Starrcade 1999
December 19th, 1999 | MCI Center in Washington, D.C. | Attendance: 8,582
At this point, Vince Russo was in charge of WCW and his fingerprints were quickly all over WCW. Of note, this Pay-Per-View, which is WCW’s biggest of the year, ended up with an abysmal 0.32 buyrate. Yikes. WWF was in firm control of the Monday Night Wars, having taken a massive lead and not letting up. It was the 17th Starrcade in history.
The show opens with a video highlighting the entire card as Scott Hudson runs down the 13 match card. It is incredibly fast and kind of annoying.
Big Vito and Johnny the Bull w/ Tony Marinara vs. Disco Inferno and Lash LeRoux
The story here is that Disco Inferno owed money to the Mafia and Tony Marinara sent Vito and Johnny after him. They honestly couldn’t think of a better name for him than Marinara? It starts with a brawl but when it breaks down, the heels take control, working over LeRoux. Disco comes in rather hot but Johnny the Bull stops him in his tracks. The Italians try a big boot into a neckbreaker, but time it all wrong and it comes off looking ugly. They continue to work heat on Disco until LeRoux gets the mild tag. He comes in and does his thing. The heels turn things around and Johnny leaps to the top. He slips, causing the fans to give an actual reaction before missing a spinning leg drop. Disco hits a frog splash off the top and a slow count allowing Vito to break it up. The faces mess up when Disco hits the Chart Buster on LeRoux. He could break the pin up but instead backdrops Johnny the Bull over the top and LOOKS AT HIM. That allows the three count to finish.
Winners: Big Vito and Johnny the Bull in 9:39
This was actually better than I thought it would be. They worked tag formula and did pretty well with it. There were a few botches and the crowd not being very hot hurt things, but they went out and did a relatively fine job. **½
The Marinara Mafia take Disco Inferno out in a body bag. Maybe gimmick infringement was the real reason behind that short Undertaker/FBI feud in WWE a few years later. Anyway, Disco fights out only to end up in the trunk of a car for Heenan to steal the show with a line of “The Disco Inferno was 25”.
Now, commentary informs us of a knee injury that Scott Hall has, so he can’t defend his United States Title against Chris Benoit in a ladder match tonight. He was forced to forfeit the belt and Benoit was just given the belt. Benoit shows up and calls it stupid because you should have to win titles. He issues an open challenge to anyone who wants to replace Hall in the ladder match.
WCW Cruiserweight Championship
Evan Karagias (c) w/ Spice vs. Madusa
These two were dating on screen but Evan left Madusa for the younger Nitro girl. Man, remember when the Cruiserweight Title was a big deal? Madusa hits a cross boy off the apron during Evan’s entrance. Inside, she dares Evan to hit her and when he does, he absolutely nails her. He misses an Asai moonsault, but then slams her from the top and hits a decent powerbomb. Madusa struggles to bridge up from a pin and nearly MURDERS Evan on a powerbomb attempt. I legitimately gasped out of fear. Fans chant “boring” even after Evan leaps out onto her. Spice gets on the apron, distracting Evan. She then proceeds to hit the WORST low blow I’ve ever seen. Madusa nails a German suplex to capture the belt.
Winner and New WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Madusa in 3:32
The Cruiserweight Title matches used to be the highlight of WCW Pay-Per-Views but it has fallen greatly. This was pretty terrible throughout. ½*
Backstage, Mean BAH GAWD Gene goes to interview Norman Smiley about his match tonight. Smiley says that he isn’t scared of Meng, but then shrieks when a producer nearby makes a sudden move. I love Norman Smiley.
WCW Hardcore Championship
Norman Smiley (c) vs. Meng
Smiley shows up with a cart of weapons, which he throws at Meng. Meng shrugs it off and beats him up to the back. When they get backstage, Normal hits Meng with a trash can but he no sells it, causing Smiley to scream. Schiavone thinks that maybe the screaming is so the opponent will feel sorry for you. As they brawl some more, Brian Knobbs appears to attack Meng but gets beat up because Meng > Knobbs. Fit Finlay shows up to help and Meng continues to just no sell EVERYTHING. He finally goes down after a lead pipe shot. Smiley gets up from under a table and covers Meng with the most cautious one handed pin in history to retain.
Winner and Still WCW Hardcore Champion: Norman Smiley in 4:29
Was it a great match? No, but man I had a good time watching this. Norman Smiley is fun and Meng being a badass was great. **¼
Nick Patrick checks on Meng, who just grabs him in the Tongan Death Grip. Cutting away, someone delivers a gift to David Flair and it’s a golden crowbar. Cutting again, Dr. Death is getting ready with Oklahoma. They cut for a second and suddenly, the Misfits are abducting Oklahoma. Wait, what? How did they happen so quickly?
The Revolution (Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn, Shane Douglas and Asya) vs. Jim Duggan and the Varsity Club (Mike Rotunda, Kevin Sullivan and Rick Steiner) w/ Leia Meow
Jim Duggan had to pick mystery partners. Reuniting the Varsity Club for a night is cool but the crowd seemed clueless about who or what the Varsity Club was. If Duggan’s team wins, the Revolution must be janitors and if the Revolution win, Duggan must denounce the USA. Shane Douglas shows how much he cares about the match by going on commentary. Duggan plods through his offense on Malenko and Saturn. Malenko and Saturn seem so disinterested and Saturn puts in the minimal effort. When the heels come in, the Varsity Club rush in and a big brawl ensues. Duggan refused to tag them in throughout the match, so the Varsity Club turn on him. Douglas then runs in and covers Duggan for the three.
Winners: The Revolution in 4:53
Yea, this was horrible. Jim Duggan staying in the ring throughout makes for bad wrestling and the other team was so disinterested that it just had zero redeeming qualities. ¼*
Shane Douglas cuts a promo on Jim Duggan having to denounce his American citizenship. He uses the work “stinking” far too often, probably as a replacement for “fucking” since this isn’t ECW anymore.
Steve Williams vs. Vampiro
If Vampiro wins, he gets five minutes alone with Oklahoma. The Misfits wheel out the cage with Oklahoma in it. He has a headset so he can call the match. Oh joy. Vampiro leaps off the cage onto Williams in the aisle. Vampiro pounds on Williams right punches and kicks but Williams won’t go down. He busts out of the corner with a shoulder block. Oklahoma shouts “MISS! MISS!” when Williams misses a splash. They fight up top, where Williams hits a top rope belly to belly suplex, though Vampiro nearly lands on his head. The Misfits run in and Williams takes them all out. Williams throws mounted punches on Vampiro and shoves the official, who tries to pull him off, leading to a DQ.
Winner via disqualification: Vampiro in 5:02
This got the point across, but wasn’t very good. It was just Vampiro kicking Williams until he got into his offense. The belly to belly was nice but having to hear Oklahoma throughout the match sucked. *½
Oklahoma vs. Vampiro
Since Dr. Death beat up Vampiro, Oklahoma is actually excited to get in the ring for his five minutes. Oklahoma hits a DDT and some stomps, calling his offense on his headset throughout. The time was cut short since the timer started before Oklahoma even exited the cage. Vampiro hits a big chop and uranage. The Misfits all get shots in on Oklahoma before the Nail in the Coffin ends it.
Winner: Vampiro in 2:52
It’s hard to really rate this. It wasn’t really a match, but then it kind of was. What I do know, is that it wasn’t entertaining. ½*
Curt Hennig, Creative Control, Vincent and LA PARKA are in the office of the Powers That Be. The Powers That Be kind of ignore Hennig because they are focused on something big happening tonight. Cutting away, Mike Tenay interviews Harlem Heat about their issues and tension in recent months. Stevie Ray blames Midnight and says that he won’t have Booker’s back in their match tonight.
Creative Control and Curt Hennig vs. Harlem Heat and Midnight
Midnight’s entrance involves the lights going out and a bell tolling, and then she appears. So she’s basically a ripped, black, female version of the Undertaker. Booker and Midnight start rather hot but then the heels begin to work a heat on Midnight. Curt Hennig chops her incredibly hard at one point. They do the faux hot tag spot where Nick Patrick misses it. Stevie Ray shows up but Booker shoos him to the back. Booker gets the hot tag and the crowd LOVES him. Hennig stops him with some sort of weapon that he awkwardly hides after pinning Booker.
Winners: Curt Hennig and Creative Control in 7:53
This was flat out bad. The story of the Harlem Heat split was fine, but the match itself wasn’t. I understood working the heat on Midnight, but she wasn’t really capable of selling it well and it just came off wrong. *
Bunkhouse Brawl
Dustin Rhodes vs. Jeff Jarrett
This starts during a backstage Dustin Rhodes interview as Jeff Jarrett attacks. I appreciate them wearing street clothes for this. They kind of just beat on each other all the way to the ring, while commentary talks about Jarrett getting pushed and Dustin being upset about the Seven gimmick. This was during that time where WCW wanted to use all of those insider terms. The referee tries to stop Dustin from using his belt at one point, so Dustin whips him and duct tapes him to the ropes. Curt Hennig casually strolls to the ring to free the official, while Jarrett works over Dustin. After all of the brawling, Jarrett applies a sleeper. The crowd hates it so it’s easier brilliant heel work, plain lazy or a bit of both. Dustin fights out and nearly wins but Hennig pulls the official out. Dustin nails Shattered Dreams in the corner but Hennig again pulls the referee out. Hennig eats Shattered Dreams before the fight goes to the stage. Jarrett leaps off a ladder with a guitar shot to win.
Winner: Jeff Jarrett in 11:21
Decent brawl here. I liked it early on but the Jarrett sleeper and Hennig interference was all stuff that I didn’t like and I feel like it hurt the match. Outside of that, you had a good brawl. **¼
Crowbar on a Pole Match
David Flair vs. Diamond Dallas Page
DDP comes out first and David Flair appears from out of nowhere behind him and lays him out with the gold crowbar. They go to announce that DDP can’t compete but he stops them and decides to fight. They talk about DDP’s weak ribs, which makes me laugh because I remember how long he had them tape up. I mean, his in game character in WCW Revenge even had them. DDP tries to fight but is too hurt. They do a near fall, which confuses me since the crowbar is still on the pole. Flair has a chance to get it but decides to try a figure four. DDP survives and wins with a Diamond Cutter.
Winner: DDP in 3:26
Wait, what was the point of the crowbar on the pole? This was about as good as you’d expect from David Flair, which means it wasn’t good at all. *½
DDP hits a top rope Diamond Cutter for good measure. He goes to use the crowbar but Daffney runs out to protect David. Bobby Heenan steals the show with “Is that the girl from Peoria? I never forget a pretty face, it kind of looks like her.” Classic.
Lex Luger vs. Sting
If Sting wins, Miss Elizabeth’s contract with Luger, who has been treating her badly, is void. Before the match, Sting gives Miss Elizabeth a “super high octane” version of mace. I kid you not. Luger jumps Sting at the bell and beats him up around the ring. He taunts Elizabeth while doing this. Sting no sells a suplex after all of this as he nails right hands and Elizabeth gets in slaps. There isn’t a DQ called for this for some reason. She gets the big mace and you can see this coming from a mile away. Elizabeth tries to mace Sting, but he finally wised up to getting swerved for years and sets her up as the mace he gave her had silly string. Sting still kicks Luger’s ass. Liz gets in with the bat and absolutely CLOCKS Sting in the face with it for the DQ.
Winner via disqualification: Sting in 5:25
You could see the Liz turn coming from a mile away, though Sting being ready for it was cool. There was too much reliance on Liz and it was far too short to have anything good happen. *¼
Lex Luger puts a chair on Sting’s hand and stomps on it. That’s an odd body part to target. Sting doesn’t even flinch as he’s selling a potential concussion.
Powerbomb Match
Kevin Nash vs. Sid Vicious
First man to hit a powerbomb wins. No pinfalls or DQ or anything like that. They plod through their offense, as neither guy was really motivated to do any good at this point in their careers. Sid hits Nash in the back with a chair outside. Since this is WCW, we get a ref bump. Sid then hits a hideous powerbomb on Nash. Jeff Jarrett runs out to break a guitar over Sid’s head. He gets rid of the evidence like the match isn’t no DQ or something. Nash goes for a powerbomb but his back hurts too much so he literally just tells the referee that he hit the powerbomb and the official believes him.
Winner: Kevin Nash in 6:58
Wow. That was horrendously bad. They did all of their usual sluggish offense before we got the screwy finish. Who thought this was a good ending? I can’t put into words how dumb this entire thing was. DUD
WCW United States Championship Ladder Match
Chris Benoit (c) vs. Jeff Jarrett
As if we didn’t have enough Double J so far tonight, he accepts the challenge. Schiavone’s reaction to hearing Jarrett’s music was “AGAIN?” which I thought was great. They fight in the ring early, with the highlight being a superplex. The ladder comes into play and Jarrett takes some bumps into it. Benoit’s nose get busted open after the ladder is driven into his face with a baseball slide. In a cool spot, Benoit’s leg gets caught in the ladder on the top and Jarrett pulls him back, sending the ladder crashing onto him. Jarrett gets his leg stuck in the ladder next, hanging upside down. He swings back and forth to knock Benoit off and it looked really dangerous. Both guys tease the win but neither grab the belt. Benoit gets close but Jarrett leaps from the top and dropkicks the ladder. Benoit’s fall also looked very dangerous. Benoit rolls under the ladder shortly after and dropkicks it into Jarrett’s face. He again comes close, touching the belt, but does the throat slash sign and nails a massive headbutt from the top. Benoit snatches the title, earning the belt.
Winner and Still WCW United States Champion: Chris Benoit in 10:15
Maybe it’s because it was WCW in 1999 or maybe it was because of the level of ladder matches happening in the WWF around this era, but this is a forgotten match. It is really good as they fit a fair amount of innovative stuff into ten minutes and the match never lulled at any point. ***½
WCW World Heavyweight Championship No Disqualification Match
Bret Hart (c) vs. Goldberg
One year prior, Goldberg lost his first match and the World Title. They treat this match like a big deal but the fans aren’t as into it as one would hope. Bret works the mat, while Goldberg uses his power, which is how I’d expect things to go here. Bret counters a move into the Sharpshooter but Goldberg just kicks him off. The fight moves outside where Goldberg runs over the referee. Charles Robinson quickly runs out as the replacement. He goes down too and Goldberg misses a spear, hitting the ring post. Bret busts out the ring post figure four because it’s awesome. Bret now systematically picks apart the leg. As Goldberg rallies another referee goes down. Goldberg hits the kick that would end Bret’s career before he pretty much murders Bret on a spear. Roddy Piper comes out in a referee shirt. He walks very slowly, giving Bret time to chop block Goldberg. He locks in the Sharpshooter and Rody instantly calls for the bell, giving us the screwjob finish.
Winner and Still WCW World Heavyweight Champion: Bret Hart in 12:10
I thought this was a good match. Goldberg played the powerhouse well and Bret played the role of the technician who picked him apart just as good, if not better. The only serious issue I had with the match was ending your biggest show of the year on a screwy finish. ***
Overall: 4/10; Weak. The show ended with two strong matches and started with a decent one. Most of the other things on the card are either not very good, or flat out dire. You could tell Vince Russo was around just by looking at some of the overbooked, screwy finishes. The Powerbomb Match is especially atrocious and kind of epitomizes how dumb WCW was at the time. Next time on “Random Network Reviews”, I take a long look at Battleground 2013!
1) AJ Styles: Man, that was one eventful week. So much so that people like Sasha Banks (third Women's Title win), Marty Scurll (retained the ROH TV Title in a strong match), Rosemary (captured the TNA Knockouts Title) and several others missed out. In the end, I went with AJ Styles as the number one pick. He retained the most important title in all of wrestling in the main event of TLC. Not only that but it was another in a string of great matches for Styles. Seriously, his worst PPV matches this year have been the really good ones with Chris Jericho. That says something. Sure he had help from James Ellsworth but at the end of the day, AJ Styles added another notch to his "Wrestler of the Year" belt.
2) Alexa Bliss: There were a fair amount of firsts this week and Alexa Bliss is at the very top of that list. In a move that came as a surprise to many, Alexa Bliss captured her first ever championship by defeating Becky Lynch in a tables match at TLC. I would have kept the title on Becky for a bit longer but Alexa has been one of the best post-draft stars. She has delivered since her callup and deserves the title. The match itself proved to be better than a lot of tables matches and both women performed in a big moment. Alexa should be near the top of the women's division for a long time.
3) Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton: Speaking of people winning their first ever titles, we have Bray Wyatt. It's kind of mind boggling that he hadn't before this. Bray and Randy Orton defeated Heath Slater and Rhyno to become the second ever Smackdown Tag Team Champions. For a long time, Wyatt and Orton were incredibly stale but this has rejuvenated both men. Orton didn't even have to change his look or mannerisms but this new role feels so fresh. It is remarkably refreshing and another home run hit by the blue brand. They make things work that otherwise shouldn't. It's also really cool that Luke Harper seems to also be a champion under the freebird rule.
4) Kyle O'Reilly: It was yet another first ever title win this week at Ring of Honor's Final Battle Pay-Per-View. Kyle O'Reilly defeated former tag team partner and rival Adam Cole to win the ROH World Title. The match itself was quite lackluster to me (their Final Battle 2015 and Supercard of Honor matches were much better) and Kyle's victory was unfortunately met with a lukewarm reaction. It was another in a long line of moments where ROH made the title change too late (see McGuinness, Nigel and Black, Tyler for example). Kyle should have dethroned Jay Lethal earlier this year and Cole didn't exactly need a second reign. Still, props to O'Reilly for the arguably the biggest win of his career.
5) Rich Swann: Rich Swann defeated The Brian Kendrick in the main event of the debut episode of 205Live to win the Cruiserweight Championship.
We begin in Dario's office. A knock is heard and Angelico enters. He wants Johnny Mundo, even if the title isn't on the line. Dario says that Johnny's lawyer is preventing it. Angelico says he could lawyer up due to getting jumped twice while working for Dario. He threatens Dario but Dario says that he can get his hands on Mundo if he wins the "Battle of the Bulls" tournament that begins tonight. Angelico seems to like this and leaves.
Matt Striker and Vampiro run down the tournament. There will be four fatal four way matches and the winners all meet in a four way to determine a number one contender.
Battle of the Bulls Tournament: Cage def. Dr. Wagner Jr. w/ Brenda and Famous B, Joey Ryan and Texano in 8:34
Famous B was attacked while doing the introduction of Dr. Wagner Jr. Like most LU multi-man matches, this was worked at a pretty quick pace. We got to see more of Texano vs. Cage. Cage busted out a sweet moonsault from the top rope because HE'S A MACHINE! Famous B's "don't cheer for this meatheat" was perfect. Ryan tried to sneak in some offense but jumped right into a jackhammer from Cage. There's a great tower of doom spot where Cage powerbombs Texano and Wagner, who double superplex Ryan. I missed the finish itself but it seems like Cage stole it from Texano, adding fuel to their rivalry. This was fun. ***
Dario talks to Sexy Star in his office. He says that he likes how she is a fighter and believes the Worldwide Underground stole the title with her. He offers her a one on one match with PJ Black, the only member of the group she hasn't faced. If she wins, she gets a shot at Mundo and doesn't have to enter the Battle of the Bulls tournament. Her match with Mundo would be a Steel Cage one as well, but if she doesn't beat PJ, she never gets another shot at the title.
Officer Reyes sees his boss and admits that Dario knows he's undercover. She trusts him and needs him in the temple. Since his cover is blown, she wants him to go in deeper. When his arm heals, she wants him to return under a mask.
Sexy Star def. PJ Black in 6:27
This was mostly standard stuff from both. PJ was an arrogant prick throughout, while Sexy played the resilient underdog. It did feature an awesome spot where Sexy went for a super rana but PJ rolled through into a Styles Clash for a near fall. As Sexy began her comeback, Jack Evans showed up. He distracted the referee but it backfired and Sexy rolled PJ up to win. Nothing to write home about but both participants played their roles well. **1/4
Kobra Moon explains that her tribe was led by three generals and they were great. Two remain and I believe they were with her. They're also dressed like snakes. The one who deserted then was Drago and she wants them to bring him back.
Dario tries to convince Matanza to join the tournament but he just wants Rey. Dario says that Rey is injured right now. Matanza brings him in for a hug but pulls him face first into the steel bars. With Dario out cold, Matanza reaches for the key.
Battle of the Bulls Tournament: The Mack def. Dragon Azteca Jr., Marty Martinez and Mil Muertes w/ Catrina
Four unique characters. The interactions between them were great. Mil was the powerhouse, Marty was strange and brought great character work, Mack played a really fun babyface and Azteca flew all over the place. Mil speared Marty off the apron and onto both Mack and Azteca at one point. Mil's dominance got subdued by an offensive onslaught from the other three men in the match. Unfortunately, my feed cut out during this match and I only saw that the Mack won and nothing more.
Overall: 7/10. I'd say this was a fun episode. What I saw of the tournament matches were both pretty fun and featured some unique interactions. Sexy/PJ was fine and the segments throughout the show told a good story and advanced several things.
If you do want to check out Lucha Underground, which you absolutely should, and don't get El Rey Network (like me), you can sign up for the streaming service Fubo.TV. It's a great way to support the company and channel while streaming the show online. You can sign up and get Lucha Underground right here with Fubo.tv!
5) Rick "The Model" Martel: Rick Martel is one of the earliest occupational gimmicks that I can recall. Looking back, he was good with Strike Force, but it wasn't until he donned the "Model" gimmick that he became memorable. I don't remember if he won any gold with the character, but it certainly was how I was able to remember him. I do know that he came close to winning the Intercontinental Title in 1993, but fell short. Still, he stayed pretty relevant with the character for a few years, which is more than a lot of people in these gimmicks can say.
4) Doink The Clown: If the entire Doink the Clown run was done by Matt Osbourne, he'd certainly rank higher. During his run in 1993, Osbourne absolutely nailed the Doink character. He not only delivered when in the ring, but he just got the character and made it work. His run as a heel was some of the finest stuff going in 1993 and he even did well when turning face. He was so enthralling in the role that it was hard to not list him. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to play Doink for the entire run and the multiple people who followed him just couldn't quite capture the magic. Their performances, along with the addition of Dink, made Doink into a joke and he became pretty unwatchable.
3) The Mountie: Maybe there were better options to list here to some, but dammit, I always enjoyed the Mountie. He was such a ridiculously goofy heel, but he threw himself into the role so well that he parlayed it into success. In 1992, he actually won the Intercontinental, and though it was only for a few days, it is still an accomplishment that a lot of guys with occupational gimmicks never got. Not only that, but a little over a year later, they added Pierre and made a tag team called the Quebecers. I've been watching Raws from 1993 and 1994 recently and have found that they were usually a highlight of the show. They even held the Tag Team Titles a few times. Not bad for an occupational gimmick.
2) Val Venis: The only occupational gimmick from the Attitude Era that fit in as well as Val's was the Godfather. I picked Val over him though for a few reasons. Val fucking nailed the porn star role. Seriously, remember his vignettes? They were unbelievably cheesy and had no right to work. But, Val threw himself into the role and I couldn't help but enjoy it. He had the voice and the mannerisms down and took something that shouldn't have worked and found success. He won multiple midcard titles, and did different things with the character to change things up, but always found a way to be relevant and over in an era crowded with top stars.
1) Big Bossman: When I read the theme for this top five, Big Bossman was the first guy to come to mind. He was one of the few guys that was able to make the gimmick work very well as both a face and a heel. He got very over in both situations and was always one of the better big men in the ring in history. When he left to WCW, things didn't work out so well but he always found a way to be rather relevant in the WWE. Even after returning in the Attitude Era, he changed things up donning the black Shield like attire and was a major part of the Corporation, even holding both the Hardcore and Tag Team Titles at the same time.
WWE TLC
December 4th, 2016 | American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas
The recent trend of not announcing the Kickoff match beforehand continued. Smackdown threw as many midcard guys in as possible when Apollo Crews, American Alpha and the Hype Bros joined forces to take on the Vaudevillains, the Ascension and Curt Hawkins. This was your typical multi-man tag match, with American Alpha, Mojo’s dancing and Apollo’s baldness were highlights. AA got the win for their team with Grand Amplitude on Simon Gotch at 12:02 (**¾)
WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship: Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton w/ Luke Harper def. Heath Slater and Rhyno (c) in 5:52
Short and to the point. The new Wyatt Family has revitalized both Bray and Randy and it is the most interesting run for either guy in years. For the most part, this was a standard tag match but what put it over the hump and made it stand out to me was the interactions between the Wyatts. They again played into the Wyatts being willing to sacrifice themselves for one another when Harper took a Gore for Randy. Rhyno went inside and stopped at the sight of Bray’s weird crab walk. Orton snuck in with the RKO and they won the titles. After the match, Bray and Randy put the titles on Harper’s shoulders and they all posed. If this means the Freebird rule for the Wyatts, I’m all for it. A fun sprint that did what it needed to and the right team won. I can’t ask for much more. ***
No Disqualifications: Nikki Bella def. Carmella in 7:56
It was a small touch, but Nikki Bella having her hair braided so it wouldn’t get pulled in a scrap added to this. Both women had their hands taped as well. Their main weapon of choice throughout this was a kendo stick, which adds to the fact that the Falls Count Anywhere match on Raw shouldn’t have happened since they used that weapon too. Carmella continued to excel in her heel role, while Nikki did a good job of garnering sympathy. She pulled a Charlotte and stopped selling the leg work during her comeback, which was unfortunate. Nikki went into the longest fire extinguisher spray spot in history before winning with the Rack Attack 2.0. Good intensity, though it did lack at some points. I think it was partially hurt by there being another similar match on Monday. **¾
After the match, Carmella revealed that she knows it was Natalya who attacked Nikki. Why not have Natalya show up and cost Nikki the match then? Also, in classic WWE timing, they immediately go to a commercial where Natalya helps a fan propose. Good going.
WWE Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: The Miz (c) w/ Maryse def. Dolph Ziggler in 25:10
At Backlash and No Mercy, these two had their best matches ever and the rivalry made me care about Dolph again. I think it has gone on too long but this was the final encounter. While I think this match was good, it wasn’t on the level of their previous two PPV ones. It felt like they weren’t entirely sure what kind of ladder match they wanted to have. At some points it felt like they were going for a big spot kind and at other points it felt like a grudge match style one. There were times where it felt like it was dragging and other times where it was awesome. Again, I think Miz was the star, stealing Daniel Bryan taunts and offense throughout. He finally used some low blows to get free enough to retain in a good but not great match. ***¼
Miz cut a post-match promo cutting down Dolph, Daniel Bryan and Dallas for being losers.
Chairs Match: Baron Corbin def. Kalisto in 12:51
I know there isn’t much competition, but this was far and away the best chairs match ever. I still don’t exactly get the point of this stipulation but Corbin and Kalisto were out to show that they could use chairs in a creative way. Kalisto was awesome here, flying all over the place and playing the resilient underdog very well. Corbin continues to do a great job in his role, bullying Kalisto at every opportunity. Both men showed a mean streak and we got some cool moments like a Kalisto rana spike onto chairs and Corbin’s deep six onto the floor. In the end, Kalisto got caught with the End of Days onto a pile of chairs as Corbin won the best match of either man’s WWE careers. ***½
WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship Tables Match: Alexa Bliss def. Becky Lynch (c) in 15:07
Like the chairs match, it can be hard to have a good tables match. These two did well and continued to show that the women of Smackdown are consistently solid. Becky attacked right away, fitting into the storyline. I think they did a good job of keeping the match personal while also building towards the suspense of the eventual table spot to end things. There were some smart moments, like Alexa not being able to counter Becky so she flipped the table over instead. This included some creativity at points that I enjoyed. My favorite thing was how the eye rake played into the finish. On Talking Smack this past week, Miz pointed out that the eye rake could prove fatal since it worked on Becky on Smackdown. It did here as Alexa used it to open a powerbomb off the apron spot through a table that won her the title. I think Becky should have had a longer reign but Alexa has been great since the draft so it’s all good. ***¼
WWE World Championship TLC Match: AJ Styles (c) def. Dean Ambrose in 31:01
Wisely, this was another match that began with brawling. These guys hate each other and this is how it should be. AJ Styles again starred here, taking insane bumps. Dean set up a ladder on top of an announce table and then put AJ through the other table with a big elbow off it. AJ would top that with an insane springboard 450 splash through a table outside. How AJ walked after that is beyond me. Dean did his part but this felt like the AJ Styles show. They beat each other up without many slow points despite this going for over half an hour. When it looked like AJ would win, James Ellsworth came out and distracted him. Dean hit AJ with Dirty Deeds on the steps and had an opening to win. AJ did his best Roman Reigns and got up almost instantly from that big spot. He was still knocked off the ladder only for Ellsworth to turn on Dean and tilt the ladder over, sending him through tables. AJ recovered and retrieved the title to retain. I wish we got more of a clean finish but it did make sense within the story they’ve been telling for weeks. Delusional Ellsworth on Talking Smack after this was a highlight. I wish AJ would have sold the Dirty Deeds more too. Still, this was fantastic up until those parts in the end. ****
Overall: 8/10. Smackdown is three for three in enjoyable PPVs since the split. Not a single thing on the show was bad as the lowest score I gave was **¾ for the kickoff and No DQ matches. Corbin and Kalisto exceeded expectations, while the Wyatt Family is more interesting than ever before. Miz and Ziggler had a good match, as did Alexa and Becky. AJ Styles delivered another top notch PPV performance as well. Smackdown continues to take things that shouldn’t work (Ellsworth, a three month Carmella/Nikki feud, Slater & Rhyno, Randy Wyatt, etc.) and it all comes together so well.
Winner: Baron Corbin
Winner: Nikki Bella
Winners: Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton
Winner: Becky Lynch
Winner: The Miz
Winner: AJ Styles
2016 Prediction Record: 62-38
2015 Prediction Record: 60-35
Raw History
Episode #67
June 20th, 1994 | Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York
We are live just 24 hours removed from the King of the Ring Pay-Per-View! The biggest news from that show was that Diesel and Bret Hart had a great match that ended via disqualification, while Owen Hart won the King of the Ring tournament. Also, Roddy Piper and Jerry Lawler stunk up the joint. Tonight, Gorilla Monsoon is on commentary with Macho Man.
Diesel w/ Shawn Michaels vs. Mark Thomas
This is obviously a non-title affair. Diesel dominates the jacked Mark Thomas. Shawn Michaels gets in a cheap shot outside because that’s what heels do. Diesel goes through his five or six moves and wins with the Jackknife.
Winner: Diesel in 4:00
Typical Diesel squash. Again, it was kind of clear that he was going places fast.
King of the Ring Report time! Todd Pettengill recaps the night and says that Owen Hart will now be known as the King of Harts. Jim Neidhart returned to corner Bret Hart during the WWF Title match and attacked Diesel, leading to the DQ. He then assisted Owen in winning the tournament and sided with him.
Number One Contender’s Match
1-2-3 Kid vs. Nikolai Volkoff w/ Ted Dibiase
The winner gets a WWF Title shot in THREE WEEKS! Kid wrestled twice the night before and sold an injury. He also had one of, if not the best, under five minute matches in history. Volkoff hasn’t really earned a shot but I guess Dibiase bought him this spot. Here, we have a big styles clash and Volkoff overpowers Kid from the get go. Kid bumps for him until he starts to light up Volkoff with those educated feet. Kid scores some near falls with rollups. Volkoff does hit some big moves but none of them look very good. Kid pulls him into a small package to become the number one contender.
Winner: 1-2-3 Kid in 6:04
Their styles did not mesh well. 1-2-3 Kid has been one of the better performers in Raw history and Volkoff was way past his prime. At least this sets up Kid/Bret. *¼
Nikolai Volkoff and Ted Dibiase attack the 1-2-3 Kid until Virgil of all people make the save. He fails miserably though because he’s Virgil. Lex Luger has to come out and save both of them. Ted Dibiase surprisingly gives Luger a thumbs up and leaves. CONTROVERSY!
Next week, Mabel vs. Bigelow!
Yokozuna w/ Mr. Fuji and Jim Cornette vs. Nick Barberri
Yokozuna has nothing to do now that Earthquake is gone. Gorilla Monsoon says that the other Natural Disaster, Typhoon, is coming for Yokozuna. Oh no. Yokozuna destroys the jobber and he’s not even worth a Banzai drop.
Winner: Yokozuna in 2:25
Hey, it was kept short, which is how I like my Yokozuna squash matches.
As Typhoon makes his entrance, he is blocked by Yokozuna. During a commercial break, Yokozuna takes a swing, but Typhoon blocked it and leveled him.
Typhoon vs. Black Phantom
Black Phantom is still Gangrel from what I can tell. Typhoon tosses him around easily. He wins with the Tidal Wave.
Winner: Typhoon in 2:29
Ho hum. They tried building to Typhoon vs. Yokozuna, but I don’t believe Typhoon stuck around much longer after this.
Time for another King’s Court. I’m guessing it will be a dreadful episode since the guest is Duke Droese. We are shown clips of Duke dumping garbage on Jerry Lawler on Superstars. Lawler throws insults as Duke, who responds by saying that Lawler stinks too much for even the trash man. He goes to leave but Lawler attacks and beats him up with the trash can.
The Heavenly Bodies w/ Jim Cornette vs. Jim Powers and Russ Greenberg
Jim Cornette gets on commentary and announces that the Headshrinkers are being forced to defend the WWF Tag Team Titles against the Heavenly Bodies. He even calls them 98 pound weaklings. Jim Powers does his best to make this competitive, with a few near falls. The Bodies bust out some double team moves and Del Rey pins Greenberg with a moonsault press.
Winners: The Heavenly Bodies in 4:02
More competitive than most squash matches, but still nothing to write home about.
Gorilla Monsoon tells us that the WWF doesn’t condone the actions of Jerry Lawler and he must apologize on Raw next week. Cut to Ted Dibiase, who informs everyone that Lex Luger will be unstoppable with a million dollars backing him.
Overall: 2/10. Another weak episode of Monday night Raw. The big match wasn’t very good and the squashes weren’t either, but at least they were short. The King’s Court was again, a disaster and continues to make these episodes of Raw tough to get through. It’s like they are highlighting the wrong people.
Raw History
Episode #68
June 27th, 1994 | Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York
We start with a recap of the altercation between Jerry Lawler and Duke Droese. Duke speaks, saying that it’s one thing to hit him from behind, but it’s another to use his own trash can on him. Because the use of your own trash can is the real issue here. Lawler then speaks and can’t even bring himself to say “apologize”. He would rather get fined or suspended.
Bam Bam Bigelow w/ Luna Vachon vs. Mabel w/ Oscar
One of those classic Vince McMahon “big man vs. big man” clashes. Gorilla gets to use his tired “IRRESISTIBLE FORCE MEETS THE IMMOVABLE OBJECT” line. Bigelow shows that he’s far superior early but then Mabel starts to rally. Luna gets on the apron and ends up getting knocked off as Mabel is sent off the ropes. Bigelow lays out an absolutely winded Mabel and sees Oscar outside checking on Luna. Bigelow throws him aside. He must have heard Oscar rap. Mabel actually does an axe handle from the apron on Bigelow and they land on Luna. They continue to brawl until Mabel beats the count.
Winner via countout: Mabel in 3:29
Yea, this was a mess. The fact that, about two minutes into this, Mabel was visibly winded, should tell you something. ¼*
Ted Dibiase comes out to calm down Bigelow, who was arguing with the official. MORE CONTROVERSY! We then see that Ted Dibiase brought back the “Undertaker” two weeks ago on Superstars and the Undertaker won a match on this past week’s Superstars.
IRS vs. Rich Myers
Hey, no IRS “YOU’RE ALL TAX CHEATS” promo tonight. I appreciate it. The match itself though, was still typical IRS boring stuff. He wins with an STF.
Winner: IRS in 2:24
IRS is boring. There are no ifs, ands or buts about it.
The King’s Court is with Jim Neidhart tonight. He comes out to the old Hart Foundation theme and says that he turned on Bret because Bret was always ungrateful for everything Neidhart did for him. Owen Hart comes out with the crown, cape and scepter. He bashes Bret and says that he’s coming for a title shot. Hey, it’s an entertaining edition of the King’s Court.
The Headshrinkers w/ Captain Lou Albano vs. The Executioners
Did Afa get fired? While the Tag Team Champions beat up the jobbers, Gorilla Monsoon says that Ted Dibiase is having some sort of confrontation backstage with someone. They seem to want to send the cameras to the back but never do it. The match drags and the Headshrinkers win with a splash.
Winners: The Headshrinkers in 4:55
Overly long. Maybe they have technical issues since they never went backstage and maybe that’s why the match went a big long.
We now go backstage to Ted Dibiase, who is seemingly working out a deal with Bigelow.
Kwang w/ Harvey Wippleman vs. Mike Moraldo
Kwang’s offense is seemingly a million kicks. I honestly wonder if he has anything else in his arsenal. He spits the mist during the match and wins with, you guessed it, a spinning heel kick.
Winner: Kwang in 3:28
Another match that isn’t very good. Kwang is another guy who has squash matches that don’t impress me.
Lex Luger vs. Mike Bell
We see Ted Dibiase watch from the curtain like some kind of peeping Tom. Luger is like, the only dude to get a near fall in a squash when he tries a schoolboy. Luger then uses the Torture Rack for the submission.
Winner: Lex Luger in 2:57
Sign, Lex Luger is a terrible face. This was lame.
Lex Luger poses a ton in the spotlight and Macho Man considers joining him, but can’t get his jacket off. Yea, it was pretty strange.
Overall: 1.5/10. It’s pretty telling when the only positive thing about a show in the King’s Court. The marquee match was horrible and the rest of the show wasn’t much better. There’s a nostalgia factor watching these old Raws, but some are just downright putrid.
Raw History
Episode #69
July 4th, 1994 | Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York
Jeff Jarrett vs. Tatanka
They start with some uninspired mat work before Tatanka hits a back drop. He seems to be packing on the pounds as of late. The fight spills outside, which gets Macho Man unexpectedly excite. Jarrett shoves Tatanka into the ring post and wins via countout in 6:14. BUT WAIT! Jarrett grabs a microphone and says that unlike Macho Man, he won’t take a countout win and wants the match restarted. They really had plans for Jarrett/Savage didn’t they? The match restarts and Jarrett works a chinlock. Tatanka fights out but Jarrett goes back to it for an EXTENDED period of time. Tatanka finally rallies and hits the flying chop. Jarrett quits and goes to walk away, but runs into Dink and Doink, who threaten him with a bucket of water. He runs in the ring and is rolled up for the 1-2-3.
Winner: Tatanka in 13:40
I wish this ended in 6:14. That portion of the math was decent. The rest was incredibly boring and they just sat around doing next to nothing. Seemed like a house show match. ¾*
Time for the King’s Court. Again. His guest is the 1-2-3 Kid. Jerry Lawler wants the Kid to beat Bret Hart because he hates him. Hilariously, Kid calls him “Mr. Lawler” and says that he respects “Mr. Bret Hart”, claiming that he’s the best wrestler in the world. Kid continues to play the respectful card while Lawler wants him to get angry but he doesn’t.
Jim Neidhart w/ Owen Hart vs. Gary Scott
Completely one-sided as Neidhart just dominates. Owen shouts into the camera that both he and Jim carried Bret at different points in their careers. Gorilla Monsoon straight ups says that they were the weak links. Dang. Neidhart hits a powerslam to win.
Winner: Jim Neidhart in 4:00
One-sided, which is how it had to be. Neidhart got to look as good as he could.
Duke Droese vs. “Iron” Mike Sharpe
I love me some Mike Sharpe! There isn’t enough loud selling from him in this for me to enjoy it. I mean, there’s some, but not enough to make up for Duke’s lack of talent. He scores with an elbow to win.
Winner: Duke Droese in 3:58
Another standard squash from a dull worker.
It’s the debut of the classic “BREEEETTTT” commercial.
The “Undertaker” w/ Ted Dibiase vs. Mike Bell
It’s clear that this Undertaker is shorter than the original, but props to Brian Lee as his imitating is pretty good. He wins with a tombstone.
Winner: The “Undertaker” in 4:03
Typical squash but again, I’d like to comment Brian Lee. Knowing that he’s not the Undertaker is kind of clear now, but I can picture myself and a lot of people not being able to tell the difference back then.
Paul Bearer shows up with the urn, trying to get the Undertaker to come back to him. Ted Dibiase combats that with money but Undertaker is having none of it. However, two handfuls of cash sways his decision, leaving Bearer to exit shaking his head. Also, the King’s Court will feature Ted Dibiase next week, but it will not be live in the arena.
Overall: 2.5/10. Better than the last few episodes, but by the slimmest of margins. Again, the main match failed to deliver the squashes weren’t really entertaining. I did think that the King’s Court was alright and I actually rather enjoyed the Undertaker impersonation. Oh well, next week it’s Hart/Kid which should turn things around.
