Smackdown Recap & News

Unlike when it first started and especially during the early days of the brand split, Smackdown is no longer really considered must-see television. It has good matches, but a lot of the time it features too much of a Raw recap and not enough storyline development. I still watch it though and will recap it on Saturdays.

Smackdown surprisingly opened with Rusev and Lana. The whole "Gold Star" thing is pretty lame to me. Lana continues to be the best part of the Rusev character, though the Putin stuff is off-putin. See what I did there? Anyway, Roman Reigns interrupted and gave Shield fist bumps to fans, so I guess they're his brothers now too. Reigns has a very cocky, in a good way, character on the microphone. It's badass. 

The Divas Champion was out next and AJ Lee is still something that makes me happy whenever she's on my TV. This angle with her and Paige is definitely intriguing. I hope it leads to a psycho Paige who just goes all "NXT Anti-Diva" on the Divas roster. Those who watch NXT on a regular basis know what I mean. She made rather quick work of Cameron, who, despite being pretty bad in the ring, plays her new role quite well. Announcing Paige and AJ Lee for Battleground is big, but I would've preferred something else and saving Paige/AJ for SummerSlam. Oh well. I'll be watching for sure.

I appreciate the fact that there are four different rivalries going on between the Divas. We have AJ/Paige, Cameron/Naomi, Summer/Layla and the Bellas/Stephanie. That's pretty sweet for fans of women's wrestling. The Summer/Layla saga added a new chapter when Fandango met Adam Rose with both girls at ringside. Adam Rose wins and despite what Kevin Dunn may think, he's over. Maybe it's just the theme song but it's something. Later in the show, Layla and Summer have a Money in the Bank rematch with Fandango as the referee. They decide to be done with Fandango and choose each other over him. At least, I think that's what happened. Or it's what I hope.

In 2013, the tag team division was one of the best parts of the show every week. The Shield, The Usos, Cody Rhodes & Goldust, The Real Americans and more made it the best its been in years. Fast forward less than a year later and it's dwindled. The Usos are still on top, Rybaxel is entertaining but hasn't been booked strong, Stsardust and Goldust are still good and Harper and Rowan are legit. But it's not the same. That was clear as the Usos wrestled Titus O'Neil and Heath Slater. I won't lie, O'Neil in a new 3MB would be interesting. They announce The Usos vs. Harper & Rowan in a 2 out of 3 Falls match at Battleground. If it's anything like their MITB match, then it will be great.

Randy Orton and Chris Jericho met, as Orton called himself the Legend Killer before the match. I miss that moniker. I also miss when he was the Viper and not a neutered wimp in the Authority. Seriously, he looked weak as hell as Champion in late 2013-WrestleMania. Anyway, Jericho is totally a legend, I mean, Big E bought a Jericho action figure from the late 90's recently. That's when you know you're a legend. This was a really good as Jericho is known to have until Bray Wyatt's signature appeared and Orton struck with the RKO to win.

Goldust went one on one with Curtis Axel is a solid little match. Axel had a good match with Tyson Kidd on Superstars also. Ryback tried to attack Goldust after the match but Stardust blew stars into his face and forced him to scurry. Not much to discuss here except that Cody Rhodes continues to make the very best of any character that is given to him, including this one.

Bo Dallas was someone I didn't really like as a face on NXT, but he has nailed this character. Running over El Torito on Raw was excellent, and his Vine directed at Miami Heat fans was funny. I actually tweeted it to ESPN's Michelle Beadle because she mentioned that she was a BOliever on SportsNation and she retweeted it, which was cool. Bo calls his Bolievers his tag team partners, making this a handicap match the other wat. A "We Bolieve" chant breaks out as Bo Dallas defeats El Torito and Fernando. Or Diego. I'm not sure.

Lastly, Roman Reigns and Rusev had a solid main event. Probably the longest match in Rusev's career, though his match with Big E at Money in the Bank was good. Of course, because this has potential as a future money match, there was no clean finish. Reigns hit the Superman punch and was going for the Spear until Randy Orton interfered. Reigns gets taken out by Rusev and then RKO'ed to close the show.

The biggest news to break this morning is that the WWE has officially signed Japanese star KENTA to a contract. This is awesome. I've seen KENTA wrestle live and he's something special. Some people worry that he could be a Sin Cara like bust, but sending him to NXT should prevent that. Sin Cara wasn't given the chance to learn the WWE style and botched nearly everything in his career. I'm excited to see what he does on NXT and in the WWE and I cannot wait.

Smackdown was pretty good and entertaining throughout while the KENTA signing is pretty damn big. Expect another Smackdown recap next week as well as predictions for Battleground, which is shaping up pretty nicely now. Until next time, same Stone Cold time, same Stone Cold channel.

Through The Years: Vengeance 2001 Review

Vengeance 2001
December 9th, 2001 – San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California

The Invasion angle is officially over and WCW/ECW is dead. The night after Survivor Series it was revealed that Shane and Stephanie McMahon sold their 50% of the company to Ric Flair. The Nature Boy was now 50/50 owner of the WWF along with Vince, quickly turning Mr. McMahon back into a heel character because that's what's best for business. Heading into Vengeance there was still a WCW Champion and a WWF Champion. That needed to be fixed so it was time for a mini-tournament to rectify that situation. That tournament is seriously the only thing I remember from this show but I hope it can build on a solid Survivor Series show.

2001 was a year for great Pay-Per-View theme songs as this one has Drowning Pool's “Sinner” which is a forgotten favorite of mine. Vengeance is live from the 619! Where's Rey Mysterio? Mr. McMahon's theme hits as one of the bosses comes out and here comes a promo to open a Pay-Per-View, and I've mentioned how much I hate those. He complains about something that happened to him on the previous Smackdown. Seems like The Rock shoved Vince's face into Rikishi's behind. HE DID IT FOR DA ROCK. The Nature Boy interrupts him with a hearty “Woo!” to start the show.

Scotty 2 Hotty and Albert d. Christian and Test in 6:19
Christian is still the European Champion here and that's awesome. The fight starts at the bottom of the ramp surprisingly. Scotty and Christian start, with Scotty winning their exchange. Tags are made and the epic explosion of T&A is going down! Albert incorporates dancing into his offense, which would prepare him for his run as a member of Tons of Funk. TAG FORMULA as the heels beat on Scotty and cheat behind referee Teddy Long's back. I think Teddy put “only referee tag matches playa” in his contract. Hot tag to the Hip Hop Hippo, who combined bad dancing with mediocre wrestling. Giant swing on Christian, but it's no Cesaro Swing. Test pulls Albert out of the ring when he tries the Baldo Bomb and Scotty's Worm attempt is stopped with a reverse DDT. Christian goes for his own Worm, but Albert interrupts it. A big boot on Albert gets a two when Scotty breaks it up and he hits the Worm on Test. That ridiculous move is so over. Christian goes for the Unprettier on Scotty, but is met with the Baldo Bomb for the finish. I was not looking forward to this match, but it was a fun, short opener and that's all you could ask for. **1/2

Future ESPN anchor Jonathan Coachman is standing by with William Regal. He questions Regal's methods and besmirches the man. Regal says that he's successful and he will beat Edge tonight. Intense promo.

Intercontinental Championship
Edge (c) d. William Regal in 9:07 to retain the title
Two of my favorites wrestling for a title that I love. Should be good. Nice opening wrasslin sequence that Edge wins with a second rope dropkick. Regal regroups outside but takes it to Edge when he decides to follow. The physical style of Regal is great and he just brutalizes Edge with European uppercuts and knees including a knee trembler. Regal stays in control until a swinging neckbreaker from Edge swings the tide. See what I did there? Edge hits one of my all time favorite moves, the Northern lights suplex for two. Regal gets knocked outside in an unorthodox way before taking Edge out. He retrieves some brass knuckles from under the ring but doesn't use them quite yet. Back in the ring, Edge gets two near falls and an elbow to the jaw for his troubles. Back to back butterfly suplexes get Regal a near fall and he's pissed. He goes for the knuckles but is cut off by a Spear that gets Edge the three. Solid match that shows Edge's resilience. **3/4

The Nature Boy is in his office when Kurt Angle walks in. He calls Flair a 14 time World Champion, though I'm pretty sure Flair was already a 16 time Champion by 2001. Anyway, Kurt keeps talking about how he great he is and Flair seems to agree. Kurt doesn't understand why he's agreeing as he's used to arguing with Stone Cold so much.

Lita is shown in one of the greatest special referee attires of all time. Aww shucky ducky quack quack. Matt Hardy arrives to sweet talk her about how he's the better Hardy. I don't think you need to convince her that you were better than Jeff, you need to show her that you're better than Edge. Lita promises to be a fair referee and Matt says he will wipe the mat with his brother. Hmm, first seeds of a heel turn maybe?

Jeff Hardy d. Matt Hardy in 12:31
As noted a moment ago, Lita is a very sexy referee. This all started because Jeff takes dumb risks and Matt wants him to relax bro. The Hardys theme stays on for both brothers. Some basic wrestling starts the match until Matt starts to heel it up. The crowd is not into it, either because two high fliers are trying to mat wrestle or because they don't want to see the Hardy Boyz fight. Matt misses a leg drop from the top and then Jeff hits one. Matt puts Jeff in the tree of woe, doesn't listen to Lita's five count and then gets pissy at her for telling him about himself. Sunset flip bomb to the outside is sloppily reversed into a hurricanrana by Jeff. He takes a risk and messes up his knee. STORYTELLING! Matt instantly targets that leg now and applies possibly the worst single leg crab ever. He again mostly ignores Lita because HE HAS UNTIL FIVE! Bryan Danielson reference for the uninitiated. Jeff's knee goes out again like he's Kevin Nash but he still hits an enziguri. He goes for the Swanton but Matt stops it and slams him from the top. Matt taunts his brother and gets his Twist of Fate reversed but reverses Jeff into a backslide for two. He tries using the ropes for an unfair advantage, Lita catches him and he argues with her. Matt makes the mistake here, trying a top rope Twist of Fate that Jeff blocks. He follows with the Swanton Bomb and wins. Disappointing. They seemed to not have chemistry, which is a lie since their 2009 matches were good. The crowd wasn't into it, which hurt. **

Matt Hardy pleads his case that he got his foot on the ropes, which he did. Lita didn't see it and Matt storms off in a pouty mood. This went nowhere though because the Hardys and Lita were taken off of TV for a while and when they did return, they were a team again.

The Rock and Trish Stratus talk backstage and she gives him a good luck kiss on the cheek. These two make every man and woman in the crowd jealous at the same time. He says that he's focused on the belt tonight, but after the show, she can smell what the Rock is cooking. Then he walks off...of his own locker room. That ruined the segment for me, though Trish seemed to enjoy it.

WWF Tag Team Championship
The Dudley Boyz (c) w/ Stacy Keibler d. The Big Show and Kane in 6:51 to retain the titles
Big Show and Kane made a pretty good team in 2006 if I remember correctly so let's see if their younger selves could do the same. Kane has decided against his badass Survivor Series attire. Show and Kane dominate early on, with D-Von even refusing to tag in against Show despite Bubba Ray begging him. It is absolutely 100% one sided. Stacy gets in the ring to try and rally the Champions but Show removes her skirt and spanks her. He doesn't shush the crowd beforehand though. The Dudleys finally get some offense because Show and Kane have chemistry issues and continually hit each other. The Dudleys retain after a double flapjack onto an exposed turnbuckle. Bad match that even Jim Ross acknowledges. “That was not a pretty match.” It did have a good amount of Stacy booty though. 1/2*

Lita is in the back apologizing to Matt but he packs his bags and leaves. She is clearly frustrated. Maybe Edge can comfort her. I'll stop, the Edge/Lita jokes aren't funny. 

Hardcore Championship
The Undertaker d. Rob Van Dam (c) in 11:05 to win the title
After the Invasion, The Undertaker turned heel because he had been kissing Vince's ass (figuratively) for years and now other people should have to kiss Vince's ass (literally). I hated Undertaker's hair cut during his heel American Badass run. RVD is still incredibly over. Early on, RVD goes for his shoulder thrust spot in the corner but is met with a big boot after the back flip. He does hit a front flip off the top and starts the match hot. Undertaker big boots him to the outside to change that. They brawl outside and it spills into the crowd. The fight moves up by the stage where RVD blinds Booger Red with a fire extinguisher. He leaps off a section of seats onto Undertaker in a cool spot that Seth Rollins borrowed at Extreme Rules this year. Behind the titantron they go, which is something you don't see often. Undertaker hits snake eyes into the steel of the stage and he goes for the Last Ride, but RVD blocks it by climbing some of the stage. Rolling Thunder on the stage gets two. RVD blocks a Tombstone, Undertaker ducks the Van Daminator and chokeslams RVD off the stage and through tables to win the Hardcore Title. Fun brawl where RVD got in a lot of offense. The Undertaker's best match since WrestleMania X-Seven. ***

Ric Flair is on the phone again when Chris Jericho and his red highlights walk in. He says that Flair doesn't have confidence in him, but Flair assures him that if he wins, he has no problem with it and would be proud. Jericho and Angle are both insecure it would seem.

Women's Championship
Trish Stratus (c) d. Jacqueline in 3:35 to retain the title
Oh Trish Stratus, how you helped me get through puberty. Nobody cares about Jacqueline as she gets no reaction. She needs the guy I pointed out at Survivor Series who had the “Let's Go Jackie” sign. Trish was still unproven here, so putting her with a veteran was for the best. Trish kicks Jackie and checks if she's okay, which leads to her getting kicked very hard in the face. Rookie mistakes and all. A sloppy short arm clothesline gets Trish a near fall before Jacqueline reverses a kick by sweeping the leg Karate Kid style. They badly botch a unique rollup. Jacqueline blocks Stratusfaction and dropkicks the champion in the back of the head for two. Trish uses a backslide from out of nowhere to win. Trish wasn't really good yet so this was below average. *

The video package to “Sinner” for these matches is pretty awesome. That's all I wanted to say here.

WWF Championship
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin (c) d. Kurt Angle in 14:59 to retain the title
Wanna know how I know that Austin is a face? His theme has been changed back. Jim Ross states that Angle can't brawl with Austin, but we saw that he could back at SummerSlam. Early on, Austin holds serve, beating Angle from pillar to post. Angle gets the Ankle Lock to turn the match around, but Austin reaches the ropes. Kurt goes old school when he locks on the ring post figure four! Someone has been watching Bret Hart in 1997!Back in the ring, Angle works the leg and shows that he too can be a badass. He hits rolling Germans but misses his perfect moonsault and I have to wonder if he watched any of the Hardy Boyz feud. He'd know what high risk moves are bad. Austin gets a near fall after a Lou Thez press. Austin now hits five straight Germans as he learned something from his wars with Chris Benoit earlier in the year. Angle hits a low blow and the Angle Slam but only gains a near fall. He blocks one Stunner, but runs into another and Austin retains his belt. These two can do better. Their SummerSlam and Unforgiven matches are better. Of note, Angle kicked out of three Stunners at SummerSlam but lost to one here. ***

Trish Stratus is in her locker room in a towel when Test barges in like an animal. He offers to kiss her and says that if she tries to kick him out and get him fired, he has immunity. So basically, he feels like he has a rape and get out of jail free card? She kicks him out of the room anyway so that was a pointless segment. 

WCW Championship
Chris Jericho d. The Rock (c) in 19:05 to win the title
I loved their No Mercy match and hope that this is on par with that. Jericho is in full heel mode, which is just how I like him. Some good wrestling exchanges early on before the action spills outside for a few. Back inside, Jericho hits a back elbow and a suplex before going for his awesome cocky cover. Jericho slaps on the sleeper hold for a while but the Rock fights back and dodges a Lionsault. A face buster and Lionsault connects this time, but Rock kicks out. Jericho is really controlling a majority of the match, which helps it. He catapults the Rock into the post, which Rock always sells great. Jericho goes for a Rock Bottom through the table but Rock counters into a DDT. Rock tries a Rock Bottom in the ring, but Jericho counters that in Breakdown. Time for the Jerichoholic Elbow, but Rock catches the leg and gets the Sharpshooter in a great reversal. But Jericho turns it into his own Sharpshooter! Tremendous stuff! Rock reaches the ropes and Jericho attempts it again, but Rock pulls him into a small package for two. Rock Bottom from out of nowhere brings out Vince McMahon to distract the referee while Rock covers. Right hand for Vince, spinebuster for Jericho and it's time for the People's Elbow. Rock makes the mistake of focusing on Vince, allowing Jericho to hit a low blow. In a great display of arrogance, Jericho wins it with the Rock Bottom. Another great match between the two, about even with the No Mercy one. The ending sequence was fantastic. ****

WCW & WWF Championship
Chris Jericho d. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin in 12:36 to unify the titles
Austin's music hits less than a minute after Jericho wins which is unfair. Kirk Angel rushes out and takes out Austin with the chair just before the bell officially rings. Rock decides to hit Jericho with a Rock Bottom too. Fans chant for Triple H though they're about a month ahead of schedule. When both men get up, Austin takes control, especially when it goes outside. Austin exposes the concrete floor in one of my favorite old school spots but Jericho gets him on the announce table. Austin counters a suplex, Jericho counters a Stunner and Austin counters the Walls of Jericho, sending Jericho to the concrete. A sickening sounding suplex follows. Back inside, Jericho awesomely kicks out of a pin, right into an ARMBAR. Earl Hebner catches him using the ropes for leverage and kicks him off. He gets the Walls locked on in the middle of the ring but Austin powers to the ropes. Jericho accidentally takes out Hebner so of course it's shenanigans time. He hits the Stunner but both men are down. Vince shows up, frantically waving down Nick Patrick. Flair shows up and pulls out Patrick, even though he didn't do anything wrong. Flair and Vince get into it in a preview of their Street Fight the following month. Austin cheats first, hitting a low blow before rolling outside to beat down on Vince. Inside, he catches Jericho's dropkick and puts him in the Walls, leading to Jericho tapping out. DA BOOKA MAN runs in and hits Austin with the WWF Title. It's like King of the Ring all over again. Except without Benoit. Just how WWE likes it. Jericho covers and takes the cheap win. Another goodie, that was hampered by all of the interference. To be honest, McMahon/Austin was getting tired at this point. ***1/2

Overall: 6/10; The second half of this show saved it. Nothing besides the Tag Team Title match is bad, but nothing is memorable. The Hardcore Title match is fun and the three Championship matches are really good, even if they're riddled with interference. Worth a look for the historical value, but only above average.

NXT Recap & News

As I've stated numerous times already, I look forward to Thursday nights on the WWE Network as it's always a lot of  fun for me. Tonight was no different as Total Divas and NXT aired as they normally would. However, Superstars would be held off until this afternoon and the incredible Ultimate Warrior Original Special would air in its place at 10pm.

Starting with Total Divas is cool. Now, I've seen both seasons with my girlfriend but we still go back and watch the episodes that run again on the WWE Network. Tonight's involved a fight between Jimmy/John Uso and Naomi/Trinity. It wasn't one of the episodes that I particularly liked so I don't have much to comment on it. However, I leave you with some Bella Twin booty.

Onto NXT, which is always rather glorious.Things started with the Divas division, which is superb. Bayley faced Summer Rae in a number one contender's match. Renee Young looked spectacular on commentary as usual. The crowd turned an old chant that I remember as "Taz is gonna kill you" from ECW, into "Bayley's gonna hug you" which was just great. Both girls brought it and got a good amount of time before Summer won. It looks like the former BBFs will be meeting for the NXT Women's Championship. Where is my Sasha Banks in all of this though?

Next, Sin Cara went one on one with Wesley Blake in a match that did nothing for me. I've never been a big Sin Cara fan and Blake did not impress me. Sin Cara won in a few minutes but the best part for me was that a tweet of mine appeared on screen for the second straight week! It read that I would give Bayley and all of her wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube men big hugs. I would. The Vaudevillains appeared and were awesome as usual.

Bull Dempsey competed again and knocked off Angelo Dawkins. I like Bull's old school gimmick but he doesn't do much for me just yet. Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel formed International Airstrike again, though not with the name, and took on NXT Champion Adrian Neville and Sami Zayn in the main event. It was a really good match as Zayn and Neville seem incapable of having bad matches. Kidd received "Nattie's Husband" chants again, which is a clever move. He accidentally knocked Natalya off the apron and faked concern so he could roll up Sami Zayn, who showed real concern, to win. HEELDOM!

Overall, this wasn't the strongest episode of NXT as two of the matches were skippable but the opening Divas match and the main event were both strong. I did not watch the Ultimate Warrior documentary again, but if you haven't seen it, it's totally worth checking out. Not only is it a tear jerker, but it's a great look back on his career and his return just days before his untimely death. 

There is not much on the news front right now but the big story is that Daniel Bryan might require another surgery and could be out for a lot longer than expected. He's been taken out of any of the WWE's upcoming plans and this is surely a blow. He reaches the peak at WrestleMania XXX and gets married, but everything has fallen apart since then. His dad passed away, Connor the Crusher passed away and now he ends up with a huge injury. Hopefully he comes back just as strong as he left and gets the same love from the fans that he was getting before the injury. Get well soon Dragon.

Lastly, Renee Young is supposedly being groomed as a future Smackdown and possibly Raw commentator. She's recently been promoted to Superstars but this is huge. I would love to hear her weekly on the bigger shows as she's fun on NXT and Superstars. She's someone that I greatly prefer to Michael Cole and Jerry "The King" Lawler. While the commentary on NXT is great, the main roster desperately needs something to fix the awful commentary and I hope Renee Young is that jolt.

Well, that's all for now folks. There will be a new WWE Network review up later. To quote Bully Ray, I've decided to start using DA TWITTAH MACHINE more lately so follow me there and on Tumblr.

@the_kevstaa
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Random Network Reviews: Guilty as Charged 2000

Guilty as Charged 2000
1/9/00 – Boutwell Memorial Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama

2000 was a wonderful time to be a wrestling fan. I was ten years old and loved the WWF but I was actually partial to ECW. I would go to my first and only ECW show in the summer of 2000 and hearing that their shows would be available on the WWE Network got me pretty excited. Despite that, I've had the Network now for a few months and I haven't really watched any of their Pay-Per-Views except for two or three. Let's jump in and see what ECW was up to at the start of the new millennium.

Joey Styles and Cyrus “The Virus” are in the ring to welcome the fans to the show. Cyrus is in full “Network” mode tonight. Joel “The Quintessential Studmuffin” Gertner interrupts to a big pop. “If I wasn't right here in Birmingham, I'd be licking Heather Locklear and porking Heather Graham.” He continues with some very vulgar comments. He literally only came out to say his piece and he leaves before the intro video plays. Styles plugs the “Hardcore Revolution” video game, which I waited in line to buy that year. I met Tommy Dreamer and Rob Van Dam then so that was cool. My mom took me out of school that day for that so thank you mom. 

CW Anderson w/ Lou E. Dangerously and Bill Wiles d. Mikey Whipwreck in 4:41
Big fan of CW Anderson and Whipwreck was kind of going through the motions before dying his hair red and joining the Unholy Alliance with Tajiri and the Sinister Minister. I never really got the Lou E. Dangerously gimmick. I know it was a Paul Heyman parody...but they never explained why. Wiles jumps in instantly but it backfires like four times before he exits. Whipwreck takes a tough bump outside before CW takes control inside. The most impressive single arm DDT that I've ever seen gets CW a near fall. Mikey comes back with a Russian leg sweep and a flying clothesline but doesn't get three. He tries a backslide but CW nails him with a stiff left hand. Mikey hits the Whipper Snapper from out of nowhere but Lou E pulls out the official. Wiles enters and hits a body slam on Mikey and CW still only gets two. Whipper Snapper on Wiles, but a shot from Dangerously's cell phone and an Anderson spinebuster ends it. That wasn't very good and it did nothing for CW Anderson. *1/2

Danny Doring, Roadkill and Simon Diamond w/ Mitch and Elektra d. Nova, Kid Kash and Jazz in 9:58
The WWE Network dubbed generic music sucks but I understand why it's happening. I don't remember Elektra with Doring and Roadkill at all. Doring overpowers Jazz and is very proud of himself, but Jazz comes back and earns a near fall. Roadkill and Kash tag in and I was a HUGE Kash mark. He's wrestling with a broken jaw which is badass. Some double team moves for the faces work until Dick comes out. Simon hugs his Dick until Kash dives to take them out. Plenty of Dick jokes are being made as Jazz chokes him. Nova hits a new move and they reference how you'll see it on Monday night tomorrow. Nova did have some cool moves. Jazz, Simon, Dick and Kash all fight to the back, leaving Doring and Roadkill to take Nova apart. Nova kicks out of everything as his former partner, Chris Chetti arrives and gets in Nova's corner. Chetti gets the tag and dominates before we get everyone diving outside. The referee doesn't like that, so he dives out onto everyone. I kid you not. Back in the ring, Roadkill pins Chetti. Not bad, but it was a clusterfuck. Kept me entertained though. **1/2

Bo Dupp and Jack Dupp, THE DUPPS, arrive and beat down on Roadkill and Chris Chetti until Nova and Danny Doring chase them with chairs.

Mike Awesome and Judge Jeff Jones cut a promo in the back about Awesome beating up on Spike Dudley's girlfriend. 

Between this and Steve Austin hitting Molly Holly with a Stunner, girls should stay away from Spike. Mike Awesome was an effin beast. Like seriously. I see why Jeff Jones was his mouthpiece. Cut to Spike and his girlfriend and she's really missing teeth. He curses a lot and says that he's going to hurt Mike Awesome. 

Dream Partner Tag Team Match
Yoshihiro Tajiri and Super Crazy w/ Steve Corino d. Little Guido and Jerry Lynn w/ Big Sal in 12:37
HES SUPER! HES CRAZY! HES SUPER CRAZY and he is super over. Steve Corino confuses everyone when he puts the two guys who were supposed to pick partners, on the same team. Little Guido shows up saying he wants to wrestle and Paul Heyman comes out to curse out Corino and everyone. He picks Jerry Lynn and that's how this match comes about. Fun standoff between Crazy and Lynn is appreciated by the fans. Tajiri and Guido now enter and do some mat wrestling of their own. Tajiri and Lynn go for some and its surprisingly sloppy. The action spills outside as Tajiri hits a sweet moonsault. As he baseball slides into Lynn, HES SUPER! HES CRAZY! HES SUPER CRAZY! Hits a balcony moonsault onto Guido. Lynn hits a sunset flip bomb for two. Tajiri and Crazy work together even though one speaks Spanish and other Japanese. Things break down and everyone attacks their partners, allowing Tajiri to put down Lynn with a BRAINBUSTAAA! Action packed and never a dull moment even if the booking was strange. ***

Steve Corino, Jack “High Spot” Victory and somebody who I can't quite put my finger on, beat down on Lynn. Corino runs down Dusty Rhodes and the BULL OF THE WOODS HIMSELF shows up behind him. Bionic Elbows for the world as he takes out everyone. Rhino shows up and ruins all of the fun. They put the boots to the American Dream until the locker room comes to the rescue. Even the heels because kayfabe means nothing when it comes to a legend. 

I used to think New Jack was cool until I learned about the terrible things that he's done. Anyway, he cuts a promo about his friend stabbing him in the ass with a knife and him leaving it there for a week. Somehow this ties back to him wanting to beat up Da Baldies. 

Angel w/ Devito and Vic spams d. New Jack in 8:48
Oh WWE Network, dubbing over New Jack's original Ice Cube theme is necessary but awful. To be honest, if you've seen one New Jack match, you've seen them all. He's a horrible wrestler and this is just him beating the crap out of Da Baldies with every weapon imaginable. New Jack hits his trademark spot off the balcony but still manages to lose to Angel again. I remember originally watching this whole feud and hating it. The heels just kept going over and, actually, no heel has lost so far tonight. Interesting. *

Bill Alfonso is shown earlier tonight backstage annoying the hell out of everyone. He goes into RVD's locker room and it's very clear that Van Dam just finished smoking. He clearly looks like he was too. He hits us with a gem, “Is Mexico in our continent? Find out Fonzie.” He brags the rest of the way to end the promo. Alfonso finds Sabu, who is already in full ring gear. Alfonso promotes Sabu the same way he did RVD. I feel like I saw this same storyline at WrestlePalooza 1998. And right as I type that, they add that if Sabu loses, he will walk out. 

ECW World Television Championship
Rob Van Dam (c) d. Sabu in 18:40 to retain the title
RVD's generic music sucks, couldn't they have given him “One of a Kind?” RVD wins the first exchange between the former Tag Team Champions. He nails his ridiculous cartwheel back flip for a near fall after some brawling outside. Sabu launches RVD off the top and into the guardrail. Sabu follows with leap into the crowd that he misses for the most part. Sabu sets up a table outside, which gives RVD time to recover and hit a corkscrew guillotine leg drop from the apron. Always liked that move. The spots are coming fast as RVD somersaults over the top and to Sabu outside. Sabu takes control due to RVD's need to showboat and splashes him through the table outside. Back inside, things have evened out. Alfonso gives each guy a chair and they duke it out with them, RVD misses the Van Daminator and Sabu throws the chair into his face. Camel clutch from Sabu followed by a leg drop. ECW has the nerve to do a referee spot as Sabu takes him out and hits the triple jump moonsault. The referee is up rather quickly and RVD fakes a Van Daminator only to hit one anyway. RVD thinks Five Star Frog Splash but Sabu stops it and goes for a top rope hurricanrana. RVD blocks it and hits the split legged moonsault for two. RVD wants a chair from Alfonso but he won't give it to him or Sabu, so he does what everyone has wanted to do since Beulah did it and he takes out Alfonso with a Van Daminator. He blocks a move from Sabu, hits the Five Star and retains the Television Championship. Mostly a spot fest but a fun one with the story of Alfonso not being able to pick sides. Some botches hurt the score a bit. ***

The Impact Players cut a promo in the back with Dawn Marie and Jason. Lance Storm channels Daft Punk and says that they're harder, better, faster, stronger than Tommy Dreamer and Raven. “That's not just the coolest, that's not just the best, that's from Calgary, Alberta, Canada...now that my friends is Justin Credible.” I loved this team and that sign off. 

ECW World Tag Team Championship
The Impact Players w/ Dawn Marie and Jason d. Tommy Dreamer and Raven w/ Francine in 10:38 to win the titles
Francine is dressed like a total whore. Cyrus calls both her and Dawn Marie, the hottest woman on the planet. Brawl to begin because this is ECW. They continue to sell Tommy Dreamer wrestling with herniated discs in his back. The Impact Players get tosses off of the stage and trough tables before the Champions pose together. Seeing Dreamer and Raven on the same side will always seem wrong. In the ring the Champions bust out a double team move as the match has calmed down. Dreamer ducks a superkick from Credible only to get one from Storm. The crowd pops hard for a regular near fall because Francine got on the apron and bent over. Storm gets thrown headfirst into a chair for two. Justin gets heat by going for a headlock over using the steel chair. Dreamer hits a neckbreaker onto the chair so not a good idea Justin. Match breaks down into a brawl again as Dreamer and Raven dropkick chairs into the challengers. Justin nails That's Incredible but Raven kicks out. Tommy then kicks out of a piledriver and then back body drops Storm through a table, though he only breaks it with his feet. Catfight busts out between Dawn and Francine and ends with a bronco buster. Raven pushes Francine out of the way of getting hit with the singapore cane and That's Incredible ends it. See Raven? Don't help the ladies, it cost you the straps. Typical ECW brawl and this wasn't bad. **

Some backstage interviewer that I've never heard of catches up with Steve Corino, Rhino and Jack Victory in the parking lot. They brag about what they did to Dusty Rhodes. Rhino uses foul language and I hope he doesn't kiss his mother with that mouth. He stakes his claim for the ECW World Heavyweight Title. 

ECW World Heavyweight Championship
Mike Awesome (c) w/ Judge Jeff Jones d. Spike Dudley in 14:22
Spike Dudley is billed as the Giant Killer, but to be honest, I don't think he should be in a main event. He sets up tables all around the ring. Spike is press slammed from the ring through a table outside before Awesome even takes off his belt. He gets in the ring and is hip tossed through two tables outside. This might get ugly. Awesome continues the abuse because Spike continues to kick out. Spike reverses an Awesome Bomb with an ugly hurricanrana and hits the Acid Drop on the guardrail. He continues to botch by missing a suicide dive. The crowd chants you fucked up and Awesome starts chanting it with them. Top rope hurricanrana doesn't effect Awesome who hits Spike with a lariat. Awesome leaps from the ring to the crowd in an impressive display, but the concrete is soaked from beer and Awesome slips hard when he lands. Spike is still alive as he hits the Acid Drop through a table outside. He goes for another one and is thrown through a table. So, this has been Awesome beating the hell out of Spike for more than ten minutes. He tries to fight more but an Awesome Bomb off the top through a table mercifully ends that. A really, really long squash. I get that Spike was the fighting underdog who wouldn't give up, but this shouldn't have gone on last. *3/4

Overall: 4/10; I remember enjoying every ECW Pay-Per-View but this didn't hold up. The main event is lackluster, there's a lot of filler and even RVD's match wasn't up to par. Plus, with the exception of RVD/Sabu, which featured two faces, all heels won here. All in all, this is a relatively skippable show. My next Random Network Review will be none other than In Your House: Beware of Dog.

Top 10 Thursday: Things About the WWE Network

Unfortunately, I was unable to get any requests for my Top Ten Thursday so I decided to go with one of my own. I didn't want to do one that the WWE Countdown show has done so far and I didn't want to do a huge one like "Top Ten Superstars". In the end, I chose to do the "Top Ten Things About the WWE Network" since I've been enjoying it immensely since February.

10. Chris Benoit

Now, this may not be the most popular choice but it's something I've liked seeing on the WWE Network. Chris Benoit was among my favorite wrestlers during his career and the above moment at WrestleMania XX with Eddie Guerrero was something special. However, we all know what went down in 2007 and since then, the WWE has not made mention of Benoit and have not really released any of his matches on DVD. So, with the WWE Network, going back and watching Chris Benoit has been awesome. Whether it's on ECW Hardcore TV, WCW Pay-Per-Views or all over WWE shows from 2000-2007, getting to see one of the best ever is classic and something that I cherish.

9. Original Specials

This would be higher if there were more. The WWE Network Original Specials have been great. The "Journey to WrestleMania: Daniel Bryan" was an outstanding documentary even if it was about an hour long. It gave an in-depth look into Bryan's career including stuff from before he signed with the WWE. The Ultimate Warrior one was just as amazing during the Network's special "Warrior Week" following the Hall of Famer's untimely death. The Vickie Guerrero Countdown was decent, but according to the schedule for the upcoming week, there will be a Special on the WrestleMania 13 classic between Steve Austin and Bret Hart. If that's anywhere as good as it can be, it'll be must see television. 

8. Legends House

Reality TV done right. I grew up watching Roddy Piper, Jim Duggan, Mean "BY GAWD" Gene and the rest of the cast of Legends House. The first season is already over and there's rumors of not doing a second season but that would be a travesty. Legends House was hilarious, just look at the above GIF. Where else would see a LARPing Roddy Piper? Despite it being funny as hell a lot of the time, the show hit home with a lot of emotion. Especially the final episode where each cast member revealed a heart-breaking story and Pat Patterson came out of the closet officially. All in all, it was a great part of my Thursday nights and I miss it. Plus, that Ashley <3. The former Pussycat Doll looked great on every episode.

7. Legends of Wrestling Roundtable

These Legends of Wrestling Roundtables were a big part of the old WWE 24/7 Classics on Demand service and they've moved over to the WWE Network. While they have yet to add any new ones, the old ones are incredibly entertaining. Usually featuring guys like Jim Ross, Michael Hayes, Tazz, Mick Foley, Eric Bischoff and more, the viewer gets a lot of insight into the backstage workings of the industry. We are treated to a lot of stories that we've never heard before. It's also funny how most of the legends on this show smoke cigars during these. Some of my favorites include Monday Night Wars, Monday Night Raw, Heatseekers and the nWo. The only thing I want, is for new ones to emerge. They can't be too expensive to film.

6. Raw Replays

Starting with the very episode on my 3rd birthday, January 11th, 1993 and continuing through early 1995 as of today, the WWE Network has been uploading every episode in the history of Monday Night Raw. For those keeping track, there has been over 1100 episodes. Slowly going through the early years has allowed me to re-watch these and it's a ton of fun. Add in that they upload "Best of Raw" episodes from random years like '98, '01 or '06 and every Raw since 2012 and there is a lot of enjoy. Let's not forget that while it's not Raw in particular, the "Best of Smackdown" episodes, every single Clash of the Champions, Hardcore TV and Saturday Night's Main Event. There's so much to watch and so much to upload like Nitro, Thunder, Livewaire, Superstars, etc.

5. WWE Countdown

There are a lot of WWE Network original shows, including Legends House that I mentioned earlier and WrestleMania Rewind. However, there is none that I enjoy more than WWE Countdown. As a sucker for top ten lists, I knew I'd enjoy this. Some episodes are hit or miss, but the very best part of this show isn't even seeing what number one is each week. It's the talking head segments with the Superstars/personalities. Seeing non-wrestling people like ESPN's Michelle Beadle or comedian Judah Friedlander is cool. However, getting to see people like Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Cesaro, Renee Young or AJ Lee talk, you can tell how they were big fans growing up. It's a blast to see them mark like we do.

4. Main Event

Before the WWE Network, Main Event was a pre-recorded show that was skippable along with Superstars. However, when the live stream for NXT Arrival (the first live event on the Network) went out, WWE knew they needed to test more live shows before WrestleMania. Enter Main Event. It would now air live on Tuesday nights at 8PM and because it was now live, it became must see television. It actually has probably surpassed Smackdown as the B show. Not only are you treated to an hour of good wrestling, but you also get big announcements like Seth Rollins informing the fans of the second Money in the Bank match. The WWE having to test more live streams has turned Main Event into my second favorite weekly show and I tend to enjoy it more than Raw.

3. Live Pay-Per-Views

At a price tag of $60 per event, I would never order all 12 of the WWE Pay-Per-Views in a calendar year. I'd normally get Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, Money in the Bank and SummerSlam. However, with the events being included in my $9.99 per month subscription, I've watched every Pay-Per-View on the WWE Network. WrestleMania, Extreme Rules, Payback and Money in the Bank. You can't beat that price and the quality has been good for the live stream. Also, nearly every show has been really good to great, though the recent Money in the Bank was the worst of the Network era. Getting to see every Pay-Per-View and not having to pay $60 for each is amazing.

2. Archived Pay-Per-Views

Since getting the WWE Network, I've been having a tremendous time going through the archived Pay-Per-Views. Some of them I had on DVD like the SummerSlam and Royal Rumble collections, but getting to see things like classic WCW, ECW and WWE shows in high definition can't be beat. I can go back and watch Canadian Stampede, Starrcade or November to Remember any time that I want. I've been using this feature to write my reviews and I've yet to even scratch the surface of the amount of Pay-Per-Views. Over 400 events keeps things fresh and allows me to watch some absolute classics. Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin? Check. Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker? Check. Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat? Check.

1. NXT

Thursday nights are my favorite nights for the WWE Network and NXT is the main reason why. Yes, there's Legends House/Total Divas and Superstars with Renee Young but NXT is amazing. Their Arrival and TakeOver Specials are must see things on the Network and the amount of talent down there is insane. Sami Zayn, Tyler Breeze, Adrian Neville, Sasha Banks, Bayley and so many more. Even people who have left NXT like Paige, Emma, Bo Dallas and Big E were awesome. The presentation, talent, booking and just everything about NXT is special and something that I'm so glad to be able to watch. I look forward to seeing NXT each and every week and I can't wait until they deliver another special. Easily the  best thing going in the WWE.