1) Kevin Owens: There was literally no other choice. After Finn Balor was forced to vacate the WWE Universal Championship due to injury, a lot of people, myself included, expected it to go back to the status quo of Roman Reigns or Seth Rollins. Instead, we got treated to a pretty intriguing ending to Raw. Triple H returned and Pedigreed Reigns, helping Rollins eliminate him. Then, Triple H turned on Rollins and helped Kevin Owens win the title. This was a huge deal as Owens, a guy that doesn't have the prototypical look, got the "you deserve it" chants and made it to the top of the flagship show. A lot of people thought it wouldn't and couldn't happen, but it did and I loved every second of it. I've been a fan of Owens since 2007 and it was an incredible crowning achievement for one of the best currently going.
2) Marty Scurll: PWG held their annual Battle of Los Angeles tournament during this week of pro wrestling. Three nights, a shit ton of matches and a bunch of the top independent wrestling talent from around the globe. This year, the "Villain" Marty Scurll won the entire thing. He defeated Pentagon Jr., Cody Rhodes and Mark Haskins before besting rival Will Ospreay and Trevor Lee in an elimination finals. Scurll has been pretty damn anywhere he goes all year long, but this was possibly his biggest accomplishment. He is now in line for a shot at the PWG Championship, currently held by Zack Sabre Jr. I'm not a huge fan of their matches together, but Scurll might be riding a streak hot enough to dethrone Sabre.
3) Kota Ibushi: Though I'm sure the Battle of Los Angeles featured some top notch matches, we won't see them for a while. So, the best match of the week for me was the Cruiserweight Classic battle between Kota Ibushi and The Brian Kendrick. Kendrick has been playing the veteran trying to get his career back on track role, while Ibushi is a heavy favorite to win it all. Their styles meshed perfectly and they put on one hell of a match that might have been the second best of the entire tournament. Ibushi survived a burning hammer and Kendrick's bully choke before winning to advance to the final four. It was another standout performance by the Japanese sensation, who should probably agree to a deal soon because he can be a major player.
4) Cody Rhodes: Sure, he didn't win the Battle of Los Angeles, but Cody Rhodes still deserves this spot. Cody was a WWE product his entire career, but he's made his way to the indies and is doing his best to adapt there. After starting in Evolve, he made his way to PWG this weekend for the Battle of Los Angeles. Cody was all over the news and being talked about for his appearance. He defeated another former WWE guy in Sami Callihan in the first round in a match that featured the return of his "undashing" face mask. He did lose in the second round, but at least it was to the eventual winner, Marty Scurll. Cody promised the Reseda fans that he would be back next year. He also made some headlines with the news that he's apparently going to work some ROH, TNA and even NJPW in the coming months.
5) The Brian Kendrick: Lost a hard fought battle with Kota Ibushi, followed by an emotional moment with Daniel Bryan.
5) Katsuyori Shibata/Tomohiro Ishii: Yea, I kind of copped out by having a tie for fifth but whatever. I can't choose between these two. Katsuyori Shibata and Tomohiro Ishii are two of the most consistently great wrestlers in the world. Their style of just beating the fuck out of whoever they're in the ring with almost always produces great matches. When they're actually in the ring together though, it is magic. I've seen them face off about five times and their matches have gotten *****, ****3/4, ****1/2 and ****1/4 twice. That is like, greatest series of matches between two guys ever numbers. Since becoming a key player in NJPW around 2013, Ishii has been their best performer, having ****+ matches all over each year with various opponents.
4) Sami Zayn: Not since Daniel Bryan has a guy been so genuinely likable as Sami Zayn is. I've been a fan of his since his El Generico days, but he's taken his game to another level as Sami Zayn. Sami has been top notch since arriving in NXT/WWE back in 2013. In NXT, he had awesome battles with Cesaro, Tyler Breeze, Adrian Neville and more. Since getting the callup to the main roster, Sami has been at his best. He's had several match of the year candidates in many different match types. From ladder matches to wars with his greatest friend/rival Kevin Owens to good old fashioned straight up matches with guys like AJ Styles. The only other person that you can watch that evokes happiness like Sami is Bayley. He's that much fun. There is no better pure babyface male around.
3) Tetsuya Naito: Thinking about Tetsuya Naito just gets me so mad right now. NJPW has totally fumbled his push. It's a damn shame because since his heel turn in the summer of 2015, Naito has been, FAR AND AWAY, the most entertaining wrestler in the company. His nonchalant attitude is just a joy to watch. He worked his way from a failed babyface push up to most over act in the company and it culminated in him winning the IWGP Heavyweight Title at Invasion Attack last April. It made NJPW feel fresh and was all sorts of fun. He would disrespect the title and he was must-see TV, even if it was just in a meaningless multi-man tag. Unfortunately, NJPW pulled the rug out from under him to go back to the status quo named Kazuchika Okada. Still, Naito continues to be the best thing going in NJPW, despite booking errors.
2) Sasha Banks: In 2015, there weren't many people that outperformed Sasha Banks. She and Bayley stole an entire weekend over the summer that included the Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Seth Rollins, Shinsuke Nakamura and many others. Currently, Sasha had some hiccups on the main roster and wasn't getting featured. When she did though, she reminded us why she's the best female in the company. Her matches at WrestleMania and on the first post-draft Raw were both back to her NXT standards. I find myself getting nervous watching her matches because I don't ever want to see her lose. I feel like a kid watching his favorite again when Sasha Banks wrestles and for that alone, she would make this list. The woman is incredible and I just hope that she stays healthy enough to have the long, successful career that she deserves.
1) AJ Styles: When I first saw him in 2005, AJ Styles became my favorite wrestler. It remained that way through his entire TNA run, even if I mostly stopped watching the company. He went to NJPW and became my favorite performer there. I though I couldn't like him anymore and then he joined the WWE. 2016 has been one of my favorite years in wrestling history because of him. Styles showed up and instantly picked up the WWE style to become the best part of the show. As a babyface or a heel, he's great. It doesn't matter what type of match you throw Styles in or who he faces, it's going to be good. Now, he's beaten John Cena cleanly and looks to be on pace to win the WWE Championship, which is a sentence I wouldn't have thought was possible at the end of last year.
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The Great American Bash 2007
July 22nd 2007 | HP Pavilion in San Jose, California | Attendance: 13,034
This show features a main event between John Cena and Bobby Lashley. On paper, it looks pretty awful but I’ve actually heard really good things about it so I’m intrigued to check it out. This was in the midst of Cena’s year long run with the belt and also the Great Khali’s run with the World Title. Yikes. This would be the fourth WWE GAB but the 22nd in history.
The opening video package does a good job in hyping Bobby Lashley vs. John Cena as a really big deal. It also highlights the World Title triple threat but not as well. The Lashley/Cena stuff is set to a cool score. This show’s theme song is by Cobra Starship and is pretty cool.
WWE United States Championship
MVP (c) vs. Matt Hardy
Two months earlier, MVP won the US Title. This is the beginning of a feud that last nearly a year. Random note, but Matt is really tan here. Like, near Randy Orton levels. MVP takes some quick breathers so Matt does a plancha to the outside, but it looks pretty lame. They move from holds and tests of strength to just headbutting each other’s chests. Impressive. MVP takes control and applies a submission that holds Matt’s arms, so he chooses to bite MVP in the leg. Matt tries to climb up top, but he struggles due to a previous head injury. I appreciate things like that. MVP climbs up and hits a superplex. Matt counters a top rope back suplex and they trade blows. After Matt hits some signature offense, he counters the Playmaker into the Side Effect for a close near fall. The fans bite on a few flash pin near falls. MVP nails a boot to the injured skull of Matt before scoring with the Playmaker to retain.
Winner and Still WWE United States Champion: MVP in 12:53
Really solid opening contest. The crowd was rather quiet to start but the two men worked hard to get them involved. The head injury coming into play and being involved in the finish is something I really appreciate. MVP was on a bit of a roll of having solid matches and he did so here again. ***
Todd Grisham interviews Dusty Rhodes, who will be in a Texas Bullrope match later. As usual when it comes to Dusty, he delivers a charismatic promo.
WWE Cruiserweight Championship Open
Chavo Guerrero (c) vs. Funaki vs. Jamie Noble vs. Jimmy Wang Yang vs. Shannon Moore
As a surprise entrant at No Way Out 2007, which I recently reviewed, Chavo Guerrero won the title as a surprise entrant in a Cruiserweight Open. A wild Hornswoggle appears and slides across the ring, confusing everyone. Everyone just fights each other in and around the ring, with Yang and Noble having the best exchange. Chavo is close to winning with a half crab on Noble but Funaki breaks it up with an enziguri. Everyone gets in their spots like Chavo’s Three Amigos and Yang’s moonsault. In my favorite spot, Yang backdrops Moore over the top and onto everyone else outside. They do a tower of doom spot inside and, with everyone down, Hornswoggle shows back up. He hits the tadpole splash on Noble and wins.
Winner: Hornswoggle in 6:59
This was your standard cluster of spots that we tend to get with cruiserweights. It was somewhat fun but that finish ended up being the end for the division as the title never came back. Gregory Helms did fine work with the title for about a year and it’s gone about six months after he loses it. *½
We now go to a video package to highlight Bobby Lashley.
Singapore Cane Match
Carlito vs. The Sandman
I have no idea why this is even happening, let alone why it’s on a Pay-Per-View. I feel like it was during that weird time that Sandman was drafted to Raw. The object of the match is to retrieve the cane from a pole. Both guys get into a slugfest before each man tries to climb. That is honestly pretty much the entire match until Carlito misses a springboard back elbow. Sandman gets the cane and can use it legally but Carlito ducks a shot and wins with the Backstabber.
Winner: Carlito in 5:31
That was pretty much a waste. The object was to get the cane and then it didn’t even get used once. It was two guys slugging it out, climbing a pole and then it ended. ½*
Randy Orton gets interviewed backstage and brings up how he took out Shawn Michaels and will do the same to Dusty Rhodes tonight.
WWE Women’s Championship
Candice Michelle (c) vs. Melina
They actually try some mat wrestling early on and Candice Michelle gets out of a head scissors like she’s Austin Aries. Well, she tries at least. Candice does a running snapmare that JR calls a blockbuster. Bless them, they were trying with Candice. Melina chooses to target the arm simply because it’s there and she needs something to work. Candice goes into her comeback with some dropkicks. She finishes it with a standing bulldog that she calls the Candy Wrapper.
Winner and Still WWE Women’s Champion: Candice Michelle in 6:22
Man, the women’s division was in trouble around this time. Beth Phoenix was about to give it a shot in the arm but for now, no good. Melina was never great to me the way that some people made her out to be and Candice was rough. ¾*
The Hardy Boyz are talking backstage when Candice Michelle comes up and starts drinking water, only to pour it over herself in slow motion. The facial expressions from the Hardys are classic. Ron Simmons delivers the slowest “DAMN” of his career.
WWE Intercontinental Championship
Umaga (c) vs. Jeff Hardy
The crowd was pretty dead for the Women’s Title match but they come to life for Jeff Hardy. Umaga dominates the early goings and it’s mostly entertaining. He does apply my least favorite hold in wrestling, the trapezius hold, which disappoints me. It’s the laziest of rest holds. Jeff nearly starts a comeback but Umaga just OBLITERATES him with a spinning sidewalk slam. It takes Umaga missing a headbutt for Jeff to rally, hitting a plancha to the outside. He continues to try and get the win with some signature offense inside. When Jeff hits Whisper in the Winds, Jim Ross calls it the Twist of Fate twice. You’re slacking JR. He’s able to hit the Swanton Bomb but takes a bit too long to cover and Umaga kicks out. The fans absolutely bite on this near fall. As if he gets tired of this, Umaga hits a savant kick, the running ass attack and the Samoan Spike to retain.
Winner and Still WWE Intercontinental Champion: Umaga in 11:20
It started slow but it made sense since Umaga wanted to control the pace. He was in the midst of a strong 2007 and this was another good performance by him. Jeff Hardy’s rally was well done and the fans were completely into this. Having Umaga win clean and Jeff put in a gutsy effort made sure this accomplished what it set out to do. ***¼
Similar to the Bobby Lashley video package earlier, it’s time for a John Cena one.
ECW Championship
John Morrison (c) vs. CM Punk
This is the first ever ECW Title match in the history of the Great American Bash. CM Punk went on record on his DVD saying that he didn’t like any of his PPV matches with Morrison and this is the second of three straight. Punk has the advantage to start, getting two on a slingshot suplex. Morrison does his massive oversell on a monkey flip before taking a breather outside. Punk goes to get him but is tripped up on the steel steps. Morrison takes control for a short while, but the crowd has unfortunately quieted down again. They go up top where Punk sends Morrison to the mat and hits a cross body. Morrison wins a series of rollups but gets caught grabbing the ropes. Punk comes off the top but flies into a knee. However, it just looked like they awkwardly collided and Morrison just covered him for a lame finish.
Winner and Still ECW Champion: John Morrison in 7:56
I can kind of see what CM Punk meant on his DVD when he said they tried to cram 15 minutes of stuff into 8. Still, while I didn’t hate this, I do believe that it had potential to be much better. The incredibly lame and awkward finish really hurts things too. **¼
Texas Bullrope Match
Dusty Rhodes vs. Randy Orton
Dusty wastes no time busting out the Bionic Elbows. According to Jim Ross, he’s gonna take young Randall to the woodshed. Dusty whoops ass outside but when they get inside, Orton attacks the knee with the cowbell. Very good heel work here as it looks pretty vicious. Since he’s Orton, he goes to a chinlock. The best part about it is that Dusty does a little dance to try and rally but it doesn’t work. Well, he eventually rallies but misses the big elbow. Orton then strikes Dusty with the cowbell and that’s a wrap.
Winner: Randy Orton in 5:40
About as good as I expected considering Dusty Rhodes hadn’t been on a WWE Pay-Per-View in about 15 years. They kept it short, the crowd was into it and Randy Orton looked pretty good. **
Randy Orton looks for the punt but Cody Rhodes rushes out to protect his papa.
World Heavyweight Championship
The Great Khali (c) w/ Ranjin Singh vs. Batista vs. Kane
Edge was originally scheduled to face Kane for the World Title but had to vacate the gold. Khali won it in a battle royal later that night. To show his dominance, he just manhandles both of his opponents. He Chokeslams both of them and is looking like the monster champion that you would expect from someone of his size. Both Batista and Kane are out and Khali follows instead of trying for the countout win. Big body, small brain. Batista and Kane work together to put Khali through the table with a double spinebuster. So far, I have to commend the booking of this match. Khali is back in after Kane and Batista go at it. Kane Chokeslams him but Batista breaks up the count. They repeat that with a Batista spinebuster and Kane breaking up the pin. Batista then hits Kane with the Batista Bomb only for Khali to pull him outside and toss him into the steel steps. Khali enters and choke bombs Kane to retain.
Winner: The Great Khali in 10:02
Expertly booked stuff here for the most part. There was no way that this match would be great but this did everything that it needed to. Khali looked like a monster early, then they put him through the table to take him out of the equation. Not only was is smart in kayfabe terms, but it also allowed the better workers to do their thing. This was probably the best possible match these three could have put together. **½
A vignette airs for Triple H who is returning at SummerSlam next month. This leads to King Booker and Queen Sharmell coming out. He says he is the one true king in the WWE, calling out “Jerome” Lawler for an act of regicide. They want Lawler to relinquish his crown but he doesn’t. Booker declares this an act of treason and leaves. It didn’t accomplish much but the “true king” of WWE stuff would ignite a feud between Booker and the returning “King of Kings” Triple H for SummerSlam.
WWE Championship
John Cena (c) vs. Bobby Lashley
I appreciate that this starts with two powerhouses trying to outmuscle one another. That’s how it should be with these two guys. They do a good job of showcasing how Lashley may be stronger. He actually is in the driver’s seat for the most part, really hammering home the story of him possibly being the guy to end Cena’s reign, which started back in September. Cena comes with that diving Fameasser, but Lashley applies a rear naked choke like he’s Samoa Joe or something. When Cena gets out goes into the FIVE MOVES OF DOOM, Lashley gets up after the Five Knuckle Shuffle. That’s how everyone does it, so Cena can try the FU, but commentary tries to sell it like it’s this amazing feat from Lashley. He slips out of the FU and hits that Nikki Bella Rack Attack. Cena hits the FU but can’t cover in time, allowing Lashley to kick out. Cena then dodges a spear and locks in the STFU, which has made Umaga and Khali tap in recent months. Lashley is able to reach the ropes though. Cena talks to the official, giving Lashley the opening to hit a spear for a near fall. Lashley tries to take Cena up top, but Cena counters with a top rope FU and gets the 1-2-3.
Winner and Still WWE Champion: John Cena in 14:51
Similar to the previous match, this was better than I expected. They told a good story of two powerhouse faces going toe to toe and surviving the best shots each other had. This did a good job of making Lashley credible as it took a lot to beat him. Unfortunately for Lashley, he would never appear on another WWE PPV. ***¼
Overall: 4/10; Weak. The good on this show is good (Lashley/Cena, MVP/Matt and Umaga/Jeff) the mediocre on this show is painfully mediocre (Dusty/Orton and Punk/Morrison) but the bad (Carlito/Sandman, Melina/Candice and the Cruiserweight match) is awful. I commend the World Title and WWE Title matches for being better than I could have ever imagined, but there is too much bad dragging this show down.
WWE Cruiserweight Classic
August 31st, 2016 | Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida
Tonight, the quarterfinals begin! Gran Metalik takes on Akira Tozawa and Kota Ibushi faces The Brian Kendrick.
Corey Graves does voiceover work for the opening video, which talks about the eight remaining guys.
Gran Metalik def. Akira Tozawa in 15:48
Time limits are now up to thirty minutes. Very fast paced stuff right off the bat. Tozawa got hyped before the match by Graves for his strikes, but the dude is quick. They both tried dropkicks at the same time and whiffed. Metalik, the last remaining luchador, dove outside onto Tozawa in an impressive moment. The crowd was pretty split. Tozawa took to the sky next with a tope suicida followed by another. Metalik made the mistake of getting into a striking battle with Tozawa, which he lost. Metalik got two on a nice running shooting star press at the ten minute mark. Tozawa came close with a saito suplex but couldn't keep Metalik down. He fired up but Metalik sent him outside and nailed a great springboard dive. They battled some more strikes until Metalik snapped off a gorgeous springboard rana from the top, only for Tozawa to kick out. Tozawa busted out the snap German and used a dead lift for a near fall. He tried a package German but Metalik countered with the Metalik Driver to advance. Easily the best Tozawa performance so far. An insane pace, great mix of strikes and high flying with some well placed false finishes. ***3/4
Kota Ibushi def. The Brian Kendrick in 13:57
Daniel Bryan was 100% in Kendrick's corner. Kendrick started to play mind games with Kota, challenging him to fight outside. That failed so he went inside and ate a vicious kick. Ibushi followed with the golden triangle moonsault to get this off to a great start. Channeling his inner Toru Yano, Kendrick attempted to get Ibushi tied up in the guardrail to steal a countout win. He also delivered a neckbreaker over the ring post, which I've never seen before. It made great sense since Kota has had neck surgery recently. They traded blows and Kendrick nailed Sliced Bread for a close near fall that nearly killed Daniel Bryan. Ibushi struggled but hit his dead lift German from the apron for two. Kendrick's bully choke failed so he did a goddamn BURNING HAMMER for a near fall. Kota missed the Phoenix Splash and it's BULLY CHOKE TIME! Ibushi countered into a pin for two and hit a kick when they got up, followed by a Last Ride powerbomb for the win. Another great match. The crowd was hot and Kendrick played his role brilliantly. You could feel that he was desperate and tried everything to win. The reactions for his signature moves and the emotion of everything was just top notch. ****1/4
Daniel Bryan seemed to be in tears as he spoke while watching Ibushi and Kendrick shake hands, bow to one another and hug. The crowd chanted for Kendrick throughout.
Next week, Zack Sabre Jr. goes one on one with Noam Dar, while Rich Swann takes on TJ Perkins.
Before the show ends, we see an emotional Kendrick in the ring in tears as he gets a standing ovation and loud "thank you Brian" chants. Daniel Bryan leaves the booth to join his friend in the ring and they embrace. Kendrick should be a part of the Raw cruiserweight division for sure.
Overall: 9/10. Another awesome episode. Both matches delivered in spades. Not just that, but they were very different from one another, which really is the calling card of the CWC so far. A very easy hour of wrestling to watch.
Raw History
Episode #46
January 3rd, 1994 | Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York
Technically, we aren’t in 1994 just yet. This show was taped in Poughkeepsie nearly a month ago.
The show begins with multiple clips to hype the Yokozuna/Undertaker match at the Royal Rumble. It focuses on how Yokozuna is scared of caskets. I honestly believe there were much better ways to promote the match than to say that the “monster” champion was afraid.
My goodness, the commentary team is Vince McMahon and Johnny Polo. This should be the best pairing yet.
Non-Title Match
WWF Champion Yokozuna w/ Mr. Fuji vs. Dan Dubiel
Johnny Polo is already stealing the show by saying that Yokozuna is “dope”, then hitting us with the “Dubiel or not Dubiel, that is the question” line. As expected, this is completely one-sided with the only entertaining thing being Johnny Polo on commentary.
Winner: Yokozuna in 3:49
Yokozuna dominating is how this needed to be, but it shouldn’t have taken him nearly four minutes. Who is planning out these squashes? ¼*
Time for a pre-taped interview with Lex Luger. We see footage from this past weekend first where Lex Luger faced Jacques Rougeau on Superstars. Pierre pulled twin magic that somehow fooled the referee, only for the referee to notice afterwards. Then Luger used his forearm of doom to win. Now, Vince interviews him in the arena before the show about potentially being in the Royal Rumble.
A vignette airs for Thurman “Sparky” Plugg.
Bastion Booger and Bam Bam Bigelow w/ Luna Vachon v. The Smoking Guns
Why does Bastion Booger keep getting booked? I’m guessing this is our “marquee” match this week. Polo is just murdering the Guns on commentary and it’s glorious. To be fair, he’s also pretty crude to Bastion too. The heels go into working a heat on Bart Gunn, but it is not entertaining in the least. When Billy gets the hot tag, Polo quips “HE’S LIKE A MAN REPOSSESSED.” It’s a glorious oversell. Luna checks on Bastion outside while Bigelow gets worked over inside. Booger likes this and hugs and kisses Luna, as the Guns just beat on Bigelow. He avoids a move from the Guns and then gets distracted when he sees Booger basically trying to rape Luna. He brawls with his partner, leading to a countout.
Winners via countout: The Smoking Guns in 8:08
Wait, why did this happen? The Smoking Guns should have just gone over, pinning Booger. Instead, we get a double countout and I don’t believe this Booger/Bigelow feud ever went anywhere. The match was dull as well. ½*
The show is thrown to Todd Pettengill for the Royal Rumble Report. 27 names have been announced. The new ones, I think, are Billy and Bart Gunn, Rick Martel, Marty Jannetty, Mo, Jeff Jarrett, Ludvig Borga and Tatanka. This weekend on Superstars, the final three spots will be filled. I wish the WWE Network had those old Superstars episodes up. Also, Tatanka and Borga will meet in a singles match on the show as well.
Next week, the one year anniversary of Raw!
Jeff Jarrett vs. John Crystal
Once again, Jeff Jarrett is sporting some ridiculous attire. Crystal actually uses a small package for two. It tells you how good the 1-2-3 Kid angle was because people tend to pop for jobbers nearly beating heels now. Jarrett then goes into some offense and wins with a DDT.
Winner: Jeff Jarrett in 3:01
Typical heel squash. Jeff Jarrett jawed with the fans and got in some basic stuff. Inoffensive, but not worth it. ¾*
After a recap of Johnny Polo’s win over Marty Jannetty last week, out come Jannetty and the 1-2-3 Kid. They challenge the Quebecers and next week, Jannetty and Kid get a Tag Team Title shot!
Shawn Michaels w/ Diesel vs. Brian Walsh
During the match, the Quebecers call in and seem okay with defending the belts next week. As for the match, it’s one of those occasions where Shawn Michaels relishes in being the bigger guy, busting out powerslams and such. Walsh does get a near fall, but Shawn eventually puts him down with a piledriver.
Winner: Shawn Michaels in 5:07
Too long for my taste. Shawn Michaels looked bored throughout, which hurt things. ¾*
They hype the Tag Team Title match for next week and the Bastion Booger vs. Bam Bam Bigelow match. Yikes.
Overall: 2/10. When it comes to action, this was not the best episode. None of the matches are any good and the marquee one might have been the worst. Still, at least the dull squash matches featured guys that actually needed to look strong and weren’t irrelevant like I’ve seen in the past. Those poor souls in Poughkeepsie ended their massive taping with this trash.
Raw History
Episode #47
January 10th, 1993 | Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia
After weeks of a giant taping block, we are finally live! Macho Man comes out to star the show, in a Monday Night Raw themed jacket that looks pretty sweet. He is back on commentary!
WWF Tag Team Championship
The Quebecers (c) w/ Johnny Polo vs. 1-2-3 Kid and Marty Jannetty
The action starts fast as Marty Jannetty scores a quick victory roll for a near fall. Pierre and Kid are next in and Pierre knocks him down using size. Kid scores with a spinning heel kick and gets two. The crowd is biting for each near fall from the challengers. Honestly, if I were the Quebecers, I’d want every math to be under Province of Quebec Rules. They get sent outside and regroup with Polo. Kid and Jannetty work some double teams and I have to give props to this red hot crowd. Polo calls for a timeout and the Quebecers are ready to leave but decide against it. During a commercial, it looks like the belts change hands but Jacques got his foot on the bottom rope. Kid gets the tag and goes nuts, hitting all sorts of high impact stuff. Some good old fashioned heel tactics stop his momentum. Kid takes the heat, showing how resilient he is. The Quebecers hit their finish but don’t cover, which is dumb. They try it again but Jannetty breaks it up. This leads to the hot tag for Marty and they capture the belts following a double team finish.
Winners and New WWF Tag Team Champions: 1-2-3 Kid and Marty Jannetty in 14:01
Really solid tag team match, helped by the extremely hot crowd. I liked the majority of this match as it started hot, slowed in the middle with a purpose before picking back up in the end. Lots of fun and gave us a memorable moment for Raw’s first anniversary. ***¼
Jim Ross brings us the Royal Rumble Report because Todd Pettengill is snowed in. The final three names for the Royal Rumble match have been announced and they are Tenryu, the Great Kabuki and Lex Luger.
Ludvig Borga vs. Brad Anderson
This match is joined in progress after we see one of Raw’s “top moments”. It’s the dreadfully bad Tiny Tim segment from last year. After the opener, we saw highlights for an actual great Raw moment, when 1-2-3 Kid upset Razor Ramon. Borga dominates this, winning with the torture rack.
Winner: Ludvig Borga in 2:28
At least this was kept short. Ludvig Borga isn’t the most interesting guy to watch. ½*
We go to a clip from Superstars where Undertaker scared the fuck out of Yokozuna after he beat some jobbers.
The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer vs. Mike Hudson
Macho Man predicts that Undertaker will win the WWF Title at the Royal Rumble and Vince predicts Savage will win the Rumble itself, setting up Undertaker/Savage at Mania, which would have been interesting. Undertaker throws the jobber around, hitting snake eyes, a Chokeslam and busts out the JUMPING TOMBSTONE!
Winner: The Undertaker in 2:33
Better than the earlier squash since Undertaker is better than Ludvig Borga. Still, standard stuff that gets bumped up in rating because of that tombstone. *¼
Bam Bam Bigelow w/ Luna Vachon vs. Bastion Booger
This whole thing is so odd. Booger actually tries a splash but misses. He knocks down Bigelow and goes to flirt with Luna, allowing Bigelow to nail him. He hits the headbutt inside and wins.
Winner: Bam Bam Bigelow in 2:31
Not as bad as I thought it would be, but still not good at all. ½*
Bastion Booger doesn’t’ care about selling, standing up once the match ends and flirting with Luna again. Bigelow is all like “DID I NOT JUST SHOW YOU WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU HIT ON MY WOMAN?” and dropkicks him.
The Quebecers are interviewed backstage and they announce that their rematch is set for a house show in Madison Square Garden next Monday.
IRS shows up to cut off the cake cutting ceremony for Raw’s birthday. Since IRS is a total fun magnet, Macho Man smashes the cake into his face and they’ll have a match next week.
Overall: 5.5/10. As I’ve said before, if the marquee match is good, the overall score of Raw won’t usually be bad since they take up a good chunk of the episode. That was the case here as our opener was really good. The show takes a nosedive after though, culminating in a bad main event. However, we did get a jumping tombstone.
Raw History
Episode #48
January 17th, 1994 | Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia
The episode starts with clips from the Tag Team Title match last week. Since Macho Man will be in action, Vince McMahon’s commentary partner will be Crush. Good god, why? Crush is awful at everything, especially talking. He aggressively speaks in his Hawaiian accent which kills me.
Owen Hart w/ Bret Hart vs. Terry Austin
Owen Hart is acting like a face again now that he has Bret at his side. He even gives his shades to a young fan. Owen hits an ugly monkey flip since the tubby Terry Austin can’t really make it over. Stan Lane calls in to give us an update from MSG where the Quebecers have their Tag Team Title rematch. Owen wins with the Sharpshooter.
Winner: Owen Hart in 4:27
Owen Hart usually has entertaining squashes, but this wasn’t one of my favorite ones. I do like how he had slight twists on Bret’s offense like how his second rope elbow was a variation of Bret’s but not identical. ¾*
Vince McMahon tries to get a word with Owen Hart about the match in MSG. The surreal thing is that this is pre-recorded but they’re asking about a match that wouldn’t happen for another week. Taping multiple shows at once is odd. Owen wants the Quebecers to win so they can get their shot but Bret, ever the face, roots for the champions.
Tatanka vs. George South
George South has a distinct look. Commentary is hyping Ludvig Borga vs. Tatanka which would never actually happen. On this night, the actual January 17th and not the pre-recorded stuff, Borga would injure his ankle and miss the Rumble. He would leave the WWF shortly after. Tatanka starts his rally as Stan Lane calls in to say that the Tag Team Title match has begun. Tatanka wins following the flying chop.
Winner: Tatanka in 2:50
Standard dull Tatanka squash. He was never really good in my eyes. ¼*
We are now taken to a special look at Alundra Blayze. It features shots of her working out and ends with her standing in a bikini top.
Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji come out for an interview with Vince McMahon. There’s no Jim Cornette, making this painful as he is the mouthpiece for the group. The talking is kept short though as Paul Bearer wheels out a big ass casket. Vince McMahon is oddly excited at how freaked out this makes Yokozuna. They convince Yokozuna to take a closer look, which of course leads to Undertaker popping out and chasing him away. Well, Yokozuna went from monster champion to punk bitch quickly didn’t he?
A hype video airs to promote the Headshrinkers taking on Bret and Owen Hart next week. That actually sounds like it could be damn good.
Diesel w/ Shawn Michaels vs. Scott Powers
For being a guy named Powers, Scott is not very strong. He looks like Lucky Bob from that old cartoon Histeria. As Diesel beats up the jobber, Stan Lane calls in to tell us that the Quebecers have won back the WWF Tag Team Titles! Diesel wins handily.
Winner: Diesel in 3:29
It’s hard to continually give analysis on squash matches. Standard stuff as usual and just barely lasted short enough to not get on my nerves. ¾*
Time for the Royal Rumble Report with Todd Pettengill again. He gives us no new news.
IRS vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage
While Randy Savage is arguing with Crush, IRS attacks. This first ten seconds is more exciting than any other IRS match ever. IRS continues to hold serve through a commercial break, back to his typical dull offense. He does do a suplex from the apron though, which is the equivalent of a phoenix splash for him. He plods through his stuff until he jumps into Savage’s boot, turning things around. Savage gets ready for his finisher but Crush gets up and shoves him from the top.
Winner via disqualification: Randy Savage in 8:07
This would have been better if it involved more Randy Savage on offense. IRS is just too damn boring at everything he does. *½
Crush and IRS attack Randy Savage, only for Tatanka to try and make the save. Yokozuna takes out Tatanka, who was already doing a poor job. Lex Luger evens things up before the lock room empties to give us a preview of the Royal Rumble.
Overall: 2.5/10. The in-ring stuff this week was pretty horrid with even the marquee matchup not producing. However, the show did succeed in building towards the Royal Rumble. They gave us the news of the Tag Title change, had the Undertaker/Yokozuna segment and then the closing brawl.
