Survivor Series 2013
November 24th, 2013 | TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts
The fall of 2013 proved to be a brutal period at times. As they headed into the winter, the focus came off of the most popular babyface, Daniel Bryan, and instead, Big Show was thrust into the title picture. The Wyatt Family was fresh, John Ce had just returned and CM Punk was (unbeknownst to fans) on his way out of the company. As usual, this show includes traditional Survivor Series matches, which are almost always fun. This was the 27th edition of the Survivor Series.
So the show opens with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon coming to the entrance to cut a promo. Not something I enjoy on my Pay-Per-Views. They at least keep it short and just basically introduce the show. It leads into the video package, which highlights the main matches on the card but is nothing special.
WWE Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes and Goldust, Rey Mysterio and the Usos vs. The Real Americans and the Shield w/ Zeb Colter
Zeb Colter cut a pre-match promo that saw him and Cody Rhodes twerk. I’m not making this up. It is the one year anniversary of the Shield’s debut. Dena Ambrose and Rhodes started out with some fine back and forth. Ambrose began arguing with the referee, allowing Rhodes to roll him up and eliminate him at 2:13. It was certainly a surprisingly quick elimination for a guy that had been booked well for the past year. As things broke down, WE HAD US SOME FLYING USOS MAGGLE. They calmed again and the Real Americans did their thing for a bit. Despite this, Swagger was next out after a 619, superkick and splash at 8:13. The bad news continues for the heels when Cesaro is gone at 9:58 on a Rhodes rollup but not before he showed off his incredible power. The former Tag Team Champions, Rollins and Reigns, are left alone. They isolated one of the Usos for a while and it leads to Reigns spearing him to send him packing at 14:33. Rhodes flew in with some offense, including a near fall after a moonsault on Rollins. He had Cross Rhodes countered, Reigns blind tagged in and ended him with a Spear at 15:44. Rollins planted the remaining Uso with the Curb Stomp to even the score at 16:47. Mysterio and Rollins had a good back and forth for a bit. We nearly saw a countout when Reigns hilariously slid Mysterio under the ropes and to the outside hard. Mysterio rolled up Rollins to get rid of him at the 19:43 mark. Reigns, now left alone, had to overcome the odds. Goldust and Rey got some near falls in but couldn’t put down the future megastar. Reigns hit a spear on Goldust and he’s gone at 22:58. Mysterio flew in but his 619 was stopped with a spear and Reigns won it for his guys.
Winners: The Real Americans and the Shield (Sole Survivor: Roman Reigns) in 23:23
The first of many instances where Roman Reigns would overcome the odds. I thought this was a good but just shy of great Survivor Series tag. No real dead spots, some fun eliminations and the first real star making moment for Reigns. A really fun opening contest. ***¾
Since everything has to be about the Authority, we see them talking backstage. Randy Orton wants to make sure that things are still good between them after some tension last week.
WWE Intercontinental Championship
Big E Langston (c) vs. Curtis Axel
Six days earlier, Big E Langston dethroned Curtis Axel to become Intercontinental Champion. Axel no longer has Paul Heyman, officially ending the relevant portion of his career. Commentary spent the first minute or so discussing great IC Title matches of the past. They tried to hype up the importance but it made me realize even more how far the title has fallen. Both guys went back and forth, with neither one gaining a clear advantage. Big E brought THE STRAPS DOWN but Axel held the ropes to prevent the Big Ending. Big E kicked out of the PerfectPlex before retaining with the Big Ending.
Winner and Still WWE Intercontinental Champion: Big E Langston in 5:50
Technically, they didn’t do anything wrong. However, the crowd or commentators couldn’t have cared less and it showed. It felt more like filler than a title match. *½
The perfect Renee Young enters the ring after the match to interview Big E Langston. He goes the cheap pop route, mentioning Boston and the Patriots. Promo gets about the same rating as the match.
In the back, Divas Champion AJ Lee tries to hype up her team for the Survivor Series match coming up. Her teammates don’t trust her because of the things she’s done in the past few months. Kaitlyn gets in face but AJ turns it around by pointing out that Total Divas didn’t want any of them. Funny enough, Alicia Fox, Summer Rae and Rosa Mendes would end up on the show.
Team AJ Lee (WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee, Aksana, Alicia Fox, Kaitlyn, Rosa Mendes, Summer Rae and Tamina) vs. Team Total Divas (Brie Bella, Cameron, Eva Marie, Jojo, Naomi, Natalya and Nikki Bella)
The Total Divas team came out to the Total Divas theme, which is pretty awful. Everything that happened came at rapid fire. Within the first 1:24, Naomi eliminated Fox with a split legged moonsault. The Funkadactyls worked over Rosa who actually kicked out of a move. That might have been the first time she ever did that. She is truly pathetic in the ring. Cameron missed a move and ran into the turnbuckle, getting eliminated by Rosa at 2:28. I can’t believe Rosa got a pin in her career. She taunted, allowing Nikki to get rid of her with a Bella Buster at 2:45. Summer Rae, who got a great pop, came in and danced. Nikki tried to one up her by doing the WORM. For some reason, her WORM goes backwards. Nikki dropkicked her and she’s gone at 3:27. Eva got tagged, got “you can’t wrestle” chants and ate a gutbuster instantly. She was out at 4:01 and then Kaitlyn did the same to Naomi at 4:34. The eliminations kept coming as Brie sent Kaitlyn home with a missile dropkick at 5:12. AJ Lee laughed at all of this. Aksana got rid of Brie at 5:42, before Nikki ended her with the Rack Attack at the 6:04 mark. AJ and Tamina were left against Jojo, Nattie and Nikki. Tamina came in and played the powerhouse. The fans chanted “we want Jojo” throughout Tamina working over Nikki. Nikki tagged Jojo, even though she never wrestled in the past. Jojo showed some fire and even rolled up Tamina for two. The crowd ate it up. Tamina put her down with a Samoan drop at 9:28 but tagged AJ to get the pin. She tagged back out to avoid doing actual work. Tamina gave up to the Sharpshooter, even though AJ broke it up at 10:51. Cole said Natalya and AJ were the sole survivors but was wrong. Nattie made AJ tap to the Sharpshooter too.
Winners: Team Total Divas (Survivors: Natalya and Nikki Bella) in 11:29
A massive chunk of that match was sloppy. They threw too many girls in there so things got super rushed. When it slowed down and got to the Jojo stuff and everything after, it clicked. The crowd ate up the entire Jojo part. ½*
Mark Henry vs. Ryback
Ryback, in his heel “I’m not a bully” run, issued an open challenge that was answered by Mark Henry. Henry defeated Ryback for some incredibly stupid reason at WrestleMania earlier in the year. Ryback was showing off his power but was equally matched in that category here. He dominated the early portions before running shoulder first into the ring post. Henry had a short comeback that featured a surprising cross body before the World’s Strongest Slam.
Winner: Mark Henry in 4:46
Did they not book enough for this show? While it worked as a positive return for Henry, it effectively killed heel Ryback. Outside of the cross body, which made me giggle, this was dreadful. ½*
World Heavyweight Championship
John Cena (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio
In August, Cena left with an elbow injury. He returned way earlier than expected, getting an instant World Title shot and dethroning Del Rio for it at Hell in a Cell. This was Del Rio’s rematch. They played up Cena’s elbow still having issues and him not wearing the protective sleeve over it for the first time. Del Rio wisely targeted the arm throughout the match. The problem was that, while the crowd started hot and was pretty pro Cena, they sat on their hands for most of Del Rio’s offense. I liked Del Rio making sure his offense was surrounded on the arm. Like when he hit his enziguri, it was right on the injured arm. It picked up towards the end, with some close calls from both men. There was a great spot where Del Rio countered a cross body into the Cross Armbreaker but of course, Cena NEVER GIVES UP! He powered out and retained after the Attitude Adjustment.
Winner and Still World Heavyweight Champion: John Cena in 18:47
These are two very good performers who almost never clicked in the ring. While this went a bit long, I found it to be one of their better matches. Focusing things around the arm was a great idea. Even though the outcome was obvious, I thought they did a good job of building drama. A bit more from the crowd before the climax would have helped the score. ***¼
Guys that couldn’t make the card like R-Truth, Los Matadores, Fandango and Santino Marella, did a backstage segment about WWE figures.
CM Punk and Daniel Bryan vs. Erick Rowan and Luke Harper w/ Bray Wyatt
Bray Wyatt spent the duration of the match on his rocking chair outside. Bryan was insanely over, so naturally, he wasn’t in the title picture where the fans wanted him. Right from the start, this was a great battle of two smaller technical guys against to powerhouses. Punk and Bryan had to cut down the trees with quick tags and smart strategies. They eventually focused on Punk and worked the hot tag to Bryan. After he did his thing, we got the spot of the match when Harper countered a top rope rana with a super powerbomb, though Punk broke up the count. That led into Bryan taking the next heat for a bit. Punk did his thing with the next tag, even taking out Bray on a dive to the outside. After a bit of a frantic finish that saw Bryan hit the running knee on Rowan, Punk ended Harper after a Go to Sleep.
Winners: CM Punk and Daniel Bryan in 16:51
Really good tag team match here. Harper and Rowan were always severely underutilized as a tandem, while Punk and Bryan just gelled excellently together. This worked very well in most aspects. Outside of their 2014 matches with the Usos and the Shield, this is the best you’ll find from Harper and Rowan. ***¾
WWE Championship
Randy Orton (c) vs. Big Show
For the people who said that Daniel Bryan was only over because of the “Yes” chant, I’d point to this program. Show did his own “Yes” chant for a bit and it never quite caught on. Nobody really gave a damn about this feud. The company also didn’t go all in on heel Orton, making him into a little bitch instead of the “Viper.” In the buildup to this, he even said “I don’t think I can beat the Big Show by myself.” Way to build up your champion WWE. Orton stalled and ran a lot early on. Within that time, the fans chant for “Daniel Bryan”. Show began to dominate, but the fans had little to no interest in any of it. They did a ref bump, allowing them to fight in the crowd for about twenty seconds. Show knocked Orton out a ringside but then Triple H, Stephanie and Kane walked out onto the stage. That opened the door for Orton to hit the RKO, which he followed with the punt and retained.
Winner and Still WWE Champion: Randy Orton in 11:09
Well that was pretty boring. Both guys are veterans that know what they’re doing, however they’ve never really had any chemistry. Throw in the crowd not wanting this main event and tame “Viper” and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. *
Randy Orton’s celebration is cut short by the arrival of the World Heavyweight Champion, John Cena. Cena poses with his title while Orton does the same, planting the seeds for their unification match a month later.
Overall: 3.5/10; Not good. I’ve heard some people call this the worst PPV in WWE history. While it isn’t good by any means, that’s overdoing it. Three of the seven matches are good (opener, Punk and Bryan tag and World Title match), which instantly puts it over some other terrible PPVs. I do admit that everything else on the show is rather dreadful and boring. According to my randomizer, next on“Random Network Reviews” is Halloween Havoc 2000!
Raw History
Episode #128
September 25th, 1995 | Grand Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan
They recap the ending of In Your House. Owen Hart didn’t compete in the main event, but got involved. Somehow, Diesel pinned him to win the match and the belts. Earlier today, Jim Cornette brought in Clarence Mason to dispute the result. They won and now, Owen and Yokozuna are back as champions. Diesel and Shawn Michaels get a rematch and the champs have to defend the belts against another team tonight.
Marty Jannetty vs. Skip w/ Sunny
Yup, Marty Jannetty is back. Vince sells his return like it’s the greatest surprise in WWF history. Marty slips on the steps during his entrance. Tons of fast paced stuff at the start, which the crowd eats up. Marty actually looks to be on his game for this. Skip gets a hug from Sunny as he takes a breather. They go for it again but Marty ends up getting the hug. He ducks a slap from Sunny, who hits Skip. The crowd is eating all of this right up. Dean Douglas shows up to take notes in the aisle. They work through a commercial break while Skip is in charge. Jannetty starts to rally and hits the Rocker Dropper. He doesn’t go for the pin though, instead using a second rope fist drop to mark a successful return.
Winner: Marty Jannetty in 7:42
Really fun match here. The crowd was red hot and Marty Jannetty seemed rather motivated. Non-stop action leading to an enjoyable outing. ***¼
We get another recap of the Triple Header finish, as well as more footage from Cornette and Mason talking with Gorilla Monsoon to have things overturned.
WWF Tag Team Championship
Owen Hart and Yokozuna (c) w/ Jim Cornett and Mr. Fuji vs. The Smoking Gunns
This is a rematch from WrestleMania XI. For reference, Dave Meltzer gave that match **. This is joined in progress as Owen and Bart are running around. They work at a relatively quick pace but that changes once Yokozuna enters the ring. Billy tries to knock him off his feet with dropkicks. He finally does with a facebuster and the crowd comes alive. Owen tags in but takes a sunset flip for two. He hits the enziguri of death leading into the commercial break. Returning, Yokozuna slows things a bit, working his dreaded nerve hold. It’s still my least favorite wrestling move. Yokozuna misses an elbow drop, giving Billy some hope. Owen gets the tag and pulls Billy away but he makes the dramatic leap to tag Bart. I wouldn’t have done a hot tag to Bart, a man with little to no charisma. He does his big spots but Yokozuna breaks up a pin. Billy flies at him, allowing the Gunns to hit the Sidewinder. Yokozuna tries to break it up again but Bart moves and he splashes Owen. Billy sends him out and Bart gets the three.
Winners and New WWF Tag Team Champions: The Smoking Gunns in 10:16
A better outing than their WrestleMania match. Kudos to the crowd, who was hot for the second straight match. They built to a frantic finish with some drama. The title change was also a rarity to see on TV. Far better than I expected. ***
Diesel and Shawn Michaels come out to celebrate with the Smoking Gunns.
Next week, Razor Ramon vs. 1-2-3 Kid and Jean-Pierre Lafitte gets another crack at Bret Hart!
As the Smoking Gunns exit, Dok Hendrix catches up with Gorilla Monsoon in the aisle. He says that he has big news for the upcoming In Your House event. The Undertaker will take on King Mabel, Goldust makes his in-ring debut and Gorilla announces that the British Bulldog will get a WWF Title shot against Diesel! Bret Hart has also signed a deal to face the winner at Survivor Series. Lastly, Shawn Michaels will put the Intercontinental Title on the line against Dean Douglas.
British Bulldog w/ Jim Cornette vs. The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer
I honestly don’t ever recall seeing these two wrestle at any other time. Bulldog is overwhelmed by a lot of Undertaker’s early offense. Thanks to Cornette shaking the ropes, Bulldog is able to counter Old School. I don’t know if it had a name back before it was considered Old School. Despite this Undertaker still gets in a fair amount of offense. When Bulldog finally takes over, King Mabel shows up in the aisle to watch. After a break, Waylon Mercy seems to also be watching from afar. A Mercy/Undertaker program could have been interesting. Bulldog holds serve for a bit until Undertaker stars a comeback. Bulldog hits a damn piledriver for two. Undertaker starts kicking out of everything, frustrating the Bulldog. Undertaker nails a Chokeslam so Mabel walks down and enters the ring, hitting him with a belly to belly suplex.
Winner via disqualification: The Undertaker in 7:35
Decent enough match between two of the bigger names in the company. The DQ finish was obvious given the standing of both men and their upcoming PPV matches. **¾
British Bulldog hits Undertaker with a running powerslam and Mabel leg drops him. Diesel and Shawn Michaels run out to the make save and clean house. Owen Hart and Yokozuna show up at ringside but the Smoking Gunns run in to even the score. After a commercial, Undertaker shakes hands with the guys who helped him, which seems so odd given his gimmick. Another break comes and Shawn Michaels’ theme is playing for some reason. He’s dancing in the ring, which causes Vince to gyrate behind the announce table.
Overall: 8/10. One of the better episodes of Raw that I can remember. The live atmosphere was crucial because the Grand Rapids crowd was really hot all night long. Jannetty and Skip had a really fast paced, fun opener, the Tag Team Title match was good and featured a cool title change and the main event involved two stars having a solid match. You can’t ask for much more on this show.
Reliving Nitro
Episode #4
September 25th, 1995 | Civic Center in Florence, South Carolina
Alex Wright vs. Disco Inferno
We jump right into the action with our opening contest. Wright has to be the lowest card guy to get featured more than once on Nitro so far. Disco is making his Nitro debut and even gets pyro. Disco jumps him at the bell but is sure to take time to fix his hair and dance. Wright comes back and even hits a dive to the outside. Disco seems to try a belly to belly but they mess it up and it turns into an ugly hot shot. They continue working at a relatively quick pace and as Disco went for a neckbreaker, Wright counters into a backslide for the win.
Winner: Alex Wright in 4:02
Not the best way to start to the show. While the match itself was decent, these aren’t really the guys I’d use to hook an audience in. **
Going backstage, Hulk Hogan is trying to work out in his neck brace. His regimen? To have Jimmy Hart hold the World Title on his head, while he lifts it up. Seriously. Hogan cuts a classic Hogan promo about the Giant snapping his neck. He not only challenges Giant to a WCW Title match but also to a Monster Truck contest for some reason.
Mean Gene is in the ring, showing us a clip of the Luger/Savage confrontation from last week. Randy Savage is in the ring and Lex Luger is quick to show up and confront him again. Luger is sick and tired of Savage not respecting him. A match is made for next week. Savage vs. Luger. If Luger loses, he leaves WCW.
Kurasawa w/ Col. Robert Parker vs. Sgt. Craig Pittman
Not much from the crowd here as neither guy is really what you’d consider a star. According to commentary, Kurasawa broke Road Warrior Hawk’s arm at a recent Clash of the Champions. Pittman reels off some headbutts at the start. Kurasawa exposes the concrete outside and plants Pittman on it. They end up brawling outside as Pittman slams his opponent’s head into the ring apron. Bischoff is more interested in hyping the upcoming Monster Truck Challenge. Pittman applies the Code Red armbar in the ring, causing Parker to lose his mind at ringside. Kurasawa reaches the ropes to break it and gets the win with a German suplex. It looks like Pittman got his shoulder up but I guess he didn’t.
Winner: Kurasawa in 4:27
Another pretty good match that could have been better. The outside stuff and the German were pretty cool. I wish there was more focus on arm work considering the men involved. **¼
Mean Gene interviews Arn Anderson and Brian Pillman in the ring. Pillman puts down Ric Flair a bunch, saying that he’s been pathetic since Anderson beat him at Fall Brawl. Anderson admits that Flair is one of the best ever but now it’s a tag team situation, which is Anderson’s specialty. He says that Flair can’t find a partner because he’s betrayed everyone in the past.
Kevin Sullivan w/ Zodiac vs. Randy Savage
This stems from Kevin Sullivan attacking Randy Savage on the set of Baywatch. Things start on the outside where Sullivan throws Savage into the ring post and then onto the guardrail. Savage sells this but for me, I could never buy Sullivan as a serious threat to anyone. He tosses Savage outside and continues to lay into him. Savage backdrops him and hits a double axe handle back inside. Zodiac gets on the apron and Savage kicks his ass. He gets so upset that he even lays into the referee, getting DQed.
Winner via disqualification: Kevin Sullivan in 2:59
More of an angle than a match. The match that we got wasn’t very good. ½*
Randy Savage drops the big elbow on Zodiac as the Giant walks out. Giant Chokeslams Savage and some jobbers run in to try and help out. Giant obviously handles them with ease. Alex Wright is the highest profile guy to try but also fails. Finally, Lex Luger strolls out. Sullivan smiles as Giant nails another Chokeslam. Luger stands over Savage instead of helping him. Giant attacks from behind and Chokeslams him as well.
Lex Luger vs. Meng
Meng wastes no time in attacking a vulnerable Lex Luger. While Meng pounds away, Eric Bischoff says that Hulk Hogan will be in Denver for Nitro next week. Meng spends the first few minutes just wearing down Luger. Lots of chinlocks and stuff here. Meng misses a second rope headbutt, opening the door for Luger’s rally. It’s an odd one as he gets taken down but gets right back up and stomps on Meng. Meng pulls out a spike from his boot and strikes Luger with it, stealing the win.
Winner: Meng in 6:47
A very boring affair. Meng did a ton of rest holds, while Luger’s comeback was short lived and unappealing. ¾*
Overall: 3/10. For the first time, WWF Raw completely destroys WCW Nitro in terms of quality. This was easily the worst episode of Nitro so far. When the best match of the night is a barely interesting Craig Pittman/Kurasawa match, there’s a problem. All of the Dungeon of Doom stuff in the final two matches was pretty awful too.
Invasion
July 22nd, 2001 | Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio | Attendance: 17,019
When the WWF purchased WCW in March of 2001, everything changed. There was no longer real competition, the WWF could be stagnant if they wanted to and they were about to have a super talented roster. Before all of that, they gave us something we never thought we’d see. An invasion angle. The problem was that the biggest names from WCW (Goldberg, Hogan, Sting, Steiner, etc.) were all sitting out their contracts so this totally lacked star power. Still, people were excited as this show earned the highest buyrate in history for a non-WrestleMania Pay-Per-View. It was the only Invasion PPV in history.
As usual, the opening video package is top notch. Paul Heyman and the three feuding McMahons all do voiceovers while highlights of the invasion are shown along with clips of war. Just a great feel for what we’re about to witness. Jim Ross and Michael Cole are on commentary.
The Alliance won a match on Heat to take a 1-0 lead.
Edge and Christian vs. Lance Storm and Mike Awesome
Lance Storm tried to cut one of his “if I could be serious for a minute” promos but Edge and Christian interrupt. Edge had just won the King of the Ring and Christian was carrying around Edge’s trophy. This started as your basic tag team match. Edge and Christian have more experience as a team and it showed. They messed up a spot where Christian went to dive off of Edge’s back and he spilled to the outside in ugly fashion. Christian ends up taking the heat, where he bumps very well for his opponents. He even takes a trademark Bret Hart ring post bump at one point. I really wish they would have done more with Mike Awesome. Edge got the hot tag and did his thing for a while. He ended up in a small package but Christian turned it over, leading to a near fall. Awesome went for the Awesome Bomb but Christian speared him, allowing Edge to fall on him, earning the three.
Winners: Edge and Christian in 10:11
Just about what I want from an opening contest. Hot crowd, fun action and they didn’t overdo anything, leaving room for the rest of the card. Off to a good start. ***
Vince McMahon is excited about the win backstage, doing his own five second pose. William Regal shows up to inform him that Steve Austin has arrived. Vince tries to hype Regal up for his match later but doesn’t do a good job.
Earl Hebner vs. Nick Patrick
Oh my goodness, this got an actual video package. Mick Foley was the special guest referee since he worked for all three companies. Each referee came out with the rest of the officials from their respective companies, though I’m pretty sure I saw Brian Hebner with Nick Patrick. When the match started, they just threw punches at each other. Patrick used a low blow that Foley somehow missed. The highlight of the match came when the WCW officials attacked Hebner outside, so Chad Patton laid one of them out with a flying forearm that was better than most of the roster could have probably done. Foley kicked out the ringside refs and Patrick argued with him. Hebner tackled him to win.
Winner: Earl Hebner in 2:50
I won’t give it the DUD rating because it was short and about what I expected from two non-wrestlers. Putting it on the PPV is not something I would have done but whatever. ¼*
Nick Patrick eats some of Mr. Socko after the bell.
WWF Tag Team Champions The APA vs. WCW Tag Team Champions Chuck Palumbo and Sean O’Haire
Somehow, this also got a hype video. Pitting tag champions against each other is kind of a no-brainer in a situation like this. They started by brawling with the APA getting the upper hand. Sensible considering their penchant for bar room brawls. The teams began trading some unenthusiastic stuff and the crowd didn’t seem to care. How did the Tag Team Titles go from the great E&C/Hardys/Dudleys rivalry back to the APA? Palumbo completely whiffs on a superkick but they acted like he hit. Bradshaw laid him out for his troubles with the Clothesline from Hell.
Winners: The APA in 7:17
Almost everything about this was dull. They hit a few power moves, but even with that, I was mostly bored. The decision to have the APA win was pretty dumb too. Palumbo and O’Haire, while not exactly future stars, were a fresh, young team that could have done a bit more. *¼
Backstage, Chris Jericho badmouths Paul Heyman to Vince McMahon. Stephanie, Shane and Billy Kidman watch backstage and Stephanie just complains about hating Jericho. They want Kidman to win and get them on the board.
WCW Cruiserweight Champion Billy Kidman vs. WWF Light Heavyweight Champion X-Pac
X-Pac has the Uncle Kracker X-Factor theme here. The quality of the show picked back up here. Both guys worked at a quick pace, which was very welcome after the previous two matches. In an odd twist, the WCW guy was the more popular worker for the first time tonight. X-Pac hit a nice dive outside but got greeted with boos. Jim Ross did a good job in putting over X-Pac applying a chin lock, saying that in a battle of aerial specialists, the one who grounds the other usually has an advantage. It’s a small thing to say but I feel like it was a nice addition. Kidman got a near fall on the Sky High, YOU BETTER RECOGNIZE! X-Pac proved to be the first WWF heel, trying to use the ropes for leverage. He made the mistake of trying to powerbomb Kidman, which we all know you can’t do. He counters it but ended up diving into the X-Factor. Somehow, Kidman got the shoulder up. He then got his foot up to block the Bronco Buster before climbing up and wowing the fans with his mediocre Shooting Star Press, defeating X-Pac.
Winner: Billy Kidman in 7:12
WCW is on the board! Not the greatest match but a fine change of pace between two solid guys. Kidman was the right guy to get a win for WCW. I enjoyed the pace and near falls of this match. **¾
DDP creeps out Stephanie, Heyman and Shane when talking about how Debra is no Sara. He eventually just gets hype about the main event. They cut to Torrie and Stacy literally talking about their tits and ass. It’s not a bad segment at all.
Raven vs. William Regal
Babyface William Regal is such a strange sight. They traded blows early but this was the first match that the crowd didn’t really seem into. They did some awkward looking spots, like Regal hitting a slingshot where Raven just hit the ropes. Raven did some second rope offense that Regal put an end to but again, the fans were just not feeling any of this. They did a series of rollup near falls that next to nobody bit on. ECW’s Tazz ran in and Tazzplexed Regal while Raven distracted the referee. Raven won after hitting the Raven Effect.
Winner: Raven in 6:34
Almost as bad as the referee match earlier though it’s far more disappointing considering I actually like both guys involved. They never found a flow, the crowd never cared and all of it was uninteresting.½*
Vince McMahon angers Undertaker by discussing DDP stalking his wife. Undertaker nearly attacks him, which Vince likes as it means Taker is pissed.
WWF Intercontinental Champion Albert, Big Show and Billy Gunn vs. Hugh Morris, Kanyon and Shawn Stasiak
Who put this on the Pay-Per-View? Also, why was Albert the IC Champion in an era that was this loaded with talent? I don’t dislike the guy but come on. The WCW team came out to Stasiak’s bootleg Mr. Perfect theme. The WWF faces all hit gorilla press slams at the same time early on. It broke down to a regular six man tag with neither team gaining a clear advantage. Stasiak was greeted with “Meat” chants as he got in some offense. Albert got to strut his stuff a bit, overcoming some a sneak attack from Morris. Despite Billy Gunn hitting the Fameasser, Stasiak laid out Gunn and Morris draped his arm over him to steal it and even the score at 3-3 on the official PPV.
Winners: Hugh Morris, Kanyon and Shawn Stasiak in 4:23
Another relatively boring match. Unlike the previous one though, the fans were surprisingly interested in this. Most of the work was uninspired but it was kept short and to the point. Also, why couldn’t WWF win this and APA lose earlier? *
Shane McMahon and Booker T, with both the World and United States Title, get hype for the main event. I really feel like they were just throwing in as many rapid fire backstage segments as possible. An angry William Regal also demands that his little buddy, Tajiri, win his upcoming match.
Tajiri vs. Tazz
With the score tied currently, this is a pretty unimportant outing to be the swing match. They did have a fun ECW Title match at Heatwave two years prior. Thanks to Regal being angry beforehand, this started like it was kind of personal, with Tajiri hitting the ring. Tazz threw him around with a few Tazzplexes and managed to avoid some of Tajiri’s signature kicks. Tazz tried using some submissions, including a cross armbreaker, but Tajiri survived. Tazz did hit a very impactful concrete crash for a near fall. Tajiri did his trademark stuff like the handspring elbow and tarantula as part of his comeback. He used the green mist and a big kick to win.
Winner: Tajiri in 5:42
While it wasn’t great, it was a definite upswing in quality after the previous few matches being pretty bad. They worked at a good pace, had some close near falls and didn’t overstay their welcome. Solid enough. **¼
Backstage, the Hardy Boyz are discussing Jeff Hardy’s upcoming match. Rob Van Dam appears with a steel chair and lays out Matt. Cut to WWF New York where Hardcore Holly is signing autographs. He sees a fan with a WCW shirt and kicks him out while ripping the dude’s shirt. What a dick.
WWF Hardcore Championship
Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Rob Van Dam
It always made me chuckle as RVD comes out and realizes he’s getting cheered so he stops to look at the fans and smiles to himself. Although this was for the Hardcore Title, neither guy went for weapons early on. They chose to have some great back and forth that excited the crowd, which was now hot again. RVD had Jeff well scouted, interrupting his guardrail run attack, which we had never really seen before. Commentary did a good job in hyping the similar styles and the importance of this being the only title match on the show. Finally, weapons came into play after some fighting in the crowd when Jeff brought out a ladder. RVD shook the ladder and sent Hardy falling into the aisle. Jim Ross got to say a bunch of lines that would be used in future WWE “Don’t Try This at Home” ads. They fought up to the entrance, where RVD nailed the Van Daminator that sent Hardy off the stage. Back in the ring, RVD got to showoff more of his stuff for the WWF audience, while also bumping well for the champion. Jeff missed the Swanton Bomb before RVD nailed the Five Star Frog Splash with the Hardcore Title on Jeff’s chest to become champion.
Winner and New WWF Hardcore Champion: Rob Van Dam in 12:24
2001 proved to be the best year ever for the Hardcore Title and this might have been the best Hardcore Title match ever. It was the perfect way to truly introduce RVD to the WWF audience as he faced a similar performer and got to do a lot of his key stuff. Both men worked hard and had a great match that stole the show. ****
More backstage segments as Vince tries to hype up Kurt Angle, who says the word bullshit on television.
Bra and Panties Match
Lita and Trish Stratus vs. Stacy Keibler and Torrie Wilson
Brilliant Mick Foley made himself the referee for this match. There wasn’t much to really write about here as this wasn’t placed here to be a great wrestling match. JR did deliver the classic line of “thongs are legal.” Neither WCW girl wanted any part of Lita, who brought Stacy in the hard way. Stacy and Torrie struggled with almost all of their spots. Stacy lost her shirt first and ran, leading to Lita chasing her and getting stuck before having her top removed. Trish had her shirt taken off but removed Torrie’s pants instantly in one of the best camera angles in WWE history. The WWF girls did some Hardy Boyz poetry in motion and Lita hit a moonsault on Stacy as they removed the rest of their opponents clothing.
Winners: Lita and Trish Stratus in 5:04
Torrie and Stacy were incredibly green and not really ready to do any in ring work. Lita and Trish did their best to overcome that though it wasn’t enough. The crowd was obviously excited for it and they put in a good effort. In terms of pure enjoyment, I’d say over four stars. As a match, it ranks much lower. *¾
Inaugural Brawl
Team WCW (WCW World and United States Champion Booker T, Diamond Dallas Page, the Dudley Boyz and Rhyno) w/ Paul Heyman, Shane McMahon and Stephanie McMahon vs. Team WWF (Chris Jericho, Kane, Kurt Angle, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and the Undertaker) w/ Vince McMahon
Including Heat, they are tied 5-5. After the owners and Heyman came out, the teams alternated entrances which I found really cool. Undertaker attacked DDP before the entrances were over, leading to a big brawl. The “old Stone Cold” showed up last and got right into the brawl. When things calmed down, everybody got a turn in the ring, with the match getting ample time to showcase all ten men involved. The Dudley Boyz became the first guys to really take a clear advantage, using their experience as a duo to do so. Undertaker ended up mostly putting a stop to that. Surprisingly, when DDP and Undertaker went at it, it didn’t get as personal as expected. Outside of Austin, Angle got the best pops throughout the match and was well on his way to being a top babyface in the company for the remainder of 2001. With so many moving parts, the match manages to never get dull at any point. Angle played the face in peril and they held off the big hot tag to Austin with some smaller ones to other guys. The match got out of hand, with Undertaker and DDP fighting in the crowd while everyone else fought at ringside. Austin seemed to have injured his knee during all of this. There were about three table spots in a row with Rhyno, D-Von and Kane all going through them. Angle made the babyface comeback and put Booker T in the Ankle Lock after taking Shane out, who hit Vince with a title. Austin got back inside as Booker tapped out and kicked Angle. He planted him with a Stunner, allowing Booker to win it for the Alliance.
Winners: Team WCW in 29:03
As noted, this moved along rather nicely and was entertaining throughout. Everyone got a chance to shine for the most part, with almost all of them bringing their working boots. The crowd was molten hot throughout and the final few minutes were pretty chaotic in a good way. The swerve finish was pretty good too since the crowd badly wanted the old Austin and he wouldn’t give it to them. His reasoning for this and the booking of the entire invasion following this were horrible though. ***½
Overall: 5.5/10; Decent. The invasion angle itself could have been something amazing but instead, it was poorly handled for the entire duration. This was the first real stop and it was a mixed bag. Some of the matches were dreadful (Raven/Tazz, Patrick/Hebner, the six man tag) most were middle of the pack and a few were good. I enjoyed the main event and loved the Hardcore Title match. There was a lot of potential here, but a good chunk of it went wasted. My next “Random Network Review” looks like it will be Survivor Series 2013!
RevPro Wrestling/NJPW Global Wars UK Night Two
November 10th, 2017 | Walthamstow Assembly Hall in Walthamstow, Greater London
After a strong night one, RevPro and NJPW return with night two of Global Wars UK.
#CCK vs. Gedo, Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI
I really wish CCK got paired up with better opponents during these shows. Banks, Brooke and Lykos against Naito, BUSHI and SANADA would’ve been dope. If only more LIDJ members traveled on this tour. The chemistry of the best boys was great. They utilized quick tags and hit impressive tandem offense. The match built to a Hirooki Goto hot tag and he showed more fire than a lot of his recent work. His exchange with Banks was a highlight. Goto could benefit from being sent somewhere other than NJPW. If they still had their partnership with NOAH, that would’ve been ideal. Banks got saved from defeat by his partners, who then hit dives that took out Goto and Tacos. Banks drilled Gedo with the Kiwi Krusher to win at 9:18. I thought this was a fine opener. I liked it more than the CCK match on night one. Goto brought energy, it didn’t overstay its welcome and was quite fun. [***]
Toru Yano vs. Zack Gibson
Gibson’s pre-match promo got its usual heat. He made a crack about the fans, saying just because they listen to Dave Meltzer, doesn’t make them smart (it might’ve been slightly different but was hard to hear over the boos). Like he did against Yuji Nagata, Gibson went after the arm to set up the Shankly Gates. Yano responded with his usual bag of tricks, including several spots involving the exposed turnbuckle. Yano got a damn car stereo out from under the ring. The referee stopped him from using it, but the distraction allowed for two low blows and a rollup win in 5:38. Like Yano’s match on night one, this was good comedy. He did a bit of a compilations of his best stuff and it worked extra well because of Gibson’s heat. [**¼]
Josh Bodom vs. Rocky Romero
I haven’t seen Rocky work a singles match since last year’s BOTSJ. At least, that’s the last one I recall. He showed he could still go, working at a fast pace with Bodom. He nailed a tope suicida and took the fight outside, before eating a neckbreaker on the apron to stop his momentum. Bodom began disrespecting the veteran with slaps and trash talk. Bodom also learned from earlier mistakes. When Rocky did his latch onto the ropes spot a second time, Bodom was ready with a dropkick. Rocky rallied with the FOREVER clotheslines and picked up a few near falls. He ran into the Bodom Breaker and then Bliss Buster, but wisely rolled outside to avoid a pin. They fought to the top rope, where Rocky brought him off into an armbar, but Bodom rolled over into a pinning combination to take it in 14:00. That went longer than I expected, but was also better than I thought. Good back and forth, with some strong close calls late. [***]
Dave Mastiff vs. Tomohiro Ishii
THICC BOI BATTLE. They charged at each other as soon as the bell rang. After a hot start, Mastiff slowed the pace a little and wore down Ishii. Ishii’s not one to stay down, though. He fired up and returned with some stiff forearms and chops. He kicked out of the best stuff Mastiff could muster up and throw at it. At one point, Ishii began leaning into Mastiff’s forearms. In an awesome moment, Mastiff simply caught Ishii’s sliding lariat. Ishii fought free of his grip and still hit it, but it remained a cool spot. It was Mastiff’s turn to fire up, no selling a lariat, though again, a second attempt was successful. Ishii scored with a Brainbuster to pick up the victory in 11:02. They kind of worked this similarly to the Lee/Ishii match, with results that were nowhere near as effective. It was a good hoss battle that disappointed me because I always expect the best from Ishii matches. [***¼]
RPW British Cruiserweight Championship: Ryan Smile [c] vs. El Desperado
Thanks to Smile’s title win on night one, this was made a title match. Early on, it was clear that Smile had an advantage. In typical Desperado form, he began looking for any and all openings to use underhanded tactics. His eventual target became Smile’s leg, attempting to take away his aerial ability. I appreciated that the knee work felt a bit different from what Desperado used on Riddle the night before. It didn’t full work, because Smile managed a nice tope con hilo to get himself back into the match. Desperado had a good close call when he took Smile kicking out of a spinebuster and turned it into the Stretch Muffler. Smile made it to the ropes, leading to them fighting on the top rope. Smile knocked him to the mat and won with a frog splash in 14:03. That was fine, just nothing special. I liked Desperado’s leg work, though Smile could’ve sold it better. [**¾]
BUSHI and Tetsuya Naito vs. Keith Lee and Yuji Nagata
This should be a blast. As expected, we got early fun from BUSHI squaring up against Lee, only for Naito to attack from behind. It didn’t matter, because Lee was too big for them. Their cheap tricks eventually got Lee down. Naito did everything to antagonize Nagata on the apron, including spitting at him. Nagata’s hot tag didn’t get a huge pop, but he did light Naito up with kicks. BLUE JUSTICE! He slapped on his signature armbar, but Naito reached the ropes. Things broke down and I couldn’t help but get a kick out of seeing Lee completely run over BUSHI. While battling Naito, Lee did a goddamn slingshot cross body. My major gripe with this match came in the finish. BUSHI misted Lee, allowing Naito to hit two Destinos and win at 12:56. I don’t think Lee should’ve eaten the pin. I’d rather BUSHI take the loss if they wanted to keep Nagata unpinned in RevPro. Aside from that, this was a fun sprint. Even with Naito giving a t-shirt wearing effort, all four men brought something cool to the match and made the most of the time given. [***¼]
Matt Riddle vs. Minoru Suzuki w/ El Desperado
Two guys with MMA pasts. Neither man wanted to make the first mistake, so it was slow for a minute or so. Then, they just started trading vicious blows. Minoru caught one into a rope hung armbar, before the fight went outside. Unfortunately, it was there that Desperado got involved. He hit Riddle with a bunch of cheap shots because that’s what Suzuki-Gun does. Inside, Riddle started turning things around with bridging gutwrench suplexes. His comeback saw him work his own armbar and wrist, finding an opening. He kicked and slapped at the arm as often as possible, even with Suzuki screaming in his face. Desperate, Suzuki pulled the referee in the way of a Riddle shot, allowing Desperado to jump Riddle. Riddle fought him off, but it was enough to lead to a Gotch Style Piledriver that gave Suzuki the W at 14:57. There was potential for this to crack four stars. It was the kind of hard hitting match I wanted and it mostly played to their strengths. Of course, there was too much Suzuki-Gun nonsense and interference that held it back. [***½]
RPW British Heavyweight Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. [c] vs. Will Ospreay
Though the shine has worn off considerably on Will Ospreay, the two matches I’ve seen these two have ruled. At Evolve 58 (****½), they stole WrestleMania 32 weekend, before having another high quality outing at the BOLA (***¾). They opened with some very fast paced exchanges. Ospreay was continually too quick and elusive to remain in Sabre’s grasp for long. I loved that Sabre didn’t let Will do his dumb flippy shit early. His first handspring attempt saw him get pulled outside and his second was greeted with a swift kick to the chest. From there, Sabre took over. Being the slimy Suzuki-Gun member, he was more than happy to try for a countout victory, though of course he didn’t get it. When Ospreay started his comeback, he still got to use aerial stuff and have it make sense because Sabre never targeted his leg or anything too specific. The continuing trend of the match saw Sabre turning a lot of Ospreay’s flying offense into some sort of submission. Down the stretch, Ospreay started daring Sabre to hit him harder, before bringing his own stiff shots. He found a great counter for the European clutch pin, turning it over into one of his own for a fantastic near fall. Ospreay hit the always incredible looking imploding 450 splash, yet Sabre managed to kick out. When Will hit the Oscutter and Sabre instinctively rolled outside to avoid getting pinned, the fans reacted perfectly. The finish was great, as Sabre caught a Red Arrow into a triangle choke. Ospreay fought out, only to end up in the Octopus Hold. He fought out of that into a pin that Sabre countered into his insanely painful looking shoulder submission to retain in 24:59. While not quite as good as their Evolve battle, it ranks as a close second for them. The work made sense and the fans were way into it. Sabre constantly had an answer for everything Ospreay did, while the challenger showed a lot of heart and fire. They told a great story, as Sabre was constantly just one step ahead. It was one of three standout Ospreay matches I saw in 2017. [****¼]
Overall: 7/10. About as good as night one. While that show had a higher ceiling (Lee/Ishii), this one still delivered a consistent barrage of quality matches. Everything is at least fun, with Yano/Gibson being the floor and that being kept short. Riddle/Suzuki and Mastiff/Ishii felt like disappointments, but both were good matches. Smile/Desperado was solid, while Bodom/Romero was a nice little surprise. The LIDJ tag was hella fun and the main event was up there with the best RPW Title matches I can recall.
