time to make this a cool watch. **¼

Santa Claus comes out to give out presents but announces that he needs help. Out comes Maria Kanellis, Torrie Wilson and Kristal Marshall to the biggest pop of the show. Santa makes some perverted jokes to the ladies before they give out gifts. Chris Masters shows up to Scrooge this whole thing up. He wants Santa to take the Masterlock Challenge. Santa fails to break it but after, reveals himself to be JBL! JBL takes him out with the Clothesline from Hell to send everyone home happy.

Overall: 5/10; Mediocre. Coming into this, I had little to no expectations. As I stated earlier, I expected a half-hearted effort from most guys due to the crowd being hot regardless. We did get that in some places, but none of the matches were really bad. Outside of the Lashley/Holly match, they were all at the very least fun. It’s not a show you need to watch, but it’s a harmless way to spend just under two hours. Next on “Random Network Reviews” is Spring Stampede 2000!