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So we end 2011 with this: WWE Workshop. You may wonder why that’s the name of this month’s theme and there’s a simple answer for that. First, I imagine the workshop reference may be because of Santa’s workshop and this being December it could be an obvious comparison to make. However, Santa’s workshop produces nice, pleasant things while the WWE Workshop highlights all the foreign objects used in various wrestling matches over the years. There’re 24 matches on here, starting with Wrestlemania I in 1985 and from the looks of it (I haven’t really delved into all the matches yet) there appears to be a lot of matches on here I’ve seen already. I hope that my thoughts at the beginning of the month (as I write this) will be eased by the end of the month when I finish. Let’s just say that at this point I am thinking it could be a mediocre end to an interesting year for the Classics/Greatest Matches team.
Introducing: Piper’s Pit
This is a unique idea for an Introducing. Piper talks about his first quest on the show – which was some dude from a magazine. Piper told McMahon he needed 5-weeks and a microphone and he would do well or he would leave. Piper talks about his segment with Frankie Williams. Piper says that his Pit was used for controversy. He talks about the one he did with Andre and Hogan but he had a problem with religion being used in the segment (Andre had ripped off Hogan’s cross during the segment). No one could really rival the popularity and innovation of Piper’s talk segment. Highlights of the Pit are shown before the main feature.
-Piper’s Pit-
This was the first ever Piper’s Pit (and it was on the Piper DVD for those wondering), and Robert Debord talks about a newly renamed magazine (WWF Magazine) and a new article called Piper’s Pit. Piper’s face is pretty scarred here. Piper says he won’t be stupid like Debord is and makes fun of Putski.
JR’s Pick: Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels
Jim Ross used the WWE Workshop theme to pick this match – the Casket Match between Undertaker and Shawn Michaels from Royal Rumble 1998. I love that Ross calls this Undertaker’s specialty even though Undertaker has a losing record in them. It’s hard to believe these guys main evented Wrestlemania just two years ago, 12 years after having their first epic ****+ match at Badd Blood. They haven’t wrestled often but when they did it was always interesting. Ross talks about Undertaker’s persona being unique and it owes to his long-lasting success in the WWE. Ross says that he knew even then that his back was legitimately hurt on the Casket Spot. Ross notes how important a wrestler’s back is and that would be the injury that ended his career, at least for 5-years.
I’ve reviewed this match already on the Royal Rumble Anthology Vol. III but I haven’t finished all five events on there so that review has never been posted so this may be the first time I’m putting this review on the net.
-Shawn Michaels(c) vs. Undertaker for the WWE Title-Shawn comes out to the DX music and he has Triple H and Chyna in his corner. Triple H has a dislocated knee-cap and he’s brandishing a crutch here. The quick cutting of camera angles during his entrance definitely looks like they may induce some epileptic fits. Ross says the same line about this match being Undertaker’s specialty when I can’t remember him ever winning one. Undertaker shrugs off Michaels early offense and tries sending Michaels into the casket but Shawn wiggles free. Shawn charges and is backdropped onto the casket. That’s the spot that messed up Michaels back and ended his career for five and a half years. It’s an innocent looking spot but I guess the way he fell and the wear and tear on the back eventually caught up to him. It was the bump that broke the camel’s back. There’s a great spot with Michaels getting clotheslined into the casket and he quickly bails when he realizes the predicament he’s in.
Undertaker controls with his methodical ring-work and even works in the rope-walk. Michaels tries a crossbody off the top but he’s caught and powerslammed down. Taker rolls him to the casket but Michaels blocks and tosses powder in the face of Undertaker. Shawn blocks a chokeslam by holding onto the ropes and follows with a moonsault. Michaels clotheslines Taker to the outside and skins the cat but Taker pulls him right back out again. The big spots continue outside as Michaels piledrives Taker onto the steel steps. DX and Michaels wear down Taker some more and HBK tries rolling him into the casket but Taker gets a burst of energy to save himself. Michaels grabs a sleeper which Taker breaks with a back suplex. Shawn is up first and delivers a flying forearm. He kips up and lands an elbow drop off the top rope. Shawn tunes up the band and Sweet Chin Music knocks Taker out. Shawn rolls Taker into the casket and all he needed to do was close it to win. But Shawn wants to gloat and he stands over Taker and does a little crotch-chopping. Taker raises his hands up and grabs HBK’s package and slugs him back into the ring.
Taker hits a big boot but misses a clothesline and lands in the casket. Michaels heads upstairs and delivers an elbowdrop into the casket. The casket closes with both guys in there (shouldn’t that be a draw?). Shawn tries escaping but Taker pulls him back in. Once back in the ring Taker chokeslams Michaels down. He follows with a jumping Tombstone from the apron into the casket! Chyna takes out the ref and the New Age Outlaws and Los Boricuas run out to gang up on Taker. As they are pounding him the lights go down and Kane makes his entrance. Kane clears the ring but then shocks the world when he turns on his brother. Kane chokeslams him into the casket (which looked terrible) and the lid closes giving Shawn the victory at 20:41.
The first 17-minutes were really good. The run-ins at the end ruined things for me but I understand they needed to keep Taker strong while still keep the belt on Shawn. Plus it set up Taker’s Wrestlemania match for that year. There were some really cool spots the two were doing here and Shawn and Undertaker just had a great chemistry in the ring. There was a lot of boring moments in the match in between the spots but that is a cause of the match, too. You can’t really have near-falls in the same sense you could with a regular match. Still the spots they hit were awesome and these two can’t seem to have a bad match together. ***1/2.
After the match Kane bolts the casket closed, rolls it to the entrance ramp (probably where the trap door is), whack it with an axe and set the casket ablaze. After the show went off the air Bearer screams about fire. They leave, the casket is opened and it is empty! Undertaker has a little voice-over monologue similar to the one he had four years earlier.
HOF Spotlight: Hacksaw Jim Duggan
It’s interesting that there are five matches featuring Duggan and three are from WCW between 1995 and 1996. I expected some 80’s WWE matches but I guess not.
-Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs. Boris Zukoff (w/Nikolai Volkoff)-
This is from an episode of Primetime Wrestling that aired back on April 30th, 1990. Nikolai sings the Russian National Anthem before the match which Hacksaw interrupts. This match takes place in Glen Falls, NY, which happens to be Hacksaw’s hometown and that should give you an indication of who will go over here. I don’t know what arena they’re in while in Glen Falls but it must be home to some hockey team because the glass and partitions have not been taken down. So the people behind the glass get the experience of watching a wrestling match in a hockey game environment. Okay, so Hacksaw battles an evil foreigner, though by this time relations with Russia had calmed considerably. There’s lots of punching, head-butts are involved, a bearhug finds its way into the match and weak-looking clotheslines are used. Hacksaw hits the three-point stance clothesline leading to Nikolai interfering. He gives the 2x4 to Zukoff who never actually sees it and Hacksaw uses it to knock out Zukoff and get the pinfall at 5:44. This was brutal – DUD.
-Jim Duggan vs. Big Bubba-
These two battled at the 1995 World War III event (11/26) and this would be their big blow-off in their taped-fist feud. I remembering watching this feud develop on Saturday Night and there was a silly segment where Hacksaw shows the history of his family and how it involved taped-fists heavily. Hacksaw runs out and attacks Bubba from behind to start. Bubba is better known as Big Boss Man from the WWE, though he was Big Bubba in the NWA before he ever stepped into a WWE ring. The USA chants start early because we all know how anti-American Cobb County Georgia is. I guess the fans of wherever this was held still remember the Confederate States of America and the whole Civil War thing. Turns out (after checking Wikipedia) this took place in Norfolk, VA. Duggan throws clotheslines in the ring and Bubba is knocked to the outside. Now, this is World War III which featured three rings for the huge main event Battle Royal (mess). Duggan puts Bubba’s head between two of the ring-posts where he slugs him down. Duggan misses an axe-handle off the apron and ends up hitting the barricades. The ref makes the count because the only way you can win this is by knockout or pinfall. Why would you wait to see if your opponent is knocked out (which is a ten-second count) when you can pin them in three? There’s not too much to say about this match. There’s lots of punching. That really sums it up. Bubba tapes Hacksaw to the top rope and Hacksaw pretends that this tape is stronger than super glue because he can’t break free! This looks like just simple white tape that rips apart with little effort. Bubba charges and Hacksaw knocks him down by raising his fist. Basically Bubba just ran into Hacksaw’s fist. I think even the WCW fans groaned at that. Bubba is backdropped to the outside and he takes a tough bump on the apron. VK Wallstreet makes his way to ringside with a chain wrapped around his fist but Hacksaw knocks him down with the 2x4. Bubba grabs the chain and clobbers Duggan with it and the referee starts to make the count. Duggan can’t make the count up and this one is over at 9:26. If you really like long periods of time between punching then this is the match for you! ¼*.
-Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs. Meng-
This one is from WCW Nitro that aired on April 2nd. I hope there’s a reason this is on here because on the surface it looks like some random match. Duggan clubs at Meng as soon as Meng enters the ring and Meng has to bail shortly afterwards. The announcers all but ignore this match, as do I, since I’d rather sneak in a few moves on Words With Friends rather than see these two lugs punching each other. Hacksaw makes the mistake of trying to headbutt Meng who takes control with a Nerve Hold. Meng misses a legdrop and Hacksaw comes back with an atomic drop. He misses a charge in the corner, though. Hacksaw tries using the 2x4 but the ref intervenes and Meng superkicks Duggan down. He covers but Duggan’s foot makes the ropes. Duggan bails to the outside and tapes his fist. He clocks Meng on the way in and gets the pinfall at 6:02. Thankfully there’s only one more Hacksaw match on here. ½*.
-Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs. DDP-
This match took place at the 1996 Bash at the Beach which was held on July 7th. Unfortunately for Hacksaw this match, which surely would’ve been the best remembered match on any normal card, would forever be overshadowed by what happened in the main event (The New World Order). This is a Taped Fist, Lord of the Ring Match. I know what the Taped Fist means, but what the hell was Lord of the Ring? Not Rings plural but ring-singular. Heenan and the announce crew are all abuzz over this third man. I wonder who it could be? I don’t see a whole lot of potential for this. Hacksaw shoulderblocks Page to the outside but Page pulls Duggan by his legs and pulls them between the ringpost. He ties his legs together and then takes the tape off of Duggan’s fists. Duggan responds by punching Page anyway. Page goes upstairs but Duggan catches the ropes and crotches Page. Duggan then face plants Page. Duggan slams Page into the turnbuckles and clotheslines Page to the outside. Duggan rolls Page in and follows but Page kicks the rope into Duggan’s crotch and gives him a Diamond Cutter to end this at 5:40. This wasn’t as terrible as the other matches. *1/4. Duggan cheapshots Page after the match despite losing fairly and squarely. Page also retains the Lord of the Ring moniker. So I guess that clears that up!
Instant Classic
-Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes in a Falls Count Anywhere Match-
This is the second Instant Classic match that came from the Extreme Rules 2011 PPV, an event that took place on May 1st, 2011. The build-up video actually shows a decent feud here – Cody was playing a dashing heel until he had his face busted in by Rey Mysterio’s knee-brace during a 619. This led to Rhodes wearing a face mask and Rhodes started going after Rey to try and damage him in the way that Rhodes was damaged. Mysterio slugs Rhodes in the face and knocks him to the outside. Rey follows with a baseball slide into a headscissors take over. They battle up the entry-way and Rhodes dropkicks Rey on the concrete and covers for two. Rhodes is sent into the electronic screen and he bails to the lower part of the ramp. Rey follows with a seated senton for two. They head into the crowd and Rhodes puts Mysterio in a Boston Crab using the handrails. Rhodes smashes Rey’s hand into the handrail, too. They end up on the concourse and Rey pushes Rhodes into some plastic garbage cans. Rey slams the top of one of those garbage bins to Rhodes’ back and covers for two. Rhodes lands a big spin kick and covers for two. Rey is flipped onto the top of one of the concession stand counters and connects with a crossbody for two. Rhodes makes his way back to the crowd and Rey catches him from behind. They eventually get back to ringside and Rhodes hiptosses a charging Rey over the barrier. Rey responds with European forearms but his Mexican armdrag attempt ends with Rey’s face getting slammed into the steel steps. Rhodes covers and Rey is able to kick out. Rey connects with a springboard crossbody in the ring for two. Rey is sent to the apron, fights off Rhodes and gets a flying headbutt to a standing Rhodes. Rhodes is set up in 619 position but Rhodes moves before Rey can hit the move. Rhodes ducks out of a guillotine legdrop, Alabama slams Rey down and covers for two. Rhodes sets up Rey on the top rope as the match starts dragging a bit. Rey manages to spit some green mist at Rhodes and that puts Rhodes in 619 position. It hits and a crossbody off the middle of the top rope ends this at 11:42. Nice to see the Falls Count Anywhere Stipulation end in the ring. The first 7-minutes were pretty good, with them brawling into the crowd, as it was generally interesting. Once they got back into the ring it dragged for a bit before the finish. Did Rey’s green mist ever reappear after this or was this just a one-time deal? I did like how the Instant Classic tied into the theme of the month. **1/2.
WWE Workshop
-Rick Martel vs. Dusty Rhodes (w/Sapphire)-
The first match I’m reviewing is from 1990. Usually I’d get a match from at least the 1980’s or even the 70’s before getting to anything from the 90’s. This is from the January 23rd episode of WWE Wrestling Challenge. Martel has Arrogance with him and this was right after he turned heel and started the whole Model gimmick. Tony Schiavone mentions that this is in Florida and Dusty is greatly loved down there. Sapphire and Rhodes dance way too long into the match. Rhodes finally ushers Sapphire out and that allows Martel to get a shot in from behind. Martel cart-wheels out of danger and celebrates but turns around into some Dusty rights. Martel bails and when he returns the Challenge production department uses that opportunity to play a Martel floating promo. He mentions Arrogance but not much else. Rhodes elbows Martel into the corner but Martel escapes from the corner with a thumb to the eye. Rhodes blocks an axe-handle off the second rope with a shot to the gut. Rhodes shoves down the referee and Martel uses this opportunity to spray Dusty in the eyes with Arrogance. That draws the DQ at 3:27. Sapphire goes in and Martel threatens her with it but Dusty makes the save. It’s interesting they’d protect Dusty like this considering his given a stupid polka dot gimmick in lieu of building up a new heel. This was an average 3-minute TV match. *.
-Horsemen vs. Buzz Sawyer, Great Muta & Dragon Master-
Taking place just 3 days after the match before (or should I say, AIRING 3 days after) is this match from WCW Power Hour (January 26th for those who don’t feel like doing the math). The Horsemen here are Sting, Flair and Arn Anderson. I know who Muta is and have heard of Sawyer but I’ve never seen Dragon Master before. Were these guys (aside from Muta) jobbers? Buzz and the rest of the job crew can’t stand the huge ovation that the Horsemen are getting. Arn and Buzz start and Arn clotheslines Buzz down. He tags in Sting and brings him in with a slingshot leading to a big clothesline on Buzz. Dragon Master and Muta get in but are quickly dumped by the Horsemen. The energy here is just ELECTRIC. Cornette says the fans will end up like Pete Townshend if the noise keeps up. He’s been known to have hearing issues thanks to his years in The Who. Sting press-slams Sawyer and then press-slams Muta onto Sawyer and Dragon Master who are on the outside. That was an impressive show of strength. Sting ends up in the heel corner but he fights out. He backdrops Muta and then tags in Flair who gets a huge pop. Flair chops away at Dragon Master and then tags in the Enforcer. Buzz gets in there and chops Arn but misses a shoulder in the corner and posts himself. Idiot. Arn immediately goes after the shoulder and tags in Sting who does the same. Flair tags in and exchanges chops with Buzz. Flair gets the better of that exchange and Buzz ends up tagging in Dragon Master. Sting tags in and tries a Scorpion Death Lock but Sawyer breaks that up. Flair and Muta have a go in the ring now. Flair is kicked down but he pops up and chokes Muta. He puts Muta in the figure four but the Dragon Master and Sawyer break that up. Flair is your Horsemen in peril and is sent hard to the corner where he goes up and over to the outside. Dragon Master and Muta double-team him out there before Sawyer comes out and rams him into the apron. Arn makes the save with an axe-handle off the apron but can’t do much else. Sawyer powerslams Flair in the ring and covers and Arn has to break that up. Flair blocks a suplex with a small cradle for two. Muta connects with a hand spring elbow and tags in Dragon Master. Flair is sent to the corner where he flips onto the apron and runs at Sawyer. He goes upstairs and actually hits an axe-handle off the top (!!!!) and tags in Sting. Stinger Splash for Sting on Sawyer! Sting puts the Scorpion Death Lock on Sawyer but Muta spews the Green Mist in his face in full view of the referee to end this at 16:07. The heels triple-team Sting after dumping Flair and Arn. Sting wouldn’t be able to wrestle the cage match at Clash of the Champions due to being dumped out of the Horsemen at that same Clash about an hour before the match. Since that Clash is about a week away this was probably one of Sting’s last Horsemen matches. This was a kick-ass match to go out on, as it worked the tag formula perfectly and had just the right amount of crowd energy to keep it going. There were a lot of dead periods in the action early on ***1/2.
-The Mountie (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Roddy Piper(c) for the WWE Intercontinental Title-
This took place on Saturday Night’s Main Event which is listed as taking place on February 17th, 1992 but the title shows that this took place two weeks ago. Was this the same as the February 8th episode but just shown later? The Mountie attacks from behind after Hart grabs the IC title out of Piper’s hands. Piper is dumped but he comes right in and clotheslines both Hart and Mountie down. Mountie is covered for two. He bails and Piper follows, issuing a double noggin knocker to the guys in red. Hart pulls Piper’s leg on the way in and Mountie takes advantage. Mountie hangs up Piper in a tree of woe as we hear from Bret Hart about his upcoming IC match against whoever is the champion at Wrestlemania. Bret wants his belt back. Piper is bodyslammed but his splash attempt finds nothing but Piper’s knees. Piper tries a bulldog but he’s shoved off and sent into the referee. Mountie takes advantage with a piledriver. He dumps water on Piper’s head and grabs a shock-stick. He shocks Piper but Piper no-sells it. Piper gets the shock-stick himself, dumps Hart and shocks Mountie. Mountie’s out and Piper picks up the pinfall when the referee finally revives to end this at 3:43. Piper takes of his shirt and reveals a shock proof shirt. How do we know it is Shock Proof? Because the shirt says so! This was a fun, brisk match. *1/2.
-Big Boss Man vs. Nailz in a Night Stick Match-
This took place at Survivor Series 1992 (November 25th) and was their big blow off match. See, Nailz had come back from prison and brutally attacked Boss Man right before Summerslam to set this up. This is actually part of the current angles on Superstars that’re on GreatestMatches.com at this time. Sean Mooney tells us the rules of the match – a night stick is hung on a pole and whoever gets it first can use it on his opponent. We hear from Nailz first, and he wants to use the night stick to break both of Boss Man’s legs and shove it down his throat all for revenge of spending 2,478 days in jail for crimes he didn’t commit. That was a very spirited promo from Nailz. Gene is with Boss Man who tells us that Nailz should be serving a life sentence. Boss Man cuts this promo during Nailz’ entrance. Boss Man charges in and attacks Nailz who is already trying to climb up and get the night stick. Nailz immediately chokes Boss Man down. Nailz makes an attempt for the night stick but Boss Man pulls him off. Boss Man blocks a charge with a raised boot and clobbers Nailz with a right. Boss Man climbs up and tries for the night stick but Nailz catches him and tosses him off. Nailz gets a backbreaker and that’s the first time I’ve seen him do a wrestling move other than just choking his opponent. Nailz tries getting the night stick but Boss Man catches him and crotches him. Boss Man clotheslines Nailz down and I say good for the fans for keeping involved in this so far. Boss Man is able to pull the night stick off the pole (after some effort) and just lays out Nailz with it. Nailz fights back and Boss Man drops the night stick. Nailz wails away on Boss Man now but Boss Man ducks one of the swings and connects with the Boss Man Slam to end this at 5:44. Boss Man clears Nailz from the ring with the night stick after the match. This match felt a lot longer than 5:44 and that’s not a good thing. There’s not too much that you could’ve done with these two, especially with Nailz’ limitations but it did serve as a definitive blow-off to their feud so it served its purpose. *.
-Arn Anderson vs. Barry Windham(c) for the WCW World Title-
This took place at Slamboree which was held on March 23rd, 1993. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen Windham defend the WCW title and I had completely forgotten he held the title at this time. Actually, now that I check, this is the bastardized WORLD title and not the proper NWA/WCW belt. That clears that up, then. Arn gets a quick two-count off a belly to belly suplex. Arn gets another pinfall attempt and this time Windham’s had enough and just cracks Arn with a right. The crowd seems especially dead tonight. Arn DDT’s Windham and covers for two. Windham bails to the outside and Arn follows. Windham makes it back in and knees Arn on his way back in. Arn heads upstairs and tries an axe-handle but Windham catches him coming off with a clothesline. A DDT follows for two. Arn is dumped and Windham follows. Arn takes control out there and sends Windham into the barricade. Windham is busted open now. Arn gets a small package in the ring for two and Windham’s really bleeding now. Arn heads upstairs and Windham catches him with a dropkick (or maybe even an enzuigiri) that sends Arn to the outside. Windham follows and suplexes him. Windham gets a flying clothesline off the top once Arn makes it back in and he covers for two. Arn knocks Windham back with a right and tries a suplex but Windham counters into one of his own for two. Arn manages a spinebuster but Windham wisely rolls to the outside. He grabs the belt and starts to leave. The referee counts but Arn shoves him down and he brings Windham back to the ring. He tosses him in and shoves the referee down so he can slug Windham in the corner. Windham goes outside and grabs the title and knocks Anderson out with it, all while the ref is out. Windham covers as the ref revives and he gets the pinfall at 10:55. This was an odd match. I liked it but I don’t know if I should’ve. It wasn’t really an old-school NWA match but it wasn’t really an early 90’s match either. The fans were totally apathetic which hurt a bit, too. It just seems like two people who should be feuding over the TV Title and not the World Title. There were just too many spots of punching and kicking and not enough wrestling to make this really good. **1/2.
-Tommy Dreamer vs. Brian Lee in a Weapons Match-
These two battled at Hardcore Heaven back on June 22nd, 1996. Beulah and Kimona make their way through the entrance which allows Dreamer to sneak up behind Lee. The ring is just littered with plunder, from garbage cans to a guitar to road signs. Okay, the two of them hit each other with the crap that litters the ring. They brawl into the Philly crowd and then out into the streets. Luckily we can see none of the action as the camera man valiantly tries to follow the action through the sea of fans. Styles brings up the Massacre on Queens Blvd. I actually used to drive by the Elk’s Lodge almost every day for a couple of years so I know exactly what he’s talking about. I didn’t really know about ECW when they wrestled at the Lodge, unfortunately, though I did see some local shows there, including one where Eddie Guerrero fought Low-Ki in a Ladder Match. It was in 2003 when Eddie had been let go from WWE due to his personal demons and was doing Indy shows for cash. Anyway, Lee and Dreamer send each other into a steel grate and Dreamer blades. Tommy’s suplexed in the street as they continue walking and brawling outside the arena. They eventually make their way back into the building and to the ring. At least the camera man can follow the action now. Dreamer uses a mailbox on Lee and Styles actually gets a good line about COD – concussion on delivery. Clever, Joey! Dreamer low blows Lee but misses a ukulele shot. Lee chokeslams Dreamer and then finds a baseball bat and cinder block. He puts the cinder block on Tommy’s crotch but Beulah breaks that up. Kimona goes in and flashes Lee (on the opposite end of the camera, of course) and Dreamer uses this opportunity to hit Lee with a stop sign and then DDT him on it to get the pinfall at 9:05. The Bruise Brothers run in to get some measure of revenge after the match. Lee brings Dreamer up the balcony of the ECW arena as the Bruise Brothers stack tables underneath it. Lee chokeslams Dreamer through those tables and the fans go apeshit for that spot. This was a typical ECW garbage match and the best spot of the whole thing came after the match ended. *.
-Shawn Michaels(c) (w/Jose Lothario) vs. Sid for the WWE Title-
I could’ve sworn I reviewed this match already but I guess I haven’t. This took place at the 1996 Survivor Series (November 17th) and the foreign object in question is certainly an interesting one. Michaels is the face here and Sid, the alleged heel, gets a decent reaction from the MSG crowd. Sid gets in some rights early but Shawn comes right back with a crossbody for two. Shawn takes Sid over with a side headlock. Sid headscissors Michaels who nips up and slaps him. Amazingly, Sid takes over Shawn with a side headlock and then nips up when Shawn headscissors the big guy. Sid tries a press-slam but Michaels frees himself of that and he’s able to escape from a powerbomb attempt. Shawn stops a Sid charge with a boot to the face and then he chop blocks him. Shawn works the leg which draws boos from the MSG crowd. Shawn goes to the figure-four which is effective until Sid reverses it. Shawn keeps on the leg and he gets another chorus of boos. Shawn tries for another figure four but this time Sid is able to kick Shawn off and into the corner. Shawn posts his shoulder and Sid starts to work over that shoulder. The camera man distracts Sid so Sid shoves him. Remember that for later. Ross mentions the crowd reaction and how they seem to be pro-Sid. Shawn comes back with a dropkick to Sid’s knee. Sid kicks Michaels over the top but he skins the cat back in. He turns around and is clotheslined right to the outside. Sid follows and whips Shawn into the apron. He then press-slams him onto the steel barricade. Sid controls in the ring and sends Shawn into the corner. Shawn flips onto the apron and stunguns Sid but his top-rope crossbody attempt is caught by Sid and Sid gets a backbreaker for two. Sid tosses Shawn into the corner as things slow down a lot. Michaels manages a bodyslam on Sid (to boos!) but his axe-handle attempt (on a prone Sid?) fails when Sid lifts his boot to block. Sid puts Shawn in the Cobra Clutch. Shawn escapes and tries Sweet Chin Music but Sid blocks and chokeslams Shawn. The fans are totally behind Sid here. Sid tries a powerbomb but takes too long and Shawn cradles him for two. Sid responds with a powerslam for two. Sid nips up but is destroyed with a clothesline that gets two for Sid. Sid grabs the camera from the cameraman which draws Jose Lothario to the apron. Sid whacks Lothario off the apron with the camera but the attacks leaves him wide open for Sweet Chin Music. Shawn gets the superkick but then looks down and sees Jose writhing in pain. It appears he’s having a heart attack. Shawn tries helping Jose but Sid just pulls him back in. Shawn tries a crossbody out of the corner but he manages to hit the referee instead. Shawn goes right back to help Jose so Sid walks out and rams the video camera into Shawn’s back. Sid brings Shawn back in and powerbombs him. He covers and gets the pinfall and the title at 20:10. There’s a girl at ringside who screams her disapproval at Shawn’s loss. The MSG fans for the most part are happy with the victor. Shawn goes right out to look after Jose. This was an okay main event but there were way too many slow spots to make it anything special. ***.
-Lex Luger vs. Hulk Hogan(c) for the WCW Title-
This match took place at the 1997 Road Wild, which aired on August 9th. Luger shoulderblocks Hogan down at the onset of the match to show that he is the stronger wrestler. He can’t say, however, that he beat Yokozuna for a WWE title. Hogan goes to the headlock but Luger breaks and shoulderblocks him down again. What a battle! Hogan tries an armbar and Luger again escapes, arm-dragging Hogan to the point where Hogan needs to bail. Hogan gets a series of Hogan Sucks chants as he’s regrouping outside. Highlights of the match (aside from the rest-holds and posing) include Hogan calling Lex Luger Lex Loser. Hogan hits the bit boot but doesn’t follow up with the leg drop, covering for two instead. Luger does the Hogan superman comeback which eventually leads to the New World Order running out and getting dumped. Luger goes off the ropes to hit Hogan with his loaded forearm but Sting hits Luger in the back with the bat. Hogan finishes with the legdrop at 16:14. This match was unbearably long, actually. DUD.
-Al Snow vs. Tracey Smothers-
These two squared off on ECW television dating back to February 21st, 1998. This is 25-minutes long and I have no idea what to expect. Al Snow has Head with him and the fans are pelting the ring with mannequin heads. Tracey has both Tommy Rich and Little Guido in his corner. There’s a ton of stalling to start – Smother is too bothered by Head to start the damn match. The fans ask, “Where’s My Pizza?” just to get Smothers going. Smothers pushes Snow into the corner and then celebrates a la Owen Hart. Snow does the same just to mock Smothers. The action is slow and tame, with each guy doing one move and then stalling. There’s also a ton of smoke that’s popped up from somewhere that is making the video tough to watch. Snow ends up on the outside thanks to Little Guido and Rich crotches Snow on the barricade. Snow returns in the ring with an Ocean Cyclone Suplex and he tries for a superplex but Rich interferes and hits Snow with the Italian Flag. Snow gets double-teamed by the FBI though really this match is way too boring for me to care at this point. There’s no flow right now, and it just seems like they’re doing moves for no real purpose. Snow makes a comeback with a powerbomb but it is short-lived as Guido knees Snow from behind. Smothers heads upstairs and connects with a back-elbow for two. Snow catches Smothers with another powerbomb and a moonsault gets two. Smothers is clotheslined to the outside, right where the rest of FBI are. So Snow comes out at them with a moonsault press of the middle turnbuckle. Snow dispatches of Guido and chases Rich but gets nailed with a chair by Smothers. Okay, this is picking up a bit now. It only took 15-minutes of rest-holds and boring action to get here. Smothers ends up colliding with the referee, who is knocked out, and Snow is now triple-teamed. A crooked (WWE) referee makes it to the ring and he allows the triple-teaming to continue. The FBI, instead of trying to win, just get cheap heel heat from the crowd, allowing Snow to recover, grab Head, and hit everyone in the ring with it – causing Rich to blade, even. Everyone takes a Snow Plunge and Snow ends this with a Head shot to Smother’s groin for the pinfall at 19:25. This was 20-minutes long but really only 6-minutes of it was decent. *1/2.
-Goldberg vs. Scott Hall-
This took place at WCW Souled Out and aired on January 24th, 1998. This is a very odd stipulation – it’s a Stun Gun Ladder Match. What you needed to do was climb a ladder to get the Stun Gun and use it on your opponent to win. Goldberg shows off his power early but can’t overcome the pain of his injured left leg. Hall goes to get the ladder but Goldberg cuts him off on the outside. Goldberg tries bringing the ladder into the ring but Hall baseball slides the ladder into him. Hall makes the climb in the ring but decides to drop an elbow from the mid-way point of the ladder onto Goldberg. Heenan and Schiavone call this Hall’s experience which is questionable. If Goldberg was on the mat why not just get to the top of the ladder, grab the Stun Gun and use it to get the victory? Goldberg gets the ladder sent into his face and he’s busted open. Hall makes the climb but Goldberg knocks him off. Goldberg is able to sidestep a ladder-wielding charging Hall and Goldberg is able to use the ladder to inflict some punishment on Hall. Goldberg climbs and he’s dropkicked off by Hall. Hall climbs and Goldberg shoves him off the ladder. Hall wanted to crotch himself on the top rope but misses and takes a tough bump in the mat. Goldberg runs up and Disco Inferno shoves him off. Goldberg takes a very rough bump to the ropes (his head gets whipped back) and Disco helps Hall up. Hall climbs up and gets the Stun Gun but can’t stun Goldberg with it. Goldberg super-kicks Hall and the Stun Gun ends up outside. Goldberg gets the Stun Gun first, uses it on Disco Inferno and takes his sweet-ass time using it on Hall. Goldberg tosses it up in the air, Hall goes for it and Goldberg spears him. He hits his finisher and then shocks Hall with it to end this at 17:42. I’ve seen bad ladder matches before but this one takes the cake. Wow, I don’t know where to begin. Aside from it being spectacularly boring you had two guys who just couldn’t execute any decent ladder spots. The whole gimmick was awful and didn’t help the match, either. DUD.
-Edge(c) vs. William Regal for the WWE Intercontinental Title-
We go to Royal Rumble from 2002 (from January 20th). I guess this was during Edge’s first real singles push. He’s the IC champ here and the title is on the line Edge gives a tough-guy interview to Lillian Garcia before the match and he says his chair is more than enough to counter whatever Regal throws his way (especially the brass knuckles Regal likes to brandish). The referee searches Regal’s tights and actually finds the brass knuckles! He tosses them aside and we’re off. Edge is a house of fire early but Regal takes control with some European Uppercuts. Regal holds onto a reverse chinlock and tries a gut-wrench suplex that Edge reverses into a backdrop that leads to a pinning combination. Regal actually holds on and turns it around, getting the original gut-wrench attempt for two. Regal sends Edge to the outside. Edge is met on the apron by Regal and Edge actually manages a DDT on the apron. It sounds cooler than it actually looks, however. Edge puts Regal back in and covers but Edge’s feet are under the ropes and eventually the referee sees this and breaks the count. The two collide in the ring and they’re both out (at the 6-minute mark). Edge recovers first and suplexes Regal for two. Regal side-steps Edge and gets the Regal Stretch. Edge makes the ropes and puts Regal into the same move but Regal was too close to the ropes and he breaks. Edge dropkicks Regal into the ropes and cradles him on the rebound. Edge heads upstairs but Regal catches him and tries a superplex. Edge shoves him off and connects with a spinning heel kick off the top. Regal reaches into his tights and pulls out a SECOND pair of brass knuckles. Edge tries a spear but Regal pulls the referee in front of them and the referee takes the brunt of the move. Edge gets knocked out with the brass knuckles. Regal covers and gets the pinfall and the title at 9:44. This wasn’t anything special but it wasn’t as complete waste, either. They built up a nice little TV match that happened to be on a PPV. **1/4. Michael Cole asks Regal how he could’ve done that and Regal says he’s been blessed by the power of the punch.
-Tommy Dreamer vs. Stevie Richards-
These two wrestled on the July 15th, 2002 episode of Raw. Richards meets Dreamer backstage before the match. Richards thanks Dreamer for standing up to Heyman and Lesnar for all the ECW guys but Richards calls Dreamer full of crap – he did it just to get noticed. Richards suggests they make their match tonight a Singapore Cane match. Goldust makes an appearance for some reason, too. Richards then cheap-shots Dreamer with the cane before leaving. Dreamer steals one of Richards two canes early, blocks a shot and goes to work. He canes him down and gets the steel steps but Richards recovers and introduces Dreamer’s face to the cane. Dreamer does a blade job and Richards follows with a suplex on the entryway. Dreamer is choked with the cane and then sent into the corner where the other cane had been set up. Richards whacks away with the cane but Dreamer starts no-selling the shots and asks to be hit in the head. He ducks the shot and then just lays into Richards with the Singapore Cane. Dreamer DDT’s Richards and covers for two. Dreamer’s face is covered in red now. Dreamer tries a cane shot from the middle rope but jumps right into a superkick which only gets two. Dreamer recovers and just destroys Richards with a cane shot right to the head and he falls on top of Richards for the pinfall at 4:16. This was an awesome sub-5-minute match with some amazing, wickedly stiff shots. ***.
-Trish Stratus(c) vs. Victoria for the Women’s Title in a Hardcore Rules Match-
This one comes from Survivor Series 2002, held on November 17th at the one and only Madison Square Garden. F-View gives us a shot of Victoria talking to her mirror and getting pissed when the mirror tells Victoria that Trish Stratus is prettier than her. The recap video shows a simple plot – Victoria was just plain jealous of Trish. Victoria attacks Trish from behind and chokes her with Trish’s own jacket! Victoria goes to the plunder right away and the first thing she grabs is a broom. What’s next – a dish mop? Victoria misses a few swings but she ends up on top of Trish and chokes her with the broomstick. Trish gets a trashcan lid but Victoria smacks it into her face and smashes Trish face into it. Trish bails to the outside and Victoria follows – sending her hard into the trashcan that was tied to the ringpost. Victoria rolls Trish in and follows with a slingshot somersault leg drop for two. Victoria gets a garbage can from under the ring and props it in the corner. Trish turns the tables and slingshots Victoria right into the trash can. She puts the trashcan over Victoria and kicks it into her before covering for two. Trish finds an ironing board (really?) and sets that up in the corner. Victoria is sent into it and Trish kicks her down for two. Trish finds a Singapore Cane and whips Victoria with it. Victoria kicks Trish off and finds a trash-can lid. She whacks Trish with it and goes upstairs but Trish follows and nails her with the garbage can. We see Victoria is bleeding from her nose now, probably from that slingshot into the garbage can. Victoria powerbombs Trish and gets a mirror from under the ring. Trish kicks Victoria down for two. Trish gets a baking pan but gets whacked with a Singapore Cane. Blown spot in the corner (Trish bulldogs Victoria to counter something) leads to a two for Trish. Victoria finds a fire extinguisher and takes entirely too long to spray Trish in the eyes. She gets in, suplexes Trish and covers for the pinfall and the title at 7:02. The first few minutes were pretty good, despite the dead crowd, but it just descended into a mess of blown spot after blown spot. *.
-John Cena & Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker & Kurt Angle-
This was the main event of the October 2nd, 2003 episode of WWE SmackDown! This is very early in Cena’s career. He’s the only one that is actively still wrestling on the WWE roster out of the four people here and even back in 2003 he was getting booed. He was a heel though, so he was supposed to be booed. Cena freestyles before the match (and it was rather funny) and before the commercial. Brock Lesnar is fresh off his UFC loss and subsequent retirement (in real life, not in this match. Here he was the current WWE Champion) so a WWE return is likely. Brock would be challenging Undertaker at the next PPV and Cena would be battling Angle so a tag match was signed to hype both matches. Kurt Angle is actually the last one introduced here. From 2000-2004 there was no one more entertaining in the WWE than Kurt Angle IMHO. Kurt Angle and John Cena start off and that would be a good Wrestlemania Main Event right now. In fact, any combination of these four would make an interesting Wrestlemania Main Event. Angle was Cena’s first ever WWE opponent, something that neither announcer mention. Angle out-wrestles Cena early because he’s Kurt Fucking Angle. Cena resorts to what Cole calls the “Pound and Ground” offense but gets clotheslined down for his efforts. Undertaker tags in and Cole mentions the history between Cena and Undertaker but doesn’t elaborate any further for those who may be watching 8 years later and doesn’t remember any feud of theirs. Taker goes old school with the rope walk and then chases Lesnar from the apron. Cena takes a pounding from Angle but when Angle is sent to the ropes Lesnar turns the tides by holding down the top rope. Angle takes a wicked bump to the outside and Lesnar follows by slamming Angle into the apron. We take a break and return with Lesnar suplexing Angle and dropping an elbow for two. Angle’s your American in Peril right now and he’s taking a beating from both Lesnar and Cena. Lesnar press-slams Angle. Angle counters a second press-slam attempt into a German Suplex and both guys are down. The classic “face makes the tag but the ref doesn’t see it” bit occurs and that always works in getting a good reaction from the crowd. This is formula stuff so far and it is awesome. Cena pounds Angle and tells Undertaker he can’t see him. Angle gets the Ankle Lock but Lesnar runs in and breaks that up. That draws Taker who is ushered out by the referee. Lesnar does an awesome version of the Fisherman’s suplex and Undertaker has to break up that pinfall. Lesnar powerslams Angle and then knocks Undertaker off the apron. Lesnar tries a bodyslam which is countered into a small package for two. Lesnar charges and Angle connects with the Angle Slam. Angle finally makes the hot tag to Undertaker and Big Evil (remember that nickname?) cleans house. It’s clotheslines for both heels! Snake Eyes for Lesnar! Lesnar is clotheslined to the outside and Cena is laid out with a big boot. Undertaker chokeslams Cena and he covers but Lesnar somehow breaks up that pinfall before the referee counts to three. Lesnar was too slow in getting there and only the ref’s slow count helped. Lesnar knees Undertaker and catches Big Evil with a spinebuster. The ref counts as both men are down but Lesnar’s not the legal man. Undertaker needs to make the hot tag to Angle and Angle clotheslines both guys down. A charge finds Cena’s knee but Angle responds with a belly to belly overhead toss on both Cena and Lesnar. Lesnar falls to the outside and Cena suffers at the hands of the rolling Germans. Cena grabs the steel chain as Angle grabs the Ankle Lock and Lesnar breaks that up. Undertaker and Lesnar brawl to the outside allowing Cena to hit Angle flush with that chain. He covers and that’s enough for the pinfall at 13:16. Cena bails as Angle is knocked out in the ring. Lesnar beats on Undertaker on the outside but can’t F5 Undertaker through the table. Undertaker ends up choke-slamming Lesnar through the table to end the show. Maybe it’s because the rest of the matches I’ve seen (or the most recent I’ve seen) were really bad but this was just a spot-on formula tag match with some amazing old-school style action. ****.
-Booker T, The Dudley Boys & Shane McMahon vs. Chris Jericho, Christian & La Resistance in a Table Match-
Only 11 days after the last match we got this match, from the October 13th, 2003 episode of Monday Night Raw. I have no clue about the back-story behind this pairing and how the match came to be. It seems (according to the commentary) that this is a big return for Booker T. It’s been 8 years and I couldn’t even begin to tell you who was in La Resistance – I know Sylvain Grenier but I can’t remember the second. Christ Jericho and Booker T start off with Booker T hitting a spin kick. I should point out that to win this match you only need to put ONE of your opponents through a table. Bubba tags in and chases Jericho who tags in Rene Dupree – there’s your second member of the team! D-Von tags in and bulldogs Dupree down. He goes off the ropes and sells a slap to the back of the head by Jericho like he’d been shot. Rob Conroy comes in and I think he replaced Grenier who is no longer on the team. So the one person I remember from the team isn’t even on the damn team anymore! Christian tags in and doesn’t do much before tagging in Jericho. Things devolve with all eight wrestler’s brawling and we end up with Shane and Jericho in the ring. The heels gang up on Shane and crotch him using the ringpost. The Un-Americans set up a table outside but Booker and the Dudley’s make the save as we head to break. We return with Shane stuck in the Un-American’s corner. Jericho misses a splash in near the ropes but Shane can’t tag out thanks to Christian. Shane’s still stuck in the ring as Lawler makes fun of Napoleon and the French in general. Shane DDT’s Jericho and that’s what allows Shane to make the hot tag to Booker. Booker cleans house and gets the scissors kick on Jericho. Christian runs in but gets stomped down by Booker. All the other 6 wrestler’s are brawling outside now. Christian low-blows Booker and dumps him. Bubba runs in and gets a Bubba-bomb on Jericho only to get smashed in the head by Jericho and a trashcan. D-Von gets Saving Grace on Jericho who gets spine-bustered down by Dupree. Dupree is spine-bustered in return by Booker T who sets up a trash can in the corner to allow Shane to get the Van Terminator. Booker is taken to the outside by Christian. Conway takes out Shane but suffers from a Whassup Drop at the hands (or head) of the Dudley’s. Bubba tells D-Von to get the tables and the fans are happy with this turn of events. They bring it in and in a cool spot lift the table when Christian tries a baseball slide. Jericho runs in and hits the Dudley’s with the flag (and a loaded flagpole?) but Spike runs in and gets the Acid Drop on Jericho. He tries on Christian who blocks. The Dudley’s try to 3D Christian through the table but Conway pulls the table out of the way. Booker manages to walk in and Bookend Conroy through the table to end this at 15:41. There was some decent action here but for me it fell flat in a lot of areas. The ending sequence was just everyone hitting random moves for what seemed like forever before the actual finish. **1/2.
-Ric Flair(c) vs. Shelton Benjamin for the WWE Intercontinental Title-
Monday Night Raw on the night of February 20th, 2006 was the home of this match. Shelton is with his Momma backstage. He dedicates his eventual win tonight for his Momma. Shelton is worried about her being at ringside but he wheels her and her oxygen tank out anyway. Joey Styles, Jerry Lawler and Jonathan Coachman are the interesting announcing trio for the match and I can’t recall Flair ever wearing the IC belt. Benjamin slugs at Flair in the corner and Flair responds with some big chops. I can’t believe Flair was wrestling as late as 2006 while wearing a title. Flair keeps up with the chop therapy, sending Benjamin tumbling to the outside and tumbling to a commercial break. We’re back with Flair chopping Benjamin and hitting a very weak knee-crusher. He tries for the figure-four but gets kicked to the outside. Benjamin follows and gets chopped again. Talk about one-trick pony. Shelton gets a Samoan Drop on the floor and a suplex in the ring for two. Shelton connects with a dragon whip for two. Momma’s not too happy at ringside. Flair responds with (what else) a chop but gets elbowed down in the corner. Shelton barely hits Flair with a top-rope clothesline and the cover is broken up when Flair’s foot makes the ropes. Shelton tries a springboard axe-handle but gets chopped down by Flair. Flair chop-blocks the knee and puts on the Figure-Four. Shelton manages to make the ropes and escapes to the outside. Momma feigns heart problems and the referee checks on her. He calls for medical help and while he’s looking after her he misses Shelton Benjamin nail Ric Flair with her oxygen tank. Shelton ends with his T-Bone bodyslam or whatever at 8:57 to win the IC title. Momma dances at ringside in celebration. Flair was absolutely useless in here and Benjamin was just wrestling himself here. *.
-Edge (w/Lita) vs. Mick Foley in a Hardcore Rules Match-
We go to Wrestlemania 22 (April 2nd, 2006) for this one. This may have been one of Foley’s last matches in the WWE. I don’t know why these two were feuding, of course. Edge has a baseball bat and Mick Foley is being billed from Long Island, New York. I just point that out because everyone I know from Long Island say what area they’re from, like Lindenhurst or Nassau or Elmont rather than just “Long Island.” Edge misses some swings with the bat and Foley responds with a bulldog. He sets up Edge in a Tree of Woe and Foley drops an elbow on the Rated R Superstar. Joey Styles is calling the action and he’s well-suited for this type of match. Edge comes back with a big boot and Edge just flattens Foley with a cookie-sheet and then a street sign. Edge spears Foley but Edge takes the worst of that exchange. It seems that Foley was wearing barbed wire around his chest! Edge’s shoulder is cut open now. Foley unwraps the barbed wire from his waist and he just whips Edge with it. Edge gets tied up in the ropes and Foley gets a barbed wire baseball bat he hid under the stairs. Lita blocks Foley from using it so Foley charges at Edge and dumps both Edge, himself and Lita with a Cactus elbow. Lita took a really tough bump on that one. Foley covers for two. A swinging neckbreaker on the floor also gets two. Foley tries sending Edge to the steps but Edge counters, hiptosses Foley into the steps and then whips him knee first into the steps. Edge sets up a table outside the ring and puts Foley on it but Foley moves before Edge can do anything with Foley lying there. Foley backs up the aisle so Edge just smashes the back of his head onto the grating. Edge douses Foley in lighter fluid but Foley knocks him back before he can do further damage with it. Foley pile-drives Edge and plans on using a chair but Lita intervenes again. Edge DDT’s Foley onto a cookie sheet and covers for two. Edge finds the barbed wire bat and takes some batters Foley with it. Foley gets busted open as a result. Foley is bulldogged onto the bat and Edge covers for two. Edge finds some thumbtacks and dumps them out. Fate rears her ugly head when Edge is back suplexed onto the tacks. Foley brings out Mr. Socko and wraps the sock in barbed wire. He uses it on Edge and a charging Lita. That should teach her a lesson. Lita’s cut open as a result of that. Foley gets the bat back and he swings away on Edge. He hits Edge in the head with it and now Edge is busted open. This is just carnage! Foley grinds the bat onto Edge but stops when he sees the table and the lighter fluid. Foley puts the lighter fluid on the table and celebrates only to get a barbed wire baseball bat in the groin thanks to Lita. Lita lights the table and Foley, on the apron, gets speared off the apron by Edge and through the flaming table. Edge covers and gets the pinfall at 14:38. This showed that Edge could hang with the big boys and Foley definitely made Edge look like a star. I thought the match itself was very reminiscent of the Foley/Triple H Royal Rumble match but just without the insane amount of heat and back-story. This also focused more on the hardcore spots than telling an actual story. Still, it’s probably the most hardcore match you’ll ever see at Wrestlemania. ***.
-Undertaker(c) vs. Batista for the WWE World Title in a Chairs Match-
We end with this match from the 2009 Tables, Ladders and Chairs PPV event that was held on December 13th. Batista goes for a chair early but Undertaker stops him from using it. Taker tries using it himself to the same effect. Taker clotheslines Batista in the ring and slugs away in the corner. They brawl outside as Matt Stryker brings up Batista’s denser bones. That was weird. Batista sends Taker to the steps but gets sent into the first row after an awkward spot. Taker tries a running big boot but crotches himself on the barricade. Batista gets the first shot in with the chair to Taker’s back. Taker responds with a guillotine legdrop. Batista blocks the ropewalk by crotching Undertaker. The crowd is absolutely dead here, and the announcers are likewise. Batista manages a spinebuster for two but Undertaker comes back with a flying clothesline and the ropewalk. Taker rolls snake eyes and tries a big boot but Batista counters with a spear for two. Taker is spinebustered onto the chair but when Batista comes too close Taker catches Batista with Hell’s Gate. Batista manages to make the ropes. Batista recovers and tries a spear in the corner but Taker ducks and Batista crashes into the chair he had set up in the corner earlier. Taker gets the chokeslam and covers for two. Taker tries for the Tombstone but Batista shoves him off near the referee. Taker prevents himself from hitting the referee but with the ref’s back turned Batista low blows Undertaker and finishes him off with a chair shot to the head. Batista covers and wins the title at 12:44. That seemed way too quick. Wait, here comes Teddy Long. Teddy restarts the match and Taker does a timely sit-up. Taker hits Batista with a chair and tombstones Batista down. He covers and gets the real pinfall at 13:14. Well, that seemed way too quick. For a 13-minute match this was incredibly boring and heatless. It seemed like both guys were just phoning it in at this PPV. **.
-The Bottom Line-
I guess this month didn’t get off to a great start. The Original Programs weren’t terribly interesting (I’ve seen the Introducing and JR’s Pick match or segment already) and this was easily one of the worst Hall of Fame spotlights I’ve seen. Were those really the best Hacksaw matches you could find? I’d rather see some classic bouts with Harley Race than a stupid Meng match from Nitro. The theme of the month was interesting but I felt it was almost a hindrance at times. Did we need some crappy WCW matches just because certain illegal objects were used? It took me a long time to get through the month’s matches because I was on vacation and when I did sit down to watch it there was a stretch where I was watching 20-minute matches that were just terrible. Not only that but I was getting pin-wheeled to death on some videos with video quality that was well below what the service normally offered. I don’t think it was my computer but it did affect my enjoyment of the last 10 matches or so. Nevertheless, when it does work, even when the matches suck, this service is worth it. There were some very nice surprises here that helped the monthly portion of the service – like the Piper/Mountie match and the Cena/Lesnar vs. Undertaker/Angle match and you still can’t beat the amount of episodic TV you do get. This wasn’t my favorite month (it was the worst one of the last half of the year for me) but for what you get a month I can look past a so-so month of matches.
Matches I DIDN’T Review this month:
--Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs. Dino Bravo (Wrestlemania VI)
This was from the Hall of Fame section. I have no recollection of this match but checking my ratings database I see I gave it * and Hacksaw won in under 5-minutes.
---US Express(c) vs. Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff (Wrestlemania I)
Ahhh, the only title to change hands at Wrestlemania I. The foreign object in question here was Blassie’s cane, which the heels used to win the titles in this ** match.
--Hart Foundation vs. Demolition(c) (Summerslam 1988)
This is from the first ever Summerslam and The Hart Foundation would be challenging for the Tag Titles. I didn’t remember the match right off the top of my head but when I checked my old review it showed that Bret used Jimmy’s megaphone as the foreign object in this decent *** tag match.
--Sgt. Slaughter vs. Ultimate Warrior(c) (Royal Rumble 1991)
Slaughter won the WWE Title when Macho King Randy Savage ran in and used his scepter on Warrior. This was a * match between the two.
--Bret Hart(c) vs. Yokozuna (Wrestlemania IX)
This was their title match from Wrestlemania where Yokozuna won the title thanks to Fuji’s interference (he used salt!). The match wasn’t terrible (**) but that’s thanks to Bret Hart. I don’t know if they show Hogan’s victory minutes after the match ended here.
--Jeff Jarrett(c) vs. Chyna (No Mercy 1999)
These two fought for the IC title in a Good Housekeeping Match. Yes, it sounds as bad is it was, coming in at DUD.
--Vince McMahon vs. Triple H (Armageddon 1999)
This was a pretty important match. It marked the debut of Triple H’s sledgehammer and also kick-started the Helmsley-McMahon era on television which would lead to their real-life relationship and subsequent marriage and children. The match was ridiculously long (almost 30-minutes!) and was only about ½*.
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