Smackdown
Date: June 26, 2003
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Commentators: Tazz, Michael Cole

We’re back in the World’s Most Famous Arena with the blue show, including a likely six man tag after the end of last week’s show. Odds are we’re looking at Brock Lesnar/Kurt Angle/Mr. America vs. Big Show/Shelton Benjamin/Charlie Haas, which offers some interesting combinations. Of course it also offers Mr. America wrestling and that might not be the best thing in the world. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of last week’s Zack Gowan/Sable/Vince McMahon/Stephanie McMahon issues, including Sable humiliating Gowan to Vince’s amusement and Stephanie going on a rant about how her father treated her like garbage. In other words, it’s still all about Vince and Stephanie.

Opening sequence.

Here’s John Cena to brag about how awesome his rookie year has been. Eh it’s been good, but when you’re in the same class as Brock Lesnar, it’s not much to brag about. However, none of it would have started without answering an open challenge. Let’s have another open challenge right now.

John Cena vs. Orlando Jordan

Josh Matthews is ring announcer for some reason. Cena laughs this off and insults New York but Jordan takes him down to start fast. A belly to belly suplex gives Jordan two but Cena plants him with a release spinebuster. The FU is countered with Jordan landing on his feet and coming back with a dropkick. Jordan goes up for a high crossbody but Cena rolls through and grabs the trunks for the pin.

Undertaker comes out and chases Cena off before giving Jordan the respect pat on the ribs. I’m not sure this one is going to work as well.

Undertaker/APA vs. FBI

And you know Undertaker needs help with this one. Palumbo headlocks Undertaker to start but it’s already off to the arm cranking. A kick to the face just annoys Undertaker and there’s Old School. The Italians take over in the corner with Nunzio dropkicking him in the face but easily allowing the hot tag off to Faarooq.

Palumbo gets in a cheap shot and it’s Faarooq giving the FBI their false hope for a bit. We hit a reverse chinlock until Palumbo crotches himself on Faarooq’s knee. The hot tag (minus the fans reacting) brings in Bradshaw to clean house. Everything breaks down and it’s a chokeslam for Palumbo, followed by the Clothesline From Bradshaw for the pin on Stamboli.

Rating: D. I’m not even sure what to say here. Undertaker regularly beat up all three Italians and now we’re supposed to be impressed or interested when two other big brawlers beat them up too? The match was a glorified squash with the minute or so of Faarooq being in trouble not exactly making this thrilling. Can we please find something else for Undertaker to do now?

Jamie Noble and Nidia annoy some fans on the streets of New York when an attorney comes up. Apparently Jamie’s aunt died and left him $827,000. I’ll ignore the questions about how the attorney knew they were there or why he did such official business on the streets, or at least in a parking lot. Nidia tries to take the attorney’s pants off but they decide to go to a fancy dinner at Applebee’s instead.

Wrestlemania Recall: the first edition.

Sable tries to make up for last week to Vince but he turns her down. He has something to do tonight.

US Title Tournament First Round: Matt Hardy vs. Rikishi

No one with Matt, who has better abs than Rikishi, this week. Matt is also officially out of the cruiserweight division so the experiment is over. Rikishi shoves him over to start and Matt already has to bail from the threat of a Stink Face. A posting lets Matt crank on both of Rikishi’s arms, which is about the extent of the offense.

Rikishi plants him with a belly to belly suplex and the Rikishi Driver knocks Matt silly. It doesn’t knock him out for three though, which is a rather questionable kickout when Hardy’s head bounced off the mat. The Rump Shaker hits raised knees though and the Twist of Fate gets two. Matt takes off a turnbuckle, avoids a charge into said buckle, and hits a second Twist for the pin.

Rating: D+. That Rikishi Driver looked great (as it did most of the time) but they really could have just ended it after the first Twist of Fate. The tournament isn’t exactly setting the world on fire yet but it might get better with some brackets or at least a list of names in the thing. You know, assuming they know who is in the thing at the moment.

Billy Kidman, still out of action with an injury, is in the front row but wants to be back in the ring.

Tag Team Titles: Roddy Piper/Sean O’Haire vs. Eddie Guerrero/Tajiri

Eddie and Tajiri are defending as we need to wedge an MSG legend onto the card. O’Haire jumps Eddie at the bell but gets taken down for a quick slingshot hilo. It’s off to Tajiri for the handspring elbow and a superkick for two. Piper has to break up a Tarantula and then comes in legally to a nice nostalgia reaction. After a few stomps and some slaps to Eddie, it’s already back to O’Haire for a chinlock. A powerslam is countered with a reverse DDT and Tajiri brings Eddie back in. Everything breaks down and Piper gets misted, setting up the frog splash to retain the titles.

Rating: D. As usual, Eddie and Tajiri looked fine, albeit at the expense of someone who should be winning the US Title tournament. This push for O’Haire hasn’t gotten him anywhere and, again, it’s almost all about Piper. There’s no benefit to the two of them being associated and O’Haire is floundering more and more by the day. Of course none of that matters as this was it for Piper in the company due to some comments he made in an interview with HBO. Really, it’s not much of a loss for WWE as Piper was barely worth keeping around at this point, save for the occasional good line in Piper’s Pit.

We see the end of last week’s show, which set up tonight’s six man tag.

Here’s Vince to call out Stephanie and Gowan. Vince sucks up to Stephanie, calling her the apple of her father’s eye. She grew up in a hurry and when she was seventeen, he did have her, ahem, close some business deals for him. Those actions stole her innocence and it was as if Vince personally deflowered her (I know it’s never flat out stated, but it’s pretty clear what he’s talking about and that’s rather disturbing). He’ll never forgive himself and that brings him to Gowan.

See, Vince wants to be like Zack, because it’s the one thing he can’t be. Therefore he wants an apology from Gowan, who says no. Gowan goes into a good rant about how he wants to be a wrestler and Vince is spitting on his dreams. All Gowan wants is a contract and Vince calmly gives him one. Well, with one condition: he has to join Vince’s special club. Vince takes his pants down but gets hit low instead. At least they kept it shorter here and stayed closer to the point, albeit with Vince losing his pants.

Ultimo Dragon vs. Shannon Moore

This is Dragon’s debut and Rey Mysterio is on commentary. Dragon spins out of a headscissors and a wristlock to start before kicking Moore away without much effort. Shannon gets sent outside so Dragon moonsaults back into the middle of the ring. Back in and Moore gets two off an elbow to the jaw before grabbing a chinlock.

Dragon fights up and hits a sloppy inverted hurricanrana/release victory roll (started in an electric chair and rolled forward). Shannon is sent outside again for an Asai moonsault and the New York fans are rather appreciative. A super jawbreaker sets up a standing backflip into a reverse DDT (basically a Salida Del Sol) to give Dragon the pin.

Rating: C-. This was way more competitive than it needed to be, especially with someone who has been hyped up as strongly as Dragon. I was never the biggest fan of his but he had a good finisher and a great looking moonsault, which is often all you need. If nothing else the division needs some fresh blood and a top challenger for Mysterio.

Rey and Dragon shake hands post match.

Kurt Angle/Brock Lesnar/Mr. America vs. Charlie Haas/Shelton Benjamin/Big Show

The USA chants start up (Tazz: “I don’t get this. Everybody in the ring is an American.”) until Angle and Haas start things off. The chants shift to Angle as he takes Charlie down for a far too early chinlock. Haas drags him into the corner though and it’s a good looking double dropkick to put Angle down. A crossbody gets Angle out of trouble as the fans want Hogan.

They’ll have to settle for Mr. America though for a clothesline, only to have Brock come in for some REAL clotheslines. Brock gorilla presses Haas as Tazz tries to get Manster over as a nickname. It’s back to America for a belly to back suplex and we take a break. Back with Lesnar cleaning house again and staring Big Show (who hasn’t done anything yet) down.

Benjamin breaks up an F5 on Haas and it’s the leapfrog over Haas and onto Lesnar’s back. Now Show will come in and Brock can’t slam him. Lesnar can however belly to back suplex him because physics are weird in wrestling. The hot tag brings in Angle to clean house with the release German suplexes (that’s very un-American of him). Show has to break up the ankle lock on Haas and it’s double teaming time again.

That lasts all of five seconds as Kurt gets in another suplex and brings America back in. Some right hands have Show rocked and Lesnar and Angle pull him outside. An F5/Angle Slam take out Haas and Benjamin, only to have Show come back in for a double chokeslam. That leaves America to take care of Show but here’s Vince carrying Gowan. The distraction lets Show chokeslam America for the pin.

Rating: C+. Not bad here, mainly because they mostly focused on Haas/Benjamin vs. Angle/Lesnar. America and Big Show could have a passable five minute match but they’re much better off saving them for short bursts like this. They still need to find someone else for Lesnar to face besides Big Show though as it’s getting repetitive. The other stuff was good though and that’s what matters most. I’m sure Mr. America will find something fresh to do soon enough.

Vince makes Gowan/Stephanie vs. Big Show for Gowan’s contract next week.

Overall Rating: C-. The first forty minutes or so were pretty dreadful but it picked up strongly enough in the second half to make it watchable. They’re getting to a point with the main story but the rest of the card is kind of all over the place. We still have no idea who is in the tournament and O’Haire/Piper are the best they have for challengers to the Tag Team Titles. It’s certainly better than Raw though and while that’s not much of a bar to clear, it’s better than nothing.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume VI: July – December 1999 in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/11/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-and-thunder-reviews-volume-vi/

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

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

205 Live
Date: November 21, 2017
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

It’s one of the final shows from Houston as we hit the cruiserweight division. Enzo Amore is still Cruiserweight Champion and the question now is who comes next. Kalisto has been dispatched (again) and it’s not clear who will be going after the title again. The show is being turned into a faction warfare and that could go multiple ways. Let’s get to it.

The Zo Train (minus Drew Gulak) has a Thanksgiving dinner prepared in the back. Enzo (in a Randy Savage shirt) says he’s now 5G and therefore they’re all connected. He’s gotten them all matches tonight but they better rep to Enzo brand like a barbell. If they do well, Christmas could come early in the form of a recommendation for a Cruiserweight Title shot. Enzo wants to know where Gulak is but here’s the Gobbledy Gooker. Naturally that’s Gulak, who says he’s the Gobbledy Gulaker. Gulak: “You told me to loosen up!” Enzo is disappointed.

Opening sequence.

The announcers chat for a bit.

Drew Gulak vs. Akira Tozawa

Street fight. Gulak comes out in jeans, which is a really odd look for him. Drew isn’t usually into this but if Enzo is from the streets, Drew needs to help clean them up. However, that might get his hands dirty so it’s time for a very special POWERPOINT PRESENTATION! Or not as Tozawa cuts him off, sending Drew into a near fit. Gulak bails to the floor with his hands covering his ears as the chanting starts early this week.

Back in and Tozawa kicks him in the chest, setting up some screaming. Tozawa kicks him outside again but the suicide dive is countered into a suplex onto the ramp. A clothesline messes with Tozawa’s throat, meaning no more chanting. That’s rather evil and something you wouldn’t have expected from a show like this.

Some chairs are thrown in but Gulak would rather slap him in the face for two instead. Drew puts the No Chants sign in the corner but gets suplexed through the handle, which has to be rather painful to at least a few inches of skin. The fans want tables so Tozawa pulls one out, only to get suplexed into the corner as well.

The table is set up in the corner but have to settle for Tozawa throwing Drew over the announcers’ table instead. A good looking flip dive off said table has Gulak in even more trouble and it’s time for more weapons. Tozawa puts a trashcan over him and swings away with a kendo stick. The top rope backsplash through the table ends Gulak at 11:12.

Rating: B. They were getting close to that next level here but they never could flip the switch on. Tozawa is good for a hardcore brawler and it was cool to see Gulak move up to another level of violence every now and then. Good, hard hitting brawl here that needed a little more to become great.

Hideo Itami is coming to 205 Live. Well it’s not like he’s going to do much in NXT so get him up here while he’s healthy.

Tony Nese doesn’t think much of Itami but Amore seems nervous. If Nese doesn’t get, better, he won’t be on the Zo Train much longer. Rich Swann, Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali come in and trade some insults.

Tony Nese vs. Mustafa Ali

Hang on a second as Nese needs to show off the abs. That just earns him a wristlock though and even a slam won’t break it up. Now that’s some dedication. Nese goes with some stomping but gets sent outside for a heck of a flip dive from the top. Ali might not have the best charisma in the world but he can throw some pretty dives.

Back in and Nese grabs a chinlock to slow things down, only to miss a charge into the corner. Ali switches things up a bit with a rolling X Factor instead of the rolling neckbreaker but he can’t follow up. The 054 takes way too long though and Nese sends him HARD into the post. The running knee in the corner ends Ali at 7:05.

Rating: C. Just a quick match here with Nese giving the Zo Train what is likely its only win tonight. This feels like the kind of show designed to give the fans a lot of stuff to cheer for and Nese winning should keep it from being a clean sweep. It helps that Nese is a simple character who does his thing quite well. I mean, it’s hard to argue with someone being in that kind of shape.

Daivari and Dar are ready to impress Enzo too. Enzo will be in the front row, but Gulak, back in the turkey suit, is stuck in time out.

Ariya Daivari/Noam Dar vs. Rich Swann/Cedric Alexander

Enzo is at ringside. Daivari and Cedric start things off with a rather long feeling out process until Cedric scores with a dropkick. Swann comes in for the Rolling Thunder as Enzo is talking to the fans. It’s off to Dar, who gets caught with a good looking springboard clothesline. Cedric’s ankle scissors is countered with a kick to the ribs though and it’s time for some villainous control.

Both guys take turns kicking away as Enzo continues to talk trash from the floor. Alexander finally rolls away and makes the diving tag off to Swann for almost no reaction. Enzo breaks up the Phoenix splash though and Daivari’s frog splash gets a rather close two. If back to Dar who gets kicked in the head but Cedric goes after Enzo, earning himself a baseball slide from Dar. Back in and Swann kicks Dar in the head again, setting up the Phoenix splash for the pin at 8:07.

Rating: C+. The energy was there, even if the fans weren’t exactly thrilled. Swann and Alexander are a good tag team and every time they’re out there, I can’t help but wonder why they’re not a midcard team on the main roster. It’s not like the shows have anything better at the moment.

Post match Enzo comes in to beat on Swann until Tozawa and Ali come down. Cue Nese and Gulak to cut them off though and the big beatdown ensues. Enzo hits a top rope splash onto both guys and it’s a group dance to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a strong show by 205 Live’s standards and I’m glad to see them having a little more energy. That being said, I’m rarely a fan of having one storyline completely dominate the show like this. If you’re not a fan of the good guys vs. the Zo Train, there’s no reason to watch the show. In theory this sets up Itami as the next star, but it wouldn’t shock me to have him just be another name on Amore’s list. If nothing else I’d love to see Cedric get the title at some point, as he’s certainly earned it. Good show this week.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume VI: July – December 1999 in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/11/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-and-thunder-reviews-volume-vi/

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: November 23, 2017
Location: Aberdeen Pavilion, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Jeremy Borash, Josh Matthews

We’re getting into the swing of these Canadian tapings but there’s a good chance this show isn’t going to mean much for the most part due to the holiday. The big story tonight is the return of Johnny Impact and Alberto El Patron after one full week away. It’s hard to say what they’ll do, though I’d put my money on brawling. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Tonight, the Turkey Bowl is back. There’s a match between a bunch of people and the loser gets put in a turkey suit.

The Turkey Bowl is so cool that we need to go back to the 2008 version!

Sheik Abdul Bashir vs. Rhyno vs. Alex Shelley

Bashir is X-Division Champion and helps Shelley for a double team on Rhyno. That goes nowhere as Rhyno easily slugs both of them away and scores with a belly to belly for two on Bashir. Clipped to Rhyno getting double teamed again but the others keep getting in an argument over scoring the pin (and a $25,000 prize). Bashir rolls Shelley up for two but gets caught in a super atomic drop. Rhyno uses the distraction to Gore Shelley for the pin at 2:48 shown.

Post match, Mick Foley tells Shelley he has to put the suit on but Shelley doesn’t want to. See, the women won’t be happy and that would hurt the ratings. That’s cool with Foley, but Shelley is fired if he doesn’t do it. Shelley finally puts it on and Foley makes gibblet jokes. Foley: “Is that a gizzard in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?” The suit goes on and more jokes are made. If this is the case, I can go with it more than holding a regular show on Thanksgiving.

Robert Irvine has prepared a Thanksgiving dinner and I think you know where this is going later in the night.

We hear some Thanksgiving memories from wrestlers.

Eli Drake and Chris Adonis interrupt the Thanksgiving festivities and tells a story about his daddy’s mashed potatoes, which is one of the things his family does best (along with beating people up of course). The Turkey Bowl is now Eli Drake’s Gravy Train Turkey Trot and we’ll be drawing some random names for the five on five match. One team will be captained by Eddie Edwards.

Eddie is excited and says this is a big check off his wrestling bucket list.

The other captain is El Hijo Del Fantasma, who says Thanksgiving doesn’t mean anything in Mexico. It sounds like a party though and every party needs chocolate.

Video on the upcoming Knockouts Title tournament. It ticks Sienna off, making me think that Sienna has some intelligence to her.

Wrestlers list their favorite Thanksgiving foods.

Preview for next week’s show, including Johnny Impact vs. Alberto El Patron.

From 2011.

Robbie E. vs. Eric Young

Joined in progress with Robbie beating up the turkey suit before dropping a middle rope elbow for two. We’re clipped to Young hitting a piledriver for the pin at 1:12 shown.

Post match, Robbie is still out so he can’t put on the suit. Therefore, Young says Robbie’s buddy Robbie T. can put it on instead. The referee says that if T. doesn’t, E. loses the TV Title (yes they had the TV Champion lose a match like this) so the suit goes on.

Caleb Konley joins Team Fantasma and Trevor Lee isn’t too happy with it.

Richard Justice is on Eddie’s team but he’s worried he can’t fit in the suit.

Various wrestlers are thankful for various things.

KM is on Fantasma’s team but doesn’t care about anything other than impressing American Top Team.

Laurel Van Ness is also on Team Edwards (despite being a villain) and makes turkey noises.

Wrestlers talk about Thanksgiving memories.

From 2016.

Robbie E. vs. Grado

I think we’re in comedy match territory. They trade fists to start but it’s a fist pound instead. That leads to back to back nipple twists before a double clothesline puts both guys down. Both guys try rollups with feet on the ropes but enforcer Aiden O’Shea cuts them off. Grado tries a sunset flip but Robbie sits on him for the pin at 2:49.

O’Shea makes Grado put the suit on but he starts to get into it. Dancing ensues.

Fallah Bahh is in the match as well. I’m assuming on Team Fantasma if they’re still alternating picks. Bahh can only say his last name and gobble gobble.

Garza Jr. is in as well and says everyone in the tournament (What tournament?) is underestimating him due to his injury.

The final entrant, and announced as a team captain, is Chris Adonis. Wait so was it five in a row or alternating? Why would they not just say that the first and last names pulled out are captains? My goodness how can they manage to screw up PULLING NAMES OUT OF A HAT??? Would a graphic have been too much to ask for?

Adonis rallies his team as we’re just forgetting the whole “Fantasma is captain” thing.

Team Edwards is ready.

Team Edwards vs. Team Adonis

Eddie Edwards, Garza Jr., Allie, Fallah Bahh, Richard Justice

Chris Adonis, Caleb Konley, Laurel Van Ness, KM, El Hijo Del Fantasma

The loser of the fall wears a turkey suit and there’s food at ringside, along with Eli Drake. We’re not ready yet though as the teams sit down at the food tables as Drake insists that everyone has to put on the suit if they lose. He has a statement for JB to read, which pretty much just says everyone play nice.

Justice sticks his finger in Konley’s mouth to start and gets two off a rollup. Laurel comes in and jumps on Justice’s back so it’s off to the women for a change. KM and Bahh are up next with some shots to Bahh’s head taking us to a break. Back with Bahh crossbodying KM and bringing in Garza….WHO TAKES OFF HIS PANTS! I’m rather thankful.

Garza gets punched down though and it’s time for the heel beatdown. Adonis comes in for two off a legdrop and it’s time for a bearhug (on a guy with a bad shoulder). That goes nowhere and the hot tag brings in Eddie to clean house. Everything breaks down in a hurry and KM gets crushed between Justice and Bahh.

We get the big crash to the floor and Justice falls off the apron, only to be caught without much effort. Allie dives onto everyone to break up the pile and everyone is down. Back in and Adonis can’t grab the Adonis Lock, allowing Eddie to roll him up for the pin at 16:04, meaning Adonis gets to wear the suit.

Rating: C-. Oh what were you expecting here? This was all in good fun and nothing more than a comedy match. The match was just there for the sake of having a one off match for a holiday special and as a result, it’s really hard to be harsh on it. Adonis having to wear the suit is fine and it continues a (rather goofy) tradition. It wasn’t anything good, but it’s perfectly harmless.

Post break, Adonis refuses to wear the suit. Security actually stops him as the referee holds up the suit like an executioner’s ax. After a lot of persuading and a GOBBLE GOBBLE (One of us?) chant, Adonis finally puts it on and walks around a bit. Adonis isn’t cool with the chants though and the required food fight, with Adonis hitting Drake in the face with a pie, ends the show. This was actually entertaining as they just went with the simple comedy and it worked perfectly well.

Overall Rating: C. Just like the main event, this was nothing you needed to see but it’s completely harmless fun. I’m rather glad they didn’t waste a regular show on a night where even fewer people than usual would be watching. Just let the show be a lighter edition for a change and get back to the regular stuff next week. This was an easy show to sit through and that’s all it should have been. If you ignore the more complicated than necessary name drawing system (Just throw up a graphic so we know who is on which side. Or drop the captains entirely as they didn’t mean anything.), this was a fun little show and that’s a good sign.

Results

Team Edwards b. Team Adonis – Rollup to Adonis

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume VI: July – December 1999 in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/11/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-and-thunder-reviews-volume-vi/

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

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

WWF House Show
Date: August 13, 1988
Location: Los Angeles Sports Arena, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon, Superstar Billy Graham

It’s another show that was recently added to the Network and it’s from my favorite era so let’s take a look. Randy Savage is the World Champion here and defending against Andre the Giant while Hulk Hogan is taking a bit of a break. We’re also coming up on Summerslam so you can expect to hear quite a bit about the show. Let’s get to it.

The announcers talk about the World Title match a bit with Graham thinking Miss Elizabeth made a mistake by signing Savage to the contract. Since when can she do that?

Sam Houston vs. Black Jack

From what I can find, Jack is a local wrestler whose career started back in 1963. No wonder he’s under a mask. Graham thinks Houston needs to put on some weight, which likely means doing some steroids. To be fair he said the same thing about Elizabeth so the guy isn’t all there sometimes. Sam dances around the ring as is his custom but Jack bails to the apron. It works so well that they do it again as the announcers keep talking about Houston needing to gain weight.

Some hiptosses have Jack down and of course he’s complaining about a mask pull. A headlock slows Jack down again as the fans aren’t exactly thrilled with this. The solution? Talk about Jack’s beard. Back up and Sam slugs away but we’ll hit another headlock instead. A bad looking slam puts Sam down but he avoids an elbow. Even the announcers point out how many times Houston is using a headlock. Not that it matters as Jack sends him in but walks into the bulldog to give Sam the pin at 5:48.

Rating: D-. Terribly boring match here with most of it spent on a headlock. That’s a very poor choice for an opener too as the fans didn’t care and the whole thing felt like an exhibition in how to do a headlock. You can always tell when the announcers are bored and it’s not good when that’s the case less than ten minutes in.

Blue Angel vs. Barry Horowitz

Horowitz isn’t as big of a loser as he would become just yet. Angel is of course Owen Hart underneath a mask. Graham’s guess on why everyone is wearing masks: they owe back child support. Yeah Graham was kind of the Booker T. of his commentary of his day. Angel does his traditional spin out of a wristlock before bouncing all over the place for a wristdrag. It’s off to the hammerlock for a bit before Angel gets shouldered down, right into a nip up.

The armbar keeps Barry in trouble and Angel works on a series of arm locks. Barry finally gets up and chills in the corner for a bit, drawing a count for some reason. Billy says he can go to the ring for a twenty count if he needs. Since when is this Ring of Honor? A hammerlock slam sets up another armbar on Horowitz but a superkick of all things gets him out of trouble.

Instead of following up though, it’s time to pat himself on the back. Barry drives Angel’s head into a boot before poking through the mask to the eye. A butterfly suplex gives Barry two as the fans are trying to stay with this one (as they should be able to do). Another comeback is cut off by a kneelift, which continues Barry’s strategy of keeping things simple. The announcers aren’t even sure if Barry knows any more moves, which is about a condescending as you can get, especially from Graham.

Angel manages a sunset flip for two, which of course has Horowitz complaining about a pull of the trunks. Horowitz takes WAY too long going up and it’s a nip up into a missile dropkick to have Barry in some real trouble. A belly to belly (Gorilla: “Suplex City coming up.”) gives Angel two but he finishes with a decent looking moonsault at 14:36.

Rating: B-. Well that worked. Owen was clearly miles ahead of most wrestlers of this time, which is even sadder when you consider how long it took the company to figure out how good he was. Keep in mind that this was 1988 and he just did a MOONSAULT. That was insane back then (just look at Great Muta in the NWA) and something you just didn’t see around then. Horowitz looked good too, which isn’t surprising given how solid he really was. You don’t keep a job that long by being horrible.

Powers of Pain vs. Bolsheviks

This is during that weird face run for the Powers of Pain before the company realized the obvious. The Bolsheviks do their Russian national anthem until the Powers jump them from behind (capitalist jerks) to clear the ring in a hurry. The bell rings for a second time as it rang once during the blindside attack and again when the Bolsheviks got back in, making me wonder how incompetent this Hebner guy is.

Nikolai and Barbarian shove each other around to start as the announcers talk about the size of Boris’ head. Neither Russian can move Barbarian so it’s a powerslam for two on Boris. Nikolai makes the save and is smart enough to pull Boris over to his corner. Score one for the Russian school system. It’s off to Warlord for a test of strength and more cheating takes Warlord down. They try the same thing again but Warlord is ready for them this time (because Warlord is suddenly intelligent).

It’s off to Barbarian as the arm work begins, leaving the announcers to compare American and Russian athletes. A big boot gives Barbarian two but Warlord misses a charge, allowing the Russians to get in some token shots. All it takes is a double clothesline to put them both down though and it’s a hot tag to Barbarian. Everything breaks down and a powerslam into a flying headbutt is enough for the pin on Boris at 9:12.

Rating: D. Long and boring here with the Powers of Pain winning a match just a step above a squash. That being said, who in the world looks at the POWERS OF PAIN and thinks they should be a face team? The match was boring of course, mainly because there was no doubt over who was going to win the thing. Then again, the Bolsheviks are hardly worth anything in the first place.

Jesse Ventura comes out for commentary.

SD Jones vs. Curt Hennig

Hennig has only been around for a few weeks here. Feeling out process to start with pretty much nothing going on in the first minute. At least Jones lasted longer than the “eight seconds” at Wrestlemania. Jones cranks on a headlock as it’s pretty easy to see why he wasn’t exactly a top star around this point. It’s off to a hammerlock while Graham talks about Ventura wanting to be a lover in Hollywood. Hennig finally takes him down and drops some knees (albeit not perfectly).

We hit the Boston crab with Curt grabbing a rope, sending Jesse and Gorilla into an argument over breaking rules. I’ll let you figure out who is on which side. A bad looking backbreaker gives Hennig two as this is hardly lighting up the world. Instead, Graham asks Jesse some annoying questions about Hollywood that you can tell he doesn’t feel like answering. Jones fights back with some left hands and a headbutt as the fans just do not care.

The comeback seems to be in slow motion so let’s compare Hollywood to being a Navy SEAL. A powerslam gives Jones two (with one of the worst covers I’ve seen in a long time) and is nice enough to stand there while Hennig hammers away. Back to the Hollywood discussion as this match just won’t freaking end. Some right hands in the corner don’t do much on Hennig so he pops out of the corner with a hard forearm (one of his dad’s old finishers) for the pin at 13:08.

Rating: F+. I like Hennig but MY GOODNESS Jones was dragging this through the floor. This was one of the most uninteresting, dull matches I’ve seen in a good while as neither guy seemed interested in being out there and Jones looked to be about 59 years old. There was no fire or even energy here and it felt like it should have been about ten minutes shorter. Just awful stuff.

That’s it for Jesse. Thank goodness as I don’t think he could have handled any more movie questions.

WWF World Title: Andre the Giant vs. Randy Savage

Savage is defending of course and this should wake the fans up a bit. Actually hang on a second as the referee ejects Bobby Heenan before we’re ready to go. Liz gets to stay of course though because the referee is rather sexist. Andre isn’t pleased and if there’s one thing I’ve learned in wrestling, it’s that you don’t want a 7’ 500lb giant ticked off at you. Savage charges into a headbutt and falls outside in a heap.

Back in and we hit the choke as this is already looking like a squash. Andre chokes with his strap so Liz gets on the apron, allowing Andre to choke even more. Thanks a lot Liz. Another headbutt sends Savage outside but thankfully Andre doesn’t follow. Back in and Andre charges into a knee so Savage can get in some right hands, only to get dropped with another headbutt. I love how simple Andre’s offense was, because really what else did he need to do?

We hit the bearhug for a bit until Savage clotheslines him into the ropes, meaning Andre is tied up. Savage rips at the nose like a….well like a savage actually, until Andre gets an arm loose. More choking in the corner have Savage in trouble and Andre makes it worse by taking off a turnbuckle pad.

Naturally Andre headbutts it by mistake and Savage rams it in again a few more times. About five rams in a row FINALLY put Andre down and the flying elbow gets two. Andre is basically out on his feet so they fall outside with Savage ramming him into the steps. For some reason Andre grabs Liz by the leg, sending Savage outside after him for a double countout at 10:25.

Rating: C+. They were close here and if Savage had pinned Andre it would have blown the roof off the place. Andre was trying out there but there was only so much he could do by this point. I had a lot of fun with this one though and that’s more than I was expecting given how dull so much of this card has been.

Savage carries Liz to the back so Andre throws the title over his shoulder.

Earlier today, Rick Rude didn’t like Gorilla Monsoon calling Bobby Heenan a snake. Heenan calls Jake Roberts’ wife a slimy snake and Rude talks about being ready to take care of Roberts tonight. Just a quick filler as we’re probably on intermission.

The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers love America and can’t wait to move here.

Fabulous Rougeau Brothers vs. Hart Foundation

This should be good. Raymond starts with Neidhart and uses the referee to flip out of a wristlock. Well he’s resourceful. A shoulder block doesn’t go as well as Raymond is sent into the corner. Graham: “Neidhart reminds me of a block of granite.” A joke like that writes itself. Raymond flips out of a powerslam attempt and hits a dropkick to little avail, though he does get a hug from Jacques.

Neidhart is right back with a dropkick of his own to send Raymond outside and it’s off to Bret. The fans give quite the notable reaction when he comes in, which Monsoon ties back into the battle royal at Wrestlemania IV. Back in and Jacques keeps offering a left handed handshake, with even Gorilla seeing what’s coming. Bret reverses the ensuing Irish whip but Jacques flips over him to…..do nothing.

That’s enough for some stalling, including a chest massage for Jacques. The Harts are sick of waiting around though and take Raymond into the corner for a hard stomping. A backbreaker gets two on Raymond and we hit a rare face chinlock. Thankfully Graham gets the chance to mention talking to his opponents while holding a chinlock as a way to explain spot calling. Fair enough really.

Back up and Bret gets sent back first into the corner so we can have a target. It’s off to the reverse chinlock with the Brothers doing the behind the back switch. I know it’s a really common spot but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad one. Jacques gets two off a splash and it’s right back to the reverse chinlock. As usual, we get the hot tag but the referee doesn’t see it (still a classic).

We hit the abdominal stretch with Gorilla being RIGHT THERE to complain about Jacques’ form. The villains cheat and Gorilla is saying Neidhart should use his five seconds to come in for the save. Sweet goodness why did Ventura have to leave??? That would have been a field day. Bret finally reverses an Irish whip but still can’t make the hot tag. Therefore, let’s hit the FOURTH reverse chinlock. Come on people: come up with something else already.

With nothing else working, Bret rams Raymond face first into the mat. An atomic drop FINALLY allows the hot tag to Neidhart and the fans are right back into this. Neidhart whips them into each other but there’s no referee to count. Egads these Los Angeles referees are getting dumber by the match. The Harts hit something like a Demolition Decapitator (not mentioned by commentary) for two, followed by Bret planting Jacques with a piledriver. Raymond makes the save with a middle rope ax handle though and steals the pin at 17:43.

Rating: B-. This was more long than good with the never ending reverse chinlocks bringing it down a lot. That being said, it’s also rather entertaining at times with the Harts picking the Rougeaus apart and beating the heck out of them for awhile until they got to the second phase of the match. It was good stuff though as the tag division was at its peak around this time.

At this point, there was a Ron Bass vs. DJ Peterson match. Bass won, but more importantly before the match he challenged Monsoon to a fight. Monsoon got up and was ready to go, even taking off his sunglasses. Graham calmed him down, though that was a rather interesting idea that I’m sure they did multiple times. This was cut from the WWE Network version and might not have been filmed.

Before the main event, here’s Savage again to say that Elizabeth is injured really bad. And Savage just left her back there with Andre presumably back there as well? Anyway he has an open contract for the next time they’re in Los Angeles and he’ll kick Andre’s….I didn’t think you could say that in 1988. They would have a rematch next month with Savage winning via DQ.

Rick Rude vs. Jake Roberts

Big time feud at this point (Rude had offered a fan a chance to kiss him before the match, as was his custom. It just happened to be Jake’s wife and that’s not cool.) and a rematch from last month when Rude won via countout. No Heenan here for some reason, likely another pesky referee. We do the customary shots of women as Rude comes in and one is KNITTING. Well to be fair you can do it and watch the show at the same time so it’s not the worst thing I’ve ever see.

Jake starts fast with a knee lift but the threat of a DDT sends Rude bailing to the floor. Back in and Rude misses an ax handle, banging up his arm in the process. Gorilla uses the break to recap the feud because he’s a good announcer who knows how to do his job. Back in and Jake cranks on the arm with Rude’s hilarious selling ensuing. Rude gets lifted up by the bad arm and we hit the armbar. An attempt at a breather goes badly for Rude as well with Jake sending the bad arm into the post.

Back in and Rude tries for the snake bag but the referee throws it away as fast as he can. We hit something like an abdominal stretch on the mat with Graham thinking it’s over. The short clothesline misses and Rude hits a regular one of his own, albeit with the bad arm. Rude is good enough to take him outside for another posting.

Back in and we hit a one arm hip swivel as someone says one minute. We hit the reverse chinlock for a bit before Jake fights up for a hard whip into the corner. Jake can’t get the DDT so Rude throws him over the top and gets in another posting. Rude tries a slam back in but Jake grabs the rope….and falls on top for the very fast pin at 13:24.

Rating: B-. Well it was better than their mess at Wrestlemania IV. This was a bit rushed (especially the ending), though it felt like a teaser for a third match instead of the blowoff. These two had a long running feud and having them do this around the house show circuit made a lot of sense for the two of them. Good match, though nothing great.

We’re off the air maybe thirty seconds after the show, which makes me think they cut something off the end.

Overall Rating: C. This got much, much better in the second half but there was some awful stuff on here to cut it down. It’s not the biggest house show in the world but it’s cool to see a show with some continuity from month to month. The fans seemed to like it and really, as long as they keep buying a ticket for the next show, you can’t ask for much more. Not bad, though pretty standard for its time.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume VI: July – December 1999 in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/11/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-and-thunder-reviews-volume-vi/

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

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

Tuesday Night Titans
Date: November 13, 1984
Location: Video One Studios, Owings Mills, Maryland
Hosts: Vince McMahon, Lord Alfred Hayes

Another request here, partially so I can say I’ve done an episode of this show. This is a bit of a different show as it’s mainly a talk show with wrestling guests. There would be matches included, though this isn’t exactly the best time period from a quality standpoint. I’m not entirely sure what to expect here but that’s the kind of show Tuesday Night Titans was. Let’s get to it.

I’m going to do my best on the dates/locations of the matches but it’s one of those shows that throws them them together from other TV tapings.

I can barely hear Hayes’ introduction over the REALLY loud intro music.

Vince and Hayes are on the talk show set to intro the show. We talk about Thanksgiving (this is being written two days before his year’s holiday so it’s kind of appropriate) with Vince promising to deliver a turkey in the form of first guest in Captain Lou Albano. Lou immediately lists off all of his accomplishments as a manager, which has to be some kind of a record (fourteen Tag Team Champions is pretty crazy).

He goes on a rant about how amazing athletes wrestlers are, even talking about Vince’s amateur wrestling credentials. Albano brags about his IQ of 901.73 back in his medulla ob-long-gata which makes him a linguist and a bi-linguist. Vince FINALLY cuts off this rather hilarious speech and throws us to a match.

From Hamilton, Ontario, Canada – October 29/30, 1984

Nick DeCarlo vs. The Spoiler

Spoiler, a big masked guy (I won’t say who he is in case you haven’t seen him before) has Albano in his corner. Before we get going, here’s Intercontinental Champion Greg Valentine (also Albano’s client) to say he doesn’t have any competition. Albano goes into a rant about how awesome Valentine is as the match starts. Valentine goes over to commentary to talk about how he wants respect as Spoiler throws DeCarlo into the corner. DeCarlo gets knocked outside, followed by a top rope clothesline back inside. A knee lift sets up the Claw to put DeCarlo away in a hurry.

Back in the studio, Albano apologizes to Hayes for not being a gentleman. Then he goes into a rant about Spoiler squeezing a ball in his hand until he got strong enough to break a pair of pliers. Now he can squash any wrestler’s skull. Vince: “Some skulls are softer than others.” As for Valentine, they might just retire the title. For now though, he’ll face any contender around.

Back from a break with Albano laid out on the couch with his shirt open as we get to our second guest: Barry Windham. Barry is a standard face but Albano laughs at him and talks about his own training style. Albano’s various stomach issues take us to the next match.

From Salisbury, Maryland – November 7, 1984.

Barry Windham vs. Charlie Fulton

An unnamed hillbilly is in the crowd. We’ll call him Jim and move on. Barry takes him down with a top wristlock before grabbing an armdrag into an armbar. That’s enough wrestling as Barry forearms him down and drops a knee for two. More right hands drop Fulton and a bulldog is good for the pin.

Rating: D. Nothing to see here as Windham never felt right in the WWF. It was clear that he wasn’t exactly happy there as he would eventually self destruct, though at least he did have a nice run in the US Express. Fulton was a jobber to the stars around this point and that’s exactly what he was doing here.

Back in the studio, Albano makes more fun of Windham and eventually gives him some dieting advice. Oh and watch any match you’re not involved in. Windham calls him a slob so Albano calls him dehydrated and says if you put Windham’s brain in a parakeet, it would fly backwards.

We take a break and come back with Mike Rotundo as the third guest. Albano: “Take your hat off! You’re not in the barn!” Vince talks about Rotundo’s athletic accomplishments and again, Albano talks over him in a rather heelish way.

From the Hamilton, Ontario, Canada – October 29, 1984.

Barry Windham/Mike Rotundo vs. Mohammad Saad/Bobby Bass

Not quite the US Express just yet. Windham knocks Saad out to the floor to start as we hear about Windham and Rotundo’s background. Rotundo comes in for an armbar and Bass gets forearmed into the corner for his cheating efforts. The good guys start their fast tagging and work over Saad’s arm until a bulldog is good for the pin. Total squash.

Back in the studio, Rotundo threatens to shut Albano up. Windham and Rotundo talk about the various regional Tag Team Titles they’ve won, which you don’t hear about very often. Albano has been advising the current World Tag Team Champions (Dick Murdoch/Adrian Adonis) but Rotundo doesn’t think they need a manager at this point. Albano rants us to a break.

I’m not sure where the next match takes place. Vince says it’s from the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey but I can’t find any record of these two ever having a match there. I can however find one from around this time in Toronto, which would make a lot more sense.

Nikolai Volkoff vs. Rocky Johnson

Joined in progress with the announcers saying it’s in the Toronto area, meaning we’re in the Maple Leaf Gardens on October 21, 1984. Thanks for that, commentators. Johnson punches him in the jaw but doesn’t follow up. Well he’s never been the brightest guy in the world. A nerve hold (I think) takes Johnson down but some gyrating gets him back to his feet. Back up and a double shoulder puts them both down for a breather. Volkoff wins a test of strength and of course cheats as soon as Johnson starts coming back. A kick to the ribs sends Volkoff outside but he’s right back in with a hard forearm to the back. Johnson hits some of his always weird looking (though still fine) dropkicks, only to get dropped throat first across the top rope for the fast pin.

Rating: D+. Not a terrible power vs. speed match here with Johnson being more about charisma than his in-ring abilities. This was also back when Volkoff was looking like a powerhouse rather than the much bigger version that most people remember him as. It was easy to see why they ran Volkoff vs. Hogan so many times as this was during a big time in the Cold War and it was kind of a perfect matchup.

And now, COMEDY! Hayes brings out the world’s oldest wrestling fan, a man who appears to be about 94 years old (or about 40 and in bad makeup and a horrible wig) named Lloyd Lynch. He talks about his hometown of Cut and Shoot, Texas before nodding off for a second. His favorite wrestler was the Swedish Angel, a 300lb guy with a big bearhug that everyone loved. Vince has such an awkward look on his face and Lloyd makes it worse by talking about seeing the Angel in Madison Square Garden and squeezing a man’s hair off. That man turned into Gorgeous George and that’s how he got his start.

After talking a bit about meeting Vince’s grandfather and an award Vince’s father just received, it’s time to talk about women’s wrestling and Lloyd is already laughing. Apparently Lloyd remembers a women’s wrestling match from 1834 with Millie Lang Tree. He also knew some woman from Boston who defeated a 412lb wolf with a Boston crab in the back of a pickup truck at a drive-in movie in San Antonio.

As for Millie though, she used a double toe half nelson, which of course Lynch agrees to demonstrate. He pulls his leg up into the air….and hurts himself in the process. Thankfully that’s it and hopefully we never have to sit through something like this again. It was about as funny as being hit in the head with a box of hammers as they weren’t trying for anything more than redneck hillbilly humor with Lynch apparently being at least 110 years old. Just bad stuff here and something beneath even the WWF’s standards.

Thankfully we move on to the next guest: David Bruno Sammartino, who would later drop the Bruno and then realize that no one cared about Bruno’s really boring son. We hear about Bruno trying to keep David out of wrestling but David knew it was all he wanted to do. The Sammartino name isn’t a burden because it’s like being Rocky Marciano’s son. And now, a match.

From (I believe) the East Rutherford, New Jersey – October 14, 1984.

David Sammartino vs. Mr. Fuji

Joined in progress with David working on an armbar in front of a silent crowd. Gorilla calls a shoulder block beautiful and it’s right back to the armbar. Fuji comes back with a falling headbutt to the ribs and the slow motion continues with the fans still not caring. A stomach claw continues to be one of the dumbest moves of all time until Sammartino grabs the leg to escape. Fuji’s slow motion offense continues but David slugs away like his dad to the only reaction of the match. A kick to the ribs and a knee drop give David two and a small package puts Fuji away.

Rating: D-. The match was bad but I always feel bad for Sammartino. He always looked like he was trying but there’s just nothing there. Other than being Bruno’s son, there’s nothing about him that stands out. It’s not really surprising that he never went anywhere in wrestling and a lot of it probably comes from the pressure of being Bruno’s son. Really boring match here, which was common for David.

Back in the studio and thankfully Albano is back to talk about David’s physique. He likes what he sees in Sammartino and suggests that he eat lots of protein, including unborn virgin goat’s milk. Oh and change your name. Not bad advice actually.

We come back with our next guest: the huge Blackjack Mulligan, who brought the house band with him. He’s here to stand up for AMERICA and doesn’t want to hear about people like the Iron Sheik who doesn’t stand for AMERICA. Then you have people like Big John Studd, who just isn’t nice in general. After listing off a few more villains, it’s off to a match.

From Hamilton, Ontario, Canada – October 29, 1984.

Blackjack Mulligan vs. Ted Grizzly

Grizzly is billed from Morgan’s Corner, Arkansas, which was the hometown of Haystacks Calhoun. Mulligan shoves him down with almost no effort and forearms him in the chest. A drop toehold has Grizzly tapping but that wouldn’t mean anything for a good ten years. Grizzly’s right hands have no effect and a jumping back elbow to the jaw puts Grizzly away with almost no effort. The fans stand up and look at something in the aisle but we don’t get to see what it is. That might be a bit too interesting you see.

Back in the studio, Mulligan says he’s ready to face anyone, anytime. For tonight though, let’s bring out some square dancers! Seriously they come out and dance and time is devoured. Vince FINALLY throws it to commercial….but first we see a mechanical bull. Oh jeez here we go.

Back with Vince, Hayes and Mulligan standing next to the mechanical bull called Mr. Black. Mulligan doesn’t think much of Roddy Piper, who can’t shut up long enough to have a real talk. Blackjack doesn’t quite get how this wrestling thing works does he? Anyway he’ll be having his own talk show called Blackjack’s Barbecue where we can ask the real questions.

We go to Piper’s Pit where Piper mocks a rather muscular wrestler until Mulligan shows up and gets in Piper’s face. Mulligan calls him a pole cat (skunk for you city folk) and says he’s proud of his heritage….and that’s it.

Back in the studio, Mulligan talks about the use for mechanical bulls, which Hayes says he’s heard of being inside medieval dungeons. Vince is talked into getting on the thing and lasts a few seconds before falling off. And now, more from the band as this segment just keeps going for no logical reason. Hayes is put on the thing….and doesn’t ride because we go to a break.

After another break, Albano is going to answer some letters to give fans advice. First up, a woman whose husband won’t use modern hygiene products. Albano lists off a few ingredients to mix together, including olive oil and witch hazel, to put on him instead. It turns out that Albano doesn’t use such products either and Vince is disturbed.

The second question is from a woman with an obese husband who has heard of a book called the Fat Person’s Guide to Ecstasy. Albano has never heard of such a book and says the husband should lose weight. Then he lists off the book’s authors and thinks the husband should be on a low carbohydrate diet. There are fat people who are ok though, including the fat mamas who love him. You can eat anything you want, but only swallow half.

Third up is a wife with a husband who never takes off his cowboy boots. Albano thinks the husband has a bad smell and needs to lose weight. Maybe he should fill a bathtub with alcohol and walk into the thing. Albano is worried about what will happen when the guy dies and they have to take the boots off. That’s enough for Vince and we’re finally done. Another unfunny segment, though Albano’s insane charisma carried it as far as it could.

Back from a break with Vince and Hayes talking about the awesomeness that is Paul Orndorff. We get a highlight package on Orndorff’s career (despite him not being in the WWF for very long at this point), meaning some long clips of matches showcasing Orndorff’s strength. I was never a big Orndorff fan but he did have a great piledriver.

After a final break (thank goodness), it’s time for more Mulligan for more music and dancing, this time with Vince, Mulligan, and the rest of the guests joining in. Rotundo looks so out of place out there and it’s kind of funny.

Overall Rating: D-. Oh just no. I get the idea they were going for here but sweet goodness it wasn’t entertaining. The wrestling was a bunch of lame squashes and the “comedy” was somewhere between torture and just not funny. It’s a weird time for the company and while there was talent around, most of it wasn’t on display here. Albano was funny due to sheer willpower but you can only do the same jokes so many times.  This was horribly unentertaining and I’m kind of shocked this show got to 100 episodes.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume VI: July – December 1999 in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/11/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-and-thunder-reviews-volume-vi/

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

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

It was 14 until I cut it down a bit.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/kbs-review-11-takeaways-survivor-series-weekend/

NXT
Date: November 22, 2017
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson, Mauro Ranallo

We’re finally getting to the end of the Houston tapings with a pair of dark matches from this weekend’s Takeover: WarGames. Therefore, aside from the two matches, expect a lot of recaps from Saturday. That’s not the worst thing in the world though and lets the main stories take a breather. Let’s get to it.

The long recap of Saturday’s show kicks us off.

Opening sequence.

Ruby Riot vs. Sonya DeVille

Before the callups, which are mentioned and even shown during the entrances. Feeling out process to start and they head to the mat with DeVille grabbing a waistlock, only to get thrown off without too much effort. Back up and DeVille slide kicks the bad leg out and we take a break.

We come back with DeVille staying on the leg and grabbing a spinebuster for two. A leglock keeps Riot in trouble until she fights up with some clotheslines and an STO for two. Sonya slaps on a triangle choke and switches into an ankle lock until Riot makes the dive to the rope. Back up and Riot hits a quick Pele kick to the face for the pin at 10:34. It’s as sudden as it sounds.

Rating: C-. It’s kind of a weak way for both of them to go out as neither of them did anything special here. At least they had a match to close out their mini feud though, which is more than some people get at times. DeVille looked good but I could still go for some more development for Riot. You would have thought she was going to be in the Women’s Title hunt picture but this is quite the sudden promotion.

Quick look at Velveteen Dream vs. Aleister Black.

Quick look at Lars Sullivan vs. Kassius Ohno.

Sullivan says he took those kicks like a man and he dominated like he knew he would. If anyone wants to step in his way, they’ll be destroyed too. I really could have gone with him never talking as he doesn’t have the most intimidating voice.

Video on the Women’s Title match.

Ember Moon says this is a dream come true and everything has paid off. She’s going to keep fighting as hard as she can. Remember when Moon used to be nearly supernatural and is now just a woman who fights? That’s quite the drop of a gimmick.

Video on Andrade Cien Almas winning the NXT Title.

McIntyre is banged up and disappointed by the loss. If it is a torn bicep, I’m hoping he doesn’t come back to NXT and just goes up to the main roster. It’s not like he has anything else to prove down there.

Last week, the Street Profits were dancing on a car when Riddick Moss and Tino Sabbatelli came up. An argument broke out and a match was set for next week.

Also next week: Kairi Sane vs. Peyton Royce.

Long video on WarGames, showcasing just how brutal it really was.

Sanity could barely walk after the match.

Undisputed Era bragged about their win.

UK Title: Pete Dunne vs. Johnny Gargano

Dunne is defending and has to spin out of an early wristlock. The technical wrestling goes to Gargano, who sends Dunne outside and follows him out with a cannonball off the apron. Dunne is right back up with an X Plex onto the apron though and we take a break. Back from a break with Dunne cranking on both the arm and the fingers, with Mauro being smart enough to say it helps prevent the Gargano Escape.

Johnny rolls away and hits the rolling kick to the head for a breather. The slingshot spear gets two and a suicide dive into a DDT should have Dunne rather dead. Instead he’s able to block a slingshot DDT into something like a bridging belly to back suplex for a near fall. The Bitter End is countered into a DDT and the Gargano Escape goes on, only to have Dunne bite the fingers for the break.

Dunne’s enziguri staggers Johnny but he takes Dunne’s head off with a clothesline for a double knockdown. Gargano picks up Dunne’s mouthpiece….and superkicks the heck out of Dunne for two. The slingshot spear only hits forearm though and it’s the Bitter End to retain the title at 12:54.

Rating: B. Gargano was a good choice for this as he can wrestle a good match against anyone. Dunne is just on another level though and while some of that is due to being on the show so infrequently, there’s some incredible talent there. The fact that he’s only 24 years old is downright staggering as he could easily have another fifteen years in front of him. Really good match here, as expected.

Overall Rating: C+. I never know how to rate these recap shows as the two matches ranged from good to not bad but the focus was on taking a breather after the big show. Things will pick up again next week as they’re already having to get ready for the build towards Philadelphia. This was more like a week off than anything else, though it was still certainly watchable and set stuff up for next week.

Results

Ruby Riot b. Sonya DeVille – Pele Kick

Pete Dunne b. Johnny Gargano – Bitter End

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume VI: July – December 1999 in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/11/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-and-thunder-reviews-volume-vi/

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

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

A comprehensive look back at every episode of WCW Monday Nitro and Thunder from July – December 1999. This is a rather bad time for WCW as everything is starting to fall apart due to a combination of horribly boring wrestling and some rather questionable booking choices. With the good old boys no longer doing the trick, the solution was to bring in the star of WWF Creative: Vince Russo, meaning it’s all downhill from there. In this book, every episode of both shows in the second half of 1999 is reviewed in full, complete with analysis, ratings and complete content included.

The book is available on Amazon both in a physical paperback for $10.99 or an e-book format for $2.99. In case you don’t have a Kindle, there are plenty of FREE apps you can get from Amazon for pretty much any electronic device, all of which are available at this link.

You can pick up the book from Amazon here.

From the UK Amazon here.

From the Canadian Amazon here.

Or if you’re in another country with its own Amazon page, just search “KB Nitro VI” and it should be the first thing to come up.

Also you can still get any of my previous books on the WWE Championship, the Intercontinental Championship, Monday Night Raw from 1997, 1998, 2001 and the first half of 2014, Monday Nitro from 1995-1998, In Your House, Summerslam, Starrcade, ECW Pay Per Views, Royal Rumble, Saturday Night’s Main Event, the WWF and WCW pay per views from 1998, Wrestlemania, WWE Grab Bag and Clash of the Champions at my author’s page here.

I hope you like it and shoot me any questions you might have.

KB

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 23, 2003
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Attendance: 14,451
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

We’re in the World’s Most Famous Arena for one of the weaker stretches in WWE history. However, there’s a heck of a main event tonight as HHH defends the World Title against Kane in a champion vs. mask match. That’s an area that we’ve touched on over the years with Kane but the idea of HHH actually losing the title doesn’t seem likely anytime soon. Something’s got to give so let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Scott Steiner/Booker T. vs. Test/Christian

Two feuds in one is often a good way to go. Christian takes Booker into the corner for some right hands before the much taller Canadian gets to do the same. Test mocks Steiner’s pushups and the delay allows Booker to hit the spinning kick to the face. The hot tag brings in Steiner to toss people around, including sending Christian out to the floor. Test grabs Stacy though, earning himself a slap. He shoves Steiner into her though and, since WWE Divas have the weakest ankles ever, Stacy twists her ankle. Booker and Christian take each other out, allowing Test to boot Steiner in the face for the pin.

Rating: D. This Test vs. Steiner feud is getting worse and worse every single week. Test beating up Mae Young last week helped him a little, though his complete lack of talking skills and charisma hold him back a lot. Booker and Christian were glorified window dressing here, which shouldn’t be the case for the Intercontinental Title feud.

Kane looks around stoically as we look at his debut in 1997.

Teddy Long and Christopher Nowinski come out to talk about how unfairly Chris has been treated. He’s been discriminated against due to his intelligence, which is the only reason he didn’t win Tough Enough. It’s thuggin and buggin time.

Maven vs. Christopher Nowinski

Maven reverses a suplex into a rollup and wins in thirty seconds with a rollup.

Evolution arrived earlier.

It’s time for the Highlight Reel with Chris Jericho ripping on the New York fans. He wants to talk about Steve Austin interrupting Lance Storm’s match last week to call him boring. Storm is the guest tonight and he has a prepared statement. No one enjoys a good laugh more than he does but Austin crossed a line last week. His in-ring abilities should be more than enough to entertain people and if you want bells and whistles, go to the circus. Therefore, please stop chanting BORING.

At the end of the statement though, here are some movers to take away the set. Austin comes up on screen to say they’re boring Madison Square Garden to death. Instead of reading prepared statements and Jericho annoying him in general, let’s have a tag team match right now.

Chris Jericho/Lance Storm vs. Dudley Boyz

The Canadians jump them during the entrances until the Dudleys run Storm over and toss him outside. We settle down to Bubba hammering away until Jericho trips him from the floor. The running crotch attack to the back connects and a belly to back suplex makes it even worse. Storm’s boring leg lariat sets up a chinlock before it’s back to Jericho for a quickly broken Walls.

It’s another chinlock and there go those chants again. Storm switches to a sleeper and Lawler can’t help but make boring jokes. Bubba gets out with a suplex and makes the hot tag to D-Von. Everything breaks down with a neckbreaker to both Canadians. Jericho gets flapjacked and What’s Up hits Storm but the table request takes too long. It’s Storm coming back in with the springboard clothesline for two on D-Von, only to have the 3D put Storm away in short order.

Rating: B-. They were moving out there, but the boring stuff got annoying in a hurry. I kind of get what they’re going for there but at the same time it’s hardly the most logical move in the world to get someone over. Also, Storm is now a combination of boring and a loser. Maybe it’s a long term project but my goodness it’s taking a questionable road to get there.

We look back at Evolution stealing Kane’s mask five months ago.

Randy Orton and Ric Flair mock Mick Foley’s Tietam Brown in the traditional not so subtle plug. Their goal for tonight is to have HHH retain the title.

Here are La Resistance to sing the French National Anthem. This rendition makes me long for the days of Nikolai Volkoff though as singing certainly isn’t their strong point, which I think is kind of the point. However, it’s about to get worse.

La Resistance vs. Sgt Slaughter/Hurricane

Non-title. Sarge is looking huge but the fans definitely respond to him. Hurricane dives off the top onto Grenier, leaving Slaughter to knock Dupree around. We hit the cobra clutch for a second until Dupree makes a rope. Grenier uses the distraction to get in a belt shot for the fast pin. Hurricane was never in the match.

We look at Austin trying to fire Kane up a few weeks ago. This is treated as one of Kane’s memory (complete with the screen getting all wavy as it ends), meaning we now have a camera in his head. Somehow this isn’t quite the surprise.

Here’s Austin for an announcement: Wrestlemania XX is coming to Madison Square Garden. As for tonight though, he’d like to have Mick Foley come out here right now. He knows Foley is going out on a book tour and yes he’d like an autographed copy. Before he goes though, Austin has a little gift. After Foley steps away to avoid a Stunner, Austin brings out some people who used to wrestle in ECW with a framed Hardcore Title. He’s not done though as we get a music video about Foley with quite the set of highlights. Foley: “I almost forgot how good I was!”

Before he can go anywhere else though, here’s Vince McMahon to interrupt. Vince brings up Foley saying he would never be back here again yet here he is. That’s not cool with Vince from a personal standpoint but from a professional standpoint, it’s something else. Therefore, Vince has two words for Foley: thank you.

Foley shakes his hand but wants a hug, much to Vince’s annoyance. He used to mock wrestlers for crying during their great moments but that’s the case right now. We get the required cheap pop and Al Snow joke, Foley talks about the Snuka vs. Muraco match where he knew what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. In the words of Dorothy Gale, there’s no place like home, so he hopes he’ll be welcome back in a WWE ring at some point again. One last thing: in the words of Frosty the Snowman (noted hardcore philosopher), “I’ll say goodbye, but don’t you cry. I’ll be back again someday.”

It’s kind of random to have Foley show up less than a month ago and then have a big goodbye ceremony but this felt like a big way to make up for the way he left before. Foley deserves a big sendoff like this and I’m glad to see it be such a nice moment. At least he went out on good terms for once, which isn’t always the case.

Shawn Michaels/Kevin Nash vs. Ric Flair/Randy Orton

Shawn chops away at Flair to start so it’s off to Orton to trade right hands. Nash gets the side slam on Orton, followed by the framed elbows to Flair in the corner. With Evolution on the floor, Shawn hits a slingshot corkscrew dive to take them out and we go to a break after a rather pedestrian first part.

Back with Shawn getting stomped down by Orton and starting in on the arm. Flair comes in for an armbar of his own, which looks so out of place from him. Even more armbarring from Orton goes nowhere as I’m longing for more Slaughter to energize this tag match. A collision allows for the hot tag to Nash to clean a few rooms of the house.

Flair saves Orton from the Jackknife and it’s a double clothesline to put Evolution down. That’s enough from Nash so it’s back to the winded Shawn as they’ve managed to bore New York City. Sweet Chin Music is blocked but Orton is sent outside. The top rope elbow hits Flair and Sweet Chin Music is good for the easy pin.

Rating: D-. What in the world was that supposed to be? No one in the match looked interested in being there and it was eight minutes of lame arm work. Nash barely did anything and Orton was just there for the sake of being there. In other words, this might as well have been Shawn vs. Flair II, though I’m not sure how much good it was going to be. I have no idea what was wrong here as they’re definitely capable of better.

Video of Kane agreeing to the match last week.

The fans think Kane will win the title 56% to 44%, which surprises JR.

Foley signed a book to Vince but Evolution comes in with Foley getting beaten down at Orton’s hands. A bottle to the head cuts Foley off and Orton kicks him down the stairs. Vince sees him down and says he needs a janitor to get Foley up.

Here are Teddy Long and Rodney Mack for another FIVE MINUTE WHITE BOY CHALLENGE!

Goldberg vs. Rodney Mack

Knees to the ribs (no spear) and the Jackhammer end Mack faster than Maven beat Nowinski. Well that woke them up.

Rob Van Dam gives Kane a pep talk and Kane breaks a mirror he’s been looking into all night.

We get a Wrestlemania Recall, which isn’t from New York City. It is however of Stephanie, with HHH Pedigreeing her at XVIII.

Raw World Title: HHH vs. Kane

Kane is challenging and it’s mask vs. title. They start fast with HHH being sent into the corner and getting caught in a choke. There’s no slam quite yet though so Kane takes him outside and sends him into the steps instead. Flair gets in the ring for a distraction though and HHH scores with a chair to the head.

Back from a break with HHH scoring with a spinebuster before botching a DDT. Thankfully Kane sits straight up so HHH pulls him down by the hair (called a neckbreaker) for the same level of effectiveness. A powerslam gives Kane two and the top rope clothesline connects….only to bump the ref. He’s not bumped well enough though so Kane runs him over for good measure.

Flair tries to bring in the belt to no avail as Kane knocks HHH silly for two instead from a second referee. HHH’s low blow into the Pedigree gets two and Kane sends HHH into Flair. The chokeslam is loaded up but Orton comes in with a low blow and the RKO. The second Pedigree retains the title.

Rating: D. So this was basically a pay per view main event match with HHH going with the exact same style he’s used for about nine months now. I remember being stunned that they actually had Kane lose his mask but it’s not like he had anything else going on at the moment. Of course this could have been something they actually took time to set up but why do that when you can rush it in a week? For MSG? Eh, fair enough, though there could have been a bigger moment for such a big deal.

Post match Eric Bischoff comes out to say Kane has to unmask right now. He reaches for the chin strap but HHH hits him from behind with the belt. Van Dam comes in to save Kane (WHERE WAS HE FIVE MINUTES AGO???) and it’s a chokeslam to Orton, followed by the Five Star. Kane loads up the ring post pyro but stops and eventually unmasks. Most of his hair comes off with it, revealing a heavily make-uped face that I guess was supposed to be his horrible burns. Kane chokeslams a stunned Van Dam to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. Other than the rather good match designed to make Lance Storm seem boring and the genuinely great Foley ceremony, there wasn’t much on this show of value. Above all though, they came up with an angle where Kane gets unmasked and blew it off in the span of a week. I get the idea of popping a rating but what about popping a pay per view buy rate instead? Would Kane vs. HHH, mask vs. title, inside the Cell have been a worse idea than HHH vs. Nash? Anyway, this had a few good parts but they’re bogged down by some rather bad thinking.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Updated History of the Intercontinental Title in E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/10/02/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-the-intercontinental-title-updated-version/

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

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

Smackdown
Date: November 21, 2017
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

So the battle between brands is over and now it’s time to find out where we go from here. In theory we go towards Clash of the Champions in just shy of a month, which could mean multiple things. AJ Styles is likely going to have to deal with Jinder Mahal again, though the title match won’t be taking place tonight. Let’s get to it.

We open with a long recap of Sunday’s main event.

Here’s Shane McMahon to get things going. They were so close on Sunday and, despite what his sister wants to say, Smackdown proved that they’re nothing but the best show. The Smackdown roster gives it their all every night and he’s proud of them all. Save for two that is, meaning Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.

Shane has them come out here and Owens immediately calls Shane drunk with power. Sami wants to know whether it’s harder for Shane to keep coming up with excuses for his failures or just admitting that he’s wrong. They would have beaten the Shield or even won a 5-2 handicap match or beaten Brock Lesnar. Shane says he’s the Commissioner and the two of them have no respect for anyone. He teases firing them but Owens says that would be stupid as they’re both future Hall of Famers.

Shane loads up the firing but gets cut off by Daniel Bryan. Sami starts getting fired up but Daniel tells him to be quiet. Everyone in the back hates Sami and Kevin’s guts, to the point where Bryan had to send Randy Orton home before he tried to kill them. Tonight, the two of them will be facing New Day in a lumberjack match.

So to recap: yes, we are just supposed to go with the fact that Shane put himself in the match and assume that he really was the best option. I have no idea why we’re supposed to go with that other than Shane is a former fan favorite but if you disagree with whatever he says, you’re apparently a heel. Oh and Smackdown is totally equal to Raw, even though it lost on Sunday. Such is life in WWE.

Jey Uso vs. Shelton Benjamin

Shelton lets him out of the corner to start, only to climb the ropes for a knee to the face, knocking Jey outside. Back from an early break with Shelton working on a chinlock until Jey fights up with a Samoan drop. Gable offers a distraction so Shelton can get two off a rollup, only to have Jey score with a superkick for the same. The Superfly Splash misses though and it’s Paydirt to give Shelton the pin at 7:07.

Rating: C-. You might as well just pencil in the Tag Team Title match at Clash of the Champions and that’s fine. It’s not like there are many other teams to challenge for the belts unless they hot shot the Bludgeon Brothers up to the title scene in a hurry. Not bad or anything but they need a little more time to get somewhere, especially with such a simple booking idea.

Sami and Kevin try to get help from Baron Corbin and Bobby Roode, both of whom shoot them down. Roode promises both of them a receipt.

Naomi is getting her makeup done when NXT’s Ruby Riot comes up. She’s with Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan, all of whom beat the heck out of Naomi. Becky Lynch comes in for the save and gets beaten down as well.

The bosses are in the back with Shane praising Bryan’s decisions tonight because he can fire Sami and Kevin whenever he wants. Shane leaves to go watch the show at his hotel.

Hype Bros vs. Bludgeon Brothers

It’s Luke Harper and Erick Rowan with big Thor style hammers. Rowan runs Ryder over to start and knocks him outside. Harper gets in a hard clothesline and sends him into the steps, leaving Rawley alone. A double spinebuster puts Mojo away at 1:24. Total squash.

Natalya applauds Charlotte for winning the title last week and beating Alexa Bliss on Sunday. I mean, Natalya’s cat could beat Bliss but tonight she’ll give Ric Flair something to really cry about.

Video on Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles from Sunday.

Here’s Styles for a chat, but first we see a post-match video from Paul Heyman, saying Styles is the best in-ring performer he’s ever seen. AJ wishes he could celebrate with all the fans but it didn’t go as well as he thought it would. He’d love to face Lesnar again though because in the sequel, Rocky wins.

That brings him to Jinder Mahal, who says he’s taking the title back tonight. AJ takes off the jacket and the belt, saying come get it. Mahal pops up on screen to say it’s his time instead of AJ’s. If Mahal had faces Brock, he would be hailed as the Beastmaster. AJ says bring it on because Mahal should be well rested after not doing anything on Sunday. Mahal will take his rematch at Clash of Champions. Cue the Singh Brothers from behind to jump AJ, who cleans house without any trouble.

Sami and Kevin recruit Aiden English and Rusev, who don’t say no.

Women’s Title: Charlotte vs. Natalya

Charlotte is defending after having won last week. Natalya jumps at her to start but gets elbowed in the jaw. That earns her a face first toss into the middle buckle and we take a break. Back with Natalya getting two off a Batista Bomb and grabbing the Sharpshooter. Charlotte makes the rope for the break but Natalya is right back on her with right hands. A whip into the corner lets Charlotte try the moonsault, only to land on the knees. The spear connects but here are Logan, Riot and Morgan to jump Natalya for the DQ at 6:43.

Rating: C+. They were rolling until the interference here with Natalya showing more fire than she has in a long time. Charlotte looked like she was in a fight and that’s not something you see from her too often. I can go for the trio interfering, though I would have liked to see Charlotte get the win first.

Charlotte gets beaten down as well as the trio poses.

Daniel Bryan has no comment on the trio attacking. Sami and Kevin come up and threaten him with repercussions if he fires them.

New Day vs. Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens

Lumberjack match and New Day comes out with some pancakes. Woods is on the floor here as Owens and Big E. get things going. Kevin knocks Kofi outside early on and the lumberjacks let him back in without any issue. Sami comes in so Kofi leapfrogs him into a back elbow for one. Back up and Kofi is sent outside again and for the second time, no one touches him.

Sami goes to get him this time and gets pummeled, sending him running up the aisle. No one is letting that happen though and Sami gets carried back to the ring. We take a break and come back with Owens taking the Unicorn Stampede. Owens knocks Kofi into the corner though and stomps away as Saxton says the lumberjacks are like sharks who can’t wait to get their hands on Owens and Sami. Graves: “Sharks don’t have hands Saxton.”

Sami comes in and mocks New Day’s dancing claps before stomping away. Owens’ backsplash hits Kofi’s knees though and the hot tag brings in Big E. The Big Ending doesn’t work on Sami so it’s back to Kofi for his high crossbody. Everything breaks down with Sami being sent outside, triggering the brawl between the lumberjacks. They all come in and the referee doesn’t call for the DQ, leaving Sami to roll Kofi up for the pin at 11:50.

Rating: C. This was much more about everything else going on than the match itself and that’s fine. Sami and Kevin winning makes sense and it’s not like New Day is hurt by a fluke pin after all the issues with the lumberjacks (or a recent match with Shield). It’s storyline advancement and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Post break the lumberjacks leave with Kofi diving onto Rusev and English. Sami takes the Midnight Hour to leave him laying.

In the back, Owens gets on his knees in front of Bryan, begging him not to fire them. Bryan was never going to do that because he recognizes their talent. Next week, Owens goes one on one with Orton.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a back to normal show without much in the way of major developments. AJ is still champion, Mahal is still in way over his head and saying the same things he always says, Owens and Sami are still right in that they were better options than Shane at Survivor Series and Shane is still a face for reasons that I don’t possibly comprehend. The debuts and returns were nice though and gives the show some much needed fresh blood. Good enough show, though nothing of note really happened.

Results

Shelton Benjamin b. Jey Uso – Paydirt

Bludgeon Brothers b. Hype Bros – Double spinebuster to Rawley

Natalya b. Charlotte via DQ when Sarah Logan, Ruby Riot and Liv Morgan interfered

Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens b. New Day – Rollup to Kingston

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Updated History of the Intercontinental Title in E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/10/02/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-the-intercontinental-title-updated-version/

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

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