Smackdown
Date: October 19, 2012
Location: FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, John Bradshaw Layfield

Back to the blue show after things have taken a fresh turn on Raw. We’re closing in on the Cell where apparently Show vs. Sheamus isn’t in the Cell, likely leaving them open for a rematch next month. I’m enjoying this story way better than I likely should but having a clash of two titans like this is always fun. Hopefully things pick up a bit on here. Let’s get to it.

Do You Know Your Enemy? Mine is a barn that my uncle fell off yesterday.

Here’s the now non-Intercontinental Champion Miz for MizTV. He has a NASTY looking gash above his eye from where Kofi kicked him on Monday. He’s cashing in his rematch clause and he’ll prove why he’s must see. No date is given but presumably it’s at the PPV. His guests tonight are HELL NO. Yeah the match is officially at the PPV. Miz says if they were a real tag team, they would come out together. Bryan offers to separate Miz’s teeth from his mouth. Miz makes fun of the Goat Face and says the lack of continuity is going to cost them the championships.

Kane says that he’s won tag titles with giants, psychopaths with multiple personalities and a dead man so Bryan is no problem. Bryan says that he’s the reason they’ll keep the titles because he’s the world’s toughest vegan. Kane says that’s like being the world’s tallest dwarf, but Bryan has that covered too. Miz: “Can I say something here?” Kane and Bryan: “NO!”

The champions argue again with Bryan mentioning the MITB cash in over Big Show, drawing out the big man for a rebuttal. Show says he has no issue with Kane (even though they’re fighting on Monday) but he has one with Bryan. He doesn’t want to hear about Bryan beating him in 45 seconds again or he’s going to knock Bryan out. He says he’ll knock Bryan out now but Kane gets in Show’s way, saying they don’t have to wait for Monday. This brings out….Dolph Ziggler?

Ziggler talks about how talking about Bryan and MITB is so last year and he should be the focus because he’s cashing in on either Sheamus or Big Show. Ziggler says if Bryan can do it to Big Show, how hard can it be? An argument breaks out and Booker comes out but Miz says that Booker can save his time because he knows what’s coming. Instead Booker makes HELL NO vs. Show/Ziggler and Miz vs. a surprise. When they have this huge tag division all of a sudden, do we need to have these one night only tag teams to fight them? Here’s Miz’s surprise.

The Miz vs. Randy Orton

Orton is looking a bit more like he did in 2004. I think it’s the not being orange and having a bit more hair. This is joined in progress after a break with Randy clotheslining Miz down and stomping away. Del Rio and Ricardo are watching from a sky box. Miz pounds away in the corner but Orton comes right back and pounds away as well. A belly to back suplex gets two for Orton but Miz comes back and knocks Randy off the apron and into the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Orton in a chinlock which Miz follows up with a Reality Check for two. Striker is in the sky box to talk to Ricardo and Alberto. For all we know, right now Miz and Orton are doing the Charleston. Del Rio says he’s the new Apex Predator in the WWE and that’s about it. Back in the ring Miz hits the corner clothesline but Orton crotches him on the top. Orton superplexes Miz down for two and a clothesline puts Miz on the floor.

Back in and Orton glares at Del Rio before dropkicking Miz down for two. Miz comes back with the short DDT for two of his own. Orton comes back with a quick elevated DDT before going insane and loading up the RKO. Miz avoids it and tries the Finale but Orton rolls away and hits the RKO for the pin at 7:30 shown of 11:00.

Rating: C. Well at least Miz isn’t a champion anymore. The match wasn’t anything great but these two have never had the best chemistry. Miz seems to be the latest victim of of writers being bored syndrome as he came back, got a quick push, and then the push just stopped for the sake of someone else getting a push. It’s stuff like that which causes no one to be over or credible anymore.

Del Rio says they’re going to do this on his terms at HIAC.

Sheamus runs into Teddy in the back and the champ wants Barrett tonight. Teddy says he’ll talk to Booker about it and he’ll try to make it a lumberjack match. Sheamus: “I feel you playa.” Eve is lurking in the background.

Rhodes Scholars vs. Tyson Kidd/Justin Gabriel

Gabriel and Cody start but it’s off to Tyson very fast with a kick to the back for two. Cody and Sandow head to the floor with Gabriel taking Damien out with a dive. Cody gets in a cheap shot and we head back into the ring for some heel beating. Sandow takes him down and drops the windup elbow for two. Gabriel gets in a kick to the face to take Rhodes down and it’s off to Kidd. He cleans a few rooms of the house with a dropkick to the side of Sandow’s head but as he puts Damien in the Sharpshooter, Cody gets a blind tag and hits the Disaster Kick for the pin at 3:20.

Rating: C-. Nothing much to see here as it’s just another Rhodes Scholars squash to set up the tournament final on Raw. This was a squash but it was nothing interesting. Also, we have another case of the back and forth booking as Kidd and Gabriel had good competitive matches with Cesaro but here’s they’re jobbers for a tag team. Either push the guys as good, tough opponents or make them full on jobbers.

Eve is sucking up to Booker in the back when Teddy comes in to pitch the lumberjack match idea to Booker. Eve says she’s been talking about that for weeks and Teddy stole his idea. Since apparently Booker doesn’t watch the show and no one with a brain in wrestling ever WATCHES THE TAPE FROM EARLIER WHICH THEY KNOW EXISTS BECAUSE THERE WAS A CAMERA RIGHT THERE, Teddy has no defense. Instead he looks at an iPad after the other two leave.

HELL NO vs. Dolph Ziggler/Big Show

No entrances for either team. Bryan and Ziggler start things off with Bryan being taken to the mat in a bit of a surprise. A dropkick puts Daniel down and it’s off to Big Show. The other monster gets the tag and they slug it out with Show spearing Kane down. Show pounds away in the corner but misses a charge, allowing Kane to bring in Bryan for the NO kicks. The big kick to the head is blocked though and Show gorilla presses Bryan to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Ziggler ramming Bryan’s face into Show’s boot for one. Off to Show but Bryan avoids the chop in the corner. He tries to dive for Kane but Show easily throws him down. The chokeslam is countered into the DDT but Ziggler breaks up another tag with a neckbreaker on Bryan. Ziggler drops a bunch of elbows including a jumping version which gets two. Back to Show who punches Bryan in the ribs and puts on a stomach claw.

Off to Ziggler but he misses a Stinger Splash in the corner and there’s the hot tag to Kane. The Fameasser misses Kane but a big boot gets two on Ziggler. Bryan tags himself in of course, and hits a running clothesline on Dolph, followed by a running dropkick in the corner. Bryan dives at Big Show and gets shoved down as everything breaks down. Kane takes Show down and the NO Lock submits Ziggler at 10:02 shown of 13:32.

Rating: C. Dolph tapping out was the only way they could go here. I mean, he didn’t get beaten on Monday and by law he absolutely must job once a week so that his cash in will be as shocking as possible, and by shocking I mean really freaking obvious. Also I could go without having these random teams facing HELL NO every week.

The champs argue on the stage when Rhodes Scholars jump them. They’re not even pretending that the tournament is up for grabs anymore.

We recap the end of Barrett vs. Sheamus from Raw.

Antonio Cesaro vs. Ted DiBiase

Before the match we get a vignette of Cesaro at Sun Studio (where Elvis recorded a lot of his stuff) and criticizing country music. These kind of things are way better than seeing the people in the back all the time. Ted starts with a dropkick but gets sent to the floor almost immediately. Antonio drops Ted face first on the apron and we’re entering squash mode. Cesaro hits the gutwrench suplex and puts on a cravate. DiBiase makes a quick comeback with a clothesline and sitout spinebuster, but he jumps into the uppercut to stop him cold. There’s the Neutralizer for the pin at 2:39.

Raw ReBound is about the end of the show with the contract signing and Ryback killing Punk.

Heath Slater vs. Brodus Clay

The Band continues to look hilariously stupid. Slater jumps Brodus in the corner to start but the big man will have none of that. A suplex puts Slater down but Brodus charges into a boot in the corner. A middle rope missile dropkick staggers Clay but Slater gets killed by the overhead suplex. Clay has to chase off the Band and Slater hits that falling cutter of his for the pin at 1:55. It was nice looking at your girls Brodus. Sorry you had to die this badly.

Barrett isn’t sure Sheamus is a tough guy but he’s certainly stupid. Why fight Barrett tonight when you have to defend against Big Show? Wade hopes that Show remembers the beatdown tonight and wants the favor repaid once Show wins the title.

Layla vs. Natalya

They head to the mat and then the floor almost immediately with Nattie taking over. Eve continues to talk about the attack on Kaitlyn because that’s still a thing for some reason. Natalya hooks a modified abdominal stretch which is quickly escapes and a kick to the face gets Layla the pin at 1:55. It’s really hard to take Layla seriously when her song is about not being able to get enough sex and her video is of her dancing.

Teddy is with Kaitlyn and the iPad apparently belongs to Eve. Apparently there’s information on there that proves Eve is evil and needs to be stopped. Gee, who would have seen that coming? Kaitlyn takes a picture of the iPad screen. She says keep this quiet for now. You know, BECAUSE DOING THIS IN FRONT OF A CAMERA ON NATIONAL TELEVISION IS GOING TO KEEP THIS A SECRET!

Here are the lumberjacks for the main event.

Wade Barrett vs. Sheamus

Non-title of course and Show is a lumberjack. Barrett pounds away in the corner but the champion slugs right back. Barrett comes back with a kick to the ribs and a pumphandle slam for two. Sheamus gets sat on the ropes for the big boot, knocking the champion to the outside. Back in that gets two as Big Show is just standing there watching. Sheamus is sent chest first into the buckle as the dominance continues. Matthews says it’s a stalemate. I’d hate to see a beating then.

We take a break and come back with Sheamus making a comeback and hitting a Regal Roll for no cover. There are the ten forearms in the ropes followed by White Noise. Sheamus loads up the Brogue Kick but the 3MB pulls Barret to the floor. The champ dives on all of them to take them out but Barrett hits a running back elbow and a big boot for two back inside.

Wasteland is escaped and the Brogue Kick misses too. Barrett clotheslines Sheamus to the floor and it’s time for the big lumberjack brawl. Back in and Wade charges into the Irish Curse….and here’s HELL NO to get the Rhodes Scholars. Brogue Kick ends Barrett at 7:24 shown of 10:54.

Rating: C+. I usually love the brawls these two have but this was the short and not that great version. The focus was on the lumberjacks and while Sheamus got beaten up, it never felt like he was in any real danger. That made the main event more about waiting for the ending rather than being an interesting match. That’s not good but the match still wasn’t bad.

Post match Ziggler knocks Sheamus down and tries to cash in but Big Show knocks Ziggler out cold with the punch. Show says he’s taking the title at the PPV.

Overall Rating: D+. This show didn’t do anything for me. Aside from how uninteresting the Eve stuff is, now it’s just getting stupid as they have the evidence they need to prove she’s lying on tape and they won’t use it, and then they do something in front of a camera and say keep this secret. On top of that, the tournament final on Monday looks like a waste of time given what we saw here. Smackdown is just worthless at this point and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

Results

Randy Orton b. The Miz – RKO

Rhodes Scholars b. Tyson Kidd/Justin Gabriel – Disaster Kick to Kidd

HELL NO b. Dolph Ziggler/Big Show – NO Lock to Ziggler

Antonio Cesaro b. Ted DiBiase – Neutralizer

Heath Slater b. Brodus Clay – Falling Cutter

Layla b. Natalya – Kick to the head

Sheamus b. Wade Barrett – Brogue Kick

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews

This came to me last night and it’s another example of the fans complaining for the sake of complaining.The Rock won his first world title in November of 1998.  He won his last in July 0f 2002.  That’s less than four years and in that span, Rock won nine world titles: 7 WWF and 2 WCW.

John Cena won his first world title in April of 2005 and in four years, Cena had won six world titles: 4 WWE and 2 WHC.

The fans’ typical statements on these two:

Rock: ROCKY!  ROCKY!  ROCKY!

Cena: CENA SUCKS!  HE ALWAYS HAS THE TITLE AND WINS IT ALL THE FREAKING TIME!

Even though Rock won more titles in a much shorter span of time.  Rock would win nine titles in four years while Cena has won twelve in about seven years.  Also keep in mind that most of Rock’s reigns were when only one title was available.  To complain about Cena constantly winning titles while praising Rock as amazing is hypocrisy.

Impact Wrestling
Date: October 18, 2012
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Taz

We’re in a new era now as BFG 2012 is officially over and we now have a member of Aces and 8’s known in the form of D-Von. On top of that, they have full access to the Impact Zone, which is completely different from the last few months when they came and went as they pleased because…..well because that’s what the stipulations say. Oh and Hardy is now world champion. Let’s get to it.

After a highlight package from BFG we’re ready to go.

Aces and 8’s arrive to open the show. They point to the monitor and the boss and company are toasting themselves in the back. D-Von is officially the newest member apparently and not the leader. That doesn’t exactly make things better but it’s a thing at least. Here’s D-Von to the arena as well to celebrate with the group of Aces and 8’s in the ring. The fans chant that D-Von sold out.

D-Von says that the Aces and 8’s are the ones that always had his back and the people in the Impact Zone are inbred pieces of crap. He joined Aces and 8’s because he can. He thanks the guy that brought him into the group because….and he trails off. Regarding Bubba, this is payback for two years ago when Bubba turned on him and put his son through a table. You know, because everyone was waiting on resolution to THAT.

Cue Sting, Ray, and about half the roster. It’s a big brawl almost immediately and here comes Hogan……and we take a break. Yep we take a break nine minutes into the show with a brawl going on and with nothing explained. Back with Aces and 8’s out of the ring with TNA standing tall. They charge the ring again but then stop. Hogan says with full access comes the requirement to fight. Sting wants to fight D-Von tonight and Hogan says that fight is on or D-Von is gone. D-Von says ok. This story is so freaking dull.

We recap the world title match from the PPV. Hardy gets a celebration tonight. Aries says he’ll attend and bring cookies.

Back with Hogan in the back talking about how Jeff Hardy is defending next week. It’ll be against one of four challengers: Storm, Anderson, the winner of a triple threat, and someone else to be named. Park comes in and Hogan praises Park. Hogan sends the cameras out so they can chat.

TV Title: Samoa Joe vs. Robbie E

Joe pounds away to start and drops a knee for two. Robbie T blocks the MuscleBuster and Joe no sells chops. Joe dives onto T with a suicide elbow and kicks E out of the air. Back in and the MuscleBuster sets up the Clutch for the submission at 2:38.

Robbie T gets choked out too.

Jesse Godderz is pressing tara in the back. They make out a bit and drop celebrity names.

Tara vs. ODB

Non-title and ODB yells at Eric on the phone for not being here. She’s still on the phone during her entrance. ODB grabs Tara and pounds away to start. Apparently Tessmacher gets a rematch next week. ODB puts her ring in her picket which can’t be a good thing. She slams Tara down and talks to Eric on the phone some more. Jesse gets his face shoved in ODB’s chest and it’s back to the phone. Tara keeps pulling ODB’s hair and let’s stop for more kissing. ODB takes a shot from the flak, spits it at Jesse, and hits the Bam for the pin at 3:14.

Rating: D. I hated this. I hate reality TV, I hate alcohol, I thought the phone thing was stupid, and I hate the booking of having the new champion lose four days after the title change. Oh and I hate women’s wrestling in general. Nothing to see here and I don’t care about anything that just happened.

AJ talks to Angle and says it’s every man for himself in the three way tonight.

Kid Kash/Gunner vs. Hernandez/Chavo Guerrero

Non-title again. SuperMex throws both guys around and gorilla presses Kash down. An overhead belly to belly sends the 40+ year old Kid flying. Off to Gunner who gets caught by a slingshot hilo for two. Heel double teaming gives the challengers the advantage. The beating goes on for awhile but Chavo fights back with a European uppercut. Hot tag brings in SuperMex who cleans house, sends Kash flying, and a Chavo top rope rope cross body gets the pin at 5:04.

Rating: D+. This was just an extended workout for the champions here in a match that wasn’t interesting. Kash and Gunner are just there as a jobbing team and when you only have like five teams, having one of them job all the time is pretty pointless. Nothing to see here, exactly like the rest of the show.

Park wants to fight Aces and 8’s. Ray wants to talk to Hogan alone but Hogan says it’s ok to have Park there. Ray thanks Sting for letting him fight with him. He wants to be in the match with D-Von, but Hogan puts him in as one of the four guys next week instead. This ticks Ray off and Sting has to play peacemaker.

Here’s Hardy for the championship celebration…..and he has a custom belt with the face on it. WHY DOES HE KEEP DOING THAT??? He gets pyro and confetti and all the jazz you would expect him to. Jeff thanks the fans for being with him through everything and is excited for his first defense next week.

Cue Aries with balloons and cookies. The fans want cookies. Aries congratulates Jeff on beating him on a PPV which no one else could do. Aries loses the balloons and Hardy knocks the cookies away. Austin isn’t sure where his world title went but that’s not it on Jeff’s shoulder. He can cash in his rematch clause anywhere but he’s going to wait for Hardy to crumble under the pressure. Aries makes fun of the new belt and spits on it. Jeff tries a Twist but Aries bails. This was the first good segment of the night.

AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels vs. Kurt Angle

No Kaz in sight and the winner gets to be in the Championship competition next week with Anderson, Ray and Storm. Daniels gets shoved down to start and the other guys go at it. AJ takes over with the drop down/kick but Daniels gets back up and jumps Styles. Angle goes all nuts and suplexes both guys silly to take over. AJ immediately comes back with an enziguri but the Clash is countered into the ankle lock.

Angle is rammed into the post by Daniels as is his custom, leaving us with the life partners of Daniels and Styles. AJ hits the springboard forearm on Angle, Daniels hits a Blue Thunder Bomb on AJ, AJ Pele’s Angle down before moonsaulting Daniels on the floor. AJ is holding his knee and limping now. Back in and Angle hits an Angle Slam out of nowhere for the pin on Daniels at 6:55.

Rating: C+. Not terrible here but it felt like this ended quickly. Maybe AJ’s knee really is hurt but it’s hard to say. Either way, this was fine while it lasted but it could have been a lot better. Angle winning is a ncie idea though as he hasn’t been in the world title picture in awhile. That’s the perk of him: you can thrown him in there anytime and it works fine.

AJ won’t shake Angle’s hand post match.

Joey Ryan and Matt Morgan run into Hogan in the back. Hogan welcomes Ryan and yells at Morgan for interfering last Sunday. Morgan calls Hogan Terry and is mad about Hogan not making Morgan a big name. Hogan says he defended Morgan in creative meetings for years. Morgan is mad and slams Hogan against the wall and leaves. Hogan chuckles.

After a recap of Storm vs. Roode, here’s the Cowboy for a chat. Storm says what goes around comes away, and a year ago this whole thing started with Bobby Roode. It was on his bucket list of things to do. Now he wants the world title back. This brings out Roode who talks about the two of them promising to leave it all in the ring. Storm asks for a chair so Roode can have a seat while he kisses up to Roode. Bobby says Storm should be kissing up to Roode for launching his career. Storm apparently owes Roode for getting his first title and declares himself the better man. Last Call knocks Roode out cold.

Sting vs. D-Von

Now THERE is a main even! D-Von jumps him to start but gets caught in a release flapjack. Sting kicks a the legs but misses the Stinger Splash. Sting pounds away on D-Von and we head to the floor as we take a break. Back with D-Von taking over in a slugout and choking Sting a bit. D-Von fires off some elbows to the chest and is in total control.

A diving headbutt gets two as the fans are split on this one. Off to the chinlock followed by a jumping back elbow to take Sting down again. D-Von misses a middle rope headbutt and Sting makes his comeback. Splash, Death Drop, Deathlock, but here are Aces and 8’s for the DQ at 10:57.

Rating: D. It’s freaking 1997 all over again. At the end of the day, D-Von is a career tag team guy who won the lower midcard title in TNA for his only career singles success. On top of that, you had Sting beating him at the end which is the last thing you want to do for a guy who is supposed to be a big deal now. Nothing to see here.

It’s a big brawl to end the show until Ray runs out with a bat to clear the ring to end the show. IT REALLY IS 1997 ALL OVER AGAIN!

Overall Rating: D. That’s being about as generous as I can be here. This show bored me half to death with D-Von doing nothing at all to energize it. On top of that, it’s like nothing has momentum and there’s no sign of anything building any for the time being. I don’t buy D-Von in the main event scene but he’s there now and that’s all there is to say. The main stories aren’t grabbing me right now and that’s a bad thing.

Results

Samoa Joe b. Robbie E – Koquina Clutch

ODB b. Tara – The Bam

Chavo Guerrero/Hernandez b. Kid Kash/Gunner – Cross body to Kash

Kurt Angle b. AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels – Angle Slam to Daniels

Sting b. D-Von via DQ when Aces and 8’s interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews

NXT
Date: October 17, 2012
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, William Regal

Things have kind of reset after last week and now we need a new challenger for Rollins and the NXT Title. Other than that we had Punk here last week who really didn’t do all that much. The good thing about last week’s episode was that the show stood alone but it had some great stuff on it. Hopefully that keeps up tonight. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of last week’s main event with Rollins successfully defending against McGillicutty.

Alex Riley vs. Jinder Mahal

This is before the 3MB phase began for Mahal and is apparently the first time he’s been on NXT since he lost in the title tournament final. Feeling out process to start with Mahal working over the arm. Riley does exactly the same as the first minute is pretty even. They mix things up with a headlock and Riley dropkicks him down with one foot to the stomach and one to the chest.

A middle rope shoulder gets two for Alex as Regal is talking about his family singing in the bathroom. You certainly can’t say he lets things stay dull. Mahal drives knees into the chest for two and it’s off to a chinlock. Out of absolutely nowhere, Riley grabs a rollup and gets the big upset at 3:50.

Rating: C+. I like Riley and for the life of me I don’t get why the guy can’t get on TV more often. Even when he’s jobbing, the guy gets at least a small reaction which is more than you can say for a lot of people. I was really surprised to see him win here, as Mahal was the top heel on NXT just a few weeks ago. More Riley is fine with me.

Post match Mahal beats up Riley and puts him in the camel clutch.

Jake Carter vs. Trent Barretta

This was set up in a backstage segment last week. Regal talks about Vader training Carter (his son) since he was a kid and now it’s paying off apparently. Trent takes him to the mat with a headlock to start but Carter shoves him off and pounds away in the corner to take over. If there is ever a guy who you wouldn’t associate with his father based on his look and gimmick, Carter would be near the top of such a list. Jake hooks a chinlock but gets suplexed down by Trent.

An enziguri puts Carter down again and the fans are behind Trent. Not that it works that well as Carter takes his head off with a clothesline but the fans were indeed behind him. Carter loads up a belly to back superplex but gets knocked to the mat. A Whisper in the Wind gets two for Trent but he walks into a belly to belly overhead suplex for two. Another suplex is escaped and Trent hits a running boot/knee to the face for the pin at 6:28.

Rating: C+. This was another good match with a guy that I like who isn’t on TV enough. Trent is a guy who seems like he’s having a great time out there and looks incredibly smooth at the same time. Carter isn’t quite clicking for me but he certainly isn’t terrible. I think being Vader’s son hurts him a bit because you expect someone similar to Vader, but he’s got a long way to go to get that close to Vader’s level.

Here’s Sandow who says George Washington would be ashamed of everyone here. He thinks the fans boo him because they know he’s right.

Damien Sandow vs. Brandon Traven

I think I got the jobber’s last name right. Damien takes it to the mat to start and they trade some basic holds. Sandow misses a clothesline but runs to the corner to avoid a right hand. Damien takes it back to the mat and works on a headlock before stomping away a bit. Traven misses a dropkick and Sandow snaps, punching Traven down and raking his face with a knee. Off to a chinlock followed by some knees to the chest and then right back to the chinlock by Sandow. Traven gets in some jobber offense but misses a knee drop. The wind up elbow and the Terminus neckbreaker get the pin at 6:07.

Rating: C. This was just a squash and that’s all it should have been. Sandow is a guy who has a lot of upside and while his in ring stuff isn’t great, it’s good enough to get by when you have a solid gimmick like he’s got. The more I see of his singles stuff, the less I care for the Rhodes Scholars team, as Sandow is more than entertaining on his own.

Ascension/Kassius Ohno vs. Richie Steamboat/Usos

Main event time. Steamboat charges at the ring to get at Ohno and we take a break during the brawl. We come back with Cameron controlling Steamboat before tagging in to Ohno. Steamboat starts his comeback and Ohno immediately runs away. It’s off to O’Brien vs. Jey and O’Brien can’t hurt Jey head. I miss racial stereotypes in wrestling. Conor takes him down into a bodyscissors instead to take over.

Jey gets put in a chinlock as we take a break. Back with Conor kicking Jey in the head from the apron and Cameron dropping an elbow for two. Off to Ohno who stomps away in the corner for two. We hit the cravate and then a front facelock and Jey crawls for the corner, only to get dragged back to the wrong part of town. Back to Conor for more beating but Jey grabs a quick kind of Angle Slam move into a rollup for two.

Cameron comes in and gets caught in a backslide for two but Jey still can’t make the tag. This is quite a beatdown. JR says most people would have folded their tent by now, which launches Regal into stories of his carnival days. Back to Ohno but Jey punches his way to the corner for the hot tag to Steamboat. Richie destroys Kassius as everything breaks down. The Usos hit stereo dives onto Ascension on the floor but Ohno hits the spinning forearm (called OBE, or One Behind the Ear) for the pin at 10:16 shown of 12:46.

Rating: C-. This one missed for me. I don’t know if it’s because I really don’t like Ohno or if it’s something else, but I had problems making myself care about this. Ascension and the Usos continue to be entertaining, but I’m having a really hard time making myself care about Steamboat vs. Ohno. That elbow to the head looked even worse than usual today.

Overall Rating: B. This was another good show although not as good as last week. NXT is 45 minutes of pretty good wrestling with almost no stupid stuff at all. The main event was probably the weakest of all the matches and it certainly wasn’t bad. The one thing NXT is very good at is mixing things up from week to week. It keeps things on the show from getting worn out and stale, which is one of WWE’s biggest problems anymore.

Results

Alex Riley b. Jinder Mahal – Rollup

Trent Barretta b. Jake Carter – Running knee to the face

Damien Sandow b. Brandon Traven – Terminus

Ascension/Kassius Ohno b. Usos/Richie Steamboat – OBE to Steamboat

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews

So there’s a report that says Batista may be back at the Rumble.  Now those of you that read my thoughts on things like this know that I always go with the theory of “I’ll believe it when I see it.”  I’m not saying the report is valid or not because I have no idea if it is or not. What I’m asking is would you want Batista back in WWE?  Let’s think about this:Batista is in his mid 40s and didn’t seem to be thrilled with being in the WWE all the time.  He’s had some issues with people backstage and can be kind of a diva at times.

On the other hand, the guy is a legit main eventer and could be put in the world title hunt immediately with no questions asked.  He’s got a great look, is insanely over with the fans, and was on a roll when he left.

Overall, I’d be for it as he’s still got some years left in him and he could put some people over on his way out.  There’s nothing wrong with that at all, especially with how weak the main event pool is at this point.

Thoughts?

Well at least Main Event has a moment now.  Points for that I guess.  And no, it still doesn’t need to exist.

I’ve got the first ten done and I’m working on the Screwjob show.  I’m having a blast doing these again.

Monday Nitro #94
Date: June 30, 1997
Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Bobby Heenan, Tony Schiavone, Larry Zbyszko

This is probably a bigger show than the PPV from earlier in the month, or at least it’s being treated as such. There are two major debuts tonight and apparently Hogan is going to be here too. Other than that, the card is pretty much stacked with a lot of big names in action. This arena would host a bunch of PPVs so it has a big show feeling to it. Let’s get to it.

Tony does a quick intro and it’s off to Gene who brings out Naitch. Before Flair can talk we hear Piper’s music but instead it’s two women carrying a Piper mannequin. Flair starts to talk but the girls drop the mannequin. Apparently this is all that’s left of Piper after the girls had him all night long. One girl isn’t sure why Piper is called Hot Rod, because he isn’t hot. Oh these are Flair chicks for sure.

Flair says Piper crossed the line last week when Piper tried to tell Flair how to wrestle. That’s what he said? Thanks for clearing it up. Gene asks the girls if Flair is really the sixty minute man. Girl: “More like 30 seconds.” Flair immediately picks up the kilt and pretends he didn’t hear that line. He holds a funeral for Piper and the girls take Gene’s clothes off. He says his mother in law is watching so Flair struts a bit. This heel turn by Flair was way out there and it didn’t work on most levels.

The announcers tell us about Jericho winning the Cruiserweight Title two nights ago and then it’s right back to talking about Flair, who faces Piper at the PPV.

Cruiserweight Title: Juventud Guerrera vs. Chris Jericho

Jericho is defending his newly won title. That’s probably the biggest win WCW has had over the NWO to date. They trade wristlocks to start but no one can get control. Jericho hooks a bow and arrow hold on the mat followed by a headlock. Juvy tries a moonsault but misses Jericho, who hits a belly to back suplex for two. A regular suplex gets two as well and Guerrera is put in the Tree of Woe followed by a baseball slide.

Jericho walks into an elbow but Juvy misses a springboard dropkick to put him right back down. Jericho misses a charge and hits the floor, where Juvy hits a HUGE dive to take him out. A release German suplex by Jericho sets up a double powerbomb but it only gets two. Instead it’s the super Frankensteiner by Jericho into the Liontamer for the submission win to retain the title.

Rating: C. This was basically a squash with Juvy being a jobber out there. Jericho winning the title was a big shock but to their credit it felt like a big deal. Guerrera was good at what he did and would become one of the best in the division for years to come. I was kind of surprised by how one sided this was but it wasn’t bad at all.

Post match Gene comes in to talk to Jericho and Chris puts the title on Gene’s shoulder. There’s an image for you. Jericho says this is a WCW belt and it’s back where it belongs. Syxx comes out and says the NWO still recognizes him as champion. He says Jericho can have another match for the title right now, and a brawl breaks out. Post break security pulls them apart and Alex Wright is in the aisle. He’s tired of not getting interviews and not getting title shots. Wright says he has a better body than Luger and that’s it.

Dean Malenko vs. Eddie Guerrero

Eddie jumps Dean as he’s coming through the entrance and rams him into the steps. They head into the ring as we hear about Los Gringos Locos, Eddie’s team with Art Barr in Mexico. Dean is in trouble as the bell rings and Eddie suplexes him down. A back elbow puts Dean down but the slingshot hilo misses and Eddie is sent to the apron. Guerrero goes up and gets crotched followed by having his tornado DDT countered.

Eddie gets launched face first into the buckle and a backbreaker gets two for Dean. A WICKED powerbomb puts Eddie down but Dean wants to beat on him more instead of pin him. Here’s Chavo to ringside and then to the apron as Malenko is loading up the Cloverleaf. Eddie shoves Dean into Chavo, followed by the brainbuster and Frog Splash for the pin.

Rating: C+. This was more about storytelling than the match, but the match wasn’t half bad. These two have been going after each other for weeks and it’s a good idea to have the first match end with some questionable means. It continues the story and was good at the same time. What more could you possibly want?

Mysterio is with Gene and says that he’s tired of being pushed around by Nash and the Wolfpac. It started when he was launched like a dart into a trailer and then powerbombed during his match with Syxx. Rey wants a match with Nash and the big man comes out to laugh and accept the challenge.

Here are Bischoff and Hogan with something to say. Eric is on a motorcycle because he enjoys being on them. Hogan talks about beating down all of their enemies and partying with Rodman (not here) later tonight. The party is the highlight of the interview. Pretty much Hogan had nothing to say here.

TV Title: Hector Garza vs. Steven Regal

Regal is defending, in case someone actually needs clarification. Regal, now in a singlet, tries to take Garza down with a Boston Crab to start. When that doesn’t work, Regal pounds away in the corner to take over. Garza comes back with a forearm but Regal takes him back down and struts a bit.

They head to the floor for a second which goes nowhere so Garza low bridges him back to the floor. Garza loads up the Corkscrew Plancha and we go wide to get a better look at it. This is a bad idea as Garza COMPLETELY misses Regal, barely grazing the champ’s shins. Back in and a moonsault hits Regal’s knees and the Regal Stretch retains the title.

Rating: C-. This was a fine enough way to kill off six minutes I guess but there’s nothing to it beyond that. Garza was about as much of a one move guy as you could possibly have and when that one move looked bad in a match, there wasn’t much else he could do. One thing you did get almost every week was a random pairing like this. There’s nothing wrong with that because you can throw something out there and see what works. If it doesn’t, you lose six minutes and that’s it. WWE seems to be trying this with Cesaro lately and it’s a good idea.

The Steiners want their match with the Outsiders accepted tonight. Didn’t they already win the #1 contendership? Why would they need a match to be accepted? This brings out the NWO en masse. Hall says he has a contract right now and the Steiners sign it without reading it. The contract says that the Steiners have to beat Chono and Muta before they get their shot. I’m sure THAT will be the last match before the title match right?

Super Calo vs. Psychosis

Calo knocks him to the floor and Psychosis stalls a bit. Sonny Onoo, Psychosis’ manager, distracts Calo and Psychosis takes over. Back in and Calo powerslams him down but gets enziguried to the floor. Psychosis goes up but missed a double ax handle, landing face first on the barricade. FREAKING OW MAN! Calo suplexes him back in as they try to do the Warrior/Rude finish from Mania 5, but Sonny misses the foot, making Calo look completely inept. Too short to rate but it was pretty pedestrian stuff.

Post match Calo beats down Psychosis but La Parka comes out and breaks a wooden chair over Calo’s back for the second time. Juventud Guerrera comes out for the save.

Hour #2 starts.

Steve McMichael/Ric Flair/Chris Benoit vs. Buff Bagwell/Masahiro Chono/Scott Norton

Bagwell and Flair start things off and we get a strutting competition. Buff pounds on Flair in the corner and it’s off to Mongo who has a dumb look on his face. Mongo gets caught in the wrong corner but he comes back with right hands to Chono. Back to Flair who pounds away for about five seconds before Benoit comes in to a nice reaction. Chono kicks him down but stops to argue with Flair, allowing Benoit to clothesline Chono down and hit the Swan Dive. Everything breaks down and Vincent comes in for the DQ.

Rating: D+. Nothing to see here as the whole match wasn’t even four minutes long and had the NWO DQ as required by WCW law. Also I’m not sure what was accomplished here at all, but on a shot this big I can understand the matches being this short. It isn’t fun to sit through but it’s understandable.

High Voltage vs. Mortis/Wrath

Wrath pounds on Kaos in the corner and things break down in about twenty seconds. A top rope clothesline puts Kaos down and the squash is on. Glacier and Miller come to ringside and the distraction draws Wrath to the floor, allowing Cat (Miller) to kick Mortis in the face and give High Voltage the big upset.

A limo is in the back. Presumably this is the impact player. The door opens, the camera zooms in on it, and the door closes.

Road Report.

Raven is in the front row and the announcers all know who he is. He’s mentioned as a champion from elsewhere but ECW isn’t mentioned by name of course. Tenay thinks he might be the Impact Player or Page’s mystery partner.

US Title: Jeff Jarrett vs. Konnan

I think this is for the title but I’m not sure. Jeff pounds him down to start but misses an enziguri, allowing Konnan to hit a low dropkick to take over. Jarrett comes back with a DDT but Konnan takes it to the mat and hooks a kind of abdominal stretch on the mat. Konnan loads up a Figure Four but a rake to the eyes breaks it up. Here come the Horsemen who distract Konnan and allow Jeff to take the knee out and put on the Figure Four….which is almost immediately turned over. Jeff turns it back over and Flair helps Jeff with some extra leverage for the tap out.

Rating: D+. Nothing to see here again with another match feeling like pure filler. I just hope this doesn’t lead to more problems for the Horsemen as that story has been going on for about a year now. Jarrett never clicked at all in WCW and he felt forced in there as a Horseman. How many US Title shots is Konnan going to get anyway?

Post match Jeff brags about everyone he’s beaten but Flair says Jarrett is off the team. Halle-freaking-lujah. Jarrett says you can’t do that. Flair is like dude, I’m Ric Flair. Debra runs her mouth for a bit and Jarrett says he’s going to put Flair out. Benoit talks about how Jarrett blew his chance. This didn’t make a ton of sense, but anything that gets Jarrett out of the Horsemen is cool with me.

Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Kevin Nash

Rey goes right at him and takes Nash down, but a sunset flip goes about as badly as you would expect it to for Mysterio. Nash LAUNCHES Mysterio across the ring and the Jackknife ends this quick. So Mysterio stands up to the NWO and is promptly destroyed. Thanks for wasting our time on that guys.

Nash drops Mysterio again and hits the referee too. Konnan comes out as Nash powerbombs Rey a third time. Nash leaves and Konnan puts on the Tequila Sunrise, apparently joining the NWO. Mysterio is taken out on a stretcher.

Tenay goes to talk to Raven but Raven won’t say anything.

Diamond Dallas Page/Lex Luger/The Giant vs. Randy Savage/Outsiders

Main event time. We take a break before the match starts and come back to see the NWO still not letting WCW in, just like what we saw before the break. Luger and Giant finally get in and the match gets going. Page goes right for Savage and WCW rules the ring to start. Hall gets in a shot on Luger, and according to wrestling law, the rest of the NWO takes over at the exact same time. All six guys are still in the ring and I don’t think we’ve had a bell yet.

Savage and Page fight to the floor before getting right back into the ring. We still haven’t had two people alone in the ring yet. Luger goes down so Giant headbutts both Outsiders down at the same time. Giant charges at them both but gets backdropped to the floor. Here comes Hogan and Page Diamond Cuts Savage. Hogan blasts Luger with the belt on the floor and apparently he took Giant out with it earlier. Page gets beaten down and I think the match is thrown out. It never started I don’t think so I won’t rate it, but it was just a big brawl anyway.

The NWO destroys Page as Hogan walks around on the floor. Savage hits a second elbow and Sting is in the crowd. Savage hits a third elbow and another Sting drops in from the rafters. Hogan bails and Sting clears the ring. Curt Hennig walks down the aisle and the show ends with him doing nothing at all. Raven jumps the guardrail, which is some of the only main event interaction I ever remember him having in WCW.

Overall Rating: C+. This is a back and forth show. It feels like a big show for sure, given all of the matches they had on here and some of the stuff they had going on, but nothing on here is anything more than ok from a quality standpoint. That being said, we had a lot of stuff on here and it certainly feels like a big show, which is what they were shooting for. The ending looks really interesting, but the important question is how will they follow up on it.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews

Ryback vs. Punk in the Cell for the title is the main event of HIAC.  That opens a lot of doors.At the end of the day, I can’t imagine Punk not being champion at the Rumble to face Rock.  Now the question is will he be champion the entire way through the next few months?  This is where the Cell becomes an issue, because otherwise the answer would be Ryback destroys Punk but Punk walks out and leaves the arena to save the title in fear.  The Cell stops that from being an option, so the question is what do they do now?

The only thing I can see happening is Lesnar running in and attacking Ryback, setting up a match between them at TLC or the Rumble.  if Ryback is going to lose in there, he has to lose by an inch and due to every method of cheating, illegal tactics, interference, and whatever else you can think of.  Oh wait that can’t happen because it’s the Cell.  Gee, MAYBE IT’S A FREAKING BAD IDEA TO HAVE THE CELL GUARANTEED WHEN YOU HAVE NO IDEA IF THE MATCH YOU WANT CAN HAPPEN IN IT!  EVER THOUGHT OF THAT VINCE???

Anyway, the more I think about it, the more I think Ryback wins the title and then loses it in another gimmick match likely involving Punk and Cena at TLC.  I mean, they wouldn’t do Rock vs. Ryback………….would they?

There’s one thing I’m sure of: I honestly do not know what is going to happen at TLC and I can’t even lean one way or another.  That happens very rarely in WWE and I LOVE it.

Thoughts?

Monday Nitro #93
Date: June 23, 1997
Location: Macon Coliseum, Macon, Georgia
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Bobby Heenan, Tony Schiavone, Larry Zbyszko

We’re getting closer to Bash at the Beach but more importantly we’re getting closer to next week which is being hyped as a major Nitro, with the debut of a major name. There would be another major name there actually but not as big as the other one. Tonight we’re likely going to build towards the PPV but I wouldn’t expect Hogan or Rodman to be here. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap from the end of last week’s show with Luger and Giant getting beaten down by the NWO.

Opening sequence.

By the way, before the show started, a local guy debuted (I believe) in a dark match. His name: Goldberg.

Here are Page and Kimberly (looking GOOD) to open the show. Page says he has a surprise partner for the PPV and tonight it’s Page vs. Hall, as set up by Kimberly somehow.

Public Enemy vs. La Parka/Damien

Grunge and Parka start things off as Tony talks about the rest of the show because this isn’t an important match. That’s not sarcasm. This match is about as pure filler as you can ask for. La Parka takes him into the corner but Grunge takes him down. Off to Damien as all four are in the ring already. Off to Rock vs. Damien with the luchadors taking over for a bit. Not hot tag brings in Grunge and it’s table time. Rock dives through Damien through the table which isn’t a DQ somehow. La Parka blasts Grunge with a chair and steals the pin. Short and nothing of note, but it’s nice to see a fresh team getting a win like this.

Here’s Eddie Guerrero who asks for Chavo to come out to clear the air over an issue they’re apparently having. Eddie claims Chavo offered to go to the ring last week to face Malenko. Chavo isn’t sure if that’s true but Eddie has talked to JJ and Chavo is getting Eddie’s shot at Syxx tonight. Chavo isn’t sure what’s going on but he says ok.

Alex Wright vs. Chris Jericho

This is a rematch from two weeks ago. Wright jumps Jericho as he gets in the ring and things start fast. Jericho comes back with a spinwheel kick to send Wright to the floor. Alex starts to take a walk but comes back to kick Jericho in the ribs a few times. Chris takes him to the mat to take over and works on an armbar. A springboard shoulder block puts Wright on the floor but Jericho dives into a dropkick to shift momentum again. Wright stops to dance but Jericho hits a Lionsault Press for two. Jericho catches him coming out of the corner and the Liontamer (called a Boston Crab here) gets the submission.

Rating: C. Not bad here as Jericho continues to evolve into the modern day version of himself. Wright’s heel turn has more flounder in it than a river in Minnesota and it just isn’t working at all. Thankfully they made the right pick with who to push of these two as Jericho would become a legend and Wright would become a Nazi character.

The announcers talk about the PPV main event and the NWO interfering in the tag match at the previous PPV.

Steiner Brothers vs. Harlem Heat

ANOTHER #1 contender match because seventy four of them weren’t enough. Vincent interfered at the PPV so the Heat’s victory didn’t count. Booker and Scot get things going and we stall to start. Eventually Scott gets double teamed and kicked in the face to give the Heat control. Then again Scott Steiner isn’t one to sell so he gorilla presses Booker and launches him across the ring.

Off to Rick and the fans start barking. Stevie beats on him and kicks Rick in the head to take over. When all else fails, kick the guy in the head. Rick comes back with a belly to back and barks some more. Off to Scott vs. Booker again with the future Freakzilla taking over via a belly to belly. A double tag brings in Stevie and Rick with Stevie powerslamming Rick down for two.

Off to a chinlock for a bit followed by Booker missing an elbow but Spinarooning up. Rick powerslams him down and it’s off to Scott who cleans house. Stevie breaks up the top rope bulldog and Sherri is knocked into Booker on the floor. A BAD looking top rope bulldog (Stevie’s head hit Rick’s leg) gets the pin for Rick.

Rating: D-. This was a MESS. They were all over the place and weren’t even in the same library, let alone on the same page. The ending looked horrible and the whole thing just never clicked. It didn’t help that the Outsiders wouldn’t defend the belts again for months, making this match, say it with me, TOTALLY POINTLESS.

The NWO D team (Bagwell, Norton and Vincent) say the Steiners aren’t the #1 contenders. Buff says he has the real arms instead of Scott Steiner. Buff and Norton are now named Vicious and Delicious. The Steiners get in their faces and chase them off. The Steiners want the Outsiders.

Video on Ernest Miller. The guy still wouldn’t be interesting for about three years, and even then it was nothing special.

Hector Garza vs. Villano IV

Talk about your random matches. Villano takes over quickly with a Cutter that looks more like an RKO. He launches Garza to the floor and hits a suicide dive to take Garza down again. Garza comes back once they get inside and Tenay goes into one of his interesting stories about Garza’s father being a regional star in Mexico. How did he go from this to hitting on women thirty five years his junior in TNA? Villano hits a shoulder breaker but misses a moonsault. They head to the floor with Garza hitting a backbreaker followed by his trademark corkscrew plancha. Back inside and a standing moonsault pins Villano.

Rating: C-. There were some good dives here but the match had zero heat. There’s no reason to care about either of these guys and big flips and dives mean nothing when you can see Mysterio and Dragon do the same things. The match was a fine way to kill seven minutes, but the match didn’t mean anything at all.

Here are Luger and Giant for a chat. They don’t like Hogan and Rodman all that much apparently. They won’t quit and they’ll win at the PPV. This takes five minutes to get through.

Cruiserweight Title: Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs. Syxx

Hall is with the champ here. Chavo puts Syxx on the floor but misses a cross body off the top to give the champ control. The Bronco Buster hits and it’s off to a chinlock. Syxx hits a Michinoku Driver and some of those fast legdrops of his. A charge into the corner misses Chavo though and both guys are down. Chavo wins a quick slugout and gets a rollup for two. Eddie comes out to watch as Syxx is knocked to the floor. A BIG top rope dive takes Syxx out but Hall decks Chavo behind the referee’s back. The Outsider’s Edge sets up the Buzz Kill for the submission. Eddie has his arms folded on the stage.

Rating: C+. When you give Waltman a small guy like Chavo to fight, you get a much better match out of him. This wasn’t a masterpiece or anything but it was entertaining stuff. Syxx would actually lose the title before the next episode of Nitro at a house show (called Saturday Nitro) to a certain Lionheart.

Konnan vs. Steve McMichael

Jarrett is on official Horsemen probation apparently. Mongo shoves Konnan down to start so Konnan wants to get in a three point stance. One of these guys would wind up in the College Football Hall of Fame so guess how well this goes for Konnan. Back in after Mongo shoves him to the floor, Konnan pounds away in the corner. We hit a neck crank but Hugh Morrus comes out to distract Konnan, allowing Mongo to hit the Tombstone for the quick pin. Nothing to see here.

We get a video on Benoit’s path to get another match with Sullivan, because somehow Sullivan, who I don’t think beat Benoit once in their feud, has the pull to be able to not have a match he doesn’t want. Benoit had to beat both Faces of Fear and did just that, then he had to beat Meng again in the same kind of match. Now he gets a career match against Sullivan at the Bash which will FINALLY end this feud.

Here’s Piper for a chat. He rants about Batman and Mr. Freeze for some reason before saying he thinks Flair might have abandoned him last week. He talks about Flair dating two women so when he falls asleep they can talk to each other. Here’s Flair to try to say something that makes sense. When Ric Flair is the one who makes sense, you know you’re in trouble. Flair comes out and tells Piper to calm down and Piper references Dante’s Peak, a volcano movie. Mongo and Benoit come out with Debra, who runs her mouth and is immediately booed.

Mongo makes fun of the kilt and is the only person that makes any sense here. He says lay off Flair but Piper wants to fight. Benoit tells Piper he’s been around way too long and accuses him of having osteoporosis. Piper beats up the Horsemen. Mongo hits him with the briefcase and Benoit puts on the Crossface. We get a Horsemen stomp until security breaks it up. I have no idea who I’m supposed to cheer for or why they’re fighting in the first place.

Glacier/Ernest Miller vs. High Voltage

This is Miller’s debut. Rage and Kaos jump the karate guys from behind and are immediately kicked to the floor. Glacier and Kaos start things off but Rage comes in with a springboard bulldog. High Voltage hits a double gorilla press but Glacier comes back with strikes. Mortis, Wrath and Vandenberg are watching from the stage. Miller comes in and kicks a lot before hitting something like Trouble in Paradise from the top rope for the pin. Standard debut match.

Wrath and Mortis stare some more.

Hogan and Rodman talk some trash and it’s an NWO commercial.

Diamond Dallas Page vs. Scott Hall

Savage and Liz come out just after Hall. We actually hear about Page managing Hall back in the day. They don’t mention it being in WCW but they do at least mention it. Hall takes him down to start and works on the arm but Page comes back with his shoulders to the shoulder. Hall goes to Page’s bad ribs to take over again. Page hits an atomic drop but gets backdropped to the floor, which isn’t a DQ because of whatever reason they’re going with this week.

Savage sends Page into the barricade and Hall chops away. DDP gets sent into the steps as it’s all Hall at the moment. Page hits some right hands but gets slammed down into the mat to stop the comeback. Page’s discus lariat takes Hall down but DDP can’t follow up. He calls for the Cutter but here’s Savage for the DQ.

Rating: C-. Standard Nitro main event here as the match was mostly kicking and punching before they were setting up a finish and the DQ ending. The important thing here is that Page looked comfortable in there against a big name, instead of looking like he was in over his head. The Savage feud did an excellent job of elevating him to this level which you hardly ever see anymore.

Savage and Hall beat down Page. Savage goes up for the elbow but Sting is in the crowd with the bat. He stares down Savage who is on the top rope, but thankfully Savage drops the elbow on Page anyway. It took a minute for him to do it but thankfully the NWO didn’t make Savage that stupid. Sting chases Hall and Savage off to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. The problem with WCW at this point is really becoming clear now: other than the main event and one or two other things, there aren’t any stories going on here. The main feud is a tag match which we don’t know the fourth participant of until we got to the PPV. The second biggest feud I guess is Piper vs. Flair which makes no sense at all. After that…..the tag title #1 contender feud which is going on and on and would result in another #1 contenders match at the PPV with another team replacing the Heat?

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