Impact Wrestling 3/13/15 Review

I haven't been able to review Impact the past few weeks thanks to being busy, but I have been watching. This is billed as a pretty big episode with a lot of former friendships turned rivalries coming to a head. Things open big with Eric Young and Bobby Roode facing off in a Last Man Standing match. They got about twenty minutes and I much prefer this to any of the weekly Authority opening promos we've had on Raw lately. Good old fashioned grudge matches are something I miss. A Roode Bomb through the table keeps EY down and Roode is able to score the win. It went down exactly how a Last Man Standing match should and, despite their good matches together, hopefully this feud can end and Roode can move onto to bigger and better things. Backstage, Rockstar Spud talks about guys like him standing up to the EC3's of the world. Out comes Drew Galloway to discuss his passion for professional wrestling until MVP and the BDC interrupt. Galloway says he was the chosen one before, so MVP says the BDC have chosen him to get a beatdown. They have a match and I must say, it's refreshing but strange to see a face Drew Galloway. He wins via DQ because the BDC get involved and leave him bloody. While I'm not a big fan of the BDC, this was another solid segment on the show so far.

Backstage stuff with Magnus, EC3, Spud and Mickie James follow. EC3 kills by saying he's been undefeated for 16 months and has gone through Sting, Angle, etc. We get Magnus vs. Bram now. Magnus told Mickie to stay backstage. That plays into things as Mickie comes out to check on Magnus at one point. Magnus wins by DQ after a Bram low blow. He attacks post match and threatens Mickie unless a tied up Magnus kisses his boot. Magnus obliges and gets called pathetic. Again, a solid segment to build a heel. Up next, Booke takes on her real life boyfriend, Robbie E. This was nice to have on a show that has been very serious. While there was a personal feud here, it wasn't going to be as brutal as everything else. This was entertaining and Brooke won.

Next week, we will have a no DQ match between Matt Hardy and James Storm. Also, Bobby Lashley defends the TNA Title against Kurt Angle. I really hope TNA doesn't do their go to move of putting the strap back on Angle. Time for the big main event, as Rockstar Spud takes on Ethan Carter III in a Hair vs. Hair match. I absolutely love that these two were given the chance to go on last. I fully expected Roode/Young to main event but giving these two the shot meant a lot for them. Spud starts fast and furious because he knows he's overmatched, which is kind of the story early on. Spud busts out a nice front flip from the top to the outside before we get some Tyrus involvement. He looks strange bald. The fiery Spud kicks out from a powerbomb on the outside! Mr. Anderson evens the score but EC3 lays him out with his brace. Spud is hit too and is busted open. EC3 uses the Stinger Splash because he collects things from his past victories, which is sweet. Jeremy Borash gets involved with a low blow! The blood is so severe that the screen goes black and white at times and Spud's blood is smeared on EC3's chest. EC3 beats on him and Spud refuses to quit! He comes close to winning numerous times but EC3 finally puts him down in a fantastic match. The best since Impact's move to Destination America. After the match, EC3 seems to have a change of heart. He puts over Spud in a heartfelt promo and says he won't shave his head in front of his hometown fans. He offers his hand, only to lay him out! He puts him in the tree of woe and shaves his head! Tremendous heel work from EC3. He puts the company on notice that the company and the world belongs to him.

Probably my favorite Destination America episode so far. The opener was a damn good Last Man Standing match, the Galloway and Bram segments were solid, Robbie E/Brooke was entertaining and the main event was stellar. TNA needs to take notice because that was a star making performance for both Spud and EC3. The match had everything it needed to. Blood, involvement of JB, Anderson and Tyrus who were part of the feud, fiery Spud and total heel EC3. He has a very young Rock vibe to him and I think he's one of the best guys WWE has ever let go. Great episode. 9/10.

Smackdown Review 3/12/15

Just seventeen nights away from WrestleMania but you couldn't tell by the product. Daniel Bryan opens the show and brings up WrestleMania. He rightly mentions that his favorites growing up would make the Intercontinental Championship more entertaining than the World Heavyweight Championship. He announces that he will be in the Ladder Match at Mania. Bad News Barrett interrupts, leading to Dolph Ziggler, Luke Harper, Stardust an dDean Ambrose all coming out. Of course, we get short words from each guy and a lot of pointing to the WrestleMania sign. It still amazes me how over Ambrose is despite what the company has done to him since October. Also, Stardust is so strange that even Harper looks at him confused. R-Truth, the holder of the title comes to the stage. He says he's going to hold onto it for safe keeping until WrestleMania. He stays up top and everyone else brawls in the ring. In classic Teddy Long fashion, this leads us to a six man tag main event. At least the Intercontinental Title is the focal point of Smackdown, which is what I wanted. It's something right?

I guess we are getting some sort of multi-team tag team match at WrestleMania. It hasn't been officially made yet but after New Day beat the champions and Los Matadores beat the Usos on Raw I can only assume. We get an eight man tag here as New Day teams with the Usos against Tyson Kidd, Cesaro and Los Matadores. Yes, there is just one heel team. Nattie was looking pretty good. This goes about seven minutes and is rather fun. Los Matadores get the pin for their team. We get the Sting video package from Raw, which is still strange as hell. He says he's been waiting 14 years to do this. I guess his plan to the WWE got delayed in Orlando for a while.

We are now taken to highlights of what went down on Raw between John Cena and Rusev. It sucked. Ryback and his mismatched attire come out to face the Miz in a preview of the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. There was an interview with Miz and Mizdow where Mizdow tried to warn him about Ryback's power. Miz didn't care, leading to him losing in less than three minutes. After a recap of Paul Heyman's excellence on Raw, Roman Reigns comes out to address it. Don't you think that would have been a better idea to do on Raw? You know, when Reigns could actually come face to face with Brock Lesnar? Mark Henry, in all his irrelevance, appears to interrupt. He doesn't BELEE DAT and thinks Brock will kill Roman. They get into it, Roman hits the Superman punch and it ends with him spearing Henry through the guardrail. Why was Henry in his ring attire? There was no match. That's a small thing that always annoys me.

It's not Smackdown without recaps, as we see Undertaker's shit response to Bray Wyatt's WrestleMania challenge. Time for Divas action! Cameron and Summer Rae get the jobber entrance, accompanied by Eva Marie. They face AJ Lee and Paige, while the Bella Twins are on commentary. Unfortunately, we're back to really short Divas matches as this only gets two and a half minutes. Michael Cole keeps trying to say that Paige & AJ are known as the "Odd Couple" in the WWE. Nobody calls them that. Also, Nikki says it's odd that Paige & AJ are friends one day and enemies the next. Um, isn't that the case with Nikki and Brie? Anyway, Paige and AJ win and nearly get into a fight with the Bellas post match.

Backstage, Mark Henry says he pushed Roman Reigns to test him and now he believes. Talk about cringeworthy. We get a long interview with Randy Orton but it's nothing special as it is the same one posted earlier in the week. His feud with Seth Rollins has sucked. Main event time as we get the Intercontinental Title competitors in six man tag action. This was excellent as all six guys did their thing in fifteen minutes. Cole goes to interview the winners, who all get jealous of each other. Dolph is kinda peeved that Bryan stole the pin on Harper, while Ambrose thinks that Dolph has an inferiority complex because he doesn't believe he's better than Bryan. Ambrose calls Bryan a turd and so does Dolph. That's it. The show ends like that. Awkward, strange, goofy and ridiculous. I bet Vince McMahon was in stitches backstage. Despite the odd ending and the awful Reigns stuff, the show was decent around it. 5/10.

Bash and Kevstaaa Wrestling Podcast: Favorite Matches Vol. 1

Random Network Reviews: Anarchy Rulz 2000

ECW Anarchy Rulz 2000
October 1st, 2000 – Roy Wilkins Auditorium in Saint Paul, Minnesota – Attendance: 4,600

Around this time, ECW had lost their TV deal with TNN, who chose to go with the WWF. Things were not looking so good for the extreme promotion and Paul Heyman was running out of money and wasn’t able to pay everyone. A lot of guys basically worked for free due to their love for the company and I, at least, was still very much into the ECW product until the day it died. That wouldn’t come for another three plus months after this show and I don’t remember much about it so it should be fun.

As the camera pans in, it is clear that this crowd in Saint Paul is jacked. Joey Styles and Joel Gertner welcome everyone to the show, with Gertner being his fantastic self. The Lyrical Miracle, am I right? TONIGHT, THERE ARE NO RULES BECAUSE ANARCHY RULZ!

Christian York and Joey Matthews vs. Danny Doring and Roadkill
As a kid, I liked Danny Doring but that was because I knew nothing of psychology and only enjoyed cool looking moves. Both teams are faces and Matthews and Doring work some stuff early on that Matthews gets the best of. He and York were like, perennial curtain jerkers with ECW. Roadkill is super over and the crowd pops hard when he gets the tag. Gertner says these two teams are the future, but neither team really did much outside of ECW. Roadkill goes for a sloppy slingshot but York blocks and hits a leg drop for two. Being the big man, Roadkill catches York and plants him before he and Doring hit the Hart Attack. They call it something else but I know better. Doring misses a splash outside, so York and Matthews give us a pair of suicide dives. Double powerbomb on Doring but Roadkill, showing incredible balance, hits a springboard double clothesline. Huge “ECW” chants. Doring hits a top rope leg drop on Matthews, but his pin is broken by a top rope leg drop of York’s own. York and Matthews work a double team in which York reverse suplexes Matthews onto Doring and then hits a senton for two. Doring rallies with the WHAM BAM THANK YOU MA’AM and tags Roadkill. Barnburner on Matthews and a big powerbomb on York. Bareback on Matthews before Doring and Roadkill connect with the Buggy Bag to win.

Winners: Danny Doring and Roadkill in 7:14
That was a lot more fun than I expected. Like every other Danny Doring match, there wasn’t psychology or anything like that, but it was a hot match with teams trying to outdo each other and possibly steal the show. ***1/4

After the match, the two face teams show each other respect until Simon Diamond and Swinger run in and take everyone out with chairs. Doring eats the Problem Solver because sportsmanship be damned.

The announce team is shown, which is rare for ECW. Joel Gertner eats Lucky Charms in training for his match with Cyrus tonight. He says that he’s been trained by a wrestler and it will become very clear who when he works the match. Speaking of Cyrus, he comes out to massive heat. His name comes up on screen as “Cyrus; He’s Got Pop.” He cuts a promo calling Gertner a fat bitch. It’s bleeped out for some reason as a lot of ECW PPVs are uncut on the Network. Gertner comes to the ring and continues to get belittled. Cyrus says that if he wants the match tonight, Joel has to get through his “men”, which turn out to be Hot Commodity. Before anything happens, a WWE Network rip off of AC/DC’s Highway to Hell plays because Little Spike Dudley is out! He is commissioner like Mick Foley or something and makes Kid Kash the opponent for EZ Money. If Kash loses, Cyrus can avoid Gertner.

EZ Money w/ Hot Commodity vs. Kid Kash
I was a huge Kid Kash mark at this time. EZ Money jumps Kash before the bell but eats a flying head scissors. Kash reverses a powerbomb with an arm drag and takes Money outside before knocking Hamrick and Dinero off the apron. Money hits a drop suplex but then misses Kash and ends up hitting a suicide dive onto his teammates. “She’s a crackwhore” chants for Elektra as Kash does a DOUBLE SPRINGBOARD FRONT FLIP onto Hot Commodity. See why I liked this dude when I was 10? Inside, Money front flips in from the apron, nailing a clothesline that he calls the Money Clip. That earns him two. He locks in the Pendulum of Pain, which is an odd surfboard variation that impresses me. They trade chops for a bit until Kash gets a near fall with a springboard sunset flip. He pops up and uses a double springboard hurricanrana. Kash continues to impress with a double swing tornado DDT for two. Hamrick trips Kash, allowing Money to hit Electric Dreams for two again. Side note, Joey is calling this alone because he’s AMAZING. A series of roll ups and near falls follows until Kash nails the Monkey Maker but Elektra is on the apron. Hamrick tries to interfere but is stopped, so Dinero enters. He hits a leg sweep before the teammates do a double ferris wheel. Money is on the second rope, Hamrick stands on his shoulders and hits a leg drop, followed by Money splashing Kash but that somehow isn’t enough! Money is pissed as he goes up top, and Kash crotches him. He goes up with him and Money tries a top rope powerbomb. Kash reverses in MIDAIR into a hurricanrana for the three.

Winner: Kid Kash in 9:38
Two for two in matches that entertained me more than I expected. Again, this wasn’t meant to be a standard wrestling match. It was perfect for Kid Kash’s style and fit ECW for the time period. Lots of fun. ***1/2

After the match, Kid Kash is attacked by Julio Dinero and Chris Hamrick. They hit him with a dropkick/powerbomb combo but Little Spike Dudley is out! He sops them with his Acid Drop but EZ Money clips him in the broken leg. The Sandman shows up randomly and canes the hell out of Hamrick. I think this was after his Hardcore Hak run in WCW. He threatens to cane Elektra, who decides to flirt with him. Man, she was ugly. Sandman pours beer on her breasts before shoving Joel Gertner’s face into them.

Cyrus vs. Joel Gertner
IT’S THE UGANDAN STUDMUFFIN! Joel Gertner takes off his jacket, revealing Kamala paint on his body. So that’s who trained him. He splashes Cyrus in the corner before trying a People’s Elbow. Cyrus trips him up and hits a nice looking knee drop. A “Fuck him up Gertner” chant breaks out while Cyrus lights him up with chops. While Cyrus brags, Sandman spits beer in his eyes and Gertner rolls him up to claim victory.

Winner: Joel Gertner in 2:15
Could have been way worse. They kept it short, Cyrus did most of the offense and the right guy won. *

The Baldies vs. Balls Mahoney and Chilly Willy
The Baldies are one of those Paul Heyman creations where he took hugely untalented people and gave them something that worked. The match begins with a slugfest as Balls and Chill win out with their big set of punches. Dual neckbreakers from the faces before things turn ugly when Balls brings out a fork. DeVito is bleeding as the fork is driven into his forehead. The brawl spills outside and into the stands. When DeVito and Balls go up by commentary, DeVito flips off Styles and Gertner before hitting a moonsault. I did not know he could do that. Angel powerbombs Willy onto chairs. Back to the ring they go as Balls is suddenly okay and beating up DeVito. WHO NEEDS TO SELL? He misses a corner splash but hits a superkick and signals that he’s going for his chair. He ABSOLUTELY clobbers DeVito with it but Angel staples Balls in the face! Styles sells it as Balls was stapled in the eye but it’s impossible to tell. Dual chair shots from The Baldies but Chilly and Balls stay standing after two. The third is enough to finish this.

Winners: The Baldies in 7:39
I don’t get this. First, this was the worst kind of brawl. It was just guys bashing away at each other with no real purpose. Second, The Baldies somehow kept winning on PPV, which is insane. Also, Balls was supposedly stapled in the eye, then was fine when he got hit with the chair but after the match started selling the eye like he lost it. *

Joey Styles and Joel Gertner are talking when Lou E. Dangerously shows up and attacks Gertner. Joey Styles gets pissed like Jerry Lawler just slapped him in 2006 and shoves Lou to a pop. Quick cut to the production truck with Heyman freaking out before moving to Justin Credible and Francine. Credible says that it is not Jerry Lynn’s night even if it is in his hometown. Jerry Lynn also cuts a promo saying that he was upset that other guys got title shots while he was having the best matches. I was never really into Jerry Lynn and found him super overrated.

Number One Contender’s Match
CW Anderson vs. Steve Corino w/ Jack Victory and Dawn Marie
I don’t remember Dawn Marie being paired with Steve Corino at all. This should be interesting since I’m pretty sure both guys are heels. They tie up twice but nobody gains advantage until Corino shoulder blocks him down. They both block hip tosses and continue their little sequence with a pair of arm drags and a standoff. The fans are late to react to it but it was damn good for two guys who aren’t usually doing those. Both guys fire away with loud chops for a while until CW strikes with a superkick. He gets a steel chair but chooses against using it, drawing boos. Corino pulls out a T-Bone suplex and gets the chair, playing to the crowd. It’s funny because I remember Corino getting a chair about a year prior and choosing to sit on it rather than use it. CW gets hit with it and falls onto another one, getting cut open in the process. Outside, CW avoids a baseball slide and launches a chair into Corino’s face. CW sets up a chair in the corner and throws Corino, shoulder first into it. Time for some arm work as CW hits a big arm breaker and Corino is selling it well. Single arm DDT gets him two. Corino rallies and goes for the Old School Expulsion but it’s countered with a ferris wheel. CW’s sleeper is countered into an atomic drop that crotches CW on the lip of a steel chair. Series of punches from the King of Old School that ends with a low blow and Bionic Elbow. Simon and Swinger come out again but Jack Victory keeps them at bay. I guess Corino is the face. After a near fall from CW, Corino superkicks CW for his own. Anderson spinebuster is reversed into the Old School Expulsion on two chairs, making Corino the number one contender.

Winner: Steve Corino in 12:47
The arm work was well done and well sold, as both guys worked hard to have a good match. This was a part of Steve Corino’s push towards the ECW World Title and I loved his 2000 run.***1/4

The Sinister Minister, along with the Unholy Alliance, talks about burning The FBI tonight while the book Mikey Whipwreck is reading catches fire and Tajiri looks confused. Cut to Rhino who cuts one of his trademark intense ECW promos.

ECW World Tag Team Championship
The FBI (c) w/ Big Sal vs. The Unholy Alliance w/ The Sinister Minister
Mikey Whipwreck and Yoshihiro Tajiri are out with odd masks and hats. Tony Mamaluke is introduced as weighing 2,041 liquid ounces. Clotheslines and kicks from the challengers because who needs to start this as a normal tag match? Dual shattered dreams style dropkicks from Tajiri and Whipwreck is a cool spot. For those unaware, the Unholy Alliance won a one night tournament to crown new champions, in a show I attended live, only to drop the belts the next night. TARANTULA from Tajiri gets a pop. Big Sal goes to slam former ECW Champion Whipwreck, but it’s countered and the big man is kicked in the head. Baseball slide dropkick is followed by the Sinister Minster sending a fireball into Mamaluke’s groin. The hot start from the challengers is thwarted by a low blow to Whipwreck. Sicilian Slice gets two and for those who don’t know, that is a move that John Cena now does regularly. Mamaluke gets two with a suplex/Russian leg sweep combo. Tajiri and Guido get tagged so Tajiri hits the handspring elbow. Big clothesline connects but Mamaluke counters a German and hits one of his own. Green mist on Guido lead to a double Whippersnapper but Big Sal pulls the referee out so the Sinister Minster strikes him with the cane. He gets SQUASHED in the corner by the guardrail for his troubles. Tajiri kicks everyone and throws the ECW Title in Sal’s face. He takes out the 600 pounder with an Asai moonsault! Inside, Mikey tries a top rope Whippersnapper but gets hit with the belt, leading to the FBI planting him with a double team move that not even Joey knows about. That gets the job done.

Winners and Still ECW World Tag Team Champions: The FBI in 8:38
Another fun match but again, not much in the way of psychology. The teams had good chemistry and hit their spots. ***

ECW World Television Championship
Rhino (c) vs. Rob Van Dam w/ Bill Alfonso
Rob Van Dam reigned as Television Champion for nearly two years until a broken leg caused him to vacate the title. This is his first shot at his belt since his return. Rhino charges during the introductions and the two men brawl on the outside and into the crowd. When they get to ringside, Rhino gorilla press slams RVD back to ringside, but RVD uses an Alfonso assist to hit the Van Daminator! As Rhino is getting up, RVD launches over the top and dives onto the “Man Beast”. RVD then surfboards the chair into a seated Rhino, but decides to stall and taunt instead of capitalize. It makes you wonder how that never cost him during his two year reign. Rhino nails a corner Gore of sorts, but doesn’t cover quickly and decides to bring in a table. He wears down RVD with a headlock but he rallies with an enziguri. For NO REASON AT ALL, RVD does a springboard backflip, just to pick up a chair throw it at Rhino. Rhino catches and throws it back at him. RVD ends up hitting a moonsault anyway and then the Five Star Frog Splash but Rhino kicks out! The crowd is silent and I’m not sure if it is out of shock. GORE! Rhino takes RVD to the apron and piledrives him from there, through a table outside! Inside, Alfonso hits Rhino with a chair but it doesn’t affect him, so he throws it and RVD Van Daminators it into him. The chair and Rhino are in place for RVD’s new Van Terminator but Justin Credible is out and hits RVD with a cane. No clue why, especially since RVD does the move anyway, but Rhino pulls Alfonso in the way. He lifts up RVD and Gores him through the table before piledriving him on a chair.

Winner and Still ECW World Television Champion: Rhino in 12:42
A bit of a disappointment as RVD was nearly always a show stealer and Rhino was on fire during this time. The match was still decent, just not as good as I hoped. **1/2

As a loud bullshit chant breaks out, RVD stares around like “what the fuck?” Joey Styles also questions the quick count by the official. He’s not wrong.

ECW World Heavyweight Championship
Justin Credible (c) w/ Francine vs. Jerry Lynn
Ever the heat seeker, Justin Credible wears a Packers jersey to the ring. If he only knew that Bret Favre would play for Minnesota a few years down the road. Jerry Lynn wins the first sequence, causing Credible to regroup outside. It’s clear that, early on at least, Lynn has the upper hand. Both guys go for their finishers but they get countered. After knocking Justin outside, Lynn hits a bulldog and plancha. Credible counters with a variation of the Big Boss Man slam and Francine throws a chair into the ring. He nails a sit out powerbomb onto it but only gets two, so they take the fight out of the ring. Inside, Lynn nails a DDT and Credible hits an inverted DDT in this game of one upsmanship, both for near falls. The crowd is hot and VERY derogatory towards Credible. Credible thinks he’s The Rock because he takes a microphone and disrespects Lynn while fans throw beer and peanuts into the ring. A series of near falls from Lynn is stopped by a spinning DDT but then he connects with a tornado DDT of his own. That’s four DDTs in this match already. Lynn does his stupid deep voice yell before a leg drop for two. He sets up a table and climbs the top but Francine distracts him, allowing Credible to slam him through. He gets his shoulder up though. Sunset flip from the top earns Justin two and he shouts “WHAT THE HELL?” Jerry reverses That’s Incredible into the Cradle Piledriver but Justin stuns the fans by kicking out. That’s Incredible is hit, but of course, Jerry kicks out this time. After a ref bump, the crooked ref from the last match comes out and doesn’t count the three like he should. Lynn goes to Cradle Piledriver him but Francine hits him with a cane and Justin nails him with the belt but only gets two despite another quick count. Lynn rallies with a Cradle Piledriver attempts but crooked ref Danny Daniels hits him in the head with the cane. Another That’s Incredible, but before the three, the theme of New Jack hits! He beats the hell out of Danny Daniels until Credible hits him. Lynn and Credible are up and, after a series of reversals, Lynn ends up hitting a Cradle Tombstone to win.

Winner and New ECW World Heavyweight Champion: Jerry Lynn in 19:36
Slow at parts and overbooked a ton in the end. The fans got what they wanted though. **3/4

Big hometown face celebration as the locker room clears out to party with Jerry Lynn. At least the faces do. A feel good moment to close the ECW Pay-Per-View.

Overall: 7.5/10; Very good. One of the better ECW Pay-Per-Views that I’ve reviewed. Of the eight matches, only two are bad. The Baldies tag and Gertner/Cyrus, but at least that was short and did its job. The last two matches were disappointing but still pretty good. The keys to this show are the opener, Tag Team Title match, number one contender’s match and Kash/Money but the real star is the red hot crowd that pretty much never lets up. Sometimes ECW shows don’t hold up that well, but this one did so. I recommend giving it a viewing. Next on “Random Network Reviews” will be Survivor Series 2012!

Raw Review 3/9/15

So, Raw opened in odd fashion. Randy Orton came out, with the Authority waiting for him in the ring. This was honestly a GIANT waste of time. It was just Seth Rollins, Kane and Big Show sucking up to Orton. J&J Security, however, don't believe that Orton is legitimately part of the Authority. Orton thanks them but questions their toughness because the Authority has gone soft. He asks Kane if he "kicks ass and take names or kisses ass and makes coffee." He then admits to Seth that he's going to take him out and make him his bitch. At the end though, he says he's just messing around. Strange segment. At least it didn't waste 30 minutes of the show and only lasted about half of that. The opening contest pitted Daniel Bryan against Bad News Barrett. This was solid but nothing special. The best thing was R-Truth on commentary again. So, the IC Champion loses again. Maybe he retains at WrestleMania but regardless, he has looked worse than any IC Champion I can remember in recent history.

Bad News Barrett attacks after the match, and mocks Daniel Bryan.

He signals that Truth is next, who continues to deny ever taking the Intercontinental Title. Dean Ambrose comes out for his match and takes out Barrett. Ambrose is facing Stardust, who is wearing the belt. I know it can be hard to keep track of this stuff. The sight of Cody Rhodes with the IC TItle warms my heart, even if he's deep under the Stardust look. Much like the previous bout, I enjoyed this one, but it didn't stick out for any particular reason. Ambrose picks up the victory and goes for the belt, but Barrett appears. Out comes Bryan, Luke Harper and Dolph Ziggler. They all hit their finishers on each other, with Barrett being the last one to do so. He looks for the belt and JBL rats out Truth, who has a burlap sack. He'd been claiming he was going potato picking. Barrett takes the sack and escapes through the crowd, only to find out that it only holds a toy title like Damien Mizdow would have! Truth reveals that he had the real belt the whole time. I can see where the casual fan may find this whole thing to be fun, but I'm not liking what they are doing to the belt and especially its champion. Remember when Wade used to win matches? Or, the bigger injustice...remember when he had a character?

The latest inductee into the Hall of Fame this year is getting the "Warrior Award." See, last year Ultimate Warrior said that he wanted a special award/section in the Hall for the non-competitors that mean a lot to the company. The first award winner will be Connor "the Crusher". For those unaware, Connor was the sick child who touched the hearts of pretty much the entire company before passing away shortly after WrestleMania XXX. I have no problems with this move at all. Paul Heyman comes out next to watch a Roman Reigns hype video with the fans. They bring up NXT a few times, which leads me to believe that since NXT is red hot, they want to attach Roman's name to it. The guy had a handful of matches there. It's a huge suck up video and Heyman brings out Brock Lesnar. According to Heyman, the video was complete propaganda. Heyman talks about Roman's family before bringing up Brock's accomplishments. He mentions that if Brock wants to unify the WWE and UFC Title, he will. His mic goes out. When it comes back, he mentions that Brock ended the streak, broke John Cena and even back in 2002, he shipped Rock off to Hollywood. Basically, all of these amazing things that Brock has done and Roman is being handed them on a silver platter without earning much of it. Anyway, there is no Roman interaction which is stupid since Brock's appearances are so few and far between. Oh well. We move to a tag match pitting Kane and Big Show against Ryback and Erick Rowan. This is, as expected, really dull and boring. Show hits Kane by mistake and Rowan gets the pin. Great promo followed by a shit match.

Stephanie McMahon comes down and totally berates Big Show and Kane for sucking. It's basically how a ton of fans have felt for years Steph. Yet these guys were in the final three in the Royal Rumble. Backstage, Miz is talking to Wiz Khalifa, which brings in Wizdow. He raps and says he's in the Andre the Giant Battle Royal. Sheamus is still returning. One day. Wiz comes out to perform. It's the music from WWE 2K15 and the performance sucks hard. He does THREE SONGS! Who thought that was a good idea? Musical performances on wrestling shows always get shit reactions. Ugh, this was terrible. Backstage, the Bellas, in Flintstones inspired attire cut a promo laced with Flintstones puns, leading into the next match. AJ Lee, with Paige, takes on Summer Rae, with Cameron and Eva Marie. Summer, Cameron and Eva had one 15 second promo on Smackdown together so I guess they're being put together for no other reason. Earlier in the day, it was announced that Paige and AJ will face the Bella Twins at WrestleMania. The match features some botches and isn't great, but AJ wins with the Black Widow. She even does a Chickbusters like fist bump with Paige. It makes me miss Kaitlyn. Next, we move to a video package with Sting talking about why he's in WWE. The points he makes are cool but it's ridiculous how they either altered his voice or had someone else entirely cut the promo. Umm, WE KNOW WHAT STING SOUNDS LIKE. It came across as stupid.

Rusev is walking to the ring but is stopped by John Cena. They talk about America and stuff because that's every Rusev feud in a nutshell. Rusev takes on Curtis Axel, who has gotten a bit over lately with his funny AxelMania stuff. Michael Cole, ever the piece of shit, has to go out of his way to remind us that Curtis never made it into the actual Rumble. We get it, that's the joke you tool. Rusev wins quickly and cuts a fantastic heel promo on America. "If America had a spine it would be jello. If America had a heart, it would be full of disease." Cena comes and out locks in the STF. He then wakes up Rusev with water and locks it in again. He won't stop until Lana agrees to the match for Mania. She does and he gives us the stupid face that I just GIFed. Where were the officials for this? Where was any kind of authority? I hated this segment.

Backstage, Rusev is pissed at Lana. I guess this will lead to Lana leaving to film that WWE movie. New Day is out for a match against the Tag Team Champions, Tyson Kidd and Cesaro. Again, this is a relatively short match with Xavier Woods rolling up Tyson to win. Here go the champions losing non-title matches. I guess we're getting a multi-team match at WrestleMania. The crowd gave zero fucks about New Day. The Usos arrive with Naomi for our next match, which we join halfway through after a commercial. It's Naomi vs. Natalya. I rather enjoyed this in the time I got to see. Both girls were impressive and Naomi didn't botch like she tends to. Tyson was shouting instructions and Nattie told him to shut up.This led to her losing and them arguing after the match. So what does Nattie do? She steals his Tag Team Title, saying it's hers. Hey, that's the IC TItle's gimmick! Because we seem to be rushing the show, the Usos stay out to face Los Matadores, who come out as Natalya is leaving. Again, this match is not long and guess what? Los Matadores wins, meaning that we are indeed getting a multi-team match at WrestleMania, which is why we need viable contenders. Backstage, Jamie Noble still doesn't believe in Randy Orton but Seth Rollins 100% does. Blah. Bray Wyatt is out for a promo and he has the urn. He opens the urn and nothing happens, but then smoke comes out and lightning hits." WrestleMania. The Man Comes Around" appears on the screen and Undertaker's voice is heard saying Rest in Pace. Bray's rocking chair appears in the middle of the ring and catches fire because of lightning. Bray just sits there and laughs about it, making this way better.

Time for the handicap match main event, pitting Roman Reigns against Seth Rollins and Randy Orton. It was another in a string of ho-hum Raw main events. As expected, Orton has a chance at the big tag and is all like "nope." He flips Seth the double bird, leading to a spear from Reigns that ends this. Post match, Orton beats the hell out of Seth Rollins. He slaps him around, throws him into the steel steps and RKOs him through the announce table. It was a cool ending since the fans have wanted this for a while, but the whole "am I in the Authority or not" thing was dumb. Also, on the rare occasion that you have Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar in the same building, you decide not to have them come face to face? Seriously? Another disappointing episode on the road to WrestleMania, when Raw is supposed to be at its very peak. 4/10.

Fave Five 3/2/15-3/8/15

1) Seth Rollins: Since the photo scandal recently, things haven't been good for Seth Rollins. His slump has included him taking the pinfall in multiple tag team matches. However, things began to change this past week on Raw. Seth was involved in the opening promo of the show, which was fine but things started to pick up later on. He hosted the Daily Show with Seth Rollins, which started rough but grew into the most enjoyable segment of the entire broadcast. Then, in the main event, he pinned the number one contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. I don't 100% back the booking of making the guy that's supposed to beat Brock Lesnar lose on the road to WrestleMania, but it is still a big win for Seth. Hopefully, he has broken out of this slump that has hindered an otherwise phenomenal run.

2) Sasha Banks: The women of NXT have nearly stolen the show at the last few Specials. Sasha Banks has been involved in the last two, which featured the two best women's matches I've ever witnessed in the WWE. She got the chance to main event this week's episode of NXT against Charlotte. Those girls once again killed, as their chemistry is off the charts. Even with the feet on the ropes, it's still a big deal to pin the former dominant champion. Not only that, but on the recent NXT live event I attended in Cleveland, Sasha retained the belt again. This was a Fatal Four Way involving Bayley, Alexa Bliss and Charlotte and once again, Sasha pinned Charlotte. She may very well be the best all around female performer the company has. And she's still getting better with each outing.

3) Roderick Strong: Here's another person who has been on a strong run as of late. Roderick Strong had a strong, pun intended, 2014 and has begun 2015 in the same way. His grudge match with BJ Whitmer at the 13th Anniversary show was solid but from all of the reports I've read, the Steel Cage match he had at Evolve 38 against Drew Galloway was better. Galloway himself has had a great run lately and they squared off in a non-title clash. I've read that the match was damn good and Strong won via ref stoppage. While he obviously didn't win the belt, a non-title win over the champion is sure to set him up for a future shot at the Evolve Title.

4) The Wolves: Since I first saw them team up in Ring of Honor a few years back, the Wolves have been one of my favorite tag teams. Their run in TNA has been fun and this past week, they took on the Revolution with the Tag Team Titles on the line. I've found the Revolution to be an odd stable for a long time so I'm glad the Wolves were able to win the straps back. They are a fantastic tag team and an extended feud with the Hardy Boyz could be a ton of fun.

5) Tyson Kidd &Cesaro: At number five, we have a pick that might confuse a lot of people. I mean, on WWE television all they did was lose a six person tag on Raw, and win a non-title match against Los Matadores. Not the best week ever. However, they made surprise appearances at the live NXT events and stole the show. On night one, Tyson Kidd got a great match out of Baron Corbin and had another great outing with Hideo Itami the following night. Cesaro was on another level though. First, he main evented against Adrian Neville. I won't spoil the result here since it was taped for a DVD but it was the best match of the entire weekend. Easily one of the best matches I've ever had the pleasure of seeing live. On night two, he competed in a bit of a dream match against Finn Balor. Another phenomenal match that he won with a small package. Being the first guy to pin Balor is pretty cool. Kidd and Cesaro again proved why they are so damn great.

Random Network Reviews: One Night Stand 2007

One Night Stand 2007
June 3rd, 2007 – Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida – Attendance: 7,000

In 2005 and 2006, WWE presented One Night Stand but both shows were dedicated to ECW. Maybe they just liked the name or they wanted to capitalize on those buyrates as the name returned the following year. It was no longer an ECW special though ECW as a brand was part of it. The theme of One Night Stand was that every match had a stipulation so that should be fun. 

Our intro video package talks about all of the stipulations for tonight before focusing on the title matches. John Cena has to try and overcome the odds against The Great Khali, while Bobby Lashley is chasing a do-rag wearing Mr. McMahon for the ECW Title and Edge was feuding with Batista over the World Title. Generic music plays because the license for Puddle of Mudd’s “Famous” wasn’t available. Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler do the Raw commentary, Michael Cole and JBL take care of Smackdown and Joey Styles and Tazz run ECW.

Stretcher Match
Randy Orton vs. Rob Van Dam
We are a few months shy of Randy Orton winning the WWE Title and becoming the One Man Dynasty. This came about because Orton hit RVD with a sick RKO a few weeks back and hurt him pretty badly. After a stare down, RVD taunts and levels Orton with a kick. RVD starts hitting his stuff for a bit, working over Orton. Orton is overselling RVD’s stuff as he is acting like each thing knocks him loopy, though one knee that RVD hits looks like it might have. He uses a forearm to knock RVD loopy now and goes for the RKO but it’s countered with a big kick. RVD goes for the Five Star but slips and hits the mat hard. Even if it was a real slip, they’re playing it off like RVD is disoriented because of the concussion Orton gave him recently. I like it. Orton takes advantage and begins to pick apart RVD both in and out of the ring. Orton busts out the awesome backbreaker that he used at SummerSlam 2004. I like that they’re playing up how out of it RVD is as he keeps looking around like he’s drunk. RVD begins to rally, placing Orton on the stretcher and hitting his spinning leg drop from the apron. Orton wisely rolls inside but RVD hits him basic offense. He tries Rolling Thunder but Orton is up and catches him, mid flip, with a powerslam. THAT WAS AWESOME! Back outside, RVD puts Orton on the stretcher and tries a front flip outside but Orton moves and he hits the ground hard. Orton puts him on the stretcher and slowly pushes RVD towards the finish line. At the last second, RVD manages to get up and strikes Orton enough to get him on the stretcher and pass the finish line.

Winner: Rob Van Dam in 14:31
I appreciated the storytelling of RVD having the concussion and that playing a big part in the match. This featured nice spots and a surprise finish, which I always enjoy. I only wish we got more attempts to win the match instead of just at the end. ***1/4

Randy Orton is not pleased so he attacks Rob Van Dam after the match. He hits what might have been the first punt kick ever on RVD, sending him into the crowd. Orton brings RVD onto the guardrail and hits a sick looking DDT onto the mat. This would end RVD’s WWE career for a while as he headed south for TNA and a title run there.

Cutting backstage, Vince McMahon is shining up the ECW Championship while talking to Shane McMahon. He does say that he has a premonition that something bad is going to happen to him. For those unaware, he would “die” in a limousine explosion shortly after.

Six Man Tag Team Tables Match
Elijah Burke, Matt Striker and Marcus Cor Von vs. CM Punk, The Sandman and Tommy Dreamer
CM Punk was heavily recruited by the New Breed and the ECW Originals before joining the New Breed only to try and destroy them from within, so he teamed with the Originals. Man, I loved Elijah Burke and Marcus Cor Von. For some reason, this starts as a regular six man tag with four guys on the apron and two legal men. IT’S A DAMN TABLES MATCH! Basic stuff starts this out as Cor Von works over Dreamer until Burke nails Sandman for a bit. Because Sandman is awful, Punk gets the tag quickly and spikes Striker with the knee strike/bulldog combination. They got all Dudley Boyz as Tommy GETS THE TABLES! Punk hits Cor Von with a suicide dive before hitting a springboard clothesline on Burke. Sandman cracks Striker with a weak cane shot. The New Breed take over and Burke hits his cool looking Outer Limits Elbow. They go to put Punk through the table but Dreamer makes the save and Striker is left along with the Originals. Striker forces Sandman outside but then is hit with the D-Lo Sky High. YOU BETTER RECOGNIZE! Cor Von plants Punk with a powerbomb and sets up a table. Punk is laid on it, but gets up as Tommy hits Burke with a piledriver. Was that not outlawed by 2007? Burke is laid on the table as Punk hits a second rope suplex on Striker through it.

Winners: CM Punk, Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman in 7:18
Not terrible, but they really just beat each other up for seven minutes. **

Edge is backstage lacing up his boots when Randy Orton comes up to him. RATED RKO! Orton basically warns him because he may get drafted over to Smackdown. Spoiler alert: He didn’t.

WWE World Tag Team Championship Ladder Match
The Hardy Boyz (c) vs. The World’s Greatest Tag Team
If you’ve read my stuff before, you know that I’m a huge Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas mark. Everybody goes at it at the bell and the Hardys hit the Spin Cycle. All four guys get ladders and the Hardys throw theirs away and dropkick WGTT. Haas gets whipped into a ladder and his faces shows that he’s reconsidering this match. They sandwich him in between ladders and put Shelton in front, hitting Poetry in Motion. Creative stuff so far. Haas gets hit with the electric chair drop and the Hardys climb up together. This is stupid. Jim Ross keeps calling them the masters and veterans of this match yet they made a critical dumb move here. Only one guy has to retrieve the gold, so both going up is stupid and Shelton takes them down. WGTT try a wishbone roll into a ladder but it comes off weak and the crowd hates that. Now, the WGTT make the mistake of both guys climbing and they get stopped. They get back in control quickly and set up a see saw with the ladders but the Hardys stop them from using it and send them onto the ladders. Good thing the see saw wasn’t used how it normally is or we could’ve had another Joey Mercury. Matt and Jeff get the MEGA LADDERS from the aisle. Haas gets dropped sternum first on a ladder that’s draped across the apron and guardrail. Like it’s already WrestleMania 24, Shelton gets back dropped onto that ladder and it looks like it hurt a ton. Haas nails a second rope German suplex but then turns into a Side Effect. Outside, Haas lays Matt face down on a ladder as Shelton climbs a ladder in the ring. He leaps off and crashes onto Matt’s back. SUPER WGTT SPECIAL! Haas goes for the belts but has his ladder match physics way off because he’s nowhere near it. It allowed Jeff to go up and superplex him from the top. Haas screams in agony. Jeff climbs and Shelton goes to does his springboard leap to the ladder but botches and barely hits the ladder. It does the trick though at least. Benjamin gets his fingertips on the belt but Matt stops him. All four guys end up atop two ladders and duke it out. The Hardys get knocked down but fall on their feet, so they can knock WGTT off. Shelton falls through a ladder outside and Jeff hits the Swanton on Haas, while Matt retrieves the gold.

Winners: The Hardy Boyz in 17:17
The Hardy Boyz know what they’re doing in ladder matches but unfortunately, my guys couldn’t match them. Haas and Benjamin both had some botches which hurt things. Don’t get me wrong though, this was still a physical and fun match. ***1/2

Ranjin Singh interviews The Great Khali. Khali rambles so Ranjin translates by reminding us that Khali pinned Cena on Saturday Night’s Main Event 24 hours prior. He goes all Rocky 4 as he ends with “JOHN CENA. I BREAK YOU.”

Lumberjack Match
Kane vs. Mark Henry
Chris Benoit and the Intercontinental Champion Santino Marella were both relegated to lumberjack status here. Not the best booking. Also, Kenny Dykstra is out with a raccoon skin around his neck. Kane still has his “Slow Chemical” theme which is one of the all-time best. Instantly, Henry tosses Kane outside but the Lumberjacks want no part of him and when Henry goes out, he shoves a bunch of guys off of him. The action goes outside and the lumberjacks do nothing about this except take Kane’s beaten body and roll him inside. Henry continues to use his power to manhandle Kane, and commentary is really hammering it home that it is something Kane is not used to. This is dull and getting duller as Henry applies a bearhug. Kane breaks free and ends up hitting a flying something onto Henry and some heel lumberjacks. I think it was supposed to be a clothesline but he just falls on them. Back inside, Kane chokeslams Henry but before he can cover, Dykstra and Chavo Guerrero come in and hit Kane. This is no DQ? It allows Henry to capitalize with guess what? That’s right. ANOTHER BEARHUG! This is a devastating one though as it leads to the referee calling for the bell.

Winner: Mark Henry in 9:07
The story of Mark Henry being too powerful for Kane to overcome was fine, but it was a pretty dull affair. I liked the beginning but everything else stalled. *1/4

Medics are checking on The World’s Greatest Tag Team, who say “this would’ve never happened in the NCAAs.” The Hardys are in the same room as WGTT complain that this wasn’t a wrestling match. A brawl ensues but I don’t remember the WWE taking the daredevils vs. wrestlers angle much further. That’s a shame.

ECW Championship Street Fight
Vince McMahon (c) w/ Shane McMahon and Umaga vs. Bobby Lashley
This needed to be Umaga’s title reign. He was a talented main event monster and Vince could have still gotten his revenge on Lashley through Umaga. Both Shane and Vince are in the ring to start so Lashley runs and attempts a dive onto Umaga outside but it’s JUUUUUUST A BIT OUTSIDE. Lashley barely makes contact but hits the mat hard. He gets in and dumps out Shane before going after Vince. Umaga and Shane are back but pretty much have zero effect on Lashley. Despite his best efforts to no sell, the numbers game takes its toll. They take turns beating on Lashley for a bit, using ringside cables for part of it. Umaga goes for a splash with the McMahons holding him but he suddenly hulks up and Umaga lands on Vince. Lashley forgets anything that has happened to him and dumps out his two non-opponents before hitting Vince with a soft chair shot. He follows with some harder ones at least and then nails the dominator, which is just a running powerslam, but Umaga pulls Lashley out during the pin. Umaga then splashes Lashley from the apron before laying him on the announce tale. Shane continues to be amazing when he hits his GORGEOUS elbow on Lashley through the table. Vince covers inside but Lashley kicks out. Umaga hits the ASSSMASH but Shane misses Coast to Coast. Lashley spears him and Vince, getting the three.

Winner and New ECW Champion: Bobby Lashley in 12:23
For a street fight, that was kind of boring. Lashley’s selling leaves a lot to be desired especially when the match is a 3 on 1 beating. *

Bobby Lashley hits another Spear on Vince McMahon before we go backstage. Santino Marella is backstage with Maria Kanellis, who is still playing the ditz. Todd Grisham asks her for her “expert” opinion on a pudding match. Yup. Maria ends up sounding intelligent before going back to ditzy. Candice Michelle comes up for a kiss for good luck and kisses Maria. Ron Simmons shows up and he’s all like “DAMN”. Good segment.

Non-Title Pudding Match
Candice Michelle vs. WWE Women’s Champion Melina
Melina puts on googles because strategy is important in this kind of environment. Candice spears Melina into the bowl but they brawl back out. Commentary wonders if a pin outside would count. Don’t think too hard about rules in this sort of thing guys. Candice gets a near fall out there, so that answers that. I don’t get the appeal of girls wrestling in pudding or mud. Jerry goes for a joke but has no punch line so he just trails off. Candice tries to drown Melina so the champion taps.

Winner: Candice Michelle in 2:55
I can’t believe we got a submission finish there. This was two girls rolling around in pudding so I didn’t expect much. No Rating.

Maria Kanellis comes out to interview Candice but gets pulled into the bowl. The referee gets involved too before it’s over and the mood quickly changes when the Steel Cage comes down.

World Heavyweight Championship Steel Cage Match
Edge (c) vs. Batista
As soon as the bell sounds, Edge attempts to escape the Steel Cage but is obviously stopped. Batista pounds on him, however when he sends Edge into the corner, Edge leaps and tries to escape again. Michael Cole calls it cowardice, JBL and myself call it smart. For a while, we just get Edge trying to leave and Batista beating on him. Edge gets in control and hits a baseball slide for a near fall. Batista catches an escaping Edge with a superplex for two. They fight up top, Batista knocks Edge off and instead of trying to exit, he jumps from the top right into a dropkick. THAT’S WHY ITS CALLED HIGH RISK RIGHT? Edge stalks for the Spear but Batista goes for one two and their shoulders collide. When they get up, Batista lifts Edge with a spear into the cage. Despite Batista’s power, Edge continues to find ways to slip free and nearly escape. Batista goes for the Batista Bomb as we see Edge’s whale tail, and he grabs the cage and climbs. He gets halfway over but Batista catches him, only to get kicked low by the champion twice. Edge climbs out and Batista goes through the door. THE RACE IS ON! Batista gets out first but on his hands, so Edge’s feet hit first.

Winner and Still World Heavyweight Champion: Edge in 15:38
A bit of a disappointment. I’ve still yet to see a bad Edge match but I expected more from this. Something just didn’t click here, so while it was solid, it was missing something. **1/2

WWE Championship Falls Count Anywhere Match
John Cena (c) vs. The Great Khali
24 hours prior, on Saturday Night’s Main Event, The Great Khali pinned John Cena cleanly. However, he did tap out to Cena at the last Pay-Per-View, so his credibility was shot. John Cena takes a beating instantly as Khali is just kicking his ass. Khali even hits his best version of a spin kick. Yes, I said a spin kick. Cena tries to rally but when he goes up top, Khali chops him, sending him to the outside. Things go into the crowd, where Cena continues to take a pounding. They go up towards the entrance as this is just Khali hitting Cena and the Champion trying to survive. He ducks a shot and sends the crane camera into Khali, knocking him to the ground for two. Cena tries the FU but Khali is too big. Khali gets Cena up on top of a construction truck used in the entrance set up. Khali goes for a big two handed choke slam but Cena rakes him in the eyes and nails the FU off of the truck and onto the floor. That’s enough for Cena to win.

Winner and Still WWE Champion: John Cena in 10:31
John Cena has to be given a lot of credit here. He was willing to get his ass kicked for ten minutes before making the comeback. Khali looked much better here in defeat than at Judgment Day. **1/2

Overall: 5/10; Mediocre. I had higher hopes for this show than it delivers. While the opener was really good, the rest of the card left something to be desired. I enjoyed the ladder match but even that disappointed as did the Edge/Batista bout. John Cena got a better match out of Khali than I ever expected but everything else was pretty lame. My randomizer has chosen my next“Random Network Review” as ECW Anarchy Rulz 2000!