Smackdown Report 8-29-14

Coming off of another loss to John Cena, Bray Wyatt was now looking to be fed to Roman Reigns. It's surprising that this is opening the show and I totally expect it to not have a clean finish. What follows is a solid four or so minutes of action before Luke Harper and Erick Rowan enter the ring and cause the disqualification. This brings out Mark Henry and Big Show, who now have matching attire, and of course, because Smackdown is still run by Teddy Long in spirit, tonight's main event will now be a six man tag team match playa. 

After commentary finally introduces us to the show, we get another match between Seth Rollins and Rob Van Dam. I guess I was wrong when I said that RVD's last match during this run was on Main Event. He won that Main Event match via countout, but took the loss here tonight. It was pretty good but short at four minutes. It's weird that Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns were two of the first guys we see yet they didn't interact. Next up, we have to sit through the god awful Bella Twins segment from Raw. It was terrible on Monday and it was terrible here. 

We get a quick spot saying that we can relive the first episode of Smackdown on the WWE Network and the best part is that it features the original Smackdown theme. Short matches seem to the theme of the night as the Divas Champion Paige is out next to face Emma. The difference between their NXT matches and this one minute match is startling. I loved the NXT Women's Title Finals and their match at ArRival was really good. Whatever. Stupid main roster. AJ Lee shows up after with a box of chocolates and offers it to Paige. She takes one and eats it but then spits it AJ. That was the one thing they've done that I didn't find hot. They're still awesome though.

We go from AJ, Paige and Emma to Lana. I appreciate this. She cuts a promo putting over Rusev and Putin. We must watch Rusev against Jack Swagger again because this isn't getting old. Rusev beats him. Again. That's like, 5-1 and Swagger's one win came via disqualification or counout or something like that. This loss was because of Bo Dallas, as the Dallas/Swagger dynamic continues, although it's weird. Dallas attacks after the match as well. In the back, Miz was being annoying so he gets booked against Sheamus.

Goldust apologizes for his and Stardust's actions on Raw where they attacked The Usos after beating them by countout. It looks like it's going to be Stardust taking on Jimmy Uso. Because it's Smackdown and they'd rather use the two hours on recaps than in ring action, this gets about one minute. Jimmy Uso wins with a rollup so The Dust Brothers get pissed again and attack them. I'm all for an Usos/Dust Brothers match at Night of Champions. I'm not all for Smackdown having nothing but short bouts. Oh well, here's some WWE 2K15 Goldust for you.

Sheamus comes out for his match with The Miz but once again, Miz brings out his stunt double, Damien Mizdow. If Kane wants to punish Miz, why does he allow this? Another short match that Sheamus wins. Miz tries to attack Sheamus after the match but fails, so Dolph Ziggler shows up and sends him back in the ring. Miz escapes the Brogue Kick, so Damien Mizdow gets it instead. Another boring segment. The biggest news is the announcement that Sheamus will defend the United States Title at Night of Champions against Cesaro. Should be hard hitting fun.

We get another hype video for Brock/Cena again and man, I really hope that Brock retains. There is literally no point in Cena getting the belt back at this time. The six man tag pitting Roman Reigns, Mark Henry and Big Show against the Wyatt Family came up now and got about fifteen minutes. It was decent but nothing really special. The Wyatt Family loses again because they are pretty worthless at this point. Seriously, the constant losing really hurts them even if Bray is someone who doesn't care about wins and losses.

Another week, another ho hum Smackdown. The matches were too short to be really enjoyable. 5/10. Until next time, follow me on Twitter @the_kevstaaa.

NXT and Superstars Report 8-28-14

When Smackdown moves to Thursdays on 10/2/14, I'm not going to be as excited for Thursdays anymore. Unfortunately, tonight's show opened in a way that I'm not a fan of. The Ascension came out and guess what they did guys? They beat two jobbers. I do appreciate the fans chanting "Let's Go Jobber" which is one of the funnier chants I can remember. The Ascension won rather quickly and then a cut promo about how they're going to retain at NXT TakeOver.

The new General Manager of NXT was introduced next and it was revealed to be William Regal. While I will greatly miss Regal on commentary, he should be good in a GM role as long as he gets television time. He was really good as the WWF Commissioner early in the last decade (wow that sounds so long ago). He wants to announce the main event for TakeOver so Adrian Neville comes out. Tyson Kidd interrupts and thinks he's instantly the number one contender. Tyler Breeze interrupts because that "uggo" shouldn't get the title shot. Sami Zayn comes out and wants a shot because he's SAMI ZAYN DAMMIT! Neville wants to fight all three so Regal makes a Fatal Four Way at TakeOver. THAT GUN BE GUD!

Sasha Banks and her awesome new theme came out next as it's time for a rematch from a few weeks ago as she faced Bayley. Two of my three favorite Divas on the NXT roster and they did it again by putting on another really good match. Bayley picks up the win with the Belly to Bayley and gained momentum heading into TakeOver. I'll take these two again on September 11th over anything involving Charlotte. Bayley gets interviewed by Renee Young after the match and those two sharing a ring broke world records of adorableness. Charlotte interrupted and the ring got a LOT uglier. They had a good promo and Bayley discussed how she wants to accomplish her dream. Good stuff.

So, Bull Dempsey was out next as he looked to squash Angelo Dawkins. He did just that and the worst part of it all was the announcement that Dempsey would face Mojo Rawley at TakeOver. I would like to know who booked this and thought "this is gonna be a good match." At ArRival, Mojo and CJ Parker stunk up the joint and at TakeOver, I was happy that Rusev destroyed Mojo. That's three specials for Mojo while Sasha Banks has had none. Just saying. Also, Jojo is doing a fantastic job as NXT ring announcer and is now more valuable on the roster than Eva Marie.

Earlier in the show, William Regal decided to make tonight's main event a tag team match pitting Tyler Breeze and Tyson Kidd against Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville. Of course this was a great match. Duh. Lots of fast paced action, some cool spots and a dash of storytelling. Neville gets kicked in the fact by Zayn accidentally, allowing Tyson Kidd to sneak in an pin the NXT Champion, something he's yet to be able to do. Zayn would kick him in the face after the match and stand in the middle of the ring holding the NXT Championship. It looked damn good.

Superstars was a very forgettable program this week. Adam Rose faced Curtis Axel in basically the same match they had on Main Event, which is fine, but did nothing special as Rose won again. We get a bunch of recaps before the main event which featured R-Truth against Fandango. Another ho hum match, and it's funny that both guys had matching pants nearly. Fandango won with a rollup and I wonder what happened to the SummerLay/Fandango saga. Oh well, NXT was great and gets an 8/10, while Superstars earns a 2/10. No good pictures of Superstars so you get more Sami Zayn and you like it.

Until next time, follow me on Twitter @the_kevstaaa

Top Ten Thursday: Future WWE Champions

Looking into the future, I figured I'd look at the current WWE roster, including NXT, and try to see who has the potential to be a future WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Now, let me point this out right off the bat; I'm not saying that all ten of these guys will be future champions. I'm saying that these guys have the most potential to do so of the WWE roster. Now, despite the high upside that KENTA, Kevin Steen and Prince Devitt have, I will not be including them since they have yet to debut.

10. Ryback

I still say that Ryback should have beaten the Big Show for the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania 29. He was WAY more over than both Alberto Del Rio and Jack Swagger at the time as "Feed Me More" was that year's "Yes!" movement. Now, this is currently a bit of a long shot since Ryback has fallen down the card hard. He's improved in the ring and as a character, as his team with Curtis Axel is highly entertaining. Many would say that there is no salvaging him, but the crowd in Las Vegas a few weeks ago proved that there is still hope, albeit slim hope, for Ryback.

9. Rusev

I'd like to point out that if other monster characters, mainly Umaga, never got a run as WWE Champion, then Rusev probably shouldn't. That being said, Rusev has grown on me lately. While his in ring work isn't on the level of Umaga, he is serviceable and he sells like it's his job. The key to him is Lana. Behind every great man is a great woman right? Lana is the key to everything Rusev related. She can draw heat like not many on the WWE roster and as long as she's by Rusev's side, he will get the reaction that the WWE wants.

8. Cesaro

Back after WrestleMania XXX, you might have had Cesaro number one with a bullet on this list. He had just won the "Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal" and split from The Real Americans. He was destined to be a big face. But the WWE decided to turn him heel and stick him with Paul Heyman. Heyman is normally good for one's career but not here. While Heyman spent a lot of time putting over Brock Lesnar, Cesaro's character could never get right. One week he wears a robe, the next a jacket. One week he has a towel on his head, the next he walks with his chest out. Regardless, if they can figure out something that works, the man's in ring ability will carry him to a WWE Championship one day.

7. Bad News Barrett

When he debuted with the Nexus in 2010, everybody pegged Wade Barrett as a World Champion within the year. The WWE fumbled the Nexus badly and went with The Miz as WWE Champion over Wade Barrett. After that, Barrett seemed to be stuck in the mid-card with no way out. Multiple Intercontinental Title reigns aren't a bad thing, but it seems like Barrett has the tools for more. He got the Bad News Barrett character and people said it had no chance. But, he made it work and won another Intercontinental Title. This reign was different though. He was more over than he's ever been, but once again was hit with the injury bug. Basically, if Wade Barrett can stay healthy, he could win a WWE Title down the line.

6. Cody Rhodes

Early on during his run with Legacy, I liked Cody Rhodes, but I felt that Ted Dibiase Jr. would be the breakout star. That obviously did not happen and Cody stood out. Give him a dashing character? He kills it. Undashing? Brilliant. Cocky Intercontinental Champion? Well done. Give him a stupid mustache? The crowd chants "Cody's mustache." Underdog face? He played it perfectly. Weird ass Stardust? He's making it work. No matter what you give Cody Rhodes, the guy does his very best with it. While some people feel that the Stardust character could be the end for Cody, I think he still has future WWE Champion written all over him.

5. Bray Wyatt

In the same vein as Cesaro, around the time of WrestleMania XXX, Bray Wyatt would be a shoe in for a top spot on this list. However, he was fed to the John Cena machine and that may have killed Bray. Losing at WrestleMania was one thing, but a terrible showing at Extreme Rules, followed by another loss at Payback really hurt this character. His feud with Chris Jericho was lackluster and there seems to be no direction for Bray. He should be a very protected gimmick but he's not being treated as so. If creative can get their head on straight, the sky is the limit for someone like Bray Wyatt.

4. Sami Zayn

I loved El Generico. I love Sami Zayn. You should love Sami Zayn. With Daniel Bryan on the shelf there is NO BETTER IN RING PERFORMER than Sami Zayn. Quote me on it. He's already had match of the year candidates from his bouts with Cesaro and he's the best thing about the best show in the WWE. They seem to be going for a slow burn with his character's road to the NXT Championship, similar to that of Daniel Bryan. I can see him having a Daniel Bryan type effect on the main roster. His in ring work should be able to get the crowd behind him no matter what and a Sami Zayn WWE Title run would be one of my favorite things of all time.

3. Dean Ambrose

Far and away the most interesting member of the Shield and the most entertaining guy on the WWE roster right now is Dean Ambrose. The WWE is extremely high on Roman Reigns and they want him to be the guy, but his reactions from the crowd aren't quite matching Ambrose's. I'm not badmouthing Roman Reigns here, but the WWE might not be able to derail the Ambrose train. He has a very special something about him and he is must see television. There is honestly not enough that I can say about Dean. He can go in the ring, he can brawl with the best and he has the best promos of anyone in the WWE. Yes, even ahead of Bray Wyatt. Even if they go the Roman route first, there should be no reason that Ambrose doesn't become a WWE Champion.

2. Roman Reigns

Speaking of Roman Reigns, the WWE's next big star comes in at number two here. He is also probably the safest bet since he seems destined to win the WWE Championship. While I find him to be the least entertaining of the Shield members, he still has a certain "it" factor to him. With a lot of the fans knowing that he's groomed as the next big thing, it could cause some fan backlash though. Regardless, after eliminating a record 12 Superstars in the 2014 Royal Rumble and being the runner up, he seems like a sure bet to win the 2015 version. That would allow him to main event WrestleMania 31 and maybe be the guy to beat Brock Lesnar. Whatever the plan is, he's a near guarantee to be Champion.

1. Seth Rollins

Quick, name the best thing going in the WWE today. If your answer was the rivalry between Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, then you are correct. After being a huge Tyler Black fan during his Ring of Honor run, he got signed to the WWE and I worried. He was sent to FCW for a long time and I thought that this would not be good, but it turned out to be a wise choice. He was young enough that he had enough time and when he came to the main roster, he was part of the Shield. We all know how the Shield turned out as they're the top three on this list. I put him ahead of Reigns because I feel that he has more longevity than him and is a better character. Plus, he has the Money in the Bank briefcase, which seems to be a sure bet unless you're John Cena or Damien Sandow.

Tuesday Night Network Report 8-26-14

It's episode 100 of Main Event. I'm surprised they didn't make more a big deal out of this actually. I love that Main Event still opens with the actual opening video package while Raw has seemingly abandoned that. The show opens with the biggest match as Mr. Money in the Bank, Seth Rollins goes head to head with Mr. Tuesday Night (for tonight at least) Rob Van Dam. While RVD may no longer be the "Whole Fucking Show", he can still be counted on for good matches, and Seth Rollins is on absolute fire lately. In the end, RVD picked up the countout victory which surprised me. According to reports, this is RVD's last match during this run with the company and I would've expected him to lose to Seth here. 

Next up, Curtis Axel would be facing Adam Rose. This came about because Axel refused to hop aboard the Exotic Express. Axel will be flying solo for a bit according to reports because Ryback seems to be taking some time off. Anyway, Axel can usually go in the ring and there were actually "Let's Go Axel" chants. Not good for Rose. Rose would win with the Party Foul but this wasn't great. It was a decent little match and that's never a bad thing. If only I got to hear Axel's theme completely. Sigh, he came out during a commercial. 

Because it's WWE television that's not named NXT we have to get the obligatory 96 recaps. Brock Lesnar is shown dominating John Cena at SummerSlam before we see the stupid Hall of Fame forum again. The final match of Main Event airs next as the newly turned Goldust and Stardust took on Los Matadores. Despite being heels now, The Dust Brothers haven't changed much up. Their offense seems to be the same style and their characters haven't changed. That's an interesting choice but maybe I would have them be more aggressive like they were after the Usos match on Raw. They could've beaten up Los Matadores. Instead, we got a solid little tag team match that the Dust Brothers won.

The only other new thing premiering on the WWE Network last night would be the second episode of the Monday Night War show. Now, I didn't discuss the first episode here and I apologize for that. It was very good and it focused on the early stages. Hulk Hogan signing with WCW, Eric Bischoff taking over, Nitro's debut and Lex Luger jumping ship. This second episode was all about the Scott Hall and Kevin Nash leaving, Hulk Hogan turning, the nWo and Fake Razor and Fake Diesel. It was a cool look as it wasn't one sided like a lot of things are. I appreciated that. I'd heard before that because of Fake Razor and Fake Diesel, Nash and Hall got even more money from dumbass WCW but it's always fun to see Nash's reaction when telling the story. 

Both shows were good tonight. Main Event earns a 7/10 and I recommend checking out the Monday Night War. Until next time, follow me on Twitter @the_kevstaaa.

Raw Report 8-25-14

Over the past few days the "Hall of Fame Forum" has been hyped up to open Raw. Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels would kick things off by discussing the upcoming match between John Cena and Brock Lesnar. I wonder if Hogan has any hard feeling towards Shawn overselling the hell out of his offense at SummerSlam 2005. That's still one of the funniest matches I can remember. Anyway, Hogan continues to say that John Cena is the greatest thing since him, while HBK and Flair are realists who think that Brock is going to kill Cena. Cena comes out and says he's going to get his revenge because HES FEARS NOTHING AND REGRETS LESS! He didn't actually say that but it was the usual Cena stuff. This was only alright, not the big promo that it probably should have been. The best thing was Shawn Michaels being sassy.

SummerSlam rematch time as Jack Swagger, sans Zeb Colter since he's recovering from Rusev's kick at SummerSlam, faced Rusev. With their constant back and forth and matches on Main Event, Battle ground and SummerSlam, these two have developed some good chemistry. We got another solid outing between them that ended via ref stoppage again. I like this idea because it makes Rusev look like a beast while Swagger never gives up. Bo Dallas makes sure to inform Swagger that he once again let his country down.

The United States Champion came out next to do some color commentary. Similar to how Cesaro did commentary for his match on Main Event last week. Can I just point out that while I like the new WWE logo, it's so strange that it's on the right side of the screen. It belongs on the left side dammit. Anyway, Rob Van Dam went one on one with Cesaro and the winner would become the number one contender to the United States Title. So, it doesn't matter that neither guy has the best win/loss record huh? This wasn't as good as their SummerSlam kickoff match and Cesaro picked up the win. Oh well, their match at Payback was really good so I look forward to more Sheamus/Cesaro. They will have some badass hard hitting matches.

Time for the rematch of the rematch. Natalya vs. Paige III. Despite beating Paige twice last week, Natalya doesn't earn a Divas Title match. Seriously? This couldn't be a title match? Whatever. Their stuff is good and Paige wins before skipping around the ring. Of course, AJ Lee comes out and the distraction allows Natalya to clothesline Paige. AJ calls Paige an english muffin and says she's more sincere about loving her. She kisses Paige's hand and leaves and I am LOVING the mind games between the two.

Seth Rollins held a eulogy for his fallen former brother in arms, Dean Ambrose. We all know that Ambrose is off filming a movie so I wonder what's next for Rollins until then. He cuts a good promo and puts himself over for creating the Shield. Seriously, Seth can go on the microphone and it was the one thing I was worried about when he first got hired by the WWE. Roman Reigns decides to remember that he was part of the Shield finally and comes out. It's honestly bugged me badly that he just gave up on having an issue with Seth. He brawls with Kane and crashes the eulogy. Decent stuff and I wonder if we're getting Rollins/Reigns at Night of Champions. Where would that leave Randy Orton?

The Tag Team Titles were up for grabs next as The Usos defended against the team that beat them last week, the Dust Brothers. The fans weren't really into it but it was a good little match. Cody continues to nail the Stardust character even if he's honestly above it. One of the Usos messed up their knee and got counted out. Goldust demanded a rematch right now as he seemed to think that a countout win for the titles wouldn't earn them another rematch next week. I guess if Natalya didn't get a title shot, they probably wouldn't get another. Cody and Goldust attack the Usos and the heel turn is on! I'm quite surprised by this but I really like it. I'm sure Cody and Goldie can do good things with this and it sets up what should be a good one at Night of Champions.

I guess the Authority is off tonight, so Kane decides to book himself and Seth Rollins against Roman Reigns for later tonight. Then we get another vignette from Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman to build towards Night of Champions. It was really good as this is when Brock's promos are at their best. He can say little badass things while Heyman sells everything. Anyway, up next we were supposed to get Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz again but we got Miz's stunt double, Damien Mizdow instead. Miz was on commentary and this didn't click. The whole segment was pretty poor.

So, Jerry "The King" Lawler was now going to be psychiatrist with the Bella Twins. This sounds like it will be dreadful. Brie Bella was sincere and apologized for whatever she did to upset Nikki. Nikki wants no part of it and says that Brie acts like the victim. They talk about ultrasounds for some reason and Nikki berates Brie's looks and Daniel Bryan. This whole thing has been cringeworthy so far. This should just be about Brie abandoning Nikki and that's it. I can't believe that Brie is an attention seeker when Nikki went out and got huge fake boobs. Seriously, when looking at the Bella Twins together, Nikki's rack is the first thing a guy notices. Nikki slaps Lawler, which the camera misses, and she beats up Brie. Besides this being terrible, why the hell can Brie ruin Daniel Bryan segments but John Cena and Nikki Bella never interact on screen?

Handicap match time as Seth Rollins and Kane faced Roman Reigns. This wasn't a long match and Seth attacked Reigns with the Money in the Bank briefcase. Rollins and Kane bust out the cinder blocks again, but Roman Reigns is no Dean Ambrose and he saves himself. Rollins escapes but Reigns ends up laying out Kane with the Superman Punch. This all did not get anywhere near the level of crowd reaction that Ambrose doing this would. It was actually a pretty lukewarm reception. I still wonder what role Randy Orton will play in all of this or at Night of Champions period.

Los Matadores met SLATER GATOR in a match that the crowd cared nothing about. It was a total filler segment. For some reason Los Matadores get the win here before we cut to the FOURTH recap of the Hall of Fame forum. I fucking hate all of these damn recaps. WRITE A FULL THREE HOUR SHOW AND THIS WOULDN'T HAPPEN. Bo Dallas beat Kofi Kingston next in another short match and he badmouthed Jack Swagger, which caused the Real American to come out and slam Bo. Also, Big Show and Mark Henry vs. Erick Rowan and Luke Harper is announced for Smackdown, while Main Event gets RVD/Seth Rollins.

When the WWE announced that John Cena and Bray Wyatt would main event Raw my first reaction was, well, Bray's going to lose to him yet again. John Cena runs to the ring and it's like the savage beating that Brock gave him never happened. Yay. No bandages or taped up ribs or anything. Harper and Rowan get involved, so out come Big Show and Mark Henry. In a move that Theodore Long would love, this is turned into a six man tag team match playa. Even with the six man tag though, John Cena cleans house, makes Harper submit and hits all three Wyatt Family member with AAs. So, this was so stupid. First of all, can John Cena look vulnerable? How bad would it have been if Bray was able to beat him with a bit of cheating because of the beating that he took from Brock? Whatever. The Wyatts are pointless and it's all thanks to the Cena feud.

Another mediocre episode of Raw. It seems like it's either hit or miss with this show. There was some good like the eulogy for Ambrose, the Cesaro/Sheamus stuff, the AJ/Paige stuff and the Dust Brothers heel turn. There was some terrible with the Wyatt Family death, the Bella segments and the absurd amount of recaps. This episode screamed "meh". 4/10

Through the Years Reviews: Unforgiven 2002

Unforgiven 2002
September 22, 2002 – Staples Center in Los Angeles, California – Attendance: 16,000

Obviously, I consider SummerSlam to be the peak of 2002, at least Pay-Per-View wise. It was the first show that I've fully reviewed to earn the coveted 10 out 10 perfect rating. So it would be hard for the WWE to best that the following month, but they could build on how positive it was. Brock Lesnar was set for his first Pay-Per-View WWE Title defense and it would be against the former Champion, The Undertaker, in a first time ever match! Also, Eric Bischoff was engaged in a feud with his rival General Manager Stephanie McMahon, that could result in some HLA! HLA! HLA! Lastly of note before we begin, Bischoff handed Triple H Big Gold and dubbed it the World Heavyweight Championship and he would have his first defense on this very show. 

The opening video package is pretty cool and highlights how we now have two World Titles. The Undertaker's heel turn lasted about seven months only and both title matches sound like they'll be pretty good.

Eight Man Tag Team Match
Booker T, Bubba Ray Dudley, Goldust and Kane vs. The Un-Americans (Christian, Lance Storm, Test and William Regal)
I have no idea where Kane was form WrestleMania until now, but he has badass attire and the great “Slow Chemical” theme. He will NEVER have a better theme. Goldust and Bubba do identical punch sequences together on the Tag Team Champions in a fun spot. The Un-Americans isolate Goldust and he gets a mudhole stomped in him by Test. Goldust manages to tag in Booker, and the crowd pops pretty big for him. Booker whiffs on a kick that gets him a near fall. He then replaces D-Von as the black guy who does the diving headbutt in the WASSUP sequence. He continues to be the token black guy as Bubba Ray is all like “BOOKER...GET THE TABLES!” The table gets baseball slid into Booker's face by the Champions. The heels work over Booker, but he rallies out of it and plants Christian with a spinebuster. I assume the hot tag is coming to the returning Kane. I was right. Kane comes in and beats up the entire Un-Americans. The pier six brawl breaks out as everyone goes to war outside. Test hits Kane with the pump handle slam but eats a Scissors Kick from Booker. SPINAROONIE! Christian ruins the fans' fun with a reverse DDT though. Kane nearly hits Storm with a Chokeslam but Christian low blows him. He eats a Bubba Bomb before Regal knocks him outside. Goldust sets up Christian in the corner and it's time to SHATTER SOME DREAMS! Test hits Goldust with a big boot but gets a flying clothesline from Kane. He Chokeslams Storm and it's over!

Winners: Booker T, Bubba Ray Dudley, Goldust and Kane in 9:51
Really fun opening contest. The crowd was hot and frantic finish with everyone getting some shine was entertaining as hell. ***

Stephanie McMahon is giving Billy and Chuck a pep talk because if they lose to 3 Minute Warning tonight, Stephanie has to engage in some Hot Lesbian Action.

Intercontinental Championship
Chris Jericho (c) vs. Ric Flair
Their feud from SummerSlam carries over into Unforgiven, but with the Intercontinental Title on the line this time around. Jericho shoulder blocks Flair down, but fails when trying to come off the top rope. Flair lights up Jericho's chest with chops and goes for the Figure Four, but Jericho blocks it. He hits a springboard dropkick and is very proud of himself. A missile dropkick follows and I find it odd that Jericho would do the same move twice in a row. Jericho applies the dreaded abdominal stretch but Flair counters with a hip lock takeover. Flair goes his corner bump but is right back on the offensive and sends Jericho over the turnbuckle and outside. Flair targets the leg and goes for the Figure Four but Jericho counters with a small package. Lionsault misses and Jericho seems to hurt his leg more. He sells it like his leg is about to fall off and a medic comes down. When Flair turns his back, Jericho gets to his feet and attacks. ITS A BY GAWD MIRACLE! He locks on the Walls of Jericho and Flair submits.

Winner and Still Intercontinental Champion: Chris Jericho in 6:16
Nothing special, but it had the good story of Jericho outsmarting the dirtiest player in the game. **

Eric Bischoff now gives a pep talk to 3 Minute Warning. For those who don't know, this team consists of the future Superhero in Training, Rosey, and Umaga! He announces that Rico will be in their corner tonight.

Ah, this is the first ever Pay-Per-View in the Staples Center. That's cool. Shaq and his son are in the front row and its' highlighted. MAD TV's Will Sasso is actually behind the announce table but they don't focus on him.

Eddie Guerrero vs. Edge
Edge comes out aggressively so Eddie uses that against him to start. Edge hits a very nice looking suplex for two. I'm so glad that the WWE realized that Eddie should be a face. He cheats well, obviously, but I don't think he did enough to draw good heat. He hits a tornado DDT and stomps away. He works the neck for a while. A huge right hand from out of nowhere helps Edge to turn the tide. Edge is playing the desperate face here and it works pretty well. He hits a few big moves in a row but is unable to put him away. THE SMACKDOWN SIX! I just had to throw that in there. Eddie hits a jawbreaker and goes for a hurricanrana but Edge counters into a big powerbomb that only gets a near fall. Edge goes for a Spear, Eddie dodges and Edge nearly hits the corner but stops himself. He hits the Edgecution, but, not yet being a veteran, Edge covers too close to the ropes and Eddie gets his foot on the ropes. Crowd chants for Eddie as Edge misses a missile dropkick. Eddie exposes the turnbuckle but it backfires when he gets whipped into it and Speared into it. Edge puts Eddie on the top but Eddie counters and slams Edge's face into the exposed buckle! He follows with a big sunset flip bomb and pulls the tights for good measure to win.

Winner: Eddie Guerrero in 11:55
Really good stuff from these two again. They told a good story and Edge's desperation coupled with Eddie's need to cheat was fun. ***1/2

Triple H is walking around with big gold and he enters the Raw locker room. He finds RVD, who is all “whatever and cool” instead of being nervous, so HHH calls him out. He points out Ric Flair in the locker room and says that he doesn't have things like “desire” or “determination” now. Flair gets upset but RVD backs him up and HHH leaves.

Billy and Chuck vs. 3 Minute Warning w/ Rico
The stipulation here is that if 3 Minute Warning win, Stephanie McMahon has to perform HLA. If Billy and Chuck win, Eric Bischoff has to kiss Stephanie's ass. So, it's a win-win for us guys. 3 Minute Warning don't have their awesome theme just yet. They do get the advantage early because they're much tougher than the former Tag Team Champions. They double headbutt Chuck and because they're Samoan, he might be dead. But he kicks out. A “Rico's gay” chant starts which has to be like, politically incorrect or something. Rosey misses a second rope moonsault, which impressed me and a lot of people. Billy gets the hot tag and he wails away on both opponents, hitting a dropkick and big clothesline. DOUBLE NOGGIN KNOCKER, but they're Samoans you idiot! That's like, wrestling rule #3. They no sell it and take down Billy. Chuck hits Rosey with a superkick but then eats one from Jamal. Jamal sends Billy up for a flapjack but he counters into the Fameasser! Rico enters but gets tossed out, allowing Rosey to send him into Jamal for a pop up Samoan drop to end it.

Winners: 3 Minute Warning in 6:38
So it took twice as long as three minutes. A decent little tag team match that I enjoyed, but nothing special. **

Jonathan Coachman interviews Eric Bischoff, who like every other straight male, is excited about Stephanie and lesbians. He makes three lesbians in his office chant “HLA” and, cutting to the announce table, so is Jerry Lawler.

World Heavyweight Championship
Triple H (c) vs. Rob Van Dam
I hate when Triple H has no facial hair. In the early goings it's a battle of RVD's athleticism and care free attitude against Triple H's power and serious demeanor. RVD out wrestles Triple H at one point, causing him to regroup, so RVD takes his water bottle and totally steals HHH's taunt. You just wasted a finisher dude! We get a bit of sloppy wrestling for a moment as RVD does an impressive bridge before sweeping the leg like it's Karate Kid or something. Triple H starts to get more aggressive as he sends RVD's outside and nearly gets a countout win but RVD makes it back in. Triple H is picking apart RVD because he's the CEREBRAL ASSASSAIN! HHH gets two with the high knee. He goes to mock RVD on the top, allowing the challenger to slam him off. His rally is cut short by a sleeper hold though. He breaks out of it and both guys are down. RVD uses his educated feet to mount a comeback and hits the cartwheel moonsault for a near fall. He picks up another near fall with a kick to the mouth and seems to get frustrated. Triple H absolutely tramples the referee so of course it's time for RVD to attempt a pin. He's all like, screw it and hits a Five Star before going for the pin again like an idiot. HHH uses this time to nail a low blow. He goes to use his sledgehammer but it backfires until Ric Flair runs out. He threatens to take out HHH with it but instead levels RVD! Triple H follows with the Pedigree as Flair wakes up Earl Hebner to count the three.

Winner and Still World Heavyweight Champion: Triple H in 18:17
Good match. Everything made sense from HHH being methodical to RVD surprising everyone and even the referee bump made sense to lead to Flair and Hunter joining forces. The first seeds of Evolution are planted here. ***1/4

D-Lo Brown and Billy Kidman are talking about Ric Flair's heel turn when a soap opera star appears. It's an odd segment.

Women's Championship
Molly Holly (c) vs. Trish Stratus
Molly starts the match in control and Trish misses an elbow to keep her in control. Molly gets a near fall with a clothesline and slams Trish's face into the mat before tossing her outside. We continue to see a mean streak from the Champion as she throws Trish into the steel steps and guardrail. Trish gets a counter in the ring, but it again goes nowhere when Molly dropkicks her. Trish pulls her into a small package for two. Trish busts out a bulldog but Molly is able to kick out. The challenger also nails the Chick Kick but again can't win the gold. Molly goes up for the Molly Go Round, but Trish attempts her handstand hurricanrana. Molly catches her leg and gets her in the tree of woe. She goes all Chyna and does some gymnastics before bumping Trish in the corner. Trish hits another bulldog from out of nowhere and wins the belt!

Winner and New Women's Champion: Trish Stratus in 5:46
Decent stuff. Very fast paced though and didn't have much direction but we got a lot of near falls. *3/4

Jonathan Coachman interviews Trish Stratus, who is emotional about the win and clearly loves what she is doing for a living. Cutting backstage, 3 Minute Warning and Rico are enjoying the ladies, which is kind of pointless since they're all lesbians. Bischoff picks his two girls for Stephanie's HLA.

Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle
I had no idea that this was on the card. DIS GUN B GUD! This honestly stemmed from these two laughing at each other over getting Stinkfaces. Yup. Feeling out process early on as they try to out wrestle each other. A series of pinfall attempts ends in multiple near falls before Benoit tries to apply the Crossface. Angle wriggles free and catches his breath outside. Angle gets angry, sends Benoit outside and throws him into the guardrail. He applies a seated bear hug of sorts but Benoit eventually gets out. He turns the tide when Angle misses and goes shoulder first into the corner. Benoit is like a shark smelling blood as he focuses on the shoulder because PSYCHOLOGY! Angle doesn't care about that and hits a belly to belly suplex. Both men are down but when they get to their feet, Benoit hits two Germans, only to have Kurt block the third. He then hits two Germans but Benoit blocks a third and hits another German of his own. Angle counters and finally hits three straight. My goodness, eight Germans. STRAPS ARE DOWN!Benoit ducks a shot and hits a release German! Benoit goes up for the headbutt, but Angle scurries up and hits a top rope belly to belly. Angle slaps on the Ankle Lock but Benoit kicks him off. They do some tombstone reversals and Benoit wins with a shoulder breaker. He goes back to the top and hits the headbutt but can't cover in time. He gets a near fall but goes right into the Crossface! Angle puts on the Ankle Lock WHILE IN THE CROSSFACE! He ends up countering it into just the Ankle Lock, but Benoit rolls through and gets on the Crossface. Kurt reverses it back and I don't even know what to do with myself anymore. Benoit reaches the ropes so Angle pulls him back and puts him in the Crossface! Benoit gets close to the ropes, so Angle uses his foot to push the bottom rope away like a genius. Benoit counters and pins Angle for three with his feet on the ropes.

Winner: Chris Benoit in 13:55
I just witnessed a classic. Once they got their reversals going the crowd ate this up and two of the very best of all time, put on an excellent match. Their best match together up to this point. ****1/2

Brock Lesnar gets interviewed backstage, which means that Paul Heyman gets interviewed. Time for the HLA segment. If you don't remember it, Bischoff teases that the two lesbians are going to get down and dirty with Stephanie. He cuts them off and brings out a huge, ugly lesbian for Stephanie. This turns out to be Rikishi and Bischoff gets a stinkface. Stupid segment, and I didn't get my damn HLA. Like, wouldn't Bischoff know the lesbian that he hired to make out with Stephanie? So he should know that it was Rikishi.

WWE Championship
Brock Lesnar (c) w/ Paul Heyman vs. The Undertaker
The build up video for this match is pretty great and the Undisputed Title looks perfect on Brock. At the bell, they go so face to face that they basically kiss. Taker overpowers Brock and send shim flipping outside. Brock rushes in and tries to wrestle, but Taker knocks him outside again so he kicks the steps. Back inside, Brock jumps with Taker's jumping clothesline, making it look cooler. OLD SCHOOL! A Heyman distraction allows Brock to take control with some shoulder thrusts. Brock targets the ribs, but Taker fires away on him with SOUP BONES. Following a powerslam, Brock puts Undertaker in a bear hug for like five minutes. Taker fights out and they brawl outside. Heyman distracts Brian Hebner, allowing Brock to nail Taker with the title. Undertaker is busted open but isn't going down without a fight. He hits two big clotheslines and a big boot for two. Snake eyes and a second big boot gets him another near fall. The referee ends up getting bumped just before Undertaker hits a Chokeslam. Matt Hardy of all people runs out to attack The Undertaker but he just eats a Last Ride. That allows Brock to hit a stiff spinebuster for two. Undertaker fights back and goes for the Last Ride, but Brock blocks it and the referee gets knocked out again. Heyman brings a chair into play. Lesnar goes to use it but takes a big boot to the face. Taker picks up the chair and clocks Brock with it. The chair is completely bent as he absolutely nailed him. Undertaker nails a leg drop but can only get a near fall. Brock reverses the Last Ride and Undertaker counters the F5! They brawl in the corner and Hebner continues to try and stop them so Brock throws him into the corner and they continue to brawl until they call for the bell.

Winner via disqualification: The Undertaker in 20:27
Solid brawl. Could have been better but it was still entertaining. I would've liked it more if it was shorter. I didn't mind the DQ ending. **1/2

Overall: 7.5/10; Very good. I enjoyed this more than I expected to. Angle and Benoit had one of the best matches of 2002, while the main event was a decent brawl. The opener, World Title and Eddie/Edge matches were all very good and nothing on this card was bad at all. Solid follow up to an outstanding SummerSlam.

Random Network Reviews: Clash of the Champions XIV Dixie Dynamite

Clash of the Champions XIV: Dixie Dynamite
1/30/91 – Georgia Mountains Center in Gainesville, Georgia – Attendance: 2,200

So it's time for my first review of a show that's not a Pay-Per-View. Clash of the Champions were big deals back in the WCW days and I look forward to seeing these. Now this particular edition was the first to be booked by Dusty Rhodes after he returned to the company to take over for Ole Anderson. Ole did a pretty poor job and WCW needed to right the ship. Enter Dusty and he set up an interesting main event as Ric Flair puts the World Title on the line against Scott Steiner. I'm definitely intrigued for that, so let's get started.

The intro video is cool for it's time. It hypes up Scott Steiner as one of the awesome talents in wrestling before promoting the WCW Tag Team Title match. The national anthem follows, which gives it more a big event/Pay-Per-View feel. I can dig it. Your commentary team for tonight is Jim Ross and Dusty Rhodes.

WCW World Tag Team Championship
Doom (c) vs. Lex Luger and Sting
For those who don't know, Doom consists of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed. Reed and Sting start and the crowd pops once Sting gets some offense. Luger is the United States Champion, here as he comes in and works the arm. After all, he is AMERICAN MADE! Luger and Simmons continues to try and see who's stronger and Simmons wins by knocking him down twice. Luger finally gets him down, and surprisingly, he doesn't use his loaded forearm. Simmons connects with the EDDIE GILBERT hot shot before it goes to commercial. As it returns, Luger plays the face in peril while he gets worked over by Doom. Butch Reed is not “The Natural” here, he's “Hacksaw”. So not only does he have a worse nickname, but he stole it from Jim Duggan. Luger finally tags the Stinger after he gets shoulder blocked into his corner. Bad move Butch. Danny Spivey runs in through the crowd and beats up Luger, who he will face for the US Title soon. Meanwhile, Sting is dominating inside until the referee takes a bump. Spivey and his ass-less chaps are gone. However, the referee gets up to see Sting get backdropped over the top rope and because it's WCW, that's a DQ.

Winners via disqualification: Lex Luger and Sting in 7:45
Decent opener that got the crowd hot because they could see Sting and Luger. Mainly built Spivey/Luger but the Champions got to retain and look strong. **

Doom tries to attack the faces after the match but end up getting cleared from the ring by the dominant forces that are Sting and Luger. Cut to Missy Hyatt who announces the “Sexiest WCW Wrestler” award and it's the Television Champion the Z-Man.

WCW Television Championship
The Z-Man (c) vs. “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton
I have no idea why, but Eaton is introduced as from the “darkside” which is so stupid. So, I honestly have no clue who this Z-Man is. We get some mat work to begin as Z-Man seems to have the upper hand. Eaton works the arm as they plug the hotline. The Z-Man dropkicks Eaton off the top and to the outside. Now the arm work comes from Z-Man My goodness Nick Patrick looks young. This match is boring as they do a test of strength, but neither guy is a powerhouse. Z-Man gets a near fall with a back body drop but Eaton hits a top rope knee drop to turn the tide. Z-Man counters a suplex and rolls up Eaton for two. He gets a backslide and retains the gold.

Winner and Still WCW Television Champion: The Z-Man in 7:11
Boring ass match. Neither guy really did anything impressive and they really seemed to be going through the motions. *

The replay shows that Bobby Eaton's shoulder was up. Did people have to sit through a rematch? Backstage, Alexandra York, also known as Marlena also known as Terri Runnels talks about a new acquisition. Interesting. 

Allen Iron Eagle and “Wildfire” Tommy Rich vs. The Fabulous Freebirds
Michael Hayes is starting to develop a bit of a gut. The Freebirds show off some smarts early on with a blind tag, but Tommy Rich takes them down anyway. He tags in the 20 year old Iron Eagle, but he looks more like 35. Another blind tag is made by the Freebirds as the Eagle botches a bump. I wonder if he went on to become the Swagger Soaring Eagle. Hayes applies a headlock that the future Soaring Eagle counters with an arm drag. Hayes quickly gets up and punches Eagle but he doesn't react to it. AT ALL. Maybe he is 20, he's pretty sloppy. They continue to work him over as we're getting another boring contest. Tag to Rich but the referee did not see it so he kicks him out. While he's doing that, a double DDT is hit on the Eagle to end it.

Winners: The Fabulous Freebirds in 5:53
Worse than the previous match. Multiple botches and the only guy who looked good was Tommy Rich, who barely got any action. 1/2*

An ad for WrestleWar '91 is shown. Picture in picture is shown of Tony Schiavone and Paul E. Dangerously commentating somewhere, while Dusty Rhodes gets under his skin. 

Jumpin' Joey Maggs vs. Sid Vicious
First of all, how did Maggs get an entrance? Two, Sid has terrible face music and three, Sid is announced as from “anywhere he pleases.” Maggs tries some offense but it obviously fails. Sid clubs him in the back and plants him with the Powerbomb.

Winner: Sid Vicious in 1:10
Well, this was what it should have been. Maggs gets no offense and Sid dominates. *

Sid signals for his personal EMTs to come out and take Maggs out on a stretcher. That's a pretty cool gimmick idea for a monster. We then get a promo for the WCW Hotline, which had a different person each day. Also, the 1-900-909-9900 number is the best ever. Tony Schiavone promotes the upcoming big match at WrestleWar and interviews Sid about it.

Ricky Morton vs. Terry Taylor
So the Red Rooster is introduced as the “computerized man of the 90's.” Seriously, WCW? Mat wrestling kicks this off, with neither guy getting the advantage. Morton counters an arm drag with an arm drag which was interesting. High cross body by Morton gets him two, and Terry goes outside to catch his breath. Morton is looking like a really poor man's Ricky Steamboat but only because he's done like six arm drags. Alexandra York comes out to scout the match, so we get a picture in picture promo of her saying that Terry Taylor is her newest client. He drops a knee on Morton for two. Taylor catches him with a bulldog but again only gets two. Taylor goes for a splash but Morton gets his knees up to block. Taylor starts to go heel but eye rakes and then he wins by attacking Morton from behind and letting Morton crash and burn.

Winner: Terry Taylor in 5:34
Nothing special but told a good story of Taylor getting more angry and heel like throughout. **1/2

Sting gets interviewed about being attacked by the Four Horsemen and coming back to win the PWI “Wrestler of the Year” Award. 

El Cubano vs. Ranger Ross
My goodness, what is this doing on television. Ross cuts a promo that's picture in picture at the start of the match and he dropkicks the fat Cubano outside. Cubano gets back in but doesn't get much offense. Ross shoulder blocks him down and applies a wristlock. Jim Ross really puts over how much of a role model Ranger Ross is. Ross wins shortly after with a sloppy sunset flip.

Winner: Ranger Ross in 3:54
This was pretty piss poor. Not much happened and what did occur was sloppy. 1/2*

Another promo airs for WrestleWar '91, which will feature War Games!

Arn Anderson and Barry Windham vs. The Renegade Warriors
Besides Sting and Lex Luger, the Four Horsemen get the biggest pop of the show. The Renegade Warriors attack before the match begins and get in a surprising amount of offense in the early stages. They even cut the ring in half and work over Double A for a bit. The crowd actually reacts to the possibility of an upset, but Double A hits a spinebuster and things change. Windham gets the tag and hits a suplex. The Horsemen now cut the ring in half but Anderson and one of the Warriors get a DOUBLE NOGGIN KNOCKER. Anderson stops a tag with an atomic drop and hits a poor looking splash. The Warriors make a tag and are on fire. All four guys are in the ring until Windham knocks Mark outside. He hits the other with a lariat and after a second rope suplex, the Horsemen win.

Winners: Arn Anderson and Barry Windham in 7:28
This was more competitive than I expected, but it still was rather boring. The Renegade Warriors do nothing for me. *1/2

Highlights of a match from Japan between Big Van Vader and Stan Hansen is shown because WCW has signed the rematch to happen.

Brian Pillman vs. Buddy Lee Parker
I expect this to be another in a line of squashes tonight. Pillman is gearing up for War Games so there would be no need for Parker to win. Pillman gets in his signature offense as the ladies love it and he flies around the ring a bit. Not much to note as Parker gets in nearly no offense and Pillman wins with a cross body.

Winner: Brian Pillman in 3:20
Another squash match. Not much to say but Pillman did impress. *1/2

Inter Gender Arm Wrestling Contest
Paul E. Dangerously is taking on Missy Hyatt in this one, and Paul hilariously has on knee pads and wrist tape. I would think Missy would need the knee pads. Oh yeah, I went there. Missy shows off cleavage which distracts Dangerously and allows her to win easily. 

Winner: Missy Hyatt
Not really anything to rate. At least it was fast unlike a lot of other arm wrestling contests.

WCW World Heavyweight Championship
Ric Flair (c) vs. Scott Steiner w/ Rick Steiner
The Steiners gets a cool entrance complete with Michigan cheerleaders. They announce that El Gigante is in the crowd and for those who don't know, he's the future Giant Gonzalez. Once the bell rings, Flair lets out a “woo” and trash talks his challenger. Flair stupidly decides to flex and Scott outshines him there, even back in 1991. Steiner shows off his power advantage early on, which gets pops from the fans. Flair goes to regroup but runs into Rick who taunts him. Steiner hits a sidewalk slam for two and Flair, being the super heel that he is, pulls hair to kick out. Flair decides that mat wrestling is the next tactic to try, but Scott holds his own and Flair has to take another breather. I always thought it was funny how a clothesline performed by a Steiner becomes the STEINERLINE! Flair gets an advantage and tries a dirty pin but Rick knocks his feet off the ropes. Scott slaps on the Figure Four when the show returns from commercial. Flair gets out and actually tries a cross body, which I've never seen him do. They both go over and out, though Scott has to throw himself over. Flair now works the leg with various kneebreakers and such. He applies the Figure Four and uses the ropes for leverage. Scott turns it over, putting the pressure on the Champion, who gets the ropes. Scott sends Flair into the corner and he does his trademark bump there. Scott comes really close to winning with a small package. With three minutes of TV time remaining, Flair is trying to stall. He goes for a pin with his feet on the ropes and Rick stops it again. Scott hits a nice tiger bomb, but doesn't pin, allowing Flair to roll outside and stall. Scott waits in the ring like an idiot as Rick takes forever to roll the champion in with a minute left. STEINERLINE! Scott does too much pandering to the crowd and hits a belly to belly as time expires.

The match ends in a TV time limit draw at 21:40
This told a good story of the wily veteran out smarting and surviving the young upstart. Scott did look dumb near the end but I guess it works with the rookie mistakes thing. ***1/4

Overall: 3/10; Poor. Far too many squash matches hurt this card. They tried to cram too much into two hours. That being said, the main event was good, the arm wrestling match was short but entertaining and the Sid squash was at least fun. Everything else was useless and tough to get through. The next “Random Network Review” is scheduled to be In Your House: D-Generation X!