My favorite show is getting worse and worse.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-survival-laziest/

Ring Of Honor
Date: November 3, 2021
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s time for the Halloween edition, which did air on time in some of the markets so this isn’t that far out of place. I have no idea what to expect around here now that everything has changed, but that kind of fits how Ring of Honor has worked for years. I could go for some more of what they have been doing so this is kind of appropriate. Let’s get to it.

Click on the link below for the full review.

Opening sequence.

Quinn McKay gives us the welcome. She also gets to draw the names for the Trick Or Treat match…but we only hear EC3, with the rest of the picks in fast forward. Moderately intriguing, save for EC3 that is. She has her own match this week and needs a replacement, but it needs to be ANYONE but Brian Johnson.

Delirious runs down the card. Let’s say it’s a bit more nuanced.

Commentary is in costumes as well, with Ian as a Teletubby, Coleman as Don Cornelius from Soul Train and Maria Kanellis-Bennett as…a woman in a dress?

Max The Impaler/Miranda Alize vs. Rok-C/Quinn McKay

Amy Rose is here with Max. Rok-C doesn’t think much of Miranda but Quinn insists that neither are left alone with the monster that is Max. Alize swats away Rok-C’s offer of a handshake and Rok-C isn’t happy. McKay comes in to take it to the mat with Alize and we take an early break.

Back with Alize cranking on Rok-C’s arms as we get the always appreciated/quick recap of what happened during the break. That’s broken up in a hurry and it’s back to McKay, who cuts off the tag attempt and hits a powerslam. Alize gets over for the tag off to Max anyway though and it’s time to wreck people. With Rok-C and McKay down, Alize is willing to come back in, where McKay rolls her up for two. Max suplexes McKay and Rok-C at the same time and then plants McKay again. Alize comes in to steal the pin at 6:37.

Rating: C-. They went with a rather basic and simple match here, though it would have been nice to not see McKay lose again. That being said, it’s better than having Rok-C take a pin and it makes sense to push Max as the unstoppable monster. Not the best match, but it is something that made sense.

Demonic Flamita/O’Shay Edwards vs. Silas Young/Rey Horus vs. World Famous CB/EC3 vs. Flip Gordon/Matt Taven

This is under Lucha Rules and the winners get $10,000. This is something I can get behind: a match where it feels like the drawing was actually random, as it makes things more fun. CB and Young go technical to start, with CB managing an armdrag to take over to start. Some rollups give them two each and it’s a standoff, with Young looking impressed. Flamita and Horus come in, with Flamita running him over and dropping an elbow to the back.

Horus jumps onto Flamita’s shoulders and spins around into a headscissors out to the floor. That means Gordon can come in and strike away at Horus, whose running hurricanrana doesn’t quite work. EC3 comes in and gets a handshake from Flip, who he already knows. Gordon stops to pose at Taven and gets punched down by EC3. It’s off to Taven, who gets taken over by a headlock takeover. Back up and a dropkick puts EC3 on the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Edwards blocking Taven’s Climax and getting caught in a bearhug. Flamita comes in with a running kick to the face for two as Horus comes in. We get a quick Mexisquad reunion, which lasts all of ten seconds before Flamita jumps Horus. Gordon comes in but can’t hit the Kinder Surprise on Horus.

It’s off to EC3, who does have his Kinder Surprised as everything breaks down. We wind up with Flamita vs. EC3 for a rather odd pairing. The fireman’s carry spun onto the knee drops Flamita and Taven hits Edwards with the Flight of the Conqueror. Horus flip dives onto CB and Taven, setting up Gordon’s big running flip dive. Back in and Horus hits a 450 on CB but Young comes in and steals the pin at 11:41.

Rating: C+. This was fun and that’s all it needed to be. Throw a bunch of people out there and let them have an energetic match which didn’t mean anything. It didn’t matter who won, but rather having a good time in a different kind of match. This worked out rather well and the flipping/diving helped as usual.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Danhausen/PCO/Sledge vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Danhausen and company are challenging and Danhausen thinks this is a good team to help him gain money and power. Khan and a scared looking Danhausen start things off, with Khan sending him flying. Moses comes in and actually gets taken down for a second, allowing Danhausen to hit a basement dropkick. Danhausen actually wants Shane, who isn’t having any of this being Irish whipped thing.

The chokeslam attempt just annoys Shane so he punches Danhausen in the face. Sledge comes in for the slugout with Shane instead, with Shane knocking him down as we take a break. Back with Sledge hitting a slingshot spear on Shane, allowing the hot tag to PCO to clean house. The referee gets bumped so PCO rips off a turnbuckle pad and sends Shane into the steel. Hold on though as PCO malfunctions again and falls outside.

That’s enough for Shane to take over on PCO, who comes out of the corner with a clothesline to Moses. The hot tag brings in Sledge, though Danhausen doesn’t seem pleased. Danhausen tags himself in and hits a running boot on Shane but gets run over by Khan. Everything breaks down and PCO gets knocked outside, setting up the assisted DDT to Danhausen. The Marcus Garvey Driver retains the titles at 8:33.

Rating: C. How could you not have Danhausen in this spot on a Halloween show? The Six Man Tag Team Titles don’t have much use around here, but they do a nice job of filling in a spot like this. The show needed a somewhat special main event so let Shane Taylor Promotions beat up someone smaller like Danhausen while having to deal with the bigger monsters. It was completely acceptable, with Danhausen continuing to be one of the most entertaining things about Ring of Honor today.

Post match Sledge jumps PCO and the brawl is on to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I had fun and that’s exactly what they were shooting for with this show. Sometimes you need to just relax and have a good time, which is what they were trying to do here. The wrestling was fine enough and they had a lot of people on the show doing some different things. Nice job, as it’s good to enjoy this place while you can.

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NXT Announces A Special Return, But Something Is Missing.

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These WWE Wrestlers Requested To Be Released.

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As always, please check out all of the videos if you can, hit up the comments section and get on the Wrestling Rumors Facebook page.

NXT
Date: November 9, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

We’re back with more of this show and I’m not exactly sure what that means. Odds are it means more Toxic Attraction though, as the trio has been all over the show almost every single week as of late. Throw in more of the usual suspects and this hasn’t been the most thrilling time in NXT in recent memory. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Kayden Carter/Io Shirai/Kacy Catanzaro vs. Toxic Attraction

They’re starting fast this time. Rose hammers on Carter to start and it’s quickly off to Dolin for more of the same. Carter fights up and brings in Shirai to take Jayne down by the leg. Catanzaro’s sliding trip takes Jayne down and a slingshot flip dive gets two. Jayne takes her into the corner though and it’s Rose coming back in, only to be sent outside for a slingshot corkscrew dive. Carter dives onto Rose and Dolin but Rose cuts off Shirai’s dive.

We take a break and come back with Rose chinlocking Catanzaro while holding a bodyscissors. That’s broken up and the tag brings in Shirai, who gets to take over for a bit. The Moon Over Moonsault connects on Rose as everything breaks down. Carter comes in as well and everything breaks down, with a brawl breaking out on the floor. The distraction lets Dolin pull Carter off the top and grab an abdominal stretch rollup for the pin at 12:05.

Rating: C. This could have been a lot worse and the fans were into it. That’s more than you can say for a lot of things around here so maybe they are making some progress. I’m not sure who is next for Toxic Attraction, but it is pretty clear that they are going to be a thing for a good while on this show.

Pete Dunne doesn’t think much of Tony D’Angelo and he can come get a fight if he wants one. Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes come in, with Williams saying a bunch of stuff that Dunne doesn’t understand. The result seems to be Dunne vs. Hayes for tonight.

MSK is walking to find whoever they’re looking for and finally get there….but the person has moved. They look up the new address, which is 420 miles away. First, they need a change of clothes and a shower, but they’re flying, with references to the Mile High Club. I’m assuming this is just a way to get the team away from the rather annoying NXT fans, which is rather sad if that’s the case.

Kay Lee Ray vs. Sarray

Ray walks through Toxic Attraction, who are still here for some reason. Ray knocks her down to start and hits a big forearm to the face. Sarray reverses a whip into the corner but misses a charge. Back up and Sarray pulls her to the mat for a nasty pull on the leg, only to have Ray make the rope. A fisherman’s suplex gives Sarray two but she misses the running dropkick in the ropes. They head outside with Ray hitting the KLR Bomb onto the announcers’ table. Back in and another KLR Bomb gives Ray the pin at 4:50.

Rating: C-. Pretty quick match here but the main idea was to get Ray back in the ring and winning a match. Ray has all of the potential in the world and it would be great to see her getting to do something more important around here. As for Sarray…I’m still not sure what went wrong but she isn’t looking to be the next big thing around here anytime soon.

Joe Gacy has requested a match with Boa to help him, because he sees the shame Boa carries. He also wants Harland to reach out his hand because he’s doing this for the two of them.

We see some clips of Bron Breakker on the UK tour, where he learned a lot and is ready to take the NXT Title.

Boa vs. Joe Gacy

Gacy knocks him down to start and scores with some shots to the face, setting up a suplex for two. Boa gets a boot up in the corner though….and we’ve got some flickering lights. They seem to recharge Boa, who cokes Gacy into the ropes and that’s a DQ at 3:27.

Rating: D+. So the guy who is subject to a thousand year old witch just got recharged by a red light and choked the woke guy for a DQ. This is one of those situations where you can see just how screwy the whole NXT 2.0 is, but at least the match was short. Nothing to see here, but the Boa attempts continue.

We look at the formation of Jacket Time (Ikemen Jiro/Kushida), which has the Diamond Mine annoyed. It’s time to dominate.

Grayson Waller interrupts Solo Sikoa’s interview but here is LA Knight to annoy both of them. Sikoa wants this settled tonight.

Jacket Time vs. Creed Brothers

Barrett: “Jacket Time is the worst tag team name I have ever heard.” Joseph: “Worse than the Corre with two r’s?” Barrett mutters. Brutus takes Jiro down to start and Jiro’s running shoulder doesn’t make much different. Kushida comes in and is quickly powerslammed and suplexed, but he comes back with a double handspring elbow.

Back with Kushida coming in off the hot tag (see how easy it can be to come back with energy) and house being cleaned. Jiro comes back in with a Swanton for two on Julius but the Ikemen Slice misses. Julius rips off Jiro’s jacket, allowing Roderick Strong to pull Jiro outside. Back in and Julius hits a gutwrench powerbomb for the pin on Jiro at 7:45.

Rating: C. I can’t get my head around the name Jacket Time, but at least the match went as it should have. The Creed Brothers could be something special and that means they shouldn’t be losing a match like this. Thankfully NXT seems to know they have something there and if that’s the case then everything should work out for them.

Post match, Odyssey Jones runs in and helps clean house.

Toxic Attraction isn’t losing their titles anytime soon. Raquel Gonzalez rides up on a motorcycle and says keep her title warm for her.

Gonzalez rides into the arena and says she wants Dakota Kai out here right now. Cue a kind of unhinged Kai to say it felt good to hit her with a shovel, but here is Cora Jade for the pull apart brawl.

Andre Chase’s lesson of the day is Mental Toughness. One student asks about Chase messing up last week so another defends him, with Chase yelling a lot.

The Grizzled Young Veterans distract a food delivery driver and steal his meals, saying they can use this to distract a referee too. Remember when they were loudmouthed heels who were good in the ring and could get crowd hating them after about thirty seconds on a microphone? That’s not good enough around here apparently.

Cameron Grimes vs. Ru Feng

Feng goes right after Grimes to start and stomps away. Cue Duke Hudson to watch as Grimes fights back and knocks Feng into the corner. The Cave In finishes for Grimes at 1:40.

Post match Hudson gets in the ring and demands to know how Grimes was so good last week. Grimes says he won and thinks it’s funny but Grimes calls him an ugly hick who lives under a bridge. That doesn’t seem to bother Grimes, who says he holds it down everywhere. Hudson doesn’t accept that and the challenge is on for next week…in a poker showdown. Deal.

Solo Sikoa vs. LA Knight vs. Grayson Waller

Sikoa punches Knight into the corner to start but some double teaming puts him in trouble. That doesn’t last long as Sikoa clotheslines both of them but gets punched in the face by Waller. Knight gets sent outside, only to come back in and breaks up Sikoa’s suplex on Waller. A double suplex puts Sikoa down but he counters a double superplex attempt into a double powerbomb. Sikoa hits a running hip attack in the corner on Waller but misses one on Knight. Waller is sent outside but runs back in for the Stunner on Knight. Sikoa sends him outside though and the Superfly Splash finishes Knight at 5:05.

Rating: C. I’m not big on this kind of match as they had three people hitting each other until the right one won. Sikoa is someone who is going to wind up as a force around here and I’m curious to see where he goes. Knight still has star power and I don’t think a loss like this is going to hut him all that much.

Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirrotta are annoyed at not winning the Women’s Tag Team Titles. This sends Hartwell into another speech about how much she loves her husband but Tony D’Angelo interrupts. He’ll see Dexter next week but for now, he hands Indi a dead fish and Persia gets some money.

Tommaso Ciampa was on the UK tour as well and is ready to beat Bron Breakker again.

Elektra Lopez vs. Erica Yan

Lopez runs her over to start and hits a snap suplex, followed by a sitout powerbomb for the pin at 1:24. Total squash.

Post match Legado del Fantasma calls out Xyon Quinn, who is right here to join the festivities. Lopez says Quinn turned a lot of heads last week so the offer to join is tossed out. Quinn thinks she is amazing but he isn’t down with the team. Legado goes after him and gets tossed outside in a hurry. Lopez’s slaps are blocked and Quinn pulls her to him, which she doesn’t seem to mind. The intrigued staredown ensues and Lopez holds Legado back.

Takeover WarGames is on December 5. And who in the world is supposed to be in that???

Kyle O’Reilly isn’t sure what to do with his future, but he thinks he and Von Wagner are a special team (no, they aren’t) and they should go after the Tag Team Titles. Imperium pops up but so does Wagner for the showdown.

Pete Dunne vs. Carmelo Hayes

Non-title and Trick Williams is here with Hayes. Dunne jumps Hayes in the corner to start and stomps away in a hurry. It’s already time to work on Hayes’ fingers but he flips over Dunne and hits a springboard clothesline. Dunne sends him outside and slingshots out to grab Hayes’ arm, setting up the X Plex onto the apron. Cue Dexter Lumis to grab a headset and stare Williams down as we take a break.

Back with Dunne fighting out of an armbar but walking into a Codebreaker (for a big flipping bump) and a near fall. Dunne is back with a quick forearm to knock Hayes out of the air but what looks to be the X Plex is reversed into a twisting suplex. Hayes gets creative by trying the Gargano Escape but Dunne escapes that as well. Hold on though as Williams tries some interference, only to be taken out by Lumis. The distraction lets a gloved hand grab Hayes’ foot. That’s enough for the Bitter End to finish Hayes at 12:35.

Rating: C+. Thank goodness we’re starting to get champions losing in non-title matches around here as that was one of the main roster tropes that hadn’t made its way down here yet. Dunne vs. Hayes could be good on Takeover, but I don’t needs more of this 50/50 stuff. Or the “mysterious” hand popping up for that matter.

It was Johnny Gargano, in Dexter Lumis gear.

Overall Rating: C. The main word I would use to describe tonight is indifferent. The show had its up and down moments, but the biggest problem was that when things would get going, some goofy concept would come up and suck the energy out of the whole thing. As a result, the whole show felt like it was just kind of there all night, with little reason to get invested into almost anything they were doing. Takeover seems to be a stretch at this point, with WarGames (especially minus William Regal to announce it) being even harder to reach. The show could work, but that’s a far cry from what used to be a layup around here.

Results
Toxic Attraction b. Kacy Catanzaro/Kayden Carter/Io Shirai – Abdominal stretch cradle to Carter
Kay Lee Ray b. Sarray – KLR Bomb
Joe Gacy b. Boa via DQ when Boa choked in the ropes
Creed Brothers b. Jacket Time – Gutwrench sitout powerbomb
Cameron Grimes b. Ru Feng – Cave In
Solo Sikoa b. LA Knight and Grayson Waller – Superfly Splash to Knight
Elektra Lopez b. Erica Yan – Sitout powerbomb
Pete Dunne b. Carmelo Hayes – Bitter End

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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WATCH: Two Stars Turn Heel On Monday Night Raw.

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As always, please check out all of the videos if you can, hit up the comments section and get on the Wrestling Rumors Facebook page.

Monday Night Raw
Date: November 8, 2021
Location: KFC Yum Center, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

We’re less than two weeks away from Survivor Series and now we have the men’s and women’s Survivor Series teams set up. That means we don’t get a month of qualifying matches, but we are likely to get two weeks of I AM THE CAPTAIN and arguing about their love of a brand they have been on for less than a month. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of last week’s issues with Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and Big E., as Big E. isn’t sure he can trust Owens.

Big E. and Kevin Owens are in the back, with Owens talking about how he cares about what Big E. thinks of him and wants people to know he turned over a new leaf. Big E. doesn’t really care though and has a match tonight. Owens says he cares what Big E. thinks.

Here is Seth Rollins, in some weird red and blue number, to welcome us to Monday Night Rollins. He is the face of Monday Night Raw and therefore he will lead the team to victory over those Smackdown bums at Survivor Series. The fans think Rollins looks stupid but what would they know about fashion.

Rollins talks about Kevin Owens, wondering if he is a hero or a snake. He has known Owens for a long time and there is one thing you can count on with Owens: he will stab you in the back at any chance he has. Owens is as low as he gets and cannot be trusted as far as he can be thrown, which isn’t far at all. Rollins is ready to turn Owens into the biggest loser in the world but here is a ticked off Owens to interrupt. The fight is on and Rollins has to escape the apron powerbomb. I’m kind of intrigued by this one.

We look back at Omos wrecking the tag team division last week.

RKBro is in the back, with Riddle worrying about turning into a robot and Orton worrying about the Street Profits. Cue the Street Profits, with Orton saying they’re on their own.

Omos/AJ Styles vs. Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler vs. RKBro/Street Profits

Good to see AJ back. Ford dropkicks Roode down to start and mocks some dog poses. Dawkins comes in with a shoulder and suplexes Ford onto Roode for two. Ziggler comes in and gets punched down as well, allowing Orton to stomp away. The assisted Floating Bro gets two on Ziggler so it’s off to AJ, who gets kicked in the chest.

The Styles Clash is broken up and a triangle choke has Styles in more trouble. They fall over the top for the big crash to set up a huge staredown as we take a break. Back with Riddle fighting out of trouble and kicking Ziggler down. That’s enough for the hot tag to Orton but Roode has to save Ziggler from an RKO. Roode is sent into Omos to knock him off the apron, but he is able to catch a flying Styles.

We take a very sudden break and come back with Omos working on Ford before Ziggler comes back in for a boot rake to the eyes. A sunset flip gives Ziggler two but Ford is back up with an enziguri, which did not seem to come close to making contact. Either way, it’s enough for the hot tag off to Dawkins and house is cleaned in a hurry.

It’s back to Omos though and the wrecking is on in a hurry. Both Profits are taken down but Riddle’s knees to the chest do some damage. Granted it isn’t enough damage to avoid a double chokeslam to plant Riddle hard. Orton still teases getting in but blames Riddle for screwing up. Roode and Ziggler cut Orton off from getting in but Roode and Styles get in a fight on the floor. Omos deals with Roode, leaving Ziggler to pin Riddle at 22:51.

Rating: C. I was stunned when I looked at the clock as that was one of the fastest 20+ minute matches I can remember. The wrestling itself was fine, as everyone did their thing, though Riddle being down for so long off a single chokeslam was a bit much. Not bad though, and it’s certainly nice to see AJ back after whatever was wrong with him.

Post match it’s an RKO to leave Ziggler laying. Orton tells Riddle that he has to listen if they want to keep the titles.

Kevin Owens tries to convince Rey Mysterio to believe him but Rey has to do something.

Veer Mahaan is coming.

Here is Adam Pearce for a chat with the Mysterios. Pearce talks about Survivor Series, which has had some great debuts over the years and is the ONLY NIGHT OF THE YEAR where the two shows face off (there is something hilarious about them pushing this idea every year). That means this year’s Raw needs to live up to last year’s as Raw swept the night. It makes him think that he might have made a mistake by putting Dominik on the team, because every other member is a former WWE Champion. Dominik can keep his spot if he wins the following match.

Dominik Mysterio vs. Bobby Lashley

MVP is back and in Lashley’s corner and the winner is on the Raw Survivor Series team. Lashley starts fast with a suplex but Dominik knees his way out of trouble. A high crossbody doesn’t work for Dominik but he low bridges Lashley to the floor. Another dive is pulled out of the air though and Lashley drives him into the post.

Back in and a Downward Spiral drops Dominik again. The Hurt Lock goes on but Lashley won’t let Dominik tap, instead throwing him outside. Rey Mysterio tries to intervene and gets kicked in the chest, allowing Lashley to post Dominik again. An awesome spear sets up the Hurt Lock to end Dominik at 5:11.

Rating: C-. Total squash here, as it should have been. It makes me wonder why they had Dominik on the team in the first place, but it also has me worried that Pearce is going to be the latest evil authority figure. WWE has gotten away from that lame trope for a long time now and I really don’t need to see it happen again. Though he did get rid of Dominik so how evil can he be?

We look back at the Alpha Academy failing to recruit Big E. last week.

Seth Rollins comes up to the Alpha Academy to ask about Kevin Owens. Chad Gable talks about his recent graduation and says Owens is a horrible liar, just like Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers. Tonight, he’ll prove that Big E. can’t be the face of Raw.

Big E. vs. Chad Gable

Non-title and Otis is in Gable’s corner. Big E. takes him down by the arm to start and uses the power to run Gable over. The apron splash connects but Gable is back with some knee cranking. That’s enough to set up a belly to belly into a moonsault for two, followed by rolling Chaos Theory. Big E. is back with a Rock Bottom out of the corner and the Big Ending finishes Gable at 4:55.

Rating: C+. They packed a good amount into that short amount of time as WWE has been on a roll with these shorter matches as of late. I’m glad to see Gable getting in the ring more often in recent weeks as he really is that good. At the same time, it’s not like losing to Big E. is going to hurt him at this point.

Post match, Big E. and Otis have a staredown.

Kevin Owens tries to get R-Truth to believe in him. R-Truth believes in him, but he also believes in Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, that the Earth is flat (“But it’s round in certain places.”) and the Thanksgiving Man, among other things. Owens walks off.

Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce are with the Raw women’s Survivor Series team to announce a fatal five way tonight for a shot at Becky Lynch. Doudrop isn’t sure why Bianca Belair is getting another chance at another shot. Dana Brooke wants some respect, including from Liv Morgan. An argument breaks out.

We look at Wrestlemania XXXII to get us ready for tickets going on sale this Friday. I’m not sure how much I’d brag about that show.

We look at Bobby Lashley taking Dominik Mysterio’s spot.

Rey Mysterio says Dominik has a neck strain and goes on a rant against Adam Pearce. Austin Theory pops in for an unnoticed selfie as Rey holds ice on Dominik’s neck.

24/7 Title: Drake Maverick vs. Reggie

Reggie is defending and takes Maverick down in a hurry to start and it’s a running flip clothesline to take Maverick down in the corner. Cue R-Truth with a referee but the Hurt Business jumps him from behind. The distraction lets Maverick steal the pin and the title at 1:28 (ending Reggie’s record long reign).

Then Akira Tozawa wins the title.

Then Corey Graves wins the title.

Then Byron Saxton wins the title.

Then Maverick wins the title (with a handful of pants).

Then Reggie wins the title back and runs off. Graves: “SAXTON YOU RUIN EVERYTHING!!!”

Bianca Belair vs. Carmella vs. Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Queen Zelina

One fall to a finish and the winner gets a title shot against Becky Lynch, who is on commentary. In the back, Doudrop still isn’t happy with Belair getting the chance. Bianca gets in an argument with Lynch and it’s a big brawl on the floor with everyone getting involved. We take a break before the bell and come back with the match officially beginning, as Belair and Ripley are left alone. That’s broken up before anything can happen but the two of them are right back in for the showdown again.

They grapple around a bit with neither being able to get anywhere. Belair flips over Ripley but gets pulled outside so Carmella and Vega send her into the barricade. Back in and Ripley takes down Vega and Carmella without much effort. The numbers game gets the better of Ripley though and a low superkick gives Carmella two, with Vega breaking it up. Morgan gets knocked off the apron but Carmella has to break up Vega’s cover.

Ripley is back up and gets taken down by Carmella, setting up the stomping/choking in the corner. Morgan gets back in and cleans house but gets sent outside by Vega. Now it’s Ripley tossing Vega around as Becky declares herself as Becky From The Block. Vega tornado DDTs Ripley for two but Belair throws Vega onto everyone and we take a break. Back with Belair powerbombing Vega and Morgan down but getting missile dropkicked by Ripley.

Carmella superkicks Ripley and covers everyone else for two each. Belair sends Vega into the announcers’ table before heading back in for a showdown with Ripley. Both escape finishers until Ripley kicks Belair out of the air. Riptide connects but Morgan makes the save. Oblivion hits Ripley but Vega makes the save this time. Back up and Belair hits the KOD, drawing in Doudrop to pull Belair out. Morgan rolls Carmella up for the pin and the title shot at 16:28.

Rating: C-. I don’t think this was exactly a big surprise as Morgan vs. Lynch was teased last week. They could have an interesting match and it does open the door for a possible (though unlikely) change before we get to Survivor Series. There was a lot of action in the match, though it didn’t need that much time. At least we’re getting a more appealing title match, which isn’t WWE’s strong suit.

Seth Rollins asks Big E. about Kevin Owens but Big E. doesn’t trust either of them. He’ll be at ringside though.

Smackdown Rebound.

Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens

Big E. is on commentary but here is Austin Theory before the match to take some pictures. The phone is swatted away by Big E. though and Theory skedaddles. Also before the match, Seth grabs the mic to say that he and Owens had a plan to jump Big E. last week and it went badly. Cue Owens to cut him off though and the chase sends Rollins into the crowd as we take a break.

Back (after a This Week In WWE History, looking at the Montreal Screwjob) with the bell ringing and Owens hammering away on Rollins, who bails out to the floor in a hurry. Owens gives chase and hits a backsplash on the floor to crush Rollins. The Cannonball against the barricade does it again, followed by a stomping inside. Rollins gets knocked outside again so Owens hits another splash. That earns him a whip into the announcers’ table though and we take a break.

Back with Rollins stomping away at the ribs but getting pulled down so Owens can hammer away. Rollins goes right back to the ribs with a bunch of stomps to keep Owens in trouble. A snap suplex gives Rollins two but he misses the frog splash. Owens’ frog splash connects for two though and we take a break.

Back with Rollins charging into a superkick in the corner, followed by Owens hitting a heck of a running clothesline. Owens goes up but gets caught by Rollins, who gets planted with the spinning fisherman’s superplex. Rollins is right back with a Pedigree for two but Owens catches him with a Pop Up sitout Powerbomb for two. A shot to the bad ribs breaks up Owens’ Stunner and knocks him outside. Rollins tries to send Owens into Big E. but he dodges out of the way. The delay is enough to keep Owens from beating the count at 24:09.

Rating: B-. This was a long match which saw both guys looking good, though the ending left something to be desired. I know it’s the right way to go to keep the story going as Owens is going to be frustrated, but there isn’t much to be had from a countout after such a long match. It might make sense, but it doesn’t mean it’s satisfying.

Post match Rollins leaves but Owens snaps, beating the fire out of Big E. Referees try to break it up but Owens comes back over for another stomp to the head. Owens screams a lot to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. I’m going to assume that a lot of this show was due to the UK tour, as you never see so many long matches on a show. What we got wasn’t great, but it’s kind of hard to build to a show like Survivor Series anymore. What you’re seeing is a bunch of stuff being set up that won’t be taking place at the next pay per view, so why should I get interested so soon? I’m sure some of this stuff will be blown off either in December or at Day One in January, but that makes for some fairly weak television the way there. There was some ok stuff on here, but a lot of it felt like filler and that makes for a dull night.

Results
Omos/AJ Styles/Dolph Ziggler/Robert Roode b. RKBro/Street Profits – Chokeslam to Riddle
Bobby Lashley b. Dominik Mysterio – Hurt Lock
Big E. b. Chad Gable – Big Ending
Drake Maverick b. Reggie – Rollup
Liv Morgan b. Carmella, Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley and Queen Zelina – Crucifix to Carmella
Seth Rollins b. Kevin Owens via countout

WWE, 2021, Monday Night Raw, Omos, AJ Styles, Dolph Ziggler, Robert Roode, RKBro, Street Profits, Bobby Lashley, Rey Mysterio, Adam Pearce, Dominik Mysterio, Big E., Chad Gable, Drake Maverick, Otis, Liv Morgan, Carmella, Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, Queen Zelina, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Austin Theory

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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Monday Night Raw
Date: February 22, 1993
Location: Manhattan Center, New York City, New York
Attendance: 1,000
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Rob Bartlett, Randy Savage

Wrestlemania is inching closer and last week saw what felt like the start of a big angle for the show. Money Inc. attacked Brutus Beefcake’s face with a metal briefcase, which can cause quite a bit of damage. The bigger story though is the tease of the return of Hulk Hogan, which should get them somewhere. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Rob Bartlett finds out that wrestling fans can spell and does a “Live From New York” Saturday Night Live ripoff intro.

Opening sequence.

Commentary runs down the card.

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Scott Taylor

Taylor bounces off of Bigelow to start as commentary jokes about the chance that Taylor could make a name for himself. Drop the Taylor and add y 2 Hotty and you might be onto something. The beating continues as Bartlett moves on to what sounds like Mickey Mouse talking about the Three Stooges. Bigelow plants him down again and adds a headbutt to the back to make it worse. A butterfly backbreaker sets up the top rope headbutt, followed by a second to finish Taylor at 2:59.

We get a previously recorded sitdown interview with Hulk Hogan (in a black and white ICO PRO shirt and jeans for a very different look) and Vince McMahon, the latter of whom talks about Hulk suggesting he would retire in this same studio last year. Hulk, referring to Vince as Mr. McMahon, says that the people who used to be his fans are now the people he looks up to. There have been a lot of people who have looked into his past and they have found out that he has made mistakes. He has made personal mistakes, business mistakes and peer pressure mistakes.

We’re in the 90s and that means the era of tabloid terrorism (oh boy) where people make up whatever they want and don’t care what happens to them. If you believe in yourself, you can accomplish your goals and he believes in the youth of our nations. Now there are five demandments: train, say your prayers, eat your vitamins, believe in yourself, and believe in HULK HOGAN. He’ll have an announcement tonight.

I’m assuming this is about the steroid issues and what was said on the Arsenio Hall show in 1991, but Hogan never actually flat out said he was wrong, or what the heck he was specifically talking about. Such is Hogan, but this was bizarre to hear (including hearing him refer to himself as a sports entertainer).

Beverly Brothers/Shawn Michaels vs. Tatanka/Nasty Boys

How 1993 of them. It’s a brawl to start with the villains being cleared out in a hurry as Bartlett wonders about the rules. We settle down to Knobs faceplanting Blake, setting up the double Pit Stop. A boot to the head slows Knobs down though and it’s off to Shawn for an elbow. Knobs manages to faceplant Shawn as well though and scores with a running clothesline, allowing the tag to Michaels.

That means Beau needs to come in rather quickly so Tatanka can crank on his arm. Sags takes his place and the arm is sent hard into the corner a few times. A shoulder breaker gets two with Beau making the save, finally actually doing something right. Knobs sends Blake into the corner and we take a break. Back with Bartlett saying they stood around looking at each other during the break, only to reveal that he’s kidding. Uh, yeah.

Anyway, we come back with Knobs being sent into the steps twice in a row to keep him in trouble. The Shaker Heights Spike gives Shawn two on Knobs as the fans are behind the Boys again. The slow beating continues, including Shawn kicking Knobs in the head. Beau sits on Knobs’ back to keep him away from the cornet but Shawn ducks his head and gets kicked in the face.

That’s STILL not enough for Knobs to make the tag so he collides with Shawn to put both of them down. The hot tag brings in Tatanka to start the comeback and everything breaks down. Tatanka scores with the top rope chop for two with Blake having to make the save. The Papoose To Go gets two more thanks to another save as everything breaks down again (Bartlett: “Aren’t there too many guys in the ring now?”). Shawn loads up the teardrop suplex but Tatanka reverses into a sunset flip for the pin at 14:13.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t so much good as much as it was long, but it did feel like a bigger match than most of what you would get on Raw around this time. If nothing else, it had some actual names involved and it did feel somewhat important. Not exactly good, but sometimes you just need to make things feel a bit bigger.

BUY WRESTLEMANIA TICKETS!

Crush vs. Terry Taylor

Joined in progress with Crush shoving him down and there’s the gorilla press to send Taylor crashing down again. Vince mentions that Hulk Hogan might be heading up the President’s Council on Physical Fitness….so Bartlett calls in and does an Arnold Schwarzenegger impression to complain about Hogan taking his job. Taylor gets in a shot and puts on a chinlock as thankfully the bit is over in a hurry. A neckbreaker gives Taylor two but Crush fights up, leaving Bartlett to make topical Las Vegas jokes. Crush hits the tilt-a-whirl powerslam and finishes with the head vice at 3:37 shown.

Rating: D+. Nothing to this one and Bartlett dragged what they had WAY down. Crush seemed like he was ready to jump up the card in a hurry but what are you expecting him to get out of a feud with Doink? Beating Taylor in a short match didn’t help that much either, but at least he got in his finisher for the win. How you don’t call that something like THE CRUSH is beyond me though.

We look back at Money Inc. dumping Jimmy Hart and hitting Brutus Beefcake in the face with the steel briefcase a few weeks ago.

Here is Hulk Hogan for his first appearance on the show and my goodness this feels out of place. Hogan, sounding much more like his usual self, sucks up to the fans and talks about waiting to see Brutus Beefcake making his comeback last week. He saw Beefcake outwrestle the Multi Million Dollar Man but then the smile turned to tears as the briefcase hit Beefcake’s face. The good news is that Beefcake is ok though and the curled up nose makes him look even more like a wrestler.

Hogan thanks God for saving Brutus and Jimmy Hart (yes he knows this sounds crazy) for putting his body on the line to protect Brutus from another shot. Hogan, calling Vince “Little Dude”, says he is back in the WWF and wants to right the wrongs from Money Inc. For now though, Hogan wants Beefcake here in the ring with him so here is Beefcake, with a taped up nose, in a hurry.

Beefcake talks about how he didn’t realize he was going to take the briefcase to the face last week but he thought it was curtains. Then he realized that nothing was going to break his titanium face, but now he has some people to think as well. Just like Hogan, that would be God and Jimmy Hart, but he wants Money Inc. too. With that out of the way, Hogan brings out Jimmy Hart as their new manager, which blew my mind as a kid and is still weird to see now. Hart talks about how great of a day this is because he has always wanted to wear the yellow and red.

Hogan looks a little confused as Hart talks about his success with tag teams but thinks this could be the greatest team ever. Jimmy promises to take his vitamins but thinks Money Inc. needs to say their prayers. Hogan dubs the team the Mega Maniacs and tells Hart to get Money Inc. in singles or tag matches. It’s not a good sign when Hogan has been in a team for 14 seconds and is already wanting a singles match. Anyway, a lot of posing ensues. This was rather long and still feels really weird, but what else was Hogan supposed to do at Wrestlemania?

BUY WRESTLEMANIA TICKETS!

They’re still posing.

Undertaker vs. Skinner

We’re joined in progress and Vince realizes we’re running out of time. Then five seconds later we go to a Slim Jim ad, followed by less than a minute of Skinner beating Undertaker up on the floor to end the show at about 1:15 shown. Vince promises to let us see this show next week, plus Bret Hart defending the WWF Title against one of the Headshrinkers. Which one? Eh who cares.

Overall Rating: D+. This was a bit of a tougher one to get through as the big pieces were a not so great six man and a LONG Hulk Hogan/Brutus Beefcake/Jimmy Hart interview. That doesn’t leave much to get excited about, but at least they are getting ready for Wrestlemania. It doesn’t feel like a special show, but they are in a new world at this point so it’s hard to get things together.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: February 15, 1993
Location: Manhattan Center, New York City, New York
Attendance: 1,000
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Rob Bartlett, Randy Savage

We’re back after a week off and the big story is Brutus Beefcake returning to the ring after nearly three years away due to a horrible injury. That seems like it should be setting up something for Wrestlemania, though I’m almost worried about what else we might be seeing on here. Let’s get to it.

Here are the most recent show’s results if you need a recap.

Brutus Beefcake is ready to get back in the ring against Ted DiBiase.

Ted DiBiase is ready to crush Brutus Beefcake’s face again, though Jimmy Hart thinks that’s a bit too far. Jimmy showing humanity still feels wrong.

Opening sequence.

Commentary welcomes us to the show, with Randy Savage saying God and Hulk Hogan are a great tag team and they have Brutus Beefcake’s back. That might be a bit much.

Steiner Brothers vs. Bobby Who/Glen Ruth

Thankfully Vince mostly ignores Bartlett’s Who’s On First jokes but can’t ignore Savage’s issues, as he can barely be heard. Scott suplexes Ruth down in a hurry to a big reaction, allowing the tag off to Rick to drive him into the corner. There’s an overhead belly to belly to Who as Savage is demanding a producer get out here and fix his microphone. Scott loads Who up in a powerbomb with Rick coming off the top with an elbow for a huge crash. Bartlett: “Does that hurt?” Rick grabs the chinlock as Bartlett talks about having a bad Valentine’s Day. Scott plants Who with a tiger bomb and the Steiner Bulldog finishes at 3:33.

Rating: C. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I could watch the Steiners throw goons around for hours on end. That’s what we got here, and it was slightly more entertaining because of the Savage audio issues. Sometimes you need an entertaining squash and the Steiners suplexing people out of their shoes is always worth a look.

It’s time for the Wrestlemania Report, with Gene Okerlund being very excited about the show being in Las Vegas. We even have some matches, with Bret Hart defending the WWF Title against Yokozuna, Crush vs. Doink the Clown and Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzalez. Doink and Giant Gonzalez are the second and third matches announced for Wrestlemania. I think you can see why the show was in trouble.

Yokozuna vs. Ross Greenberg

Savage is still losing it over the microphone and sounds like he is calling in to the show. Yokozuna stands by for about a minute to start and then runs Greenberg over like he isn’t even there. Greenberg gets crushed again and there’s the running splash in the corner. The Banzai Drop finishes for Yokozuna at 2:01 in true squash fashion.

Post match Savage steals Bartlett’s microphone, which makes me think we’re in the middle of a bad bit.

We get a Special Report, brought to you by the WWF Poster Magazine (oh the memories). This week it’s a clip from Superstars, with Jim Duggan getting beaten up by Yokozuna but actually managing to with a running shoulder. That’s a cool moment, and Yokozuna’s selling as he tries to keep his balance is great, as he really was a lot more awesome than he was given credit for. Then Yokozuna mauled Duggan and left the American flag laying as Duggan did a stretcher job.

Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji are happy with what happened to Duggan.

Giant Gonzalez wanted in tonight’s battle royal but everyone else said they were out if he was in. We see a clip from Superstars with Gonzalez beating up three jobbers, including Louis Spicolli, at once.

Battle Royal

Bob Backlund, Koko B. Ware, Typhoon, Kamala, Tito Santana, Razor Ramon, Shawn Michaels, Owen Hart, Kim Chee, Berzerker, Kamala, Skinner, Damien Demento, Iron Mike Sharpe, Terry Taylor, Tatanka

This aired on the Invasion of the Bodyslammers VHS tape (with some different commentary) so I’ve seen this about thirty times but have only heard it once for a weird situation. Everyone slides in from the floor to start for a bit of a change and it’s Kamala chasing Kim Cheer early on. Backlund tosses Sharpe and Michaels gets rid of Ware to clear the ring out a bit. Skinner is caught in between the top and middle ropes but gets loose, only to be clotheslined out by Typhoon.

Santana sends Ramon into the turnbuckle over and over, possibly as repayment for coming up with the Ramon name (true story). Demento is tossed and Berzerker does the same thing to Owen. Berzerker is out as well, followed by Kim Chee and Typhoon getting rid of Kamala. That is not acceptable to Kamala, who goes after Kim Chee and tosses him out, meaning the chase is on through the crowd. We take a break and come back with Tatanka, Taylor, Typhoon, Michaels, Backlund, Ramon and Santana but we pause to look at Kamala chasing Kim Chee through the balcony.

We come back to the arena with Taylor and Backlund gone and Michaels tossing out Typhoon. Shawn and Razor team up against Santana and Tatanka, which could be a heck of a tag match if they had the chance. Razor knocks Santana down and Tatanka hammers away on Shawn in the corner. Santana comes back with the flying forearm and Shawn dropkicks Tatanka as the pairs switch off.

The good guys get together to send Shawn into the buckles over and over before tossing him out to get us down to three. Santana and Tatanka go after Razor…and here is Giant Gonzalez to throw both of them out. Gonzalez leaves and the bell rings at 16:10 because Ramon was smart enough to roll outside, meaning he’s the only one left to win.

Rating: C-. This was kind of a lame battle royal but it was definitely a clever ending. It’s also the kind of thing that Ramon would brag about so everything fits well here. Kamala chasing Kamala around was hilarious and I got into the final four part, so this was about as much fun as you could have in such a random battle royal.

Brutus Beefcake vs. Ted DiBiase

Jimmy Hart is here with DiBiase and doesn’t seem happy with the match taking place. Beefcake struts away from a lockup to start and frustration sets in early. It works so well that Beefcake does it again, this time before sidestepping DiBiase into the corner. They finally go with a regular lockup as Hart isn’t thrilled with how things have gone so far. Beefcake slugs away and DiBiase is knocked outside in a hurry.

Back in and Beefcake works on a headlock before punching DiBiase outside again. Back in again and DiBiase tries to send him face first into the buckle but Beefcake counters that into a headlock in a hurry. Cue IRS with the briefcase, though Hart doesn’t seem to want him around. The headlock is broken up so IRS hits Beefcake in the back with the briefcase for the DQ at 4:27.

Rating: D+. I’m not sure what to say on this one as it was a bunch of punching and headlocking before the storyline ending. Beefcake was in good shape, but how can you tell how well he is doing when most of his old offense was hitting someone in the face? This is going to be a bigger deal soon, but for now it’s just a short match built around about two moves.

Post match IRS loads up the briefcase but Hart won’t let him hit Beefcake in the face. IRS finally shoves Hart down and blasts Beefcake in the face with the case. Thrashing and gyrating on the mat ensue so DiBiase tries to do it again but Hart covers Beefcake up. Money Inc. leaves and Beefcake is taken out on a stretcher while holding his face.

That was so brutal so we’ll look at it in slow motion! And then in real time!

Back from a break and apparently Beefcake is on his feet. Vince is so upset that he thinks HULK HOGAN could be here next week.

Overall Rating: C-. The throwing stuff at the wall approach continues as there is only so much that can be done at this point. We are about a month and a half away from Wrestlemania and you can pretty easily guess the other big match on the card. Maybe the rest of the TV will be better, but Raw is so new at this point, how can you really tell? Not a horrible show this week, but the Beefcake deal was the only part that felt important.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: February 1, 1993
Location: Manhattan Center, New York City, New York
Attendance: 1,000
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Randy Savage, Rob Bartlett

We’re on to the second month and that means we are slowly making our way to Wrestlemania. This week will be the first show taped after the Royal Rumble so we should be able to focus on the fallout quite a bit more. Other than that, we could be in for anything in the early days of the show. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Tatanka vs. Damien Demento

Tatanka starts fast with a small package and some slams, setting up a clothesline to the floor. Demento yells at no one in particular and gets chopped some more, both on the outside and in the corner back inside. A clothesline gets Demento out of trouble so he can talk to the ceiling some more, setting up an elbow for two. We hit the chinlock as Bartlett says he used to have Tatanka Trucks as a kid. The fans aren’t thrilled so we get a WE WANT FLAIR chant, but they’ll have to settle with Tatanka fighting up. It’s time to go on the war path and the Papoose To Go finishes Demento at 4:10.

Rating: C-. Not much to see here, but it’s not like they know what to do with Raw so far. Tatanka was still a solid midcarder if not upper midcarder at this point and still had the undefeated streak. Demento was such an odd guy that it made sense to keep putting him out there in spots like this. Not a great match, but it could have been worse.

We see Bret Hart presenting the Red Cross with a $100,000 check at the Headlock On Hunger show over the weekend. It’s weird to see the wrestlers around the ring.

Here is Brutus Beefcake, who has been out of action for over two years after a horrible parasailing accident. He wants to make a comeback, because it has been a long time away. Right before the accident, Beefcake had to bury his mother and father, then his wife left him. THEN he got hit in the knees by a woman parasailing, and his entire face was crushed. The next thing he remembered was being in the hospital and they weren’t giving him much of a chance. He couldn’t even have an aspirin for an hour and was ready to put himself in God’s hands.

Beefcake reached out his hand and it touched the hand of Hulk Hogan. It was Hulk who was there for him after he came out of surgery with his face barely held together. The red and yellow were the first things he saw when the bandages came off and now he has nothing left. That’s why he went to Hogan again and was told to go for it one more time. Beefcake is back and ready to go for it again. This was a heck of a speech and a lot more emotional than you would have expected from Beefcake.

High Energy vs. Von Krus/Iron Mike Sharpe

High Energy is Owen Hart/Koko B. Ware and Von We recap Doink the Clown attacking Crush a few weeks ago.

Doink the Clown vs. Typhoon

Doink takes him down by the leg without much trouble to start before grabbing a front facelock. Typhoon powers up and shoves him away without much effort, only to be taken down in another hurry. The reverse chinlock goes on as Vince no sells Bartlett’s (very long and detailed) Clowns Anonymous jokes about Doink. Doink rides him to the mat again but Typhoon Hulks Up and hits a powerslam. Typhoon misses a charge in the corner though and Doink hits a middle rope clothesline for the pin (with tights) for the pin at 3:13.

Rating: D. I had forgotten just how bad Typhoon could be when he was asked to do much of anything on his own. It seemed like all he had was the ability to hit a splash, but that doesn’t mean much when Doink is taking you down without any effort. Doink was far more interesting here as he actually had something to do, but egads this was rough and most of it was due to Typhoon not doing much of anything.

Here’s what’s coming on WWF Mania, including GIANT GONZALEZ!

We get a special tribute, including the ten bell salute, to Andre the Giant, who passed away last week. That’s one of the all time important ones.

Yokozuna vs. Bobby DeVito

The bell rings and Bartlett is complaining about not having his own action figure. Yokozuna runs him over to start as we get a phone call from Jim Duggan, who knows he can knock “Yakazuma” off his feet. The running splash in the corner sets up the Banzai Drop to finish DeVito at 2:03 as Duggan praises America as much as he can in such a short amount of time.

Here is Money Inc. for a chat. Ted DiBiase talks about Humpty Dumpty, who crashed just like Brutus Beefcake’s face. That was such a sad story but now Beefcake wants to get back in the ring. He can come back and face a champion, so we’ll flip a coin to decide if it’s Ted DiBiase or IRS. Cue manager Jimmy Hart to say this is a waste of time because if one of them gets hurt, the team is over. DiBiase says it’s just a workout and neither of them are getting hurt. IRS talks about how Beefcake is VERY LATE ON HIS TAXES but Hart says we have business to tend to.

Lex Luger vs. Jason Knight

This is Luger’s in-ring debut and he has a mirror in the ring to admire himself. Cue a ring card girl who is rather large in her own right, much to Luger’s annoyance. Hold on though as we need to see Mr. Perfect throwing passes to a Minnesota Vikings tight end. That’s good enough, but Perfect makes it even better by passing the ball….and catching it himself. With that theme song behind him, I’d believe he can do it. Vince isn’t sure what to make of that but he certainly knows what to make of Luger. An armdrag takes Knight down and Luger gets the chance to pose. Knight manages to send him into the corner but charges into a boot to the face, setting up a heck of a clothesline. There’s the powerslam and the forearm finishes Knight at 2:39.

Post match Luger goes old school with a giant swing of all things.

Vince lets us know that the show is pre-empted by the Westminster Dog Show next week so we’re back on February 15.

Overall Rating: C-. This was much more of a storyline based show than a wrestling one as the Beefcake/Money Inc. deal was by far the biggest part. That worked out well, as Beefcake had a rather emotional story and I could go for seeing if he can do anything in the ring to back it up. Unfortunately there wasn’t much else on the show worth seeing, but at least they seem to have a big story in place at the moment.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

WWE Has Another Communication Problem With Its Wrestlers.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wwe-another-communication-problem-wrestlers

AEW Gets Some Very Cool Attention From The NFL.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/aew-gets-cool-attention-nfl/

One Of A Kind: Specific Reason For Eva Marie’s WWE Release.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/specific-reason-recent-wwe-release/

WWE Almost Released These Wrestlers As Well.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wwe-almost-released-these-wrestlers-as-well/

SmackDown Star Has Interesting Response In Survivor Series Change.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/smackdown-star-interesting-response-survivor-series-change/

AEW’s Tony Khan Offers Interesting Comments On WWE Releases.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/aews-tony-khan-offers-interesting-comments-wwe-releases/

As always, please check out all of the videos if you can, hit up the comments section and get on the Wrestling Rumors Facebook page.