Top 135 Matches of 2016: #125-116

125. Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW G1 Climax 8/4/16

My favorite NJPW wrestler against my favorite Pro Wrestling NOAH wrestler. What’s not to love? I’ll mention it several times in this list most likely but the B Block for this year’s G1 Climax was an all-time great one. Tetsuya Naito and Katsuhiko Nakajima were two big reasons for that. Nakajima was in his hometown here but they were mostly subdued early on, which hurt things. Naito targeted the leg which made sense for two reasons. One, he had been using a knee bar in the tournament and two, it would take away Nakajima’s biggest weapon which are his kicks. Nakajima did the right thing selling wise. He would still kick but whenever he did, he’d slap at it or try to wake it up and shake off the pain. Little things like that go a long way. I loved how Nakajima had Naito scouted and countered his rebound attack with a brutal kick to the chest. Nakajima went for his ankle lock, while Naito tried the knee bar. The back half of this 19:13 match was awesome. There were hard strike exchanges, plenty of counters and they woke the crowd up. By the end of it, the once quiet fans were reacting to everything. When Nakajima hit the Penalty Kick, they totally bought it as the finish. Naito would counter a brainbuster into Destino and add a second one to earn a tie for first in his block at that point. The two MVPs for NOAH and NJPW competed in a great match but I got the feeling that they could do even better in a future rematch, especially in front of a hotter crowd. ****

124. Cesaro vs. Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens vs. Rusev – 7/25/16

The first Raw of the post-draft era was not only the best of the year, it was one of the greatest episodes in history. To start with a bang, Mick Foley and Stephanie McMahon set up two fatal four way matches with the winners meeting in the main event and the winner of that facing Seth Rollins at SummerSlam for the Universal Title. This was the first of those matches and featured the main roster debut of Finn Balor. It got off to a hot start but soon saw Rusev and Owens take control of the faces. It was great to hear Owens shout instructions at Rusev since they’re both very entertaining personalities. Once their partnership ended, Finn got to run wild and hit his trademark dive outside. From then on we got a lot of great combinations of matches. Balor and Cesaro killed it, I always love Cesaro going at it with Rusev, the rekindling of the Owens/Balor feud from NXT and even some Balor/Rusev stuff, which is a rivalry I’d love to see in the future. As this 20:26 match came to a close, each guy had at least one great chance to win and the suspense built. Finn hit the Coup de Grace on Rusev to score a huge first win in a great match. He then bested it with an even bigger win by cleanly defeating Roman Reigns to end the show. He’d also beat Rollins at SummerSlam to become the first Universal Champion, only to be derailed by a very unfortunate injury. ****

123. ROH World Television Championship: Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. EVIL – NJPW Road to Invasion Attack 3/20/16

Usually, the “Road to” shows for NJPW are more like house shows. They set up the bigger shows down the line with multi-man tags and such. Every so often though, you are treated to pretty cool match that’s relatively a big deal. A month earlier, Tomohiro Ishii shocked many by dethroning Roderick Strong for the ROH Television Championship. He defended it here against EVIL, the brute of Los Ingobernables de Japon, who had a pretty great 2016 himself. That included a match with Ishii during the New Japan Cup that nearly made this list. There was one thing I wanted out of this match and I got it. HOSS FIGHT! They wrestled a stiff match, did a lot of brawling on the outside and went pretty hard for the entire 21:39. Ishii grew frustrated with EVIL and talked some smack while slapping him up at one point. EVIL came close to the biggest win of his career on several occasions but ultimately fell to a brainbuster. The last few minutes of this wee intense and featured a lot of well executed close calls. It was a breakout performance for EVIL and another in a long line of awesome showings by Ishii, who is a legitimate top three wrestler on the planet. ****

122. PWG Championship: Roderick Strong (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – PWG All-Star Weekend 12 Night Two 3/5/16

Last year, Zack Sabre Jr. came oh so close to dethroning Roderick Strong for this title at PWG Don’t Sweat the Technique in a match that cracked my top 25. Sabre then beat Strong in Evolve (in a match ranked even higher) before winning PWG’s Battle of Los Angeles to earn another shot at the PWG Championship. Needless to say, it was one of the matches I looked forward to the most in PWG all year long. Strong stalled in the early goings to get in Sabre’s head, so the challenger responded by taking the title and posing with it. Two can play those mind games. They called back to their previous match on a few occasions. Sabre went after both the leg and arm, which made sense since his attack on the arm alone wasn’t enough to best Roddy last time. Strong sold both well throughout and at one point, landed horribly on the shoulder on a suplex spot. As they got near the finish of the 33:36 match, it became more of a war, evolving from technical wrestling to something more vicious. A pissed Roddy removed his shitty little boot and just threw it at Sabre like an Austin Power villain. Eventually, Sabre and Roddy battled up top and Sabre took them down into an armbar. He transitioned that to include a stretch muffler, working both the arm and leg to make Strong tap. It never reached the levels of their previous matches but was still great and had the added bonus of the emotional big title win for Sabre. ****

121. NEVER Openweight Championship: Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs. Bobby Fish – NJPW Destruction in Tokyo 9/17/16

I’ve made it clear that I love Katsuyori Shibata. I also love reDRagon. While the prospect of Shibata vs. Kyle O’Reilly was higher on my list of matches I wanted to see, Bobby Fish getting a crack at Shibata sounded interesting too. Unfortunately, I didn’t hear good things about their ROH Television Title match on ROH TV before this one. Luckily, this match delivered. We got treated to some good old fashioned Shibata violence. Fish started by going after the leg, but also targeted the neck and shoulder. ROH commentary did a good job explaining (on a different show) that Fish and O’Reilly don’t only focus on one part of the body. They train to attack any part that is available to them, which I actually like. Like all good Shibata matches, this was a manly, violent battle. Fish was great, yelling for the official to stop the match when he was kicking Shibata’s ass. I loved him shouting “FUCK YOU” when Shibata had him in the abdominal stretch. Shibata survived the Fish Hook and, being the absolute madman that he is, delivered a headbutt so severe that he instantly busted himself open the hard way. He won with the Penalty Kick at 16:48 to add another successful defense and great match to his 2016. Fish succeeded in his first test as a heavyweight in NJPW as well. ****

120. WWE Intercontinental Championship: The Miz (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler – WWE Backlash 9/11/16

Talking Smack has become a weekly highlight on the WWE Network and the biggest buzz from it came when the Miz cut a scathing promo on Daniel Bryan. That thrust the Miz and the Intercontinental Title into the spotlight and made this match feel like a big deal. We’ve seen Miz and Ziggler wrestle a ton, even for this title a few years ago. This was different though. Dolph was rejuvenated after the draft (outside of a lackluster match with Dean Ambrose) and Miz had the best year of his career in terms of performances. Miz did everything right here as they told a great story. He took time to mock Daniel Bryan’s taunts and even did some of his submissions. He expertly nailed all the little things, like asking “WHO’S THE COWARD?” while stomping on Dolph. Dolph brought his best too, playing up the desperation of not wanting to lose yet again very well. He came close on several occasions and they had the crowd in the palm of their hands. Maryse would play a major factor in the end, spraying Dolph in the eyes with a substance. Miz hit the Skull Crushing Finale and retained in 18:17. Up to this point, this was the best match of Miz’s career and one of Dolph’s best. It wasn’t the best finish, but it made sense and continued the idea of him using every trick to keep his title. ****

119. Dia.HEARTS vs. Monster Express vs. VerserK – Dragon Gate Open the Truth Gate 2/4/16

Getting a match featuring three groups and twelve men to come together seems like an incredibly tough task. Dragon Gate succeeded with this match. A lot was on the line as the losing unit in this match had to disband. I admittedly didn’t know everyone involved but here’s a rundown of the teams. Monster Express consists of Masato Yoshino, Akira Tozawa (who you saw in the CWC later in the year), T-Hawk and Sachihoko BOY, Dia.HEARTS has Masaaki Mochizuki, Dragon Kid, Kzy and Big R Shimizu, while VerserK includes Shingo Takagi, YAMATO, Naruki Doit and Kotoka. For the entire 27:39, this match just goes at an insane pace and, like good Survivor Series style matches, there are enough moving parts to keep you interested throughout. You got the stuff you’ve come to expect from Dragon Gate like stiff strikes and high flying spots, but there was the added drama of the impended breakup. Shingo, the top champion in Dragon Gate, got eliminated near the end to a fantastic pop from the crowd. Dia.HEARTS would take the loss and split. I honestly feel that if I followed Dragon Gate more closely, I’d have been more invested and would have enjoyed this more. ****

118. NEVER Openweight Championship: EVIL (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata – NJPW Wrestling World 11/15/16

Ten days earlier, EVIL captured the first singles title of his career when he defeated Katsuyori Shibata to become NEVER Openweight Champion at Power Struggle. This rematch main evented Wrestling World in Singapore, a show that featured a relatively different look and feel from most NJPW events. EVIL also beat Shibata back in the G1 Climax. With that in mind, even though he was only champion for a little over a week, I expected EVIL to drop the title here. 3-0 against Shibata for the year would have been a bit much. This was exactly the kind of hard hitting match you’d expect from these two. Shibata entered as the RPW British Heavyweight Champion, having won that title a few days earlier and he showed some traits of the guy he took the title from, Zack Sabre Jr., in the early stages. He stomped on and twisted the champion’s arm. EVIL targeted Shibata’s heavily taped shoulder and they played into their past by bringing steel chairs into play. It led to a really good false finish but Shibata survived and used EVIL’s own STO on him. He then used the sleeper and penalty kick to regain the title at 16:28, picking up another accolade and great match to a series of them in 2016. ****

117. Gran Metalik vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – WWE Cruiserweight Classic 9/14/16

Zack Sabre Jr. was someone that I touted highly in 2015. He wasn’t as good in 2106 but still appears on this list several times. Anyway, his run through the Cruiserweight Classic left a lot to be desired and he was outshined by a lot of people. He found himself in the semi-finals, kicking off the best show of the year against Gran Metalik. Metalik was someone I saw in NJPW as Mascara Dorada and I always thought he was good but he wowed during this tournament. Metalik came out firing by taking to the skies. Sabre weathered that storm and took it to the groundwhere he is at his most comfortable. However, Metalik showed that he could hang on the mat, which only frustrated Sabre. Sabre got more vicious in his offense as things progressed. He struck with his best PK of the tournament, complete with a Shibata reference from Mauro Ranallo. Metalik survived and scored on an awesome rana but then springboarded right into a triangle submission! Metalik got free and hit the Metalik Driver from out of nowhere to advance at 13:12. The best work of Sabre’s tournament run and nearly the best for Metalik. It got the show off to the perfect start with a match that featured great counter wrestling and told the story of Sabre getting more upset as time went on that Metalik seemed to have his number. ****

116. Grave Consequences: Mil Muertes vs. Prince Puma – Lucha Underground 11/9/16

In the main event of Ultima Lucha in season one, Prince Puma’s lengthy reign as Lucha Underground Champion ended at the hands of Mil Muertes. They stayed away for the most part in season two, but after some struggles, Puma was directed (by Vampiro) to focus on Muertes. Puma evened the score with Muertes with a win a few weeks before this. Twice in LU, a Grave Consequences match was held, both involving Muertes. Puma attacked from behind during Mil’s entrance to start 16:26 of war. Puma dove into the crowd on Muertes and they battled throughout the Temple. The coffins came into play several times as weapons. There were several great spots throughout this including a tremendous springboard 630 splash from Puma. Vampiro kept making comments about Puma going to the dark side, hinting at their behind the scenes interactions. To start the show, Mil’s manager Catrina warned him that if he lost another Grave Consequences match, she wouldn’t bring him back again. Mil dug deep and chokeslammed Puma through a table outside. In a fitting end, he brought out the coffin that was used to kill Puma’s old manager (Konnan) back in season one. A Flatliner later and Puma was locked away to end a great rivalry. As of this writing, Puma has yet to return. ****

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!