Top Ten Thursday: ROH World Champions

On July 27th, 2002, Low Ki became the first champion in Ring of Honor history. Since then, including him, there have been 22 reigns with the belt. At the time of this writing, Final Battle 2015 hasn't happened yet, so that number could be up to 23 if AJ Styles beats Jay Lethal. Winning the ROH Title can mean big things in your future. Some guys have gone on to win the WWE Title, some the TNA Title and some are among the top guys on the indies still to this day. On the other hand, some, like Xavier, have never really gone anywhere significant. This lists looks at my choices for the ten best ROH Champions of all time.

10. Adam Cole

During the first ROH World Title reign of Jay Briscoe, he suffered an injury and was forced to relinquish the gold. A tournament was set up to crown a new champion, coming down to Michael Elgin and Adam Cole. After a grueling match that saw Cole hold back his frustrations and manage to not get disqualified, Cole won the title. Jay Briscoe came out to hand over the belt and shook hands with Cole. Cole would deliver a superkick to the back of the head, turning heel. Now, this wasn’t one of my favorite eras in Ring of Honor, so I wasn’t fully watching on a regular basis. I’ve gone back to check some of it out and Cole really seemed to be a bright spot in the company. Cole really shined as a heel champion, which works for him because he’s so very good at playing the dick role. He was allowed to run with this character and belt for 275 days and had 13 successful defenses before dropping the belt to Elgin. I really want to see Cole get another run, during a better time period for Ring of Honor, where he could really have a memorable run.  Honestly, among current roster members, he’d be my pick for the safest bet to become the third two-time champion in company history.

9. Jay Lethal

This is being written before Final Battle 2015 airs, so Jay Lethal may or may not be the current ROH World Champion. Either way though, he’s already put himself towards the top of the best ROH Champions in history. One thing that jumps out at you when looking at Lethal’s reign is that he was the first man to hold both the ROH World Title and ROH Television Title at the same time. That in itself is a huge accomplishment. Led by Truth Martini, Lethal had a 500+ day run with the TV Title. In the middle of that, he bested Jay Briscoe to make himself the double champion, becoming the first man to pin Briscoe in over 800 days. When it comes to the quality of the matches during his run, they’ve all been pretty good. He had two title defenses against Roderick Strong, one of which went to an hour draw and one that was a great win on ROH TV. He also retained against Kyle O’Reilly to main event another Pay-Per-View, heading into his Final Battle defense against AJ Styles. I don’t know where his reign will stand when it comes to an end, but for now, it’s good enough to eke into the list.

8. CM Punk

Here we have arguably the most memorable ROH World Title runs, even if it wasn’t particularly long. With news that CM Punk had signed with the WWE, his scheduled final match was against Austin Aries for the ROH World Title. Punk shocked the world by finally, after multiple shots, winning the title and then turning heel. He would come out in a new suit, badmouth the fans and then sign his WWE contract on top of the ROH World Title. That is such a great way to draw heat.  Mick Foley got involved, telling Punk to do the right thing and convincing him to defend the title against the likes of Jay Lethal and Roderick Strong. He also managed successful defenses against Christopher Daniels and James Gibson, each time surprising the fans with the fact that he came closer and closer to leaving to the WWE with the ROH World Title. Finally, on August 12^th, 2005, Punk’s reign came to an end in a Four Corner Elimination match against Gibson, Samoa Joe and Daniels, when Gibson hit a super Tiger Driver. Punk hugged Gibson before leaving officially the next night on good terms. It only lasted 55 days, but the emotion and angle behind the reign, as well as the headlines that it made, earn this a spot on the list.

7. Kevin Steen

Since I first saw him arrive in Ring of Honor back in 2007, Kevin Steen stood out as a superstar. After a phenomenal rivalry with former partner El Generico, Steen was forced to leave the company for nearly half a year. When he returned, he was “Wrestling’s Worst Nightmare”. An angle that saw him feud with Jim Cornette and even hack ROH’s message boards led to Steen getting on a winning streak. He would defeat Davey Richards, a guy who just missed out on making the list, to become the first Canadian ROH World Champion at Border Wars 2012. Steen was one of the most interesting characters in all of pro wrestling at the time and his matches usually delivered during the reign. Successful defenses against Jay Lethal, Michael Elgin, his rival El Generico and more, highlighted the run. After 18 defenses and 328 days, he lost the strap to Jay Briscoe. Steen’s reign was definitely one of the better runs in company history, in terms of both quality and importance.

6. Jay Briscoe

Coming in at number six is the second of two guys to win the ROH World Championship on more than one occasion. First, at Supercard of Honor VII, Jay Briscoe ended Kevin Steen’s title reign to win the belt for the first time ever. He had come up short against former champions like Samoa Joe and Nigel McGuinness, but finally won the big one. He was no longer going to be looked at as a really good tag team wrestler. Unfortunately, that run was cut short at 89 days due to an injury on July 3^rd, 2013. After runs by Adam Cole and Michael Elgin a little over a year later, Briscoe dethroned Elgin to win the title for a second time. This reign proved to be much better, lasting 286 days and spanning 13 defenses with the strap (19 total). During this time, he defeated Cole, Tommaso Ciampa, Joe and others. The two reigns spanned a timeframe that saw Briscoe go over 800 days without getting pinned. If we were discussing titles in general in ROH, Jay has 8 Tag Team Title reigns to go along with the two World Title runs, he’d rank higher as he is the most decorated wrestler in ROH history. Just talking World Titles, he’s had some great success, but some have certainly been better.

5. Austin Aries

Austin Aries is pretty notorious in the ROH history books. Not only was he the man to end Samoa Joe’s record 645 day reign as ROH Champion, but he was also the first ever two-time champion in company history. His first run with the title spanned 16 defenses and 174 days before dropping it to CM Punk, leading to a massive storyline. Aries would compete in the tag team ranks with Roderick Strong, leave ROH and then return before his run. One of the things that puts him ahead of other two time champion Jay Briscoe, is that Aries’ reigns were very different. He reinvented himself, with his second run being that of an arrogant heel persona. During this run, he introduced the “A Double L Double”, or the Austin Aries Lethal Lottery, which gave out random title shots. While this run with the gold lasted longer at 245 days, it featured less defenses at 13. Unfortunately, it was during this run with the belt that my interest in Ring of Honor started to wane. An extremely disappointing one hour draw with Tyler Black was pretty much the final straw for me, as I stopped watching the company for a while. Still, the impact and importance of Austin Aries cannot be denied.

4. Takeshi Morishima

The first ever Ring of Honor show I saw was Final Battle 2006, where Homicide won the ROH World Title from Bryan Danielson. I celebrated with mine and Homicide’s hometown New York crowd. The next time I went to a show, Takeshi Morishima debuted and lost to Samoa Joe in a fantastic match. The next night, he won the ROH World Title from Homicide and I remember being highly upset. Morishima and his title reign would quickly turn my frown upside down. One of the reasons that 2007 is one of, if not my all-time favorite year in ROH, is because of Morishima’s title reign. The guy was putting on fantastic matches each time out, with such a variety of opponents. From Bryan Danielson to Nigel McGuinness to Claudio Castagnoli to Shingo and a bunch more, Morishima’s 231 day reign was just so very good. While his matches and run were great, I wanted to see him lose badly, giving me even more interest into every defense. The emotion I felt was unmatched. I saw him and Danielson have a classic in front of me and could not have been more disheartened when Morishima retained. When Nigel McGuinness finally dethroned the monster champion, it felt absolutely earned. Morishima’s run did wonders for a lot of guys, like Nigel and Claudio, making it incredibly productive.

3. Samoa Joe

With the first two champions in Ring of Honor history, Low Ki and Xavier, having less than stellar runs with the belt, something or someone needed to step up. Enter Samoa Joe. Joe was unlike anyone else in wrestling. His blend of size, strength, technical prowess, striking ability and agility was completely unmatched. He won the ROH Title from Xavier on March 22^nd, 2003 and proceeded to hold onto it for a record 645 days, not losing until December 26^th, 2004. During that span, Joe defended the title 29 times. More important than the quantity of those matches was that Joe put Ring of Honor on the map. The buzz he generated with his style made people pay attention to ROH in a way that they hadn’t in the first year of the promotion. When he finally lost the belt to Austin Aries, it vaulted Aries into history while also solidifying him as a top guy for years to come within the company. If this list was purely based on importance and significance, Joe would be an easy choice for the top slot. Alas, he will settle for third because two men would best his efforts.

2. Bryan Danielson

Despite portraying a heel for most of his title run, Bryan Danielson pretty much defined the fighting champion style. After taking the ROH World Title from James Gibson, Danielson was on a mission to prove to everyone that he was the “best in the world”. That meant Danielson would accept challenges from anyone. By anyone I don’t only mean the ROH roster. He also faced members of CZW like Chris Hero and Sonjay Dutt, Japanese talent like KENTA, and even Lance Storm. He has the third longest reign in company history at 462, while being tied for the most defenses with a whopping 38. The quality of matches during Danielson’s reign was very high, including one I gave five stars to against Nigel McGuinness. That match took place in England and made Danielson the original double champion in ROH as he won the Pure Title and retired it. His reign saw him feud with Homicide, KENTA, Colt Cabana, Nigel, Samoa Joe and others. If you’ve only ever seen him as Daniel Bryan, you’ve been missing out because his entire time in ROH was something special, but his title reign featured absolutely must see wrestling. The “Best in the World” chants that he got were completely warranted.

1. Nigel McGuinness

For me, nothing tops the World Title run of Nigel McGuinness. After coming up short against Bryan Danielson and Takeshi Morishima, Nigel finally made it to the top of Ring of Honor by beating Morishima at Undeniable. It was a feel good moment and something that had been built to for a very long time. Unfortunately, Nigel got injured in one of his first defenses and had to sit out a show in New York that I attended. Then, at his next show in New York, he and Austin Aries put on the greatest match I’d ever seen live, but Nigel busted up his face badly and had to miss his defense the next night in New York. The fans turned on him, chanting for him to drop the belt, among other negative chants. It was very unjust for a guy that worked so hard to get to the top. ROH ran with it as Nigel went full on heel, leading to an incredible series of defenses. Nigel’s reign lasted 545 days and was the only one in company history to last a full calendar year. He tied Danielson with 38 successful defenses but the matches he had were almost always incredible. From wars with Chris Hero to rematches with Bryan Danielson to outings against Claudio Castagnoli, Nigel always delivered. He stepped up against Japanese stars like KENTA and Naomichi Marufuji, having great matches with them too. Hell, his matches with Kevin Steen, El Generico and Tyler Black were absolutely pivotal to those three men become major singles stars in ROH and beyond. It’s a damn shame that Nigel had to retire because no other guy on the indies put on the types of performances that Nigel did during this era. He had fantastic matches, he was the champion when ROH got their first TV deal, he had longevity and he helped create stars. There is absolutely nothing else you could want from your champion during his reign.

NXT TakeOver: London Review

TakeOver: London kicked off with a match between Asuka and Emma. They were given nearly fifteen minutes and really did well with it. Emma played the cautious heel, knowing that Asuka is one bad chick. Emma's heat segment lasted a while, as she tried to take the hot crowd out of it. Asuka fought back, using multiple hip attacks, but then we got a ref bump. Normally that is groanworthy, but it made sense here as it allowed Emma and Dana to get in some underhanded tactics. They teased an actual loss for Asuka via DQ and then again when she made Emma tap behind the referee's back, only for Emma to roll her up. Asuka knocked her out with a kick to win a really good opener that proved to be the match of the night for me. Emma came off great in a loss. The NXT Women's Division is in good hands if the focus is put on Bayley, Emma and Asuka. ***1/2

The NXT Tag Team Championship match followed up and the fans were MOLTEN hot for it. Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady have been the most over tag team in NXT by a mile, though Chad Gable and Jason Jordan are quickly catching up to them. Here, they had the crowd in the palm of their hands for this. There was an old school vibe to it. Dash and Dawson just get how to work a classic tag match, doing all of the little things to draw heat. They cut the ring in half on Enzo and even when Cass got the tag, they went to work on his bad leg, looking like smart champions. The false finish of Enzo and Cass winning just brought the fans to their feet. When Dash and Dawson won with a super Shatter Machine, the crowd was absolutely crushed. At this point, I don't think Enzo and Cass are ever going to win the belts. This was a good performance by both teams, making for another good Tag Title match on a TakeOver. ***

Two of the bigger stars in NXT right now, Apollo Crews and Baron Corbin, did battle next. I'd like to start by saying that I obviously see big things in the future for Crews, but there's something about Corbin's new heel persona that is just clicking. The character he's playing seems to fit him much better, which makes sense if his Breaking Ground persona is how he actually is. The match itself was rather slow and lost the crowd at some points, but it had some good points. Crews did a fantastic job of selling, while Corbin was on point with the trash talk. A highlight was him shouting for Crews to "go back to Ring of Honor", even though Crews wasn't really known for that promotion. Corbin surprised me by winning cleanly, giving Crews his first pinfall loss. Outside of a near fall after Crews hit a moonsault, this seemed to lack drama. They worked fine until the finish but it was certainly missing something.It looks like Corbin is next in line for a big time NXT Title match, so the win here made sense. Crews should be fine and is absolutely a guy I'd peg as a future NXT Champion. The match itself was decent at best. **1/4

In the co-main event slot, Bayley faced Nia Jax in a match where a lot of pressure was on. 2015 has seen the best women's matches in company history, but with Becky, Sasha and Charlotte exiting for the main roster, Bayley has the task of leading unproven ladies like Alexa Bliss, Eva Marie and Nia Jax around. This was expertly booked. Knowing that Nia isn't accomplished in the ring, they just had her play the dominating heel, while Bayley was the ultimate underdog babyface. It worked well, though Nia still seems unsure of herself at times. It's clear that she still needs tons of work, but with time, could become a good monster heel for the division. They played on the fans' emotions, with Nia obliterating Bayley and nearly winning a few times. Bayley didn't go all SUPERBAYLEY, but found a smart way to turn things around, wearing down Nia with a guillotine choke before making her submit. I'd rather Nia pass out instead of tap out, but this was a smartly worked match that was about as good as it could have been. **3/4

With the show in London, Finn Balor's "Demon" character had an added dimension, playing off of Jack the Ripper. It was really fucking cool. As for the match itself, I've seen high praise, but I didn't feel that way. Technically, it was fine, with two really good workers going at it. However, something about it felt hollow. For a match that was built on a friend turning on his buddy, there wasn't much in the way of emotion here. It was just two guys working a solid match. That's fine, but I wanted more. They teased the Samoa Joe victory a few times before Finn was able to retain with the Coup de Grace. A pretty good match to close out the show, but ultimately underwhelming. ***1/4

Coming into the show, this was one of the weaker TakeOver cards ever and honestly, it was probably the weakest TakeOver in execution. It's the only NXT special where I didn't give out at least one **** rating. Don't get me wrong, it's a fine way to spend two hours, but it lacked something to make it special.

NXT TakeOver: London Predictions

Honestly, outside of the NXT Title match, this is what I'm looking forward to the most. These are two of the three best female workers in NXT and they should have a really good match. Emma has been absolutely nailing her new heel role, including the more vicious aspects she's shown in recent weeks. Asuka has been pretty must-see, showing off some incredible skills in her short time in NXT. Asuka has been booked as a dominant badass, and I don't see her losing just yet. Except a good to great outing from both women.

Winner: Asuka

I like both of these guys, I really do. Apollo Crews has the potential to be a future NXT and WWE Champion, while Baron Corbin has really grown over the past few months. The heel role really suits him and his in ring work has come a long way, delivering some solid performances. I expect a hard hitting match since this feud has been built pretty well. It'll be odd to see Corbin lose again after being so dominant for so long, but losses to Samoa Joe and Crews, two of the top guys, won't be so bad. Crews wins here because I don't see him taking his first pinfall loss until his next NXT Title match.

Winner: Apollo Crews

I don't understand the booking of NXT tag team division. At TakeOver: Brooklyn, you had the perfect opportunity to put the titles on the hottest team, Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady. They had just lost to BAMF because of Alexa and were insanely over in New York. Instead, the Vaudevillains won. Their reign was short and the belts were put on Dash and Dawson. Now, Enzo and Cass get a shot when Chad Gable and Jason Jordan are the hottest team in the division. Would they really have Dash and Dawson drop the titles already? Why have Cass and Enzo lose another big time TakeOver match? Unfortunately, that's what I see happening.

Winners: Dash and Dawson

2015 has been the year of phenomenal women's matches on NXT TakeOver specials. From the Fatal Four Way at Rival to the Ironman match at Respect, I've given every TakeOver women's match at least ****. I don't see that happening here. That's okay though. With three of the four horsewomen gone, there has to be some new women established. I would rather see Emma or Dana get this chance, but Nia Jax is interesting. I believe that Bayley can help her along well enough to a good, solid match. This is the match I'm split on. On the one hand, Bayley retaining makes the most sense. On the other, Bayley followed a similar path to Sami Zayn, who only held the NXT Title for a few months before dropping it. That could be what happens to Bayley. I'll go with my heart and pick Bayley to retain though.

Winner: Bayley

The arrival of Samoa Joe to NXT, after wasting away his prime years in TNA, didn't really interest me the way it did for a lot of other people. Since turning heel though, he seems to have turned it up a notch, though he's not on the level of Kevin Owens as a top heel in NXT. If they plan on bringing Finn Balor up to the main roster soon, Joe could be a good choice to run with the belt for a bit, before dropping it to a returning Hideo Itami. Two things make me go the other way. One, I don't see Finn getting called up soon and two, Joe has dominated this rivalry. Finn has to win to make up for that a bit.

Winner: Finn Balor

Top Five 12/7/15-12/13/15

1) The New Day: Guess who was the most over act at TLC? Once again, it was New Day. They kicked off the show and competed in the best match of the night. I'm actually planning a Top 100 Matches of 2015 list and, spoiler alert, this match knocked one off the list and joined in. It was a fantastic ladder match, probably the best of the a year that included many good to great ones (Ambrose/Rollins, Finn/Owens, Mania IC Title). The other teams certainly did their part, especially the Lucha Dragons, earning themselves a spot at the bottom of the list this week. Kofi Kingston got to retrieve the belts in his hometown, earning the New Day another successful defense of the belts and a win in a great match.

2) Dean Ambrose: I was completely against the idea of Kevin Owens dropping the Intercontinental Title already. I would have liked him to be booked like a dominant champion until a debuting Sami Zayn dethroned him. Still, if he had to lose to anyone, dropping the belt to Dean Ambrose was the way to go. The guy has been absurdly over since last summer, but lost feuds to Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt, while also failing to win the Intercontinental Title at WrestleMania. Then he's been relegated to Roman Reigns' little buddy, but has managed to stay popular. Hopefully, this means we'll have a champion that makes the belt seem important, but it most likely won't. The match itself wasn't great, but it is a nice accomplishment for Ambrose.

3) Sheamus:  From what I could tell, the crowd in Boston wanted nothing to do with the main event of TLC. Sheamus and Roman Reigns has been a horribly booked mess. The crowd was shitting on the match, forcing the guys to seemingly try and up the ante, nearly killing each other for a reaction. Honestly, for the first two-thirds of this match, Sheamus looked great. He was a badass that kicked the face's ass in ways that he couldn't come close to in the weeks leading up to the show. He needed help in the end, but still managed to retain the belt in a pretty good match. The biggest complaint is that, once again, Sheamus and the WWE Title were a complete afterthought at the close of the show.

4) Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma: New Japan's World Tag League has dominated the month of December. Going in and looking at the teams involved, I figured Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma would come out as winners. The Finals were this week and it featured them against the the teams with the most points, Tetsuya Naito and EVIL, representing Los Ingobernables. I didn't catch all of the tournament, but was able to see the finals and thought it was a really solid match. Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma won, and now earn an IWGP Tag Team Title shot at Wrestle Kingdom against Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows of the Bullet Club. It's a high profile match for a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion and one of the most popular stars in the company.

5) The Lucha Dragons: The only people on the list here that did not pick up a win in their biggest match are the Lucha Dragons. On Raw, they did defeat the Tag Team Champions, the New Day before repeating that effort on Smackdown. However, at TLC, they competed in a Triangle Ladder Match for the WWE Tag Team Titles and came up short. The reason they make the list is because of their performance. The Lucha Dragons pulled out all of the stops, doing some insane spots. The biggest of which saw Kalisto hit Salida Del Sol off a ladder and through another one, in a spot that will most likely be replayed for years to come among the greatest and craziest spots in WWE history.

TLC 2015 Review

At basically the last minute, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch were added to the Kickoff Show. They had Team BAD come out and do a "12 Days of Christmas" parody song that came off terribly. Sasha was super over with her hometown crowd but this piss poor promo killed them. They tried making them a female New Day, but the New Day stuff works because of the delivery of all three men. It failed with these girls. Sasha and Becky worked hard, but the match's rhythm got thrown off by an excessively long commercial break (on their own Network) and the dead crowd. These girls went from a great match at TakeOver: Unstoppable to working a heatless Pre-Show match. Commentary was also horrible, mistaking the Bank Statement and DIs-Arm-Her several times. Sasha won with the Bank Statement at 11:43. **1/2

Last year, TLC opened with Dolph Ziggler and Luke Harper having a great ladder match. This year, another great ladder match kicked things off. The New defended their Tag Team Titles against the Usos and Lucha Dragons. Just like the year before, this stole the show. They worked a lot of the ladder matches spot that we're accustomed to early on, before building to some different and innovative ones. One highlight being Big E basically bench pressing the ladder from being trapped under it with the Lucha Dragons climbing. The biggest moment saw Kalisto hit a damn Salida Del Sol off a ladder and through another one. It was the sickest, more insane spot I saw all year long. Xavier Woods got involved, because it's "NO DQ", throwing the trombone at Kalisto and stopping him from winning. That allowed New Day to retrieve the straps at 17:56. Excellent opener that was probably the best ladder match in a year full of good ones. ****1/4

After an opener like that, you expect a cool down match and that's just what we were given. Rusev took on Ryback in a match that another last minute addition. I honestly don't get why I should boo Rusev. He's just a man that loves his country and his woman. He sounds like a swell guy to me. Ryback implied that Lana slept with Dolph Ziggler on Raw. I think it's clear that Rusev is the face. They did some stuff, but none of it was really interesting. They should have just beat the hell out of each other like two big men, but it didn't really work. Lana feigned an injury again, putting Rusev in control. Ryback survived a bit more offense but lost to the Accolade at 8:07. A nothing match. *1/2

Two talented guys met in another match that had next to no heat. Alberto Del Rio and Jack Swagger were given the Chairs match stipulation and did okay to work with it. They went after the chairs quickly and used them often. Swagger had a pretty cool spot here he put the ankle lock on while Del Rio's foot was trapped in a chair. The problem is, Swagger has been irrelevant for so long that nobody bought him as a legitimate threat. Del Rio beat John Cena clean, in seven minutes. Why would Swagger be able to dethrone him less than two months later. Del Rio won after 11:23 with a double stomp onto chairs. They worked hard but the crowd was dead, which is more of a blame on the build during this program. The fans had no reason to care. **1/4

The Wyatt Family took on Team ECW in a Tables match that I didn't care about in the least. The Wyatts have looked like jokes in big matches and Team ECW shouldn't be a thing in 2015. When it was about to start, I realized that I wanted it to be an annihilation like the Shield did to Kane and the New Age Outlaws at WrestleMania XXX. We nearly got a clean sweep but it wasn't really domination. Erick Rowan got eliminated because he's the clear weak link. Then the rest of the Wyatts sent Team ECW packing in a match that didn't really have much flow. It was pretty much a garbage, throwaway match to get the Wyatts a win on PPV. The win didn't even do anything for me since they always win these midcard PPV matches, but lose the big ones. It went 12:38 and I wish I could have most of that time back. *1/2

Considering the styles of both men, I'm very surprised they didn't get a specialty match. I thought their first match at Survivor Series was really strong but this left something to be desired. They worked in their signature stuff, with both guys getting their stuff in. A cool spot came when Kevin Owens did a second rope Finlay roll. Dean Ambrose hit the Dirty Deeds, but Owens got his finger on the bottom rope to break the pin. Then, Ambrose rolled through a Popup Powerbomb with a rana rollup to capture the title at 9:52. It felt very anti-climactic, not just as a finish, but as a match entirely. They are capable of much more and hopefully, their third match reaches great status. **3/4

The WWE Divas Title match was probably the worst booked thing coming into the show. Both girls have acted like complete heels, which is especially strange after Charlotte was supposedly a sympathetic babyface for the Reid comment. The stuff Paige and Charlotte did in the match wasn't particularly bad. However, the storytelling continues to be abysmal. That really ends up hurting the overall score. None of what they do makes a lick of sense so why should I give a damn? Paige looked like a total idiot by pinning Charlotte right by Ric and then being surprised when Ric put Charlotte's leg on the bottom rope. Charlotte then used an exposed turnbuckle to retain at 10:39. I don't even know what this was. I can watch wrestling in other languages that I understand more than the Divas division. *3/4

The main event had a tough task. They had to work a TLC match that the fans didn't want to see. The fans chanted for a bunch of other things, which had to bother the competitors. It looked like they tried to do extra stuff to get the fans into it, nearly killing each other with some big bumps. Reigns got close to winning before the League of Nations, sans Wade Barrett intervened. Reigns overcame that and still nearly won, but ate a Brogue Kick and Sheamus retained at 24:02. This was a fine match but the fact that the booking had been so bad going in that the crowd hated it, again hurt things. They worked hard but it ultimately didn't lead to anything great. ***1/4

After the match, an angry Roman Reigns attacked the League of Nations with a steel chair, again making them look like a bunch of chumps. Triple H and Stephanie tried to calm things down but Reigns attacked Triple H. He Superman punched him, powerbombed him on a table, elbowed him through the table and hit a Spear. The idea of badass Reigns is great, but the execution felt off to me. Triple H should have been the one to cost him the match and they shouldn't have had Stephanie there as a pleading wife, begging for mercy. Overall, the show was on the lesser scale of Pay-Per-Views his year, along with Extreme Rules, Royal Rumble and Fastlane. One great match and one or two decent ones surrounded by crap. 4.5/10.

TLC Predictions

You'll notice a trend here. A match that doesn't really make sense. Alberto Del Rio returned with Zeb Colter for reasons that were never really explained. We got told about MexAmerica very often but the point of it wasn't well explained and we never really got a backstory. Jack Swagger returned to question why Zeb would align himself with Del Rio. Is it simply because he's Mexican or because of their history? If they really wanted MexAmerica to be a thing, wouldn't Zeb have tried to get his former client involved? Anyway, this led to Swagger and Del Rio feuding, only for Del Rio to join the League of Nations and dump Zeb. So now two guys are having a match over Zeb Colter, and Zeb isn't in either guy's corner. Del Rio retains because it's Jack Swagger.

Winner: Alberto Del Rio

When TNA can't let go of the ECW thing, it's dumb. When the WWE does it, it's still dumb. I was all for a Dudley Boyz return, even if their feud with New Day disappointed. Nothing about this really interests me. The Wyatts will win because they can beat unimportant people, but lose the big matches. This isn't a big match.

Winners: The Wyatt Family

Seriously, what the fuck is this feud? Heading into Survivor Series, Paige mentioned Reid Flair out of nowhere to try and build a personal rivalry. The match at the PPV did not follow the flow of what you'd expect a bitter feud to be. The next night, they had a more physical match and it looked like they were headed to a more personal PPV match. Suddenly, creative threw everything out the window. Becky Lynch was brought into play, but not in a logical way. The sympathetic face champion, who just defended the honor of her dead brother, randomly started being a dirty player like her dad (I mean, she uses everything else her dad does, but still). So, why should I root for Charlotte? Why should I cheer Paige? Why am I asking questions about a division that creative gives zero fucks about? Charlotte retains because Paige is gonna go to 0-6 on PPV/Network special Divas Title matches this year.

Winner: Charlotte

This should be a blast. The New Day have easily been the most entertaining thing on the main roster since the summer, while the Lucha Dragons are my second favorite active main roster tag team. The Usos are still good to have around for good matches and they're pretty over. I don't expect this to reach the levels of the old school triple threat ladder matches, but it should still honestly steal the show. I truly believe that the belts should stay on the New Day but I think the WWE is going to want faces with some belts. I also think that if the New Day have to drop the straps, it should be to the Lucha Dragons. What I think will happen though, is another Usos title reign.

Winners: The Usos

One of only two matches that I'm looking forward to. I was excited for the Survivor Series match, which turned out to be really good, but just shy of great. At first, I was surprised this wasn't given one of the stipulations. After thinking about it, I realized there is a lot of time in between TLC and the Royal Rumble. That means we can expect endless rematches between these two over the next few weeks of Raw and Smackdown. That being said, this should be another solid match between two guys that can't afford a loss. I'm holding out hope that Owens remains champion until he faces a debuting Sami Zayn leading to a match at WrestleMania.

Winner: Kevin Owens

Man, this is one unenthusiastic main event. They've had some okay matches on Raw in recent months, but nothing about this screams PPV headliner. To make an already unappealing WWE Title match even worse, the weeks leading up to this show have been atrocious. Sheamus gets a new stable and Roman Reigns lays them out. Then Reigns beats all four members via countout on Smackdown. Then on Raw, Reigns pinned Sheamus and, to top it all off, he then made Sheamus look like a joke in arguably the worst go home Raw closing segment of all time. It's like, you put this terrible dish in front of us, and instead of trying to make it more appetizing, you dropped it on the floor and made it even worse. If Sheamus wins, Reigns comes up short on the big stage again. If Reigns wins, Sheamus looks like even more of a joke than he already has. Contrary to what other "writers" will tell you, this is a lose/lose situation. I go with Sheamus because the WWE likes to job out the champion, then have him retain through nefarious terms.

Winner: Sheamus

2015 Prediction Record: 56-33

2014 Prediction Record: 22-18 (Only five PPVs)

Random Network Reviews: Old School 3/6/97

Old School
March 16th, 1997 | Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York

Well, so far I’ve only reviewed one show from the WWE Network’s Old School Vault and it wasn’t very good. What I saw was a dull affair from 1991 where nobody seemed to put in any real effort. Hopefully, the results are different as I see one from one of, if not the best year in pro wrestling history, 1997. This also takes place in my favorite wrestling venue, Madison Square Garden.

The Old School Vault intro video is pretty damn cool. Commentary consists of Jim Ross and Jim Cornette so that should be good. They run down the card, which sounds pretty solid.

Flash Funk w/ the Funkettes vs. The Sultan w/ Bob Backlund and Iron Sheik
I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it before, but for those who don’t know, the Sultan is Hall of Famer Rikishi. Flash Funk’s theme plays and stops about four times. The Sultan is offended by Flash’s ridiculous gear, attacking him at the bell. Flash’s theme continues to play in the background. Someone fire the music guy. Flash fights back with some funky moves. Yea, I just did that. Sultan regroups outside and I thought Flash would dive out but he just waits patiently. He stupidly falls for a test of strength but does use his athleticism to get the upper hand. Sultan fires back with a superkick. Sultan gets in more offense before Flash hits a nice splash for two. He goes back up with a 360 leg drop but Sheiky Baby distracts the referee. He goes up again but comes down on Bob Backlund outside. When he goes back in, he tries a hurricanrana but Sultan catches him with a powerbomb. He turns over into the camel clutch and that’s a wrap.

Winner: The Sultan in 7:41
Better than I expected it to be. When I saw Sultan go outside and we got no dive from Flash, I thought they were just going to kill time. Instead, they worked pretty hard and this was decent.**

The Godwins vs. The New Blackjacks
Like the previous match, we get an attack before the bell. The Blackjacks are the heels. The Godwins try a double team and it is super awkward. Henry is supposed to slam Phineas onto Bradshaw, but Phineas sets too early and just strangely hugs Henry. Hank gets two with a suplex. Windham, the veteran on the team, hits a low blow behind the official’s back, turning the tide. During this, commentary hypes the upcoming Four Team Elimination Tag match at WrestleMania. These two teams, Doug Furnas and Phil LaFon and the Headbangers go at it. Sounds like it will suck. Windham hits a nice back suplex for a near fall as they work heat on Phineas because he sucks so hard. Things break down as everyone is in the ring. The Blackjacks misfire on a double team, allowing Henry to slam Bradshaw from the top. He hits a belly to belly suplex for two, while Phineas and Windham brawl outside. He then hits the Slop Drop, but Windham and Bradshaw pull of twin magic after a double axe handle to win.

Winners: The New Blackjacks in 8:09
Went a bit too long for not being very good. Also, how does that finish work when the teammates don’t even look alike? *¼

Dok Hendrix is in the ring and introduces Bret Hart, who has an upcoming Steel Cage match against Sycho Sid. They discuss Bret being on his way to a fifth WWF Title, which was such a huge deal back then. Now, five World Titles is nothing. They promote the upcoming I Quit match between Bret Hart and Steve Austin as well, which would be arguably the best match in WrestleMania history.

Aldo Montoya vs. Crush w/ the Nation of Domination
Why god why? I didn’t even know Aldo Montoya was still even around at this point. The first move of this thing is a damn sleeper hold from Aldo. It’s quickly broken and Aldo hits a much better cross body. Crush does nothing until hitting the Heart Punch and winning.

Winner: Crush in 1:46
Thank goodness this was kept short. Inoffensive. *

The Nation put the boots to Aldo Montoya because they like the Portuguese as little as they like the white man. Ahmed Johnson and his 2x4 run out for the save and he chases off the Nation. We go to what seems like a commercial and when we return, Ahmed is calmly walking out to his theme for a match.

Ahmed Johnson vs. Savio Vega w/ the Nation of Domination
We are taken to footage from Madison Square Garden two months prior where Ahmed Johnson teamed with Savio Vega against Faarooq and Crush. Savio turned on Ahmed that night. Everyone who just ran off walks back out now. Why? Savio cuts a promo before the match and it is fucking awful. Ahmed fakes like he’s joining the Nation but attacks instead. Ahmed starts hot but Savio ends up taking over because Ahmed is the epitome of a hot tag guy. His style doesn’t allow for him to get in much in a match that goes over five minutes. They go to a commercial, since this was broadcast on MSG Network in New York, and when they come back, Savio has a sleeper applied. Ahmed and his wedgie begin to Hulk Up but a missed scissors kick allows Savio to kick him. Crush goes to use the 2x4 but it backfires as Ahmed hits both him and Savio. A spinebuster and Pearl River Plunge follow. The Nation jumps in to cause the DQ.

Winner via disqualification: Ahmed Johnson in 6:47
Painfully dull and worthless. Well, it did advance the Ahmed Johnson/Nation feud but it was pretty damn boring. ½*

Faarooq comes out to join in on this beat down, whipping Ahmed Johnson like a government mule.

WWF Tag Team Championship
British Bulldog and Owen Hart (c) vs. Doug Furnas and Phil Lafon
British Bulldog is also the current European Champion. Doug Furnas and Owen Hart start with a cool wrestling exchange. Both teams go back and forth for a while, which is fine since all four men are talented workers. I don’t think that Owen and Bulldog get enough credit for good they were as a team. Owen miscues and dropkicks Bulldog off the apron, as they were building towards a split that ended up never happening. After a commercial, the faces are working over Owen. Lafon rolls up Bulldog at one point but Owen distracts the referee. He did all of the little things to be a great heel, while still having an entertaining ring style. Owen gets the tag and nails Lafon with the Enziguri of death for two. Lafon plays the face in peril for a good chunk of time here. Furnas gets the hot tag and suplexes the hell out of Bulldog. He busts out a sweet hurricanrana but Owen breaks the pin. Furnas goes for another suplex, but Owen trips him up and holds the leg, allowing Bulldog to get the three.

Winners and Still WWF Tag Team Champions: British Bulldog and Owen Hart in 11:20
Best match of the night so far. It wasn’t anything spectacular, but it featured good tag formula and everyone seemed to actually work hard. Four talented guys who know what they’re doing out there and had the crowd involved. ***

Time for another promo as Ken Shamrock, the special referee in the Submission match at WrestleMania 13 gets interviewed. Or I guess not. After hyping that, we go to a backstage promo with Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Chyna. Hunter really stuck to the basics here.

WWF Intercontinental Championship
Rocky Maivia (c) vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley w/ Chyna
I reviewed their match a month prior at In Your House: Final Four for a podcast a while back and it was extremely basic. Their early spots are done to showcase Rocky’s agility as he nips up, leap frogs and snaps off a decent dropkick. As Hunter takes advantage, we go to commercial and Hunter gets a near fall. As I said with his promo, Hunter, at this point in his career, was really doing the very least he could as a heel. You could see that he truly was a student of the game as he utilized all of the little cheap heat things he could. Chyna assists him on an abdominal stretch at one point, though they get caught. Rocky gets knocked outside as Chyna goes to do something but Earl Hebner again catches her. Rocky begins to rally though some fans are chanting “boring”. They do somewhat pop for Rocky’s float over DDT. He goes up top to connect with the cross body but Chyna pulls him off of the pin. Hunter connects on the Pedigree but Goldust runs in to cause a DQ.

Winner via disqualification: Hunter Hearst Helmsley in 12:45
Like their other matches in this era, this was very standard stuff. Hunter wasn’t very exciting as a heel here and Rocky wasn’t lighting the world on fire as a face. **

Goldust continues the assault until Chyna gets in his face. Marlena runs in and jumps on Chyna’s back until officials break it up. Her top breaks but nothing is seen. After a commercial, Sunny is brought out. She was at a point where she was doing a lot of nothing but was too popular to not be featured. She models a shirt and seems like she’s going to take it off but she doesn’t. She ring announces the next match and is the worst at it.

Faarooq w/ the Nation of Domination vs. Goldust w/ Marlena
Before the bell, Faarooq cuts a promo saying that he won’t wrestle a fairy. Times were certainly different in 1997 weren’t they? Goldust attacks him anyway and we get a slugfest. Goldust barely gets in any offense and it’s boring as hell. Faarooq hits his finisher and wins even though Goldust’s foot is on the ropes.

Winner: Faarooq in 5:23
It’s like nothing happened but it lasted five minutes. This was awful. DUD

Dok Hendrix interviews the WWF Champion, Sycho Sid. He says that he would beat Bret Hart eight days out of the week, before turning his attention to Undertaker. Sid stumbles through this entire thing and it is a fantastic watch.

Casket Match
Undertaker vs. Vader w/ Paul Bearer
Even though Vader’s momentum was stalled in 1996 when Shawn Michaels refused to put him over, he did beat Undertaker at the Royal Rumble. With Undertaker being the top contender for the WWF Title, Vader has a claim to a title shot after if he wins. They trade blows at the bell before Undertaker clotheslines him down. They also had good big man brawls. Undertaker sends Vader outside and he hits the casket on his way out. Undertaker gets a chair and whacks Vader in the back as they go to commercial. Returning, Vader is pounding away as we’re told that Paul Bearer hit Undertaker with the urn. Jim Ross wisely brings up how hot Vader has been after Final Four, in which he had a phenomenal performance. Vader goes to leap from the second rope but Taker catches him with a body slam. He follows with a Chokeslam and the Tombstone. As Undertaker opens the casket, Mankind pops out and puts him in the Mandible Claw. It’s the same spot they ran like ten months prior when Undertaker faced Goldust. Undertaker is placed in the casket and the lid shuts.

Winner: Vader in 5:16
Surprisingly result here and way shorter than I expected. Since it was short, it never dragged and the two big men always work well together. This wasn’t up there with their best, but still pretty solid. **½

Undertaker comes right out and beats up Mankind. Vader doesn’t give a damn as he leaves Mankind to take a beating. Undertaker puts Mankind in the casket and sends the fans home happy.

Overall: 5/10; Mediocre. For a house show, this was pretty good. A lot of the Old School Vault shows tend to feature a ton of guys phoning it in because it’s an untelevised event. Granted, there were some stinkers here but the show moved by quickly and nothing overstayed its welcome. The Tag Team Title match was damn good but everything else only ranged from bad to average. Next on “Random Network Reviews” will be Armageddon 2004!