IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: October 17, 2005
Location: Arco Arena, Sacramento, California
Attendance: 4,500
Commentators: Jonathan Coachman, Jerry Lawler

The big story coming out of last week saw Jim Ross being fired by the McMahons, with Linda actually getting the big moment for a change. That probably means a lot of McMahon gloating tonight, which is almost always the case. Kane is also back tonight and we’re coming up on Taboo Tuesday in two weeks. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Ross being fired. I’m rather nervous of that being the top story on the show at the moment.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Vince McMahon to get things going. He explains the idea of Taboo Tuesday before talking about how little power the fans had last week. They had to watch Jim Ross get fired and there wasn’t a thing they could do about it. Vince talks about how great it was for Linda to kick JR low and fire him, but that brings us to everything else going on here tonight.

There is a rumor that Steve Austin is on his way here tonight but until then, it’s time to celebrate JR. That means a highlight package, featuring every time that JR has been beaten or humiliated over the years, because that happens a lot for some reason. Vince brings out Coach to be the lead commentator so of course he’s in a black hat.

In the back, Kurt Angle asks Vince to be the new #1 contender. Cue Hurricane to ask what was up with the whole JR thing. Vince: “SICK HIM KURT! SICK HIM!” Angle beats Hurricane into the arena and puts on the ankle lock for a good while until referees make the save.

Kane is back tonight.

Jerry Lawler comes out to join commentary.

Vince talks to Eric Bischoff in the back about empowering the audience, so Eric has an idea: qualifying matches with the winners getting to be options to be the third man in a triple threat match for the WWE Championship, also involving John Cena and Kurt Angle.

WWE Championship Qualifying Match: Edge vs. Big Show

Show shoves him to the floor with ease to start and Edge’s waistlock goes just as well. Another toss over the top makes it even worse and we take a break. Back with Edge getting chopped in the corner but a shot to the ribs gives him a breather. Show shrugs off a dropkick but Lita’s distraction lets Edge get in a tornado DDT. Edge’s armbar is countered into a suplex and they’re both down for a bit.

The chokeslam and Edgecution are both countered so Show grabs the throat again, only to have Edge shove the referee. For some reason that makes Show let go, allowing Edge to hit the spear. Coach: “GORE! GORE! GORE!” Lawler: “Spear.” Lawler: “SPEAR! SPEAR! SPEAR!” Edge tries to grab the briefcase but JBL’s music hits, allowing Show to nail the chokeslam for the win.

Rating: D+. I don’t usually like Edge relying on nothing but the briefcase but would anyone really buy Edge spearing Show for a pin? The JBL stuff seems like they have a plan for Survivor Series and that could be an interesting way to go. It’s not like a lot of their individual brand feuds offer all that much these days.

Wrestlemania tickets are on sale.

Edge and Lita tell Bischoff to tune into Smackdown to see what they’re going to do about this.

It’s time for Carlito’s Cabana. Carlito is ready to face Shawn Michaels tonight but for now, here’s his guest: Mick Foley. Mick is glad to be in a ring with someone whose hair is actually worse than his. That brings him to last week, where the sole voice of reason in the McMahon Family fired Jim Ross, who is the best announcer this company has ever had.

Linda pops up on screen to say fans have not been happy with what happened to JR. It’s true that he goes in for colon surgery tomorrow and allegedly, Linda’s kick may have made it worse. That being said, if JR claims anything against them, they’ll sue him into the ground. Have a nice day.

Carlito says JR was a fat, out of shape loser, just like Foley. Mick agrees that he isn’t cool and doesn’t go to cool places, except for right here in Sacramento, California. The difference is that fans meet him and then think he’s cool, but fans meet Carlito and think he’s a horse’s a**. Carlito loads up the apple but Foley says Carlito should be worried about getting beaten up by Shawn Michaels tonight. Have a nice day.

WWE Championship Qualifying Match: Carlito vs. Shawn Michaels

Carlito, still in the arena, jumps Michaels during his entrance and the beating is on in a hurry. A whip into the corner and some shots to the ribs give Carlito two, followed by an elbow to the jaw for the same. Shawn’s comeback is cut off with a hard whip into the corner and the chinlock is on in a hurry. Back up and a clothesline puts Shawn on the floor, followed by a knee to the ribs to cut him off again.

Shawn rolls through a high crossbody for two though and we hit the sleeper on Carlito. That’s broken up again and Carlito hits a dropkick in the corner to bang up the ribs. The abdominal stretch goes on but Shawn fights out and suplexes Carlito over the top, albeit with Shawn almost landing on him as we take a break.

Back with Carlito hitting his own suplex for two, only to have Shawn fight up for the chop off. A missed charge in the corner has Carlito in more trouble and it’s the flying forearm into the nipup. The top rope elbow connects but the superkick is countered into a rollup for two. The ref gets bumped though, allowing Carlito’s chair shot to hit the post. Sweet Chin Music into the chair into Carlito’s head is good for the pin.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure how much reason there was to believe that Carlito had a chance here so the ending wasn’t exactly in doubt but as usual, Shawn was able to get a good match out of him. What matters here is they built up a little drama, even if Carlito is hardly a challenger for the World Title, especially against John Cena, which we’ve seen multiple time snow.

As Shawn leaves, Ric Flair comes to the ring. Back from a break and Flair is in the middle of talking about HHH’s praise last week. HHH’s attack has lit a fire under Flair like he hasn’t had in years. He carried the brass ring for twenty years and he was the best wrestler in the world because of it. Now HHH has that ring but Flair questions it. There goes the jacket and there goes the elbow as Flair is fired up.

Back in 1975, Flair was in a plane crash and broke his back, but he was a champion six months later. One day in West Virginia, lightning hit his umbrella and killed a man standing three feet from him. Flair rips the bandage off his head and hits the cut, causing him to GUSH blood. He has taken HHH’s two best sledgehammer shots and he’s still standing, so get out here right now HHH.

Cue HHH so Flair pulls out a baseball bat and HHH runs off. A camera finds Flair in the back but he tells it to get out of his face and throws the bat down. This was very good, not just for the blood, but also because Flair sounded like he believed every word he said. Flair came off as a man who wants revenge and is willing to go to any length to get it, which is a dangerous combination.

Carlito wants Foley in a match at Taboo Tuesday.

Victoria/Torrie Wilson/Candice Michelle vs. Trish Stratus/Ashley Massaro/Mickie James

Post match Mickie points at Trish and hits Stratusfaction on Victoria. That could be interesting.

Steve Austin arrives in the parking lot and drives his truck all the way into the arena, scaring the women half to death. Back from a break and Austin says he is having to stay calm so he can get his point across. Austin has been here for ten years and there have been some good and bad times. Jim Ross is the only man who has been here for him the entire time and now he’s seeing JR being treated like garbage. Get out here Vince, because there is business to address.

Instead it’s Stephanie McMahon (Coach: “She is the hottest Diva in history.”) but Austin wants to know what is up with the McMahons talking about their balls. Even Stephanie talks about hers so maybe Austin is about to Stun his first transvestite. Two weeks ago, Austin Stunned the McMahons and now JR is gone. JR had nothing to do with what Austin did so he threatens to spank Stephanie (Austin: “I’ve got to be careful because I don’t want your balls to fall out.”).

This time Coach stands up to defend Stephanie’s honor though and tells Austin to run out of here like a scalded dog. Austin was going to beat Coach up anyway so he might as well do it now. Stephanie calls him off and has a proposition for him. Austin: “I think I’ve got a twenty on me.” She offers him a match against Coach at Taboo Tuesday with JR’s job on the line. Austin will drink to that and Coach is panicking. Beer is consumed but Stephanie says if Austin loses to Coach, he’s fired. Austin gets that and flips her off before heading to commentary to break Coach’s glasses. The hat is taken off too and Austin pours a beer inside, while saying he thinks Lawler is one of the best of all time. Austin was fired up here and it felt like the classic version at times.

Smackdown Rebound.

Before the main event, here’s Bischoff to announce Flair vs. HHH, Foley vs. Carlito and the Fulfill Your Fantasy Diva Battle Royal for Taboo Tuesday. For now though, we need a third option to join the triple threat and this man will be in the following battle royal. Cue….well actually John Cena because he wants to watch the match and do commentary. With that out of the way, cue the returning Kane and we’re ready to go.

WWE Title Qualifying Match: Battle Royal

Edge, Kerwin White, Chris Masters, Snitsky, Lance Cade, Trevor Murdoch, Shelton Benjamin, Carlito, Tyson Tomko, Kane, Rosey, Eugene, Viscera, Rob Conway, Val Venis, Tajiri, Antonio Thomas, Romeo Roselli

I think that’s everyone. Carlito gets chokeslammed at the bell and he’s out in a hurry. Viscera is out as well and we take a fast break. Back with a few eliminations having taken place, including Snitsky, Tajiri and Edge (that’s a surprise). Rosey is tossed but Eugene pulls out Conway. Kane gets rid of Cade and Murdoch, Shelton gets rid of White and Kane gets rid of Shelton to clear out a lot of space in a hurry. Venis is out as well, followed by Thomas and Roselli. We’re down to Kane vs. Masters, with Kane getting powerslammed in a hurry. The Masterlock can’t go on so Kane backdrops Masters out for the win.

Rating: D. Now that was a fast one. They didn’t waste a bit of time here and they got to the (pretty) obvious finish in a hurry. I’ll certainly take that over some long and drawn out deal where Masters or Carlito were threats. Edge being eliminated so early was a surprise but at least he had already had a match earlier in the night to wear him down a bit. I can always appreciated not wasting time and that was the case here.

Overall Rating: C+. I can always go for a show that has a point to it and that was the case here. They were locked in on Taboo Tuesday and there were some good promos and segments to make me want to see the show. Austin and Flair were both fired up here and we have some good options to join the triple threat match. The wrestling wasn’t the greatest here, but the overall presentation worked well and I want to see where a lot of this goes in the coming weeks.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

Welcome into my stream of consciousness:

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-can-count/

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: March 18, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Hosts: HHH, Tom Phillips

Things are all over the place now as we are on the road to….well probably this same building actually, assuming Takeover still goes down. I’m not sure what to expect from that, especially with Wrestlemania now taking place on Saturday night as well. Maybe they have something special planned, but we might be in for some big television shows in the near future. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

HHH and Tom are in Connecticut to host the show and talk about how awesome HHH was on Smackdown last week.

We get a long package on Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano, starting with their NXT tryouts, then getting turned down, then coming back and getting to come together into the Cruiserweight Classic. Then they went after the Tag Team Titles and after a few failed attempts, they finally won the titles in a classic match.

Post break, Johnny thinks he’s a better wrestler than Ciampa but DIY was a great team and they wrestled around the world with the Tag Team Titles. Then Ciampa was all banged up and they lost the titles to AOP because they just weren’t healthy. If winning the titles in Toronto was a dream, losing them in San Antonio was a nightmare. Ciampa knows Gargano was outshining him though, and that’s where things started going badly.

Post break again and we go to Chicago, where Ciampa wrecked his knee (again) in the ladder match and turned on Gargano after the match. Ciampa knew it wasn’t their moment and Johnny was furious because there was nothing he could do since Ciampa needed knee surgery. Gargano fought on his own and had success but he knew Ciampa was in the back of his mind. Johnny couldn’t win the title but after it was over, Ciampa jumped him from behind with the crutch shot.

Then it was off to New Orleans for the first showdown in an incredible match with Ciampa being absolutely hated by the crowd and Johnny winning a war. Gargano was proud of the moment and thought it was over but then they went back to Chicago for the street fight, which Ciampa won to even the score. Gargano went after Ciampa in an NXT Title match and accidentally made Ciampa champion. That set them up for a Last Man Standing match in New York but Gargano went too far and lost in the end. That caused Gargano to start see things Ciampa’s way, which resulted in him winning the North American Title.

Back from another break and we get to Ciampa having to vacate the NXT Title due to a neck injury. Gargano won it in New York against Adam Cole to finally become Johnny Wrestling again. Ciampa came out and hugged him because it was the old Ciampa back again. Then Gargano lost the title in his first defense, with Ciampa thinking that Gargano can’t win without him around. Ciampa came back from neck surgery in a hurry and the fans gave him a hero’s welcome. That was confusing to Johnny, but he helped Ciampa and reformed DIY because it’s what everyone wanted. Yeah Ciampa is back, but now he wants the title back.

HHH and Tom remind us that they’re here.

Ciampa got his title shot at Takeover: Portland and after thirty minutes, he knew Cole couldn’t beat him.

We see the last few minutes of the Cole vs. Ciampa title match with Gargano interfering and costing Ciampa the match.

Gargano says he meant to come out there and support his friend but he saw a look in Ciampa’s eyes and knew it was the old Ciampa. When Ciampa looked down at him, he knew what was going to happen because Gargano can’t let Ciampa have his own chance. They brawled at the Performance Center last week because Ciampa is a psychopath and Gargano didn’t get a chance to explain anything. It made sense to have them fight at the Performance Center last week because everything started there.

HHH and Tom are amazed by their rivalry and can’t wait to see them fight again.

Post break, we move on to Finn Balor, with HHH saying this is the Prince that he always wanted to see from Balor.

Video on Finn Balor’s initial NXT run.

Balor talks about signing with the company in 2014 because he was the best wrestler in the world. He fought the best wrestlers in the world and showed that he was the best around, including when he became NXT Champion.

Post break, Balor is drafted to Raw in 2016 as the #1 overall pick for Raw, making him an instant top star. Balor won a four way in his first night, then beat Roman Reigns and went on to Summerslam to become the first ever Universal Champion….but he hurt his shoulder (and almost everything arm related) and was out for the better part of a year.

Then he came back and was giving everyone the best matches of their career, capped off by a Universal Title shot at the Royal Rumble. He wasn’t winning much of these though and the Lesnar loss brought the passion back. Balor knew he had to go back to NXT, where the passion came from in the first place.

Then he got back, but things weren’t the same. Now he has to please everyone at once and that wasn’t going to last. What matters is getting where he wants to go because he’s 38 years old and wants that feeling again. It was nothing personal when he took out Johnny Gargano, because this is all about the prince.

We see the end of Balor beating Gargano at Takeover: Portland.

Balor says the Prince is back.

HHH and Tom talk about Rhea Ripley defending the NXT Women’s Title at Wrestlemania and how big it is for NXT.

We get a video on Ripley, who showed up here when she was 20 but wasn’t being herself with the long blonde hair and big smile. Then she started being herself and knew she was on the right track. She got over to NXT UK and beat Toni Storm to become the first ever NXT UK Women’s Champion and it was the biggest moment of her career.

Then it was time to move on to NXT, where she got in Shayna Baszler’s face, beat her at WarGames and then beat her for the title in December (she was so on fire at that point that they didn’t have a choice). Charlotte won the Women’s Royal Rumble and no one wanted to see her face Becky Lynch again. That brought Ripley to Raw to issue the challenge because people wanted to see it for a change. After Ripley dispatched Bianca Belair, it was time to face Charlotte and it turns out that it’s going to be in Rhea’s world at the Performance Center.

HHH and Tom wrap it up.  There was no mention of Takeover whatsoever.

Overall Rating: B. This show worked because they tried to do something and didn’t veer away from it. They were much better off not having more awkward matches in front of no fans so keep the fans updated while you figure out what you want to do next. NXT knows how to do these videos really well and I could easily see the first half being released before the eventual Gargano vs. Ciampa blowoff. Much better than Raw and Smackdown, mainly because it was doing something well rather than trying not to do something too badly if that makes sense. Even if it doesn’t though, this was a good show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

I mean, it had been a full day with no changes.

And then, it all changes again. As you might have heard, Wrestlemania is kind of insane this year, just like everything else going on in the world. The big news on Monday was that the show would take place at the Performance Center, but since nothing can actually last these days, we already have two more big changes.

First of all, the show will be taking place over two nights. Usually I can’t stand this idea, but in this situation it’s something that makes sense. There are only so many ways you can go with the show at this point given the amount of people that are allowed to be at the show. It’s annoying, but as long as it isn’t back to back 5+ hour shows, they’ll be fine.

Then there’s the possibility of having matches taking place in multiple locations. Really, if there aren’t going to be any fans in the building in the first place, it doesn’t make much of a difference. I’ll take what I can get here and having any form of Wrestlemania is better than nothing, especially in the current environment. It’s going to be weird, but what isn’t at the moment?

IMG Credit: AEW

Dynamite
Date: March 18, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Taz, Excalibur

Suddenly things are going to be very different around here and that is going to be the case for the next few weeks. Starting tonight, like every other major wrestling show at the moment, AEW is going to be performing in front of no fans due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus. An odd show is better than no show though so let’s get to it.

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

Cody is in the middle of the completely empty arena to start and talks about how important it is to be healthy and smart. At the same time, AEW does something important in these kind of times. Tonight, Cody is going to be asking people to put aside their differences to do something special. We are going to see the Elite against the Inner Circle with the winners being the in command next week.

Cody needs the Young Bucks, Hangman Page and Kenny Omega to come out here and be the Elite. Cue Omega and Matt Jackson, with Omega saying he and Cody haven’t seen eye to eye but they will be the Elite tonight. Matt likes the call to action, even though Nick Jackson isn’t here due to last week’s attack. Page comes out, takes a sip of his drink, and walks away again. Omega says everyone needs entertainment and positivity so tonight, they’re giving the best they can give. So hit the lights and pyro so we can start Dynamite.

Video on the Best Friends vs. the Lucha Bros.

MJF and Shawn Spears are in the empty seats to gamble on the matches, but HOW DARE YOU suggest that they’re gambling!

Brandi Rhodes is doing the ring announcing. Her graphic: “Promised she’d never ring announce again.”

Best Friends vs. Lucha Bros

Orange Cassidy is on commentary. Trent takes Fenix into the corner to start and it’s time for a chop off. A double shoulder takes Fenix down and a double suplex gives Trent two. Chuck knocks Fenix down for two more but Fenix pokes Trent in the eyes to take over. The stereo superkicks drop Trent and some more kicks to the leg keep him in trouble. Orange stands up to glare as Trent is sent to the floor, meaning it’s a big dive from Fenix. Trent takes both Bros down on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Trent getting kicked in the face but managing a tornado DDT to get him out of trouble. The hot tag brings in Chuck to clean house as everything breaks down. Cassidy gets on the announcers’ table as JR is nearly disgusted by the King of Sloth Style moniker. The Bros glare at him so Cassidy dives onto the both of them, allowing Chuck to piledrive Pentagon for two. The referee is distracted though and a low blow cuts Trent down, setting up the spike Fear Factor for the pin at 14:04. MJF seems to have won a lot of money.

Rating: B. And instantly, AEW is showing how much better it is to have anyone, even just a few wrestlers, watching the match. It makes things a lot easier to watch and adds atmosphere, while also giving the people some character development. This is already better than just about anything on the WWE shows so far. Well done indeed.

Post match the Best Friends are livid and want a rematch, but in a street fight. Or maybe in a parking lot next week.

Penelope Ford vs. Riho vs. Kris Stadtlander vs. Hikaru Shida

One fall to a finish and Kip Sabian is at ringside. Ford gets double teamed to start before being knocked outside. That means a big dive from Riho onto all three others for the big knockdown. Back in and Riho is laid on the middle rope, with Stadtlander telling Shida to suplex her onto Riho. Stadtlander doesn’t like Shida trying to roll her up for two and the small package makes it even worse.

The two of them fight to the floor, leaving Riho to forearm Ford in the face and baseball slide Sabian for a bonus. Riho uses Ford as a launchpad to dropkick Sabian but Shida is back in to knee her in the face. Stadtlander makes the save but gets reverse hurricanranaed to the floor by Ford. Shida Falcon Arrows Ford for two, followed by the running knee for the pin at 5:50.

Rating: C+. This was a fast paced and entertaining match with all action throughout. Shida continues to showcase herself very well and looks like a star most of the time. Good stuff here and the women’s division is starting to come around a little bit, though there is still a long way to go.

Post match Colt Cabana talks about how much he liked the match but doesn’t like Sabian interfering so much. Sabian gets annoyed so Colt hits him in the face, sending Sabian running away.

Earlier today, Jon Moxley was not happy with not being allowed to enter the arena due to not being medically cleared. When has he ever been medically cleared? He promises to be in the Inner Circle’s blind spot and he’ll be at Blood and Guts no matter what. Then he drives off in the expensive blue car.

No Bunny or Marko Stunt here, but MJF gives Butcher and Blade some cash before the match. Blade takes Boy into the corner to start and stomps away but a springboard armdrag takes Blade down. It’s off to Luchasaurus to power Blade down and that means we need a breather on the floor with MJF. Boy’s dive is countered into a toss into the barricade to put Express in trouble.

Back in and Boy’s eyes are raked across the top rope, followed by a side slam/legdrop combination. We take a break and come back with Boy still in trouble until he clotheslines his way to freedom. An elbow to the back cuts off the hot tag attempt though and the beating continues. Boy gets sat on top but he dives over Butcher and rolls over for the hot tag to Luchasaurus in a great visual.

Luchasaurus moonsaults to the floor to drop Butcher before launching Boy at Blade (which almost goes WAY too far as Boy has to save himself from falling over the top). Butcher and Luchasaurus slug it out and it’s an assisted swinging Rock Bottom to give Butcher two. Boy is back in so Blade can get Tail Whipped, with Butcher being sent outside. A reverse powerbomb/cutter combination plants Blade and Boy gets a running start….so he can step to the floor to stomp Butcher in what looks like a missed cue as Luchasaurus gets the pin at 12:33.

Rating: C. There were some missed spots in there but it was a nice formula tag match with a rather good hot tag to Luchasaurus. He’s awesome as the guy who gets the hot tag and can come in to wreck everything because he’s so much bigger than almost anyone else in the company. Just like in the opener though, the wrestlers on the floor made this a lot better. Good enough match here, odd spots aside.

Here’s the Dark Order to talk about the Exalted One being on his way. They have prepared the path for him but here’s Christopher Daniels to interrupt. He’s heard everything he needs to hear about the Exalted One because he doesn’t exist. It’s been that way for months now and nothing has changed.

Hold on though as we get a video from the Exalted One himself. There are new rules for the Dark Order though: they do what they want when they want and if he wants something, it will be taken. The hood comes off to reveal Brodie Lee (formerly Luke Harper), who promises to destroy Daniels. Back in the arena, Lee is in the ring and wrecks SCU.

Lance Archer is at ringside but Jake Roberts cuts him off to challenge Cody to a fight.

We go somewhere out in the woods where a ring is set up with Lance Archer beating up a bunch of people as Jake Roberts watches on. Archer beats them up while shouting EVERYBODY DIES and then chokeslams someone onto a car. Archer looked crazy intense here.

Next Dynamite (there is no mention of next week): Luchasaurus vs. Wardlow in a lumberjack match, the Lucha Bros vs. Best Friends in a parking lot fight and Blood and Guts.

Inner Circle vs. Elite

Ortiz comes in for a cheap shot as we hear about Santana and Ortiz failing gym and not having first names. It’s off to Matt and the arm work begins but Page tags himself in, much to Matt’s annoyance. Page clotheslines Santana twice and gets two off a bridging pumphandle fall away slam. Everything breaks down in a hurry and Cody gets superkicked on the apron as we take a quick break.

Back with Cody getting suplexed and sent into the barricade as Jericho mocks Anderson’s clothing. They come back in and Hager works on Cody’s arm, followed by a chinlock from Santana. Cody snaps off a Cross Rhodes to Ortiz though and Hager freaks out. Hager gets dropped to the floor but he comes back in and cuts off the tag as we take another break. Back again with Cody avoiding the Vader Bomb and Page getting to come in and clean house.

The dive tot he floor drops Hager and a sliding lariat gets two on Santana. Everything breaks down and Cody dives onto Ortiz and throws him at MJF. Wardlow grabs Cody by the throat so Anderson makes the save with his notepad. Back in and Matt rolls the northern lights suplexes on Santana but can’t do it to Hager. Page joins in and the double version puts Hager down but Hager breaks up the Indytaker to Santana. With Nick surprised, Santana rolls him up for the pin at 20:08.

Overall Rating: A. This was excellent and I’m not sure what else I’m supposed to say. They had no fans and a pretty limited crew and put on a regular wrestling show with some big surprised. This show made WWE’s Performance Center shows look completely worthless and amateurish. Hopefully WWE sees what they’re up against and starts changing ANYTHING to make those shows better (putting wrestlers at ringside would make a world of difference).

I’m incredibly impressed with this and AEW has completely lapped WWE for this kind of show so far. Outstanding stuff all things considered, and very good with no things considered. Check this out if you have the time, because it’s a lot better than most of their regular shows.

Results

Lucha Bros b. Best Friends – Spike Fear Factor to Trent

Hikaru Shida b. Riho, Penelope Ford and Kris Stadtlander – Running knee to Ford

Inner Circle b. Elite – Small package to Jackson

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

Since there is a wrestling side to everything.

So yeah, things have changed quite a lot in recent days and that seems to be where we are likely to stay for a good while. What matters most is that people stay safe and while it’s terrible to have to go through all of this, the important thing is keeping people healthy and safe in the long term. That might mean some inconvenience if not even trouble in the short term, but it’s something that is going to get better (albeit likely after getting worse).

As far as the wrestling world goes….egads man. It’s a terrible situation and while WWE and AEW are likely going to survive just fine (having billionaire owners helps a lot), I have no idea what it’s going to mean for places like ROH, MLW, the NWA and all of the much smaller promotions. Some of them have material previously taped but how long can you go without running new material? I’m sure several of the companies can run Best Of shows for the next few weeks (if not a few months), but what it if lasts a lot longer than that?

As for WWE….I’m not sure on Wrestlemania being at the Performance Center, but given the shakiness of the timeline right now, getting it out of the way might be the best thing they can do. After that they can figure out what to do with TV, but cutting the card WAY down (as in not adding much more than what they have now) and then just doing one big match a week on TV might be their best bet. Write the year off (as a fan, as WWE’s financial hit is going to hurt a lot) and come back next year, because it’s better that anything else you could do right now.

Overall, there’s plenty of wrestling to watch (my list of shows to cover is at about 400 at the moment) and some places are even giving some of it away (you can get a month of Club WWN free at the moment). Find something to watch because odds are you’re going to have a lot of time on your hands. What matters though is keep safe and don’t do something dumb that makes you more vulnerable. It’s going to get better eventually, so enjoy some wrestling in the meantime.

KB

IMG Credit: AEW

Dark
Date: March 17, 2020
Location: Maverik Center, West Valley City, Utah
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz
Hosts: Tony Schiavone, Dasha Gonzalez

This might be the last time that we see a large crowd for a large company and that makes me sad in a way. I’m hoping the show lives up to its status of being in this position, even if there was no reason to believe that it would be in the first place. So yeah, odds are it’s a normal show, which sounds great right now. Let’s get to it.

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

The announcers run down the card.

Peter Avalon vs. Colt Cabana

Leva Bates is with Avalon of course and Cabana interrupts his pre-match speech, also of course. Avalon takes him into the corner to start but Colt gives him a heck of a chop. It’s time to crank on Avalon’s arms before taking him down into a bodyscissors. Back up and Avalon dropkicks him to the floor, with Cabana grabbing his knee.

Avalon’s high crossbody gets two and he grabs his own double arm crank. Cabana fights up again and hits the Flip Flop and Fly into a splash for two. That sends Avalon to the apron but Bates gets in Cabana’s way, setting up a tug of war. Avalon gets the better of it and nearly kisses her, only to get caught in the Superman pin at 5:42.

Rating: D+. Just a match here, but it shows what Cabana can do best: he’s a perfect choice for a way to open the show most weeks. The fans know who he is, he can be entertaining both with comedy and wrestling, and can go serious if necessary. This was fine enough for an opener, though it’s not like it was anything worth seeing.

Tony and Dasha don’t have much to say, though Tony does have a new shirt.

Hybrid 2 vs. Brandon Cutler/Michael Nakazawa

Evans and Angelico jump them to start as the fans chant for Nakazawa. We settle down to Evans hammering on Nakazawa until Angelico takes him down by the leg to crank away. Nakazawa’s comeback doesn’t last long as Angelico cranks on the arm, only to have Nakazawa oil his way to freedom. The oil gets him out of a double suplex as well and it’s Cutler coming in to clean house.

This includes a forearm, with Excalibur making fun of JR for calling it a Five Arm (since wrestling was invented in Japan/Mexico and nothing else matters to him, or at least that’s how it comes off). Anyway, Cutler kicks people in the head and drops a guillotine legdrop to the back of Angelico’s head on the apron. A top rope elbow gets two on Evans but Nakazawa oils Cutler in the face by mistake. Evans moonsaults onto Cutler, leaving Angelico to hit a running Razor’s Edge buckle bomb. The 630 gives Evans the pin on Nakazawa at 6:24.

Rating: C-. So, to recap, Excalibur is fine with a guy whose whole deal is pouring oil on himself and then spitting it in his partner’s eyes but JR calling a forearm a Five Arm (because for some reason the idea of the name is REALLY complicated I guess) is too far? But hey, he knows the “official” name for a suicide dive and wears a mask because he honors lucha libre tradition. Or something.

The hosts preview the next match.

Penelope Ford vs. Riho

Kip Sabian is here as well. Ford forearms her down to start but Riho bridges up at one. Some running knees in the corner have Ford in trouble until Sabian pulls Riho’s leg. That lets Ford hit a Stunner and hammer away on the mat, followed by the handspring elbow in the corner. A delayed vertical suplex gets two and Ford tries a bridge, only to get stomped in the ribs.

Riho hits a 619 (or tiger feint kick in case Rey Mysterio isn’t good enough for you) and a crucifix driver gets two. The top rope double stomp gets the same but Ford is right back with a fireman’s carry gutbuster. The V Trigger misses in the corner but Sabian offers a distraction, allowing Ford to hit a handspring Stunner. A fisherman’s suplex finishes Riho at 6:06.

Rating: C-. There was a bit too much interference here as Sabian got involved several times, but I can go with that by having a surprise ending. I wouldn’t have bet on having Riho lose here but it’s nice to see someone getting a chance. I’ve never quite gotten the huge star power in Riho, but if she’s as big of a deal as the fans treat her as, this shouldn’t hurt her that much.

Stu Grayson vs. Christopher Daniels

SCU gets ejected before the bell and Dark Order is tossed as well, meaning it’s one on one. A shoulder puts Grayson outside in a hurry so Daniels hits a baseball slide to send him into the barricade. Back in and a high crossbody gives Daniels two, only to have Grayson come back with a release Rock Bottom. Some rollups give Daniels two more so Grayson hits him in the throat.

A slingshot hilo to the apron (Grayson: “This is fun!”) crushes Daniels but he catches Grayson with an exploder suplex into the corner. The STO plants Grayson and the Blue Thunder Bomb gets the same. Grayson is back with a running knee for two but Nightfall is broken up. Angel’s Wings is countered as well though and Grayson hits a sitout TKO for a rather near fall.

Grayson takes too long to set up his own BME so Daniels slips away, setting up Angel’s Wings for two. A Downward Spiral sets up the Koji Clutch but a Creeper (or follower or the Dark Order as Excalibur puts it because he can’t remember the official name here, and yes I’m still on this) distracts the referee. Daniels takes care of him and counters Nightfall into a rollup for the pin at 10:06.

Rating: B-. You have this good match, which ties into a big story, taped and you don’t put it in on Dynamite? I’m not sure I get that but at least it was a lot better than anything else on the show. What matters here is making me care about the Exalted One and they have done that rather well, as I don’t know who it is going to be, which is a nice feeling to have.

Post match the Dark Order comes in but SCU and Colt Cabana run in for the save. Daniels calls out Evil Uno, saying there is no Exalted One.

Overall Rating: C. The main event helped it a lot but aside from that, this was your run of the mill, non-essential viewing episode of Dark. It’s very good that AEW has basically turned this into the B team show most of the time, as people like Nakazawa or Avalon have little reason to be close to Dynamite these days. Not a great show, but the main event wasn’t bad at all and advanced the big story for the week so well done there.

Results

Colt Cabana b. Peter Avalon – Superman pin

Hybrid 2 b. Michael Nakazawa/Brandon Cutler – 630 to Nakazawa

Penelope Ford b. Riho – Fisherman’s suplex

Christopher Daniels b. Stu Grayson – Rollup

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: March 13, 2020
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Jon Quasto, Aiden English

And then everything changes. Instead of wrestling in front of a shrinking crowd after a show or a filing in crowd before a show, they’re wrestling in front of no one because this show is cursed. It’s actually a big show this time around with an elimination tag between Team NXT and Team 205 Live Originals. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Team NXT vs. Team 205 Live Originals

NXT – Isaiah Scott, Tyler Breeze, Danny Burch, Oney Lorcan, ???

205 Live – Tony Nese, Ariya Daivari, Brian Kendrick, Jack Gallagher, Mike Kanellis

The Singh Brothers are here with the 205 Live originals and NXT’s mystery partner is….Kushida. Nese takes Kushida down to start and strikes the pose but Kushida is right back up with a wristlock. That’s broken up so Kushida hits the handspring elbow, meaning it’s off to Kanellis vs. Burch. The latter works on the arm and hands it off to Lorcan for more of the same. Nese comes back in to forearm Lorcan in the face but it’s already back to Burch for some right hands.

Burch throws Nese outside but has to beat up the Singhs. The distraction doesn’t mean much as Burch grabs a Crossface on Nese, causing everything to break down. That leaves Nese and Burch in the ring so the distracted referee misses the Singhs coming in. Burch takes care of them but a camera shot to the face lets Nese get rid of Burch at 5:32.

Nese stomps away at Breeze on the way back in but refuses to tag Gallagher. He’ll tag Kanellis, who tags Nese right back in to stomp on Breeze as well. Gallagher tags himself in though and hammers away but Breeze is right back with a sunset flip. Gallagher counters that with a rollup for the elimination at 7:45 though and 205 Live is up 5-3. Lorcan comes in and gets kicked into the corner before it’s back to Nese….who is promptly half and half suplexed for the elimination at 8:58.

Kanellis is in next and gets chopped in the corner but superkicks Lorcan right back down. Hold on though as Nese pulls Gallagher off the apron, earning himself a headbutt. Gallagher headbutts Kanellis as well, sending him into a rollup from Lorcan for the pin at 10:34. We’re tied up again as Kendrick elbows Lorcan in the back of the neck. Daivari’s neckbreaker gets two and we hit the chinlock (you shouldn’t need that in an elimination tag. Lorcan fights up and it’s a double clothesline for the double knockdown.

Kendrick and Scott come in with the latter cleaning house but a Daivari distraction lets Kendrick knock him to the floor. It’s Daivari coming in legally for a change but he misses a charge into the corner, allowing Scott to roll him up for the elimination at 15:05. Kendrick comes back in and gets small packaged for the pin at 15:13.

That leaves us with Gallagher vs. Scott/Lorcan/Kushida, but Kendrick and Daivari beat Scott up before leaving. Kushida gets sent into the announcers’ table and Lorcan goes into the steps, leaving Gallagher to pound on Scott. Gallagher gets tossed to the floor but comes back in for a discus elbow to get rid of Lorcan at 17:30. A dive off the top takes Scott down and the running dropkick in the corner gets two on Kushida. Gallagher cranks on the arms but Kushida slips out and hits him in the face, allowing Scott to come back in. The House Call gets two and it’s Pop Culture into Kushida’s cross armbreaker for the win at 20:22.

Rating: C+. The thing that makes me happy here is how they built something up and then had a pretty good match. It wasn’t the best show in the world but what we got was good enough for a major match, at least by this show’s standards. I’m not sure if it is enough to go anywhere, at least not with Kendrick and Daivari as such big heels, but all in all, pretty good stuff.

Scott and Kushida show respect but stare each other down to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. These one idea shows are always weird. This one was good though as it’s an effort and some thought going into this show, and that’s what this show has been lacking for months. I could go for some more of this, though having the title mainly on NXT (or NXT UK at the moment) is making this show seem less and less important every week. Just try in some way though and maybe there can be a need for this thing. Given how the wrestling world is going at the minute, anything is better than nothing.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Main Event
Date: March 12, 2020
Location: Capital One Arena, Washington DC
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Mickie James

Welcome to the last normal WWE show for what is probably a good while. I’m not sure when we’ll be in a big arena again but it seems like it could be a very long time. In other words, a lot of this stuff isn’t going to matter, but that has never stopped WWE or Main Event before. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Ricochet vs. Eric Young

Ricochet shoves him into the corner to start and hits a dropkick to the floor. Instead of a dive though, it’s a springboard backflip so Ricochet can hit the superhero pose. Back in and Ricochet grabs a hurricanrana into a neckbreaker but Young knees him in the ribs. After Young mocks the superhero pose, the neck crank keeps Ricochet down. Back up and Ricochet kicks him in the face to send Young to the floor, meaning it’s a big flip dive for a bonus. Ricochet gets in a knee to the face, followed by the 630 for the pin at 5:25.

Rating: D+. Why Ricochet? Normally I would think it’s some ridiculous reason like Vince doesn’t like how he looks in trunks, but would that really surprise you? I can’t think of any good reason to downgrade him this much but given that it’s WWE, I probably shouldn’t be surprised. Annoyed yes, though not exactly annoyed.

Video on Shayna Baszler winning the Elimination Chamber.

From Raw.

Here’s Becky Lynch for a chat. She’s glad to know her Wrestlemania challenger and we see a package on Shayna Baszler running through the Chamber last night. Shayna says she’s coming for the title and there’s nothing Becky can do about it. Back in the arena, Becky praises Shayna’s accomplishments but calls her a black hole of charisma. Becky saw her as the constipated robot of NXT but she remembers Shayna as the one who wouldn’t shake her hand last year at Wrestlemania. People like Becky don’t beat trained killers like Shayna, but that’s what she does. Shayna is underestimating her so Becky is going to smash her face in.

Quick look at Drew McIntyre taking out Brock Lesnar.

From Raw.

Erick Rowan vs. Drew McIntyre

McIntyre steps over the cage, with commentary again not sure what’s in there. So we’re already forgetting last week? McIntyre gets a boot up in the corner to start and clotheslines him to the floor. That means a posting and an overhead belly to belly for the power display. McIntyre uses the steps to crush the cage (fake animal hater) and it’s the Futureshock into the Claymore pin on Rowan at 2:20. Now PLEASE tell me we’re done with the cage thing.

Humberto Carrillo vs. Shelton Benjamin

Shelton goes straight for the cross armbreaker to start but Carrillo gets to the rope in a hurry. An elbow to the jaw staggers Shelton and the high angle springboard armdrag takes him down again. Shelton knocks him down on the floor though and we take a break. Back with Carrillo hitting the springboard spinning crossbody for two, only to have his moonsault hit knees. Shelton bails to the floor again and it’s a moonsault DDT to drop him again. Back in and Shelton blocks the armdrag and grabs the armbreaker, only to have Carrillo slip out. The springboard kick to the face sets up the moonsault to finish Shelton at 8:10.

Rating: C. The match was fine enough and as usual, Carrillo is a lot better when he isn’t actually talking or having any kind of a story. He’s rather fun to watch in the ring but egads he’s as dull as you can get otherwise. It’s not a bad match or anything and they did a good job of making Shelton seem like a big deal around here before losing in the end. Not too bad, but nothing memorable as usual.

From Smackdown.

It’s time for the Firefly Fun House with a wall full of John Cena pictures. Bray Wyatt calls it magnifico and thinks the fans must be asking why Cena. Ramblin Rabbit pops in to say it’s because Cena beat him six years ago at Wrestlemania, sending Bray into a depression and starting his downward spiral of negativity. Bray, sounding a bit nervous: “Yeah Yowie Wowie.” Bray says there would be no Firefly Fun House without Cena. He forgives Cena, but a being built on pain and fueled by vengeance is waiting at Wrestlemania. That being is not so forgiving and around and around we go. Let him in.

Video on Randy Orton vs. Edge.

From Raw.

Here’s MVP to insult Washington DC and talk about how he’s transitioning into a management role. He needs a centerpiece to his stable though, and that would be Edge. As great as Edge is, he has a problem focusing so MVP can help guide him back to prominence.

Overall Rating: D+. It almost feels weird seeing a full arena show at this point as everything changed so much in such a short amount of time. That’s how things can change in the blink of an eye in wrestling, though I don’t think it was ever expected to be this bad. The show was the usual Main Event, and that’s not exactly something I need to see most of the time. For now though, it’s kind of weird “see you later” show, which is a weird status for this show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Wrestlemania XV
Date: March 28, 1999
Location: First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 20,276
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler

The pre-show will be replaced by Sunday Night Heat, the regular Sunday night show, for the next several years.

Sunday Night Heat: Ivory vs. Jacqueline

Sunday Night Heat: Battle Royal

Everyone goes after Rock and Grunge (a famous ECW tag team known as Public Enemy and therefore the crowd favorites) and put them out in about five seconds. A group of people get rid of Viscera (the giant formerly known as Mabel) but he pulls Gillberg out to make himself feel better. Animal, Skull and 8-Ball are put out and Hawk (with a full head of hair) goes out as well. Taylor is eliminated as Owen and Jarrett actually play some favorites for a change.

Boyz II Men sing America the Beautiful.

Hardcore Title: Al Snow vs. Hardcore Holly vs. Billy Gunn

Merchandise plug.

We recap Butterbean vs. Bart Gunn in a Brawl For All match. So back in 1998, the WWF lost its mind and decided to have a shoot toughman competition which was designed to be won by Dr. Death Steve Williams, a legitimate brawler and the Brock Lesnar of the 1980s. However, Bart Gunn shocked the world (or no one who knew his background as a toughman fighter but why pay attention to something like that) and won the thing.

Butterbean vs. Bart Gunn

Since this took about two minutes all together, the San Diego Chicken (sports mascot) shows up to annoy Pazienza, who knocks him out with one punch.

Mankind and “The Big Show” Paul Wight brawled on Heat earlier tonight.

Mankind promises to beat up Big Show again.

Paul Wight vs. Mankind

Once in the back, Vince wants Show arrested for assault in ANOTHER angle on this show.

Intercontinental Title: Road Dogg vs. Ken Shamrock vs. Goldust vs. Val Venis

Ryan yells at her brother until Venis goes outside for a brawl and a double countout. Ken comes back in and suplexes Dogg and Goldust to leave both guys laying. This gives me a chance to point out how stupid this is considering they have no issues, making this yet another bad decision. Back up and Ryan trips Goldust by mistake (allegedly, as Dogg was nowhere near Goldust), allowing Dogg to roll through a powerslam attempt for the pin to retain at 9:54.

Goldust rips into Ryan post match.

Big Show is arrested.

HHH vs. Kane

HHH lays Kane out with the chair and a Pedigree post match before officially reuniting with Chyna to a big pop.

European Title: X-Pac vs. Shane McMahon

Shane is defending and has Test in his corner. Patterson and Brisco fail at attacking X-Pac during the entrances so Shane has to run. He celebrates over a leapfrog, earning him a kick to the face. Test saves Shane from the Bronco Buster and crotches X-Pac against the post as the Mean Street Posse watch from the front row. Back in and Shane hammers away but misses a Corporate Elbow.

Post match the Outlaws make the save until Kane comes out to chase HHH off. The Outlaws shout to Lawler that HHH is done. He would be done with the midcard at least as he would win his first WWF World Title in August.

Undertaker vs. Big Boss Man

Hell in a Cell. To give you an idea of where Undertaker is right now, here are some of the spoken words during his theme song: “Accept the lord of darkness as your savior. Allow the purity of evil to guide you.” Boss Man pounds away in the corner to start but Undertaker does the same to take over. Various shots put Undertaker down but he keeps sitting up. A double leg trip (in the Cell mind you) puts Boss Man on the floor and Undertaker rams him into the Cell a few times.

Vince is guest referee, but Commissioner Shawn Michaels makes a surprise appearance with referee Mike Chioda. After complaining that he had to buy a ticket to get in, Shawn tells Vince that he has to pay attention to the rulebook. The rules clearly state that only one person can appoint a referee at Wrestlemania, and I think you can guess who that is. On top of that, the Corporation is barred from ringside and if Shawn sees any of them out here, he and Vince can have a fight of their own out back. This is another angle made and written off in less than two hours.

WWF World Title: The Rock vs. Steve Austin

No DQ, Rock is defending and Austin comes out in a shirt due to forgetting his vest at home. This is also the Wrestlemania debut of the WWF World Title belt that debuted the night after Wrestlemania XIV. They immediately brawl to the floor to start and go into the crowd for the main event style brawl. No one can get an advantage so they fight up the aisle with Rock backdropping him knee first onto an electric light, only to be sent into the big Wrestlemania logo, making it sway in a bit of a scary moment.

Highlight package takes us out.

Ratings Comparison

Hardcore Holly vs. Billy Gunn vs. Al Snow

Original: D+

2013 Redo: C-

2015 Redo: D

Original: F+

2013 Redo: C-

2015 Redo: C-

Butterbean vs. Bart Gunn

Original: F

2013 Redo: N/A

2015 Redo: N/A

Mankind vs. Big Show

Original: C-

2013 Redo: D

2015 Redo: D

Ken Shamrock vs. Road Dogg vs. Goldust vs. Val Venis

Original: D

2013 Redo: C

2015 Redo: D+

Kane vs. HHH

Original: D+

2013 Redo: C-

2015 Redo: C

Tori vs. Sable

Original: F

2013 Redo: F

2015 Redo: F

X-Pac vs. Shane McMahon

Original: C+

2013 Redo: D

2015 Redo: C-

Undertaker vs. Big Boss Man

Original: H (For holy goodness why was this a Cell match?)

2013 Redo: F

2015 Redo: F

Steve Austin vs. The Rock

Original: B+

2013 Redo: B-

2015 Redo: B

Overall Rating

Original: D

2013 Redo: D

2015 Redo: D

Individual ratings aside, it still sucks.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/03/22/history-of-wrestlemania-with-kb-wrestlemania-15-this-is-the-best-they-can-do/

And the 2013 Redo:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2013/03/24/wrestlemania-count-up-wrestlemania-xv-russo-at-his-best/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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