World War 3 1997
November 23rd, 1997 | The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan | Attendance: 17,128
World War 3 was always an interesting concept. It was basically WCW’s answer to the Royal Rumble, with double the competitors and two more rings. It was never executed as well as the Rumble though. 1997 was a fun time though, with WCW destroying the WWF in ratings. Here, they are one month away from the massive Sting/Hulk Hogan match (that was well built but turned out to disappoint). The winner of the World War 3 Battle Royal would receive a shot at the winner of that match. This would be the third World War 3 Pay-Per-View.
This opening video package is pretty poor, but actually isn’t bad by WCW standards. The usual commentary team for this era is here, Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan and Mike Tenay.
The Faces of Fear w/ Jimmy Hart vs. Ernest “The Cat” Miller and Glacier
Okay, the Cat and Glacier may be the greatest team of all time. The Faces of Fear attack before the bell and a brawl breaks out. The crowd is actually really hot for this. You know, if WCW didn’t use the three ring gimmick, they could have fit a lot more people here. It slows down to a regular tag with Meng taking some offense from both opponents. Mike Tenay is doing a good job in discussing the experience advantage of the Faces of Fear. Glacier and Meng get into one INCREDIBLY awkward missed spot moment. Miller steals the show by spring boarding off of Meng and onto Barbarian outside. The Faces of Fear hit a sweet back body drop into a powerbomb on Glacier. Glacier begins to take the heat and it lasts longer than I expected. Hot tag to Miller who light sup Meng with his martial arts offense. Not only was he better in the ring than Glacier, but he actually had some charisma too. Jimmy Hart gets knocked off the apron, but it opens the door for Meng to use the Tongan Death Grip to beat Miller.
Winners: The Faces of Fear in 9:11
I expected this to be terrible. I was pleasantly surprised. All four guys worked hard and the crowd was hotter than I could have ever imagined. Nothing special, though I had some fun and have to comment the efforts. **¼
WCW Television Championship
Saturn (c) w/ Raven vs. Disco Inferno
Well this is one odd pairing. Saturn is with the Flock here, entering from the crowd. Raven cut a short promo before things get started. Saturn does a lot of stalling early on, not giving this a chance to get going. Disco’s booty says “SHAKE YOUR BOOTY”. Kudos to him for going all in on a gimmick that had no business working. Saturn gets tired of Disco and hits a capture suplex that Schiavone calls a “suplex type drop”. When they go outside, Disco just starts hitting stunners on each member of the Flock in the front row. It’s pretty funny. Back inside, Disco scores on a cross body, but Saturn rolls through right into the Rings of Saturn to retain.
Winner and Still WCW Television Champion: Saturn in 8:19
A pretty dull match all in all. While the crowd was hot for the weird opener, they were pretty flat for this and the two men involved did nothing to change that. At least the finish was cool. *
Mean BAH GAWD Gene interviews last year’s winner of World War 3, the Giant. He has a busted hand courtesy of Scott Hall. Man, he’s come a LONG way when it comes to cutting a promo.
Ultimo Dragon vs. Yuji Nagata w/ Sonny Ono
If Ultimo Dragon wins, he gets five minutes alone with Sonny Ono. Dragon seems to have a messed up arm coming into this. Nagata is wise enough to go after it from the start. Dragon tries to get some of Ono during the match but gets stopped. Ono’s reaction into the camera is great. Mike Tenay does a wonderful job talking about how Japan sent Nagata to the States to try and adapt to different styles. He nails a piledriver though it sadly seems like the arm work is forgotten. Schiavone tries to cover it up by saying that Dragon’s arm is fine so Nagata went away from it. Nagata has really slowed the pace to something less than a crawl. Ultimo Dragon starts to rally and the feed cuts out for a bit. When it returns, Dragon nails a plancha to the outside. Dragon hits a moonsault inside for two. The fans are finally starting to get interested in this. Dragon counters a suplex into the Dragon Sleeper. Sonny Ono hops on the apron as Nagata submits. Dragon releases the hold to complain to the official. Again Ono gets involved to put Nagata’s foot on the ropes after a rana. Dragon goes for an ugly backdrop that causes Nagata to kick Ono off the apron. Nagata awkwardly lands on Dragon and steals it.
Winner: Yuji Nagata in 12:45
I came away from this mildly disappointed. Both guys are capable of better for sure. The crowd was dead for a good chunk and Nagata didn’t help the matter with some very dull offense in the middle. I also hated that they went away from the arm work. It was a built in, easy strategy. **¾
WCW World Tag Team Championship
The Steiner Brothers (c) w/ Ted Dibiase vs. Dave Taylor and Steven Regal
Scott is pretty damn huge already. They get the early advantage and do their trademark Steiners pose. Regal is such a master at technical wrestling. He works over Rick and does some strutting around the ring. He’s in pretty much the opposite shape from Scott Steiner. Scott wakes the crowd back up with a belly to belly. The Steiners keep hitting the big spots, which is fine, but the challengers aren’t getting in much. Finally, Scott starts to take some heat but he never seems to be in any real danger. Rick hot tags it, hitting powerslams galore. Rick and Scott double team for the Steinerizer and retain.
Winners and Still WCW World Tag Team Champions: The Steiner Brothers in 9:42
Considering the people involved, this should have been much better. The Steiners are a big time team but the crowd seemed more into the opener than this. Taylor and Regal did fine, the only issue for me was that they never seemed like a real threat to the Steiners and their reign. **
JJ Dillon is interviewed and says that Raven has 24 hours to sign a contract with WCW. Yea, Raven gets to make his own rules, but isn’t under contract.
Raven’s Rules
Raven vs. Scotty Riggs
It’s a bit odd that my biggest memory of Riggs is his time as Scott Anton and the “Clap”, in ECW. The Flock talk for a bit outside but Riggs doesn’t want to wait and attacks them. Riggs is sporting an eye patch and is totally given off a pirate vibe. He could have been Paul Burchill before Paul Burchill. Raven chokes Scott with his shirt in the first bit of “no DQ” work. Riggs gets a bit more hardcore by choking Raven with camera cables. A chair is brought into play, so Raven does his trademark bump into it from a drop toe hold. Riggs does a bulldog onto the open chair, which Schiavone sells like Raven got shot. Raven comes back with the DDT and asks for a microphone. He tells Riggs that he didn’t want to do this and that he should join the Flock. Raven spikes him on a second Evenflow and then a third. The referee counts to ten, ending the match.
Winner: Raven in 8:43
The angle itself was far more interesting than the match. It’s like, Raven knew that he was nailing it as a character, so he could afford to slack in the ring. The chair stuff was mostly cool and it could have been worse. **
Steve “Mongo” McMichael shows up for a match against Goldberg. As Goldberg’s theme plays, Mongo gets on the mic and announces that he laid out Goldberg with a lead pipe backstage. The cameras show Goldberg laid out. Mongo issues an open challenge, which is answered by DAS FUCKING WUNDERKIND! Granted, Debra is pulling him out to the ring but we do get to hear his theme.
Alex Wright w/ Debra vs. Steve McMichael
Mongo poses on the turnbuckle to Alex Wright attacks. Mongo is going to win isn’t he? That makes me sad going in. Mongo starts reeling off clotheslines and the most generic offense you could imagine. Mongo always got such an undeserving push in WCW. He hits a shitty looking sidewalk slam for two. Mongo wins with the Mongo spike.
Winner: Steve McMichael in 3:36
Why did this have to be on the Pay-Per-View? I don’t think Goldberg/Mongo would have been any good but at least it would have been worthy if it was Goldberg murdering him in two minutes. This sucked. ¼*
WCW Cruiserweight Championship
Eddie Guerrero (c) vs. Rey Mysterio
A month earlier, these two had an all-time classic that is still highly regarded as some of the best of either man’s career, which is saying something. They start off with some quick work as Rey seems to be frustrating Eddie. Eddie decides to just send Rey flying with a release German. Rey has a slip up when trying some fancy high flying stuff before send Eddie outside. He does a 619 fake out that Eddie doesn’t fall for. Eddie ends up on the apron and Rey looks for a sunset flip bomb to the outside. Either Eddie held on or Rey messed up but it never happened and looked like shit. Eddie ended up hitting a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on the outside. Inside, Rey scores two on a rana that the crowd bites on. Eddie flapjacks him, showcasing the power advantage. He has slowed the pace to something of his liking. Rey doesn’t like that and springboards outside onto Eddie. Inside again and Eddie applies the Gory special. Mike Tenay has handled most of this match by the way. Rey counters into a rollup for two. They go for a running Liger bomb spot but again fudge it up so it is countered in sloppy fashion. Rey gets some springboard offense, including a rana that seems to win it, but Eddie barely breaks it with the ropes. Even Schiavone buys it as the finish. Rey tries to springboard to the top on Eddie but Eddie counters into a giant stun gun. Frog Splash follows it and that’s a wrap.
Winner and Still WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Eddie Guerrero in 12:41
Well, they couldn’t quite follow up the Halloween Havoc match. This one featured too many sloppy moments, mostly from Rey, and it hurt the overall score. It’s still the best thing on the card by a fair margin so far. That’s how good these two were. Their worst was still pretty damn good. ***½
WCW United States Championship No Disqualification Match
Curt Hennig (c) vs. Ric Flair
Hennig joined WCW and tagged with DDP. He turned on him to join the Four Horsemen before turning on them for the nWo. Classic WCW. Flair lights up Hennig with short punches on the outside. I’m also certain Flair will blade during this match. They brawl on the outside for a while, playing into the stipulation. Flair looks to have tweaked his knee, while Hennig hurts his throat on the guardrail. Hennig pokes the referee in the eye to avoid himself getting pinned. That’s actually pretty smart. The referee can’t do anything to him. Hennig targets the knee, allowing Flair to do his classic “OH GOD” selling. Flair turns it around and goes after Hennig’s leg. Hennig now does his own classic selling, flipping on a kick to the leg. They start to trade offense, with neither guy gaining a late advantage. Hennig tries to sell being thrown into the corner like he usually does, by getting crotched on the port. Flair doesn’t throw him hard enough so it looks odd. The match goes back to how it started, with two guys just fighting each other and not doing many moves. Hennig takes a big shot to the guardrail before Flair suplexes him back inside. Flair puts Hennig’s leg in an open chair and kicks it, which Hennig sells brilliantly. Flair attacks with the chair and locks in the Figure Four. The US Title is in the ring and Hennig grabs it. He whacks Flair with it twice to break the hold and earn the three.
Winner and Still WCW United States Champion: Curt Hennig in 17:57
This wasn’t a mark on their classic match in the early days of Raw. However, they worked the right kind of match given the feud they had. For the most part, this felt like a fight, which was a good thing. It dragged a bit at some points and the finish wasn’t great. ***½
World War 3
Participants: Alex Wright, Barry Darsow, Bobby Blaze, Booker T., Brad Armstrong, Chavo Guerrero Jr., Chris Adams, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Ciclope, Curt Hennig, Damien, Dean Malenko, Diamond Dallas Page, Disco Inferno, Eddy Guerrero, El Dandy, Ernest Miller, Fit Finlay, Glacier, Greg Valentine, Hector Garza, Hollywood Hogan, Hugh Morris, Jim Duggan, John Nord, Johnny Grunge, Juventud Guerrera, Kendall Windham, La Parka, Lex Luger, Lizmark, Jr., Lord Steven Regal, Louie Spicolli, Marcus Bagwell, Meng, Mortis, Norman Smiley, Prince Iaukea, Randy Savage, Ray Traylor, Rey Mysterio, Jr., Rick Steiner, Rocco Rock, Scott Steiner, Silver King, Squire David Taylor, Steve McMichael, Stevie Ray, Super Calo, The Barbarian, The Giant, The Renegade, Ultimo Dragon, Villano IV, Villano V, Vincent, Wrath, Yuji NagataEveryone comes out in one group except for the nWo members. They still get right amount of people even though Scotty Riggs, Goldberg and Ric Flair can’t make it. Curt Hennig at least has his knee wrapped from the previous match. Commentary says that Kevin Nash was supposed to be #60 but he isn’t here. There is a fair amount of split screen stuff to cover the three rings early, making it hard to see. The Giant dumps out both Villanos, Lizmark Jr., and Spicoli within seconds. I also see Public Enemy, La Parka and El Dandy get dumped. It’s kind of hard to keep track. Schiavone is outlandish, calling this the most prestigious match in wrestling and also saying it’s been wild. It hasn’t. It’s been mostly dull. Ernest Miller tries to eliminate Prince Iaukea by his ponytail, which is just great. Iaukea, Nagata, Wrath and Renegade get dumped as we are just under ten minutes in. The camera misses Jericho getting eliminated. Also, the Renegade was still around at this time? Not a single nWo member has gone yet because they are working together. Greg Valentine is eliminated while a bunch of guys manage to hang on. DDP and Benoit nearly eliminate each other because they are going at it. I’d like to see a match between them on a future review. Benoit and Malenko go out next. Mysterio gets some revenge for earlier by tossing out Guerrero. Then, in one of the coolest survival tactics I’ve ever seen in a battle royal, Mysterio holds onto the APRON! It looks insane. Giant tosses Wright and Mortis, leaving him and Meng alone in ring 3. Ring 1 has just tossed Scott Steiner and the remaining men are all nWo. They don’t fight each other. Giant dropkicks Meng over and out. Now that the numbers are down, everyone has to go to ring 2 and finish it.
It’s a 5 on 5 situation. Bagwell, Vincent, Hennig, Hall and Savage against Giant, Rick Steiner, Booker T, DDP and Lex Luger. The nWo wants the fight in ring 1, so the WCW guys oblige. Of course, the first nWo guy out is Vincent after a Diamond Cutter. Booker and Steiner are sent out next after being ganged up on. FOUR guys try to eliminate Luger but he hangs on. Giant dumps Buff out over them and in the scuffle, Hennig and Luger hit the floor. The final four are DDP, Giant, Savage and Hall. Honestly, you could see these being the last four from a mile away, though Luger had a bit of a case. When DDP hits Savage with the Diamond Cutter, the building erupts. Giant stops the elimination, wanting to Chokeslam Savage. He does one of the weakest Chokeslams ever and they roll him under the bottom rope and out. Noticing that he’s alone, Hall exits ring 1 and signals to the entrance. The nWo theme hits and Schiavone says “THAT MUST BE KEVIN NASH” which guarantees that it isn’t. After a long wait, “Hollywood” Hogan shows up as the 60th entrant, even though he’s the current champion. He teams up with Hall and they head to ring 1. The crowd is all “WE WANT STING”. Hogan slams the Giant like this is WrestleMania 3 and gets a pop. While they hold serve and send out DDP, the crowd goes crazy as “Sting” comes down from the rafters. Hogan runs, eliminating himself. “Sting” is seven feet tall by the way. He hits Giant with the bat and knocks him out and over the top.
Winner: Scott Hall in 29:48
Like the other World War 3 matches, it isn’t very good. The Royal Rumble works well because of the spots involved and the suspense. This is just a giant battle royal and most battle royals are dull. The swerve at the end was especially stupid. *¾
Seven foot tall Sting faces off with Scott Hall and reveals himself to be Kevin Nash. The fact that the commentators completely bought into this made it so stupid. Sting is nowhere near that tall. Scott Hall gets a title shot at SuperBrawl via the win. Actually he doesn’t because, WCW.
Overall: 4.5/10; Below average. Honestly, I expected a lot worse. The World War 3 match itself is the usual lackluster event, the TV Title was lame and the Mongo stuff completely sucked ass. However, I think that Eddie and Rey had a pretty good match, while Hennig and Flair surprised me with a good old fashioned fight. Even the opener was surprising fun. The rest of the card ranged from decent to solid, meaning I wouldn’t call this a bad show, but I wouldn’t consider it a recommendation either. See the US and Cruiserweight Title matches if you have to see anything. Next on “Random Network Reviews” will be Judgment Day 2007!
it's one of my favorite times of the year. ULTIMA LUCHA! The first Ultima Lucha won my "Show of the Year" award in 2015 and, while 2016 wasn't as good, it was still a blast. I've been up and down on season three, but the lineup for this four part event sounds pretty damn good.
The episode opened with a recap of the Dante Fox/Killshot and Famous B/Texano storylines.
Dr. Wagner Jr. and Famous B w/ Brenda vs. Texano
Since Famous B had a broken arm, Dario Cueto allowed him to add a partner, and he chose his client Dr. Wagner Jr. Since this was taped forever ago, Wagner still had his mask. Texano and Wagner started, with Texano nailing a tope to the outside. Famous B nailed him with the cast, but it had no effect. Texano kicked his ass and removed the cast, before absolutely launching him from the middle of the stairs to the floor. Great visual. The trend of Wagner doing well and Famous B getting beat up was the theme of the match. Texano hit a powerbomb on Wagner, but Wagner wasn't the legal man. Brenda got on the apron, Texano kissed her, and Famous B rolled him up to steal it in 4:24. Fine little opener. It was the worst opener of any Ultima Lucha, but it wasn't meant to be a great match. Famous B is always fun. [**1/4]
The card for the rest of Ultima Lucha Tres was run down.
- Gift of the Gods Ladder Match: Pentagon Dark vs. Son of Havoc
- Steel Cage Match: El Dragon Azteca Jr. vs. Matanza Cueto
- Last Luchadora Standing Match: Sexy Star vs. Taya
- Gauntlet of the Gods 3-Way Match: Cage vs. Jeremiah Crane vs. Mil Muertes
- Lucha Underground Championship vs. Career: Johnny Mundo [c] vs. Prince Puma
Next week, these matches go down
- Catrina vs. Ivelisse
- Unique Opportunity Battle Royal
- Mask vs. Hair: Fenix vs. Marty Martinez
Hell of War: Dante Fox vs. Killshot
This was basically a Three Stages of Hell match. Fall one was held under First Blood rules. Ladders and chairs were brought into play in the opening minutes. Fox delivered an awesome looking ring post run up moonsault with Killshot laid on a ladder. Another great spot came when Killshot jumped back and kipped up to avoid Fox throwing a chair, but Fox knew it was coming and held the chair, hitting him after the kip up. Fox continually had Killshot well scouted and brought out violent offense. His leg drop from the crowd onto a Killshot who was sandwiched between two chairs was great. Things got taken to the next level, when a glass pane was set up across two chairs and they fought on the top turnbuckle. Fox back dropped him through it, leading to him winning the first fall at 10:20, as Killshot's back was bleeding. I love that finish because it was different from the typical First Blood match finish. And to think, that was only the first fall.
Fall two was No DQ. With Killshot's body covered in glass, everything hurt a bit more than usual. Fox continued the assault, hitting Lo Mein Pain onto an open chair and a 450 splash onto a ladder, but Killshot kept kicking out. Killshot started a rally and brought a barbed wire board into the ring. When Killshot went into a flurry that ended with his double stomp, Fox kicked out at one, bringing the crowd to their feet. Killshot then powerbombed Fox into the barbed wire board! Fox looked to be in a ton of pain. Killshot evened the score with the Storm Cradle onto glass at 16:32. These lads are insane and there's still another goddamn fall.
The final fall was Medical Evac, which was basically an Ambulance Match. Soldiers brought out the military ambulance, while they brawled. Fox spiked Killshot with a sick looking apron DDT, but Killshot came back with a DVD off the top onto the stretcher. A legitimate piece of Fox's skin was left on the stretcher. JESUS. Fox was strapped to the stretcher and got free, but still got hit with a huge double stomp that broke the stretcher. Because he loves violence, Dario had a strange structure of chairs and glass set up and brought to the aisle. They fought up to the band section, which was over that structure. Fox choked Killshot with a wire, but his need to stop and shout, "I'VE ALWAYS BEEN BETTER THAN YOU!" allowed Killshot to grab a glass bottle and whack him over the head. Fox took a HUGE fall off the stage and through that absurd structure. Killshot picked him up and put him in the ambulance to win at 25:13. My fucking word, that was the most violent match I think I've ever seen on television. It was pure insanity. It was a fitting end to a long storyline and rightfully personal and brutal. They set a crazy high bar for Ultima Lucha, having the best match of season three and my pick for the second best match in company history. It wasn't just violent, as it was story driven too. Their history came into play and you felt like they were doing things out of hatred, not just for the sake of it. An incredible match. [****3/4]
Overall: 9/10. Ultima Lucha Tres is off to an excellent start. We got a light, fun opening match before the rest of the show was taken up by a fantastic, must see match. When a majority of the show is focused on one match that delivers in spades, you're gonna have an episode that rules. I can't wait for the rest of the weeks.
Want to watch Lucha Underground, Raw and Smackdown and don't have cable? Try signing up for Fubo.tv. Stream USA, El Rey, NBA TV, SyFy and many other channels by getting Fubo.tv right here!
WWE No Mercy
September 24th, 2017 | Staples Center in Los Angeles, California | Attendance: 16,106
Apollo Crews w/ Titus O’Neil vs. Elias
Our Kickoff match went the way you’d expect. Apollo brought his energy to start the match before Elias slowed the pace to his liking. Elias is a fine wrestler, but he really gets by on his character. Apollo is kind of the opposite. Anyway, Crews got a short rally going and hit the standing SSP. After getting hit with an enziguri, Elias delivered his signature neckbreaker to win at 8:36. This wasn’t bad, it just felt like almost every other Kickoff match in recent memory. It was easily forgettable, but inoffensive. [**¼]
WWE Intercontinental Championship: The Miz [c] w/ Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel vs. Jason Jordan
There is a ton of potential in Jason Jordan, which we saw against John Cena and Roman Reigns. It’s just that the gimmick of being Kurt’s son isn’t working. The Miz played the role of a champion doing everything in his power to keep hold of his title, while Jordan was the young upstart giving his all. Jordan busted out an array of suplexes and sent back some of Miz’s best shots. The main issue with this was that the crowd was very pro-Miz, which made some of Jordan’s stuff not click as well as they probably wanted. Eventually, the Miztourage proved to be too much. Jordan sent them back, only to get nailed with the Skull Crushing Finale at 10:13. I enjoyed this and found it to be a good match. The fan reaction was certainly strange. They told the right story and produced the best match they probably could’ve in front of this crowd. Jordan cut a weak promo after the match that could lead to a potential heel turn. [***]
Bray Wyatt vs. Finn Balor
They billed this as “Man vs. Man.” I mean, isn’t that how most matches go? Anyway, Finn busted out new colored gear, only to get attacked by Bray before the match. Officials attempted to bring Finn to the back, but he was goaded into returning when Bray called him a coward. Riveting. The match itself proved to be pretty good. Finn had to fight through the rib damage done before the bell. He sold the hell out of it, which added to things. Bray’s offense didn’t do enough to completely focus on it, which disappointed me. Finn managed to avoid Sister Abigail and picked up the win after hitting Coup de Grace in 11:32. I preferred their SummerSlam match, though this was fine. Finn’s selling helped a ton and it was good for the spot on the card it was in. Hopefully, Finn is done with Bray and moves onto something more interesting. I’m way over Bray and would be okay if he left for a long time. [**¾]
WWE Raw Tag Team Championship: Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins [c] vs. Cesaro and Sheamus
At SummerSlam, these teams had quite the banger. This told a different story, as the champions weren’t able to surprise Cesaro and Sheamus. The challengers bullied the champs in the best possible way. I love Sheamus and Cesaro as a hoss team. Cesaro took a sick shot to the face on the ring post, knocking teeth loose and busting his mouth open. He’s a tough dude who finished the match. Rollins got a hot tag and was awesome in that role. His offense is perfect for it. The match was doing very well and then we got the tease of the SummerSlam finish. Cesaro blocked Seth’s super rana, allowing Sheamus to plant Dean with White Noise. Cesaro then super Ricola Bombed Seth onto Dean, giving us one of the best near falls in recent memory. A miscommunication saw Sheamus kick Cesaro off the apron, before getting hit with the ripcord knee and Dirty Deeds, ending this in 15:55. This ruled and was about as good as the SummerSlam match, while managing to be different. Tons of action, a hot crowd, excellent callbacks and the added element of Cesaro’s injury. I’m all in on a TLC match at the next Raw PPV. [****]
WWE Raw Women’s Championship: Alexa Bliss [c] vs. Bayley vs. Emma vs. Nia Jax vs. Sasha Banks
I guess the WWE was sad they haven’t thrown together in a multi-woman PPV match since July. It’s their go-to. The heels got cheered, with Sasha and Bayley continuing to get mixed to negative reactions. Similar to the WrestleMania Fatal Four Way, Nia Jax and her power were the focal point. She dominated in one on one situations, so everyone had to team up on her. For example, Nia delivered a pretty great double Samoan drop. She also took a particularly nasty bump on a powerbomb off the apron, that saw all four women work together. Bayley and Sasha kept breaking up each other’s pins, despite being best friends. I’d assume that’ll lead to tension on Raw, but they’ve missed the boat on that story several times over. Nia returned from that powerbomb to run wild, but Alexa avoided her and beat Bayley with a DDT at 9:41. Why pin Bayley? I’m not some massive Bayley fan, but she just made her return and looked like a joke before the injury. As much as I love Sasha and Emma, them eating the pin made more sense. The match was fun, with lots of moving parts and a good pace. The crowd was invested and the story mostly made sense. Miles better than the Raw Women’s Title match at Mania. [***½]
John Cena vs. Roman Reigns
I was so excited for this. There was almost a guaranteed hot crowd and both men deliver in between the ropes. Cena got one of the most overwhelmingly positive reactions in about a decade. That turned into “you both suck” chants, which was a damn shame. Cena teased walked away early, but Reigns brought him back and dominated. They seemed to lay this out so Cena looked similar to Undertaker at WrestleMania. I don’t think that story works here, because he’s not on his last legs like Taker. Cena hasn’t shown signs of slowing down. Anyway, Reigns was in control and got “boring” chants as he slapped on a chinlock. Luckily, the crowd got better following that. Cena got his second win and delivered the AA for a near fall. He also hit the super AA, but Reigns kicked out. AJ Styles and I believe Kevin Owens have done that recently. Cena then set up the two announce tables for an AA through it, perfectly in position for Reigns to counter into a spear through the table. Reigns landed horribly on his neck and the spot looked cool, it just had a lazy set-up. It’s not like Cena hasn’t seen people kick out of that move before. Why would he logically resort to this in a match with rules? Anyway, back inside, Cena hit two more AAs, but Reigns continued to kick out. Reigns came back with a Superman punch and Spear to win in 22:09. Ho-hum. I understood the story they told, but I don’t think it came off well and the match was dull for a good chunk. It picked up late, but even that wasn’t new territory. I’ve been over the “let’s kick out of a ton of finishers” stuff for a while. Reigns’ win felt very anti-climactic, like the rest of the match. This was supposed to feel special, yet it ended up being just another match that will be easy to forget. [**¾]
Post-match, John Cena raised Roman’s hand in victory to a chorus of boos like Royal Rumble 2015. He then got “Thank you Cena” chants as he left and it seemed like he wouldn’t be back for a while.
WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Neville [c] vs. Enzo Amore
Enzo came out looking like Beetlejuice. Outfit and hair and everything. He’s been booked as the worst wrestler in his division (he is), with the rest of the division treating him like a joke. Neville has been the savior of the cruiserweights, and never should’ve dropped the title for that week in August. Anyway, Neville mostly squashed him here. Enzo was always the guy with the gift of gab, who took the heat segments in his tag matches. He basically has no offensive game. After Neville missed a middle rope Phoenix Splash, Enzo grabbed the title for a distraction. He then kicked Neville in nuts and won the title in 10:36. That was shit. Bad booking and a bad match. They never put the Tag Titles on Enzo and Cass (like they should’ve), but they cut Neville’s legs off to give Enzo a singles run. [½*]
WWE Universal Championship: Brock Lesnar [c] w/ Paul Heyman vs. Braun Strowman
Like Reigns/Cena, I really wanted to enjoy this. I was pumped, especially because Brock/Joe and the Fatal Four Way at SummerSlam were the best Brock matches in about two years. This got off to the right start, with Strowman tossing Lesnar around like nothing. Brock hit a German, but Braun popped up instantly and chokeslammed him. What a moment. Then, Brock managed to turn the tide and the crowd kind of died. He had Braun in the Kimura for an extended time, which would’ve been fine, but Braun was literally right next to the ropes. He could’ve just reached out, but didn’t. Braun delivered a few powerslams, but Brock wouldn’t stay down. Brock hit a series of German suplexes and won after one F5 in 8:51. I’m cool with the match going less than ten minutes, because that was the best route to go. But it was just so flat. If there was any match to have someone survive multiple kickouts, this was it. Like Joe, Braun was built up as a guy who had Brock’s number, then just lost in ho-hum fashion in the end. It’s most likely an attempt to make Roman seem more impressive when he survives multiple F5s at Mania. A flat match that disappointed heavily. A better option would’ve been Brock desperately reaching into his bag of tricks, maybe even doing stuff we haven’t seen in a while, to overcome Braun. [**½]
Overall: 7/10. This show reminded me of WrestleMania. It started out very good, with the first half featuring some quality matches. Then, it ended on a whimper. It was like, the anti-NJPW show, which tends to end hot. I thought Miz/Jordan and Bray/Finn were both solid matches, while the Women’s Title exceeded my expectations. The Tag Team Title match stole the show again. Raw and Smackdown are killing it with that lately. Unfortunately, the last three matches stopped this show’s momentum. Enzo/Neville was a joke, while Reigns/Cena and Brock/Braun were huge disappointments. Despite the flat ending, this was one of the better Raw PPVs since the split last year.
I really like Finn Balor, but this feud is the shits. Everything Bray Wyatt does just feels so pointless and hollow. The one interesting angle he had recently (Orton in the Wyatt Family) was ruined by a horrible ending. Finn should be doing more. Why can't we have Finn feuding with Miz for the Intercontinental Title? Anyway, I say Finn wins because if he loses when not being the demon, he looks like a big goof who can only win after painting himself.
Winner: Finn Balor
I loved their match at SummerSlam, giving it ****. This should be another high quality match. All four men are just that good. I don't see them ending the Shield reunion just yet. Dean and Seth should retain and be involved in some kind of multi-team clusterfuck at Survivor Series. Hopefully, the Revival will be back by then and then they can take the titles off them. Expect a great match and a title retention.
Winners: Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins
Enzo feels like the anti-205 Live star. His in-ring work isn't good, but he has the personality that most guys there are severely lacking. This should be a one sided victory for the King of the Cruiserweights. He should still be in the midst of a nine-month reign (losing the title for six days was stupid) and Enzo should just be a roach for him to stomp out while remaining the man. Have his title reign last until WrestleMania or something. Make it mean something.
Winner: The King of the Cruiserweights
Speaking of clusterfucks, we've arrived at the horrible Raw Women's Title scene. What the hell are they doing with this division? Going back over a year, they did the stupid trading of the title between Sasha and Charlotte to the point where everyone was sick of it. Then, they had Bayley win the title on a random Raw. She ended Charlotte's ridiculous PPV winning streak in lackluster fashion, before retaining the title in a mediocre match at WrestleMania. Alexa Bliss got swapped out for Charlotte and has now made Bayley look like a joke and ended another Sasha reign after just a few days. At least they're trying stuff with Nia and Emma, though it isn't good. I'll say Alexa retains due to the multi-person nature of the match.
Winner: Alexa Bliss
Why? Jason Jordan is fine in the ring, but the fans haven't bought the long lost son angle, pun intended, and he consistently comes out to the Charlie Haas pop. He's not ready for this. The Miz, on the other hand, deserves so much more. With Brock Lesnar not always around, they need to understand that they have the Intercontinental Title on the PERFECT heel. Miz and that title should headline shows that Brock misses. Make him and the title mean something. Remember when Miz did the unthinkable and made Dolph Ziggler interesting last year? Miz should be able to do that for Jordan in this match, and get the crowd behind him. I could see them hotshotting the title to Jordan, because they do dumb shit like that, but I've got to go with Miz.
Winner: The Miz
This is the toughest match to call. If this is a one-off, then I go with Roman Reigns. I feel like the ultimate endgame is for John Cena to put Reigns over and say that he respects him and such. If this is their only match, that will happen this time. If this is part of a larger story that will span 2-3 matches, then I'll go with Cena winning the first one. Reigns will then have to reach down and build up to his redemption. The best idea, if that is indeed the endgame, is for this to be a larger story. That being said, the WWE tends to blow their load and not think longterm. Plus, Reigns only has two PPV wins this year. I'll go with him, but like I said, it could go either way.
Winner: BIG DOG GOTTA EAT
What would the right move be here? Put the title on Braun Strowman. He's special. He's caught on quicker than we thought, has been genuinely awesome and interesting, while having better matches than most of us expected. Brock is fine, but you know you typically don't get his best effort. Braun should wreck his world here and win his first major title. However, I fully expect Brock to withstand Braun and overcome him to retain the title. Joe and Braun have both been allowed to look just as good, if not better, than Brock in the build and I think it's all so Roman will look even better by comparison when he finally takes the title off Brock.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
2017 Prediction Record: 51-32
2016 Prediction Record: 72-41
2015 Prediction Record: 60-35
Raw History
Episode #112
May 22nd, 1995 | Broome County Arena in Binghamton, New York
Things open with a recap of Sid destroying Shawn Michaels seven weeks ago with three powerbombs. HBK returns tonight, LIVE…AND IN YO FACE.
Razor Ramon w/ Savio Vega vs. Mike Bell
They actually announce Savio Vega as the “Caribbean Legend”. Commentary informs us that over the weekend, Razor and Jarrett traded the Intercontinental Title, making both men the first three time champions. Razor lights up Bell with chops. Bell looks like what Bull Dempsey would look like if Bull-Fit actually worked. Razor goes through his usual stuff. Razor hits the second rope back suplex and calls for the end. He picks up Bell but shows mercy and just shoves him down and covers him with his foot.
Winner: Razor Ramon in 4:17
Fine little squash here. It went a bit long but at least Razor is more fun to watch than when someone like IRS or Mabel does this.
As Razor Ramon and Savio Vega exit, Bret Hart walks out to confront Jerry Lawler. Bret is wearing his leather jacket, but no shirt for some reason. Bret gets on the microphone and runs down Lawler. It’s fantastic. He basically says that he’s ashamed of losing to someone like Lawler. He can’t live with that, saying he let everybody, including his family down. Bret challenges Lawler to a rematch, saying he’ll do it under any stipulation or any kind of match that Lawler wants. He does the “one more match” thing almost as good as Christian. Lawler declines so Bret roughs him up and even calls him lower than shit. Officials pull Bret away. I was never a fan of this feud but this was EASILY the best thing they ever did together.
Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. John Crystal
Hey look. It’s the future COO of the WWE. Who would have called that? The commentators don’t care for this match, focusing on the Bret angle and the upcoming week on USA Network. It’s okay because Hunter isn’t really interesting yet. Just as I type that, he does a spinning heel kick. What the fuck? It’s such an out of place when A) you know the rest of his career and B) most of the rest of his offense is slow paced. He wins with the Diamond Cutter, which he would drop soon after a friendly request from DDP.
Winner: Hunter Hearst Helmsley in 3:10
Not the most impressive debut for the future Triple H.
A “Bob Backlund for President” campaign ad is shown. It’s pretty funny but is still all he’s around for now? He does say that he wants to abolish spell check and calculators so the plebeians can learn the correct way. The best line, hands down, is “WE ARE ILLITERATE. THE JAPANESE HAVE 100% LITERACY!”
We get clips of ugly ass Stephanie Waind showing the house that was won at In Your House. She’s with the kid that won. For some reasons, the Bushwhackers were hiding in the closet. They literally just stand in there when it’s opened and don’t show up again.
The Allied Powers vs. Bill Payne and Tony DeVito
This goes exactly how you’d expect. The Allied Powers completely dominate and get all of their key stuff in. Commentary is more excited that on Action Zone, Bulldog gave Mabel a damn electric chair drop. Yea, that’s impressive. Bulldog hits the running powerslam for the 1-2-3.
Winners: The Allied Powers in 2:56
Completely inoffensive squash match.
Next week, Jeff Jarrett faces the Undertaker in a King of the Ring Qualifying match.
Kama w/ Ted Dibiase vs. Barry Horowitz
Is it strange that I think Barry is the better worker here? They talk about how Barry is still winless for his career, while Kama throws him around. In between this, he puts his fists up like he’s an actual fighter. A half crab makes Barry submit.
Winner: Kama in 2:25
Well these matches are flying by. I’m okay with that.
King of the Ring Qualifying Match
King Kong Bundy w/ Ted Dibiase vs. Shawn Michaels
Vince pretty much orgasms at the sight of Shawn Michaels. He oversells the crowd reaction. Granted, Michaels got a positive pop, but you’d think there were 50,000+ cheering in unison. Bundy tries to attack before the bell but Shawn avoids it and sends him outside while his music still plays. Shawn then leaps from the top onto Bundy. One thing I liked about babyface Shawn is that he was still very arrogant. He didn’t have to change much. Shawn is messing around, avoiding Bundy at every turn and even toying with Dibiase outside. Bundy sends him into the corner where we get the classic HBK bump. Bundy takes over, doing his dull offense. Bigelow and Diesel are watching on the tiniest monitor backstage. After a commercial, Michaels just hits the superkick and qualifies.
Winner: Shawn Michaels in 6:03
About as good as one could expect from a King Kong Bundy match. Shawn was energetic and did the best he could with his opponent. Still, that doesn’t make it very good. *
Bam Bam Bigelow and Diesel come out during Shawn’s celebration. There is obvious tension between Diesel and HBK. Diesel offers the handshake but Shawn backs away. He tells Diesel to put the hand up so he can run, jump and high five him. Bigelow looks VERY out of place here.
Overall: 3/10. While the matches obviously were mostly squashes and the one match that was competitive wasn’t very good, I thought this episode moved along pretty nicely. HHH made his debut in an unimpressive match, but the Diesel/HBK friendship was back on. Forward movement but not very exciting. The Bret segment ruled at least.
Raw History
Episode #113
May 29th, 1995 | Broome County Arena in Binghamton, New York
The show opens in progress with Jeff Jarrett cutting a promo. The gong goes off and the lights go out. Our intro plays and when it’s over, that match isn’t happening. Odd start for sure.
Sycho Sid w/ Ted Dibiase and Tatanka vs. Mike Khoury
Why does Tatanka have to be out here? We are told that Diesel is recovering from some elbow surgery. It allows Vince to give a shout out to unsung hero Dr. James Andrews. Sid is a monster, winning with the powerbomb.
Winner: Sycho Sid in 1:20
Hot damn that was how I like my Sid. He’s so great in things like this.
This leads into a lengthy look at Diesel and Dr. James Andrews.
Adam Bomb vs. Bob Cook
Vince McMahon uses this time to hype the one hour special airing of WrestleMania XI on NBC. That was a big deal since NBC was a massive network at the time and they hadn’t been on that channel for almost five years. Bomb clearly wins this with the flying clothesline.
Winner: Adam Bomb in 2:04
Yea, this just killed time.
King of the Ring Report time! Todd Pettengill shows us footage from Superstars where Bigelow and Diesel accepted Tatanka and Sid’s challenge for the Pay-Per-View. Bigelow’s promo is terrible. “I’m not going to quit being your friend.” Who thought he’d work as a face?
Hakushi w/ Shinja vs. John Snakowski
This is the infamous episode where Hakushi pulls out the mannequin Bret Hart head. It’s a pretty gruesome sight. Hakushi gets in all of the offense since this guy is a true ham and egger.
Winner: Hakushi in 2:36
This was fine. The pre-match stuff was better.
Vince McMahon interviews Alundra Blayze. Ugh, this should be riveting. He puts over her match with Bull Nakano. Alundra pokes fun at Bertha Faye for having a boyfriend like Harvey Wippleman. She then just says that she will be the champion for a long, long time. At least it was short.
Next Monday, the British Bulldog faces Owen Hart in a qualifying match.
Men on a Mission vs. Aaron Ferguson and Gary Scott
I don’t even want to go into this. Men on a Mission dominate and it’s not very good.
Winners: Men on a Mission in 3:39
This took far too long.
Todd Pettengill is back to tell us who has qualified for the King of the Ring so far. Razor Ramon, Bob Holly, Mabel, Shawn Michaels and Kama are in.
King of the Ring Qualifying Match
WWF Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett w/ the Roadie vs. The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer
Poor Jarrett got a pretty terrible draw here. Undertaker is quickly on offense, hitting Old School. It was just school at this point. Roadie trips up Undertaker but he mostly no sells it and slams Jarrett. Taker misses an elbow, giving Jarrett a slight opening. He clotheslines Undertaker over, but he lands on his feet and chokes the Roadie. Jarrett attacks from behind. Jarrett takes over, getting in some really basic offense. For some reason, this Raw on the Network has some technical issues. After a commercial, Jarrett applies the Figure Four, with an assist from Roadie until Bearer chases him away. Jarrett grabs the ropes, so the referee breaks the hold. Undertaker comes back but Jarrett stops it with a neckbreaker. He chooses to strut and Taker sits up. Now the real comeback is on, cemented by a Tombstone.
Winner: The Undertaker in 8:55
Pretty good actually. Jeff Jarrett’s offense was nothing really special but seeing the Undertaker compete on Raw is usually fun. The “Purple Gloves” era is certainly his worst era, making this, sadly, one of his better showings. **¼
Before the show ends, we get more stuff from Bob Backlund.
Overall: 4.5/10. A better marquee matchup this week as Jarrett and Undertaker had a pretty decent showing. Sid was fun in his short appearance and I really liked the Hakushi pre-match segment. It did have Men on a Mission, which is usually a drag.
Raw History
Episode #114
June 5th, 1995 | Struthers Auditorium in Struthers, Ohio
A shot of the WWF Blimp opens things before we see Bob Backlund campaigning outside. Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler hype things as we are LIVE in Ohio! There will be two debuts tonight. Lawler hypes Jean Pierre Lafitte as a debut but he’s clearly been on the show before.
“The Caribbean Legend” Savio Vega vs. Kenny Kendall
It’s the official debut of Razor Ramon’s buddy. I can’t help but put his nickname there. Kendall actually gets in some early offense. There is a ton of smoke around the ring from pyro. These live shows just have a different feel to them. Surprisingly, Savio wins with the octopus stretch.
Winner: Savio Vega in 2:01
Like Hunter Hearst Helmsley last week, this wasn’t the best start for Savio. It came off as awkward at times.
A Diesel video package airs, just set to his theme. Then the Million Dollar Corporation cut a promo about the pain they are going to make them feel.
We hear from Sunny and Skip because the Bodydonnas debut next. Man, Sunny has fallen far.
Skip w/ Sunny vs. Barry Horowitz
Hey, it’s the feud that revolutionized pro wrestling. Not really. Sunny cuts a promo for the fatties in the crowd. Skip’s attire is very unflattering. Horowitz gets some hope spots and near falls but Skip wins with a guillotine leg drop. Sunny is already looking like the bigger star.
Winner: Skip in 2:41
Decent enough debut.
Todd Pettengill runs down the King of the Ring card. Mabel faces the Undertaker in the first round. Yawn. Kama goes up against Shawn Michaels and Bob Holly faces the Roadie. Todd calls him the Road Dogg. Razor Ramon will face the winner of the Bulldog/Owen match tonight.
King of the Ring Qualifying Match
British Bulldog vs. Owen Hart w/ Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji
So, for some odd reason, this was pre-taped before the In Your House Pay-Per-View so it’s taking place in Syracuse. Jim Ross and Gorilla Monsoon are in the booth. They avoid showing the IYH logos but have admitted that this isn’t taking place in Ohio. The feeling out process sees Bulldog focusing on the arm and then overpowering Owen. Focusing on the shoulder is different from the Bulldog, though that’s not a bad thing. He shows off the great stalling vertical. Mr. Fuji uses this time to wave the Japanese flag a bunch for some reason. Owen starts swinging the momentum and picks up the pace. After a commercial break, Owen nails a spinning heel kick. Gorilla talks about the time limit, making me think they’ll do a draw. Owen applies a sleeper but Bulldog survives. Owen kicks out of a rollup and nails the ENZIGURI OF DOOM! Gorilla says only three minutes remain. Bulldog comes back with a nice fisherman suplex for two. You see, if it was a Perfectplex that would have been it. With the clock winding down, they do about ten near falls on multiple pins. The clock expires as Owen does a backslide.
Time limit draw in 15:00
We only saw about 13 of the 15 minutes. This was a really solid match but the finish was dumb. Neither guy makes it in even though when the same thing happened two years earlier, Doink and Mr. Perfect were given multiple rematches. Also, with the roster in shambles, the tournament could have used one or both of these guys. This is the best thing to come from the tournament. ***½
A pre-taped video from Jerry Lawler airs. He shows off his dirty feet, saying he hasn’t washed them in two months. His match with Bret Hart at King of the Ring will be a “Kiss my Foot” match. Poor Bret Hart was stuck in midcard hell in 1995.
Bret Hart is out for an in-ring interview with Vince McMahon. Bret talks about how he never thought he would compete in a match like this. While talking, we get a split screen as Lawler takes off his shoe and shows off his gross feet. This is nowhere near as good as the one from two weeks ago. He talks about embarrassing his family again and dedicates the match to them. He ends it by saying that he doesn’t want Jerry’s lips on his feet, so when he wins he’ll make Jerry kiss his own feet.
Jean Pierre Lafitte vs. Jerry Flynn
Yes, this is the same Jerry Flynn that you can find on bad WCW shows in 2000. Lafitte wins quickly with the cannonball.
Winner: Jean Pierre Lafitte in 1:33
Too short to really be anything.
So, instead of giving Bulldog and Owen another chance, next week we get Yokozuna vs. Lex Luger in a qualifying match. But why? It sucked so hard at SummerSlam two years earlier. We get a damn recap of the entire Lex Express angle. Don’t remind us of how terrible it was please.
Overall: 6/10. Hey, we got a pretty episode here. The Bulldog/Owen match was one of the better ones all year long on Raw, but the finish and booking was pretty dumb. Skip and Savio had decent at best debuts and the Bret promo was alright. Still, a rather easy watch.
