Top 135 Matches of 2016: #135-126

Due to the positive response that this list received last year, I brought it back for 2016. Last year’s list was a “Top 100” but I saw more wrestling than ever before in 2016. With that, I saw more great matches. I originally planned for this list to only feature 100 matches, but I ended up giving 135 matches a **** rating, so I expanded the list. I don’t think anyone will complain about more match reviews. This last spans over a dozen promotions. Some will love the rankings, some will hate them and leaving them open for debate is always fun.

135. AJ Styles vs. Dolph Ziggler – WWE Smackdown 8/23/16

One of the very best things about the brand split was us getting a Dolph Ziggler that actually gave a damn. After a good 2014, he put on poor performances and seemed to lack interest in a horrible 2015. He delivered great promos in his feud with Dean Ambrose but the match disappointed. It was here, on the first Smackdown after SummerSlam, that we got the first real glimpse of a rejuvenated Dolph in the ring. The stakes were high here. If AJ Styles won, he’d get a one on one title match with Dean Ambrose but a win by Ziggler would make it a triple threat match. Dolph started strong by taking things to the mat. Styles took over and continued to shine as a cocky heel. His trash talk to Dolph and even Dean on commentary was on point. AJ cut off all of Ziggler’s attempts to rally. Of course Dolph eventually made the comeback and came close after a DDT following Styles missing the springboard 450 splash. The final third of this match is excellent and some of the best work done by either guy this year. Styles used a well-timed cheap shot and the Styles Clash to win at 21:28. A great match that got a lot of time in front of a crowd that was into it. The right guy went over, they planted more seeds in the Ziggler redemption story and set the brand’s next major title program up. ****

134. Go Shiozaki vs. Katsuyori Shibata – NOAH Great Voyage in Yokohama Vol. 2 10/23/16

The war between NJPW and Pro Wrestling NOAH was one of the most fun things about 2016. During the G1 Climax finals, the two companies competed in a big multi-man tag that you’ll see later on this list. Go Shiozaki and Katsuyori Shibata represented their respective companies on that night and in future tags. It led to Shiozaki challenging Shibata at King of Pro Wrestling, setting up this non-title contest in NOAH. We got the best kind of Shibata in this match and that’s smug Shibata. He showed little to no care about Shiozaki or his ability. With this match taking place in NOAH, the crowd was split unlike in NJPW where NOAH are the heels for the most part. Shibata is known as one of the hardest hitters around but people forget that Go gives some of the most violent chops in the world. Still, you could tell Shibata took joy in coming into Go’s house and beating him, which he did with a Penalty Kick at 18:01. Shibata was portrayed as the superior guy with Shiozaki having to fight from behind and do whatever he could to even the score. Go had some counters prepared but Shibata was just simply better and beat him cleanly. While this was a great match, it felt like they were holding back for a potential bigger match down the line. ****

133. Alpha-1 Zero Gravity Championship: Kobe Durst (c) vs. Heidi Lovelace – Alpha 1 Watch the Throne 4 4/10/16

Earlier this year, I got the opportunity to talk with Ethan Page and started reviewing shows for the promotion that he runs up in Canada. Alpha 1 Wrestling is a fun time and their shows have featured guys like Carlito, Michael Elgin, Kevin Owens, Ricochet, Kyle O’Reilly and many more. On the shows I’ve watched, two of the people that stood out were Kobe Durst and Heidi Lovelace. Here, Durst defended his Zero Gravity Title in an absolute war with Lovelace. During the 14:51 that this match lasted, it saw several weapons used and we even got to see Durst do a sidewalk slam on a picnic table outside of the arena. Needless to say, this is not your typical match. Heidi tried to put Durst through a table several times, but was too small to break it. It actually helped things out because the senton, Meteora and double stomps that she did all looked like they hurt more. She finally broke the table with a powerbomb for a near fall. The brawl took them to the bar area where Durst retained by using a piledriver off the bar and through a table. I know intergender matches, or even hardcore matches, aren’t for everyone but this delivered and was awesome. Both competitors would go on to win the company’s top title before the year ended. ****

132. No Holds Barred: Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly – ROH Supercard of Honor X Night Two – 4/2/16

I love Kyle O’Reilly. While I think Adam Cole’s good, I’ve never quite seen the huge deal with him. Together, they usually produce really good stuff. The former Future Shock partners met at Final Battle four months earlier in a match that made this list last year but this was the blow off to their rivalry and it felt like the grudge match it needed to be. Cole attacked O’Reilly during his entrance and set the tone for a pretty brutal match. He slammed chairs into Kyle’s leg and even poor Mandy Leon got hit with an accidental superkick at ringside that Cole shrugged off with an “oh well” flair. They traded big spots throughout this one, including one where Kyle had a guillotine choke on the apron and Cole escaped by sending both of them through a table. As the match progressed, it got more and more violent. A superplex through a table was a big moment and then a chain got brought into play. It was used wisely, from a clothesline with it to the finishing moment where O’Reilly used an armbar that transitioned into a triangle choke with the chain to win at 27:21. Though they ended up back in a feud, this was a fitting end to this particular chapter. ****

131. NXT Tag Team Championship: The Revival (c) vs. American Alpha – NXT TakeOver: Dallas 4/1/16

NXT missed the boat by never putting the Tag Team Titles on their most popular team, Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady. There was worry coming into this show that American Alpha, the new popular duo, would suffer the same fate. Honestly though, even if you weren’t heavily invested in the outcome, one could still appreciate great tag team wrestling, which is just what we got here. The Revival are a real old school style team that just gets it. They do the traditional stuff, like cutting the ring in half and working a body part, but here they really nailed the little things. Dash crawling under the ring to sneak up on Jason Jordan and prevent a hot tag was just expert stuff. They played the crowd perfectly and worked a throwback style tag team match while sprinkling in some cool newer age spots. I loved the finish too, with Jordan blind tagging in, hitting a running shoulder thrust and tagging Gable for the Grand Amplitude and the title win at 15:11. It was great to see a classic tag move, like a blind tag, used against a team that does it so well. This had a few botches that kept it from being on the level of their later matches, but none of those matched this one in terms of emotion and atmosphere. ****

130. Trios Tournament: Cage, Johnny Mundo and Taya vs. Dragon Azteca Jr., Prince Puma and Rey Mysterio Jr. – Lucha Underground 4/13/16

If you know anything about Lucha Underground, you’ll know that owner Dario Cueto loves his unique oddball teams. In that vein, he set up Cage to team with his rival Johnny Mundo, and Mundo’s girlfriend, Taya. Cage had actually faced Taya in a surprisingly brutal match that saw him superplex her through two tables a few episodes earlier. The masked trio opposite from them was something of a Lucha Underground dream team. Azteca plays a big part in the overall lore of the series, Puma was the first champion and Mysterio is a lucha legend. This match allowed us to relive the great season one rivalries that Puma had with both Cage and Mundo. Puma played the face in peril and made the hot tag to Mysterio, though some of the biggest spots were still reserved for Puma and Dragon. That included Dragon hitting a mega rana on Mundo, who was sitting on Puma’s shoulders on the top rope. That was followed by a Puma 450 splash and Mundo somehow kicked out. The final few minutes of this 12:51 match just go at a breakneck pace. Miscommunication by the uneasy team led to Rey hitting 619, Azteca nailing a gorgeous tornado DDT and Puma winning it with a 630 splash. Puma, Rey and Dragon looked fantastic as a team and the Cage/Mundo rivalry was furthered in one of the most fun matches all year long. ****

129. ROH World Television Championship: Roderick Strong (c) vs. Tomohiro Ishii – ROH/NJPW Honor Rising 2/19/16

I’m admittedly not a big fan of the ROH/NJPW partnership and much prefer the old ROH/NOAH deal. However, the best thing about it has probably been Roderick Strong’s matches with the NJPW guys, though that’s over with him in NXT now. Last year, he made this list three times against KUSHIDA, Shinsuke Nakamura and Kazuchika Okada. One of the guys I badly wanted him to face was Tomohiro Ishii and I got my wish in the main event of this show. The previous October, Strong ended Jay Lethal’s 400+ day reign with the TV Title and put it on the line against one of the best in the world here. Strong entered as the cocky champion but quickly realized that Tomohiro Ishii was a problem. He managed to find some openings, like pulling Ishii off the apron and into a backbreaker, which he then one upped later with a backbreaker off the apron. They got into the battle of chops that I was hoping for the second this match was announced and it delivered. Strong seemed to be on the verge of a win until Ishii began to lean into shots and fire up. They went into a great back and forth battle that saw Ishii win the title at 20:07. While it wasn’t an upset, the result was surprising since Ishii didn’t work ROH and Strong was in the middle of a feud with Bobby Fish, giving this match an added bonus of shock value. ****

128. WWE Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: Kevin Owens (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz vs. Sami Zayn vs. Sin Cara vs. Stardust vs. Zack Ryder – WWE WrestleMania 4/3/16

For the second straight year, the Intercontinental Title got thrown into a clusterfuck ladder match at WrestleMania, even though the Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens rivalry was what everyone wanted to see. Sure enough, shortly after this began, the crowd erupted for their faceoff and hockey style fight. Sin Cara, Stardust and Zack Ryder did nothing of note leading into this show and were seemingly added to fill out the match. The true brilliance of this match is that everyone, no matter your position on the card coming in, was given ample time to shine, while still making sure a good focus was spent on the Sami/Owens rivalry. All sorts of great spots in this one, including a somersault dive by Sami through an open ladder onto everyone outside, instantly followed by his signature tornado DDT on the opposite side of the ring on Owens. There was a touching moment where Stardust pulled out a polka dotted ladder in honor of his father. We also got a sick Owens frog splash onto a ladder ridden Sami as well as Zayn hitting a half nelson suplex on Owens onto a ladder. Miz spoiled a Sami win and everyone though he’d steal it. Ryder appeared, pushed him off and took down the title at 15:23. It was a feel good moment (though it only lasted a night) before giving the fans a night of bad booking decisions ****

127. Style Battle Round Robin Tournament: Fred Yehi vs. Tracy Williams – Evolve 53 1/22/16

Entering the year, I knew next to nothing about Fred Yehi and Tracy Williams. On the first Evolve show of the year, they instantly caught my eye with this match. The Style Battle Round Robin Tournament was a short series of matches involving these two, Pete Kaasa and Matt Riddle. This was right up my alley, as the matches, especially this one, blended mat wrestling with hard strikes. For 14:51, these two had one of the most competitive matches all year long. They started with ground based work, before building to bigger things. That’s when it got way physical. Some of the chops in this would make even Roderick Strong cringe. They just went to war and you got the feeling that they were willing to do anything to one another to win. Yehi connected on some brutal roaring elbows but it wasn’t enough. Williams reached down deep and hit a high angle DDT and spike piledriver before choking Yehi out. Williams and Yehi would team up down the line after Yehi was accepted as a member of the Catch Point stable. I probably scored this higher than most, but I love this kind of match. ****

126. ROH World Tag Team Championship: War Machine (c) vs. The Briscoes – ROH Global Wars 5/8/16

Ring of Honor boasts about having the best tag team division in all of wrestling, though it is an arguable point for sure. A lot of their teams are of the fast paced, spotty variety (Machine Guns, Young Bucks, ANX, etc.). These two teams don’t quite fit that mold. War Machine won the Tag Team Titles and were on a roll, but the one team they had never beaten was the Briscoes. Jay and Mark are THE tag team in ROH history. This match started out with standard stuff, but once it picked up, it pretty much never let up for the rest of the 15:26. Just four guys wailing on each other and having a good old fashioned fight. There were several great moments, but one stood out above them all. Knowing they had to do something different to finally beat the Briscoes, Hanson took a big risk and tried a top rope moonsault. It didn’t pay off as he missed, but then he kicked out of the Jay Driller. A move that has won Jay several World Title matches. War Machine used that to set up a finishing stretch where they retained by hitting Mark with Fallout. They got the monkey off their backs, though the win ultimately didn’t mean much since they unceremoniously dropped the titles shortly after. ****

Lucha Underground "The Gauntlet" Review

The show opens with the typically well produced video package.

Vampiro brought Prince Puma back from the grave, saying he would start his journey of darkness. Puma accepted Vamp as his new master.

Jeremiah Crane def. Mil Muertes w/ Catrina in 1:54
Crane came out the blocks with a running kick and brought the fight to his bigger opponent. Mil took over before Catrina got involved. Mil had it won but Prince Puma came in and hit him with a kendo stick. Crane won with a bicycle kick. It did the job of protecting Crane and furthering Mil/Puma.

Puma continued the beating until Mil and Catrina exited. Puma did his trademark superhero pose but instead of stopping on the Aztec symbol (a usual sign of respect), he walked over and bowed to Vampiro, who stood from the commentary table. I'm loving everything involving these two.

A random guy came up to Sexy Star in the back. He dressed like Johnny Mundo and is a Mundo fanboy. He gave her shit for always losing to him. He gave Sexy something he found in catering, saying it might be from a secret admirer since her name was on it. Sexy thanked him and opened it to find a spider, which angered her.

In the back, Famous B and Brenda attempted to recruit Texano. They say the fans cheer him but don't care. Famous B thinks he can fix his image.

Vampiro told Matt Striker that whatever happens between him and Puma is between them.

Jack Evans and PJ Black def. Angelico and Son of Havoc in 5:45
It's great to see Angelico and Son of Havoc together again. Angeilco looked good here. Evans made mention of his history with Angeilco but commentary surprisingly ignored this. I think it would be a good layer to add to this feud. All four men worked a brisk pace and this was going well until Angeilco got hurt again. He dislocated his elbow on a springboard move. Evans got the win for his guys by pinning Havoc. **1/2

Sexy Star barged into Dario's office, demanding a match with Mariposa since she believed Mariposa sent her the spider. Dario made the match for the next week. We also get The Mack vs. Johnny Mundo for the title next week.

Match Four in Best of Five Series: Texano [2] def. Cage [4] in 2:13
The matches in this series have gotten progressively better. They came out firing here with big blows from the start. Texano kicked add and Cage was busted open quickly. A powerbomb got Texano the win to even things up. Too short to rate but I found this to be a good way to extend things. Also, kudos to LU for reminding folks that a match can end at any time.

Dario Cueto came out of his office and was excited. He didn't want to wait and demanded that match five start now. RING THE BELL!

Match Five in Best of Five Series: Cage [3] def. Texano [2] in 13:39
Dario announced that this would be an Anything Goes match. Again, Texano came out hot. He took to biting Cage on his busted head. Cage fought back and hit a dive to the outside. Once out there, the match was taken to the next level of the anything goes stipulation. Cage suplexed Texano onto the bleachers. They continued the fight outside in a war. Cage was knocked off the guardrail and Texano followed with a splash. Inside, Texano locked in a crossface, made worse by Cage's blood loss. Cage survived and finally pulled out the victory with a screwdriver. Easily their best match together and the best stuff I've ever seen from Texano. An all out brawl that was intense as hell. ***3/4

Dario Cueto came out and brought Cage to his office for the ultimate opportunity. Once in there, Dario revealed a gauntlet. Cage didn't want it but Dario convinced him to try it on. Once he did, Cage seemed to gain powers and choked Dario with it. Once he left and decided to keep it, Dario looked happy.

Overall: 7.5/10. Outside of the main event, the show didn't do much from an in-ring standpoint. However, it introduced evil Puma and furthered his angles with Vampiro and Mil Muertes, which is important. We also got one of the better main events of season three so far. Thumbs up in my book.

If you do want to check out Lucha Underground, which you absolutely should, and don't get El Rey Network (like me), you can sign up for the streaming service Fubo.TV. It's a great way to support the company and channel while streaming the show online. You can sign up and get Lucha Underground right here with Fubo.tv!

Raw History: Episodes #76-78

Raw History
Episode #76
August 22nd, 1994 | Memorial Auditorium in Lowell, Massachusetts

We are just one week away from SummerSlam! We start with Vince McMahon and Macho Man in a studio as this will be a special episode of Raw. Tonight will basically be a recap of the previous night’s Sunday Night Slam special. Jim Ross and Gorilla Monsoon are on commentary for the matches.

Crush vs. Lex Luger
These two surprised me with a not awful match last year when their face/heel alignments were reversed. I don’t have high hopes that they can repeat that here. It’s pretty clear early that the crowd noises are dubbed in. You can barely hear commentary and the fans sound raucous, but everyone looks to be sitting on their hands. Crush pounds away on Luger for a while, which is made funny by Luger’s terrible selling. He needed acting classes in a bad way. Crush goes to the staple of any shitty big man, the DREADED bearhug. Ted Dibiase strolls out while the hold is applied. Luger starts the babyface rally with some of his All-American offense. As Crush stops him in his tracks, Dibiase gets on the apron with money to bribe Crush. He wants Crush to leave Luger alone. Crush slaps the money away, BRUDDA. Luger nails him with the steel forearm and picks up the win.

Winner: Lex Luger in 12:08
About as dull as I expected it to be. These aren’t two guys that I look forward to seeing compete and matches like this are the reason why. This felt like a house show match. ¾*

Vince and Savage take us to a recap of the Bret/Owen feud, going back to the Royal Rumble when Owen kicked Bret’s leg out from under his leg. It’s honestly one of my favorite feuds of all time. This leads into a special in-ring interview with Bret Hart from earlier in the week. He basically just says that the feud is going to end in the Steel Cage at SummerSlam. The highlight of this promo is Bret calling Neidhart fat and stupid.

Leslie Nielsen gets pizza delivered and it’s by the Undertaker. He doesn’t notice this though. Well that was certainly an interesting segment.

Non-Title Match
Diesel w/ Shawn Michaels vs. Typhoon
Seriously, why is Typhoon still employed? Jim Ross gushes over Diesel as he and Typhoon plod through everything. Nothing they do is particularly impressive and most of it looks rather sloppy. Diesel hits a big boot and clothesline for the win.

Winner: Diesel in 4:07
This was there. Not a good match by any means.

Razor Ramon and Walter Payton cut a promo on Diesel and Shawn Michaels.

Vince and Savage take us to some of the Undertaker vs. Undertaker build.

Overall: 2/10. It was hard to truly give this a score since it wasn’t a traditional episode of the show. That being said, what I did see wasn’t very enjoyable. The Bret Hart interview was pretty cool but everything else was boring or flat out sucked.

Raw History
Episode #77
September 12th, 1994 | Memorial Auditorium in Lowell, Massachusetts

So the show has been away for two weeks. In that time, Shawn Michaels and Diesel won the WWF Tag Team Titles from the Headshrinkers on a house show before SummerSlam. At SummerSlam, Diesel dropped the Intercontinental Title back to Razor Ramon. The real Undertaker vanquished the Underfaker and Tatanka proved to be the sellout when he joined the Million Dollar Corporation. Bret Hart retained his WWF Title in a classic Steel Cage match against Owen Hart. Oh, and the British Bulldog returned.

Kwang w/ Harvey Wippleman vs. The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer
This is surprisingly even for the first minute or so. Who would think that a little over a year later, these guys would be on the same team at Survivor Series? Undertaker misses an elbow but a raise of the urn from Paul Bearer helps him up. This goes through a commercial break where Kwang gets in some offense. He clotheslines the Dead Man over the top but Undertaker lands on his feet. He gets in but has the green mist spit at him only to spit it right back. That’s pretty gross. A Chokeslam finishes off the martial artist.

Winner: The Undertaker in 4:41
That was much more competitive than I expected it to be. Due to that, I kind of enjoyed it. It served the purpose it had to and Undertaker got a win in his return to Raw. Acceptable stuff. *½

Footage is shown from the WWF Title Steel Cage match. Vince McMahon calls it the greatest Steel Cage match in WWF history which honestly still holds true to this day.

Jim Neidhart w/ Owen Hart vs. Tim McNeany
Jim Neidhart attacks at the bell. Owen Hart shouts into the camera that Neidhart will take care of Bret, which disappoints me because Owen vs. Bret III sounds far better. Vince plugs the upcoming “Hart Attack” tour. The match is completely one-sided and Neidhart wins with a camel clutch.

Winner: Jim Neidhart in 3:53
Typical squash that didn’t overstay its welcome.

JERRY THE KING LAWLER! DUKE THE DUMPSTER DROESE! Next week, they settle their score on Raw, next week.

Time for the King’s Court. Jerry Lawler was told to apologize to Doink and Dink for popping Dink’s balloons on Superstars this past weekend. His guests are indeed Doink and Dink, the latter wearing a Burger King crown. They want to prove there are no hard feelings though and bring Lawler a gift but he knows that Doink is a trickster. Doink opens it and it is revealed to be a garbage can. Lawler shrugs it off and goes to punt the can but there were weights inside and Lawler hurts his foot.

Non-Title Match
WWF Tag Team Champions Diesel and Shawn Michaels vs. Paul Van Dale and Tony DeVito
Diesel lost the IC Title after an accidental Superkick from Shawn Michaels. Due to that, Vince McMahon plants the seeds for their split, saying that Diesel may not even like Shawn but they’re champions. He makes up a story that Shawn said the belts are being cleaned which is why they don’t have them here, but I’m pretty sure it’s because this was pre-recorded. Shawn does most of the heavy lifting here while tagging in Diesel to hit the big spots that he has in his arsenal. Diesel hits the Jackknife and could win, but Shawn wants the tag. He climbs onto Diesel’s shoulders and wins with a splash.

Winners: Diesel and Shawn Michaels in 4:21
A relatively fun squash match. Shawn did the work, Diesel hit the spots and they have good chemistry.

We are taken to footage from Superstars this past weekend. Ted Dibiase basically issued an open challenge to face Bam Bam Bigelow. Adam Bomb, in new attire, answered the call. They didn’t wrestle but Adam clotheslined him outside and sent him packing.

Adam Bomb vs. Dwayne Gill
While the two competitors go at it, Vince and Savage talk about the charity softball game played before SummerSlam. Adam shows off some athleticism by leaping over Gill. He moved so well for a guy his size. Gill gets in some offense, more than he probably should actually, but Bomb hits the slingshot shoulder block. That sets up the pumphandle slam which ends things.

Winner: Adam Bomb in 3:19
As noted, Dwayne Gill got in too much offense for my liking, but other than that, this was an effective squash.

The Bushwhackers vs. Barry Hardy and Bert Centeno
Oh dammit, who let the Bushwhackers back in? Abe “Knuckleball” Schwartz is on strike in the crowd because baseball is on strike and Vince liked to take shots at things like that. After some unfunny comedy spots, the Bushwhackers pick up the victory with the Battering Ram.

Winners: The Bushwhackers in 4:14
Too long, too unfunny and too bad.

Overall: 3.5/10. This show was on its way to an inoffensive score. Then the King’s Court turned out to be pretty lame as usual and I had to sit through the Bushwhackers. The Adam Bomb squash was okay at best, the Kwang/Undertaker match was just there but Diesel and Shawn were the highlights for sure.

Raw History
Episode #78
September 19th, 1994 | Memorial Auditorium in Lowell, Massachusetts

A recap is shown of Tatanka’s heel turn and the fact that he no longer dresses like a stereotype and instead wears suits.

Lex Luger vs. The Executioner
Gee, they’re still running the Executioner jobber character? Commentary just keeps talking about the fact that we can never doubt Lex Luger again. I mean, he’s proven that he is easy to doubt in a big match. He goes through his offense, including the SCREAMING CLOTHESLINES and makes the Executioner submit to the Torture Rack.

Winner: Lex Luger in 2:34
As usual with Lex Luger, this wasn’t great but it was kept short.

Tatanka returns to the ring, Diesel and Shawn Michaels in action and a King’s Court with the British Bulldog will all happen next week.

Duke “The Dumpster” Droese vs. Jerry “The King” Lawler
Wow, this looks incredibly unappealing. Lawler gets in control first and talks smack so Droese just tosses him aside. Lawler starts pulling his usual stall tactics to kill some time. When he does come in to do actual offense, it’s all boring. He hits the second rope fist drop for a near fall. Lawler hits the piledriver and gloats. He goes outside to grab a garbage can but Dink runs out to spray him with a squirt gun. Lawler chases him away and gets counted out.

Winner via countout: Duke Droese in 8:47
This was putrid. Jerry Lawler’s offensive style doesn’t make for a good match and the finish was dumb. I get that it builds to the Lawler/Doink Survivor Series matches but it just made Duke look like a chump, which I’m pretty sure wasn’t the plan. ¼*

The Heavenly Bodies vs. Mike Bell and Steve King
No Jim Cornette with the Bodies. The match starts during the commercial break and sees the Heavenly Bodies completely dominate. They mock the Smoking Gunns and win with a moonsault.

Winners: The Heavenly Bodies in 2:12
I guess this is setting up the Heavenly Bodies vs. the Smoking Gunns. 

Vince McMahon is in the ring to conduct an interview with Bob Backlund. He has cut his hair and is better off for it. Vince tells Backlund that people wanted him to be a role model but what he did to Bret Hart was wrong. Backlund flips out, saying that isn’t the “former” WWF Champion but that he’s been the rightful champion for over 15 years. He runs down society today and says that the people changed, not him. The fans chant “has been” and Backlund makes a proclamation. He says that if anyone can escape the crossface chicken wing, he will retire. He challenges Vince but it isn’t 1997 yet so it doesn’t happen. Backlund finds a WWF magazine columnist from ringside and brings him in. Backlund is just supposed to give a demonstration but goes overboard and swings the guy like a rag doll until security comes in. He stares at his hands again. Despite Backlund tripping over his words a few times, this was an excellent segment.

Bob Holly vs. Richie Rich
Seriously? It’s like they aren’t even trying with these jobber names. Holly does some of his offense and wins in short fashion after a flying cross body.

Winner: Bob Holly in 1:58
Too short to really have any notes.

Yokozuna vs. Phil Apollo
I guess none of the managers in the company were in attendance for this show. As with most Yokozuna squash matches, he gets in all of the offense and hits the Banzai Drop.

Winner: Yokozuna in 2:43
Typical Yokozuna squash.

Yokozuna’s celebration is cut short by the sound of gongs. He freaks out and scurries from the ring.

Overall: 3/10. The only thing that was any good on this show was the Bob Backlund angle. That was done very well. Everything else is trash. The marquee match was dreadful and the squashes weren’t the best. Hopefully things pick up as we get closer to Survivor Series.

Random Network Reviews: In Your House: A Cold Day in Hell

In Your House: A Cold Day in Hell
May 11th, 1997 | Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia | Attendance: 9,381

As noted in previous reviews, the In Your House collection is usually an easy watch. I rarely see one that is offensively bad, some are really good and even when they are mediocre, they’re quickly over given their (for the most part) two hour run time. Here, we have the first ever PPV meeting between Steve Austin and the Undertaker, as well as the in-ring debut of Ken Shamrock. This would be the 15th In Your House in history.

The opening video package for this show is basic, but to the point and pretty cool. Commentary then runs down the three big matches for tonight. Commentary is Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler.

Flash Funk vs. Hunter Hearst-Helmsley w/ Chyna
I don’t know if there was an actual reason or not, but commentary saying the Funkettes weren’t at ringside because of Chyna is one of those little thing that helps someone like Chyna get over. Flash starts quick as Jim Ross tells us that the Hart Foundation scalped some tickets so they can sit front row. Flash knocks HHH outside and seems to go for a big move, but instead just hits a weak diving clothesline. Chyna clotheslines the hell out of him behind the official’s back. Maybe she too was disappointed in his offense. HHH takes control and wears down Flash. He makes a mistake by trying a high risk move and eats a boot. Funk starts a rally with that until HHH catches him up top. He hits a second rope back suplex that Flash flips over for, making it look much better. The Pedigree follows to end things.

Winner: Hunter Hearst-Helmsley in 10:05
Technically, the match was fine but the lack of heat from the crowd really hurt things. Flash bumped pretty well for HHH, but most of Hunters offense at the time was dull. The focus seemed more on getting Chyna over than the competitors. *½

Rocky Maivia is interviewed backstage about losing the Intercontinental Championship and how his career has hit a rough patch. None of the charisma that he would become known for was evident here.

Mankind vs. Rocky Maivia
Who would think that in a year and a half, these two would be feuding for the WWF Championship? There is a surprising intensity at some points in the match, with Mankind beating the hell out of Rocky. Jim Ross brings up Mankind saying that he is a loving father. This was around the time that they were starting to add some sympathy to the Mankind character, turning him into a major babyface. The fight moves to the ramp where Rocky hits a damn Rock Bottom. JR does his whole “HOW DO WRESTLERS LEARN HOW TO FALL?” stuff that he ran into the ground. Inside, Rocky is coming close to a win. He comes off the top with a cross body but Mankind rolls through right into the Mandible Claw.

Winner: Mankind in 8:46
That wasn’t great, but it was surprisingly fun. They did some cool spots like the stage Rock Bottom, giving us a preview of the brutal matches they would go on to have for the WWF Title. The finish was creative too, so points for that. **½

Gauntlet Match
Ahmed Johnson vs. The Nation of Domination
Gorilla Monsoon shows up to send any members of the Nation not wrestling to the top of the stage. Ahmed starts with Crush, instantly telling me that this will be pretty bad. Right off the bat, Ahmed hits a hideous looking scissors kick. They plod through some boring stuff with Crush holding serve. He goes for the Heart punch, only for Ahmed to counter with an ugly spinning heel kick. He gets the three count at 5:38. Savio Vega is next and takes advantage of a tired Ahmed. I mean, five minutes is like an Ironman match for Ahmed. It’s weird to see him trying to sell so much. Savio is in control, but then just starts beating up Ahmed with a chair, getting disqualified on purpose at 11:13. The final gauntlet opponent, Faarooq comes down to pick up the pieces. Faarooq beats on him until Ahmed hits a spinebuster and Pearl River Plunge but only for two. Faarooq then gets up and wins with the Dominator.

Winners: The Nation of Domination at 13:43
Much like the rest of the feud between Ahmed and Nation of Domination, this sucked. Ahmed was always a poor worker and things got worse after he started getting hurt. The Nation at this time was pretty bad too, not helping the cause. Just a dreadful thirteen minutes. ½*

No Holds Barred Match
Ken Shamrock vs. Vader
Here we have the pro wrestling debut of Ken Shamrock. The match can end via submission of knockout, which plays into both guy’s strengths. They go for that early with Vader looking for strikes and Shamrock trying to grab any limb. The crowd is pretty dead until Shamrock starts slamming and suplexing the big man. Pretty much everything these guys do is stiff, adding something to this war. Vader suplexes Shamrock outside and continues the beating. At one point, he sends Shamrock into the corner hard and applies a submission of his own. He misses the moonsault and Shamrock starts to come back. He fires off shots in the corner until Vader just annihilates him with a big one. He goes to continue but Shamrock pulls him into the ankle lock and makes Vader tap.

Winner: Ken Shamrock in 13:21
I feel like this match isn’t for everyone. I don’t think I really liked it much the first time I saw it. However, I’ve recently become more of a fan of this style and I find myself liking it much more here. They just beat the hell out of each other and it worked as a semi-legit fight. Vader was a great choice for a first opponent for Shamrock. ***¾

WWF Championship
The Undertaker (c) vs. Steve Austin
Right as the two men face off in the middle of the ring, the Hart Foundation shows up to take seats at ringside. Austin doesn’t care and just goes on the offensive while the belt and robe are still on Taker. He then grabs Owen Hart and pulls him over the guardrail to beat him up. Once the action returns to the ring, the pace slows down. Austin wisely keeps the Undertaker grounded. Neidhart is heard yelling at a fan and it seems like one may have tried to get physical with them. The heat they drew was pretty legit. Taker turns it around and lays into Austin with SOUPBONES! Austin applies a weak looking STF, though it’s still miles ahead of John Cena’s. Lawler is confused at the hold and JR calls him out, telling him that if he ever left Memphis, he’d know a hold or two. Surprisingly, Undertaker works the leg as well, making for an interesting dynamic. In classic Austin fashion, he’s talking trash to the Hart Foundation while in the submission. It seems like both guys have each out well scouted, avoiding the big moves of the other. Even though Austin is a face, he hits a low blow. Earl Hebner gives him a tern talking to, so Austin flips him the double bird behind his back to a massive pop. Undertaker responds with one of his own. Taker then hits a Chokeslam and Austin retaliates with a Stunner. Before he can pin, Brian Pillman rings the bell, causing a distraction. This allows Undertaker to get up. He goes for the Tombstone, Austin nearly counters into one of his own, but Taker counters back and ends it with a Tombstone.

Winner and Still WWF Champion: The Undertaker in 20:04
Honestly, that was probably the best match these two would have on Pay-Per-View. Their chemistry always seemed off, but they showed here that they were certainly capable. Both guys going for the leg was interesting. I loved Austin being a total badass and both guys scouting each other and being desperate enough to resort to low blows. The unclean finish actually worked great here. ***½

Once the match ends, the Hart Foundation run in to attack the Undertaker. This leaves Austin to see Bret Hart in the front row in his wheelchair. Austin turns the chair over and steals a crutch, bringing it in the ring to clean house. After the Foundation leaves, Austin lays out Undertaker in a very Stone Cold move.

Overall: 6/10; Average. Here’s one of those classic In Your House events. It is a super easy watch thanks to the short runtime, and the show itself is a mixed bag. While you get the opener and the gauntlet match, which were both pretty bad, you are also treated to two very good matches in Shamrock/Vader and the WWF Title match. Add in a decent little Rock/Mankind match which works as a preview to their future wars and you get a thumbs up. According to my randomizer, next on “Random Network Reviews” is Fully Loaded 1999!

Lucha Underground "Battle of the Bulls" Review

We go right into the action this week.

Battle of the Bulls Tournament Finals: The Mack def. Cage, Jeremiah Crane and PJ Black in 11:32
The winner received a shot at the Lucha Underground Championship. Cage started the match like the machine that he is but Black cut him down to size. Though PJ is the high flier in the match, Mack did a great job flying around the Temple. There was a great spot where Cage caught Crane mid-somersault in a suplex. Though he was dominating, Cage got eliminated at 6:02 thanks to interference from his rival Texano. That first segment was non-stop action. The next portion slowed some. At 10:35, Jeremiah Crane got eliminated by a stunner. Following another commercial break, Mack and Black went at it. Black hit a stunner that Mack no sold before winning with one of his own. Everyone got chances to shine here. Cage brought the power, PJ flew everywhere, Crane was intense and the Mack was his usual fun self. They did a good job in protecting Cage too. The pace slowed a bit after a really hot start, but was still damn good. ***1/2

In the back, Fenix and Aerostar looked for Drago in the bathroom. Kobra Moon came in, so one of these genders is intruding, and said that Drago came back with her tribe. Aerostar and Fenix are all "he vowed never to do that!" Her goons showed up and with the help of Moon, beat up Fenix and Aerostar.

Sexy Star congratulated her buddy The Mack. They did a pretty dope handshake before he told her to take the title back but not to get mad when he beats her for it. She said it would be an honor to defend against him.

Jeremiah Crane spoke with Dario Cueto in Dario's office. He asked for a match and had it granted. He searched for something in the ceiling, which baffled Dario. He pulled down a board and said he left it there when he was a kid. In the hallway, Catrina appeared. He said they used to play with that as kids and told her that he got a match with Mil next week. He called Mil by his real name and believes he'll have Catrina all to himself after. He then walked through ghost Catrina. Lucha Underground just nails these segments and keep adding to the mystery of the Temple.

Lucha Underground Championship Steel Cage Match: Johnny Mundo (c) def. Sexy Star in 12:09
The Worldwide Underground was banned from ringside. Mundo started by spitting at Sexy, so she slapped him. Side note, Mundo has competed in all three Lucha Underground Steel Cage matches if memory serves me right. They worked a pretty standard cage match. There was a cool spot where Sexy climbed on Johnny's back to nearly escape. She eventually the critical babyface cage match mistake by doing a move off the top of the cage instead of winning. She still had another chance to win but Mundo pulled her mask off. She covered up but it gave Johnny the chance to escape, which he did. Like most things involving Sexy Star, I just couldn't get into this. The Mundo/Sexy series has severely lacked and been the worst Lucha Underground Title feud I can recall. **1/4

The Mack showed up and hit Mundo with a stunner, to set up their upcoming title match.

The show closed by showing Drago in Kobra Moon's lair, chained up. He refused to accept her as his leader and would rather starve than do so.

Overall: 7/10. Despite the lackluster main event, I enjoyed this week's show. The Battle of the Bulls Tournament Finalswas not only a fun match but it allowed some other guys to get shine they might not usually get. They also did a great job in setting up Crane/Mil and Mundo/Mack, while also advancing Cage/Texano. Again, they nailed the backstage storytelling segments.

If you do want to check out Lucha Underground, which you absolutely should, and don't get El Rey Network (like me), you can sign up for the streaming service Fubo.TV. It's a great way to support the company and channel while streaming the show online. You can sign up and get Lucha Underground right here with Fubo.tv!

WWE Raw 12/19/16 Review

WWE Raw
December 19th, 2016 | Jerome Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio

We’re 24 hours removed from Roadblock.

Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens started the show off in the ring. Owens called it the “Chris and Kevin Show” before they showed still images of their plan from last night. Jericho said that he had to make everyone believe that the friendship was truly over. He then gave Owens the “Hug of Jericho. Bring it in maaaaan.” Jericho said Santa Claus stole his gimmick by giving gifts and making lists, so he put him on the list and called him a stupid idiot. Mick Foley interrupted and showed footage of Seth and Roman beating up Chris and Kevin after the match. Jericho dissed Foley’s jacket, so he removed it and revealed an even worse shirt. He booked Chris and Kevin against Roman and Seth tonight before going for a cheap pop by saying they were in Pittsburgh even though they’re in Columbus. Mick pointed to a shark cage above the ring. At the Royal Rumble, Reigns gets a rematch for the Universal Title and Jericho will be in the cage. If Jericho doesn’t do it, he can’t compete in the WWE again. Owens and Jericho dissed Ohio because the cage was built there and Ohio sucks in their mind. Angry Jericho wanted to make sure it was sturdy and got himself locked in the cage. Foley claimed to forget the key and signaled for the cage to go up. The segment ended with Foley saying he would look for the key but Jericho was stuck up there. This was fun until Mick showed up. Then it just got bad.

Jericho was down by end of the commercial and aced like he couldn’t breathe due to how high in the air he was. He has to be given oxygen.

Rusev w/ Lana def. Colin Cassady w/ Enzo Amore via disqualification in 1:01
Rusev and Lana interrupted Cass and Enzo’s intro stuff before they got to S-A-W-F-T. They brawled once the match started but Cass went nuts and wouldn’t stop when Rusev was in the corner, resulting in the DQ. Rusev escaped through the crowd. Not a bad way to continue a feud.

Sasha Banks came out with her knee in a brace and crutch. She got a standing ovation from the commentary team. Sasha gave a somber promo about tapping out twice despite giving her blood, sweat and tears. She said the better woman won and doesn’t feel like a boss anymore. She called Charlotte out so she could congratulate her. Instead of Charlotte, Nia Jax arrived. She called Sasha a weak, wounded little girl. Nia kicked the crutch out before yelling that she was the boss. She tossed Sasha across the ring. Just make Sasha heel again. She’s better at it than Charlotte and isn’t a strong sympathetic babyface.

The new Tag Team Champions Sheamus and Cesaro were shown in Mick Foley’s office. Foley put himself over for making the team before revealing the new Raw Tag Team Titles. They’re like the Smackdown ones. They took the copper belts and made them red and silver. A referee showed up and said that Mick was needed for an emergency. Cut to Braun murdering random people backstage and throwing shit around. Mick tried to stop him by giving him the night off but Braun said Sami only survived 10 minutes because he allowed it. Mick said he gave Sami the night off and a pissed Braun left to cause more havoc.

Cedric Alexander w/ Alicia Fox def. Noam Dar in 5:09
Austin Aries joined commentary. There was some quick action early and we got a commercial. When they returned, we barely saw anything. Cedric did a cool handspring kick and springboard clothesline before winning with the Lumbar Check. Considering they had an actual story to work with, this should have been given more time to make the crowd care. *

Noam Dar congratulated Cedric Alexander after the match but reminded Cedric that he won two weeks ago. You could say they’re even but they aren’t. Dar said they aren’t even because he still wants Alicia.

The New Day came out in a relatively sad mood. Their historic reign hit a road block last night. They said they won’t mourn forever though because in order for Ric Flair to become a sixteen-time champion, he had to lose fifteen times. Big E quipped “That’ll be Charlotte next month.” Loved it. Sheamus and Cesaro came out and each went Team Hell No by saying they were the Tag Team Champions by themselves. The fans booed “Sheamus” but cheered for “Cesaro”. New Day were just upset that Cesaro and Sheamus got new titles while they had to carry those copper belts. Kofi knew someone would beat them and they were glad it was Cesaro. Sheamus thanked them so they shamed him because they were only speaking to Cesaro. Sheamus and Cesaro bickered a bit before Sheamus said they would surpass New Day’s record. Xavier Woods said they sustained themselves on the power of positivity, had tons of shirts released and there was music in the air. This was cut off by the arrival of Gallows and Anderson. They called everyone geeks and nerds. Gallows said they beat up the “Nerd Day” enough to set up the title change. The Shining Stars also showed up and they say everyone should just go on vacation to their resort. Cesaro ripped up the brochure and everyone brawled.

Cesaro, Sheamus and The New Day w/ Xavier Woods def. Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows and the Shining Stars in 10:43
Mick Foley made this match during the break. Epico was first to hit a cool move, busting out an inverted suplex into a rib breaker. They worked through another commercial break with Kofi taking the heat. He nearly made the tag but his teammates all dealt with the other heels. Kofi took the Boot of Doom but kicked out. Big E got the hot tag and ran wild for a bit. Sheamus came in hot as well and did a new double team move with Cesaro but the pin was broken Up. We got a buffet of guys hitting kicks or strikes until Cesaro nailed Anderson with a popup uppercut. He got Epico in the swing before finishing with the Sharpshooter. From what we could see, this was rather fun. The back half was filled with action. **½

They recap the lame Jericho/Owens/Foley segment from earlier.

Backstage, Cass and Enzo were talking. Cass said that Rusev deserved what he got earlier. Enzo apologize for getting him into this but Cass shrugged it off. Someone showed up with a letter for Enzo. He hoped it was from Ed McMahon but when he found out Ed is dead, he hoped it was from Vince. It turned out to be a notice to attend sensitivity training for exposing himself at work a few weeks back.

Neville came out scowling. He got a microphone and talked about destroying Rich Swann and TJ Perkins only to get cheered. He said they only cheered him because they thought he was small and pitied him but he doesn’t want that. They can take their cheers and stick it. Neville said that he plans on obliterating the division. Rich Swann interrupted and wanted to know what happened to Neville. Neville said that he taught him everything he knows but got no gratitude or respect for it. He called himself the king of the cruiserweights. Swann said while he has the title, he’s the best. Brian Kendrick interrupted and wanted to know where the respect was. Kendrick wanted Neville in the division from the start because he’s also a pioneer. They ended up jumping Swann until TJ Perkins showed up only to run right into a kick. Neville did all the work while Kendrick mostly watched. Neville left and Kendrick picked the bones and hit TJ with sliced bread.

Sensitivity training time. Jinder Mahal, Bob Backlund, Darren Young and Bo Dallas were in class too. Enzo made insensitive jokes, including saying Jinder Mahal was spelled S-A-W-F-T before a commercial.

Titus O’Neil vs. Sin Cara ended in a no contest in 0:43
They had an interaction on the pre-show to lead to this. Within ten seconds, BRAUUUUNNN! Strowman came out and beat up both guys. Braun then carried Cara up the stage and dropped him hard when Mick Foley came out. Braun shouted “I TOLD YOU OR ELSE” before throwing Cara off the stage and onto Christmas gifts. This better lead to Braun vs. Cara at WrestleMania dammit.

Backstage, Owens tried to calm Jericho down since he was still feeling the effects of earlier. He said he was afraid of heights and spiders, like his name is R-Truth. Owens talked him up and they said Reigns and Rollins were gonna get it but Jericho then got nervous about the cage again.

Charlotte was out for her monthly “I won the title again, I’m the queen, woo” promo. It was the same promo as always. She’s a guaranteed winner and made Clemson beating Ohio State jokes. Bayley interrupted because this is the only way they can set up Charlotte feuds. Bayley wants the Charlotte/Bayley rivalry to begin now that the Charlotte/Sasha one is mercifully over. Bayley also called Sasha/Charlotte the greatest rivalry in women’s history. Charlotte said that of the four horsewomen, she was always one and Bayley was fourth which is why she didn’t get called up in 2015 with them. Bayley said that isn’t a new insult and wanted to improve to 3-0 against Charlotte right now. Charlotte accepted.

Non-Title Match: Bayley def. Charlotte in 14:37
Charlotte strutted and played the cocky heel a bit. She threw Bayley’s head band into the crowd with a smile. Once Bayley took control, she mocked Charlotte and did her “around the world on your back” spot. During the break, Charlotte took over again. She hit the moonsault but only got two. She continued to talk smack and it cost her when Bayley pulled her into an ugly backslide to win. Nowhere near their best work together. Charlotte’s heat was dull, Bayley’s rallies lacked and the finish was lame. Charlotte’s shoulder was apparently up too. This also does nothing since beating Charlotte on Raw means nothing when she obliterates people on PPVs. You can tell this is setting up for Bayley to take her first loss to Charlotte soon. Also, why book underdog Bayley to beat the champion often? **

The sensitivity training team did role reversal. Young and Backlund did bad impersonations of each other. Enzo’s Jinder impression was “Hi, my name is Jinder and everyone swipes left on Tinder.” He said he was in a band and didn’t play instruments and is still a schmuck after getting fired and re-hired. Jinder said that Enzo had little man syndrome. Enzo wanted to slap him but didn’t because the trainer said it would be insensitive. After a break, everyone go their certificates. Enzo said he didn’t need one because he’s already certified. He hit on the trainer and even said he’d slide in her DMs. Rusev walked in and Enzo said he wasn’t going to end up WORLDSTAR because of him. He went to leave but Jinder was back to stop him. He and Rusev jumped Enzo. They gotta show us how Cass is so superior and better off alone.

We got another Emmalina vignette.

Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins def. Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens via disqualification in 17:05
I won’t lie, Reigns and Rollins teaming up like nothing ever happened between them in the past is irritating. It’s one thing for guys that had a rivalry to do it but Seth broke up the Shield and the minute he turns face, all is forgiven. Anyway, this began as your standard tag match. Owens and Jericho tried to walk away a few minutes in but got brought back by Seth and Roman. After a break, the heels were in control with Seth taking the heat. Roman got the tag and though he was hot, actually took some heat as well. Seth got the hot tag and did his thing. Jericho still got the Walls locked in but Rollins reached the ropes. Reigns hit a Superman punch and it was time for a hot tag to Roman. A random Braun Strowman appeared and pulled Roman off the apron, attacking him and resulting in the DQ. Typical main event for Raw, nothing special. **¾

Braun also took time to powerslam Seth Rollins inside. Owens and Jericho slid Reigns inside to feed him to Braun. Braun said “or else” meant everyone would fall.

Overall: 5/10. I’d say this was a middle of the pack episode of Raw. It didn’t feel like a chore to get through and though none of the matches were memorable, they advanced angles rather well. It was nice to see Neville get promo time and the continued push of Nia and Braun as monsters was welcome. Coming off a PPV and with over a month until another, this did a good job setting things up for the future.