Wrestlemania 18
Date: March 17, 2002
Location: Skydome, Toronto, Canada
Attendance: 68,237
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Jim Ross
America the Beautiful: N/A

Now this is a very interesting case. WWE had completely bombed the previous year with the Alliance and the Invasion. Those angles had to be pushed forward because HHH was injured about two months after Wrestlemania X7. Since then we had two world titles running around meaning two champions. At Vengeance, they were unified into the Undisputed Championship. That’s the night Jericho references once every 8.3 minutes.

Anyway, your main idea here is that after Shane and Stephanie lost in the Winner Take All Match, they sold their shares to none other than Ric Flair. He and Vince owned half of the company, but Vince couldn’t handle this. He says that if Flair doesn’t sell the shares back to him, he’ll poison the company by bringing in the NWO. Of course this winds up happening and it’s nowhere near as effective as it was 6 years ago in WCW.

They cost Austin the title so he’s mad at Hall and they have a match tonight. Rock challenges Hogan for the super match WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN AUSTIN. Seriously, if WWE wants to kid themselves and try to believe that Rock was at Austin’s level, go ahead. That belongs in the same book that says Attitude was a completely original idea. So instead we get Rock vs. Hogan. There’s one big issue that this causes: no one cares about HHH vs. Jericho now.

People weren’t buying into his title reign in the first place as there’s a common rumor going around that says the Undisputed Title was supposed to go to HHH but he wasn’t healthy yet. I would completely buy that if someone told me it was true. This is the last WM before the brand split made an attempt to kill the company. Let’s get to it.

Here’s your first clue that this show is going to be bad: Saliva plays Superstar to kick it off. Not O Canada? Seriously, we get this to start the show? Anyone else kind of disappointed? Don’t get me wrong, Saliva is a sweet band (their concerts completely suck though. Save your money and just listen to the CDs. They’re miles better).

The fans aren’t even into it at all as it’s just completely out of place. The standard “This is our Super Bowl” video follows. That is used a lot but there’s a reason: it’s the truth. The four guys in the main events tonight get to talk about what Mania means tonight. They did a good job of making it feel epic if nothing else. Pretty cool video of people talking about how important Mania is, and 8 minutes after the show started we hear JR. Lawler is back this year and it’s very nice to hear. Those two just belong at Wrestlemania.

Intercontinental Title: William Regal vs. Rob Van Dam

Ladies and Gentlemen (notice the Saliva pun?) we have proof once and for all that Vince hates RVD and anything he didn’t create. If you remember the fall before this, Van Dam was main eventing a pay per view and getting great pops everywhere the show went. He was incredibly over and it’s not like his in ring stuff is terrible. Sure he’s no Lou Thesz but it’s not like he does nothing out there.

Wouldn’t you think a guy that gets pops like he does is worth more than the opening spot? Just shows me that no matter what he did, RVD was never going to get a fair shake. He gets caught with drugs once and he’s gone. Jeff gets caught how many times and still gets a title run. (Ironically enough I’m rewriting this the morning after Victory Road 2011). Seriously, there’s something completely not right about that.

Regal is perhaps the most bland heel I’ve ever seen at this point. He was just completely boring. The crowd is chanting for RVD less than 20 seconds in. Standing moonsault gets no cover by Van Dam as he starts off very quickly. Regal grabs the brass knuckles very quickly but RVD kicks them out of his hand. Spin kick misses but Van Dam hits the jump kick to set up the Five Star.

That misses and it’s Regal with a cover for two. Suplex gets two. RVD fights back a bit but the Regal Cutter (neckbreaker) puts him right back down. Off to the chinlock and Regal is bleeding from the mouth. Rolling Thunder eats knees and a butterfly powerbomb gets two. Regal Stretch doesn’t work either.

Monkey flip puts Regal down but Rob walks into a SICK half nelson suplex to send him to the floor. Regal goes out to get Van Dam and finds the knuckles which the referee knocks away. Regal pulls out more but Van Dam kicks him in the face and the Five Star starts Van Dam’s Mania unbeaten streak.

Rating: C. This isn’t much at all. It’s the second year in a row Regal was in the IC match in the opening, but this is far worse than last year as it was just kind of there. There’s no story, no psychology that’s noticeable, and it’s mainly Van Dam just using his signature moves. It’s not a terrible match, but there was nothing great about it at all.

Lillian is with Christian and we see a clip of him turning on his mentor DDP who helped him get over Christian’s losing streak. Christian doesn’t need Page or Toronto anymore. That’s a bad thing for Page apparently.

European Title: Christian vs. DDP

Christian’s At Last You Are On Your Own entrance is just great. He’s announced as being from Tampa, Florida, which is a very nice little heel touch that could be done more often. DDP was the guy that drove the Pink Cadillac at WM 6 in the same building. Page is so ridiculously charismatic it’s unreal. He might even rival Hogan in that category.

Christian jumps him as we get into the ring and it’s on early. DDP gets a nice gutwrench powerbomb into a gutbuster. Cactus Clothesline by Page takes us to the floor. Back in and Page tries the ten punches in the corner but Christian pops Page in the balls to break that up. Page is knocked to the floor as this isn’t interesting at all.

An attempted crotch shot to the post by Page is blocked. Nothing of note is going on here. Back in the ring and we get an abdominal stretch. Discus lariat misses and it’s back to Christian’s control. Page gets something close to a powerslam off the top and both guys are down. There’s the discus lariat and down goes Christian.

Modified spiral bomb by Page gets two again. Neither the Unprettier or the Diamond Cutter works and Christian gets two off a reversed DDT. Christian avoids having a temper tantrum which was this stupid thing he was doing at the time. Diamond Cutter ends it clean and Page retains. He never got over in WWE at all. Page makes fun of Christian post match.

Rating: D+. Just like the previous match, this was next to nothing. These matches simply don’t feel like Wrestlemania matches to put it as basically as I can. They’re PPV quality I suppose, but not WM quality. Again, not bad, but nothing special at all. Like I said, Page just never clicked at all in this company.

Christian has a fit post match.

Coach is with Rock in the back and the fans chant for Hogan. Rock asks Coach is he said his prayers this morning but Coach says he got busy and forgot. Rock makes him say his prayers, which Coach starts off with by saying “What’s up G?” Rock freaks and throws him out. Coachman getting harassed by Rock simply never got old. Rock rips his t-shirt as he says Hogan will smell what he’s cooking. Good grief he was amazing.

Hardcore Title: Goldust vs. Maven

Yes, Eyebrows Huffman is back and somehow he has a title. This match is happening for the sole reason of having a hardcore title match. Remember 24/7 is still in effect. Maven gets his teeth kicked in beyond belief on the floor, more or less being a crash dummy. A golden shovel goes into Maven’s ribs. He then lands the only move he ever really mastered: a standing dropkick. He really was great at that.

Other than that, Maven is beaten inside and out here as this is little more than a squash at this point. They hit each other with trash can lids but Spike Dudley runs out with a referee and pins Maven to win the title? Yes this clearly needed to be on the PPV as we’re now almost 40 minutes into the show and the highlight is a TV match for the IC Title and Maven’s theme music.

Crash Holly runs down and chases Spike, Goldust chases Spike and Maven chases Goldust. Oh this isn’t going to end with just the match is it?

Drowning Pool performs Tear Away to “tell the story” of the Undisputed Title. Instead of, I don’t know, maybe just telling us? This is overkill at this point and the fans really aren’t that interested. This goes on WAY too long as even I’m fast forwarding. You can barely see the video that the song is supposed to be accompanying. This is a waste of time.

In that back, Crash and Spike are fighting but Al Snow drives a golf cart through a wall of boxes (good thing they were there isn’t it?) but Spike gets away. As he’s about to leave, Hurricane swings in on a cable and kicks Spike to win the title as Al gives chase. Oh this is going to be a long night.

Don’t try this at home.

After a 30 second spot to say don’t try this at home, we get a recap of what we just saw with Hurricane doing stuff that you could do at your own home. I know we have short attention spans but be serious people.

Kurt Angle vs. Kane

I’m trying to think of why this match happened and I’m drawing a blank. Apparently Kurt blames him for not being in the main event tonight so I’m guessing Royal Rumble. You figure it out. Anyway there’s no video for it or anything like that so how am I supposed to know? Pre match Angle references the scandal with the Canadian Olympic skating team. He’s the big red, white and blue machine. Kane’s pyro cuts him off. He’ll have to be subject to the blue and white machine aspects of Kurt I guess.

Angle hits Kane with the bell during the pyro to give him the advantage. Apparently Kane got attacked by Angle a few weeks ago and his head is messed up because of it. German puts Kane down. Kane comes back with right hands but walks into an overhead belly to belly and a clothesline. We keep hearing about Angle not being in the main event because of Kane which I guess could have been due to a Jericho/Angle title match which I don’t remember either.

Another suplex sends Kane down again for two. Off to a front facelock but Kane is like screw that and tosses him off. Better than tossing his salad I guess. Angle busts out a top rope clothesline and the fans boo the heck out of him, which is odd as that was a solid clothesline. The second attempt at it is caught and down go both men.

Here’s Kane’s comeback with a back drop and powerslam. Chokeslam gets two and Kane gives us a throat slit. Tombstone is reversed and there’s the Angle Slam for two as well. There’s the ankle lock but it gets reversed. Never mind as it’s right back on again. Kane gets an enziguri to take down Angle again. On the bad leg Kane goes up only to get suplexed off the top which never gets old. Chokeslam is reversed into an incredibly sloppy rollup with Kane’s shoulder up to end it.

Rating: C+. Decent match and by far the best match of the night so far, but that ending really hurts it. Also, why did this match exist again? It’s very odd to see WWE give us a match like this with absolutely no explanation. Nothing too bad here, but dang there was limited chemistry.

Hurricane is trying to hide but winds up in Godfather’s locker room with his ladies. They see him and Godfather chases him off. Point?

We recap Taker vs. Flair. Taker was eliminated by Maven at the Rumble in a big surprise. Rock made fun of him for it so they have a match at No Way Out. Taker tries to use a pipe on Rock but for no reason at all Flair comes out to stop him. Taker challenges him for Mania but Flair says no.

Taker starts beating up his loved ones such as Arn Anderson and his son David. He threatens to beat up his daughter and that’s enough to get Flair to say yes. Part of the deal with this is that during a fight on Smackdown, Flair hit a “fan”. This gets him arrested and thrown off the Board of Directors (Flair being demoded. Holy crap.) Tough guy Taker with the ability to talk is freaking awesome. This is no DQ also.

Undertaker vs. Ric Flair

Flair still looks human here. He hammers away to start as Taker is knocked backwards quickly. They go out onto the table with Flair mauling the dead man. Back into the ring and Flair hammers away. All Flair so far at about two minutes into this. Flair jumps off the apron at Taker but gets caught and rammed into the post. This of course gives us time to talk about the plane crash.

Taker sends Flair into the steps, prompting a fan to say that had to hurt which makes me laugh. Back in the ring and they hammer away even more. Flair goes into the middle buckle and somehow isn’t bleeding yet. Back to the floor again via a Flair Flip and a big boot as Taker pounds Flair into a chair. Flair is, say it with me, busted open.

Back into the ring now and Flair is getting hammered down. BIG chop out of the corner by Flair and here he comes. Ross is into this too as you would expect. Taker’s face is cut a bit as he hits a superplex to kill Flair dead. That of course gets two as Taker hammers away while pulling Flair up every time. Taker goes up for Old School and wastes enough time to have it countered.

We hit the floor again and Flair finds a lead pipe on Taker’s bike, popping him in the head with it. That doesn’t put Taker down of course and we fight up the aisle with Taker bleeding but in control. Flair finds a metal sign to get some shots in as we head back into the ring. Big kick to the balls breaks up a chokeslam attempt and it’s time for the leg.

There’s the Figure Four and Taker is in trouble. Taker grabs the throat ala Big Show back in 96 and chokeslams Flair for two. To be fair it was a pretty weak chokeslam. Does goes the referee and according to Taker it’s pipe time. Arn Anderson pops up out of nowhere and DRILLS Taker with a spinebuster to a huge pop and a two count.

Taker brings in another weapon, this time a chair, but according to Law #8 of wrestling, Flair gets it and pops Taker with it a few times. A big boot stops that and it’s time for the Last Ride. For some reason Flair dead weights him so instead it’s a Tombstone (BIG pop for that) to end it as that looked great. Flair is victim #10.

Rating: B. Leave it to the old guys to come out there and have one of the better matches of the show. I don’t think anyone thought Flair would win but it was fun to see him go out there and just be Flair one more time. After this it was more or less nothing but Evolution and HHH for Flair so it didn’t mean much. Flair would be a heel very soon and Taker would be world champion in a few months. Good match.

Booker talks about how smart he is. He mentions knowing about Einstein’s theory of relatives. This was about one of the most creative backstories I’ve heard in awhile. Booker was allegedly trying to get an endorsement deal for a Japanese shampoo commercial, but before he signed the contract the company found Edge instead. This match is the result of that. You have to say, that’s creative if nothing else.

Booker T vs. Edge

 

So Edge is awesome and it’s his hometown. Who do you think is going to win here? JR wants a cheeseburger from the Hard Rock Café. Funny sign: They Are Fighting Over Shampoo. Truer words have never been spoken. Ton of Edge signs and he gets a great reaction. Basic stuff to start with Booker landing a hot shot to take Edge down.

Out to the floor for just a bit and a missile dropkick gets two. All Booker so far. Edge fires back with a big chop but Booker takes him down on the back of his head with an Alabama Slam for two. Edge botches a top rope rana as Booker lands on Edge’s back which has to freaking hurt. Spinwheel kick by Edge for two and here he comes (to save the day!).

Scissors Kick is reversed into the Edge-O-Matic for two. A top rope spinwheel kick (love that move) gets two for the Canadian. Twisting sunset flip out of the corner is countered into a slingshot by Edge but the spear misses. Spinarooni sets up the axe kick for two. Edge gets an arm drag and the spear for a close two. And there’s the Edgecution to end things. That came out of nowhere.
Rating: C. While this was really just an excuse to get the hometown boy on the show, the pop he got makes up for it. While not bad, this isn’t the best match for either of them but it’s certainly good. Edge’s super push continues, but would get knocked off the tracks by neck surgery just 10 months later as he was cracking into the main event.

In the back, Hurricane is interviewed by Coach about being Hardcore Champion. His sidekick, Mighty Molly appears and says that they need to leave. She then hits him in the head with a frying pan to win the title. Ok, I get that this is supposed to be silly, but there is no reason why there’s a freaking frying pan there. What’s that for, in case Big Show wants a fried roast? Seriously, at least use a chair or something.

All right ladies and gentlemen, pay attention, because you’re about to see the worst idea in Wrestlemania history.

We recap Austin vs. Hall. In short it was Austin vs. the NOW and the first person he went after was Hall. That’s about all there is to it. However, the first thing I want to know is what the heck? Austin is main eventing the show one year ago and is now the midcard special? No wait that would be Rock and Hogan. Austin is now doing the Angle/Benoit match from last year.

This should have been Rock or someone else, leaving Austin vs. Hogan, end of discussion. Your story here is that the NWO took out Austin at No Way Out and cost him the title. Austin kidnapped Hall and tortured him, leading to the NWO attacking Austin and breaking a cinder block over his knee. In a move that was never explained, Austin’s OTHER knee is bandaged the next week. Anyway, let’s get on with this.

Scott Hall vs. Steve Austin
As soon as the bell rings we see your basic problem: Austin is viewed as a superstar, Hall is viewed as a joke. Hall is good enough in the ring to hang with Austin, but no one is buying this. Nash is out with him and helping Hall so at least it’s Austin vs. the Outsiders, but this just feels weak all over.

Austin would soon go on hiatus for several months (I saw his last match before he did this, or at least one of them) and I can’t say I blame him. His character was dead and buried at this point and he would only hang around for about another year. Anyway let’s get to this. Austin pounds away to start and it’s about what you would expect.

Thesz Press and the middle finger elbow connect before Hall can even get the vest off. Hall takes a ton of shots into the buckle and it’s off to the floor now. Austin pops Nash and heads back into the ring only to take a clothesline for two. They slug it out even more as Hall is shall we say limited at this point. Hall sends him to the floor and Nash hammers away.

Back in goes Austin and it’s more basic offense by Hall. WORST FALL AWAY SLAM EVER gets no cover. The fans chant Razor as he gets a clothesline for two. Nash adds in some shots to try to make the inevitable ending a bit less annoying. Austin grabs a weak spinebuster for no cover. Hall fires more punches as that’s about all he can do here.

Hall hits the ropes but runs into a Stunner out of nowhere so Nash pulls the referee out and drills him. The double beating begins but Austin fights them off and it’s a Stunner for both with no referee. Nash takes out the replacement referee as well so Austin backdrops Hall to the floor. The fans all look at something and it’s a bunch of referees to get rid of Nash. Hall hits a Stunner for two and then Austin gets a Stunner as well to end this for good.

Rating: D. I hate this match. It’s almost filler and for Austin, that’s a slap in his face. Put simply, he deserves much better than this. Hall and Nash just aren’t a legitimate challenge for the guy that was the world champion most of the previous year. Hall is ok to feed to someone like Edge or Benoit, but putting him in there with Austin? In no way, shape or form is that acceptable. I’m actually ticked off about this now. This is flat out stupid.

We see a video on Access. That really is a cool idea. It’s like a convention where you can meet wrestlers, call matches, etc.

Tag Titles: Billy/Chuck vs. Dudley Boys vs. APA vs. Hardys Boys
Saliva plays the Dudleyz theme and Stacy looks insanely hot dancing with them. That’s your match highlight. This has elimination rules. The APA are purely here to fill a spot as they would be split up a month later. Lita is in a match later so she’s not here either. Still just one set of titles at this point. You Look So Good To Me is freaking catchy.

This is under elimination rules by the way. The APA jumps the champions as they come in. Bradshaw and Chuck start us off and some double teaming puts Bradshaw down. Crowd is dead here as you would expect them to be. The APA and the champions (Billy and Chuck if I didn’t mention that earlier) have done the whole of the match so far.

Farrooq hits a spinebuster on Billy and then it’s off to Bradshaw. D-Von finally comes in and gets beaten down also. Total mess so far and we’re only about two minutes in. Farrooq hits a spinebuster on Chuck outside and the Clothesline ends Billy. Before Bradshaw can cover though a 3D puts the APA out. The Hardys come in to fight their old rivals.

The key word there is old, as neither of them meant anything anymore and both would go their separate ways very soon. Double DDT on Chuck clearly doesn’t hit the mat but who cares? The Dudleys set up a table on the floor which is for later I’d assume. Whisper in the Wind takes down Bubba but Stacy gets on the apron and pulls her shorts up into a thong. Jeff spanks her and shoves her down.

Bubba Bomb takes down Jeff who is a very pale man. Bubba hammers on him for awhile as we couldn’t be going through the motions more if our lives depended on it. We hit the chinlock as this is just boring. D-Von comes in to change a few things. Jeff gets caught in the Tree of Woe and Bubba steps on Jeff’s balls. Edge and Christian did that to Matt last year.

Matt comes in to send Bubba to the floor, knowing what Jeff’s balls feel like. Jeff gets a reverse DDT to bring in Matt. D-Von brings in Bubba and I’d rather watch some old 95 Raw than this. It’s that boring. Bubba misses his big back splash which has never hit once, likely for the sake of people’s lives. Billy saves Matt from What’s Up by shoving D-Von through the tables.

Twist of Fate and the Swanton put the Dudleys out. Chuck kicks Matt’s head off immediately after and we’re down to two teams here. Matt grabs a Side Effect on Billy as the crowd is more or less silent here. Poetry in Motion to Billy and the double finisher to Chuck. Billy gets a Fameasser to Jeff for two but then a belt shot to Jeff ends it.

Rating: F. How in the freaking world do you go from TLC 2 to this in just a year? The tag division was completely dead at this point so they split the belts. Well of course they did because that’s the dumbest thing they ever could have done. This was awful and everyone knew it. Boring all around with only Stacy being at her hottest to be worth anything.

Outsiders say they’re going to help Hogan. Hogan says don’t do it.

Molly runs into a door and Christian pins him. Tell me it’s over. I need to hear that it’s over.

Now it’s time for the REAL main event of Wrestlemania 18: The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan. This all starts with a tale as old as time: Rock wants to know who the better man is. In this case, that’s all this feud needed. Anyway, Hogan pins Rock with the leg drop in a 6 man on Raw, so we already have a reason to believe Hogan can win. Seriously, that should be enough right?

The scene with Rock and Hogan standing toe to toe in the ring on Raw in Chicago to start up the feud is incredible. Rock: “You talk about headlining Wrestlemania after Wrestlemania after Wrestlemania. Well how do you feel about headlining one more Wrestlemania with THE ROCK?” Game on.

Now we get to the really idiotic part as Hogan hit Rock in the back of the head with a hammer. When he was loaded into the ambulance, Hogan commandeered a semi truck and plowed into it. Rock was of course back on Raw the following week because that’s how he rolls I guess. Vince thought that two of the biggest names of all time facing each other wasn’t enough so he threw in a pointless story. That was just a waste to me and always will be.
The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan

Hogan’s pop is insane as the fans show that Hulkamania will indeed live forever. When Hogan is in the ring a HUGE Hogan chant starts up. Rock’s pop is clearly smaller, but it’s there. Ross tries to call this a mixed reaction which is just laughable. The staredown is indeed awesome. The guys seem really confused about the crowd. They pop for the bell. When do you ever hear that?

Hogan sends Rock flying off the lockup and the place erupts. I’ve always liked Hogan talking trash in the most basic of moves. In a headlock for example “Ask him ref or I’ll rip his head off!” Hogan shoves him away again and says just bring it. Hogan hammers away, saying “You ain’t nothing meatball”, which is a line from Rocky III.

Rock gets the big jumping clothesline/forearm and is booed out of the building. Rock hammers away and almost goes over the top but instead hits the floor under the ropes. An attempted Rock Bottom is blocked and Hogan “hits” an elbow to the top of the head and pounds away at Rock on the mat. Rock spears him and pounds away as the crowd is all over him.

Hogan gets a belly to back suplex to calm the riot. He throws on an abdominal stretch and rolls Rock up for two. Let the back raking begin. Time for some punches in the corner and Hogan can do no wrong more or less. Rock comes back with chops but Hogan gets what looked like a chokeslam of all things but I think was supposed to be a clothesline.

The wrist tape comes off and Hogan chokes away but Rock fires off some punches, only to be sent to the floor. Almost all Hogan so far as Rock can barely get anything going. Hogan starts setting up the (English) announce table but Rock rams him into the table to save himself. Rock tries a chair shot as more or less he’s turned heel mid match. The referee stops it though and we head back in.

Down goes the referee and it’s a spinebuster by Rock to set up the Sharpshooter. Rock might as well be eating a bowl of puppy and rainbow stew at this point. Hogan taps but there’s no referee. See, why in the world would Rock let Hogan go to wake up the referee? He’s going to get up on his own and Hogan is more or less dead. LOUD Rocky Sucks chant starts up which hasn’t been heard in years.

Rock takes a low blow and walks into his own Rock Bottom for two. The weightlifting belt comes off but Rock gets a DDT and more booing. Rock whips Hogan just like Hogan whipped him as the referee is down again. There’s a Rock Bottom to Hogan for two as the Hulking Up begins. The usual finishing sequence including the legdrop blows the roof off the place but only gets two, blowing what’s left of the roof off the place.

A second big boot hits but the leg drop misses. Rock Bottom plants Hogan but Rock isn’t done yet. He adds a second Rock Bottom to more or less kill Hogan. He nips up and it’s the People’s Elbow to get something close to a pop and send Hogan into vibrating fish mode. That’s enough to get the pin finally.

Rating: C+. There’s good and bad here. The crowd was electric the whole night and the nostalgia levels were off the charts. There’s one simple problem though: Hogan didn’t have it anymore. He was old and bad at this point, and his stuff simply wasn’t credible. While it’s fun, it’s not that good. The crowd and the atmosphere is all of the grade here. They had a great story of having Rock be the younger and in better shape guy that outlasted Hogan in the end. Well done and it worked very well by the end. Good story, good crowd, weak execution though.

Hogan offers Rock a handshake post match and we get it to a big pop. Rock leaves and the Outsiders come down, all ticked off about the handshake. They beat him down until Rock comes back for the save. Hogan tries to leave but Rock wants him to pose, and you don’t have to ask Hogan twice to do that. That eats up a few minutes and Hogan raises Rock’s hand as they leave together.
Big Show is at WWF New York as we have a new attendance record.

Women’s Title: Jazz vs. Lita vs. Trish Stratus

I’ve been watching wrestling over 20 years and I have never heard a more dead reaction for a champion than Jazz gets here. Literally, not a sound. No booing, no anything at all. It is complete silence. Lita gets a nice pop as I remember how completely awesome she was as a face. The song is perfect for her and her gyrations could give Melina a run for her money.

Trish of course gets the mega pop as the hometown girl. The problem here is simple: this match is following The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan. No one cared and I don’t care now. Well I do care about Trish in the tiny white shorts with the maple leaf on her trunks. Lita and Jazz go at it before Trish gets there. The two that people actually care about go at it on Jazz which doesn’t really work.

Half crab goes on Trish and now she’s in trouble. Double chicken wing to Lita as it’s all Jazz. Crowd is dead and you can clearly see a lot of people walking around and heading to the concession stand. This is one of those matches where nothing that happens actually matters so I’m not really going to bother with telling you what’s going on.

Trish is apparently hurt so of course Lawler offers to give her mouth to mouth. Trish rolls through a top rope cross body by Lita to get two on the redhead. Bulldog gets two as Jazz saves. Lawler lists off various countries that the show is airing in because they don’t want to call the match which I completely understand. I don’t want to either.

Lita and Trish go at it before this was a huge rivalry and before they had fought a dozen times on PPV. They slug it out with Lita mostly getting the better of it. Jazz interrupts the Twist of Fate and then stops to let Lita hit her. Lita takes her top off and tries a moonsault on both of them but winds up hitting Trish’s knees.

The two attractive ones hit heads and Jazz beats on them. Trish’s bulldog is blocked by Lita but Lita gets crotched on the top. Trish is knocked to the floor and a fisherman’s suplex off the top keeps the belt on Jazz. Yes, Jazz beat Trish in a title match in Toronto. Let that sink in for a minute.
Rating: F+. This is all based on how hot Trish and Lita look. The booking here is ridiculous to say the least. Trish gets the huge pop, comes out third, and doesn’t win? No. In no way, shape or form is this logical.

Christian tries to get a cab and escape as champion but Maven runs up on him and rolls him up to leave Mania with the title. At least it’s over.

WWF Undisputed World Heavyweight Title: HHH vs. Chris Jericho

It’s main event time and Drowning Pool plays HHH to the ring. Since there’s no backstory, here I am for the rescue. HHH and Stephanie are divorcing so Jericho teamed up with Stephanie so he’d have an advantage. HHH is back from the quad tear and won the Rumble to earn this shot. People are leaving the arena early as they know the ending already. What does that say about the main event of Wrestlemania? It’s that obvious that HHH gets the title back tonight.

Jericho has both belts because the Undisputed Title was supposed to go to HHH so he gets the big unified belt. Stephanie looks great in the skin tight leather body suit but the hair isn’t working at all. The crowd of course is confused because Jericho is Canadian but HHH is rather awesome at this point. Jericho has the bright green tights here to (not really) match Stephanie.

The champion wisely goes after the leg to start us off. Jericho chops away but HHH gets the jumping knee, only to limp away afterwards. HHH gets sent to the floor although he manages to send Jericho out as well, landing ribs first on the railing. We set up the Spanish announce table but Jericho gets a kick to the knee to stop HHH again.

Back in the ring and a spear by HHH takes Jericho down for a bit. We’re only a few minutes into this and they’re having some issues really getting going so far. HHH goes after the knee of Jericho to be funny I guess. Ironic maybe? Whatever. A Flair knee crusher sets up a Figure Four. Stephanie gouges his eyes to break that up though and the stalking is on.

That was another thing: everyone knew that HHH would get the Pedigree on Stephanie at some point tonight. Jericho charges at HHH but takes Stephanie down instead. Pedigree attempt to Stephanie but Jericho gets a missile dropkick to break it up and take over. The bad leg goes around the post a few times and Stephanie kicks it as well.

Jericho works on the knee some more in the ring and the Canadian is in control. Back to the post again as Stephanie adds a leg wrap in also. There’s the Canadian favorite of the figure four around the post. Back in and HHH tries to fight but gets taken down by a drop toehold. Jericho cranks on the leg as we’re steadily into the formula here.

Spinning toehold goes on by Jericho as the fans chant for Hogan. Well of course they are. HHH sends Jericho shoulder first into the post to break the momentum and adds a neckbreaker which Jericho is up from first somehow. Clothesline gets two for HHH. Facebuster hits but HHH can barely move after it. His offense is so knee based it’s unreal.

Spinebuster, perhaps his only non knee based move, gets two. Jericho reverses to send HHH out to the floor and therefore end the momentum that HHH had going for him. Jericho sets up the table again but can’t get the Walls of Jericho on there. Pedigree is broken up also and it’s a backdrop through the table. That and the Lionsault both gets two in the ring.

HHH gets back up but again can’t get the Pedigree. Jericho gets a shot to the knee and there are the Walls. After wasting some time with Jericho pulling HHH back to the middle he gets the ropes as we all knew he would. This is why heels not named Kurt Angle shouldn’t use submissions: they never work. HHH gets the rope of course.

Jericho hits the floor and grabs a chair. HHH grabs a DDT onto it and no one cares. Just get to the ending already. Stephanie gets in the ring and shoves the referee down. There’s a Pedigree for your efforts woman. Jericho gets a chair shot to the head for two and freaks out as only he can. Jericho tries a Pedigree and it naturally gets reversed. He tries to come off the middle rope and the real Pedigree finally ends it.

Rating: C+. It’s ok, but that’s it. The crowd was so dead it’s not even funny and it hurt the match really badly. Had this match gone on during the middle of the show or even just switched places with Rock/Hogan, it goes up in value at least 3x. The finish was anti-climactic and while it wasn’t one of the worst WM main events of all time as it’s certainly not a bad match by any means, it’s certainly not a good main event.

Massive posing takes us out. HHH would lose the title the next month to Hogan.

Overall Rating: C. I picked C because a C is average, which is what this show is. While it’s not terrible, it’s also not great and it falls somewhere in the middle. However, there’s too much filler which would become a problem with many of the Manias to come.

The problem here is simple: a lot of these matches either need to lose 5-10 minutes each, or be on Raw/Smackdown. Angle, Kane, Booker T and Edge all should be on WM, but their matches had next to no story to them. This is a situation in which the MITB match was a GREAT idea. All those pointless matches with wrestlers that certainly should have been on the card got thrown into a match that fit their level on the roster but also had a point to it.

Instead of getting these random one on one matches that are ok but tiring, we get one big exciting match instead. Overall the biggest issue with this show is obvious: the main event wasn’t the last match of the show and it killed the ending. If you want to make this Mania much better, don’t watch it in order and skip some of the boring stuff that no one cares about. Not bad but not great, watch it if it’s raining outside and you’re out of alcohol.

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: October 18, 2004
Location: Allstate Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

It’s the go home show for Taboo Tuesday and I don’t think many people are complaining. The show’s build has been a minor nightmare, though there are a few positive things here and there. The biggest problem is you know the matches/stipulations we’re going to see but nothing is going to be announced until tomorrow’s show. 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 main event, with Edge laying out Chris Benoit and Shawn Michaels to set up this week’s triple threat main event. At least that advances the story and could influence the vote, which is more than some of the pay per view building does.

Opening sequence.

Tonight: Edge vs. Shawn vs. Benoit in a triple threat match. Also, Edge vs. Shawn vs. Benoit in a debate! Remember what I said about some of the building not doing anything?

Eric Bischoff is in his karate gear and wants Eugene out here for a fight right now. Cue Eugene with rubber hands for additional clapping as I don’t see this ending well. Bischoff lists off all of the possible options for Tuesday but he’s not out here to fight Eugene. Someone else is though.

Gene Snitsky vs. Eugene

Snitsky starts with the forearms to the back as we’re told Kane isn’t here tonight as Bischoff has barred him from the arena. For once, Bischoff’s plan actually makes sense. An elbow gives Snitsky two and a slam is good for the same as it’s one sided so far. The fans get behind Eugene to fire him up and Snitsky punches the mat while trying to block a sunset flip. They head outside with Snitsky ramming him back first into the post and finishing with the pumphandle powerslam.

Rating: D+. Just a step above a squash here and that’s the right move. They’re trying to get Snitsky over as a monster and there’s no reason to have Eugene be a real threat at the moment. No one should be able to do much to Snitsky other than Kane for the time being and that should be fine for tomorrow.

Post match Snitsky grabs a chair but William Regal comes in for the save. A low blow takes him down and Snitsky beats him down with a chair. Bischoff kicks Eugene for fun.

Todd Grisham is in the ring to moderate the debate between Shawn, Benoit and Edge. They all get separate entrances but for some reason they come out to the Raw theme. What a strange way to save time. They all get two minutes to say why they should get the shot, starting with Edge. He should be facing HHH because it’s a fresh match (true) since he has never had a title shot. Well he has but not THIS title, which means he’s never had a World Title shot. Benoit says he hasn’t forgotten what Edge did to him last week and he’ll prove that tonight. You should vote for him because he makes people tap out.

Shawn says you should vote for him because he has a plan. He won’t say what that is (reference to the 2004 Presidential debates) but he has a plan. If Edge is so hungry he should get a sandwich and have a seat. Shawn wants to fight now so they come out from behind their podiums and Edge gets beaten down, though Sweet Chin Music misses and “hits” Todd in the….I guess the closest point would be chest? They did keep this short so it could have been a lot worse.

Trish Stratus/Gail Kim/Molly Holly vs. Stacy Keibler/Victoria/Nidia

Since Stacy’s entrance takes the better part of ever, Trish kicks her down to give her an even bigger advantage than the one she has from fighting Stacy Keibler. Trish goes after the legs and it’s off to Molly as JR sounds almost disgusted at the idea of Molly in a sexy outfight tomorrow night. Stacy gets in a hair pull but is dragged back into the corner, allowing Lawler to drool over the skirt coming up. Ever the brilliant ring general, Stacy avoids a pair of charges in the corner and brings in Victoria to clean house. Everything breaks down and Stacy gets sent outside, leaving Gail to take the Widow’s Peak for the pin.

Rating: D. Well they had three options here: have Stacy take the heat, have Stacy get the hot tag or have Stacy stand there and they went with the middle option. She doesn’t know how to wrestle and while she was more harmless than anything else here, it’s quite a chore to watch her in the ring and it’s not like it’s going to get better overnight.

Lita comes up to Snitsky in the back and slaps his phone out of his hand. She freaks out on him and yells at him for costing her her baby so Snitsky shoves her against a wall. Tomorrow night Kane is going to lose his match like Lita lost her baby. These lines are so awesome and things that they could never get away with today.

Clip of Randy Orton calling Ric Flair old on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Great way to make it seem like a big win if Orton beats Flair. This isn’t shown on the Network.

HHH fires Evolution up. Batista is ready but Flair is more stoic. He says he’s never been better and gives us a WOO.

Ric Flair/Batista vs. Chris Jericho/Randy Orton

Batista poses at Jericho to start and gets dropkicked into the corner. That’s not cool with the big guy so he pounds Jericho into the Evolution corner, meaning it’s off to Flair. Since it’s just Flair, Jericho drags him over to the corner for the tag to Orton. They slug it out in the corner and the fans are WAY into this, which isn’t surprising given how much of a legend Flair is in this town.

Flair sends him outside so Jericho comes back in and gets elbowed in the face. Orton is right back to send Evolution outside as we take a break. Back with Jericho dropkicking Batista again but walking into a backbreaker. With Jericho down, Flair is more than willing to come back in and you can feel the extra energy behind the basic offense. Batista adds a suplex into a camel clutch as we hear more about how disrespectful Orton was on the Kimmel show. That’s really not a good way to get the fans behind Orton but that’s been an issue since he turned in the first time.

Rating: B. The hot crowd carried this one rather far but what was up with that ending? Batista is trying to separate himself from the pack for the Intercontinental Title shot and you have Flair get the win over Jericho? It helps Flair a bit, but there was kind of an easier and smarter way to go here.

Video on the European tour.

Lawler votes.

Here’s Vince McMahon for a chat. Last month he had a vision for an idea called Taboo Tuesday and now voting is open. He explains the concept again but here’s Christian to interrupt. Vince: “This better be good.” Christian sucks up to the fans, which is NOT related to the voting being open. The Christian Coalition will not be held back but he could use Vince’s endorsement.

This brings out Tajiri of all people, with a mic, which could go one way or another. Tajiri thinks Christian is lying because Vince should choose Tajiri instead. See, Tajiri loves Vince and it’s a battle over who can hug Vince more. Vince: “I don’t love either one of your!” Cue Coach to say he should get the endorsement but Vince says he hates being interrupted. Christian: “Yeah he hates being interrupted!”

Rhyno runs down but he just wants to Gore Christian and Coach. Vince has a better idea: everyone here can be an adult and….here’s Hurricane to interrupt as well. Hurricane: “Holy conundrums citizen Mr. McMahon!” Shelton Benjamin is out next and Vince threatens to assault him with the microphone. Let’s just have a six way elimination match right now instead with the winner getting the endorsement.

Christian vs. Hurricane vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Rhyno vs. Jonathan Coachman vs. Tajiri

Elimination rules with Christian and Hurricane starting things off as Vince himself sits in on commentary. Christian gets scared by the Hurricane pose so it’s a clothesline for two instead. Tajiri comes in to face Hurricane and snaps off a headscissors followed by some choking. As Vince talks about the possible options, Lawler asks which costumes the Divas should wear. Vince is a French maid fan and gets cut off as Tajiri kicks Hurricane in the head for the first elimination.

Back from a break with Tajiri having been eliminated and Coach getting Gored to take us down to three. An Unprettier eliminates Rhyno a few seconds later and it’s Christian vs. Shelton. Christian slaps him in the face and gets tossed into the air for a big crash. There’s some blood on Christian’s side so Shelton grabs a backbreaker for two.

Christian drops him ribs first across the top rope and knocks Shelton into the barricade for two as Vince asks how many names Christian has. The Dragon Whip cuts Christian off again and a northern lights suplex seems to impress Vince. The Stinger Splash misses to give Christian two off a rollup but Shelton reverses the Unprettier into the exploder suplex for the win.

Rating: C. The first part was nothing but given the other people involved, it’s not like there was any reason to keep those four around. Christian vs. Shelton was a rather nice match, even though it wasn’t all that long. I get what they’re going for with the fifteen possible opponents, but really there are only about three or four real options, with Christian and Shelton being near the top of the list.

Post match Vince endorses Shelton, who says he doesn’t care. See, Vince is one vote. What matters is impressing everyone here and watching at home. Tonight you saw him go through four guys and Coach, so now he knows he can beat Jericho tomorrow night.

Here are Christy Hemme and Carmella (last name seemingly withheld for security reasons) for the last word on each other before their match. They both get thirty seconds to tell the people what kind of match they should have. Carmella isn’t going to parade around in her underwear and won’t have an evening gown ripped off of her because she’s been involved in competitive aerobics for six years. Vote Aerobics Challenge!

Christy on the other hand wants what the people want so she’s ready to win any of the matches. The fans want puppies but settle for Christy (very calmly) kissing Lillian Garcia instead. Carmella jumps Christy and leaves. This was another waste of time, as has been everything associated with the Diva Search.

Pay per view rundown.

We look back at the debate and ensuing brawl.

Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit vs. Edge

HHH comes out to join commentary. Edge gets double teamed to start and is dumped to the floor in short order. Benoit grabs a German suplex on Shawn but they both get jumped by the returning Edge. The spear knocks Benoit off the apron and Edge follows him, leaving Shawn to hit a springboard spinning crossbody to take them both out and we take a break. Back with Benoit Crossfacing Shawn with Edge making a save.

With Shawn down on the floor, Edge gets two off a backbreaker as HHH complains about how unfair this whole thing is. Shawn comes back in and goes up for a sunset flip on Benoit, who sends Edge flying with a release German suplex. The forearm drops Edge again but Shawn’s knee won’t let him nip up (that would be a torn meniscus which, after tomorrow, would keep Shawn out of the ring for about three months).

Shawn manages to hit the top rope elbow on Benoit as HHH is rather funny mocking Shawn’s injury. Benoit ducks Sweet Chin Music and rolls some German suplexes (HHH: “Michaels deserves that for trying to con the people!”) to set up the Swan Dive. Edge comes back in and gets caught in the Sharpshooter, which HHH can’t remember being in. Sweet Chin Music breaks that up but Edge crotches Shawn against the post. A rollup with a grab of the rope lets Edge pin Benoit.

Rating: C+. It’s hard to fairly grade this one with the knee injury in the middle but at least we got some great action on the way there. The important part is giving Edge the win, even though it’s not like he has much of a chance of getting selected tomorrow. That being said, I’ll take an actual match between the people instead of talking or whatever other nonsense some of these matches have gotten.

HHH and Edge stare each other down to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Women’s match aside, nothing was too bad on here and the most important goal was accomplished. They hyped up everything on tomorrow’s card and while WWE Does Elections isn’t the most exciting idea in the world, at least they tried to do something here and I’m more interested in seeing the show than I was coming in. Now just don’t do a bunch of stupid stuff tomorrow night and it might make up for some of the lame TV over the last few weeks.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

Kurt Angle is retiring and it’s the end of one of the best careers of all time.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-gold-medal-career/

NXT
Date: March 20, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

We’re on the final taping cycle with three shows left before Takeover: New York. Last week’s big story saw Johnny Gargano finally outsmart Tommaso Ciampa after DIY was eliminated from the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Unfortunately a neck injury is going to put Ciampa on the shelf for a long time so now we have to find out what is being done to replace the most obvious title change ever. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s HHH to get things going and he’s got the NXT Title. After a HHH chant, he talks about how this place is special because dreams can become a reality. For some, the dreams start here but for others it takes years. Sometimes, that dream gets derailed in the blink of an eye. He was supposed to be out here to announce Johnny Gargano challenging Tommaso Ciampa for the NXT Title in the main event of Takeover: New York. The truth though is that reality has stepped in.

Ciampa has had neck surgery and has been forced to relinquish the NXT Title. That means there’s a spot open though as Gargano needs an opponent. Tonight, it’s Ricochet vs. Adam Cole vs. Aleister Black vs. Velveteen Dream vs. Matt Riddle with the winner going on to New York to face Gargano for the vacant title in a 2/3 falls match. This was about all they could have done in the circumstances and that’s fine.

Cathy Kelly is in the back to talk to people about the fatal five way. Kona Reeves will watch but it won’t be the finest. The Forgotten Sons aren’t happy with next week’s main event being forgotten because they’re going to the finals of the Dusty Classic. They’re winning the tournament and will be forgotten no more. The Sons isn’t a great team name.

Video on Ricochet and Aleister Black. They’re a team and are going to win the Dusty Classic but after tonight, they’ll know which one of them will be working twice at Takeover.

Velveteen Dream likes the spotlight in New York and therefore tonight’s match is Dream over. At Takeover, he’s the first ever double champion.

We see Tommaso Ciampa heading into surgery in Montgomery, Alabama. The surgery was a complete success but it could take up to a year for him to heal. That is so rough to hear as the Gargano feud was coming up as an all timer and the title change could have sealed it.

Matt Riddle says he’s been here for a long time….well maybe not too long but long enough. He’s worked his ace off (yes ace) to get here and nothing is changing his undefeated streak. He’ll become champion in New York.

Adam Cole says he makes history around here and no one is winning the title other than him. He debuted in the Barclays Center when he attacked Drew McIntyre and held the title up. That’s going to happen again, but this time he’s going to be champion.

The Sky Pirates are excited for the main event but also ready for next week’s four way match. They’re friends but they’re ready to fight. Bianca Belair comes in and says they wouldn’t be involved if Kairi Sane hadn’t interfered. She’ll win in New York because her mindset is un-de-fea-ted.

Adam Cole vs. Ricochet vs. Aleister Black vs. Matt Riddle vs. Velveteen Dream

One fall to a finish. Everyone goes after everyone to start until Black and Dream are left alone in the ring. Black’s small package gets two but he has to go outside to kick Cole in the chest. Back in and Riddle rolls some gutwrench suplexes on Ricochet but gets enziguried by Cole. Black is back in and, after a handshake, squares off with Ricochet.

Cole breaks that up and sends Black outside so he can suplex Ricochet for two. It’s Dream back in to send Cole outside and drop a top rope ax handle to the head. Back in and Riddle blocks Black’s kick and reverses into the Bromission with Dream making a save. The Bromission goes onto Cole this time around with Dream making another save.

The three of them chop it out until everyone comes back in for an exchange of strikes and it’s a five way knockdown. Ricochet goes up top but gets met by Dream and Cole, but Riddle and Black join him for a quadruple suplex. Black and Dream are left alone in the ring until Riddle comes in with a fisherman’s buster to take Black down. Cole breaks it up at two and hits the brainbuster for two.

Now it’s Ricochet coming in with a reverse hurricanrana to send Cole outside and that means the Space Flying Tiger Drop to Cole. Back in and Riddle knees Dream in the face and the Bromission makes him tap but Cole pulls the referee just in time. Black Mass hits Riddle but Black walks into the Dream Valley Driver. Ricochet breaks up the Purple Rainmaker with a hurricanrana to the floor. There’s the shooting star to Riddle but Cole comes in with the Last Shot to finish Ricochet at 14:43.

Rating: B. This was exactly what you would expect from a match like this and that’s a good thing. There wasn’t much of a personal issue going on at the moment so going with all action was the right move. Let them just go out there and do their thing and get to the next big match. It worked fine and Cole is the best choice of the five names they had here. It’s actually a fresh match against Gargano, which hasn’t happened in NXT yet (televised at least).

Overall Rating: B+. You almost have to put an asterisk on this show as they had to throw a lot of things out for the sake of the main event. It’s annoying, but they got caught at the last second and there was nothing else that could have been done. They made it work with a good match and we have a replacement title match to set up in the next two weeks. It might not be great as a regular show, but it did everything it needed to do under some rough circumstances.

Results

Adam Cole b. Ricochet, Matt Riddle, Aleister Black and Velveteen Dream – Last Shot to Ricochet

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

NXT UK
Date: March 20, 2019
Location: Coventry Skydome Arena, Coventry, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

Things are getting very interesting around here as Walter made it clear that he’s coming for the UK Title. Last week saw Walter and champion Pete Dunne defeat the Coffey Brothers, but the big story was after the match when Walter stood on the title. That could make for an instant classic in New York so hopefully they go with the obvious move. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Johnny Saint and Sid Scala are in the ring with a big announcement: Pete Dunne will defend the United Kingdom Title at Takeover: New York. An opponent isn’t named but here’s Dunne to interrupt. Dunn: “GIVE ME WALTER.” The fans certainly like the idea but Dunne leaves before anything is said.

Toni Storm isn’t worried about Jinny but they both love gold. Jinny doesn’t like her because Toni makes her work for once. They’ll deal with things later. Toni leaves and Rhea Ripley comes in with a challenge for Xia Brookside. The cameras can stop recording now.

Eddie Dennis vs. Ligero

Ligero goes for the knee but has to avoid a charge in the corner. A springboard Stunner gets two and Ligero kicks him outside, only to have his slingshot dive caught. Dennis drops him on the apron and it’s off to a cravate inside. An elbow gives Dennis two as he’s tossing the much smaller Ligero around without much effort.

Ligero comes back with a kick to the head and a springboard splash for two. Dennis blocks the springboard tornado DDT but gets caught with a Code Red to give Ligero another near fall. Ligero takes too long going up and Dennis catches him with a delayed superplex. Severn’s Bridge sets up the Next Stop Driver for the pin at 9:01.

Rating: C. I like both of these guys so it’s cool to see them both getting a chance to shine. Ligero is perfectly fine as the local luchador but Dennis is still different enough from the rest of the roster that the aura makes up for the only above average skills. Both of these guys need something to do though and the one off matches aren’t getting them very far.

Kenny Williams and Amir Jordan are on a bit of a roll and Amir thinks they deserve a Tag Team Title shot. Williams thinks Amir asks him for too much so they should just train together all week. Maybe then Kenny will do something for him. The training montage ensues and Amir isn’t exactly made for this stuff.

Lewis Howley/Sam Stoker vs. Wild Boar/Primate

Stoker goes after Primate to start and gets launched with an overhead belly to belly for his efforts. Boar gives gives him a t-hone suplex and it’s a double suplex to take him down again. Howley comes in swinging and is quickly slammed down with ease. Primate throws Howley at Boar, who throws him right back for a hard belly to back suplex and the pin at 2:38.

Ashton Smith vs. Kassius Ohno

They bump fists to start and Ohno easily takes him down into an armbar. Smith can’t get him up in a fireman’s carry so he knocks Ohno outside instead. That goes nowhere so Ohno suplexes him for two before cranking on both arms at once. Back up and a pump kick works a bit better for Smith and now the fireman’s carry into a Samoan drop works. Ohno shrugs it off and hits a pair of backsplashes (egads man), setting up the Dream Crusher for the pin at 4:18.

Rating: D+. Just a step above a squash debut for Ohno, though at least Smith got in some offense before the loss. Smith has some potential and could mean something one day, though at the same time you need to give the constantly losing Ohno a win to establish him around here. At least Ohno looked good in his first match.

Post match Ohno pats him on the back before knocking him out again. Travis Banks comes up to chase Ohno off, which could start a nice rebound feud for Banks.

Gallus is having coffee and want to win some titles. It’s time to establish their greatness.

Tyler Bate vs. James Drake

Drake goes straight to the arm to start and the armbar has Bate in trouble. Bate is back up with the fireman’s carry and a right hand but Drake knocks him off the top and out to the floor. There’s a whip into the barricade and we hit the chinlock back inside as the fans tell Drake that his face looks like a censored. Drake’s suplex gets two and we hit a chinlock with a knee in the back.

Bate fights up and drives Drake back first into the corner for the break, followed by the alternating lefts and rights. An exploder suplex gets two and Bate adds the running shooting star for the same. Drake catches him coming off the ropes though and it’s something like a reverse powerbomb for two. The fans are behind Bate (well duh) as they hit the pinfall reversal sequence. Bate’s bounce off the ropes clothesline takes Drake down but the Tyler Driver 97 is countered with a backdrop. Drake has to roll out of a 450 and Bate exploders him into the corner again. Spiral Tap finishes Drake at 10:59.

Rating: B-. Best part of the show so far though that’s really not saying much. Bate winning helps advance Moustache Mountain to the Tag Team Title rematch, which you have to know is coming pretty soon. Drake is the forgotten part of the team and they’ve even planted seeds for that being the case. Good enough match, but nothing that you need to see.

Walter leaves Saint’s office and the title match is on for New York.

Overall Rating: C-. This was a pretty weak episode of the series and that’s just going to happen every now and then. The problem here was everything is going to pale in comparison to Dunne vs. Walter and nothing else seems to matter otherwise. It wasn’t a bad show, but it’s just a show that came and went.

Results

Eddie Dennis b. Ligero – Next Stop Driver

Wild Boar/Primate b. Lewis Howley/Sam Stoker – Assisted belly to back suplex to Howley

Kassius Ohno b. Ashton Smith – Dream Crusher

Tyler Bate b. James Drake – Spiral Tap

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 26, 1999
Location: Gund Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

We’re a night removed from Fully Loaded where Steve Austin retained the WWF Title over the Undertaker in a first blood match, meaning Vince McMahon is gone FOREVER (yes FOREVER) from TV. The other big story saw HHH become the new #1 contender by defeating the Rock, which I’m sure will go nowhere. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with the stills of last night’s main event as X-Pac interfered to cost Undertaker the match, getting rid of Vince for….eh I’ll give it a week.

JR: “Tonight, a new era begins on Raw.” I don’t want to imagine Vince Russo’s idea of a new era.

Opening sequence.

We cut to the back where Undertaker beats up X-Pac, plus Road Dogg for attempting to make a save. Undertaker drags X-Pac into the arena and chokes in the ring until Kane (looking rather slim) comes out for the save. This brings out Big Show and the numbers are too much for Kane, so the fans chant for Austin. The beatdown goes on for a good while as the WE WANT AUSTIN chants continue. Undertaker and Show shake hands and leave because we have a new evil alliance.

A long black limousine arrives and….it’s Vince, less than eight minutes into the show.

Chef Boyardee ad with the Rock, set to Gettin Cheffy With It. I remember this and it’s every bit as 1999 as you can get. In a good way.

During the break, Kane did a Darth Vader Revenge of the Sith scream before carrying X-Pac off. It must be a masked guy thing.

X-Pac is taken away in an ambulance.

Tag Team Titles: Edge and Christian vs. Acolytes

Edge and Christian are challenging after the Acolytes won the titles last night. Hardcore Holly is guest ring announcer after the Acolytes attacked him last week. Holly: “Weighing in at a total combined weight of let’s say about a buck and a quarter, and that’s with Christian’s legs wrapped in Ace bandages to make them look bigger!” Christian and Faarooq start things off but since we can’t go that long without an angle, we’re told that Ken Shamrock has been hit by a car.

Christian spinwheel kicks Faarooq and hands it off to Edge, who gets headlocked by Bradshaw. A flying shoulder works a bit better on Bradshaw and the Canadian tagging continues, though Christian gets kicked in the face. It’s off to Faarooq without a tag but the Dominator is countered with a DDT. Edge comes in as everything breaks down, with Christian taking a fall away slam. Cue Gangrel to pull Christian to safety, leaving Edge to take a double powerbomb to retain the titles.

Rating: D+. This was a shockingly coherent match for the era, even with the extra angle thrown in as a bonus. Edge and Christian were clearly very talented but had a little ways to go before they figured everything out. The Acolytes were still a good heel team here and there’s always some value in a team that physically dominant.

Holly declares himself the winner and goes after both Acolytes, earning himself a double spinebuster. Cue Kane to chokeslam everyone in sight before using the voice box to threaten Undertaker and Big Show. They hurt Sean so tonight he’s going to hurt them.

Shamrock has a bad arm but walks away from the EMTs. We see a clip of Shamrock being run over, which of course happened as X-Pac was leaving because coincidences are strong around here. Steve Blackman was driving.

Vince is in the arena.

Austin arrives, meaning JR thinks business is about to pick up.

Here’s Vince, without music, for the big address. He’s not here to break a promise and not to breach a contract. Instead he’s here to honor a promise and a contract, because he’s never lied to anyone. Last night, he failed for the first time in his life. He took two Stunners and the show ended with him laid out in a pool of beer. That’s not how fans want to remember him so tonight he’s here for a more formal farewell.

The fans aren’t exactly appreciative as Vince says he wants to be remembered as a handsome entrepreneur who had a lasting impact on our lives. This brings out Austin, which was just a matter of time. Vince says they seem to be far apart but in reality, they’re very much alike. No matter what happens, Vince will always consider himself to be the better man. Vince even offers his hand but Austin says that’s not happening after the last two years. You can guess where that hand can go instead.

A man like Vince can never beat an SOB like Austin, who wants JR to come in the ring. Austin wants JR to…..sing a song? Lawler: “SING A SONG?” Of course it’s the Goodbye Song, with an OH H*** YEAH thrown in for some flavor. Vince leaves, but does flip Austin off on the way out. Beer is consumed. Back on commentary, JR says that’s one of the best moments of his life. Lawler: “YOU’RE DRUNK!” I’m surprised they let Vince stay away this long, though stipulations lasting wasn’t Russo’s strong suit.

Post break Howard Finkel cries to Vince as he leaves. Vince: “Get the h*** away from me.”

Val Venis/Godfather vs. Droz/Prince Albert

Street fight so Venis is in a regular shirt and jeans. After some trash talk from Venis and Godfather’s regular pre-match speech, we’re ready to go with Droz and Albert in street clothes as well (Godfather is the only one in gear, which is why he’s a Hall of Famer). The brawl is on (as it should be) with Droz and Venis fighting on the floor as the big guys do the same inside.

They switch places with Godfather and Albert fighting in the crowd but a random guy in a white suit jumps Godfather (That would be the yet to be named Key, who would be Droz’s drug dealer but wasn’t around long enough to warrant a mention. He’s better known as Vic Grimes from ECW.). Not that it matters as a Ho Train and Money Shot finish Albert in short order.

Rock calls Michael Cole an idiot and puts a bunch of Rock shirts and gear on top of him. Rock: “Don’t move you puppet.” It took a lot of help for HHH to beat him last night so they’re not done. As for Billy Gunn, the lips are getting ripped off of his trunks and stuck….somewhere. Speaking of Chyna, he knows that she’s been licking her lips for him so she can get on his knees, pucker her lips, and then get her teeth kicked into her face. Some ROCKY chants and one more smack to Cole wrap things up. The charisma and energy from Rock are downright scary at times.

Ben Stiller, in the front row, is introduced to the crowd as the “man who loves Debra’s puppies.”

Here are HHH and Chyna for a chat. HHH doesn’t care what Austin did earlier tonight because after last night, it’s all about him. Man to man, HHH can beat him because he’s been watching Austin like a hawk for six months. Jesse Ventura and Chyna aren’t going to be factors at Summerslam (JR: “That would be different.”) because it’s going to be one on one. At Summerslam, Austin will learn that HHH is the Game.

Chyna says Rock doesn’t have the guts to come out here and say something to her face. Cue Rock, with Billy Gunn jumping him from behind. Well that was frighteningly obvious. A low blow drops Rock and Gunn says now Rock knows his role. The villains leave so Rock calls out Gunn and Chyna for a handicap match tonight. I know this is the peak of Gunn’s singles run but look at his shirt and try to take him seriously.

We recap the opening segment with X-Pac being injured, setting up Kane’s challenge.

Kane vs. Big Show/Undertaker

They really like handicap matches tonight. Paul Bearer is out with Undertaker and Show. It’s a brawl in the aisle to start until Kane and Show officially start. An enziguri staggers Show and Kane wants Undertaker. Kane drops Undertaker and heads outside for a nasty chair shot to Show’s head. Undertaker grabs the chair as well though and knocks Kane silly for the DQ.

Post match Kane pops up and gets chaired down as well. The beatdown is on until Road Dogg comes in, only to eat a chokeslam. The monsters stand extra tall.

Jeff Jarrett interrupts a Debra photo shoot because they have to do an interview.

Countdown to the Millennium. JR’s calculations say it ends in two weeks. Why yes, yes it does.

Here are Jarrett and Debra for a chat with Jarrett calling Ben Stiller into the ring. He’s rather excited to meet Debra but Jeff calls him off. Jeff knows that Stiller has a movie coming out (Mystery Men) so why is he in Cleveland. Stiller is here for some world class wrestling, such as seeing the new Intercontinental Champion, and of course he explains Mystery Men.

The only reason he didn’t cast Jarrett was there wasn’t a character powerful enough for him to play. Jeff wants to know his favorite wrestler, which would be…..the puppies. That means a Figure Four on Stiller until D’Lo Brown makes the save. Brown has to carry a cheering Stiller out.

Austin is still here.

Post break replays show that Stiller had his face on the Puppies during Brown’s save.

HHH goes into Austin’s locker room.

Here’s Women’s Champion Ivory for a chat. Everyone is wondering where Nicole Bass is but Bass isn’t good enough to stand in the same ring with her. She issues an open challenge to anyone in the crowd so here’s a woman, who gets knocked down with a belt shot to the head. Tori comes in for the quickly broken up catfight.

HHH leaves Austin’s locker room. JR: “I don’t think Austin was in there! Or was he???” Top level journalism.

Al Snow is still insane and shouting that it has to stop. A chihuahua comes in and barks, apparently saying that it can’t get worse. Snow: “What am I? Dr. Doolittle?”

HHH vs. Ken Shamrock

Apparently Austin wasn’t in the locker room but HHH trashed the place. There’s no Shamrock, so HHH calls him out for not wrestling after being hit by a car. Shamrock comes out in jeans with his arm and ribs taped. A takedown has HHH in trouble until he gets in a single shot to the ribs. Shamrock goes for the knee to little avail as HHH takes out the ribs again. There’s a gutbuster and more stomps to said ribs, followed by the rather logical abdominal stretch. More shoulders to the bad ribs have Shamrock bleeding from the mat (a trademark of his) and a bodyscissors makes the referee stop the match.

Rating: D+. The rib work made sense and it showed HHH being all aggressive here, but it’s weird seeing Shamrock getting squashed like this. It makes sense in this case though and there’s a big difference when he came in injured. HHH’s rise to the title has a weird feeling to it, mainly because he’s not over enough yet to really challenge Austin.

Post match HHH stays on the bad ribs even more with no one making the save.

Undertaker says the days of scary music and scary entrances are over. He and Show are taking over.

Test destroys Pete Gas of the Mean Street Posse.

Chyna/Billy Gunn vs. The Rock

The still sweaty HHH is on commentary. Chyna stays on the floor to start as Rock beats the fire out of Gunn. Rock punches him to the floor and punches away even more, including a right hand to the side of Chyna’s head. As the beatdown goes on, HHH is on his feet and yelling at JR about how he can beat Austin for the title. Chyna gets in a kick to the back and let’s look at HHH ranting about Ventura and Austin some more.

Rock punches Chyna some more but gets caught with a DDT for two. The villains beat on Rock even more as HHH talks about knowing when Austin breathes and sleeps. So he’s a stalker. We cut to HHH again and then look at Austin watching in the back. Gunn grabs a chinlock and let’s look at HHH knocking off JR’s hat. My goodness calm down with the camera cuts already. Rock grabs a DDT for two and the Samoan drop sets up a low blow.

Chyna gets knocked outside and Rock’s Cactus Clothesline sends Gunn outside. That lets HHH get in a cheap shot, sending JR into a rant about how unfair that was. Back in and Gunn’s own cheap shot keeps Rock in trouble and there’s a….nother camera cut to HHH yelling at JR, though at least this time he punches JR in the face. Cue Austin for the fight as the Rock Bottom and People’s Elbow hit Gunn, though we go off the air before the pin.

Rating: D. The wrestling wasn’t the point here of course, though I was rather relieved that they did do something with HHH yelling at JR over and over. Rock vs. Gunn just is not working and offers a lot more proof about how big the gap was between Austin and Rock at this point. Yeah Rock was a star, but he was nowhere near the star Austin was here, which is a rather annoying and inaccurate myth that has been created. Right now, Austin is about to headline Summerslam while Rock is feuding with a guy who wrestles in a thong with a mesh covering. Rock’s time would come, but it wasn’t here yet, no matter what his fans think.

Hang on we’re not done though as this show includes a special Extra Attitude video as the cameras keep rolling. Rock, Gunn and Chyna leave as HHH and Austin keep fighting at ringside. Austin sends him into the steps but gets dropped onto the barricade. They head inside with HHH choking until Austin hits a quick Stunner. Austin actually drops a middle rope elbow as the music is playing and beer is consumed. We’re still not done though as Chyna comes back in for a low blow. HHH gets back up but Austin beats them both up (including an awful Stunner to Chyna). Even more beer is consumed to finally end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This wasn’t a good show, but it was miles ahead of the last few weeks. The main reason this worked so much better was having a point to the big stories. It’s like we have a goal in mind now instead of just filling in whatever they can week to week before getting to the worthless Fully Loaded show. Now everything is moving towards Summerslam and that gives the show a much needed focus. There are still a lot of problems, but we have something to build towards now, which makes a world of difference.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

Wrestlemania XVII
Date: April 1, 2001
Location: Reliant Astrodome, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 67,925
Commentators: Jim Ross, Paul Heyman

Sunday Night Heat: Steve Blackman/Grandmaster Sexay vs. X-Factor

The Astrodome looks amazing with a sea of people and the very cool looking ceiling with daylight still coming in. The ramp is really long as well which makes for some lengthy entrances.

Intercontinental Title: Chris Jericho vs. William Regal

Shane McMahon in his WCW limo arrives.

Tazz/APA vs. Right to Censor

Hardcore Title: Raven vs. Kane vs. Big Show

Jimmy Snuka is at WWF New York (a WWF themed night club/restaurant).

The Rock has just arrived.

European Title: Eddie Guerrero vs. Test

Rating: D+. Again this was fine but that tieup in the ropes killed the momentum they had going. Test was little more than a midcard guy at this point but Eddie was getting more and more over every week. Unfortunately he was also getting more and more into substance abuse and would be gone by the end of the year for a long time.

Austin arrives nearly an hour into the show.

Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit

They hit the mat again and go for the legs but roll into the ropes for another break. The fans are all over Angle and he has to get to the ropes to escape a Crossface twice in a row. Back in and Benoit tries a third straight Crossface so Kurt punches him in the face for the first real advantage.

Video on the WWF going to Fort Hood for a pep rally with the military. There was a parade with a cadence for Undertaker and the wrestlers all got plaques. Angle of course wanted a medal instead. This was cool stuff and something that would be amplified by the Tribute to the Troops show in a few years.

Ivory is defending and Chyna has that fireworks gun again. An early belt shot puts Chyna down and Ivory (described as looking like Lilith Sternin-Crane by JR) hits some very weak forearms to the back. Chyna grabs a kick to the leg and throws Ivory away with ease. Some clotheslines set up a powerbomb but Chyna picks Ivory (further described as a yapping female dog by JR) up at two. Instead a gorilla press drop completes the squash and Chyna is champion at 2:39. This is the most logical way to go with this match as there was no way anyone was going to buy Ivory putting up a fight against Chyna here.

We recap Vince vs. Shane. Vince went on a power trip and Shane came back to take him out for cheating on Linda. This led to a street fight at Wrestlemania but Shane upped the ante by buying WCW out from under Vince six days before this show. This is a match with a very deep backstory and a bunch of stories are going to be intertwined.

Vince McMahon vs. Shane McMahon

Yesterday at Axxess, the Hardys said the feud with the Dudleyz and Edge and Christian ends with TLC II.

Tag Team Titles: Edge and Christian vs. Hardy Boyz vs. Dudley Boyz

Axxess video.

The new attendance record is 67,925, meaning we get some more awesome wide shots of the crowd.

Gimmick Battle Royal

Luke, Butch, Duke Droese, Iron Sheik, Greg Valentine, The Goon, Doink the Clown, Kamala, Kim Chee, Repo Man, Jim Cornette, Nikolai Volkoff, Michael Hayes, One Man Gang, Gobbledy Gooker, Hillbilly Jim, Brother Love, Sgt. Slaughter

Slaughter gives Sheik the Cobra Clutch one last time.

HHH vs. Undertaker

HHH finds a chair and destroys Undertaker but he takes too long with a big swing, allowing Undertaker to grab him by the throat for a terrifying chokeslam off the tower. The visual is kind of ruined as we see HHH laying on a big pad but it looked great until then. Undertaker makes up for it by dropping an elbow off the tower and beats up the EMTs who dare try to help HHH.

The Last Ride (an elevated powerbomb) is loaded up but HHH grabs the sledgehammer and blasts Undertaker in the head for a VERY close two. That was one heck of a near fall. Undertaker is busted open so HHH hammers away in the corner, only to have Undertaker come out with the Last Ride for the pin at 18:17.

Rating: A. Another great brawl here with both guys beating the tar out of each other for nearly twenty minutes. The referee being out cold that long was a stretch (and no medical assistance was a bit ridiculous) but it let the match make more sense. This was when HHH could do no wrong and Undertaker always makes it work at Wrestlemania. Really good stuff here and a forgotten classic.

Of note: JR says Undertaker is 9-0 at Wrestlemania. This is the match that really made the Streak a thing for the first time.

A fan won a contest to get tickets to the show.

Rock and Austin are ready.

WWF World Title: Steve Austin vs. The Rock

What was a big surprise was Vince and Austin uniting, which is also a very questionable decision. Austin was still red hot and certainly could have carried the company as the lead star but this took the Austin train off the tracks (outside of Texas of course, where Austin could do no wrong). Vince and Austin coming together signaled the end of an era and a bold move, but it was part of a string of decisions that helped bring the company down from its peak and sent it into a tailspin for a few years.

Ratings Comparison

Chris Jericho vs. William Regal

Original: B

2013 Redo: B-

2015 Redo: B-

Right to Censor vs. Tazz/A.P.A.

Original: C-

2013 Redo: C-

2015 Redo: D+

Raven vs. Kane vs. Big Show

Original: C+

2013 Redo: C+

2015 Redo: C+

Eddie Guerrero vs. Test

Original: C-

2013 Redo: D+

2015 Redo: D+

Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit

Original: B+

2013 Redo: B+

2015 Redo: A-

Chyna vs. Ivory

Original: N/A

2013 Redo: N/A

2015 Redo: N/A

Vince McMahon vs. Shane McMahon

Original: B

2013 Redo: B

2015 Redo: C+

Edge and Christian vs. Hardy Boyz vs. Dudley Boyz

Original: A+

2013 Redo: A+

2015 Redo: A+

Gimmick Battle Royal

Original: N/A

2013 Redo: N/A

2015 Redo: A

Undertaker vs. HHH

Original: A+

2013 Redo: A

2015 Redo: A

Steve Austin vs. The Rock

Original: A+

2013 Redo: A+

2015 Redo: A+

Overall Rating

Original: A+

2013 Redo: A++

2015 Redo: A+

As I said a few years back: Yep it holds up.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/03/24/history-of-wrestlemania-with-kb-wrestlemania-17-oh-yes/

And the 2013 2013 Redo:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2013/03/26/wrestlemania-count-up-wrestlemania-xvii-the-greatest-show-of-all-time/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

Wrestlemania XVII
Date: April 1, 2001
Location: Astrodome, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 67,925
Commentators: Jim Ross, Paul Heyman

Intercontinental Title: Chris Jericho vs. William Regal

Jericho misses a charge in the corner and nearly hits the post head first. In a surprising move, Regal goes up top for a butterfly superplex which gets a delayed two. Jericho trips the legs and tries the Walls again but the shoulder gives out, allowing Regal to hook the Regal Stretch (STF with a half nelson) but Jericho makes the rope. Jericho fights back again but gets kicked in the shoulder, only to send Regal into the exposed buckle and hit the Lionsault to retain. That was a really sudden ending and JR sounded surprised so maybe it was called on the fly.

Rating: B-. This was exactly what an opener was supposed to be: fast paced, hard hitting and it told a good story. They beat on each other for seven minutes straight with nothing of note looking bad. The idea of the shoulder injury was a perfectly fine story to keep the match going and the Regal Stretch worked for a climax. This was a really good opener and it hit every point it was supposed to hit.

Shane McMahon in his WCW-1 limo shows up. He bought WCW on Monday, setting the stage for the Alliance.

Bradshaw is worried about Taz not being here for their match so he goes on one heck of a rant about how awesome Texas is before going on about how THIS IS WRESTLEMANIA.

Right to Censor vs. APA/Taz

Hardcore Title: Raven vs. Big Show vs. Kane

Raven tries to choke Kane with a gardening hose but Kane basically lassos him with it before throwing Raven through the window of a small office. Show knocks Kane through the office door before they brawl through the wall between the offices. Raven stomps away before stealing a golf cart, only to have Big Show jump on the back.

Now we head back up the steps to the stage where Kane goes nuts on Big Show, only to get clotheslined back down. Show loads up a gorilla press on Raven but Kane kicks them both off the stage. A legdrop from Kane onto Show is enough for the pin and the title in a crushed part of the set.

Rating: C+. This is a fun hardcore match with the cool brawling spots mixed with the fun and goofy stuff which is how you make for a good hardcore match. These kind of matches were rare, but for the most part this was a more serious kind of Hardcore Title match, which usually makes things better. Kane would hold the title for awhile before it fell back into the goofy style.

Jimmy Snuka is at WWF New York.

The Rock arrives, 40 minutes into the show.

European Title: Eddie Guerrero vs. Test

Test is defending and Eddie has the Perry Saturn with him. Eddie tries to jump him to start but gets thrown around by the pure power of the champion. A spinning powerbomb gets two for Test and they head to the floor almost immediately. Back in and Eddie gets in a shot to take over before pounding away in the corner. The champion comes back with a clothesline for two before heading up top.

Off to a sleeper by Guerrero now as the fans seem to be getting a bit bored. Test fights out of it after a few moments and hits the tilt-a-whirl slam to put both guys down. Another tilt-a-whirl ends in a powerbomb for two for Test but Eddie kicks him low to break up a full nelson slam. Saturn slips in while the referee is yelling at Eddie for the Moss Covered Three Handled Family Credenza (a swinging neckbreaker), giving Eddie a two count.

Mick Foley promises to call the street fight fairly.

Austin is here, 55 minutes late.

Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit

Angle says he won but Benoit jumps him and puts on another Crossface, making Kurt tap again.

We recap Vince demanding a divorce from Linda while openly having an affair with Trish. Linda had a breakdown so Vince had her medicated to the point that she was basically a vegetable. Shane returned to destroy Vince and challenged him to a match at Wrestlemania. Vince said ok but there were bigger things to take care of.

Vince McMahon vs. Shane McMahon

Stephanie gets in the ring and slaps Shane in the face, causing a chase sequence. Shane stops to hit Vince in the head with a sign before beating him over an over in the back. A clothesline off the barricade puts Vince down again before Shane whips him into the barricade. Shane blasts him in the back with a kendo stick over and over before peppering him with left jabs and a big right cross. Other than the brief flurry to start this is all Shane.

Trish surprises everyone by slapping Vince, turning face in the process. Stephanie goes after Trish, triggering a catfight in the ring. Mick pulls Stephanie off of Trish, only to get slapped in the face for his efforts. Stephanie runs from Trish and does the worst looking fall in the history of bad looking falls to let Trish catch up before leaving the arena. Back at ringside Vince wakes up and calls his wife a very bad name but Foley stops any potential domestic violence. Vince is fine with that and blasts Mick in the back with a chair.

HHH and Undertaker are getting ready. To this day I still want one of those X7 baseball jerseys. They were AWESOME.

Tag Titles: Dudley Boyz vs. Hardy Boyz vs. Edge and Christian

Matt and Bubba go up on the super ladder, but Rhyno shoves it over, sending them crashing through the four tables at ringside. D-Von goes up now but Edge grabs his feet, allowing Rhyno to give Christian enough of a boost to beat D-Von to the top and get the titles, finally ending this carnage.

Video on Axxess. I need to go to that someday.

Now for the fun part of the show to give the fans a chance to breathe. Here are MEAN FREAKING GENE OKERLUND and Bobby Heenan to do commentary for the next match.

Gimmick Battle Royal

We recap HHH vs. Undertaker. HHH beat Austin at No Way Out and then said there was nobody left for him to beat, so here came the Dead Man. HHH jumped him from behind and choked him with a chair a week later. Taker came back with a pipe, earning himself a restraining order from Stephanie.

HHH vs. Undertaker

Taker is busted open and HHH is having a fit. The Game pounds away at the cut in the corner but makes the fatal mistake of going to the middle rope for more leverage, allowing Taker to grab the Last Ride to plant HHH and make himself 9-0 at Wrestlemania. Taker lays on the ropes after the match and the shot of him busted open but smiling is sweet.

Some fan won a contest here because of a poster.

As JR says, the time is upon us.

WWF World Title: Steve Austin vs. The Rock

They fight over to the announce table with Austin coming back with a bell shot to the face. Rock is knocked onto the announce table which breaks a few seconds later. We head back inside for Austin to pound away to even more pops from the crowd. Rock comes back with right hands but Austin drops both him and a leg for two. Rock is busted open and Austin chokes away in the corner. Austin stops to yell at the referee and gets his head taken off by a lariat from Rock.

Vince and Austin shake hands, officially ending the Attitude Era. Beer is consumed and Rock is hit with the belt one more time for good measure.

Ratings Comparison

Chris Jericho vs. William Regal

Original: B

Redo: B-

Right to Censor vs. Tazz/A.P.A.

Original: C-

Redo: C-

Raven vs. Kane vs. Big Show

Original: C+

Redo: C+

Eddie Guerrero vs. Test

Original: C-

Redo: D+

Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit

Original: B+

Redo: B+

Chyna vs. Ivory

Original: N/A

Redo: N/A

Vince McMahon vs. Shane McMahon

Original: B

Redo: B

Edge and Christian vs. Hardy Boyz vs. Dudley Boyz

Original: A+

Redo: A+

Gimmick Battle Royal

Original: N/A

Redo: N/A

Undertaker vs. HHH

Original: A+

Redo: A

Steve Austin vs. The Rock

Original: A+

Redo: A+

Overall Rating

Original: A+

Redo: A++

Yep it holds up.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/03/24/history-of-wrestlemania-with-kb-wrestlemania-17-oh-yes/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

Wrestlemania XVII
Date: April 1, 2001
Location: Astrodome, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 67,925
Commentators: Jim Ross, Paul Heyman

Intercontinental Title: Chris Jericho vs. William Regal

Jericho misses a charge in the corner and nearly hits the post head first. In a surprising move, Regal goes up top for a butterfly superplex which gets a delayed two. Jericho trips the legs and tries the Walls again but the shoulder gives out, allowing Regal to hook the Regal Stretch (STF with a half nelson) but Jericho makes the rope. Jericho fights back again but gets kicked in the shoulder, only to send Regal into the exposed buckle and hit the Lionsault to retain. That was a really sudden ending and JR sounded surprised so maybe it was called on the fly.

Rating: B-. This was exactly what an opener was supposed to be: fast paced, hard hitting and it told a good story. They beat on each other for seven minutes straight with nothing of note looking bad. The idea of the shoulder injury was a perfectly fine story to keep the match going and the Regal Stretch worked for a climax. This was a really good opener and it hit every point it was supposed to hit.

Shane McMahon in his WCW-1 limo shows up. He bought WCW on Monday, setting the stage for the Alliance.

Bradshaw is worried about Taz not being here for their match so he goes on one heck of a rant about how awesome Texas is before going on about how THIS IS WRESTLEMANIA.

Right to Censor vs. APA/Taz

Hardcore Title: Raven vs. Big Show vs. Kane

Raven tries to choke Kane with a gardening hose but Kane basically lassos him with it before throwing Raven through the window of a small office. Show knocks Kane through the office door before they brawl through the wall between the offices. Raven stomps away before stealing a golf cart, only to have Big Show jump on the back.

Now we head back up the steps to the stage where Kane goes nuts on Big Show, only to get clotheslined back down. Show loads up a gorilla press on Raven but Kane kicks them both off the stage. A legdrop from Kane onto Show is enough for the pin and the title in a crushed part of the set.

Rating: C+. This is a fun hardcore match with the cool brawling spots mixed with the fun and goofy stuff which is how you make for a good hardcore match. These kind of matches were rare, but for the most part this was a more serious kind of Hardcore Title match, which usually makes things better. Kane would hold the title for awhile before it fell back into the goofy style.

Jimmy Snuka is at WWF New York.

The Rock arrives, 40 minutes into the show.

European Title: Eddie Guerrero vs. Test

Test is defending and Eddie has the Perry Saturn with him. Eddie tries to jump him to start but gets thrown around by the pure power of the champion. A spinning powerbomb gets two for Test and they head to the floor almost immediately. Back in and Eddie gets in a shot to take over before pounding away in the corner. The champion comes back with a clothesline for two before heading up top.

Off to a sleeper by Guerrero now as the fans seem to be getting a bit bored. Test fights out of it after a few moments and hits the tilt-a-whirl slam to put both guys down. Another tilt-a-whirl ends in a powerbomb for two for Test but Eddie kicks him low to break up a full nelson slam. Saturn slips in while the referee is yelling at Eddie for the Moss Covered Three Handled Family Credenza (a swinging neckbreaker), giving Eddie a two count.

Mick Foley promises to call the street fight fairly.

Austin is here, 55 minutes late.

Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit

Angle says he won but Benoit jumps him and puts on another Crossface, making Kurt tap again.

We recap Vince demanding a divorce from Linda while openly having an affair with Trish. Linda had a breakdown so Vince had her medicated to the point that she was basically a vegetable. Shane returned to destroy Vince and challenged him to a match at Wrestlemania. Vince said ok but there were bigger things to take care of.

Vince McMahon vs. Shane McMahon

Stephanie gets in the ring and slaps Shane in the face, causing a chase sequence. Shane stops to hit Vince in the head with a sign before beating him over an over in the back. A clothesline off the barricade puts Vince down again before Shane whips him into the barricade. Shane blasts him in the back with a kendo stick over and over before peppering him with left jabs and a big right cross. Other than the brief flurry to start this is all Shane.

Trish surprises everyone by slapping Vince, turning face in the process. Stephanie goes after Trish, triggering a catfight in the ring. Mick pulls Stephanie off of Trish, only to get slapped in the face for his efforts. Stephanie runs from Trish and does the worst looking fall in the history of bad looking falls to let Trish catch up before leaving the arena. Back at ringside Vince wakes up and calls his wife a very bad name but Foley stops any potential domestic violence. Vince is fine with that and blasts Mick in the back with a chair.

HHH and Undertaker are getting ready. To this day I still want one of those X7 baseball jerseys. They were AWESOME.

Tag Titles: Dudley Boyz vs. Hardy Boyz vs. Edge and Christian

Matt and Bubba go up on the super ladder, but Rhyno shoves it over, sending them crashing through the four tables at ringside. D-Von goes up now but Edge grabs his feet, allowing Rhyno to give Christian enough of a boost to beat D-Von to the top and get the titles, finally ending this carnage.

Video on Axxess. I need to go to that someday.

Now for the fun part of the show to give the fans a chance to breathe. Here are MEAN FREAKING GENE OKERLUND and Bobby Heenan to do commentary for the next match.

Gimmick Battle Royal

We recap HHH vs. Undertaker. HHH beat Austin at No Way Out and then said there was nobody left for him to beat, so here came the Dead Man. HHH jumped him from behind and choked him with a chair a week later. Taker came back with a pipe, earning himself a restraining order from Stephanie.

HHH vs. Undertaker

Taker is busted open and HHH is having a fit. The Game pounds away at the cut in the corner but makes the fatal mistake of going to the middle rope for more leverage, allowing Taker to grab the Last Ride to plant HHH and make himself 9-0 at Wrestlemania. Taker lays on the ropes after the match and the shot of him busted open but smiling is sweet.

Some fan won a contest here because of a poster.

As JR says, the time is upon us.

WWF World Title: Steve Austin vs. The Rock

They fight over to the announce table with Austin coming back with a bell shot to the face. Rock is knocked onto the announce table which breaks a few seconds later. We head back inside for Austin to pound away to even more pops from the crowd. Rock comes back with right hands but Austin drops both him and a leg for two. Rock is busted open and Austin chokes away in the corner. Austin stops to yell at the referee and gets his head taken off by a lariat from Rock.

Vince and Austin shake hands, officially ending the Attitude Era. Beer is consumed and Rock is hit with the belt one more time for good measure.

Ratings Comparison

Chris Jericho vs. William Regal

Original: B

Redo: B-

Right to Censor vs. Tazz/A.P.A.

Original: C-

Redo: C-

Raven vs. Kane vs. Big Show

Original: C+

Redo: C+

Eddie Guerrero vs. Test

Original: C-

Redo: D+

Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit

Original: B+

Redo: B+

Chyna vs. Ivory

Original: N/A

Redo: N/A

Vince McMahon vs. Shane McMahon

Original: B

Redo: B

Edge and Christian vs. Hardy Boyz vs. Dudley Boyz

Original: A+

Redo: A+

Gimmick Battle Royal

Original: N/A

Redo: N/A

Undertaker vs. HHH

Original: A+

Redo: A

Steve Austin vs. The Rock

Original: A+

Redo: A+

Overall Rating

Original: A+

Redo: A++

Yep it holds up.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/03/24/history-of-wrestlemania-with-kb-wrestlemania-17-oh-yes/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

Smackdown
Date: March 19, 2019
Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips

It’s a Kofi Kingston night as he has to run a gauntlet match to get to the main event of Wrestlemania. In theory, with so few shows left to go before the pay per view, they’ll finally announce the match and let us have a few weeks to build. There’s a lot of other stuff to build on the way there too though and I’m not sure how much time everything else is going to get. Let’s get to it.

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

Here’s the Miz to open things up (Not the gauntlet match, which was announced as opening the show. It doesn’t mean anything, but why announce it if you’re just going to change it within a few days? How hard can it be to keep something that straight?). We see a video on Shane McMahon’s explanation from last week, including the announcement of his match with Miz at Wrestlemania.

Miz talks about being focused on the Road to Wrestlemania for his entire career and, other than his wife and daughter, he has sacrificed every relationship he has to make it there. Over the years he has worked to make his father proud of him and Shane McMahon helped make that happen. He had been told that Shane was a little different behind the scenes and then Shane turned on Miz and even attacked his father. Shane was born into the McMahon Family so he was born the Worst In The World.

Vince and Shane may own the company but they don’t own Miz and they don’t own Kofi. Miz wasn’t born into privilege and he was destined to flip burgers at his dad’s restaurant. Then he defied everyone and became WWE Champion on his own. You can boo him or cheer him but you can’t deny his work ethic. He’s a proven success story and it took him thirteen years but now he feels like he has earned that respect. The fans give him a YOU DESERVE IT chant and Miz agrees that he does.

It was a good face turn promo, though tying it into his month long friendship with Shane is about as tough of a sell as you’re going to go. Also, again, it’s really hard to buy the idea that Miz’s dad wasn’t proud of him for the World Title, the nine Intercontinental Titles or anything else, but a nothing tag team with Shane. The moral of this is that Miz’s dad is a pretty horrible parent and that’s not enough to turn Miz into a huge face.

Boss N Hug Connection vs. IIconics

Non-title. Before the match, the IIconics mock the champs for playing it safe, including going back to NXT to make themselves feel better. Bayley chases Peyton to the floor to start and it’s off to Sasha, with Bayley lifting her up for a dropkick. Billie comes in and gets taken down, allowing Sasha to mock the pose.

Hang on though as here’s Lacey Evans for a distraction and Billie gets in a discus lariat for two. Back from a break with Bayley and Billie hitting a faceplant for the double knockdown. Banks and Peyton come in off the double tag and it’s a Meteora for two on Royce. Kay boots Bayley in the face on the floor and helps Peyton roll Sasha up for the pin at 8:25.

Rating: D+. I’m so glad that we had the champs lose in one of their first matches together for the sake of setting up the title match. With Bayley and Banks saying that they’ll fight anyone, why not just have them fight everyone? Or let this be a singles loss or something like that? Or, for a change, just have some challengers win a few matches to get their shot? Crazy talk I guess.

Rey Mysterio is in the back and has an announcement. He brings in his son Dominic (of THE FOLLOWING LADDER MATCH IS FOR THE CUSTODY OF DOMINIC fame), who will be in the front row when Rey challenges Samoa Joe for the US Title at Wrestlemania.

Wrestlemania rundown, with nothing new added.

It’s time for the KO Show with Kevin Owens talking about how tonight is all about Kofi Kingston. He’ll be watching the gauntlet match closely, but for now we need to get to the guests. That would be Becky Lynch and Charlotte with Owens talking about how Becky is willing to fight Charlotte and Ronda Rousey at the same time.

As for Charlotte, Becky has said that she was shoehorned into the match and doesn’t belong. What Owens knows is that everyone is sick of hearing them talk and want to see the two of them fight. They stand up, Owens, leaves, and the fight is on. Security and referee get beaten up as well as the fans are very pleased with Becky.

AJ Styles talks about Randy Orton having some advantages. Yeah Orton is 6’4 and 250lbs. He’s a first round draft pick and AJ is a walk-on. That’s ok though, because at Wrestlemania, AJ is proving that this is his house. Oh and good luck to Kofi tonight.

Here are Daniel Bryan and Rowan to talk about how Kofi’s gauntlet match is an injustice. Daniel doesn’t buy this idea that Kofi is being held down because he was put in the gauntlet match and the Elimination Chamber. It was nothing he had earned because he was handed a spot. Both times, Kofi lost and he has earned nothing.

Kofi really is a B+ player but that’s ok with the fans because a B+ is good enough. Hey that could be a New Day shirt. No amount of chanting changes the fact that Kofi keeps losing. This brings out New Day because it’s time for the gauntlet match. That’s an interesting way to go with Kofi vs. Bryan and something that could have some legs in the promos.

Gauntlet Match

Of course Kofi starts and gets Sheamus first, with Big E. and Xavier Woods barred from ringside. Feeling out process to start with Kofi getting caught in a headlock on the mat. Sheamus gets armdragged into an armbar before Kofi sends him outside. That means a no hands dive but Sheamus pounds away with the ten forearms to the chest. Back in and Kofi stomps away until Cesaro gets in a cheap shot from the apron. The chinlock doesn’t last long and we take a break.

Back with Kofi hitting the Boom Drop and getting two off a spinning middle rope crossbody. Sheamus is right back with the Cloverleaf, which gets rolled up for two. A knee to the head rocks Kofi for two and we see the Usos joining the New Day watching in the back. The Brogue Kick is blocked and Trouble in Paradise gets rid of Sheamus at 13:41.

Mustafa Ali and the Hardys are watching as well as Cesaro jumps Kofi from behind with a gutwrench suplex getting two. Cesaro works on the leg and back but runs into a boot in the corner. A springboard is countered with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker as we take a break. Back again with R-Truth joining the locker room crowd and Cesaro swinging Kofi into the Cloverleaf. That’s broken up so it’s a half crab Liontamer for a bit before Kofi has to backdrop out of the Neutralizer. The SOS gives Kofi the pin at 21:31.

Rowan is in next and runs Kofi over with a knee, followed by shots in the corner. Another shoulder drops Kofi on the floor and Rowan whips him hard into the corner. Rowan goes with the long form plan by hitting Kofi in the back with a chair for the DQ at 23:13. A bearhug keeps Kofi in trouble and it’s the Iron Claw through the announcers’ table. Kofi is mostly dead as Samoa Joe is in next.

Back from another break with Joe cranking on the neck and saying Kofi will never go to Wrestlemania. Those are incorrect fighting words so Kofi strikes away, only to get caught with the enziguri in the corner. The neck crank goes on, followed by a heck of a clothesline for two. We hit another chinlock and the locker room viewing party has grown even more. The Koquina Clutch is countered with a jawbreaker but Joe gets the Rock Bottom out of the corner for another near fall. Joe loads up the Muscle Buster but Kofi rolls him up for the pin at 35:25. You couldn’t have Joe take the DQ instead of Rowan?

Post fall Joe chokes Kofi out and here’s Randy Orton as the last entrant. Back again with Orton in control and talking trash to Kofi. A whip into the steps gives Kofi a breather but he can’t follow up, allowing Orton to slap on the chinlock. Kofi fights up and throws a dropkick, which Orton slaps away with ease.

The RKO is countered though and Kofi hits Trouble In Paradise but Orton rolls outside as we take another break. Back again with Kofi in trouble but managing to hit a high crossbody. That’s rolled through for a near fall and there’s the hanging DDT to make it even worse. Orton takes his time loading up the RKO but Kofi rolls him up for the final pin at 53:43.

Rating: B. Hang on a second.

Post match Big E. and Woods come out to celebrate and here’s Vince McMahon to interrupt. Vince congratulates Kofi, who is going to Wrestlemania….if he can beat one more person. That would be Daniel Bryan, who kicks away in the corner to start. A knee to the ribs cuts off Kofi’s comeback and Bryan ties him in the Tree of Woe for more kicks to the ribs.

Bryan gets two off a top rope belly to back superplex and we hit the LeBell Lock. Kofi gets a foot on the rope for the break The YES Kicks are countered into the SOS for two and the fans gasp on the kickout. Some running corner dropkicks connect with Kofi reversing the third into another rollup. Bryan avoids a spinning high crossbody and stomps away at the head and it’s the running knee for the pin at 1:00:06 total.

Rating: B. It was long and exactly as advertised, but if this company EVER stopped moving the goalposts, I think my head would explode. It’s the same thing as the Becky Lynch story where the evil boss just feels like being evil and changes the match. I’m sure Kofi will get the title shot, but we’re long past the point of this being surprising. It’s just the move that WWE makes and that’s not a good thing.

The match itself was however a good thing with Kofi showing that he can hang in there for a long time at a high quality, which is exactly what he’s done for years. The fans want to see him, but you can only keep doing this “HAHA EVIL BOSS” stuff before it stops mattering. Considering that it’s happening in two big matches, it’s rather taxing and downright annoying.

New Day checks on Kofi to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was almost a one match show and while that’s ok, they need to start adding some stuff to the pay per view. If that seventeen match card is going to be correct (and I don’t believe it’s going to be that high), they need to get on with it. They have eight official matches (Cruiserweight Title match is announced but an opponent is needed) and that leaves a lot of stuff to make official with two weeks to go. I know WWE likes to add in a bunch of twists but it would be nice if they could announce more stuff and let it build instead of saying “well maybe next week” every week.

Results

IIconics b. Boss N Hug Connection – Rollup to Banks

Daniel Bryan won a gauntlet match last eliminating Kofi Kingston

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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