Through the Years Reviews: WrestleMania XIX

WrestleMania XIX
March 30th, 2003 – Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington – Attendance: 54,097

Going off of memory, WrestleMania XIX is my favorite WrestleMania of all time. There are some other greats, including everyone's favorite, X-Seven, but this one is the one I consider the best. Now, I haven't seen it in a long time so I'm interested in how it holds up over time. We all know the story. Brock/Angle, HBK/Jericho, Austin/Rock, McMahon/Hogan and more. I am so pumped to finally get this going.

The opening video package is the usual fluff as it discusses how important WrestleMania is and what it means to all of these superstars. We get some Limp Bizkit playing as they have the official theme song of WrestleMania. Safeco Field looks gorgeous for this. Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler welcome us to the show before throwing it to Smackdown commentary team Michael Cole and Tazz.

WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Matt Hardy (c) w/ Shannon Moore vs. Rey Mysterio
Look at the Cruiserweight Title being defended at WrestleMania. Nowadays, you'll be lucky to get any mid-card title on the show. Matt Hardy is appearing in his fourth WrestleMania, and he often wonders how they did WrestleMania without him. Shannon Moore distracts Rey Mysterio at the bell, but Rey dodges Matt's attack and sends him outside before hitting a corkscrew press onto him. A reverse hurricanrana gets two and he tries a sunset flip to the outside but Moore levels him. Cole attempted to call the sunset flip a spinebuster. Moore continues to get in cheap shots behind the referee's back. Because he is V1, Matt calls for the 61V9, but Rey dodges. He counters the Twist of Fate into a rollup for two. Matt catches Rey with the Side Effect in an innovative way in the corner for two before going to a rest hold. Cole and Tazz as discussing latex and tea bagging as Rey hits a springboard cross body for a near fall. A flying head scissors and DDT get another near fall. 619 time but Moore trips up Rey again, allowing Matt to hit the Twist of Fate. Rey kicks out to my surprise and Matt is livid. V1 sets up Rey on the top and goes for a huge Razor's Edge but Rey counters into a big hurricanrana! He covers but Moore puts Matt's foot on the bottom rope. Rey hits the 619 but misses the West Coast Pop. He tries a victory roll but Matt counters and grabs the ropes for leverage to retain.

Winner and Still WWE Cruiserweight Champion: Matt Hardy in 5:37
Too short but man, this was tremendous while it was going. Fast paced and high octane, with a bunch of shenanigans in a good way. ***1/4

A limo pulls up and it's the Miller Lite Catfight Girls! I forgot about this awfulness. They argue about the bigger match, Hogan/Vince or Austin/Rock. Yea, let's not count the WWE or World Title matches. 

We are taken to a video from Sunday Night Heat where Nathan Jones was taken out by Big Show and A-Train. He was supposed to be The Undertaker's partner in the upcoming match. The Fink introduces WWE's “favorite band in the whole world” as Limp Bizkit. That's a sad statement even though I have my fair share of Limp Bizkit on my iPod. He plays out The Undertaker.

A-Train and The Big Show vs. The Undertaker
Before the bell, A-Train spits on The Undertaker's motorcycle because he's an idiot. Big Show tries a sneak attack and it fails because he's too big to sneak up on anyone. A-Train runs in right into a Chokeslam but Show makes the save. I would've been perfectly okay with Undertaker winning that fast. Things calm down to a tagging format for the team with the advantage. For those who don't remember, Nathan Jones was so bad that the WWE didn't want him in the ring so they went with this handicap match idea. A-Train hits the Baldo Bomb and Show drives Undertaker into the ring post outside. ShowTrain starts to tag in and out and work over the Undertaker for a while. Undertaker counters the Chokeslam into a Fujiwara armbar, which was badass. A-Train breaks it but ends up in an armbar too. Show breaks the short lived rally by the Deadman and applies an abdominal stretch. A-Train comes in and takes over the abdominal stretch so Undertaker, wanting in on the fun, counters into his own abdominal stretch. It must hurt these guys as not one of them has abs. Undertaker rallies with about fifteen clotheslines in the corner before hitting his big running clothesline on Show. A-Train hits the BROGUE KICK, I mean bicycle kick to stop him. Show hits the Chokeslam but Nathan Jones has to make a Charles Robinson like run in, from deep and spin kicks Show. A-Train covers Undertaker, who kicks out on his own, without Jones' help. He enters, hits a big boot on A-Train and Undertaker hits the Tombstone as the Streak reaches 11.

Winner: The Undertaker in 9:42
I wish this got less time. It was boring and shouldn't have come close to ten minutes. It was slow and I didn't care much for it. *

More from the stupid Miller Lite Catfight girls as they run into Stacy Keibler and Torrie Wilson. They discuss Torrie's Playboy and Test's “testicles”. They then show a recap of Heat, where Lance Storm and William Regal retained their World Tag Team Titles against the Dudley Boyz.

WWE Women's Championship
Victoria (c) w/ Steven Richards vs. Jazz vs. Trish Stratus
As this starts, my girlfriend asks who came out and I just say “the greatest diva of all time”. Just from that, she knew it was Trish Stratus. The dubbed over “All the Things She Says” still depresses me. They knock Victoria out of the ring and Jazz pounds away on Trish, using an interesting looking submission. Trish hits a Lou Thez Press, RIGHT HANDS RIGHT HANDS, THE RATTLESNAKE STRIKES, before Victoria pulls her outside. She goes in just to go outside as all three girls are brawling there. Back inside, Victoria hits a front flip leg drop but Jazz cuts off the pin and hits a leg drop of her own. Victoria stops that pin and they decide to double team Trish. They do a strange double back breaker before fighting each other. Victoria hits a powerslam but Trish does a nice bridging pin for two. Lawler calls Trish a “quarter among pennies” in the ring, which is mean. Victoria is at least a nickel. Powerslam type move from Jazz gets two because Victoria breaks things up. DOUBLE NOGGIN KNOCKER as Trish bashes the heels into each other. A spin kick from Jazz takes out Victoria by mistake and Trish rolls up Jazz for two. Chick Kick connects only for the Champion to break it up. Handstand hurricanrana from Trish now as she is making the face run. She kicks Victoria outside and Jazz puts her in the half Boston crab which she turns into an STF that is still a thousand times better than Cena's. Steven Richards tosses Jazz and breaks the hold behind the official's back. Trish rolls up Victoria, exposing her butt for two. Glam Slam of sorts by Jazz, which leads to Victoria kicking her. The Champ misses a moonsault but knocks Jazz outside. Richards tries to interfere with a chair but misses and hits the ropes, rebounding into his face. Trish hits him with Stratusfaction and Victoria goes for the Widow's Peak but Trish counters and hits the Chick Kick to win.

Winner and New WWE Women's Champion: Trish Stratus in 7:17
Personally, I would've swapped this with the Cruiserweight Title length wise. However, we were treated to a solid Divas match with the right outcome. **1/4

Jonathan Coachman interviews The Rock, who is in full dick heel mode. God I loved this Rock. He promotes the match, hypes the rivalry and is overall, just great. 

WWE Tag Team Championship
Team Angle (c) vs. Chris Benoit and Rhyno vs. Los Guerreros
I will forever love Team Angle and would've given anything to see Angle & Benoit against them. Chavo works over Charlie Haas early and the tags are coming quickly. Chavo hits a back suplex and Eddie front flips in onto Chris Benoit. Benoit fires back with stiff chops and Rhyno gets the tag. Shelton Benjamin tags in and goes toe to toe with Rhyno, even taking him down with a back elbow. Team Angle hit a double dropkick and man, they are crisp in the ring. They surprisingly decide to focus on Rhyno, who will play face in peril I guess. Or he's not, as Eddie and Benoit quickly end up as the legal men. Tazz states that VIVA LA RAZA means Frog Splash, which is obviously incorrect. Benoit hits a big suplex from the top but Benjamin breaks the count. Benoit pops up Eddie and catches him in the Cripple Crossface, which is so badass it's not even funny. Chavo comes in and eats rolling German suplexes, though Chavo tags in Shelton midway through. Benoit signals for the end but gets kicked in the chest by Shelton. Shelton goes for a cover but Eddie breaks it with Frog Splash, which was sweet. Chavo tags himself in and is tossed by a Haas belly to belly. He doesn't get time to celebrate as he is hit with a GORE! Chavo eats one too but Eddie pulls him out. Shelton covers Chavo and steals it.

Winners and Still WWE Tag Team Champions: Team Angle in 8:48
Really good triple threat tag team match. I wish Team Angle didn't have to steal the win, but it made sense. All guys worked hard and got the crowd more into it than I expected. ***

Backstage, Stacy Keibler and Torrie Wilson get into a small argument, as do the Miller Lite Catfight girls. This is quickly getting awful.

Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels
The storyline and build up to this match is great and re-told in a fantastic video package. Heading into this match, it was always a dream match of mine. If you haven't been following my reviews, this is Shawn Michaels' first WrestleMania since his return. After a short sequence at the start, Shawn relaxes in the corner to a big pop. What follows is another sequence that ends in a stand off and Jericho is getting frustrated. Shawn tries a leap frog but Jericho doesn't go under and instead slaps Shawn. OH NO HE DIDN'T! Shawn knocks him outside and hits a baseball slide. Shawn does a cross body off the top but Jericho rolls through for a near fall and hits a spinning heel kick. Time to work the leg as Shawn comes back with the figure four and a knee breaker. He tries the Figure Four again but Jericho throws him into the post. He goes to send Shawn out, but he goes all 1995 and skins the cat, bringing Jericho outside. They fight in the aisle and Jericho puts on the Walls outside, getting back in at the count of eight. Jericho wisely targets the back, driving it into the ring post. As Shawn tries to get back in, Jericho hits the springboard dropkick. Back suplex from Jericho who shouts “IM BETTER THAN YOU!”Vertical suplex follows for two. COME ON BABAY pin obviously gets two. Shawn counters a back body drop with a big DDT and commentary is doing a great job of building the story of Chris trying to prove he's better than his idol. To continue the STORYTELLING, Jericho hits a flying forearm and nips up just like Shawn. He steals Shawn's taunt as HBK nips up and hits a flying forearm of his own. Shawn hits a moonsault onto a standing Jericho for a long two. We get a series of pin attempts until Jericho tries the Walls but it's blocked. He does manage to nail the Lionsault but can't pin quickly so only gets a two. Shawn is back up and tries a hurricanrana but Jericho reverses into the Walls! Shawn reaches the ropes but eats a backbreaker for his troubles. Jericho goes up top with a flying back elbow and starts to tune up the band. STORYTELLING! He actually hits it and covers for two and the crowd is shocked. Shawn rallies with a cross body and right hands. He hits a slingshot for two and Jericho goes back to the lower back. He attempts a top rope back suplex but Michaels counters with his third cross body and both men are down. Shawn wants to do the elbow but Jericho bumps the referee into the ropes to crotch HBK. Superplex is also countered into a front suplex and the elbow connects! Shawn tunes up the band now but Jericho ducks and locks in the Walls! The crowd is going berserk! Michaels reaches the ropes and Jericho is livid. He charges at Shawn right into the Superkick! They get up together and we get the Shawn corner bump. Shawn reverses a back suplex into a rollup and gets the three!

Winner: Shawn Michaels in 22:34
Tremendous match. Both guys looked great and I remember people freaking out because Chris Jericho lost, myself included, but this was fine. Jericho made a mistake and Shawn Michaels capitalized. Fine storytelling and great action. ****1/2

Shawn Michaels offers a handshake after the match and, a crying Chris Jericho hugs him instead. He then kicks Shawn in the nuts! HEEL TACTICS!

Sylvan, in his referee's outfit enters Mr. McMahon's office. CONTROVERSEY! Tony Chimel announces a new Safeco Field record attendance of 54,097. Limp Bizkit now performs “Crack Addict”.

Jonathan Coachman brings out the Miller Lite Catfight Girls onto the stage. There is a bed for them to fight out, but Stacy Keibler interrupts. Side note, Coach looks like a doofus in his Mariner's jersey. Stacy wants to join, but before she can, Torrie Wilson enters. Torrie joins in and removes her and Stacy's top before spanking her. You know what, I'm not even gonna do play by play. There are tits and ass everywhere. It doesn't belong on WrestleMania but no guys complained.

World Heavyweight Championship
Triple H (c) w/ Ric Flair vs. Booker T
For those who don't know the story, Triple H constantly put down Booker T on the Road to WrestleMania for his past, which involved him going to jail. Booker tells Hunter that his “punk ass is in trouble” before the bell. HHH pulls a Flair and climbs up top when he should know that he won't hit a move from there, so Booker brings him down hard. Booker stays in control after that, which is surprising as I figured Triple H would be the one in control. HHH knocks Booker outside because he must know that I expected more from him. He hits a neckbreaker in the ring and begins to work as his cerebral assassin pace. I always liked how Triple H picks apart someone. He hits an impactful clothesline in the corner for two. The two men trade shots in the middle of the ring and Booker breaks out of a suplex before hitting a big DDT. He nails a heel kick and sidewalk slam for two. As he goes for the Scissors Kick, HHH catches him in a sleeper hold and after Booker breaks it, he eats the high knee. Booker manages to connect with a big kick but only earns two. A second Scissors Kick attempt also fails as Booker gets caught on the top rope. This allows Ric Flair to hit a knee drop onto the steel steps. This would make more sense if HHH had worked Booker's leg throughout the match. Now, Triple H chooses to apply a modified Indian deathlock and Booker eventually reaches the ropes. HHH goes for the Pedigree but it's blocked and a rollup gets Booker two. Third time is the charm as Booker strikes with the Scissors Kick but is too hurt to cover. HHH kicks out and Flair tries to interfere but eats a right hand. Booker knocks HHH off the top and Flair takes another right hand. Harlem Hangover is hit and the crowd pops hard! He covers but Flair places HHH's foot on the ropes. Booker tries another Scissors Kick but his leg gives out, allowing Trips to plant him with the Pedigree. He takes forever to cover, yet still wins.

Winner and Still World Heavyweight Champion: Triple H in 18:45
Really solid bout but the outcome was dumb. Booker T should have won and maybe Triple H wins it back like months later. Anyway, the actual work was good but the ending was super anti-climatic. ***

Street Fight
Hulk Hogan vs. Mr. McMahon
Vince McMahon slaps Hulk Hogan right at the start, causing Hogan to charge him and pound away. Mr. McMahon is in better shape than Hogan and clotheslines him down. He blatantly chokes Hogan before delivering jabs to the ribs and face, knocking Hogan down. He then decides to drive his knees into Hogan's arm on the mat, but it looks pitiful. The arm work continues as he drives it into the corner a few times. Vince uses a test of strength with Hogan and Hogan rallies behind all of the HULKAMANIACS but Vince kicks him low and tosses him outside. Vince flexes and grabs a chair but misses, allowing Hogan to level him with it. He is bleeding like a stuffed pig as Hogan fires away on him. Hogan tries another chair shot but hits Hugo, the Spanish commentator! This allows Vince to strike a chair and Hogan is busted open now. Mr. McMahon has the balls to bring out a ladder as he places Hogan on the announce table. He mocks Hogan before leaping off with a leg drop. I'll give Vince this, the man has guts. He brings Hogan in and covers for two. Vince goes under the ring to get a steel pipe and delivers an awesome image of his bloody face with a sadistic look. Hogan retaliates with a desperation low blow. Suddenly, someone in a hood gets in the ring and it's Roddy Piper. WRESTLEMANIA 1 LIVES ON! He spits on Hogan, kicks Vince and then lays out Hogan with a pipe. He leaves, Vince covers and Hogan kicks out! Vince tries the pipe again but Brian Hebner stops him, so he gets thrown by Vince. It's a Street Fight you idiot. Things brings out crooked reg, Sylvan. Vince hits the Leg Drop and it's HULK UP time! Hogan does his usual thing, kicking out Sylvan in the process before hitting the big boot and the Leg Drop. 1-2-3 and it's over.

Winner: Hulk Hogan in 20:47
This was better than it had any right to be. Both guys bled crazy and told a good story which is all you could ask of them. ***1/4

Shane McMahon surprisingly walks out to the ring and Hulk Hogan takes off his belt like he's gonna take Shane to the woodshed. He just stares at Hogan and gets in the ring as Hogan leaves. He checks on his dad, who flips the bird at Hogan because Vince McMahon is a tremendous heel.

The Rock vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin
The idea that the Rock has done everything except beat Stone Cold at WrestleMania should make for great storytelling. After a fist fight, Austin tries a Stunner but Rock blocks and takes a breather. Austin catches him and pounds away outside. Back inside, Austin hits a back suplex and seems to be working Rock's back. Rock wisely takes out the leg and now takes control. He continues to work the leg and applies the Sharpshooter. Man, Rock always had an odd looking Sharpshooter. Rock breaks it and goes outside to put on Austin's best. Austin nails him once he gets inside and we get the classic double clothesline spot. Austin gets hot and drops the elbow on Rock for two. It's fantastic that Rock is still wearing the vest. Austin stomps a mudhole in him as the crowd chants “WHAT” with each stomp. Rock hits a clothesline and nips up, but taunts right into a Rock Bottom from Austin! That only gets a two so Austin tries the Stunner but Rock blocks and hits one of his own! This is great considering how well they know each other. It only gets a near fall and leads to Austin hitting the Stunner that Rock oversells as always but he kicks out too! Behind the referee's back, Rock hits a low blow and claps for himself before pointing to his head because he's so smart. God, I love Hollywood Rock. He misses the People's Elbow, blocks a Stunner and hits a Spinebuster. He tries again and nails the People's Elbow this time but Austin gets his shoulder up. Rock connects with the Rock Bottom and Austin somehow kicks out again! He signals for the Rock Bottom but Austin elbows out, only to get hit with it anyway, but he kicks out! The crowd is stunned. Rock holds Austin and hits a third Rock Bottom to finally wrap this one up.

Winner: The Rock in 17:55
The only WrestleMania trilogy ends in another classic. This would turn out to be the last match of Austin's career and he went out with a bang. I loved this. ****1/2

The Rock sits by Steve Austin after the match and tells him something. We would learn on Rock's DVD that he thanked him for everything. Nice moment. Austin gets his time to walk to the back and celebrate his career with the unknowing fans.

WWE Championship
Kurt Angle (c) vs. Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar has the honor of main eventing his first ever WrestleMania, just less than a year after his debut. I expect mat wrestling and they deliver, trying to one up each other in the early stages. Our first near fall comes a few minutes in after a Brock powerslam. Angle ducks a clothesline and hits a massive German suplex but Brock pops up and takes him down. Tazz calls Brock the “Vanilla Gorilla” as he press slams Angle. I hope it's because Brock is white and not vanilla in wrestling lingo. Angle hits a sick German into the turnbuckle. Seriously, it was badass. Angle's like a shark smelling blood as he targets to target Brock's back. Angle goes to a rear naked choke to wear down the challenger. Brock is turning purple like he does two minutes into all matches in 2014. After a long time, Brock breaks the hold but Angle doesn't let up, hitting a belly to belly suplex. Angle charges at Brock but gets caught in a spinebuster that would make Double A proud. He hits the first flying forearm that I've ever seen him hit before driving his shoulder into Kurt in the corner. Brock hits two belly to belly suplexes in a row but his third is reversed into rolling German suplexes from Kurt. Four of those earn a hand from the crowd who is appreciating this show of work. Angle Slam is blocked and Kurt counters the F5 into the Ankle Lock! How you ask? BECAUSE HE'S KURT FREAKING ANGLE! He turns it into a half crab but Brock makes it to the ropes. Brock sends Kurt over and out hard, buying himself some time. It doesn't matter because when Angle gets in he hits a release German suplex! He just tossed a man of Brock's size. Angle Slam is hit but Brock kicks out. Brock hits the F5 but Kurt becomes the first man to kick out of it. Ankle Lock gets applied and Kurt locks it in, but Brock drags him and gets to the ropes. I've never seen anyone do that. Angle does a small package for two and Brock retaliates with a second F5! Instead of pinning, Brock climbs to the top even though Kurt is far away. He goes for a damn Shooting Star Press but misses and lands terribly on his face. His SSP is one of the most impressive looking ones ever. Angle covers for two and he picks Brock up, only to be hit with a third F5! Brock drapes an arm over and gets the three.

Winner and New WWE Champion: Brock Lesnar in 21:07
My goodness, these two went at it. No nonsense, just let the two best wrestlers go in the ring and wrestle. They did that and put on a great show. ****1/4

Brock Lesnar looks absolutely dazed after the Shooting Star Press. Kurt Angle raises his arm in a show of respect.

Overall: 10/10. Perfect. I've only give out two perfect 10s before this and those were for WrestleMania X-Seven and SummerSlam 2002. This was just as good. The only match that you can skip is the Undertaker handicap match. Everything else is good to great. Shawn/Jericho, Angle/Brock and Austin/Rock were all phenomenal. The Cruiserweight Title match was great but short, the Women's Title was good, Tag Titles were good, the World Title was really good and Vince/Hogan was better than I expected. Four hours of fun and you should go out of your way to see this show. Tremendous.

NXT Report 10-30-14

NXT got off to an interesting start with something we don't see often; a tag team battle royal. It involved Enzo Amore and Big Cass, Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy, The Vaudevillains, The Ascension and Tye Dillinger and Jason Jordan. I've heard that Dillinger and Jordan have gotten World's Greatest Tag Team chants I guess because one is white and one is black. Anyway, them and Team Thick were out first as expected. Enzo and Cass went out next leaving the Ascension and the Vaudevillains. Hideo Itami came out to distract the Ascension, allowing the Vaudevillains to eliminate the former Champions and earn an NXT Tag Team Title shot. What followed was Itami taking yet another beating from The Ascension. I have to admit, this is getting old quickly.

BADA BING, HOTTEST CHICK IN THE RING! I don't particularly agree but Carmella stepped into the ring with Emma for her second match. I feel so bad for Emma because the girl can flat out go in the ring but she's "graduated" from NXT to jobber. I knew it would be tough for her gimmick to get over on the main roster, but they did nothing to help it get over. Anyway, this was a solid women's match and Carmella won with her surprisingly impressive submission. There's potential there, but she does play her character very well.

Speaking of the women of NXT, Bayley got a short interview where she said that since Sasha Banks wants to bring Becky Lynch, who turned on her, she's going to bring a friend too. Charlotte. The woman who first turned her back on Bayley. Congrats to Bayley who is solidifying my remark last week that she is the Sting of NXT. Bull Dempsey, who has never impressed me much, beat Justin Gabriel. To continue the theme of relatively short matches, Baron Corbin beat Tony Corbin in 19 seconds. The fans actually counted the seconds which was awesome. My main problem with Baron Corbin is that we don't know exactly why he's a "different breed" but at least they addressed it here by saying that he wins and then leaves before talking to anyone. It's not a great reasoning, but it's something.

Hideo Itami cut a short promo backstage stating that he's bringing a "friend" to NXT next week. Aww yeah, this is about to get good. The Legionnaires exploded as Sylvester Lefort took on Marcus Louis, who is upset that he looks like a mini Kane. Louis beat Lefort up and then finished him off quickly. Neither guy is that good and I wouldn't be surprised if they were involved in the next round of budget cuts. The main event featured Sami Zayn taking on Titus O'Neill as part of his road to redemption. The match was really good as Titus dominated and Sami is great at playing the face in peril. He rallied and eventually took home the big win. Tyler Breeze showed up and cut a perfectly in character promo about how Zayn needs to beat him for once to get a title shot and that will happen next week.

Too many short matches tonight for me to fully enjoy the broadcast. The main event was good and the tag battle royal was decent. Not my favorite episode of NXT, so it gets a 5/10. However, next week is shaping up to be phenomenal. Itami brings a friend and if Zayn/Breeze is anything like it was at TakeOver, it will be fantastic.

Through the Years: No Way Out 2003

No Way Out 2003
February 23rd, 2003 – Bell Centre in Montreal,Quebec, Canada – Attendance: 15,100

Following a Royal Rumble that saw Brock Lesnar earn a shot at the WWE Title at WrestleMania, he began his feud with Kurt Angle on the road to No Way Out. On the Raw side of things, Triple H would continue his feud with Scott Steiner despite their terrible match at Royal Rumble. I remember WrestleMania XIX being one of, if not my favorite WrestleMania of all time so I hope that the final Pay-Per-View before it can be somewhere near as good. Also, after months away, two of the biggest stars in history, The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin return to Pay-Per-View on this show.

Raw commentary consists of Jonathan Coachman and Jerry Lawler while the theme song of this show is the awesome “Bring Me To Life”.

Chris Jericho vs. Jeff Hardy
Embroidered in a feud with Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho had him barred from ringside for this match. It may be a play by the WWE to protect HBK since this is the first Pay-Per-View in Montreal since the infamous screwjob in 1997. A nice wrestling sequence opens things until Jericho slaps Jeff disrespectfully. Because we're in Canada, the crowd is really behind Jericho even though he's in full heel mode. Jeff hits a slingshot moonsault for a near fall to get his first offensive outburst. He misses his guardrail spot, allowing Jericho to take control. Jeff's paint is all over his shirt and Jericho's face. I would be pissed. Jericho misses a tackle in the corner but it doesn't faze him much. Fans are fully in Jericho's corner as Jeff gets his knees up on a Lionsault. Jeff misses an enziguri and gets put into the Walls of Jericho but he reaches the ropes. Jeff connects with a hip toss off the top and removes his shirt, causing adolescent Canadian females to lose their minds. He nails the Swanton Bomb but Jericho gets his foot on the ropes. He goes for the Walls but it gets countered into a small package for two. Jeff nails a dropkick and neckbreaker before climbing up top again. This time, it fails as he misses the Swanton. Jericho scores with the Lionsault but only gets two. Sleeper Drop from Jericho but it only earns a near fall, even though he used the ropes for leverage. Jeff goes for a top rope hurricanrana but it's reversed into a second rope powerbomb! Jericho locks in the Walls and, despite his best efforts, Jeff has to tap out.

Winner: Chris Jericho in 12:59
Solid opening contest. The crowd was hot, the right guy went over and it was a good performance from both guys. ***

After the match, Chris Jericho refuses to break the Walls. Forget what I said about Shawn Michaels being protected earlier as he comes to the rescue to a ton of heat. Christian comes out but ends up eating Sweet Chin Music as Shawn Michaels stands tall. 

Cutting backstage, Kurt Angle is prepping Team Angle for their big match. It's fantastic how all three guys have titles. A limo arrives and I can only assume that it's nWo or whatever hot angle Nitro has running right now. Wait, this is not Nitro? Oh, it's Evolution in the limo. As they walk in, the camera catches Stone Cold's pickup truck.

World Tag Team Championship
Lance Storm and William Regal (c) vs. Kane and Rob Van Dam
What the hell is going on with the World Tag Team Titles? I've seen them go from Jericho and Christian, to Booker and Goldust to Storm and Regal to the Dudley Boyz and back to Storm and Regal. And that's just over the last two Pay-Per-Views. Coachman says that RVD made his debut against Goldust at last year's No Way Out, which is so incorrect it's crazy. Lance Storm and Rob Van Dam kick things off and it's the athletic showcase you'd expect and one that ECW fans enjoyed. Regal comes in and eats a monkey flip before Kane gets tagged. Kane works over the heels for a bit. RVD goes for Rolling Thunder but Storm rolls outside, so Kane launches RVD out and onto him. RVD goes high risk again but it fails as he's knocked outside. This allows the Champions to pick him apart with suplexes and multiple near falls. RVD manages to make the hot tag and Kane hits a flying clothesline and beats up on both Champions. Storm tries to remove Kane's mask in foreshadowing to later in the year. This leads to RVD tagging in, but with Kane's mask moved to the side, he can't see and he Chokeslams RVD. This allows Storm to steal the win.

Winners and Still World Tag Team Champions: Lance Storm and William Regal in 9:20
Your basic tag team match. They used tag formula but it wasn't anything special. However, I give points for the creative ending. **1/2

Rob Van Dam gets to his feet and is not happy with Kane after the match. Kane is the Big Red Apologetic Machine but RVD walks off. Josh Matthews, with his ridiculous haircut and earring, interview Matt Hardy. Matt stops the interview to talk trash to Jeff who walks by. Jeff, unhappy with this, slaps him. I feel like Matt remembered that and held onto it until 2009 leading to their WrestleMania XXV match. Or not. I'm a firm believer in long term booking.

WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Billy Kidman (c) vs. Matt Hardy w/ Shannon Moore
Michael Cole and Tazz are the Smackdown commentary team if you didn't know. Matt is annoyed by snow and ice and he also takes hot tea with milk and sweetener. God I miss Matt Facts. Matt gets the early upper hand and does some jumping jacks because the story leading into this was that Matt had to work out hard to make the weight for this match. Matt gets Kidman on the apron and whips him into the corner which looked cool. Side note, I miss the love that the Cruiserweight Title got from 2002-2003. Version 1 applies a cross arm choke to wear down the Champion. Kidman counters the Side Effect in a cool way with a rollup for two but Matt gets back on the offensive instantly. I like the idea that Matt, being a bigger cruiserweight, would focus on wearing down the smaller guys. Matt counters a sleeper hold into a the Ricochet, which is a back suplex into an elbow. Kidman catches a break with an enziguri. He connects with the D-Lo Brown Sky High because YOU BETTER RECOGNIZE, but only gets two. Matt hits the “AHHHH” second rope leg drop for another near fall. The Champion blocks the Twist of Fate, hits a big dropkick and dives to the outside. A Shannon Moore distraction allows Matt to hit the Side Effect, but it only earns a near fall. Kidman hits the BoDog, kicking Moore in the process. He goes for the Shooting Star Press but misses as Matt rolls out. Twist of Fate hits, and Kidman sells like his neck broke, but he kicks out. I didn't expect that. They fight up top and Matt falls to the mat, but before Kidman can capitalize, Moore grabs his foot. This allows Matt to climb up and hit a top rope Twist of Fate to end it!

Winner and New WWE Cruiserweight Champion: Matt Hardy in 9:31
Solid match but the crowd wasn't as into it as I hoped. A better reaction from the crowd would've made this much better. **3/4

Stephanie McMahon and EMTs are running backstage because Chris Benoit and Brock Lesnar found their partner for tonight, Edge, knocked out cold. CONTROVERSY!

Big Show w/ Paul Heyman vs. The Undertaker
In the pre-match video package, The Undertaker has a line saying “Be a man and fight me.” The delivery is tremendous. Undertaker goes after Brock on the outside with SOUPBONES! Show rams him into the post but Taker comes back with the guillotine leg drop on the apron. Undertaker brings a chair into the ring but Show punches him down. If this was present day, Undertaker would be knocked out. The former Tag Team Champions go toe to toe and Undertaker stupidly tries a slam, leading to Show landing on him for two. Show works him over, Undertaker gets in some offense, but falls victim to a power move from Show. Wash, rinse, repeat. Undertaker blades for some reason and Michael Cole says that the fans are silent because they can't believe what is happening to Undertaker. No Michael, they're quiet for another reason. Taker tries a Chokeslam and it fails so he goes with Old School instead. With Brian Hebner not looking, Undertaker hits a low blow and a DDT for two. Undertaker continues to look like a buffoon by calling for the Last Ride. News flash, YOU CANT LIFT HIM! Show hits Snake Eyes but when he tries the Tombstone, Undertaker counters into the Dragon Sleeper. A-Train tries to get involved but gets taken out with Undertaker's impressive leap to the outside. Show nails the Chokeslam but Undertaker turns Show's poor pin attempt into a triangle choke! Show is forced to submit.

Winner: The Undertaker in 14:08
This got too much time and The Undertaker looked dumb throughout. The finish was creative though, so points for that. *3/4

The Undertaker goes to attack with a steel chair after the match, but A-Train lays him out. We cut away to find out that Edge was taken out of the arena on a stretcher during the previous match and the upcoming contest will still happen. Michael Cole, in his infinite wisdom, asks “How is this match going to on?”

Eric Bischoff and Chief Morley discuss his match with Steve Austin backstage until Mr. McMahon comes in and says that nobody is allowed to interfere in the match. If anyone gets involved, he'll fire them on the spot. 

Handicap Match
Brock Lesnar and Chris Benoit vs. Team Angle w/ Paul Heyman
So, Brock Lesnar and Chris Benoit were given the opportunity to pick a new partner but they decided they're better off alone. Benoit starts with Shelton Benjamin and they got through a wrestling sequence with Benoit winning out. Charlie Haas gets the tag and Benoit beats him up for a while. Brock gets the tag and crowd gets pumped. Brock is in control until a Kurt Angle distraction seems to turn the tide. Brock doesn't care though as he just counters Haas and continues to pound on him. A well placed kick from Benjamin takes down Brock, so Angle tags in now that the Beast is wounded. He applies a rear naked choke for a long time until Brock uses the corner to break the hold. Both guys make the tag, bringing in Benoit and Benjamin. Benoit works the hot tag stuff, snap suplexing Haas onto Benjamin before hitting a German on Angle and three on Shelton. Benoit signals for the headbutt but Angle runs up the corner and hits a big belly to belly. THE STRAPS ARE DOWN but Lesnar grabs him in a choke hold until Benjamin breaks that. Haas connects with a gorgeous belly to belly suplex on Benoit for a near fall. Angle gets the tag and works the mat, wearing down Benoit. I sense a Brock hot tag coming soon. Benoit rallies and fires away with chops until Angle this a German suplex. Haas and Benjamin hit their tag finisher and despite me being a HUGE fan of theirs, I never knew the name of the move. It earns them two as Benoit continues to fight back. Lesnar gets the hot tag and he seriously suplexes everyone across the ring, even tossing Haas into the corner like he weighed nothing. Benjamin knocks Brock outside as Benoit makes the blind tag. Benoit gets caught in the Ankle Lock but reverses into the Crippler Crossface. Back into the Ankle Lock, then back into the Cross face. Team Angle breaks the hold but Haas ends up in the Crossface. Benjamin breaks it and Brock knocks him outside. Brock hits the F5 on Kurt as Haas ends up tapping to the Crossface.

Winners: Brock Lesnar and Chris Benoit in 13:19
Really good stuff. I enjoyed it throughout, though I thought Brock would get the pin heading into WrestleMania. ***1/2

World Heavyweight Championship
Triple H (c) w/ Ric Flair vs. Scott Steiner
Triple H talks about going 30 minutes with Scott Steiner at the Royal Rumble. They actually went 18 but it felt like 120. Who thought they should get a rematch? Commentary instantly discussed how there are a lot of Triple H supporters in the crowd. Seriously, it's like 80/20. Steiner targets Triple H's injured left leg in the early stages. He applies a Figure Four, so Ric Flair cries gimmick infringement and rakes him in the eyes behind the referee's back. Steiner takes him out at ringside to a chorus of boos. We even have “Steiner sucks” chants. As Triple H pounds on Steiner, we have “Boring” chants ringing out. This is brutal. The Steiner comeback draws boos and a HHH neckbreaker gets cheers. HHH BLATANTLY uses the ropes for leverage on a pin and gets caught. He shoves Earl Hebner, and because we're in Montreal, gets a huge pop for that. Hebner shoves back and man, I used to hate when he would do that. Steiner goes back to hitting belly to bell suplexes. Steiner Recliner gets locked in, so Flair calls out Randy Orton and Batista. Steiner takes them out, which looks awful. HHH sets up for the Pedigree to cheers but Steiner stops it. Can this just end? Steiner continues to toss around guys that are far more talented than him. HHH lays out Steiner with the World Title as Hebner ejects Evolution. Steiner kicks out to everyone's dismay. Pedigree is hit and it's thankfully over.

Winner and Still World Heavyweight Champion: Triple H in 13:01
That was slightly better than their Royal Rumble debacle until the ridiculous overbooked finish. Hated this. DUD

Eric Bischoff vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin
Apparently, Eric Bischoff is an eighth degree black belt. I had no clue that was even possible. Bischoff tries to forfeit but that obviously isn't happening. Austin attacks to make the bell ring as commentary discusses how Bischoff fired Austin in WCW because he wouldn't be anything more than a mid-carder. The crowd is molten hot for Austin as he stomps like seven mud holes in Bischoff. Bischoff gets in a kick that has zero effect on Austin. Austin hits a Stone Cold Stunner but picks up Bischoff's arm when he covers. He tells the referee that Bischoff kicked out on his own which was funny. A second Stunner and Bischoff is made to kick out again. He hits a third and it's over.

Winner: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin in 4:26
It was what it was. This was meant to entertain the fans and it was a huge squash as it should have been. SQUASH

Jim Ross damn near has a heart attack while shouting “STONE COLD! STONE COLD!”

“Hollywood” Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock
The Rock is in full “Hollywood” Rock mode, which was one of my favorite things of all-time, despite it being short lived. He has the extremely drawn out elaborate entrance and it's glorious. Rock tries a sneak attack but Hogan catches him in the act. Rock mocks him and decides to chill outside. He stalls for a bit until Hogan gives chase and falls for Heel Tactic #4 as Rock attacks once he slides inside. Sylvan, future member of La Resistance, is the referee for this match. Hogan hits his 80's offense until Rock hits a Rock Bottom from out of nowhere. Hogan kicks out and Rock puts on Hogan's bandana. I feel that Rock's heel run here was just him having a blast. He takes off the weight belt of doom and whips Hogan with it. Rock hits a DDT and kips up before smelling what he's cooking. Sharpshooter gets applied, drawing boos because Montreal doesn't like mockery. Hogan gets to the ropes and Rock brings in a chair. Hogan gets it from him and when Sylvan takes the chair, Rock hits a low blow. Spinebuster is hit and Rock nails the People's Elbow before hopping up and hitting a second, this time posing like Hogan. Hogan powers out because he's Hulking Up. This leads to the big boot and Leg Drop but the lights go out during the pin. When they come back on, Sylvan is knocked out. Vince comes out to “you screwed Bret” chants, while Sylvan proves to not be knocked out as he slides the chair to Rock. Rock lays out Hogan and hits the Rock Bottom. Sylvan shoots up and counts the three.

Winner: The Rock in 12:20
Did not have the magic of their first encounter and was relatively dull. The saving grace of the match was Rock's heel tactics as he was entertaining as hell. **

Vince McMahon celebrates with The Rock and Sylvan before they leave and he reveals a Hulkamania shirt under his suit. It says Hulkamania Sucks on it. 

Overall: 4/10; Weak. I was very disappointed with this show. The only matches really worth checking out are the handicap match and the opener, and neither was that great. Everything else is forgettable. Not the best show heading into WrestleMania. Rock/Hogan was nowhere near the level of their WrestleMania match the year before and we got another dud from Steiner and Triple H. Not recommended.

Main Event Report 10-28-14

I know that as I write this there isn't much time left on Wednesday but I've spent the entire day moving to a new home so I wasn't able to watch Main Event or post about it. The show began with MizTV as Miz and Damien Mizdow brought out the team that defeated them on Raw, The Usos. What followed was fun as The Usos did the stunt double thing in the same vein as Miz and Mizdow. This hilarity leads toa  rmeatch from Raw and Miz continues to be bothered by Mizdow getting cheers from the fans. It goes about twelve minutes and the Usos pull twin magic once again to win. Solid opener and continued the story of Miz being jealous of Mizdow.

Time for video packages as we get one for Breast Cancer Awareness, we find out that Sheamus will face Bo Dallas tonight, John Cena's Raw promo is recapped as is Paige's attack on Alicia Fox. Speaking of Paige, she would be in action against Natalyawith Tyson Kidd on commentary. This was my match of the night. Paige and Natalya went at it for about seven minutes with Paige countering the Sharpshooter into a rollup for the win. Tyson was golden on commentary and this was one of, if not my favorite main roster Paige match. Great stuff.

The main event of Main Event pitted the United States Champion Sheamus against Bo Dallas in a non-title match as I stated earlier. Bo cut a short promo before the match and said that if he could split himself in two, he'd be on both Team Cena and Team Authority but since cloning hasn't been invented yet, he'll join the team that Bolieves. Serious question, why isn't Bo Dallas a more featured part of the show? The guy is awesome at his character, cuts fun promos and is one of the things I look forward to weekly. The match itself was just about five minutes and was competitive but Sheamus won as expected. 

In the end, I thoroughly enjoyed this episode of Main Event. The opening segment was fun, the tag team match was solid, the Divas match was awesome and the Sheamus contest was also enjoyable. There was also a strange vignette involving only someone's eyes and I believe it involved Luke Harper. Not sure though. Anyway, 7.5/10 for this week's show.

Raw Report 10-27-14

Guess what opens Raw this week? The Authority comes out because that's how it ALWAYS happens. Triple H and Stephanie plug Hell in a Cell, stating that even though Randy Orton lost last night, the future of the WWE, Seth Rollins prevailed. Rollins and the Stooges come out to brag until Randy Orton cuts him off. He is all kinds of pissed and says some stuff before he attacks Rollins. The Authority break it up and HHH attempts to calm him down. Orton seems to calm but strikes with an RKO OUTTA NOWHERE! It's like a living, breathing vine. Orton leaves while HHH is not pleased. I actually kind of liked that opening and the thought of an Orton/Rollins feud sounds excellent.

For some strange reason, Mark Henry and Big Show are getting a WWE Tag Team Title shot. I know the tag team division is thin but this should have been non-title. Anyway, The Dust Brothers did their usual thing and I was surprised to see that this got more than ten minutes. Show and Henry look like they're on the verge on victory but, shocker, Henry turns on Big Show and lays him out with the World's Strongest Slam. Cody, I mean Stardust pins Show and they retain. Henry continues the attack but it's hard for me to care because we've seen Henry and Show turn heel and face more than anyone not named Kane. It would make a good drinking game actually. I'm sure Big Show went backstage and cried about it.

Michael Cole informs us that we're going to hear from Roman Reigns via satellite. There are a million internet jokes about him doing what his cousin, The Rock does, so I'll shy away. However, Cole says he's the man known as the Juggernaut, which is laughable because NEVER has Roman Reigns been called that. Reigns cuts a short promo about how he's coming for Seth Rollins when he returns. Meh. It's time to see Alicia Fox vs. AJ Lee in the tiebreaker. Paige is on commentary because that's all this feud has become. One girl wrestles, the other is on commentary and interferes. Wash. Rinse. Eat. Sleep. Repeat. Conquer...nevermind. AJ wins in about three minutes and, post match, Paige attacks Alicia and calls her the worst best friend.

John Cena feels the need to address everything that happens in life as he comes out to discuss being the new number one contender. Interestingly, he never comes out to address Nikki Bella and her need to have children. Whatever. He says that he won last night because HE FEARS NOTHING AND REGRETS LESS. It's nearly every Cena promo ever. He is cut off by Stephanie McMahon. It makes me sad that Stephanie has become more of a background player as of late. She owns the fans and Cena before telling him that he should join the Authority. He declines and out comes Triple H. He doesn't say much except that at Survivor Series we will see Team Cena vs. Team Authority. They dare Cena to find people who have the guts to take them on. Good segment, cool match idea, but it ran too long.

The Usos stepped into the ring for a tag team match against The Miz and Damien Mizdow. Nothing of note really happened here except that Mizdow is still the MVP of the show right now. The Usos win as Mizdow continues to do everything that Miz does, but better. In the back, Corporate Kane heard a rumor already that Dolph Ziggler might join Team Cena so he challenges him tonight. Hulk Hogan comes out and is the WWE's walking billboard. He plugs the Susan G. Coleman stuff and John Cena. It's nonsense. 

Bo Dallas comes out and is all smiles before he issues an open challenge. FEED. ME. MORE. Ryback returns to a pop and completely annihilates Bo Dallas. It's cool to see that he's coming back as a face and I'd be intrigued by a mid-card push for him. This was a cool welcome back and I'm glad the fans haven't forgotten about him. Dean Ambrose cuts a promo on the announce table about going to hell last night, loving it and then meeting Bray Wyatt there. He attacks his opponent for the night, Cesaro, but the match never begins. He takes him out and then Bray appears on the titantron in a creepy butcher's apron. He says that the world wasn't made for the two of them but he still doesn't explain much. It was a cool visual though.

A recap of the Nikki vs. Brie match is shown before Nikki goes one on one with Naomi. Much like AJ/Fox earlier, this was a completely basic Divas contest. It was short and not too bad. Nikki forced Brie to trip Naomi up, leading to a Nikki Bella win. Next, Dolph Ziggler met Kane in a non-title match. Dolph has been doing rather terribly in non-title matches recently the, with the WWE's penchant for protecting Kane for some ridiculous reason, I funny expected Kane to win. Instead, we get a match that went about thirteen minutes and was won by Dolph. Nice surprise. It still baffles me that Kane is in good shape but has bad matches.

Time for the big main event as John Cena, the number one contender, takes on the man with a guaranteed title shot whenever he wants, Seth Rollins. Man, this was given a TON of time and stole the show. I do have to question something though. The entire month of October saw Dean Ambrose and Cena battle it out and be desperate to face Seth Rollins, even meeting in a match themselves. Ambrose won that, but Cena gets a match with Seth for free the following night. Seems odd and not consistent with the storyline of the Authority protecting the future. With that out of the way, you should go and watch this match. Possibly the best match on Raw since Ambrose/Rollins back in August. It ends via DQ because Kane always has to get involved. Dolph ran out to even the score before the entire locker room emptied with guys vying to be on Team Cena or Team Authority. A huge brawl ends the show.

Overall, this was a solid episode of Raw. I enjoyed this and once again, the show has cut back on the nonsense filler. We no longer have pointless matches featuring Los Matadores or Adam Rose. Everything served a purpose and I appreciate that. Plus, we didn't get a TON of rematches. None of the matches were terrible and I'm looking forward to seeing Team Authority and Team Cena get picked. Should be fun. 7.5/10.

Hell in a Cell Review

In a wise move, the WWE chose to open the Pay-Per-View with the Two out of Three Falls Intercontinental Title match. Dolph Ziggler and Cesaro are two guys who can have a good match with their eyes closed. People may have expected this to be the greatest match ever and while it wasn't that, it was still a great contest. After a Cesaro Swing, Dolph rolls him up for the first fall in just 3:38. I expected that to mean this would get barely any time but the next fall was tremendous. We got a series of counters, a badass superplex by Cesaro and just all around greatness. After just over 12 minutes, Dolph retains with the Zig Zag, sweeping Cesaro. I enjoyed this opener and, while I wanted three falls, this worked well to help re-establish Dolph's reign after trading the belt with Miz. ***3/4

Next, we had the match that everyone dreaded. Brie Bella vs. Nikki Bella after their long rivalry involving a ridiculous Jerry Springer segment. People will give this no credit but it was much better than most expected. Brie and Nikki have a natrual chemistry that Paige and AJ unfortunately don't share. Don't get me wrong, this wasn't the Divas match of the year but both girls worked hard and made sure this didn't suck. Nikki won with the aptly named Rack Attack in about six minutes and I was surprised that she won clean. **1/4

The Usos stepped into the ring for their rematch from Night of Champions. There seems to only be two tag teams in the entire WWE so this was unspectacular. It's not that the tag teams didn't do well in this match, but it's nothing we haven't seen before. It started slow, the Usos flew around and the Dust Brothers took advantage of an opportunity to keep the gold after ten minutes. This was solid, but would've been better if kept a bit shorter. **3/4

The first Hell in a Cell match of the evening came up next when John Cena and Randy Orton stepped inside. A fan had a sign saying Cena vs. Orton #121, which is actually rather accurate. Just like the previous match, this started super slow. I was incredibly bored for the first third or so of the match. Things kicked into high gear and they pulled out steel steps and other weapons before kicking out of a TON of RKOs and Attitude Adjustments. The WWE tried to act like they have one of the greatest rivalries of all time, which is false and it showed again here. This was a situation where false finishes worked against them. Cena won with an AA off the top through a table, which was terrible booking. We get ANOTHER Cena/Brock match. Ho hum. This went 26 minutes. ***1/4

Sheamus took on The Miz in the next match in a match that had me split down the middle. On the one hand, the match itself was boring and nothing special happened in it. However, Damien Mizdow was by far the only reason to watch this. He stole the show, was incredibly entertaining and I couldn't pay as much attention to the match as I wanted to because he's hard to take your eyes off of. Sheamus retained in about eight minutes and then used Miz like a puppet as Mizdow mimicked his every move. Hilarious ** for the match, ***** for Mizdow.

The fight for America followed as Big Show faced Rusev. I fully expected Mark Henry to turn heel and cost Big Show the match and that was raised further when Henry walked down during the match. I was surprised to see that didn't happen. Instead, Rusev would superkick Show and Henry before making Show submit to the Accolade. I'm surprised that Show took the clean loss and I wonder what's next for Rusev. Maybe Rusev vs. Sheamus? I like that. Anyway, the match itself was rather dull and was just shy of eight minutes. **1/4

Paige and AJ Lee are far and away my two favorite Divas on the roster, however they have do not have chemistry. Their rivalry has seemed forced and the in ring work has been incredibly disappointing. Their Battleground match was awful, SummerSlam was solid and Night of Champions was good, but had Nikki Bella so I'm not fully counting it. This match was in the middle of Battleground and SummerSlam. It wasn't bad but it wasn't good. It was just there. We did get a nice spot on the guardrail, but overall, this was another skippable match between the two. AJ retains with the Black Widow in nearly seven minutes **

Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose got the main event spot they rightfully deserved and they delivered. Ambrose starts by going to the top of the cell and the anticipation was high. Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble were sent up and Ambrose took care of them before he and Seth took a big bump from the side of the cell through two announce tables. As stretchers came down, the fans booed thinking it was over. Ambrose had none of that as he pulled Foley, got up and brought Seth in to begin the match. The match was brutal and wasn't just a singles bout that had a Cell around it. It was a legit Hell in a Cell. Even with the brutality, we got storytelling as Ambrose hit Seth with a poetic chair shot reminiscent of The Shield break up. Ambrose was near victory when the lights went out and weird chanting started. A lantern lit up in the ring with a weird hologram/ghost figure until Bray Wyatt struck and took out Ambrose with a Sister Abigail. Seth covered to win in about 13 minutes, not counting the pre match stuff. ****1/2

The Bray Wyatt stuff was interesting. Some fans hated it, I thought it was cool. It was different, it's going to give us great promos and a fresh feud. Rollins stayed strong by winning, Ambrose stayed strong by losing under cheap circumstances. Overall, this was an enjoyable show. It wasn't amazing, but nothing was bad. Well worth the $9.99 and it made me look forward to future programming. 7/10

Hell in a Cell Predictions

Since it's inception in 2009, Hell in a Cell has been a pretty lackluster Pay-Per-View. None of the shows were particularly bad, but none have been great. The card for this year's event looks pretty good on paper and I'm looking forward to the show tonight. It's about that time for my monthly predictions. I started doing these predictions at Battlegound and went 4-3, at SummerSlam I went 7-2 and at Night of Champions I finished 2-5 for a grand total of 13-10.

We start with a match that I'm not really looking forward to. I'm okay with Rusev in general because Lana is a hot heat magnet and Rusev sells like a champ. My big issue is that every single feud has to be based around USA vs. Russia. It made sense with Jack Swagger and, to a lesser extent, Mark Henry. It's dumb with Big Show. Show should just be trying to get retribution for Henry. Anyway, I don't expect much except for a Rusev win as his first loss won't be to Big Show.

Winner: Rusev

The tag team division has been stuck in a rut in 2014 despite The Usos putting on great matches month in and month out. Their matches with The Wyatts and the Dust Brothers have been great but we're basically down to two teams. They should put on another good match, but with all of the flip flopping that the Intercontinental Title has gone through, I can see the Tag Titles doing the same before we get one more rematch.

Winners: The Usos

Despite good matches, Sheamus has had a lackluster run as United States Champion. I would love to see him move back towards the main event scene but I don't see him dropping the title to The Miz. I see Miz losing here and eventually leading to a feud where Damien Mizdow beats him. I just can't see The Miz as a guy who can viably beat someone like Sheamus.

Winner: Sheamus

If it wasn't for the Dean Ambrose/Seth Rollins match, this would be my pick to steal the show. While it hasn't had the storyline that I would like and while it's super irritating that Dolph Ziggler and Sheamus just swapped opponents, this will be good. Giving two of the WWE's best workers the chance to go 2 out of 3 falls will do wonders for this show. The story is purely the IC Title and that's enough for me to get swept up in this match. I don't see another title change for this belt since we've had enough in the past four months.

Winner: Dolph Ziggler

Much like the Intercontinental Title, the Divas Championship has been traded like a hot potato during the Paige/AJ feud. Back in July AJ won it back only to lose it to Paige in August only to win it back in September. I would like to see the belt get a steady run but it should be Paige who gets that run. AJ's had the solidifying 300 day reign. Paige should've retained at Night of Champions, but there's hope that she wins here. She can be the Total Diva to win the belt because if no Total Diva can win the title, AJ may keep it forever.

Winner: Paige

Another show with two divas matches. The idea behind this was good because sibling rivalries usually come off well. Even the turn, while I expected it, was done well at SummerSlam. The work since then has been terrible.The matches haven't been bad, though they've just been tags but the acting has been god awful. Let's not forget the Jerry Springer debacle. Because of AJ and Pagie's chemistry issues, I actually expect this match to be better despite the terrible storyline work. The stipulation is what makes me see Nikki winning as a face forcing a heel to be her assistant doens't come off as well.

Winner: Nikki Bella

The WWE is billing this as a double main event because of the name value that both John Cena and Randy Orton have, but we all know the match that everyone wants to see. We've seen this a ton of times and their chemistry isn't great but this will be solid. Their last Hell in a Cell match was my favorite contest between the two and their Royal Rumble match this year wasn't bad. Expect this to be a paint by numbers Orton/Cena bout. I can see Cena winning but my goodness do I want Orton to win. Orton/Brock is WAY more appealing than Cena/Brock again.

Winner: Randy Orton

The one that everyone has been waiting for since the Shield split way back in the beginning of June. Seth Rollins won the best Lumberjack match ever at SummerSlam and the best thing to keep Seth locked in the ring is a Cell. This should be the best match of the night and I cannot wait for this. It's about time for Dean to win out and I see him winning here. Don't get me wrong, I think the WWE has bigger plans for Seth, but it's about time Dean beats Seth.

Winner: Dean Ambrose

Smackdown Report 10-24-14

I cannot think of a recent Raw or Smackdown that didn't have an opening segment featuring John Cena, Dean Ambrose, Paul Heyman or a member of the Authority. I seriously can't. Smackdown kicked off with Dean Ambrose, who talked smack to hype his upcoming Hell in a Cell match against Seth Rollins. We also get to see a video recapping Mick Foley's appearance on Raw. He talks about what Seth did when he broke up The Shield, leading to Seth appearing on the titantron. He states that The Shield was never special and actually promises to call out Ambrose later in the show. Typical stuff, but these guys make it work. Ambrose closes by saying that he doesn't care if his career ends at Hell in a Cell because he's taking Seth with him.

Tag team wrestling started things off as The Miz and Damien Mizdow took on Los Matadores. Sheamus was on commentary to build the United States Title match at Hell in a Cell. Short and basic with Miz winning via the figure four. Mizdow stole the show again and they run away from Sheamus after the bout. Keeping with the theme of tag team wrestling, the Champions, Goldust and Stardust cut one of their goofy promos backstage. Bo Dallas interrupts and tells them that all they have to do in their six man tag tonight, is Bolieve. Goldust calls him a weirdo and that was a fun backstage segment.

WEEKLY REMATCH ALERT! Look at that, it only took one match to get our rematch. This time, it's AJ Lee taking on Alicia Fox. Fox defeated her thanks to a distraction from Paige on Raw. This time around, the match was again only about two minutes but the Paige distraction backfired and allowed AJ Lee to score the pinfall. I wish that the Paige/AJ feud was better. I love both girls and feel they could do a lot but their chemistry has just not been there for me. I enjoyed SummerSlam and thought Night of Champions was even better, but this hasn't clicked the way I hoped.

After our weekly creepy Wyatt Family promo, we go to a Big Show segment. Hooray. /endsarcasm. He has a sitdown interview with Michael Cole and discusses how he won't keep his emotions in at Hell in a Cell. He claims that he will take out Rusev for America and such. Stop me if you've heard this before. Next, we move to the match of the night as Cesaro takes on Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship. These are two guys who are pretty much incapable of having a bad match. Their recent matches on TV have been good and this was no different. Dolph wins after 10 back and forth minutes to retain following a series of counters. Good stuff.

Total Divas promotion time as Nikki Bella, Summer Rae and Cameron take on Brie Bella, Natalya and Naomi. I still don't get how the WWE expects fans to view Brie and Natalya as faces when they come off as incredibly unlikable on Total Divas. Anyway, the heels win in less than two minutes as Nikki hits the rack drop on Brie. The fact that they've pinned each other has lessened their match for HIAC. We also get a very cool Hell in a Cell "By the Numbers" video. Hypes the show well. 

After that six woman tag, we move into a six man tag as Goldust, Stardust and Bodust face The Usos and Mark Henry. For the record, Bo Dallas is not dressed like a "Dust", I just thought it would be cool to call him Bodust. This would be our second longest match at just over six minutes, which is not good. See, this is my biggest issue with Smackdown. It's a two hour show with matches that are short. Why? Because we're forced to sit through a million recaps of stuff we've seen a million times. Bo hits the Bo-dog on Henry to win, keeping his winning streak over Henry going. Renee Young, looking gorgeous, interviews Dolph Ziggler in the back when Cesaro interrupts. He says that Dolph got lucky and challenged him to a 2 out of 3 falls match at HIAC. Dolph accepts and we've got a potential show stealer folks, though I still expect Ambrose/Rollins to be the best match.

Seth Rollins promised to call out Dean Ambrose earlier in the night and he does just that to close the show. He comes to the ring with the New Stooges, Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble and there are tables with weapons around. He brags about how he taught Dean everything he knows. He takes a screwdriver and discussing how Ambrose is a screw up. It's decent stuff as it plays off of Ambrose's mannequin segment from Raw. Ambrose doesn't come out when called out, so Seth takes us to, you guessed it, clips from earlier in the week. When the clips wrap, Ambrose is behind Rollins. They brawl until the Stooges come in. This allows Seth to escape and allows Dean to hit both guys with elbows through tables. Fun ending.

In conclusion, I wouldn't say this was a terrible episode of Smackdown. While we did get two rematches, we did get a fresh six man tag and the Mizdow tag team match. No Randy Orton or John Cena allowed Ambrose and Rollins to take center stage and they stepped up. I enjoyed this two hours at the very least. 6/10.