Raw History
Episode #115
June 12th, 1995 | Struthers Auditorium in Struthers, Ohio
They hype the King of the Ring Qualifying match between Lex Luger and Yokozuna to open the show. They recap their shitty 1993 feud, showing us just how much of a choke artist Luger is. Vince is all like “FOR THE FIRST TIME ON NATIONAL TELEVISION!” Nobody asked for it. Vince and Lawler host things.
Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Duane Gill
Vince informs us that Bigelow will team with Diesel to face Sid and Tatanka at King of the Ring. That match would prove to be dire. Diesel calls in during this squash to say that he may not be 100% by the PPV but he’ll be there for Bigelow. Thank goodness Duane Gill shaved his head. His hair is atrocious here. Gill actually hits some offense to stretch this out until the Diesel conversation is over. A headbutt ends it.
Winner: Bam Bam Bigelow in 2:31
This felt longer than it actually was.
Our first Waylon Mercy vignette airs. His character was so damn cool. He talks about nature. He points to a worm on his arm, saying that he doesn’t like them crawling on him. If wrestlers touch hi, they’ll get squished like the worm, which he proceeds to squash.
In some of the most 90’s moments ever, Vince gets excited about the WWF blimp. Then, the Smoking Gunns and a WWE merchandise schiller plugs the WWF mad cap game.
Kama w/ Ted Dibiase vs. David Haskins
Some fans dressed in all black hang a wreath at ringside. This was the era where they tried hard to push them as Undertaker’s “creatures of the night.” It always sounded so cheesy to me. Kama pretty much destroys this jobber and debuts a new finisher, the belly-to-belly suplex.
Winner: Kama in 2:08
Short and to the point.
Kama tries to intimidate the “creatures of the night” and Ted Dibiase has to hold him back.
Todd Pettengill is here with the King of the Ring Report! I feel like I enjoy these more than most people. We hear from Sid and Ted Dibiase about the upcoming garbage main event. Jerry Lawler also brings out a hideous fake foot, saying his feet will look worse at the PPV.
Yokozuna is shown eating a giant bowl of rice to pack on the pounds. He’s up to 641, or about a hundred pounds more than he was during the original Luger/Yoko feud.
Man Mountain Rock vs. Bob Cook
Commentary keeps making bad foot puns. Becky Lynch would be disappointed. This is quick as Man Mountain Rock wins with the Whammy Bar submission.
Winner: Man Mountain Rock in 1:03
I like these quick squashes tonight.
Backstage, Bob Backlund goes insane about Man Mountain Rock’s guitar. Like, he even knocks over the trash can and goes nuts. It’s kind of funny.
Tekno Team 2000 vs. John Crystal and Mike Khoury
Oh god, it’s time for Tekno Team 2000! They consist of Erik Watts and Chad Fortune of some WCW fame. The gimmick sucks and their in-ring work isn’t much better. The jobber team actually has matching gear, but the problem is that they’re basically wearing daisy dukes. It’s like they stole the Smoking Gunns’ attire and cut them up. Travis uses a flying cross body to win.
Winner: Tekno Team 2000 in 3:22
Not an impressive debut for the new duo. I don’t believe they even last very long, rendering this pointless.
In the back, Man Mountain Rock cries over his broken guitar. He tells Bob Backlund that now, IT’S PERSONAL!
Next Monday, Sid and Tatanka face the Headshrinkers.
King of the Ring Qualifying Match
Lex Luger vs. WWF Tag Team Champion Yokozuna w/ Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji
Luger has a flag bearer with him and its Scotty Anton, who would go on to become Scotty Riggs in WCW shortly after this. Both guys wave their respective flags because Vince has a boner for lame patriotism pops. Luger smashes Yoko’s head into the turnbuckle a bunch of times, causing Vince to say that he may become Locozuna. What is wrong with him tonight? They do the spot from SummerSlam where Yokozuna falls outside. In this situation, a countout win works fine since there is no title at stake. Luger can’t get Yokozuna down with shoulder blocks, so he does two double axe handles and three SCREAMING CLOTHESLINES but it’s not enough. Finally, a second rope clothesline does the trick. Mr. Fuji somehow takes the American flag from weak ass Scotty Anton so Luger has to retrieve it for him. Yokozuna sneaks up, throws Luger into the post and leg drops him. Yokozuna makes it back inside, rolling and getting winded, to win via countout.
Winner: Yokozuna in 8:07
My goodness, Lex Luger is the biggest choke artist in wrestling history. This was similar to their SummerSlam match as these are two guys that just really couldn’t have goo matches with each other. At least the crowd was somewhat into it. ¾*
We see Jerry Lawler walking around in horse crap so that his feet could be filthy for the King of the Ring. Then we see a recap from Superstars when Jerry Lawler beat Aldo Montoya and stuck his foot in Aldo’s mouth. Disgusting.
Overall: 2/10. Man that was a rough episode. A lot of uninteresting guys (Man Mountain Rock, Tekno Team 2000, and Kama) and the main event sucked pretty hard. I also saw too much of Lawler’s feet and heard some terrible puns throughout the show. This was a bad episode on the road to a bad PPV.
Raw History
Episode #116
June 19th, 1995 | Struthers Auditorium in Struthers, Ohio
Another pre-taped episode as it’s the go-home show before King of the Ring.
The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer vs. Mike MacReynolds
Vince tells us not to adjust our sets, the screen is dark because of the Undertaker. He also says that we smell Lawler’s feet so he must think we all have some crazy technology. More “creatures of the night” in the crowd. Undertaker dominates this jabroni and wins with the Tombstone. They even give the kid the body bag treatment like its 1991.
Winner: The Undertaker in 2:23
Typical Undertaker squash.
Jerry Lawler hypes the “Kiss my Foot” match before we see a recap of Bob Backlund destroying Man Mountain Rock’s guitar last week.
Adam Bomb vs. Bill Payne
Payne actually attacks from behind before the bell. It doesn’t really do him any good though. Bomb tosses him around and hits the flying clothesline for the three.
Winner: Adam Bomb in 1:57
Another short, basic squash.
Time for the weekly King of the Ring Report. Todd Pettengill is apparently a member of the “Bomb Squad”. Nothing new is reported though Bret and Lawler each cut a promo about their match.
The New Headshrinkers vs. Sycho Sid and Tatanka w/ Ted Dibiase
Jerry Lawler says that Sid and Tatanka are an unbeatable team. He does realize that Tatanka is on the team right? Anyway, the Headshrinkers went from two managers to none. Their attire is a brighter shade of blue and seems unfitting. Tatanka goes back and forth with Fatu early. He hits him in the head, which is a clear mistake against a Samoan. Fatu shows signs of Rikishi by busting out some dances. Sid tries to pull the DOUBLE NOGGIN KNOCKER but again, they’re Samoan you dingbat. Sid does end up in control as Fatu takes the heat. Sionne gets the mild tag. The crowd sounds much louder than their quite expressions show. Sid plants Fatu with a powerbomb and then he and Tatanka murder Sionne with a double powerbomb outside. They slide him in and win.
Winners: Sycho Sid and Tatanka in 9:04
Not awful but I think they should have looked more dominant. The Headshrinkers aren’t going anywhere and Sid and Tatanka are about to team up in the main event of a PPV. At least the finish was cool.*¾
Diesel and Bigelow get interviewed about the PPV main event and Diesel’s injury. Diesel does fine but Bigelow is horrendous as a face. He just talks about having heart and it’s so cheesy.
A pretty piss poor clip of Jerry Lawler at some torture museum airs. He ties it into the Hart program but it’s so bad.
Hunter-Hearst Helmsley vs. Buck Quartermaine
This is all HHH from start to finish. Not much to write about since he’s still not very interesting. He debuts the Pedigree here.
Winner: Hunter Hearst-Helmsley in 2:43
Ho-hum.
Next week, Jeff Jarrett puts the Intercontinental Title on the line against Savio Vega.
Shawn Michaels vs. Gus Kantarrakis
Yes, HBK is so over that his squash matches get to main event over the other guys on the card. His opponent is hair like that member of Los Boricuas. Shawn is very cocky while working this dude over, toying with him. He even makes the dude chase him outside before ducking all of his offense and taking a seat in the crowd. Eventually, Shawn hits Sweet Chin Music but the fans call for another, so he obliges, ending this.
Winner: Shawn Michaels in 4:21
I think this wet on a bit too long but I thought it was somewhat enjoyable. Shawn was a complete dick but the people ate it up.
Kama, Shawn’s first round opponent for Sunday, tries to attack him. Shawn ducks and sends him packing. The Undertaker slowly walks out because Kama melted his urn into a chain. Kama looks trapped but out comes Mabel, who is Undertaker’s opponent for Sunday. Two of these guys are stars and the other two are far from it.
Before it ends, Lawler talks about his feet again. Good lord, this is abysmal.
Overall: 3/10. I enjoyed this episode more than the last but not by much. The marque match wasn’t awful and Shawn Michaels made for some entertaining television. Too much of Lawler and his feet. I get trying to draw heat but enough is enough.
King of the Ring 1995 Results
First Round: Savio Vega def. Yokozuna. Razor was replaced by Savio due to injury
First Round: Roadie def. Bob Holly
First Round: Shaw Michaels and Kama went to a fucking time limit draw
First Round: Mabel def. Undertaker. The crowd gave up at this point
Semi-Finals: Savio Vega def. Roadie
Kiss My Foot Match: Bret Hart def. Jerry Lawler
Finals: Mabel def. Savio Vega
Diesel and Bigelow def. Sid and Tatanka to close a dreadful Pay-Per-View
Raw History
Episode #117
June 26th, 1995 | Danville, Pennsylvania
The recap shows nothing of the atrocious King of the Ring tournament, instead focusing on how Jerry Lawler had to kiss his own feet. He is absent tonight (THANK GOD) and Shawn Michaels is replacing him to a major pop.
The Smoking Gunns vs. Jason Hart and the Black Phantom
Another Gangrel sighting! It’s here that Vince gives us the depressing news that Mabel won the King of the Ring. Doing that in already down year for business was horrifically stupid. A sidewinder ends this in quick fashion.
Winners: The Smoking Gunns in 1:42
Fine for the time given.
Earlier today, Jerry Lawler has been trying to do everything to get the smell out of his mouth. He is outside the office of Dr. Isaac Yankem D.D.S. THAT’S…THAT’S GOTTA BE ISAAC!
Skip w/ Sunny vs. Scott Taylor
I’m writing this right around the time of Sunny’s 2016 porn debut, which has gotten laughable reviews for being horrible. This actually is a pretty fun match. Skip was impressive and Taylor got in a few hope spots, getting a pop. Skip won with a top rope rana that probably won’t be bested by any other move on this show.
Winner: Skip in 2:03
I thought this was rather fun.
Todd Pettengill brings us a post-KOTR report. He recaps the major happenings, or lack thereof, before making an announcement. The first match for In Your House 2: The Lumberjacks is set as Diesel will defend the WWF Title against Sid in, you guessed it, a lumberjack match.
Next week, Sid faces former Million Dollar Corporation member Bam Bam Bigelow.
Man Mountain Rock vs. Phil Apollo
Vince shouts “IF IT’S TOO LOUD, YOU’RE TOO OLD” which is funny because I can currently see Vince as the kind of guy complaining about music volume. Another short one won with the Whammy Bar submission.
Winner: Man Mountain Rock in 1:21
This guy works quickly.
King Mabel w/ Sir Mo vs. Kenny Kendall
Mabel is carried out by four jobbers. Mabel is getting a push but hasn’t improved at all. He’s died his mohawk black to really signify a heel turn. Shawn Michaels says that he was told to go the distance to win the King of the Ring and he went the distance by drawing with Kama, so he probably should read the rule book. That line, while not great, was better than the match. A belly-to-belly finishes things.
Winner: King Mabel in 2:34
Yup, even if you add a crown, Mabel still sucks.
Another great Waylon Mercy vignette airs. He was so ahead of his time, it’s insane. He utters the great “lives are gonna be in Waylon Mercy’s hands” line.
WWF Intercontinental Championship
Jeff Jarrett (c) w/ the Roadie vs. Savio Vega
Savio wrestled four times last night (part of why the PPV sucked), which Shawn calls a WWF record. Not really since Savage did it at WrestleMania IV. Roadie tries to attack from behind but goes so slow to allow Savio to turn around and stop him. Jarrett still gets in some offense for a while until Savio hits a back suplex. Savio uses that Latin fire to reel off some offense. Roadie gets sent into Shawn Michaels on commentary. Michaels shoves him and this is the loudest the crowd has been all night. Jarrett comes off the apron to hit him but Michaels caches him and hammers away. Inside, Savio rolls him up but Roadie runs in and causes the disqualification.
Winner via disqualification: Savio Vega in 5:29
Decent enough for what it was. This was more about trying to get the crowd behind Savio more and setting up the eventual HBK/Jarrett IC Title match. **
The heels put the boots to Savio Vega until Shawn Michaels makes the save and sends them packing. After a break, Michaels is topless and dancing atop the announce table which Vince McMahon must love. He goes for a high five but Shawn completely leaves him hanging. Jarrett and Roadie come back out and get on the microphone, but the show ends before we hear anything.
Overall: 5/10. Hell, I’m surprised but I actually rather enjoyed that episode. Yes, it had the awful King Mabel, but hear me out. Most of the squash matches were short and decent (Skip was a highlight), the main event was decent and there was a sever lack of Jerry Lawler.
Things opened with a video package that recapped some of the feuds that will be featured on tonight's episode.
In the bathroom, Ivelisse argued with her boyfriend, Jeremiah Crane. He admitted to being in love with Catrina, so Ivelisse said she didn't need him. He called her a bitch and got kicked into a stall.
Unique Opportunity Battle Royal
This match featured Joey Ryan, PJ Black, Ricky Mundo, Vinnie Pestano, Mascarita Sagrada, Argenis, Mala Suerte, Saltador, Paul London, Cortez Castro, Son of Madness, The Mack, and the returning Pimpinela Escarlata, who got a great pop. This was your typical battle royal, with the added fun of the Rabbit Tribe being wacky. Pimpinela had some fun moments as well. Black press slammed Sagrada outside, leaving it down to him, Ricky and Mack. Mack overcame them and eliminated them to win at 3:31. Nothing much here. It was too short to stand out. [*1/2]
While Mack celebrated, Dario Cueto came out of his office in a dapper tuxedo. For winning, Mack has earned a Trios Championship match next week. As always with unique opportunities, there was a twist. Dario chose Mack's partners, selecting Dante Fox and Killshot, if there's anything left of them.
Catrina w/ Mil Muertes vs. Ivelisse
We've waited over a year for this one. It's Catrina's first match and Ivelisse's first in about a year. Ivelisse charged the ring, getting this off to a physical start. Catrina locked herself in Dario's office, and when Ivelisse finally got in, she had glass smashed over her head. Another shot with a bottle and Ivelisse was busted open. Ivelisse desperately fought back as they brawled through the crowd. Once back to the ring, Catrina hit a spear and her finisher for two. Ivelisse fought off Catrina's use of her supernatural stone, before hitting Catrina with it and winning with a DDT at 6:14. This was super intense and exactly the kind of match it needed to be. I do feel that the finish was kind of abrupt and it ended too soon. [***1/4]
Post-match, Jeremiah Crane showed up and attacked Ivelisee's ankle, which she's had two surgeries on, with a hammer.
Luchas de Apuestas [Hair vs. Mask]: Fenix vs. Marty Martinez w/ Marpiosa
Fenix got a good luck kiss from Melissa Santos. They brawled right from the start, until Mariposa got involved and continually tripped Fenix up. Marty pulled his sister in the way of a Fenix dive, so she flipped him off and left. Marty tore away at Fenix's mask and busted him open. You could pretty much Fenix's entire face. Marty continued to have an answer for Fenix's rally attempts and Fenix kept kicking out of Marty's best offense. Finally, Marty pulled out scissors from his trusty ringside box and drove them into Fenix's head. Melissa got on the apron and told Marty she loved him, saying they'd run away together. He put the scissors down and physically brought Melissa inside. She slapped him and kicked him in the nuts, allowing Fenix to get going and win with a 450 splash at 12:25. Great action and tremendous storytelling. The Mariposa and Melissa involvement made sense as they've been part of the story the whole time. Great stuff. [***3/4]
Marty tried escaping before it was time to get his head shaved. Mariposa returned and hit him with a chair, before handcuffing him to the railing. Once trapped there, Fenix and Melissa cut his hair to close the show.
Overall: 7.5/10. An entertaining second hour of Ultima Lucha. It couldn't live up to the first, but that's understandable. We got a short, fun battle royal to start. Then, an intense match that wrapped up a long storyline, while also setting up something new if season four ever happens. The main event was a great tale of good overcoming evil and I'm so glad Marty got a chance to shine, as his character work is awesome.
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World War 3 1997
November 23rd, 1997 | The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan | Attendance: 17,128
World War 3 was always an interesting concept. It was basically WCW’s answer to the Royal Rumble, with double the competitors and two more rings. It was never executed as well as the Rumble though. 1997 was a fun time though, with WCW destroying the WWF in ratings. Here, they are one month away from the massive Sting/Hulk Hogan match (that was well built but turned out to disappoint). The winner of the World War 3 Battle Royal would receive a shot at the winner of that match. This would be the third World War 3 Pay-Per-View.
This opening video package is pretty poor, but actually isn’t bad by WCW standards. The usual commentary team for this era is here, Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan and Mike Tenay.
The Faces of Fear w/ Jimmy Hart vs. Ernest “The Cat” Miller and Glacier
Okay, the Cat and Glacier may be the greatest team of all time. The Faces of Fear attack before the bell and a brawl breaks out. The crowd is actually really hot for this. You know, if WCW didn’t use the three ring gimmick, they could have fit a lot more people here. It slows down to a regular tag with Meng taking some offense from both opponents. Mike Tenay is doing a good job in discussing the experience advantage of the Faces of Fear. Glacier and Meng get into one INCREDIBLY awkward missed spot moment. Miller steals the show by spring boarding off of Meng and onto Barbarian outside. The Faces of Fear hit a sweet back body drop into a powerbomb on Glacier. Glacier begins to take the heat and it lasts longer than I expected. Hot tag to Miller who light sup Meng with his martial arts offense. Not only was he better in the ring than Glacier, but he actually had some charisma too. Jimmy Hart gets knocked off the apron, but it opens the door for Meng to use the Tongan Death Grip to beat Miller.
Winners: The Faces of Fear in 9:11
I expected this to be terrible. I was pleasantly surprised. All four guys worked hard and the crowd was hotter than I could have ever imagined. Nothing special, though I had some fun and have to comment the efforts. **¼
WCW Television Championship
Saturn (c) w/ Raven vs. Disco Inferno
Well this is one odd pairing. Saturn is with the Flock here, entering from the crowd. Raven cut a short promo before things get started. Saturn does a lot of stalling early on, not giving this a chance to get going. Disco’s booty says “SHAKE YOUR BOOTY”. Kudos to him for going all in on a gimmick that had no business working. Saturn gets tired of Disco and hits a capture suplex that Schiavone calls a “suplex type drop”. When they go outside, Disco just starts hitting stunners on each member of the Flock in the front row. It’s pretty funny. Back inside, Disco scores on a cross body, but Saturn rolls through right into the Rings of Saturn to retain.
Winner and Still WCW Television Champion: Saturn in 8:19
A pretty dull match all in all. While the crowd was hot for the weird opener, they were pretty flat for this and the two men involved did nothing to change that. At least the finish was cool. *
Mean BAH GAWD Gene interviews last year’s winner of World War 3, the Giant. He has a busted hand courtesy of Scott Hall. Man, he’s come a LONG way when it comes to cutting a promo.
Ultimo Dragon vs. Yuji Nagata w/ Sonny Ono
If Ultimo Dragon wins, he gets five minutes alone with Sonny Ono. Dragon seems to have a messed up arm coming into this. Nagata is wise enough to go after it from the start. Dragon tries to get some of Ono during the match but gets stopped. Ono’s reaction into the camera is great. Mike Tenay does a wonderful job talking about how Japan sent Nagata to the States to try and adapt to different styles. He nails a piledriver though it sadly seems like the arm work is forgotten. Schiavone tries to cover it up by saying that Dragon’s arm is fine so Nagata went away from it. Nagata has really slowed the pace to something less than a crawl. Ultimo Dragon starts to rally and the feed cuts out for a bit. When it returns, Dragon nails a plancha to the outside. Dragon hits a moonsault inside for two. The fans are finally starting to get interested in this. Dragon counters a suplex into the Dragon Sleeper. Sonny Ono hops on the apron as Nagata submits. Dragon releases the hold to complain to the official. Again Ono gets involved to put Nagata’s foot on the ropes after a rana. Dragon goes for an ugly backdrop that causes Nagata to kick Ono off the apron. Nagata awkwardly lands on Dragon and steals it.
Winner: Yuji Nagata in 12:45
I came away from this mildly disappointed. Both guys are capable of better for sure. The crowd was dead for a good chunk and Nagata didn’t help the matter with some very dull offense in the middle. I also hated that they went away from the arm work. It was a built in, easy strategy. **¾
WCW World Tag Team Championship
The Steiner Brothers (c) w/ Ted Dibiase vs. Dave Taylor and Steven Regal
Scott is pretty damn huge already. They get the early advantage and do their trademark Steiners pose. Regal is such a master at technical wrestling. He works over Rick and does some strutting around the ring. He’s in pretty much the opposite shape from Scott Steiner. Scott wakes the crowd back up with a belly to belly. The Steiners keep hitting the big spots, which is fine, but the challengers aren’t getting in much. Finally, Scott starts to take some heat but he never seems to be in any real danger. Rick hot tags it, hitting powerslams galore. Rick and Scott double team for the Steinerizer and retain.
Winners and Still WCW World Tag Team Champions: The Steiner Brothers in 9:42
Considering the people involved, this should have been much better. The Steiners are a big time team but the crowd seemed more into the opener than this. Taylor and Regal did fine, the only issue for me was that they never seemed like a real threat to the Steiners and their reign. **
JJ Dillon is interviewed and says that Raven has 24 hours to sign a contract with WCW. Yea, Raven gets to make his own rules, but isn’t under contract.
Raven’s Rules
Raven vs. Scotty Riggs
It’s a bit odd that my biggest memory of Riggs is his time as Scott Anton and the “Clap”, in ECW. The Flock talk for a bit outside but Riggs doesn’t want to wait and attacks them. Riggs is sporting an eye patch and is totally given off a pirate vibe. He could have been Paul Burchill before Paul Burchill. Raven chokes Scott with his shirt in the first bit of “no DQ” work. Riggs gets a bit more hardcore by choking Raven with camera cables. A chair is brought into play, so Raven does his trademark bump into it from a drop toe hold. Riggs does a bulldog onto the open chair, which Schiavone sells like Raven got shot. Raven comes back with the DDT and asks for a microphone. He tells Riggs that he didn’t want to do this and that he should join the Flock. Raven spikes him on a second Evenflow and then a third. The referee counts to ten, ending the match.
Winner: Raven in 8:43
The angle itself was far more interesting than the match. It’s like, Raven knew that he was nailing it as a character, so he could afford to slack in the ring. The chair stuff was mostly cool and it could have been worse. **
Steve “Mongo” McMichael shows up for a match against Goldberg. As Goldberg’s theme plays, Mongo gets on the mic and announces that he laid out Goldberg with a lead pipe backstage. The cameras show Goldberg laid out. Mongo issues an open challenge, which is answered by DAS FUCKING WUNDERKIND! Granted, Debra is pulling him out to the ring but we do get to hear his theme.
Alex Wright w/ Debra vs. Steve McMichael
Mongo poses on the turnbuckle to Alex Wright attacks. Mongo is going to win isn’t he? That makes me sad going in. Mongo starts reeling off clotheslines and the most generic offense you could imagine. Mongo always got such an undeserving push in WCW. He hits a shitty looking sidewalk slam for two. Mongo wins with the Mongo spike.
Winner: Steve McMichael in 3:36
Why did this have to be on the Pay-Per-View? I don’t think Goldberg/Mongo would have been any good but at least it would have been worthy if it was Goldberg murdering him in two minutes. This sucked. ¼*
WCW Cruiserweight Championship
Eddie Guerrero (c) vs. Rey Mysterio
A month earlier, these two had an all-time classic that is still highly regarded as some of the best of either man’s career, which is saying something. They start off with some quick work as Rey seems to be frustrating Eddie. Eddie decides to just send Rey flying with a release German. Rey has a slip up when trying some fancy high flying stuff before send Eddie outside. He does a 619 fake out that Eddie doesn’t fall for. Eddie ends up on the apron and Rey looks for a sunset flip bomb to the outside. Either Eddie held on or Rey messed up but it never happened and looked like shit. Eddie ended up hitting a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on the outside. Inside, Rey scores two on a rana that the crowd bites on. Eddie flapjacks him, showcasing the power advantage. He has slowed the pace to something of his liking. Rey doesn’t like that and springboards outside onto Eddie. Inside again and Eddie applies the Gory special. Mike Tenay has handled most of this match by the way. Rey counters into a rollup for two. They go for a running Liger bomb spot but again fudge it up so it is countered in sloppy fashion. Rey gets some springboard offense, including a rana that seems to win it, but Eddie barely breaks it with the ropes. Even Schiavone buys it as the finish. Rey tries to springboard to the top on Eddie but Eddie counters into a giant stun gun. Frog Splash follows it and that’s a wrap.
Winner and Still WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Eddie Guerrero in 12:41
Well, they couldn’t quite follow up the Halloween Havoc match. This one featured too many sloppy moments, mostly from Rey, and it hurt the overall score. It’s still the best thing on the card by a fair margin so far. That’s how good these two were. Their worst was still pretty damn good. ***½
WCW United States Championship No Disqualification Match
Curt Hennig (c) vs. Ric Flair
Hennig joined WCW and tagged with DDP. He turned on him to join the Four Horsemen before turning on them for the nWo. Classic WCW. Flair lights up Hennig with short punches on the outside. I’m also certain Flair will blade during this match. They brawl on the outside for a while, playing into the stipulation. Flair looks to have tweaked his knee, while Hennig hurts his throat on the guardrail. Hennig pokes the referee in the eye to avoid himself getting pinned. That’s actually pretty smart. The referee can’t do anything to him. Hennig targets the knee, allowing Flair to do his classic “OH GOD” selling. Flair turns it around and goes after Hennig’s leg. Hennig now does his own classic selling, flipping on a kick to the leg. They start to trade offense, with neither guy gaining a late advantage. Hennig tries to sell being thrown into the corner like he usually does, by getting crotched on the port. Flair doesn’t throw him hard enough so it looks odd. The match goes back to how it started, with two guys just fighting each other and not doing many moves. Hennig takes a big shot to the guardrail before Flair suplexes him back inside. Flair puts Hennig’s leg in an open chair and kicks it, which Hennig sells brilliantly. Flair attacks with the chair and locks in the Figure Four. The US Title is in the ring and Hennig grabs it. He whacks Flair with it twice to break the hold and earn the three.
Winner and Still WCW United States Champion: Curt Hennig in 17:57
This wasn’t a mark on their classic match in the early days of Raw. However, they worked the right kind of match given the feud they had. For the most part, this felt like a fight, which was a good thing. It dragged a bit at some points and the finish wasn’t great. ***½
World War 3
Participants: Alex Wright, Barry Darsow, Bobby Blaze, Booker T., Brad Armstrong, Chavo Guerrero Jr., Chris Adams, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Ciclope, Curt Hennig, Damien, Dean Malenko, Diamond Dallas Page, Disco Inferno, Eddy Guerrero, El Dandy, Ernest Miller, Fit Finlay, Glacier, Greg Valentine, Hector Garza, Hollywood Hogan, Hugh Morris, Jim Duggan, John Nord, Johnny Grunge, Juventud Guerrera, Kendall Windham, La Parka, Lex Luger, Lizmark, Jr., Lord Steven Regal, Louie Spicolli, Marcus Bagwell, Meng, Mortis, Norman Smiley, Prince Iaukea, Randy Savage, Ray Traylor, Rey Mysterio, Jr., Rick Steiner, Rocco Rock, Scott Steiner, Silver King, Squire David Taylor, Steve McMichael, Stevie Ray, Super Calo, The Barbarian, The Giant, The Renegade, Ultimo Dragon, Villano IV, Villano V, Vincent, Wrath, Yuji NagataEveryone comes out in one group except for the nWo members. They still get right amount of people even though Scotty Riggs, Goldberg and Ric Flair can’t make it. Curt Hennig at least has his knee wrapped from the previous match. Commentary says that Kevin Nash was supposed to be #60 but he isn’t here. There is a fair amount of split screen stuff to cover the three rings early, making it hard to see. The Giant dumps out both Villanos, Lizmark Jr., and Spicoli within seconds. I also see Public Enemy, La Parka and El Dandy get dumped. It’s kind of hard to keep track. Schiavone is outlandish, calling this the most prestigious match in wrestling and also saying it’s been wild. It hasn’t. It’s been mostly dull. Ernest Miller tries to eliminate Prince Iaukea by his ponytail, which is just great. Iaukea, Nagata, Wrath and Renegade get dumped as we are just under ten minutes in. The camera misses Jericho getting eliminated. Also, the Renegade was still around at this time? Not a single nWo member has gone yet because they are working together. Greg Valentine is eliminated while a bunch of guys manage to hang on. DDP and Benoit nearly eliminate each other because they are going at it. I’d like to see a match between them on a future review. Benoit and Malenko go out next. Mysterio gets some revenge for earlier by tossing out Guerrero. Then, in one of the coolest survival tactics I’ve ever seen in a battle royal, Mysterio holds onto the APRON! It looks insane. Giant tosses Wright and Mortis, leaving him and Meng alone in ring 3. Ring 1 has just tossed Scott Steiner and the remaining men are all nWo. They don’t fight each other. Giant dropkicks Meng over and out. Now that the numbers are down, everyone has to go to ring 2 and finish it.
It’s a 5 on 5 situation. Bagwell, Vincent, Hennig, Hall and Savage against Giant, Rick Steiner, Booker T, DDP and Lex Luger. The nWo wants the fight in ring 1, so the WCW guys oblige. Of course, the first nWo guy out is Vincent after a Diamond Cutter. Booker and Steiner are sent out next after being ganged up on. FOUR guys try to eliminate Luger but he hangs on. Giant dumps Buff out over them and in the scuffle, Hennig and Luger hit the floor. The final four are DDP, Giant, Savage and Hall. Honestly, you could see these being the last four from a mile away, though Luger had a bit of a case. When DDP hits Savage with the Diamond Cutter, the building erupts. Giant stops the elimination, wanting to Chokeslam Savage. He does one of the weakest Chokeslams ever and they roll him under the bottom rope and out. Noticing that he’s alone, Hall exits ring 1 and signals to the entrance. The nWo theme hits and Schiavone says “THAT MUST BE KEVIN NASH” which guarantees that it isn’t. After a long wait, “Hollywood” Hogan shows up as the 60th entrant, even though he’s the current champion. He teams up with Hall and they head to ring 1. The crowd is all “WE WANT STING”. Hogan slams the Giant like this is WrestleMania 3 and gets a pop. While they hold serve and send out DDP, the crowd goes crazy as “Sting” comes down from the rafters. Hogan runs, eliminating himself. “Sting” is seven feet tall by the way. He hits Giant with the bat and knocks him out and over the top.
Winner: Scott Hall in 29:48
Like the other World War 3 matches, it isn’t very good. The Royal Rumble works well because of the spots involved and the suspense. This is just a giant battle royal and most battle royals are dull. The swerve at the end was especially stupid. *¾
Seven foot tall Sting faces off with Scott Hall and reveals himself to be Kevin Nash. The fact that the commentators completely bought into this made it so stupid. Sting is nowhere near that tall. Scott Hall gets a title shot at SuperBrawl via the win. Actually he doesn’t because, WCW.
Overall: 4.5/10; Below average. Honestly, I expected a lot worse. The World War 3 match itself is the usual lackluster event, the TV Title was lame and the Mongo stuff completely sucked ass. However, I think that Eddie and Rey had a pretty good match, while Hennig and Flair surprised me with a good old fashioned fight. Even the opener was surprising fun. The rest of the card ranged from decent to solid, meaning I wouldn’t call this a bad show, but I wouldn’t consider it a recommendation either. See the US and Cruiserweight Title matches if you have to see anything. Next on “Random Network Reviews” will be Judgment Day 2007!
it's one of my favorite times of the year. ULTIMA LUCHA! The first Ultima Lucha won my "Show of the Year" award in 2015 and, while 2016 wasn't as good, it was still a blast. I've been up and down on season three, but the lineup for this four part event sounds pretty damn good.
The episode opened with a recap of the Dante Fox/Killshot and Famous B/Texano storylines.
Dr. Wagner Jr. and Famous B w/ Brenda vs. Texano
Since Famous B had a broken arm, Dario Cueto allowed him to add a partner, and he chose his client Dr. Wagner Jr. Since this was taped forever ago, Wagner still had his mask. Texano and Wagner started, with Texano nailing a tope to the outside. Famous B nailed him with the cast, but it had no effect. Texano kicked his ass and removed the cast, before absolutely launching him from the middle of the stairs to the floor. Great visual. The trend of Wagner doing well and Famous B getting beat up was the theme of the match. Texano hit a powerbomb on Wagner, but Wagner wasn't the legal man. Brenda got on the apron, Texano kissed her, and Famous B rolled him up to steal it in 4:24. Fine little opener. It was the worst opener of any Ultima Lucha, but it wasn't meant to be a great match. Famous B is always fun. [**1/4]
The card for the rest of Ultima Lucha Tres was run down.
- Gift of the Gods Ladder Match: Pentagon Dark vs. Son of Havoc
- Steel Cage Match: El Dragon Azteca Jr. vs. Matanza Cueto
- Last Luchadora Standing Match: Sexy Star vs. Taya
- Gauntlet of the Gods 3-Way Match: Cage vs. Jeremiah Crane vs. Mil Muertes
- Lucha Underground Championship vs. Career: Johnny Mundo [c] vs. Prince Puma
Next week, these matches go down
- Catrina vs. Ivelisse
- Unique Opportunity Battle Royal
- Mask vs. Hair: Fenix vs. Marty Martinez
Hell of War: Dante Fox vs. Killshot
This was basically a Three Stages of Hell match. Fall one was held under First Blood rules. Ladders and chairs were brought into play in the opening minutes. Fox delivered an awesome looking ring post run up moonsault with Killshot laid on a ladder. Another great spot came when Killshot jumped back and kipped up to avoid Fox throwing a chair, but Fox knew it was coming and held the chair, hitting him after the kip up. Fox continually had Killshot well scouted and brought out violent offense. His leg drop from the crowd onto a Killshot who was sandwiched between two chairs was great. Things got taken to the next level, when a glass pane was set up across two chairs and they fought on the top turnbuckle. Fox back dropped him through it, leading to him winning the first fall at 10:20, as Killshot's back was bleeding. I love that finish because it was different from the typical First Blood match finish. And to think, that was only the first fall.
Fall two was No DQ. With Killshot's body covered in glass, everything hurt a bit more than usual. Fox continued the assault, hitting Lo Mein Pain onto an open chair and a 450 splash onto a ladder, but Killshot kept kicking out. Killshot started a rally and brought a barbed wire board into the ring. When Killshot went into a flurry that ended with his double stomp, Fox kicked out at one, bringing the crowd to their feet. Killshot then powerbombed Fox into the barbed wire board! Fox looked to be in a ton of pain. Killshot evened the score with the Storm Cradle onto glass at 16:32. These lads are insane and there's still another goddamn fall.
The final fall was Medical Evac, which was basically an Ambulance Match. Soldiers brought out the military ambulance, while they brawled. Fox spiked Killshot with a sick looking apron DDT, but Killshot came back with a DVD off the top onto the stretcher. A legitimate piece of Fox's skin was left on the stretcher. JESUS. Fox was strapped to the stretcher and got free, but still got hit with a huge double stomp that broke the stretcher. Because he loves violence, Dario had a strange structure of chairs and glass set up and brought to the aisle. They fought up to the band section, which was over that structure. Fox choked Killshot with a wire, but his need to stop and shout, "I'VE ALWAYS BEEN BETTER THAN YOU!" allowed Killshot to grab a glass bottle and whack him over the head. Fox took a HUGE fall off the stage and through that absurd structure. Killshot picked him up and put him in the ambulance to win at 25:13. My fucking word, that was the most violent match I think I've ever seen on television. It was pure insanity. It was a fitting end to a long storyline and rightfully personal and brutal. They set a crazy high bar for Ultima Lucha, having the best match of season three and my pick for the second best match in company history. It wasn't just violent, as it was story driven too. Their history came into play and you felt like they were doing things out of hatred, not just for the sake of it. An incredible match. [****3/4]
Overall: 9/10. Ultima Lucha Tres is off to an excellent start. We got a light, fun opening match before the rest of the show was taken up by a fantastic, must see match. When a majority of the show is focused on one match that delivers in spades, you're gonna have an episode that rules. I can't wait for the rest of the weeks.
Want to watch Lucha Underground, Raw and Smackdown and don't have cable? Try signing up for Fubo.tv. Stream USA, El Rey, NBA TV, SyFy and many other channels by getting Fubo.tv right here!
WWE No Mercy
September 24th, 2017 | Staples Center in Los Angeles, California | Attendance: 16,106
Apollo Crews w/ Titus O’Neil vs. Elias
Our Kickoff match went the way you’d expect. Apollo brought his energy to start the match before Elias slowed the pace to his liking. Elias is a fine wrestler, but he really gets by on his character. Apollo is kind of the opposite. Anyway, Crews got a short rally going and hit the standing SSP. After getting hit with an enziguri, Elias delivered his signature neckbreaker to win at 8:36. This wasn’t bad, it just felt like almost every other Kickoff match in recent memory. It was easily forgettable, but inoffensive. [**¼]
WWE Intercontinental Championship: The Miz [c] w/ Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel vs. Jason Jordan
There is a ton of potential in Jason Jordan, which we saw against John Cena and Roman Reigns. It’s just that the gimmick of being Kurt’s son isn’t working. The Miz played the role of a champion doing everything in his power to keep hold of his title, while Jordan was the young upstart giving his all. Jordan busted out an array of suplexes and sent back some of Miz’s best shots. The main issue with this was that the crowd was very pro-Miz, which made some of Jordan’s stuff not click as well as they probably wanted. Eventually, the Miztourage proved to be too much. Jordan sent them back, only to get nailed with the Skull Crushing Finale at 10:13. I enjoyed this and found it to be a good match. The fan reaction was certainly strange. They told the right story and produced the best match they probably could’ve in front of this crowd. Jordan cut a weak promo after the match that could lead to a potential heel turn. [***]
Bray Wyatt vs. Finn Balor
They billed this as “Man vs. Man.” I mean, isn’t that how most matches go? Anyway, Finn busted out new colored gear, only to get attacked by Bray before the match. Officials attempted to bring Finn to the back, but he was goaded into returning when Bray called him a coward. Riveting. The match itself proved to be pretty good. Finn had to fight through the rib damage done before the bell. He sold the hell out of it, which added to things. Bray’s offense didn’t do enough to completely focus on it, which disappointed me. Finn managed to avoid Sister Abigail and picked up the win after hitting Coup de Grace in 11:32. I preferred their SummerSlam match, though this was fine. Finn’s selling helped a ton and it was good for the spot on the card it was in. Hopefully, Finn is done with Bray and moves onto something more interesting. I’m way over Bray and would be okay if he left for a long time. [**¾]
WWE Raw Tag Team Championship: Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins [c] vs. Cesaro and Sheamus
At SummerSlam, these teams had quite the banger. This told a different story, as the champions weren’t able to surprise Cesaro and Sheamus. The challengers bullied the champs in the best possible way. I love Sheamus and Cesaro as a hoss team. Cesaro took a sick shot to the face on the ring post, knocking teeth loose and busting his mouth open. He’s a tough dude who finished the match. Rollins got a hot tag and was awesome in that role. His offense is perfect for it. The match was doing very well and then we got the tease of the SummerSlam finish. Cesaro blocked Seth’s super rana, allowing Sheamus to plant Dean with White Noise. Cesaro then super Ricola Bombed Seth onto Dean, giving us one of the best near falls in recent memory. A miscommunication saw Sheamus kick Cesaro off the apron, before getting hit with the ripcord knee and Dirty Deeds, ending this in 15:55. This ruled and was about as good as the SummerSlam match, while managing to be different. Tons of action, a hot crowd, excellent callbacks and the added element of Cesaro’s injury. I’m all in on a TLC match at the next Raw PPV. [****]
WWE Raw Women’s Championship: Alexa Bliss [c] vs. Bayley vs. Emma vs. Nia Jax vs. Sasha Banks
I guess the WWE was sad they haven’t thrown together in a multi-woman PPV match since July. It’s their go-to. The heels got cheered, with Sasha and Bayley continuing to get mixed to negative reactions. Similar to the WrestleMania Fatal Four Way, Nia Jax and her power were the focal point. She dominated in one on one situations, so everyone had to team up on her. For example, Nia delivered a pretty great double Samoan drop. She also took a particularly nasty bump on a powerbomb off the apron, that saw all four women work together. Bayley and Sasha kept breaking up each other’s pins, despite being best friends. I’d assume that’ll lead to tension on Raw, but they’ve missed the boat on that story several times over. Nia returned from that powerbomb to run wild, but Alexa avoided her and beat Bayley with a DDT at 9:41. Why pin Bayley? I’m not some massive Bayley fan, but she just made her return and looked like a joke before the injury. As much as I love Sasha and Emma, them eating the pin made more sense. The match was fun, with lots of moving parts and a good pace. The crowd was invested and the story mostly made sense. Miles better than the Raw Women’s Title match at Mania. [***½]
John Cena vs. Roman Reigns
I was so excited for this. There was almost a guaranteed hot crowd and both men deliver in between the ropes. Cena got one of the most overwhelmingly positive reactions in about a decade. That turned into “you both suck” chants, which was a damn shame. Cena teased walked away early, but Reigns brought him back and dominated. They seemed to lay this out so Cena looked similar to Undertaker at WrestleMania. I don’t think that story works here, because he’s not on his last legs like Taker. Cena hasn’t shown signs of slowing down. Anyway, Reigns was in control and got “boring” chants as he slapped on a chinlock. Luckily, the crowd got better following that. Cena got his second win and delivered the AA for a near fall. He also hit the super AA, but Reigns kicked out. AJ Styles and I believe Kevin Owens have done that recently. Cena then set up the two announce tables for an AA through it, perfectly in position for Reigns to counter into a spear through the table. Reigns landed horribly on his neck and the spot looked cool, it just had a lazy set-up. It’s not like Cena hasn’t seen people kick out of that move before. Why would he logically resort to this in a match with rules? Anyway, back inside, Cena hit two more AAs, but Reigns continued to kick out. Reigns came back with a Superman punch and Spear to win in 22:09. Ho-hum. I understood the story they told, but I don’t think it came off well and the match was dull for a good chunk. It picked up late, but even that wasn’t new territory. I’ve been over the “let’s kick out of a ton of finishers” stuff for a while. Reigns’ win felt very anti-climactic, like the rest of the match. This was supposed to feel special, yet it ended up being just another match that will be easy to forget. [**¾]
Post-match, John Cena raised Roman’s hand in victory to a chorus of boos like Royal Rumble 2015. He then got “Thank you Cena” chants as he left and it seemed like he wouldn’t be back for a while.
WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Neville [c] vs. Enzo Amore
Enzo came out looking like Beetlejuice. Outfit and hair and everything. He’s been booked as the worst wrestler in his division (he is), with the rest of the division treating him like a joke. Neville has been the savior of the cruiserweights, and never should’ve dropped the title for that week in August. Anyway, Neville mostly squashed him here. Enzo was always the guy with the gift of gab, who took the heat segments in his tag matches. He basically has no offensive game. After Neville missed a middle rope Phoenix Splash, Enzo grabbed the title for a distraction. He then kicked Neville in nuts and won the title in 10:36. That was shit. Bad booking and a bad match. They never put the Tag Titles on Enzo and Cass (like they should’ve), but they cut Neville’s legs off to give Enzo a singles run. [½*]
WWE Universal Championship: Brock Lesnar [c] w/ Paul Heyman vs. Braun Strowman
Like Reigns/Cena, I really wanted to enjoy this. I was pumped, especially because Brock/Joe and the Fatal Four Way at SummerSlam were the best Brock matches in about two years. This got off to the right start, with Strowman tossing Lesnar around like nothing. Brock hit a German, but Braun popped up instantly and chokeslammed him. What a moment. Then, Brock managed to turn the tide and the crowd kind of died. He had Braun in the Kimura for an extended time, which would’ve been fine, but Braun was literally right next to the ropes. He could’ve just reached out, but didn’t. Braun delivered a few powerslams, but Brock wouldn’t stay down. Brock hit a series of German suplexes and won after one F5 in 8:51. I’m cool with the match going less than ten minutes, because that was the best route to go. But it was just so flat. If there was any match to have someone survive multiple kickouts, this was it. Like Joe, Braun was built up as a guy who had Brock’s number, then just lost in ho-hum fashion in the end. It’s most likely an attempt to make Roman seem more impressive when he survives multiple F5s at Mania. A flat match that disappointed heavily. A better option would’ve been Brock desperately reaching into his bag of tricks, maybe even doing stuff we haven’t seen in a while, to overcome Braun. [**½]
Overall: 7/10. This show reminded me of WrestleMania. It started out very good, with the first half featuring some quality matches. Then, it ended on a whimper. It was like, the anti-NJPW show, which tends to end hot. I thought Miz/Jordan and Bray/Finn were both solid matches, while the Women’s Title exceeded my expectations. The Tag Team Title match stole the show again. Raw and Smackdown are killing it with that lately. Unfortunately, the last three matches stopped this show’s momentum. Enzo/Neville was a joke, while Reigns/Cena and Brock/Braun were huge disappointments. Despite the flat ending, this was one of the better Raw PPVs since the split last year.
