Saturday Night’s Main Event #37
Date: December 14, 2024
Location: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Jesse Ventura, Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

This show is back after more than 18 years and in this case, the card might be the biggest of all time with basically a pay per view quality show. There are two World Title matches and the inaugural Women’s United States Champion will be crowned. The show is also in prime time (well for a Saturday night) so this could be a big deal. Let’s get to it.

After a quick opening to this year’s show, we get a retro look at the show, with a bunch of clips from the 80s and 90s.

The opening video featured modern clips to classic commentary, which is quite the way to go. We even get the still shot of Cody Rhodes next to the logo.

Jesse Ventura joins Joe Tessitore (yes he has the feather boa and the snake skin jacket) and he isn’t impressed with Cody Rhodes.

If that’s not enough, Pat McAfee is back (as are the red, white and blue ropes).

Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre

Zayn starts fast and hammers away in the corner before a clothesline sends him to the floor. The Arabian moonsault hits McIntyre and Zayn knocks him over the top again. A slingshot dive is pulled out of the air though and McIntyre tosses him over the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with McIntyre tossing him by the neck but charging into a boot in the corner.

The Helluva Kick is blocked though and a spinebuster into a sitout powerbomb gives McIntyre two. A super White Noise is countered into a sunset bomb to give Zayn two and they’re both down. Back up and the Claymore is blocked with Zayn hitting the Blue Thunder Bomb for two more. The threat of a Helluva Kick sends McIntyre outside but he comes back in to catch Zayn with the Claymore for the pin at 10:04.

Rating: B. They got going here and were having a hard hitting back and forth match, which shouldn’t be a surprise given who was in there. McIntyre seems to be on a revenge quest and that should make for an interesting story. If nothing else, McIntyre might cross paths with Roman Reigns sooner than later and that could be a rather different way to go.

Tito Santana, Rich Hering (worked backstage) and Jimmy Hart are all here.

Raw Women’s Title: Iyo Sky vs. Liv Morgan

Sky is challenging and flips away from her to start. A running dropkick puts Morgan down and a flapjack does it again for two. Sky sends her outside for a springboard moonsault and we take an early break. Back with Sky hitting a dive to the floor, followed by a missile dropkick for two.

Morgan is back with a Codebreaker for two of her own but Sky rolls some German suplexes for another near fall. Sky tries another springboard but slips, allowing Morgan to hit another Codebreaker for two. An enziguri staggers Morgan and Sky pulls her into a knee to the face for two more. Over The Moonsault hits raised knees though and Oblivion retains the title at 9:09.

Rating: C+. This could have been worse as they started to slip a bit near the middle but got it together well enough. It’s a bit weird to see Morgan beat Sky clean but it’s not the biggest stretch in the world. For now though, good enough match here, even if it’s weird to see a serious Women’s Title match on this show.

Post match Morgan (with a rather banged up nose) is cut off by Rhea Ripley for a big staredown.

Raw World Title: Gunther vs. Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest

Gunther is defending. They start fast with Gunther going after Balor and then headbutting Priest. Balor rolls Gunther up to block a powerbomb attempt but gets punched out to the floor. Priest elbows Gunther out to the apron and then to the floor, with a big flip dive just barely clearing the ropes (Priest banged into them a bit) as we take an early break.

Back with Gunther booting both of them down and looking rather fired up. Priest is back up with chops and running elbows in the corner as McAfee randomly congratulates the Heisman Trophy winner, with Cole having to point out that people are talking about Saturday Night’s Main Event. Something close to Old School hits Gunther and Priest’s lifting Downward Spiral gets two on Balor. Priest knocks Balor outside but gets choked by Gunther, only to power out.

The South Of Heaven connects but Balor is in with the standing reverse DDT. Balor dropkicks Priest into the corner, only for Gunther to break up the Coup de Grace. A Razor’s Edge out of the corner hits Gunther and the Coup de Grace makes it worse, with Priest having to make the save. Gunther rolls outside and Priest hits South Of Heaven, with Gunther making a save with a grab of the hair. The sleeper has Priest in trouble on the floor and a powerbomb onto the steps drops him again. Back in and Gunther dropkicks Balor into the powerbomb to retain at 11:18.

Rating: B. This got rolling by the end and Gunther gets a nice win to look like the monster that he can be. The last few seconds with Gunther powering Priest down and running over Balor made him look that much better. Heck of a fight here and Gunther is looking like his old self, which is nice to see.

Jesse Ventura is impressed with Liv Morgan.

Women’s US Title: Chelsea Green vs. Michin

For the inaugural title and Green has little pictures of herself attached to her gear (which has the half tights/half trunks for an old Zack Ryder look. Michin gets sent to the floor to start but cuts off a charge with a slap. Niven offers a distraction though and Green takes over again as we take a break.

Back with Michin hitting a tornado DDT for two but Green sends her outside. The big dive only hits Niven though, allowing Michin to flip dive off the apron. Eat Defeat drops Niven on the floor but Green kicks her in the face. Another Eat Defeat gives Michin two, with Green getting a boot on the rope. Back up and Niven offers a distraction, allowing Green to flip onto Michin for the Unprettier for the pin and the title at 8:08.

Rating: C. There were some rough parts in there (the Eat Defeat to Green didn’t work at all) but that was a monster reaction to Green finally winning a singles title. She has put in the work and gotten the fans behind her, which is quite the sign of respect. I’m not sure how Green is going to do as champion, but she got the important win here and she earned the spot.

Greg Valentine and Koko B. Ware are both here.

Jesse Ventura joins commentary and says that his snake skin used to be Damien.

We recap Kevin Owens challenging Cody Rhodes for the WWE Title. Owens spent four years fighting the Bloodline but then Rhodes teamed with them. That doesn’t work with Owens, who thinks Rhodes turned his back on him. Now Owens has hurt Randy Orton and wants to do the same to Rhodes.

Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens

Rhodes is defending and has a bad ankle coming in. Owens drops to the floor to start as is his custom but Rhodes is right there after him. Back in and Rhodes sends him to the floor but comes up favoring his ankle, which has Ventura wondering how bright of an idea that really was. Owens is back up to knock him down and drops Rhodes onto the announcers’ table as we take a break. Back with Owens hitting a Swanton for two (Jesse: “GET ON THE LEG!”) but Rhodes snaps off the powerslam.

Rhodes stops to pose, with Jesse saying “feed off of them all you want, win the d*** match”, because he’s really good at commentary. The Disaster Kick gets two and they go outside, where Owens gets caught with an RKO onto the announcers’ table. Back in and the Cody Cutter gets two on Owens but Rhodes takes him up, only to get caught with the swinging superplex for two. And yes, Ventura thinks there was a slow count, as is tradition.

Back up and the referee gets bumped so Owens’s Stunner doesn’t get a count. Ventura is losing it on commentary over the lack of a referee as another comes down to count two. Another Cody Cutter hits the second referee So Owens grabs a chair, only to get caught with the Cody Cutter. Cross Rhodes onto the chair gets the three (with the original referee counting from the floor) to retain at 12:03.

Rating: B. This was a good main event to close the show and while there was only a sliver of a reason to believe that Owens was going to win the title, they did some nice stuff with the ref bumps to make you wonder where it was going. That being said, Ventura absolutely stole the show here and I can’t imagine people were expecting him to be THAT good. He’s a great example of someone who just gets wrestling (telling Cody to try and win the match is a perfectly logical point) and he was a lot more than just a special nostalgia act. Anyway, nice main event here, feeling like a solid house show finale.

Jesse says the pleasure was all his in a classy move to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. For a free special on network television, this couldn’t have gone much better. Even the worst match was watchable enough, but above all else, the show was fun. Everyone seemed fired up to be there and I can see this being a nice regular quarterly feature. It doesn’t need to be something they do more often than that and odds are the novelty will wear off, but dang this was a heck of a way to start with a pay per view level card. Nice job here, and Ventura managed to steal the show.

Results
Drew McIntyre b. Sami Zayn – Claymore
Liv Morgan b. Iyo Sky – Oblivion
Gunther b. Damian Priest and Finn Balor – Powerbomb to Balor
Chelsea Green b. Michin – Unprettier
Cody Rhodes b. Kevin Owens – Cross Rhodes onto a chair

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

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AND

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Survivor Series Showdown 1993
Date: November 21, 1993
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Bobby Heenan, Jim Ross, Gorilla Monsoon

So this is a special that was more or less a big buildup to Survivor Series, which will include some singles matches before the team versions at the pay per view. In other words, expect a healthy dose of Bret Hart and Lex Luger, which could be rather hit or miss. It’s not the best time for the WWF but maybe it can work. Let’s get to it.

Sidenote: I have no idea why Bret has the title in the image. That’s just inaccurate.

We open with a look back at Superstars, with Bret Hart having to fight off Yokozuna, setting up a WWF Title match.

We’re in two different locations (read as it was taped on two nights) and we actually hear from two sets of commentary teams. That’s more than you usually get out of the WWF.

Bastion Booger vs. Doink The Clown

Bastion brings out some leftover pizza, because he’s huge you see. Before the match, Booger teases stealing Doink’s scooter but falls down for the opening bell. Back in and Booger grabs him by the sleeve, which extends rather far. Bastion powers him into the corner to start but misses a charge and gets tripped out to the floor. Doink makes the mistake of following him and gets splashed up against the post.

Back in and Bastion elbows him in the face, setting up the reverse chinlock. Some shoulders in the corner have Doink in more trouble as commentary talks about the Boston Celtics. A clothesline gives Bastion two….but he lets go when Doink taps him on the shoulder. The distracted Bastion gets rolled up for the pin at 7:38.

Rating: D. Oh no this didn’t work, as it was really slow paced and then had a bunch of stupid comedy moments, including the rollup pin. There was only so much that Doink could do with someone of Bastion’s size, which is one of the reasons Bastion didn’t work. Rather horrible match here, and that shouldn’t be a big surprise.

Post match Doink puts hot sauce on Bastion’s pizza to make things worse.

We look back at Ludvig Borga pinning an unconscious Tatanka for his first ever loss.

Here are the All Americans (Lex Luger, the Steiner Brothers and the Undertaker) for a chat. Tatanka is out but so is Quebecer Pierre, who is being replaced by Crush. Luger says the match has already begun and the Foreign Fanatics will be officially eliminated on Wednesday (yeah pay per views were occasionally on week nights). The Undertaker promises to eliminate all of the foreigners, because that’s kind of his thing.

Todd Pettengill explains how to order pay per view. Yes this used to be a thing and yes it could be complicated enough to need something like this.

We look back at Crush attacking Randy Savage, allowing Yokozuna to crush his ribs. Savage swore revenge and lost his broadcasting job as a result.

Crush vs. Virgil

Crush, with Mr. Fuji, wastes no time in headbutting him down. Some more kicks put Virgil down as Vince talks about the individuality of the Foreign Fanatics. Virgil manages to fight up and knock Crush out to the floor but Crush kicks him in the face. Crush drops him again and fires off some shoulders in the corner, followed by another kick down. Back up and Virgil manages some shots of his own and a middle rope clothesline puts Crush down. Virgil’s big dive is pulled out of the air and Crush plants him again. The head vice finishes Virgil off at 7:57.

Rating: C-. Well, it was better than the opener, though that’s not much of a bar to clear. It was mostly an extended squash as there was no reason to believe that Virgil was going to do anything around this time. Crush was a nice midcard villain, but you’re only going to get so far with a match this long against Virgil.

The two commentary teams bicker a bit.

We look at Razor Ramon defeating Rick Martel on Superstars thanks to some botched interference from Harvey Wippleman. Martel’s Survivor Series team almost came to blows as a result.

Shawn Michaels and Reo Rodgers (Bruce Prichard doing a really bad Dusty Rhodes impression) go to the Hart House (or a close replica) and meet Helen (or a close replica). There is a big poster of Bret on the wall, with a much smaller picture of Owen next to it (screw the rest of the kids). Then they mess with Stu, which is so bad that Vince just says we’re done.

IRS vs. Marty Jannetty

IRS knocks him down to start and then does it again, making sure to fix the tie both times. A hiptoss into a dropkick sends IRS outside as we hear about his college wrestling background. Back in and Marty works on the arm as commentary previews the Survivor Series match these two have coming up, which is kind of the entire point of the show. IRS goes to the ropes to escape an armbar before getting taken down by a rope walk headlock takeover back inside.

That’s broken up and IRS sends him flying outside, with Marty coming up favoring his knee. A ram into the steps bangs Marty up even worse and we hit the chinlock. Monsoon threatens us with this kind of action times four at Survivor Series before complaining about Danny Davis’ not so great refereeing job of checking for a choke. The abdominal stretch goes on and of course Monsoon isn’t happy, with even JR getting on him a bit for being so technical. Marty fights out and hits a running knee into a jumping back elbow, only for IRS to hit the Write Off (a clothesline, because that was his finishing move) and the win at 12:35.

Rating: C. IRS is a good example of someone who is technically skilled but so dull in the ring most of the time that it’s hard to care. Jannetty was good at making the comebacks and he was trying here, but that’s a lot of chinlocks and abdominal stretching. Even Monsoon’s complaining about technical stuff couldn’t make this one overly interesting.

IRS’ suspenders are broken so thank goodness they went home when they did.

Here are the Foreign Fanatics for a chat. Jim Cornette brags about getting rid of “Tatanto” and then the All Americans came back with a foreign fanatics to get rid of Pierre. That’s why the Foreign Fanatics has brought Crush onto the team. It’s time for revenge, with Johnny Polo promising pain, agony and suffering. He even blows up a brown paper bag and pops it as a preview for what is going to happen t Lex Luger’s head. Ludvig Borga and Crush promise pain, before Cornette says he’s following the American tradition of joining the winning team.

The Survivor Series Report recaps various changes to the lineup and we run down the card. The one match that gets a recap is the Four Doinks against Bam Bam Bigelow’s team, a match that was so bad that I stopped watching halfway through at one point.

WWF Title: Bret Hart vs. Yokozuna

Hart is challenging and slugs away to start, even managing to knock Yokozuna to the floor. This lets Bobby Heenan tease a reveal of Shawn Michaels’ Knights but he’s sworn to secrecy. Back in and Yokozuna runs him over with a clothesline to slow things down a bit, including a big headbutt to drop Hart again. Hart is sent to the floor and we take a break, coming back with Yokozuna grabbing a nerve hold to keep things slow.

The comeback doesn’t work in the slightest as Hart bounces off Yokozuna and gets sent outside, where he manages to send Yokozuna into the steps. That doesn’t work in the slightest as Mr. Fuji distracts the referee and a chair shot rocks Hart again. We take another break and come back with Yokozuna dropping the big leg, with Vince more or less saying it’s done. The running splash misses in the corner though and a trio of clotheslines gives Hart two. Fuji’s interference doesn’t work and Hart bites his way out of a bearhug.

The middle rope bulldog gets two as the fans are getting into this one. There’s the middle rope elbow for two more but Yokozuna grabs a belly to belly. The big splash takes too long and Hart gets away, somehow getting the Sharpshooter. Cue Owen Hart, allegedly for the celebration but slapping hands with the fans like a schnook. The referee goes to yell at him, allowing Fuji to hit Bret with the salt bucket. Owen comes in and hits Yokozuna with it for the DQ at 22:50.

Rating: B-. Leave it to Bret to be able to figure out something to do with a monster like Yokozuna and make it work. Unfortunately, also leave it to 1993 WWF to have that dumb of a finish. Owen looked like a moron here and Bret would be entirely justified to yell at him for costing him the title. There is only so much that can be done with someone Yokozuna’s size but Bret got a good match out of it, certainly better than their Wrestlemania match earlier in the year.

Naturally Vince is STUNNED that Bret is disqualified.

All four commentators talks about the Survivor Series, with Monsoon doing a nice pitch of the idea. Then he threatens Heenan, as is his custom.

Men On A Mission and Oscar come out for a Survivor Series rap. Vince: “Get down! Come on Bobby, get down!”

Overall Rating: D+. Oh this was boring and there’s no way around it. The whole thing is a big commercial for Survivor Series and after watching this, I definitely do not want to see it again. The main event was by far the best thing about the show and even that was only so good. Everything else was a bunch of talking and not very good wrestling, with a boring Jannetty vs. IRS match as the second strongest part. Big skip on this one, unless you want to see Bret vs. Yokozuna again for some reason.

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

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Randy Savage Mixtape
Date: November 15, 2024
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Bruno Sammartino, Tony Schiavone, Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby Heenan, Eric Bischoff, Steve McMichael, Larry Zbyszko

All hail the WWE Vault channel. So this is something unique as it’s a three hour mash up of matches, promos and various things from throughout Savage’s career. There is going to be some fascinating stuff in here to go with some classics and that should make for a very interesting watch. If nothing else, it’s always nice to see something from one of the best ever. Let’s get to it.

We open with an undated Randy Savage promo talking about how he’s been turning around a lot lately, so of course he turns around as he talks. Honky Tonk Man hasn’t been speaking very highly about Savage lately (putting this around 1987) and while he can’t sing or dance, he can make romance. If Elizabeth is going right, he’s going left. OH YEAH. As usual, I have no idea what he was talking about but it made sense.

We go to what looks like an empty building where Savage, billed as the World Heavyweight Champion, meaning we’re in the ICW out of Lexington, Kentucky, is beating up what I’d assume is a job guy. The middle rope elbow (more like a regular elbow drop without a jump as it was a work in progress) connects and Savage goes to the floor. Savage talks about WKYT Channel 27 (that’s the Lexington CBS station) is going to love him. It had no audience but you could absolutely feel the charisma dripping from him and he had to wind up on the big stage sooner than later.

Here’s something a bit more familiar. From Wrestlemania VIII.

WWF Title: Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair

Flair, with Mr. Perfect, is defending. This is the co-main event of the show, with Savage coming after the title and revenge for Flair suggesting that he had a relationship with Elizabeth back in the day, sending Savage even more out of his mind. Savage jumps him on the floor to start fast with Perfect having to make a save. They get inside with Savage hitting a clothesline and hammering away in the corner as Heenan is going nuts on commentary. Flair gets in a backdrop to send Savage outside (in a great bump) and a ram into the apron makes it worse.

A delayed suplex gives Flair two and a belly to back gets the same as Heenan wants to see the alleged centerfolds of Elizabeth, as promised by Flair. The knee drop connects as Gorilla isn’t having any of Heenan’s chattering. Another suplex drops Savage and Flair stomps away as the slow pace continues. Savage tries to punch his way out of the corner and the fans go nuts, setting up a neckbreaker for a double down.

Heenan needs a drink as Flair goes to the top, only to get slammed down (with Savage on the bottom rope). Flair gets flipped in the corner and goes up, with Savage clotheslining him out of the floor. A clothesline puts Flair on the floor and Savage ax handles him into the barricade, with Flair clearly blading and getting in a good bit of trouble as a result.

The bloody head is sent into various metal objects and there’s a Flair Flop. Savage suplexes him on the floor as Heenan is BEGGING for the match to be stopped. Back in and a top rope ax handle sets up the big elbow but Perfect breaks up the count. The referee lets it go and gets bumped as Savage goes after Perfect, who throws Flair an object. A big right hand gives Flair two and Perfect gets in a chair shot to the knee.

That gives Flair a target but here is Elizabeth at ringside (with a bunch of people, including a young Shane McMahon, failing to stop her). Flair gets the Figure Four, with Perfect assisting, and the referee breaking it up when Savage turns it over. Flair chops away and says this one is for Elizabeth, but Savage gets in a right hand and rolls Flair up (with trunks) to get the title back at 18:02, sending Heenan into hysterics.

Rating: B+. Yeah it’s still great, with the fans absolutely going nuts at every single thing in the match. You don’t see that kind of heat ever and it was carrying an already good match that much higher. The place came unglued when Savage won and it’s still a pretty awesome feel good moment. This was one of the last true high points for Savage in the WWF but he could more than still go, which makes his move to commentary all the more ridiculous. Anyway, awesome match even after I’ve probably seen it a hundred times.

Post match Flair goes after Elizabeth so she slaps him, sending Savage right back into the frenzy. Perfect gets back in as well and the beating is on (with blood on the back of one of the agents’ suits for a slightly disturbing visual). Flair and Perfect are sent to the floor and Fink gets to announce Savage as ONCE AGAIN the WWF Champion (no NEEEEEWWWWW but good enough). Pyro goes off and dang this would have made a great Night One main event if that was a thing back in the day.

And now, a Randy Savage music video, talking about how Savage gets the party jumping, looking (and feeling) probably from around 1993.

From WCW Worldwide, January 31, 1998.

Randy Savage vs. Ultimo Dragon

Elizabeth is here with (NWO) Savage and my goodness this is the kind of rarities I love from WWE. Savage teases a handshake and then kicks him in the ribs as commentary talks about how there aren’t as many old wrestling venues anymore. Dragon hits a dropkick but misses a second, only for Dragon to do his corner headstand. Some rapid fire kicks have Savage in trouble but he knocks Dragon back down. Elizabeth gets in some choking and Savage drops him throat first on the top. The big elbow finishes at 2:30. Not a squash, but Savage was never in any danger.

From what sounds like 1995, Savage says he beat the Zodiac and is ready for Hulk Hogan. Oh and Gene Okerlund’s mustache is crooked. Gene isn’t sure about that one and they’re out.

From 1985, with Savage in the ring with all of the heel managers who had been recruiting him. Savage thanks them for everything they taught him, only to introduce his new manage: Elizabeth. Bruno Sammartino on commentary asking if she’s a movie star is a bit creepy but it put over the idea well.

From a Superstars dark match, January 5, 1987.

Randy Savage/Honky Tonk Man vs. Hulk Hogan/Ricky Steamboat

Well that’s about the facest team that ever faced (and apparently they only teamed six times, mainly on house shows). Jimmy Hart and Elizabeth are here too. Savage throws in a chair and hits the referee by mistake and we start (minus a bell) with Honky Tonk being sent into a boot in the corner. Savage won’t tag in so Steamboat hits a crossbody for two.

Hogan comes in and Savage goes to yell at Elizabeth for some reason, with Hogan throwing him back in for a tag to Honky Tonk. Steamboat chinlocks Honky Tonk and hands it back to Hogan, with Honky Tonk bailing as fast as he can. An atomic drop out of the corner cuts off Honky Tonk’s comeback and it’s back to Steamboat for a sleeper. Savage finally gets in a cheap shot from the apron and now he’s willing to come in with a top rope ax handle.

Honky Tonk’s middle rope fist drop connects and he sends Steamboat outside for a slam on the floor while Savage offers a distraction. Back in and they ram heads, allowing Steamboat to get over for the tag off to Hogan. House is quickly cleaned and Steamboat hits the top rope chop but Honky Tonk shoves him off the top. Savage tries to bring in the bell and throws the referee down for cutting him off, which is enough for Steamboat to grab the bell instead. Savage and Elizabeth run off so Hogan and Steamboat beat up Hart as the match is thrown out at around 11:00.

Rating: C+. Oh like this wasn’t going to be a blast. It’s a match that they could have fun at a hundred house shows as the story is pretty much built in. Hogan could do anything and get cheered to the moon here while Savage and Honky Tonk Man had all of the heat. The match was exactly what you would expect and it didn’t need to be anything else.

From Tuesday Night Titans (Savage is Intercontinental Champion so this is probably 1986) with Gene Okerlund hosting for some reason. There is a doctor here who has been researching great macho stars and now he has done a study on Savage. We get a video of Savage on a psychiatrist’s couch for a word association game. After making sure it’s non-title, we’re ready to go (with the word and then Savage’s response):

Macho – “The Macho Man Randy Savage.”

Interesting – “Oh yes I am!” Then Savage realizes that’s not one of the words and accepts the doctor’s apology.

Pump – “Pumping iron.”

Gun – “Fastest gun in the east, west, south and north.” Why he points down on “north” isn’t clear.

Muscle – “Don’t help me, don’t help me, no problem.”

Belt: “Yeah that’s what I’m going to do to Hulk Hogan when I see him.”

Sweat – “Blood sweat and tears all rolled into one. That’s why I’ve got this.” as he holds up the title.

Kitten – “What women turn into when I look at them.”

Female – “The race of people that admire and lust after the Macho Man. Ask Elizabeth.”

Stud – “You’re looking at him right now in vivid living color.”

Sucker – “Hulk Hogan. That was a good one.”

Animal – “What do you mean animal???” Savage goes nuts at the mention of George Steele and storms off.

Total insanity as usual and I cannot imagine this was scripted in any way. It felt like they just told Savage to go nuts and that doesn’t seem too difficult.

From Monday Nitro, May 6, 1996.

Hugh Morrus vs. Randy Savage

Morrus jumps him on the floor to start and drops him onto the barricade as commentary talks about Ric Flair making Savage nuts. Morrus sends him into various things on the floor and PUTS ON SAVAGE’S HAT, which is enough to start the comeback. Savage chokes him with the shirt over the ropes and the match is thrown out at 2:58. More of an angle than a match, and oddly one of three matches these two had on Nitro over the years.

Post match Savage keeps up the beating and drops the elbow before beating up the referee as lair has driven him this crazy. The cops come in and Doug Dillinger says Savage needs to “check yourself into an institution.” The bell ringing over and over probably isn’t helping his mental state.

Savage kisses an Easter Bunny. Ok then.

From July 30, 1991, a dark match from a Wrestling Challenge taping. Ignore that Savage lost his career back in March at Wrestlemania and wouldn’t be reinstated until November.

Randy Savage vs. Undertaker

From what I can find, their only non-house show match ever. Savage strikes away in the corner to start and hits the big clothesline out to the floor. Undertaker lands on his feet and hits a Stunner over the ropes, with Paul Bearer declaring it all over. Undertaker chokes on the ropes and chokes some more in the air as Bearer says there will be no wedding at Summerslam.

We’ll go back to choking on the ropes and then onto the mat as Undertaker is really varying it up here. Savage fights up but charges into a knee in the corner, setting up Old School. A big running elbow misses though and Savage knees him out to the floor for the ax handle….and we don’t have the end of the match filmed. We saw about 7:00 and Savage eventually won by pin.

Rating: N/A. I won’t rate an incomplete match but it wasn’t anything great. It’s disappointing to not see the ending but I’ll take what I can get. This is the definition of a rarity and something that is rather cool to see, as those two could have done some good things together. Savage was still a few months away from coming back full time and he didn’t get to do much here, but the fans were still with him all the way.

From the ICW or maybe Memphis days, Savage drops an elbow into a pool.

We see some bloopers from the filming of the earlier music video.

From WCW Saturday Night, January 28, 1995.

TV Title: Randy Savage vs. Arn Anderson

Savage is challenging and Anderson has Colonel Robert Parker and Meng with him. An armdrag into an armbar has Anderson down to start and he has to roll his way out of a sleeper. Anderson shoulders him down for two but Savage drops a knee to send Anderson bailing to the floor. Meng’s distraction doesn’t work as Savage elbows Anderson in the face, only to get taken down back inside.

The chinlock has the fans bringing Savage back up but a running elbow drops him again. Back up and they ram heads for a double down before Anderson has to break up another sleeper. They slug it out from their knees as even Heenan is praising Savage for doing anything to win. The fight heads outside with Anderson being posted as we have five minutes left in the fifteen minute time limit.

Back in and Parker gets in a cheap shot, allowing Anderson to grab a chinlock. Savage jawbreaks his way to freedom and knocks Anderson to the floor with two minutes left. Anderson rolls through a high crossbody for two but Savage’s running clothesline gets the same. We have a minute left as Anderson can’t hit the DDT. Parker’s distraction lets Anderson hit a quick suplex but Savage drops him again. The top rope elbow gives Savage the pin at 15:15, meaning that he wins the match but not the title (as the title was only on the line for the first fifteen minutes, an old rule that allowed such finishes).

Rating: B. This got really good near the end as the time limit was becoming a big factor. I was wondering how they were going to get out of this one and I’ll take this over some lame DQ. These two worked well together, which isn’t surprising given how good they were, but you didn’t see them in the ring very often. Good match, especially on free TV.

Post match the Stud Stable comes in to beat Savage down but Dustin Rhodes and Sting make the save.

We get the famous Cream Rises To The Top/Cream Of The Crop promo, with Savage holding up a cup of cream and blames Jack Tunney for Ricky Steamboat being the Intercontinental Champion. He’s coming for the WWF Title.

A quick vignette shows Savage picking up a woman from a bench. The screen behind theme is white so I’m guessing it was part of some bigger video.

From a Superstars dark match, December 4, 1991.

Randy Savage/Jim Duggan/Roddy Piper vs. Ric Flair/Jake Roberts/Undertaker

Well ok then. Piper takes Flair into the corner to start but Flair leapfrogs (!) him and gets knocked to the floor for a breather. Roberts comes in to face Piper (that’s a weird one) but wants Savage. Piper: “You want him? You’re stupid!” It’s off to Savage, who clears Roberts out in a hurry before Undertaker comes in to choke Duggan. The big right hands get Duggan out of trouble (and actually look good on someone as big as Undertaker) but the neck snap over the top cuts off the comeback.

Duggan gets beaten into the corner but again slugs his way out, allowing the tag back to Piper. Flair’s poke to the eye lets Undertaker come back in for some choking, followed by some good old taunting from Roberts. The fans chant USA (for the Canadian born Scottish star) but oddly enough it works, allowing Savage to come in for a really fast comeback. Savage plants Flair and drops the big elbow for the pin at 8:48.

Rating: C+. Another fun match here and that’s what it needed to be. It was an easy way to send the fans home happy with Savage pinning Flair, who was still pretty new at this point. Duggan slugging away was good enough, even if he was pretty low down on the totem pole. This was the kind of random match I want from something like this and it worked well.

NWO Savage is in a parade and references Harvard, which might be him being named Hasty Pudding’s Man Of The Year (it’s a Harvard theatrical group).

Elizabeth brings Gene Okerlund to the pool for a sitdown interview with Savage. He’s very good at wrestling and no he didn’t get rich by “stealing” the Intercontinental Title. Now he wants the WWF Title and hey look there’s an airplane going by and he’s not on it because there’s no title defense up there (that was as random of a Savage moment as you’ll get).

Savage is still ready to come after Hulk Hogan and Gene asks Elizabeth about her recent activities, like golf, tennis and swimming. That lack of attention doesn’t work for Savage,, but Elizabeth gets a phone call, with a “national women’s publication” offering Savage half a million dollars for a centerfold. That’s a no and the publication can wait awhile.

Another call is from Japan, with a promoter offering $400,000 for Savage to wrestle three men. That’s a no as well but he’ll beat all three of them right here for nothing. This was on a Coliseum Video before (probably one about Savage) and it’s still good, with Savage being totally insane and making it work.

From Championship Wrestling, September 28, 1985.

Randy Savage/Jesse Ventura vs. Mike Rice/Mario Mancini

Elizabeth is here too and Savage orders her into the corner. Ventura takes Mancini into the corner for some shots from Savage and a kick to the back of the head. Rice comes in and Ventura drops a leg, setting up the elbow to complete the squash at 1:43.

Post match Ventura gets in a shouting match with broadcaster Bruno Sammartino.

WWF Champion Randy Savage and Elizabeth are in Paris. That’s it.

From Monday Nitro, January 20, 1997.

Savage storms the ring and throws a chair inside, saying he’s been blackballed and isn’t leaving until someone talks to him. He has a seat and shouts that HE’S WAITING so here is Chavo Guerrero Jr., who is scheduled for the opening match. Chavo begs Savage to leave but Savage isn’t budging, eventually taking Chavo out with ease. Chavo’s opponent, Maxx Muscle, comes in and gets laid out as well.

The referee gets beaten up, as does head of security Doug Dillinger. Alex Wright is the next victim so here are the Steiners and the Amazing French Canadians, none of whom are willing to get in. Sting lowers from the rafters (in front of the Chicago Bulls’ championship banners for a great visual) and gets in but Savage still isn’t getting out of the chair.

Sting hits the chair with the bat and then hands it to Savage, turning his back on him for the offer of a free shot. With Savage not swinging, they get out and leave through the crowd. I remember watching this life and it made Savage look like a killer. Then he turned on Sting and joined the NWO, which did make sense but was kind of disappointing as everyone was doing it.

We get a sitdown interview with Savage (looks 1993ish) where he talks about getting the Macho Man nickname during his baseball career.

Savage was in a WWF softball game and, believe it or not, hits a home run.

Gene Okerlund is cut off by Savage talking a million miles an hour, speaking about sprinkling magic dust and never worrying about the future. Savage: “Doing the thing and bang bang!”

From Superstars in 1991, Savage talks about returning to the ring at Summerslam…and then he proposes to Elizabeth. Piper: “GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES!” Elizabeth isn’t sure what to say, but then goes with the only possible answer: “OH YEAH!” This is still one of the best long form stories in WWF history and while it peaked at Wrestlemania, this was a great next step.

From (I’m assuming) Smoky Mountain Wrestling, Savage and Jim Cornette have a go-kart race. Savage destroys him as Cornette screams a lot. Cornette gets out and gets lapped before Savage chases him off the course. More goofy fun.

From….I have no idea actually but it appears to be a rematch from Wrestlemania III, putting it in the spring/early summer of 1987.

Intercontinental Title: Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat

Savage, with Elizabeth of course, is challenging (I think). A lockup doesn’t go anywhere so Savage armdrags him down and points. Back up and Steamboat knocks him to the floor, with Savage needing a breather. Savage comes back in and elbows him in the head, meaning Steamboat goes to the floor for a change. Back in and Savage stomps away, sending him right back outside.

Steamboat gets back in and grabs the small package for the hope spot but Savage is out this time. A high crossbody is rolled through and Steamboat’s head gets tied in the ropes for a….well not really a breather in this case. With that broken up, Steamboat fights back but gets kicked in the face to cut that off in a hurry. Another shot to the face gives Steamboat three but Savage’s foot is in the ropes.

Some rollups give Steamboat two more, with a kickout sending the throat into the ropes. Savage misses a running crotch attack, allowing Steamboat to hit the top rope chop for two. They hit heads for a double down so Savage grabs the belt…which only hits turnbuckle, bouncing back into his face. Steamboat steals the pin to retain at 10:52.

Rating: B. I was worried coming into this one as I’ve seen rematches between them before and they really weren’t very good. This was quite different from what they did at Wrestlemania and that’s a heck of a trick, as it’s a rematch of one of the best matches ever. It was almost weird to see them doing something that wasn’t their classic match, but this was a nice, different direction.

Savage is ready to win the Intercontinental Title from Tito Santana, who is nothing but garbage compared to him. And yes, of course he has a trashcan with him, because Savage is good enough to realize that something that small was memorable. Santana is like a grain of sand in the Sahara desert and Savage is the entire desert.

From Monday Nitro, March 25, 1996.

Randy Savage vs. Belfast Bruiser

Bruiser is better known as Finlay. Savage shoves him away to start but gets caught in an early chinlock. Bruiser’s rough uppercut forearms just wake Savage up and he knocks Bruiser hard to the floor. That’s fine with Bruiser, who drops him onto the barricade and sends him over said barricade for a bonus. Back in and Savage avoids a charge into the post, setting up the big elbow for the pin at 5:06.

Rating: C+. This is a match that would have been rather different once Finlay developed his reputation but for now, it was mostly Savage getting beaten up and then hitting the elbow for a miracle win. In other words, just about all he did around this time. Savage could only do so much with his bad arm and while this wasn’t bad, it never really got going.

We get a quick (as in like ten seconds) rehearsal of Savage’s entrance from Wrestlemania IX with the arena empty for a weird visual.

From UK Rampage 1992.

WWF Title: Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Savage

Savage is defending and has Elizabeth to counter Sensational Sherri. Heenan thinks Savage is either brave or stupid for coming in here on a bad leg. They fight over a lockup to start before Shawn sends him into the corner. Savage gets up a knee to cut off the charge though and Shawn needs a breather. The delay doesn’t work for Savage, who throws in a chair so we can reset things a bit. Some shoulders drop Savage but he’s right back with a clothesline to the floor, setting up a top rope ax handle.

With Savage occupied, Sherri goes after Elizabeth, which is broken up in short order. Shawn is right there for the save and sends Savage into the post to take over. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gives Shawn two and a swinging neckbreaker is good for the same. Savage is back with a shot to the face for two and Sherri is already panicking.

A big knee sends Shawn to the floor for a top rope ax handle, followed by another for two back inside. Savage tries it again but gets punched out of the air, setting up a hard clothesline for two. The superkick (not yet a big deal) gives Shawn two and the top rope fist drop sends Savage back to the floor. Back in and Shawn throws him over the top again, with Sherri getting in a hard kick of her own.

Savage gets back in and accidentally runs the referee over, meaning the top rope elbow gets no count. The referee is pulled back in for a VERY delayed two so Sherri gets on the apron, with Elizabeth shoving her down. Savage hits a high crossbody for two, followed by Shawn grabbing a top rope sunset flip for two. Back up and Savage hits another high crossbody for the pin to retain at 16:15, making me wonder if they didn’t get the right finish on the first one.

Rating: B. I’ve seen this one a few times before and it’s easy to see why Savage wanted to do something big with Shawn. You could see flashes of what Shawn would become later on and Savage was wise to want to be in on that. The match was good and let Shawn get a chance to rub elbows with the legend, which made for a rather nice showcase for both of them.

Post match Shawn jumps Savage again but Sherri’s boot shot misses, allowing Savage to clear the ring.

Overall Rating: A. Oh of course this was great as it’s exactly what I wanted out of something like WWE Vault. It’s a great mixture of stuff I’ve seen before and a bunch of rare/unreleased stuff without going with a bunch of stuff we’ve seen before (Wrestlemania III or IV). This was excellent and a real treat that had me wanting to see what was next, which isn’t a feeling I get very often. Definitely worth a look if you want to see one of the best ever.

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Supertape
Host: Sean Mooney
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Lord Alfred Hayes, Ron Trongard, Hillbilly Jim, Gorilla Monsoon, Vince McMahon, Jesse Ventura

So this something else that was added to the WWE Vault channel and as it was a tape I had when I was a kid and watched more times than I can count, I can always go for another watch. It’s a Coliseum Video compilation tape and the first in a series, with the main feature being the No Holds Barred cage match. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence, featuring some big names on the show.

Mooney runs down what we’ll be seeing on the tape.

A fan has requested to see Ronnie Garvin vs. Mr. Perfect. I would hope that his name is officially on a list somewhere.

Garvin says a lot of things seem perfect until something breaks them down. He’s the man to break Mr. Perfect down.

Perfect says he’ll win.

From December 12, 1989 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Ronnie Garvin vs. Mr. Perfect

The Genius is here with Perfect. They circle each other a bit to start before taking turns with some basic knockdowns. Garvin grabs a hiptoss and slam into a big right hand, with Perfect bailing out to the floor. Back in and Garvin hammers away in the corner, sending Perfect bailing back out to the floor. Perfect gets back in and wins a top wristlock before grabbing a headlock.

Garvin punches him back without much trouble and the Garvin Stomp sets up a failed Sharpshooter attempt. The Hennig necksnap has Garvin in more trouble but he’s back up to win a slugout. The sleeper goes on but Perfect gets his foot on the ropes to break up the cover. Garvin sends him into the buckles nine times in a row, followed by a face first ram into the mat for a bonus. A small package has Perfect down but he reverses into one of his own and grabs the trunks for the pin at 10:46.

Rating: C+. This was a good example of a perfectly watchable match which didn’t really do anything spectacular while still being completely fine. Both of them are talented stars and capable having a nice match with almost anyone, with Perfect cheating as he should. I’m not sure why a fan would have wanted to see this, but it was a decent choice.

We get a Manager Profile on Bobby Heenan, featuring Heenan giving some one liners about various wrestlers. The Heenan Family is doing rather well and the Colossal Connection will be Tag Team Champions for as long as they want to be. What else is on his mind? None of your business. This was really quick and not so much of a profile as much as it was “Heenan talks for about 90 seconds”.

It’s time for a tag team profile on the Bushwhackers, with Gene Okerlund driving to a shack in the middle of nowhere where the team is waiting on him. It’s apparently lunch time with Bushwhacker Buzzard on the menu, but we’ll throw it to the first match instead.

From December 30, 1988 in New York City, New York.

Bushwhackers vs. Bolsheviks

This is the Bushwhackers’ MSG debut and it’s a brawl to start, with the Russians being sent into each other for a crash out to the floor. We settle own to Butch (commentary gets them backwards) hammering on Zhukov in the corner and chasing the Russians outside again. Volkoff comes in and grabs a bearhug, which is broken up with a bite to the face. The bearhug goes on again so it’s another bite for another escape.

More biting earns Luke a hard whip into the corner and Zhukov gets to choke on the ropes for a bit. Volkoff adds some hammering forearms and Luke gets caught in the wrong corner. That’s enough to bring in Butch to beat on both Russians…and Luke. With Butch back out, Luke grabs Zhukov’s beard to block a sunset flip and it’s back to Butch. Everything breaks down and Zhukov clotheslines Volkoff to the floor, setting up the Battering Ram. The double gutbuster finishes Zhukov at 9:24. Ignore Trongard calling the Bolsheviks former Tag Team Champions.

Rating: C. The match itself was nothing of course, but this was more about getting the Bushwhackers their first win in an important arena. They were kind of a weird act in that they were more about being quite the odd pairing, but the fans seemed somewhat into them. It helps having the Bolsheviks as an easy target and the match, while fairly boring, was a good way to give the fans a fun time.

The Bushwhackers and Gene have some lunch and go on to a match where Butch says Luke tasted delicious.

From May 17, 1989 in Duluth, Minnesota.

Bushwhackers vs. Brooklyn Brawler/Bad News Brown

Butch and the Brawler start things off with the Brawler going after the eyes. Luke comes in for a bit to Brawler’s jeans so it’s off to Brawler to easily take Luke down. It’s back to Butch for a jawbreaker and Butch gets to hammer away on the Brawler. Again Brown takes over without much trouble and chokes on the ropes. Brawler comes back in but gets dropped by Butch. With Brown arguing with some fans, the Battering Ram and double gutbuster drop Brawler for the pin at 5:40.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t quite the showcase for the Bushwhackers as they couldn’t beat Brown whatsoever and needed a fairly weak finish to take out Brawler. I’m not sure why this would be included over say a squash match as it was beating a makeshift team and not exactly a good one. Not much to this one and not in the best way.

Gene likes the food….but he’s starting to twitch.

From October 8, 1989 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Bushwhackers vs. Power Of Pain

Mr. Fuji is with…well I think you can figure out who he’s with here. Barbarian jumps Butch before the music stops playing but Butch fights out with a headlock. A shoulder exchange goes to Barbarian but Luke comes in to help clear the ring without much effort. Back in and Warlord grabs a bearhug, which is broken up with a bite to the face. The bearhug goes on again but this time Butch makes the save, only for Warlord to knock him outside.

That means a posting keeps Butch in trouble and a big boot knocks Luke off the apron back inside. A running headbutt to the back drops Butch again but a middle rope elbow misses. That’s enough for the tag off to Luke, with back to back Battering Rams taking out the Powers. Fuji comes in with the cane and that’s the DQ at…we’ll say 9:15 as the bell doesn’t actually ring.

Rating: C. They were in a weird place with three straight Bushwhackers matches and this didn’t exactly make them look great. The Powers beat them down for most of the match and then the manager’s interference was needed to give them the win. There is only so much that can be done with a less than serious team like the Bushwhackers, and those limits were on display again here.

Gene has gone full Bushwhacker. More meat is consumed.

Lord Alfred Hayes joins us for The Call Of The Action, which is Hayes watching clips from the Rockers and Jimmy Snuka and naming the moves. It’s nothing great or innovative, but I do like mixing things up a bit, just for the sake of some flavor.

From February 11, 1989 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Rick Rude vs. Tito Santana

This should be good. They pose at each other to start before going to the test of strength. Santana has to power up and knocks Rude into the corner for an early breather. That lets Santana pose and now he wants a test of strength of his own. Instead Rude kicks him in the ribs and grabs a headlock before telling the fans to shut up (with a swear included). Santana fires off some forearms to the ribs and sends him into the corner to stay on them.

The reverse chinlock makes the ribs even worse and Santana drops down onto his back, only to turn into Arn Anderson of all things as Rude crotches him to escape. An atomic drop makes it even worse for Santana as thing slow down a lot. Rude busts out the hip swivel but his ribs give out so we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up rather quickly so Rude goes up top and hits a forearm to the head.

Santana comes back with a faceplant though and the fans are rather pleased in a hurry. Rude cuts him right back down but the ribs are banged up again, allowing Santana to get in an atomic drop (I could watch Rude sell those forever.). Santana pulls Rude’s tights down and hammers away before starting in on the leg. The Figure Four goes on but Rude is right there at the rope for the break. Back up and Santana tries a sunset flip but Rude sits down on him and grabs the rope for the win at 16:44.

Rating: B-. This was starting to get going but the match didn’t really kick it up to the level I was hoping to see. These two would seem like they could have had a heck of a match but it was only pretty good. Santana was little more than a jobber to the stars (albeit a very good one) while Rude was on the way up so the result, even with the cheating, was never really in doubt.

From April 24, 1989 in New York City, New York.

Jake Roberts vs. Ted DiBiase

They fight over a lockup to start and naturally DiBiase bails into the ropes. It works so well that DiBiase does it again…and a third time as well. With DiBiase finally ready to fight, Roberts knocks him into the corner with the bag, freaking DiBiase out to the floor. Back in and we hit the test of strength, with DiBiase oddly getting the better of things. That’s reversed into an armbar, only for DiBiase to go to the hair.

Roberts does it as well and this time the referee catches him, which doesn’t go well. The running knee lift drops DiBiase but the threat of the DDT sends DiBiase outside again. Back in an a quick Virgil distraction (ah that’s why he’s there) lets DiBiase get in a cheap shot to take over. A clothesline and knee drop give DiBiase two and we hit the chinlock.

With that broken up, the fist drop gives DiBiase two more and the chinlock goes on again. We’ll mix that up a bit with the Million Dollar Dream going on instead, with Roberts having to get a foot on the rope. DiBiase tries another chinlock but even Roberts is bored of that same thing and hits a jawbreaker for the fast escape. The short arm clothesline looks to set up the DDT but Virgil grabs the leg. Yelling ensues so Roberts grabs a rollup for the pin at 16:17.

Rating: C. There are certain pairings who you would think would be a good fit together and that was the case with these two. They just did not mesh together and despite being as 1989 of a midcard match as you could get in the WWF, the matches weren’t particularly good. Just a lot of sitting around and killing time, which gets old after a match this long.

Post match Roberts loads up the snake but DiBiase gets Virgil out of the way in time.

Tony Schiavone talks to some fans, who are having fun, hit some catchphrases, and talk about their favorites. Eh they’re not performers so they shouldn’t be good at talking. We do get a question about who would win if Hulk Hogan would face the Ultimate Warrior. As you might expect, the fans are split, which was the whole point of Wrestlemania VI.

From January 2, 1990 in Birmingham, Alabama.

Tugboat Thomas vs. Iron Mike Sharpe

This is Tugboat’s TV debut from Superstars because we were just waiting for the Sailing Superstar. Sharpe bounces off of him to start and can’t get a slam so Tugboat cranks on the arm. A big boot sets up a dropkick (not bad) and the big splash finishes Sharpe at 2:26. He was a star when I was first getting into wrestling, but Tugboat just did not have much outside of “I’m really big”.

From December 12, 1989 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Hulk Hogan/Brutus Beefcake vs. Zeus/Randy Savage

In a cage, Queen Sherri is here with the villains, and this was the match from the No Holds Barred: The Movie/The Match pay per view as WWF tried to get everything they could out of No Holds Barred, which didn’t go well. Beefcake gets in but Sherri slams the door on Hogan before he can get in too, meaning it’s a double teaming to start.

Hogan punches Savage through the cage though and climbs in less than a minute later, making that quite the waste of time. The villains are punched and sent into Hogan’s raised boot in the corner, only for Zeus to send Hogan and Beefcake into the cage. Savage tries to go out but Beefcake catches him, only to have to deal with an invading Sherri. Zeus and Savage start alternating with rams into the cage before going up, which is cut off almost immediately.

They all go into the cage at the same time and everyone is down for a breather. For some reason the referee opens the door, with Sherri slamming said door onto his head. Savage gets the chain that was locking the door and goes all the way to the top of the cage, only to get punched out of the air as Beefcake avoids a bad case of death. Beefcake knocks Savage off the cage and goes out, where he pulls Savage outside too. Hogan Hulks Up, slams Zeus, cuts off Beefcake from offering an assist, sends Zeus into the cage over and over, and drops THREE LEGS for the pin at 9:27 (Jesse: “I don’t believe it, he did it again.”).

Rating: C. It’s not a great or even a very good match, but this was about giving the fans something fun at the end of a taping. That’s something that will always work and Hogan getting to slay Zeus for good and move on was the right thing. Thankfully Savage was in there too, as Zeus on his own would have been a total disaster. As it was, it was little more than a house show main event or something similar, which is ok enough to wrap up the tape.

Mooney wraps it up.

Overall Rating: C. A lot of this is nostalgia, but there really isn’t anything on here worth going out of your way to see. The company was in something of a transitional period here and while it still has some star power, it’s only so good. The two long featured matches are just ok and focusing on the Bushwhackers is only going to get you so far. I’ve seen this tape more times than I can count and while it’s not the worst, it’s really not anything worth your time.

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Shotgun Saturday Night
Date: February 7, 1997
Location: Penn Station, New York City, New York
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Sunny

This was a special live broadcast (of a 27 year old show that is) on the WWE Vault channel and that alone should be more than enough to make it interesting. Shotgun was a show broadcast from various clubs and locations in New York City, making it a localized national show, because that was a thing. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Godwinns vs. Nation Of Domination

The venue is really cool as everyone has to come down a bunch of steps to get to the ring. Clarence Mason joins commentary as we take a good while to get started after the opening bell. Crush and Phineas finally lock up, over two minutes after the opening bell. Crush’s headlock keeps things slow to start until Phineas powers out and runs him over. A clothesline drops an invading Faarooq and the Nation runs away from the slop bucket.

After Todd Pettengill talks to some kids in a split screen, Savio Vega comes to ringside and we take a break. Back with Crush grabbing a nerve hold on Henry and then stomps away. Henry fights up for a double clothesline and it’s back to Phineas to clean house. Vega offers a distraction though, allowing Faarooq to hit a clothesline to give Crush the pin at 12:26.

Rating: C-. Pretty dull tag match here as they seem to be keeping it pretty basic with everything going on around here. It’s a weird place to hold a wrestling show and there is only so much that they can cover with a smaller than usual ring. The Godwinns are already feeling beyond their expiration date here too, as it’s one of the goofier New Generation style gimmicks and that doesn’t work so well in 1997.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley arrives in a long limousine and is ready to defend the Intercontinental Title against Undertaker.

Intercontinental Title: Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Undertaker

Helmsley, with the Ode To Joy theme, is defending and thankfully Undertaker picks up the pace on the way down the steps. We’re joined in progress with the referee getting bumped and Helmsley hitting Undertaker with the belt. We take a break less than a minute after coming back and come back again to HHH dropping a knee. A neckbreaker gives HHH two but Undertaker fights up. The comeback is taking too long for him though and he hits Helmsley in the face with the belt for the DQ at 7:18.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to go anywhere but it was more about saying Undertaker was in the ring for a title match than anything else. There was almost no reason to believe that Undertaker was going to win the Intercontinental Title so having a quick brawl before the DQ ending was fine. If nothing else, ticked off Undertaker is always worth a look.

Post match Undertaker gives him a chokeslam and takes him up the escalator, gives him a Tombstone, and lets him ride down the escalator. I believe this was on the Hidden Gems of the WWE Network.

Pettengill talks to another kid.

Savio Vega vs. Aldo Montoya

Clarence Mason is on commentary again. Montoya starts fast and takes Vega down, leaving him for a needed breather in the corner. Vega fires off some rather loud chops in the corner and then rakes at the face (as much as he can get to with the mask that is), setting up the spinwheel kick in the corner. A delayed suplex sets up some more choking and we cut to Todd Pettengill with a fan who has what looks to be an 80s Vince McMahon action figure.

Montoya fights back as the rest of the Nation comes down the step as we take a break. Back with Vega working on an armbar as the Godwinns are here to even things out a bit. The nerve hold goes on but the other four get in for…well nothing as we take a break. Back with…well something else, as we’ll say this one ended at around 11:00.

Rating: C. This had its moments with Vega getting in some of his stuff but only having so much to work with in Montoya. He just wasn’t that good in the ring and didn’t have much to offer, which made the match more than a little uninteresting. The ending didn’t help either, but at least it sets up something.

Godwinns/Aldo Montoya vs. Nation Of Domination

Joined in progress with Crush planting Montoya, who grabs a quick DDT for a breather as Pettengill talks to two women who get in a fight in the crowd. Crush cuts off the tag attempt and it’s Vega sending Montoya back into the wrong corner. The backbreaker goes on before it’s back to Faarooq, who can’t hit the Dominator.

Instead Crush comes back in to hammer Montoya down in the corner again. The front facelock goes on and Montoya gets the tag to Phineas but the referee doesn’t see it (that always works). Everything breaks down and Phineas chases Mason away, leaving Vega to kick Montoya in the face for the pin at 7:28.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure how much the addition helped here as we had seen the others in action already and the Godwinns never actually got into the six man version. Instead it was the Nation beating the living daylights out of Montoya, or at least doing a rather slow motion version of such a beating. Not much to see here, but it felt like something out of an old school house show so call that a win? Maybe?

Post break Phineas slops Pat Patterson (and his amazing sweater) by mistake.

We look at the escalator Tombstone again.

A member of the Guardian Angels liked the show. And that’s it.

Overall Rating: C. I don’t think there is any secret to the fact that the wrestling isn’t the important part of the show. This was ALL about the atmosphere and that really did work. Above all else, the show felt different than usual and it is great to see that kind of change. I’m not sure if the charm was going to hold up every week, but it worked for a one off.

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NWA House Show
Date: February 1, 1987
Location: The Omni, Atlanta, Georgia
Attendance: 4,500

So the WWE Vault YouTube channel strikes again as we have a house show from some of the glory years of the NWA. The names included on the show are something of a who’s who of this era and that should make for a rather fun time. The main event is the Road Warriors challenging for the Tag Team Titles so let’s get to it.

Note that there is no commentary for this and it’s not the complete show, but we’re getting about an hour.

Dutch Mantell vs. Bill Dundee

Dundee’s Central States Title isn’t on the line. Mantell chases him around to start and grabs an armdrag as Dundee is shaken up early. A backdrop gives Mantell one and it’s time to work on Dundee’s arm. Back up and Mantell grabs his big whip, which is enough to send Dundee bailing to the floor (which is far from a cowardly heel move). Dundee gets back in and goes after the leg, setting up a front facelock to take over. The middle rope crossbody misses for Dundee so Mantell rolls him up, only for Dundee to reverse into one of his own and grab the tights for the pin at 5:12.

Rating: C. Not exactly a classic here but they kept things moving and didn’t spend too much time out there, making it a solid choice for an opener. Dundee is a great example of someone who wrestles bigger than his size, as he is not a big guy but makes you forget it, which is quite the trick. Mantell is best known for his talking, but he could more than hang in there with anyone.

Jimmy Garvin vs. Bob Armstrong

Garvin jumps him to start and hammers away in the corner. The brainbuster is loaded up but Armstrong slips out and elbows him in the face (with a cast) for the pin at 30 seconds. Ok then.

Brad Armstrong vs. Arn Anderson

Anderson has JJ Dillon and Lex Luger in his corner, the latter of whom seems to be making his debut. Anderson shoulders him down to start before grinding away on a headlock. Back up and Armstrong hits some dropkicks out to the floor, with the fans approving. A crossbody gives Armstrong one and he grabs an armbar to keep Anderson in trouble. They go to the floor with the arm being sent into the barricade, followed by more armbarring back inside.

Anderson can’t even get out of trouble by going to the eyes and Anderson is right back on the arm. An atomic drop out of the corner puts Armstrong down for a breather though and Anderson drops a knee for one. The Anderson Drop (later known as the spinebuster) gets a slightly delayed two but Armstrong punches him out of the air and starts the comeback. Armstrong loads up a suplex but Luger sweeps the leg, allowing Anderson to land on top for the pin at 8:10.

Rating: C+. And that’s how you introduce someone and have them pay instant dividends, as the fans immediately get that they need to pay attention when Luger is out there. The Horsemen were always going to be fine with some cheating to win and Luger lets them do it even more frequently. Nice stuff here in another fairly short match.

TV Title: Wahoo McDaniel vs. Tully Blanchard

Blanchard is defending and has JJ Dillon with him, plus the winner gets $10,000. McDaniel takes him into the corner to start and hits an elbow to the head, with Blanchard bailing out to the floor. Back in and McDaniel chops away again, with Dillon’s distraction completely failing. A rake to the eyes works a bit better for Blanchard and he snapmares McDaniel down into a chinlock. Blanchard punches him down for two more but McDaniel is right back with the signature chops. Lex Luger, apparently at ringside too, gets in a belt shot, to give Blanchard the pin at 5:11 (with the camera on Luger rather than the cover for a weird visual).

Rating: C. Similar story to the last match as Luger is able to screw over two popular stars in back to back matches. It’s easy to see why Wahoo was so popular as he looked tough and had some incredible charisma. Again though they didn’t have much time to build things up, which makes me wonder if there were about fifteen matches on the show or if the main event was going REALLY long.

Midnight Express vs. Ronnie Garvin/Robert Gibson

Elimination rules. Garvin is half of the US Tag Team Champions so the Midnights (with Jim Cornette and Big Bubba Rogers of course) could be feuding with either of them. Eaton hugs Cornette who gives him a kiss on the cheek before he drives Gibson into the corner to start. Gibson slams his way out of trouble and it’s time for Cornette to yell at a cameraman. Condrey comes in and gets slammed down as well before the good guys beat up both Midnights at once.

Cornette pulls Eaton out to the floor as Garvin rolls Condrey up for some near falls. A Bubba cheap shot puts Gavin down though and Eaton comes in for some choking behind the referee’s back, as a villain should be known to do. Condrey grabs the camel clutch so Garvin crawls over to the ropes in something you don’t see very often. That doesn’t work but a jumping headbutt does, allowing the hot tag to Gibson as the fans go NUTS. Everything breaks down and Cornette rackets Gibson for the elimination at 7:38.

The villains celebrate so Garvin rolls Eaton up to tie the score at 8:02, which would be used again by Randy Savage on Ted DiBiase at Survivor Series 1988. So it’s Condrey vs. Garvin, with Condrey slamming him down and dropping an elbow but not being able to keep the shoulders on the mat. Garvin’s rollup gets two and they collide for a double knockdown. They trade rollups for two each until Garvin’s big right hand gets two more. An elbow to the head gets the same but the Texas piledriver is countered Bubba gets on the apron but Garvin sends Condrey into him for the fast pin at 12:38.

Rating: B. Despite the really weird good guy combination, this was easily the most fun thing on the show so far and the fans were losing it for the ending. Garvin was someone the fans would get behind no matter what he was doing and they wanted to see him win here. You would normally associate Gibson with getting the win here, but this was good stuff with Cornette losing it as usual on the floor.

Post match the Midnights and company lay out the winners until Gibson gets the racket for the save.

Russians vs. Super Powers

The Russians talk trash before the match and Dusty gets laid out but Nikita makes the save with the chain. The Russians run off and the match is a DQ before it ever starts. Well that’s lame, but the fans were going nuts for Dusty and Koloff.

Tag Team Titles: Manny Fernandez/Rick Rude vs. Road Warriors

The Warriors, with Paul Ellering, are challenging and Paul Jones is here with the champs. Rude already has the slow robe reveal down and is basically what he would be in the WWF about a year later. Hawk doesn’t think much of Rude’s posing to start and shoves him down, setting up his own posing. Back up and Hawk wins a test of strength to take Rude’s hands to the mat for a good stomping.

Animal comes in to shoulder Rude down before doing the same to Fernandez as the fans heartily approve. The champs charge back in and are gorilla pressed out to the floor because you just do not do that to the Warriors. Back in and Fernandez is knocked outside again so let’s try Rude vs. Hawk again. A slam sets up Hawk’s middle rope clothesline (that always looked great) for two as Fernandez makes the save.

Fernandez gets in a cheap shot from the middle rope so the villains can take over, with an elbow to the face dropping Hawk. Rude’s top rope fist drop actually connects for two but Hawk grabs a quickly broken bearhug. The piledriver wakes Hawk up (as is his custom) and it’s a double tag to Animal and Fernandez. Everything breaks down and Animal hits a powerslam, drawing in Jones for the (delayed) DQ at 11:04.

Rating: C+. The Warriors are a great example of a team not having to do much to make it work because they were so popular that the fans were going nuts over anything they did. The ending isn’t that big of a surprise as it’s rather normal for a house show result. Fernandez and Rude would never be defeated for those belts, as Rude would leave for the WWF in April and the Rock N Roll Express got the belts in a phantom title change.

The only match missing is an hour long Broadway between Ric Flair and Barry Windham, which probably tore the house down.

Overall Rating: B-. It does feel incomplete without the main event but this was a heck of a fun hour of old school wrestling. You could hear the fans reacting like crazy to just about everything and you can see why the NWA was as hot as it was at this point. The business side of things would go downhill in a hurry, but the wrestling wasn’t the issue here. This YouTube channel is great and I could absolutely go for more of this kind of thing.

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

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So this is one of those things that has been talked about for a very long time now as there has been an interest in seeing more on the other side of Vince McMahon. That being said, this has been attempted before, including last year’s Ringmaster book, which was rather disappointing. Unfortunately, that is pretty much exactly what we got again here.

This show is just not that interesting, mainly because there is very little new introduced. There are all kinds of stories, but the vast majority of them are stories that you will have heard before if you follow wrestling. While it’s nice to have them all in one big place, there is no bombshell or major moment that is going to get people talking. Instead, you’re seeing a bunch of the same WWE talking points about major events in their history, albeit with some people there from outside WWE to say “that’s nonsense”.

Arguably the most interesting part is the look at McMahon’s relationship with his family, as he had a rough relationship with his dad, which is eerily similar to how he treats Shane. Stephanie is pretty clearly closer to her dad, but Linda just vanishes from this thing about halfway through. You really do kind of get the feeling that Vince is alone from most of his family, save for the people who help him do business.

Of course the big story is the lawsuit against McMahon, but as it was filed during filming, there is only a bit about it during the end, with Vince not commenting on it. That is the kind of game changer that reshapes an entire series and it does put a different twist on a bunch of what was said about Vince in the first place. Most of the comments are from before the allegations surfaced, so there isn’t much from the new reality about Vince.

Overall, this could be interesting for people who only have a passing knowledge of Vince, but if you’ve been a big fan for a long time, you’re not going to get anything substantial. It’s mainly a look at Vince, with the gist of “well yeah, but we really don’t know him”. The allegations against him don’t really come off as a surprise, but rather “there is a lot to him and most of it isn’t great.”

ECW On Sci Fi
Date: August 19, 2008
Location: iWireless Center, Moline, Illinois
Commentators: Todd Grisham, Matt Striker

We’re done with Summerslam and the ECW Title match lasted about a minute, with Mark Henry retaining the title over Matt Hardy via DQ. There almost has to be a rematch as we need something more than that, as if nothing else, there isn’t much going on around here. We still have Finlay vs. Mike Knox which at least has some potential. Let’s get to it.

Here is Summerslam if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of the Summerslam title match, including Jeff Hardy saving Matt Hardy from a post match beating.

Opening sequence.

Miz/John Morrison/Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs. Tommy Dreamer/Super Crazy/Evan Bourne

Well this is different. For some reason Crazy and Bourne come out together while Dreamer gets his own entrance. Oh right he’s the “star”. Crazy and Morrison start things off with the latter grabbing a headlock and knocking him down. Back up and Crazy kicks the leg out, setting up a standing moonsault and it’s off to Bourne, who gets taken into the wrong corner.

Chavo’s Saito suplex gets two and it’s back to Morrison for a Russian legsweep for the same. Miz puts on a chinlock but Bourne fights up and rolls over to Dreamer for the not so hot tag. House is cleaned and a running bulldog puts Miz down for two. Everything breaks down and Crazy hits a big running flip dive to take out Miz and Morrison. Bourne dives onto everyone else but Miz grabs a neckbreaker to put Dreamer away.

Rating: C+. Not exactly a great match but I’ll absolutely take this as a breath of fresh air around here. It’s so nice to see some fresh pairings and a bit of a different presentation and it worked out well enough. On top of that, Dreamer lost to make things that much more entertaining.

Ricky Ortiz vs. Gavin Spears

This is Spears’ (formerly known as Shawn Spears in OVW) debut and he doesn’t need rally towels to become a star. Ortiz shoulders him down to start but Spears is back up with a wristlock. A neckbreaker gives Spears two but Ortiz fights out of the chinlock without much trouble. Ortiz’s layout powerslam gets two and the middle rope shoulder into the Big O finishes Spears off.

Rating: C. As has been the case, Ortiz just isn’t that good. He has a good look with the big hair and the physique but that’s all he has going for him. Spears was a bit more appealing here as he had something of a serious, sinister nature to him, but this was about Ortiz and his uninteresting style, as it has been for the last month or so.

Here are Finlay and Hornswoggle for a chat. It’s true that he gets in the ring with Hornswoggle and dances around with some kids but Mike Knox doesn’t like it. If Knox has a point to prove, come down here and prove it. Cue Knox to the stage, with Finlay telling him to come to the ring. But no because Knox is going to do this when he wants to. That doesn’t work for Finlay and the fight is on in the aisle. Agents finally manage to break it up.

We look at the Shawn Michaels/Rebecca Michaels/Chris Jericho incident from Summerslam.

We look at the ECW Title match at Summerslam again.

ECW Title: Mark Henry vs. Matt Hardy

Henry, with Tony Atlas, is defending. Hardy slugs away to start but it’s way too early for the Twist of Fate. Instead Hardy sends him face first into the middle buckle and starts going after the knee to take Henry down. The leg is fine enough for Henry to hit a slam, only to miss the big elbow. An enziguri drops Henry, who just runs Hardy over without much effort. Henry misses a charge into the corner though and Hardy hammers away as we take a break.

Back with Henry working on a neck crank, then knocking Hardy down and grabbing it again. Henry powers him into the corner where Atlas gets in a cheap shot, which is perfectly fine with Striker, because Striker is a pest. The bearhug goes on to keep Hardy in trouble before Henry kicks him down for two.

Henry grabs the neck crank again, followed by a gorilla press slam but Henry misses a splash. Hardy’s middle rope elbow to the head staggers Henry and the legdrop gets two. A high crossbody gives Hardy two and the Twist of Fate connects, only for Atlas to pull Hardy out, with the referee somehow not figuring this out. Instead Hardy goes up for the moonsault, which hits raised knees. The World’s Strongest Slam retains the title.

Rating: B-. The interference at the end was a bit much to swallow but it was nice to see the match actually take place. There is a case to be made for a Hardy rematch and that isn’t the worst idea, but for now it’s a good title defense for Henry. Hardy is the biggest name on the show so Henry gets something by beating him and Hardy was protected enough in the process.

Overall Rating: C+. While not a good show, there was a bit more energy this week and I’ll take that over the same stuff we’ve seen time after time. ECW does not have the biggest or deepest roster in the world and there is only so much they can do with what they have. The presentation was better this week and I had a much better time than what I’ve been stuck with around here recently.

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

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: August 12, 2008
Location: Scope, Norfolk, Virginia
Commentators: Todd Phillips, Matt Striker

We’re closing in on Summerslam and the ECW Title match between Mark Henry and Matt Hardy. Unfortunately that’s about the only important thing going on around here and that has made for some very dry shows in recent weeks. Hopefully it can change this week as we have Tommy Dreamer vs. Colin Delaney in an Extreme Rules match. Uh, joy. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Commentary hypes up the main event (Matt Hardy/Mark Henry vs. Miz/John Morrison), with Striker saying Summerslam is “less than one work week away”. It’s also less than a normal week away, but Striker has to try to sound smarter than he really is.

Tommy Dreamer vs. Colin Delaney

Extreme Rules. Delaney tries to run away to start but can’t even do that right, meaning Dreamer can catch him in the aisle and hammer away. Dreamer’s punch hits the post though and Delaney sends him into the steps to take over. Delaney’s trashcan lid shot is kendo sticked out of the air and a pumphandle throw with the stick has Delaney in even more trouble. The running dropkick against the trashcan in the Tree of Woe rocks Delaney even more but a middle rope trashcan lid shot only hits mat. Delaney misses a middle rope legdrop though and a DDT onto a stop sign gives Dreamer the pin.

Rating: C. Not much to this one, but that’s kind of the point. Delaney was never presented as any kind of a threat and was little more than a nuisance to Dreamer, who beat him up without much trouble. It’s kind of nice to see them go with the straightforward approach here, as there was no reason to do anything else.

Miz and John Morrison look back at last week’s debut of the Dirt Sheet, and brag about their comedy chops. They’re the Pineapple Express of WWE.

Smackdown Rebound.

Bam Neely vs. Evan Bourne

Neely has a concussion but is ordered to fight at Chavo Guerrero’s (at ringside) insistence. Bourne kicks away in the corner to start but Chavo’s distraction lets Neely knock him to the floor. Back in and a clothesline gives Neely two and we hit the neck crank. Bourne fights up and strikes away, setting up a DDT. Air Bourne finishes Neely off.

Rating: C. Again: Bourne is being treated as something different and it’s working. Just having him win so often is a totally different presentation and it’s helping a lot. There is always room for a high flier with an awesome looking finish and if Bourne can go beyond that, he’ll have quite the bright future.

Tiffany is in Teddy Long’s office when Armando Estrada comes in to have Long sign his new contract. Long signs the contract and says we’re going to celebrate, with Tiffany bringing over some champagne for a toast. Estrada is in action tonight, and it’s up next. Against Finlay.

Finlay vs. Armando Estrada

Hornswoggle is here with Finlay. They fight over a lockup to start until Finlay knocks him down and grabs an early chinlock. Finlay takes him outside for a ram into the apron as Mike Knox comes out to watch. The distraction doesn’t really work as Finlay comes back in to work on an armbar before going after the ribs. Another attempt at the distraction does work though and Estrada drops him onto the rope. Estrada’s chinlock goes on for a bit before Finlay fights up…and it knocked right back into the chinlock. Finlay isn’t having that and hits the Celtic Cross (not Emerald Fusion Striker) for the pin.

Rating: C. Another fairly slow paced match here but that was kind of the point. You’re only going to get so much out of a match from Estrada and this was about setting up more from Knox vs. Finlay anyway. Finlay is getting a nice push around here and he’s certainly better than some of the other options.

Post match Finlay brings a fan in to dance with him for the nice moment.

Ricky Ortiz comes in to see Teddy Long and Tiffany and debuts his new merchandising idea: a rally towel. Long doesn’t quite get it but Ortiz wants Long to pay for 50,000 of them. We’ll see about that if he can prove his worth going forward, including a new Superstar next week. Tiffany likes the towel.

Summerslam rundown.

Matt Hardy and Mark Henry don’t trust each other before the main event.

Mark Henry/Matt Hardy vs. Miz/John Morrison

Tony Atlas is here with Henry and Hardy. The rather annoyed Henry clears the other villains out without much trouble to start and Hardy approves. We take a break and come back with Henry slowly pounding Morrison down as Striker says Miz and Morrison should still be Tag Team Champions because they weren’t pinned in a triple threat title match. Hardy’s running bulldog out of the corner gets two on Miz, who bails out to the floor.

Hardy follows him but gets driven into the steps to let the villains take over. Back in and Morrison hammers on Hardy in the corner, setting up the Russian legsweep for two. Morrison works on the back and ribs as Striker talks about chess and yoga. Hardy gets in a cheap shot and goes up, where he gets caught but hits a middle rope Side Effect….for the delayed pin. Oh something went VERY wrong there as that was either mistimed or Morrison was hurt.

Rating: C. The match was nothing special but I’m curious what happened with the ending. I would bet on Morrison getting hurt as the match just stopped cold and there was nothing to indicate it was planned to go that way. Odds are they didn’t have much time left, but something was absolutely off from what they had planned.

Post match Miz checks on Morrison before Henry kicks Miz to the floor (never touching Morrison). Henry insists his hand is raised and then raises Hardy’s hand. Then gives him the World’s Strongest Slam.

Overall Rating: C+. It’s not a good sign when all four matches have the same middle of the road rating but it oddly made for a better show than we’ve gotten in recent weeks. There was nothing that really stood out, but they’ve done a decent enough job of making me want to see Hardy vs. Henry. Now they still need to make it work, but I’ll take a start over nothing at all.

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

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AND

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: August 5, 2008
Location: Phillips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Todd Phillips, Matt Striker

I refuse to believe that this show could be less interesting than last week’s, but I also have a tendency to be very wrong about this kind of thing. Last week’s show featured a grand total of nothing interesting and bad matches, but hopefully they can do anything better here. Then again they probably won’t. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Matt Striker is replacing Tazz for this week on commentary. Oh yeah it’s already getting worse.

Chavo Guerrero/Bam Neely vs. Evan Bourne/Ricky Ortiz

Ortiz knocks Neely into the corner to start as commentary goes over the history of wrestling in Robinsdale, Minnesota, Neely’s hometown. Ortiz cranks on Neely’s arm and Bourne comes in for a shot to the same arm. It’s off to Chavo, who gets taken down with a running hurricanrana. A middle rope shoulder gives Ortiz two on Chavo as Striker talks up Ortiz’s time in the XFL.

Neely gets in a cheap shot from the apron though and comes in to send Ortiz into the corner (thankfully not messing up his large hair). Chavo comes back in for a chinlock but Ortiz fights up without much trouble and hands it back to Bourne. Everything breaks down and Bourne rolls Neely up for the pin.

Rating: C. Bourne is a good high flier, Chavo is fine as a midcard villain and there are worse bodyguards than Neely. That leaves Ortiz and sweet goodness he is somehow getting less interesting. Other than a unique look, there is absolutely nothing that stands out about him and thankfully the attention was on Bourne here, which did help a bit. Ortiz isn’t the next thing though and hopefully WWE figures that out fast.

Here is Mike Knox, who isn’t going to explain why he attacked Finlay last week. Instead, he’s here to show why Finlay is a fraud. We get a clip of Finlay dancing around with Hornswoggle, which Knox calls a joke. The idea of Finlay being the man who loves to fight makes Knox laugh but here are Finlay and Hornswoggle to interrupt. Finlay says that was a funny clip but it’s just the tip of the iceberg “Fred”. He doesn’t really care what Knox’s name is because if Knox has a problem with them, take a shot. Finlay tells Knox to take his shot, but Knox better knock him out. Knox walks off instead.

Raw Rebound.

Armando Estrada vs. Tommy Dreamer

This is Estrada’s final chance to earn a contract. Dreamer grabs a headlock to start before armdragging him into an armbar. Back up and a running clothesline sends Estrada to the floor before tying him in the Tree of Woe. Cue Colin Delaney for a distraction though, allowing Estrada to grab a rollup for the fast pin.

Post break, Delaney congratulates Estrada, who has no idea why Delaney helped him. It’s because Estrada gave him a chance, but here is Teddy Long to make Delaney vs. Dreamer in an Extreme Rules match next week.

Smackdown Rebound. A one hour show should really not need two lengthy recaps.

Summerslam rundown.

Braden Walker vs. James Curtis

They fight over wrist control to start until Walker’s suplex gets two. Commentary talks about Curtis being a boating captain as they try to come up with anything interesting here. Curtis gets in a shot of his own but Walker is back with an atomic drop into a clothesline. A jumping clothesline puts Curtis down, only to have him knock Walker into the corner. Walker hits another clothesline (even commentary points out that he likes that move) and grabs a fisherman’s suplex for the pin. This was really dull, with Walker never getting out of first gear and doing absolutely nothing that made him feel interesting in the slightest.

It’s time for the TV debut of the Dirt Sheet, Miz and John Morrison’s talk show. Morrison says he was offered $15 million for photos of himself as a baby but he turned People Magazine down because he isn’t for sale. With that out of the way, it’s time for our guest: Mark Henry. This means a picture of Henry on the Titantron with his mouth making grunting noises.

Tony Atlas (again, a picture) pops up to say something odd about money. Henry talks about his love of eating, which Morrison says makes you fat. Morrison: “Mark, I think you might have a gland problem.” None of the Divas would find Henry attractive, so here is a picture of Lena Yada to agree, along with blowing Miz kisses. Morrison shows off his abs but here are the real Henry and Atlas to interrupt.

Atlas is sure there has been some kind of a mistake because they did not come here to be disrespected. Miz and Morrison back off, with Morrison praising Henry’s abs. If they were going to disrespect anyone, it would be their next guest: Matt Hardy (or a picture thereof). Matt doesn’t know what it’s like to be champion because he’s never been #1 at anything.

Cue the real Matt to call out the Conan O’Brien style comedy and make a Brokeback Mountain joke. They had wondered how Matt became the #1 contender, which Matt says was by beating them. Like the slogan of their show says: be jealous. Matt promises to win the ECW Title but gets in a fight with Miz and Morrison. That includes Morrison accidentally hitting Henry, leaving Miz and Morrison to get wrecked to end the show. Miz and Morrison are amusing, but it might take some time for this stuff to really catch on.

Overall Rating: C-. Somehow, Finlay and Knox might be the most entertaining part of the show, which says a lot. There is just not much to this show and people like Ortiz, Delaney and maybe Estrada aren’t helping. A lot of the show feels it is just there to fill in time, which is hard to fathom on an hour long episode. It’s hard to imagine that there is no one else that could be sent to this show to spice it up a bit, but there is nothing to indicate that they will be showing up anytime soon.

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

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

AND

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