WWE Survivor Series Predictions

It's almost impossible to get excited for anything in the cruiserweight division since Neville left. Enzo Amore works in the role he's been given and it'll be fun to see him dethroned. However, we've already seen Kalisto beat him, only to lose it right back. The outcome of this match means nothing to me. Enzo retains and eventually drops it to someone more interesting.

Winner: Enzo Amore

This should be fantastic. The Shield was the best thing in WWE from 2013-2014. New Day was arguably the best thing in WWE in 2015-2016. For most of 2017, they didn't do anything of note. Then, the Usos feud happened and rejuvenated them. The returning Shield are probably looking to put on one hell of a performance, while New Day is on quite the roll. That should make for one of the more exciting matches in recent memory. It's going to be a magnificent battle, but a predictable result. The Shield will win because losing this quickly into their return is kind of damaging, while New Day won't be hurt by it.

Winner: The Shield

In a year with the Revival on the shelf, these have been the two best main roster tag teams. I'd even go as far to say the Usos have been the best tag team in all of wrestling this year (Authors of Pain and British Strong Style are in the conversation). These teams were the final two in the giant Survivor Series match last year and it was a lot of fun. With both units being heel, it could cause problems, but the Usos have kind of been rolling as tweeners and I think the fans will get behind them. This could honestly go either way, but I'm gonna pick the Usos for the Smackdown victory.

Winners: The Usos

Is the world going to implode? It's Alexa Bliss, who continually wins major feuds, where the babyfaces come off looking bad against LADY BIG DOG. It's tough to see either woman losing because of how they're typically booked. If anyone could run through Alexa and come out looking strong, it's Charlotte. I fully expect her to win for Smackdown here, being the only one allowed to come out on top against Alexa. At least, until Asuka.

Winner: LADY BIG DOG

This is one of those matches where I like both guys, but can't get excited about the pairing. They're just not ideal opponents for one another. Corbin is at his best when he's the bully heel, but Miz's one weaknessis playing some kind of sympathetic babyface. The promo stuff has been fun, at least. Normally, I'd pick Miz to win here, but I'm thinking Raw wins the entire show 4-3. I have them winning four matches in my head, so Smackdown will get this one.

Winner: Big Banter

With Smackdown's final spot open, I want to say they win. Maybe Paige makes her return and having her lose here wouldn't be ideal. Plus, I'm always gonna want to pick a team captained by the great Becky Lynch or one led by Alicia Fox. The difference is Asuka. Sure, last year the unbeaten Nia Jax tapped out in a Survivor Series match, but having both Asuka and Nia lose would be strange booking. For that reason, and the possibility that Natalya is the fifth member and not Paige, I'm gonna pick Raw. Asuka and Nia being the most likely survivors and Bayley being the most likely to get eliminated like a jobber.

Winners: Team Raw

Last year's Raw vs. Smackdown match was all kinds of awesome. This one probably won't be as good, but I'd be happy to be wrong. Team Cena vs. Team Authority back in 2014 had no right to be as good as it turned out to be, and this looks much better than that on paper. Shane is gonna try to kill himself, as always, while Triple H and Kurt Angle will put on their best efforts. Orton is usually at his best in Survivor Series matches, while guys like Cena, Finn, Joe and Braun are going to give us fun combinations. I'm thinking Raw wins because of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. With them not being booked, but being in a key storyline, I'm gonna say they interfere to cost Smackdown the match. Their selfishness will most likely set up some kind of tag against Shane and someone at the next PPV. Part of me could see Angle and HHH costing themselves the match, but I think there will be a slower burn for the expected Mania match.

Winners: Team Raw

Putting the title on AJ Styles was one of the best moves WWE did all year. Even if AJ had a lackluster summer, he's still the best the company has. I'd love if AJ Styles were to win this match. But it's Brock Lesnar and Aj's name is not Roman Reigns. Nobody's beating Brock until Reigns eventually does it. So, I'm going into this hoping for AJ to get the best out of Brock. I enjoyed Brock/Joe, though it could've been better. Even if Brock is bringing minimal effort to this match, Styles is good enough to get greatness out of him. That's what I'm expecting.

Winner: Brock Lesnar

2017 Prediction Record: 68-36
2016 Prediction Record: 72-41
2015 Prediction Record: 60-35

NXT TakeOver: War Games Predictions

I know a lot of people have been disappointed with the use of Kassius Ohno in NXT, but I like him in the mentor role he’s in. He’s been working a lot of the young, inexperienced guys, like Lars, on live events. This will be the first real test for Lars and there aren’t many better to be in there with than Ohno. I think the match will be solid, and Lars will surprise many by winning in rather convincing fashion. It won’t be a squash, but Lars will look very impressive.

Winner: Lars Sullivan

This has been my favorite male program NXT has put on all year. Gargano/Ciampa would’ve probably been higher, but Ciampa’s injury put that on hold. The Velveteen Dream is an absolute blast, who completely nails his character. Aleister Black is a very good wrestler, who should be able to put on the best match of Dream’s young career. I don’t expect Dream to win at all, but I’d be totally happy if he did. I’m gonna say Black gets the win, but it’ll be Dream’s next step into becoming a star.

Winner: Aleister Black

This is the hardest match to predict by a wide margin. Nikki Cross is a great choice, because I feel she’s the most complete package among the NXT women. However, if she wins, SAnitY will have multiple titles, which I see as more of a heel stable trope. Peyton Royce would be an excellent candidate, as I could see her sharing the title with Billie Kay and their segments would be golden. She deserves this recognition. Ember Moon makes a good pick after coming up just short against Asuka multiple times. But, a loss here could send her frustration into heel turn territory, which is an interesting route for her. Kairi Sane is the least interesting pick to me, but after winning the Mae Young Classic, I could see her getting a big push. However, unlike Asuka, I think Sane works better as an underdog chasing the title, than as a dominant champion. My heart says Peyton, but I’m gonna say Ember finally does it.

Winner: Ember Moon

Along with Johnny Gargano, Andrade Almas is my favorite NXT wrestler. The dude is fantastic and the addition of Zelina Vega as a mouthpiece was just what he needed to make it to the next level. If I were booking, he’d absolutely win the NXT Championship here. But I’m not booking. Drew McIntyre will retain the title here and most likely lose it to Adam Cole. Yawn. Maybe Almas gets called up after this match, though I’m not sure he’d get much of a push there. Ah, well. This should be a pretty good outing.

Winner: Drew McIntyre

It’s still wild that I’m going to watch a WWE produced War Games match. And even crazier to think that the first WWE War Games features Roderick Strong, reDRagon, Eric Young and Adam Cole. 2017 is strange. I’m excited for this match because it’s historic, it should be bananas and I really like most of the guys involved. I believe the Undisputed Era has to win here. SAnitY have the Tag Titles, so they’ll be fine coming out of this regardless of the outcome. The Authors of Pain and Roderick Strong aren’t a usual team, so they won’t have the chemistry of the other trios and that could cost them. Plus, Cole/O’Reilly/Fish came in as big deals and a win in this kind of match would fully establish them.

Winner: The Undisputed Era

RevPro/NJPW Global Wars UK Night One Review

RevPro Wrestling/NJPW Global Wars UK Night One
November 9th, 2017 | York Hall in Bethnal Green, Greater London

Ah, the now annual RPW/NJPW joint shows. Last year’s shows were very fun and I expect more of the same here, even if I haven’t been able to follow RevPro as much as I wanted to.

RevPro British Cruiserweight Championship: Josh Bodom [c] vs. BUSHI vs. Ryan Smile
BUSHI is a NEVER Openweight Six Man Champion, while Smile impressed me in the handful of matches I’ve seen him in. From what I’ve seen, Bodom has been a good heel in RevPro. BUSHI stayed back early, allowing the others to wear themselves out. He and Bodom eventually formed a small alliance that didn’t last long. They moved to high risk stuff, with Smile showcasing his awesome dive ability. He got hit a wild flurry of Bodom offense, but BUSHI made the save. The trio took part in a sunset flip/German suplex combination for one of the cooler spots of the match. In the end, BUSHI went to mist Smile, but caught Bodom instead. Smile added a springboard cutter and frog splash to win the title at 10:09. Good way to start the show. It was fast paced, they didn’t stick to any kind of formula and it was flat out fun. [***¼]

Gedo and Toru Yano vs. Legion of Lords
The Legion of Lords are lord Gideon Grey and No Fun Dunne. Looking at the guys in this match, you expect comedy and that’s what they gave us. Yano tricked his opponents before the match, using his DVD to throw powder in their eyes. Along with the DVD, there was use of a megaphone and a blast of spray by Gideon. Yano got to do his “BREAK” and turnbuckle spots, which the crowd loved. He and Gedo used duel low blows and rollups to win in 6:39. It was short, inoffensive and exactly what it needed to be. [**]

El Desperado vs. Matt Riddle
This is one of those matches I never knew I wanted, until it was announced. It was an overlooked match because Riddle faces Minoru Suzuki on night two. Riddle was in control for most of the match. He’d take Desperado down, hit his senton and deliver a variety of kicks and strikes. Desperado caught a strike and flipped Sabre off, only to get pulled into an armbar. Desperado went to work on Riddle’s leg, banging it off the ring post a bunch of times. There was a great spot where Desperado avoided one of Riddle’s signature kicks and locked him in the Stretch Muffler. Riddle made it to the ropes, but ate a big spear. Riddle came back with a brutal ripcord knee, Gotch Tombstone and the Bromission to pick up the win in 10:48. I enjoyed that a lot. Desperado did his job to soften Riddle up with a good game plan to take out his legs. Riddle was his awesome self and continues to shine in short matches. [***¼]

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Marty Scurll vs. Tetsuya Naito
The G1 Climax winner was wildly over. To be fair, so was Scurll. They were part of an awesome tag match at last year’s Global Wars UK. Naito mocked Marty early, as they both tried getting under the skin of the other. Scurll targeted Naito’s wrist. He had Naito’s number throughout, even countering Destino. Naito played the babyface here, even getting in some fire that reminded me of his pre-LIDJ days. Scurll started bringing out new offense to combat Naito’s rallies. Naito avoided the finger snap spot with an eye rake. We got a ref bump, giving Naito the visual win via dragon suplex. Marty attacked with the umbrella and used the Mouse Trap for a great near fall. BUSHI came out to distract Marty from using the Chicken Wing. He got taken out, but then the referee caught Marty’s feet on the ropes for a pin. Naito blocked an umbrella shot, hit a low blow and won with Destino in 15:22. I liked the battle of two rule breakers going at it. Naito played the early face, but went to what works late. Scurll had him well scouted, but couldn’t beat the master. [***½]

Yuji Nagata vs. Zack Gibson
Last year, BLUE JUSTICE wrestled Pete Dunne in a solid match. Gibson got to do one of his heat filled pre-match promos. Similar to the last match, we got arm work here. Gibson focused on Nagata’s arm, while Yuji responded by kicking at Zack’s taped shoulder. Gibson kept looking for the Shankly Gates at every turn. Nagata got to pop the crowd with an Exploder near fall and then his signature armbar, complete with eye roll. Gibson came close with the Helter Skelter. They traded strikes and Gibson finally got Shankly Gates, only for Nagata to slip out and win with the Backdrop Driver in 13:21. The fans added a lot here, as they loved Nagata. I liked both guys having similar plans of attack. Gibson’s obsession with the Shankly Gates ended up costing him, as the legend took advantage of his mistake to win. [***]

#CCK w/ Kid Lykos vs. Rocky Romero and YOSHI-HASHI
Romero and Tacos are an odd CHAOS pairing. They didn’t even come out together, as Rocky arrived to the Roppongi 3K theme. CCK against SHO and YOH sounds great. They had fun early, with Rocky trying to take on the much taller Chris Brookes. He used an eye poke to cut him down to size a bit. We got a lot of basic tag stuff to start, with everyone getting some shine. They all got to hit their usual stuff, like Brookes’ wet willy and Romero’s FOREVER clotheslines. Banks and Romero going at it was probably the best exchange of the match. Rocky got in trouble late, eating a flurry of offense for the finish. He took a Slice of Heaven, slingshot cutter and Kiwi Krusher at 11:27. This was solid, but nothing special. Romero was out there having fun, and I always enjoy some Travis Banks. [**¾]

Keith Lee vs. Tomohiro Ishii
From the moment I saw Keith Lee, this is the match I wanted most. The size difference was a sight to behold, but Ishii brought the fight to him with a slew of chops. It took just one from Lee to knock Ishii down. Lee would beat on Ishii, only for the “Stone Pitbull” to fire up. It clearly bewildered Lee that Ishii was this tough. Lee threw Ishii around like he weighed nothing. Things got wild from there, with Ishii countering a Spirit Bomb into a guillotine choke, then into a DDT and then eventually hitting the Brainbuster. It was an incredible thing to witness. Some of Lee’s offense was absolutely monstrous. He nearly threw Ishii through the roof on a chokeslam and Spirit Bomb. The near fall on the latter was nuts. Lee made the mistake of trying a moonsault and missed. He and Ishii both got big kickouts at one to huge reactions. Ishii picked up the win with a second Brainbuster after a hard fought 15:43. What a match. Dream matches don’t always live up to the hype, but this one did. It was hard hitting from start to finish and exactly the kind of match I want from these two. Ishii is one of the best underdogs in wrestling, while Lee is one of the best dominant bigs and it made for brilliance.[****½]

Hirooki Goto and Will Ospreay vs. Minoru Suzuki and RPW British Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr. w/ El Desperado
I love that Sabre brought his best friend, El Desperado, with him. The Suzuki/Goto battles early were about as effective as their dull feud in NJPW this year. Ospreay and Sabre had better exchanges, though not at the level of their best work. Ospreay played the face in peril and got beaten badly. It was so one-sided that Desperado had time to give Suzuki a shoulder rub at ringside. Suzuki laughed as Ospreay responded with strikes, before hitting a flurry of his own. Goto got the hot tag, but is so lame, he and Ospreay ended up in stereo sleeper holds. It eventually came down to Sabre and Ospreay, who had counter after counter ready for one another. Sabre got the obligatory Oscutter into a submission counter. On Ospreay’s next attempt, he successfully hit it for the win in 22:20. This was a good main event, but it never sniffed greatness. It felt long and the Goto/Suzuki stuff never quite worked for me. Suzuki kicking Ospreay’s ass was great and Sabre/Ospreay was fun. [***]

Overall: 7.5/10. Night one of Global Wars was a very fun show. Nothing on the card is bad, with the worse thing being a short comedy match. The three tag matches were the weakest parts of the show, yet they’re all solid. You get very different and fun outings in Naito/Scurll, Nagata/Gibson and Riddle/Desperado, while the opening three-way was enjoyable. Lee/Ishii is where this show is made and is an absolute must-see match. It’s one of my favorite matches all year.

Raw History: Episode #127 and Reliving Nitro: Episode #3

Raw History
Episode #127
September 18th, 1995 | Canton Civic Center in Canton, Ohio

Still going pre-taped from Canton. Just like the weird “NEXT WEEK ON RAW” clips we got last time, this starts with a guy saying “LAST WEEK ON RAW” leading to clips from the Bulldog/Razor match. The emphasis is on the Kid/Razor angle.

The 1-2-3 Kid vs. Razor Ramon
Of course, during Kid’s entrance they take us back to Kid’s career making win over Razor Ramon two years ago. Fast start as Kid shows heel tendencies by attacking before Razor removes his jacket. It backfires because Razor ends up hitting him with a second rope fallaway slam for two. Razor just tosses Kid around and Kid is all about bumping big for him. He gets two on a Chokeslam as well. Kid comes back with a tope to the outside that earns him a near fall. He works a sleeper heading into the commercial and Razor breaks out of it as they return. That’s how you utilize a commercial break. As Razor makes the babyface comeback, they collide and it leads to a ref bump. These poor fans see Déjà vu when Dean Douglas runs out, splashes Razor off the top and sprints to the back. Kid enters the ring, drapes an arm over Razor and gets the three.

Winner: The 1-2-3 Kid in 7:11
Fine little match here that advanced two angles. One, Douglas/Razor and two, the tension between Kid and Razor. They worked at a good pace and it was an enjoyable match. **¾

An out of breath Dean Douglas takes us to his classroom for the Report Card. He gives Kid, himself and Razor grades that end up spelling out DEAN. He’s so clever.

Bob Holly and Savio Vega vs. Kama and Tatanka w/ Ted Dibiase
We see that Ted Dibiase got slopped by Henry O. Godwin on Superstars. Why is Tatanka still around? He and Kama struggle with the faces early on, unable to withstand their quick offense. Commentary really pushes the idea that Bob Holly is a hothead. Vega ends up as the face in peril. Holly does get agitated several times on the apron. It allows the heel to double team while the referee has to send Holly back. Hothead Holly gets the tag and scores on a missile dropkick. He tries a diving cross body but Kama catches him in an awkward powerslam spot. Unfortunately, Holly lands on his neck. It looks bad but it does the trick.

Winners: Kama and Tatanka in 5:50
Boring match, as expected from the Million Dollar Corporation. At least they made sure to build the “hothead” Holly stuff, so it worked in that sense. *¼

Razor Ramon responds to Dean Douglas and says that he’s going to “carve him up”.

Jean-Pierre Lafitte vs. Brian Walsh
Footage is shown of Lafitte stealing Bret Hart’s glasses and jacket over the past few weeks. Speaking of Bret, he’s on the set of Lonesome Dove and calls in to say that he didn’t know pirates really existed. He sounds so unenthused about the program. Pierre gets in almost all of the offense, winning with Le Cannonball.

Winner: Jean-Pierre Lafitte in 3:19
Decent enough squash match to promote the upcoming Hart/Lafitte match.

Non-Title Match
WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart and Yokozuna w/ Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji vs. Men on a Mission
Vince McMahon nearly creams himself at the sight of Yokozuna going face to face with Mabel. They even had the ring “reinforced” beforehand. As usual, Owen does most of the work for his guys. He has the advantage against Mo, since Mo is the worst. Mabel uses his size to pound away. Even though both teams are heels, Owen ends up playing the face in peril. Lawler tries to hype Men on a Mission as former Tag Champions even though they held them for a very short time. He makes the tag and we almost get the Mabel/Yokozuna battle. Yokozuna kicks Mo’s round ass for a while. Oddly enough, Vince calls this a Thursday edition of Raw, but the airdate is listed at 9/18, which was a Monday. Anyway, now Yokozuna and Mabel slug it out. Mabel wins out with a hideous leaping clothesline. I’m being very generous by saying he leaped. Following a distraction from Jim Cornette, Yokozuna hits the leg drop on Mo and Owen gets the cover.

Winners: Owen Hart and Yokozuna in 9:06
For the time it was given and the competitors involved (sans Owen Hart), I expected this to be terrible. It was much better than I thought it would be though. Still, that’s not saying a ton. **

Backstage, Diesel and Shawn Michaels guarantee that they’ll be Tag Team Champions again. When that’s done, the heels get promo time in the ring. Wisely, Jim Cornette handles the mic work. As you would expect from Jim, he is pretty great here at hyping the main event for this Sunday.

Overall: 5/10. A middle of the pack show. The main event was a spirited effort that over delivered and the opener was a fun sprint that advanced multiple angles. I wasn’t a fan of the Million Dollar Corporation tag, but at least the Lafitte squash built towards the PPV. Not a bad way to spend 45 minutes.

WCW Fall Brawl 1995 Results
I reviewed this show a while back so I’ll give results and my star ratings.

Johnny B. Badd def. Brian Pillman in 29:59 (****)
Sgt. Craig Pittman def. Cobra in 1:33 (DUD)
WCW Television Championship: Diamond Dallas Page def. Renegade (c) in 8:07 (*¼)
WCW World Tag Team Championship: Harlem Heat def. Bunkhouse Buck & Dick Slater (c) in 16:51 (DUD)
Arn Anderson def. Ric Flair in 23:05 (****)
War Games: Hulk Hogan, Lex Luger, Randy Savage and Sting def. the Dungeon of Doom in 18:48 (¼*)


Reliving Nitro
Episode #3
September 18th, 1995 | Freedom Hall in Johnson City, Tennessee

We are just 24 hours removed from Fall Brawl, which was a mixed bag. Some horrible stuff but also two great matches. There are new Television and Tag Team Champions. Side note, at this point, in September of 1995, Hulk Hogan has been WCW Champion since July of 1994. Commentary is the usual Eric Bischoff, Bobby Heenan and Mongo combination.

To close out Fall Brawl, the Giant debuted and sent Hulk Hogan away in an ambulance. They go backstage where the Giant and the Taskmaster show up in an ambulance. Were they driving it all night? Giant cuts a promo but it’s so over the top and campy because he was still so very new to the business. They were billing him as Andre the Giant’s son at this point.

It’s supposed to be the Blue Bloods vs. the American Males in a number one contender’s match. During the Blue Bloods’ entrance, Harlem Heat attack them and decide they want to just put the titles on the line against the American Males because they are the best tag team around.

WCW World Tag Team Championship
Harlem Heat (c) w/ Sister Sherri vs. The American Males
They never fully specify if the titles are on the line because the commissioner isn’t in the building. It seems like they are, so I’ll just go with that. This starts like a brawl but quickly calms down. Nothing really happens until Booker nearly decapitates Riggs with a spin kick. During the match, Col. Robert Parker comes down. He made out with Sister Sherri last night. Sherri does a terrible job in falling off the apron right into his arms. Bagwell counters a slam and lands on top of Booker, upsetting them and stealing the win.

Winners and New WCW World Tag Team Champions: The American Males in 4:43
If you want proof that anything could and would happen on Nitro, this is an early place to look. Harlem Heat was an established team but they drop the titles less than a night after winning them back. Not the best team to take the belts and not the best match. This was more about shock value. *

Mean BAH GAWD Gene is in the ring to introduce Ric Flair. He interviews him about facing Brian Pillman later tonight. Pillman cost Flair the match against Arn Anderson last night. Flair is unhappy that Arn brought an outsider into their feud. He promises to chop Pillman so hard that other former NFL players feel it.

Johnny B. Badd vs. Paul Orndorff
Orndorff has a new gimmick where he carries around a mirror and has awful theme music. Johnny B. Badd is apparently the number one contender for the US Title after a grueling half hour contest with Brian Pillman at Fall Brawl. The fans chant “Paula” at Mr. Wonderful. They don’t do much of interest outside of a Badd pescado. Orndorff counters a backdrop into a pin and somehow wins.

Winner: Paul Orndorff in 3:45
Why? Johnny B. Badd just became the top contender for the number two belt in the company. I get that Orndorff had a new gimmick but if they really wanted to get it over, there were others he could have gone over. *½

On the set of Baywatch, Randy Savage was working out when the Taskmaster attacked him and choked him with the barbell. Ric Flair randomly appears to save him. Everything about this was absurd. The fact that it was on Baywatch, the Taskmaster being on the beach and the Flair run in. It all leads to Randy Savage being interviewed by Mean Gene. Gene is earning those checks tonight. Savage says that he didn’t ask for Flair’s help, so thanks but no thanks. He focuses on Hogan, saying he’s a bad judge of character because he got hit with a cheap shot from Luger during Wargames. He predicts that Luger, Sting and Jimmy Hart will join the Dungeon of Doom. Luger comes out to confront him. Luger claims that Savage has a personal agenda of his own, leading them to almost coming to blows.

Footage airs from right before Fall Brawl last night. Hulk Hogan was being interviewed on his motorcycle when the Giant showed up in a monster truck and ran it over. Hogan beats on the car door while Giant laughs maniacally. They then show the end of the show, where the Giant snapped Hogan’s neck. How is he alive? Also, Mongo claims that he’s seen that neck snapping spot on the football field. Sure you did Mongo.

Brian Pillman vs. Ric Flair
Both men exchange chops at the start before spilling outside. Flair is showing an aggression that fits the angle. Pillman, who was only starting to show heel tendencies in that match last night, is full on heel here. He uses the ropes for leverage and viciously attacks Flair’s arm. He even slams it on the guardrail a few times. Back inside, they trade stuff and Flair tries for the Figure Four. Pillman pulls him into an inside cradle for two. Flair finally manages to lock in the Figure Four and Pillman gives up.

Winner: Ric Flair in 5:24
I wish this got an unclean finish for a Pillman win. It would have helped Brian while also furthering the existing angle. Still, the match was solid for the time given. **½

Ric Flair gets on the microphone and says that next week, Arn Anderson will get his ass kicked.
As the show is about to go off of the air, Heenan says that something is going on in the back. Bischoff agrees, but instead of cutting to it, they promote Disco Inferno’s Nitro debut next week. Why?

Overall: 6/10. Even on weeks when the matches are disappointing, the show still manages to be entertaining. Outside of the terrible decision to have Orndorff beat Johnny B. Badd, everything moved quickly and had a purpose. They did the Tag Title switch was a cool surprise and I’m enjoying the Flair/Anderson/Pillman angle.

Kevin's Random Reviews: WWE WrestleMania XXIV

WWE WrestleMania XXIV
March 30th, 2008 | Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida | Attendance: 74,635

This was one of those WrestleMania events that featured a fair amount of celebrity involvement. It came during a fun time for me in wrestling. I was way into what was going on around this time, from Edge and Randy Orton being champions to the Ric Flair retirement angle to CM Punk’s rise on ECW and more. This would be the first WrestleMania filmed in HD and went on be the first show I ever purchased on Blu-Ray. It was obviously the 24th WrestleMania in history, the second outdoor one and the first held in Florida. There was some worry about potential rain with this being the second outdoor Mania, but luckily, there were no weather issues. 

Jon Legend performs “America the Beautiful” to open the show. Following that, they go into a pretty great opening video package.

Belfast Brawl
Finlay w/ Hornswoggle vs. John “Bradshaw” Layfield
This rivalry stemmed from Hornswoggle being revealed as Vince McMahon’s son. JBL destroyed the little guy in front of Finlay inside of a Steel Cage before announcing that Hornswoggle is actually Finlay’s dad. Before the bell rings, JBL attacks Finlay and they brawl on the outside. Almost instantly, garbage cans and kendo sticks come into play. Not content with those weapons, JBL also brings in the steel steps but ends up taking a backdrop off of them. JBL tries to use the shillelagh but Hornswoggle steals it from him. That opens the door for Finlay to wail away on him. JBL now has welts on his back. Finlay gets a table and sets it up in the corner. JBL knocks him down and goes after Hornswoggle, which angers Finlay who slams his head on the announce table a ton. Things go back into the ring where JBL lays into Finlay with a trash can. He then launches one outside onto an unsuspecting Hornswoggle. It’s such a tremendous heel move. Finlay sends JBL through the table in the corner, only getting a two count. Finlay attempts to use the stairs but JBL nails him with a kendo stick in the knee. He comes off the ropes with the Clothesline from Hell to defeat Finlay.

Winner: John “Bradshaw” Layfield in 8:36
Better than I expected it to be. Neither guy was really lighting the world on fire with their ring work at the time, so making it a Belfast Brawl was a smart call. They got to have a fun brawl that involved weapons and had the crowd invested. A solid opener. ***

They go backstage to a celebrity correspondent, Kim Kardashian. She looks SO different and SO much better here, before all of the plastic surgery. She says the Money in the Bank match is coming up when Mr. Kennedy interrupts. He says he’s going to win it for the second straight year and yells in her face. I enjoyed it.

Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Carlito vs. Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk vs. John Morrison vs. Mr. Kennedy vs. MVP vs. Shelton Benjamin
Originally, Jeff Hardy was scheduled for this match and was a heavy favorite before getting suspended. With him out, the door was open for almost anyone to win. The bell rings and everyone goes after ladders outside. MVP keeps everyone at bay with a small ladder, so Jericho brings in a big one and takes him down. John Morrison takes the small ladder and does a moonsault off the top while holding it, taking out about four opponents. Inside, they try to slingshot Kennedy into the ladder but he just ends up climbing it. He fights with Morrison until Shelton sets up a ladder next to them. He comes off with a sunset flip on Kennedy, who superplexes Morrison off the top of the ladder. Honestly, that’s one of the cooler Money in the Bank spots I’ve ever seen. We see more of Shelton’s athleticism though the ladder breaks on a spot, causing him to crash. Punk ends up hitting him with the GTS before taking the Green Bay Plunge onto a ladder. Carlito takes out MVP’s leg and gets hit with the dragon whip kick from Benjamin. Shelton climbs but has the ladder tilted forward, sending him somersaulting through a ladder set up across the apron and guardrail. He’s done for the match after that in one of the most insane spots you could imagine. The spots keep coming as Jericho puts Morrison in the Walls of Jericho across the top of a ladder. While he and Kennedy fight on two ladders for the briefcase Carlito and Punk springboard onto the ladder to join them. All four men end up down, highlighted by Carlito hitting a damn Backstabber on Jericho off of the ladder. MVP is alone and has the win in hand when Matt Hardy runs in from the crowd. He’s been in the midst of a near year-long feud with MVP and was out injured. Matt hits Twist of Fate off the ladder, ending MVP’s chances of winning. They try another fancy spot with the ladder, which doesn’t really cooperate. It ends with Morrison falling off and Punk taking the ladder right to the shoulder. Carlito knocks Jericho off the ladder by spitting an apple at him. Kennedy shoves him off and Punk takes him out with a small ladder before taking a Codebreaker into the ladder. Jericho goes up and is in position to win but a desperate Punk tenaciously ascends the ladder. They fight up top and the recently returned Jericho hits him with the swinging briefcase. Just when you think it’s over, Punk wisely pulls Jericho’s leg through the rungs, leaving him hanging upside down and allowing Punk to pull it down.

Winner: CM Punk in 13:54
That was honestly one of the favorite Money in the Bank matches ever. They’ve become a staple of the WWE and almost always deliver a good to great match. This was easily in the upper echelon. Tons of great spots, no downtime, a hot crowd and lots of talent. If the ladders would have cooperated on some of their ideas better, this could have been even better. I probably scored this higher than a lot of people. Oh well, I loved it. ****¼

The inductees to the Hall of Fame for 2008 all come out to the stage. Eddie Graham, Gordon Solie, Peter Maivia and Ric Flair, who is wrestling later, have representatives, while Mae Young, Rocky Johnson, Jack and Jerry Briscoe are there as well. 

This is followed by an odd segment involving Snoop Dogg, Festus, Santino Marella and Mick Foley. Yea, that is certainly a strange combo.

Battle of the Brands
Batista vs. Umaga
Batista is representing Teddy Long and Smackdown, while Umaga is there for Raw and William Regal. Regal calls him “YOUMANGA” of course. Batista went from a classic against the Undertaker for the World Title a year prior to this. When the match starts, they just go at it like two big men would. Batista takes a pretty big bump off the apron following an Umaga kick. Umaga wears down Batista’s back but the problem is, none of it really comes across as interesting. Umaga tries a sweet, long range headbutt but misses. Batista tries to slam him and his back goes out. Batista weathers more offense from Umaga and starts rallying. Somehow, despite the back being worked on, Batista pulls out a spinebuster and Batista Bomb, winning the match for Smackdown. At least the Batista Bomb was somewhat crooked, making it look realistic.

Winner: Batista in 7:06
I wanted to like this so much more. These are two of my favorite bigger guys to watch but they just didn’t seem to have their hearts in this. Especially Batista. It came off like they weren’t too thrilled with their position on the show and it showed in their work. *½

ECW Championship
Chavo Guerrero (c) vs. Kane
Kane won a battle royal on the Pre-Show to earn this show. It is the first and only time the ECW Title would be defended at WrestleMania. Chavo comes out first and Kane shows behind him. The bell rings, Chavo runs into a Chokeslam and that’s all she wrote.

Winner and New ECW Champion: Kane in 0:10
They tried to pass this off as eight seconds but I have it at ten. Can’t really rank this. At least they moved the title to someone that was over and a fun addition to the ECW roster at the time. NO RATING

Raven Symone is in the ring to promote the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Nice little celebrity involvement there. Kept it short and sweet.

Career Threatening Match
Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels
For months, Ric Flair had been staving off retirement by beating all comers after Vince McMahon told him he’d be forced to retire if he lost his next match. The pageantry of Flair’s entrance is stunning. A feeling out process starts things off, with each guy trying to gain an early upper hand. Flair gets in control and shouts “OLD YELLER HUH?”, which is what Shawn called him a few weeks prior. Shawn just slaps him in retaliation before they get into an exchange of loud chops. In a great reversal of roles, Flair slams Shawn from the top and then blocks Shawn from doing the same. Flair comes off with a flying cross body that gets a pop. They move outside where Shawn tries an Asai moonsault but misses and crashes stomach first onto the announce table. The sound of it was pretty sickening. Flair is busting it all out tonight, getting two on a stalling vertical suplex. Shawn takes to the air again, this time doing a moonsault off the top and to the outside, connecting this time around. They tease a double countout, which would result in the end of Flair’s career. They go at it inside the ring and Shawn hits the big flying elbow. Shawn tunes up the band but stops himself because he can’t pull the trigger. That frees up Flair to trip him up and lock in the Figure Four as the crowd goes wild. Shawn turns it over and survives but takes his trademark corner bump. Classic Flair as he goes to the chop block. The Figure Four is locked back in but again, Michaels is able to survive. Flair ends up walking right into Sweet Chin Music but Shawn is too hurt to initially cover and Flair kicks out. Shawn calls for Sweet Chin Music again, screaming for Shawn to get up. Flair takes long so Shawn picks him up from behind and Flair delivers a low blow that the referee misses. Classic. Shawn trips up Flair and applies his inverted Figure Four. Flair withstands it and rolls up Shawn for two. They go into a battle of chops that Flair is winning, so Shawn just delivers a huge superkick. Shawn pulls himself up and looks to tune up the band but stops. He mouths “I’m sorry, I love you” to Flair when he gets up and ends his career with Sweet Chin Music.

Winner: Shawn Michaels in 20:23
Pitch perfect storytelling. There aren’t many matches you’ll find with as much emotion as this one. Ric Flair put on his working boots and had the best match of the final few years of his career, doing things he usually wouldn’t. Michaels was as great in a big match as always. As great as it could have possibly been. ****

Shawn Michaels immediately grabs Ric Flair’s head, presumably to say something and leaves. Ric Flair gets emotional as he is given a standing ovation and shows love to his family at ringside.

Todd Grisham interviews Edge, who says that the pathetic fans count on the Undertaker to win at WrestleMania but he’ll slap them in the face with reality.

Playboy Bunnymania Lumberjill Match
Ashley Massaro and Maria Kanellis vs. WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix and Melina w/ Santino Marella
The rest of the poor Divas roster were the Lumberjills, while Snoop Dogg was the host or something. They all walked to the ring while he drove some kind of pimped out golf cart. Among the Lumberjills, Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, Maryse and Layla may look the best tonight. The story here is that Maria got the Playboy pictorial, which her boyfriend Santino hated. That led Maria to team with former Playboy cover girl Ashley. Ashley and Maria try and double team Beth because she’s so strong. Melina is the first one tossed outside and gets beat up by the ladies outside. Almost everything the babyface team does looks bad from Maria’s bronco buster to Ashley’s cross body and bumping. The double team done by the heels looks bad too. The lights end up going out during the match and a spotlight is used to focus on the match. Maria ends up close to winning but Santino pulls her off of a pin. Jerry Lawler gets up and lays him out. Beth plants Maria with a fisherman buster and wins.

Winners: Beth Phoenix and Melina in 5:56
Beth Phoenix and Melina tried but Maria and Ashley are just not good at all. That all caused this to be horrible and not interesting in the slightest. ¼*

Snoop Dogg is next in line to punch Santino’s lights out. Then he makes out with Maria.

WWE Championship
Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena vs. Triple H
During 2007, both John Cena and Triple H were on the shelf with major injuries and this is kind of their redemption story. Cena gets his theme played to the ring by a marching band. 52% of the fans pick Cena to win, 40% have Triple H and a measly 8% say Orton retains. This starts like a brawl, with everyone going at it in and around the ring. Once things calm down in the ring, they do a tower of doom like spot where Orton hits a cross body on Cena, who was on Triple H’s shoulders. Orton continues to hold serve with a double rope hung DDT for near falls. He continues to use his cunningness to outsmart the babyfaces. He strikes with the RKO, stopping Triple H’s momentum. However, he gets put in Cena’s hideous STFU but Triple H breaks it and tries an Indian deathlock variation only for Cena to stop it. Cena goes back to the submission so Triple H puts him in a crossface to break it. This leads to Cena and HHH going at it and countering each other a bunch. HHH wins out by hitting the Pedigree. He covers but Orton runs in and punts him in the skull to break it up. Orton pins Cena and shocked everyone by retaining.

Winner and Still WWE Champion: Randy Orton in 14:08
A fun Triple Threat match between three solid guys. They would rematch it a little over a year later but this was better. Randy Orton did enough that he looked like a credible champion and the finish made him look really smart. This was before they would run this kind of finish into the ground. ***¼

No Disqualification
Big Show vs. Floyd Mayweather
Wisely, Floyd Mayweather bobs and weaves, avoiding contact with his larger opponent before firing off some rapid body shots. Mayweather avoids Show punches and lays in some of his own shots. He gets cockier with each successful blow. He stops to get a drink from a chalice so Big Show pretty much murders the member of his entourage who served him. Show finally catches him but ends up with Mayweather on his back, choking him out. Show gets free and stomps on Mayweather’s hand. It’s time for Show to dominate as he just stands on Mayweather and slams him around. Before Big Show can do more damage, Floyd’s entourage pulls him away and they try to leave. Future Nexus member Michael Tarver is there. Show lays them all out and brings Floyd back. He goes for the Chokeslam but an entourage member hits him with a chair. He gets chokeslammed for his troubles. Now Floyd has the chair and he whacks Show all over with it. Big Show tries another Chokeslam only to get kicked in the nuts. More chair shots to the head that dent the chair but Show won’t fall down. He’s on his knees and Mayweather gets brass knuckles from a fallen member. He lays out Show with one right hand and the referee counts him out.

Winner: Floyd Mayweather in 11:35
A very wisely booked spectacle here. Easily one of the better celebrity matches in WWE history. Whoever laid this out deserved a raise. They made sure that Mayweather stayed “unbeaten” and looked smart, while Big Show kept his credibility due to the interference and the fact that he barely stood up in the end. ***

World Heavyweight Championship
Edge (c) vs. The Undertaker
Edge actually gets to come out last. Neither man has ever been pinned at WrestleMania. Edge is not intimidated, shoving Undertaker right as he does the throat cut signal. They go through some good back and forth to start including Edge countering Old School, only for Undertaker to counter back with an arm drag. Edge seems to be well prepared, having an answer for everything Undertaker does. His game plan is to negate a lot of Undertaker’s key stuff and stay in control. The first really big spot comes when Undertaker does his signature dive over the top rope. Things stay outside as Edge backdrops Undertaker onto the guardrail. Inside, Edge works a modified single leg crab, wearing down his challenger. Undertaker counters and they get into a slugfest, which Undertaker of course wins. He hits Snake Eyes but Edge comes right back with a dropkick. He then counters the Chokeslam into the Edgecution for two. Undertaker hits the Chokeslam this time, but only gets two. Edge goes for the ten corner punches but Undertaker counters for Last Ride. Edge again has a counter ready, slipping free and nailing a neckbreaker. Regardless, he still takes his Last Ride but manages to get a shoulder up. More back and forth leads to shenanigans as Undertaker inadvertently big boots the referee. Edge takes him down and talks smack until Undertaker grabs him by the throat. Edge low blows him to break the grip. In a callback to Survivor Series, Edge lays out Undertaker with a TV camera. Undertaker starts getting back up so Edge mocks his taunt and tries a tombstone. Undertaker counters into his own. Charles Robinson makes the lengthy run from the back to count but Edge kicks out. Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder run out only for Undertaker to Chokeslam Ryder onto Hawkins. Edge hits the Spear for a near fall. He follows with a second Spear but before he can cover, Undertaker grabs him into the Hell’s Gates submission. Edge fights valiantly before tapping out.

Winner and New World Heavyweight Champion: The Undertaker in 23:49
Outside of his classics with Shawn Michaels the two years after this, I’d say this was easily the best Undertaker WrestleMania match. Edge looked like a million bucks, coming off as a smart villain that had a great game plan. They kept the interference to a minimum and gave us a mostly clean finish that was also original. Tons of counters and callbacks to their rivalry really added to this. One of the best main events in WrestleMania history. ****½

Overall: 9/10; Incredible. A spectacular WrestleMania that ranks among the best ever. Outside of the Playboy and Battle of the Brand matches, everything on this card delivers. There’s something for everyone. Like fun brawls? Catch the opener. Want a great spotfest? Watch Money in the Bank. If you like emotion filled stories, there’s HBK/Flair. You also get great celebrity involvement, a solid triple threat and one absolutely classic main event. Next time on “Kevin's Random Reviews”, I take a long look at WWF Invasion!