Collision
Date: November 1, 2025
Location: Bert Ogden Arena, Edinburg, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s Fright Night, meaning it’s time to have something a bit scarier around here. However, we also have quite the stacked lineup, with the Ring Of Honor World Title on the line, plus Mercedes Mone defending…well one of her many titles. Other than that, we are in the middle of the Women’s Tag Team Titles tournament so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

The opening video focuses on the Dia de los Muertos and looks at the card.

Opening sequence.

Max Caster/Anthony Bowens vs. Kazuchika Okada/Konosuke Takeshita

Don Callis is on commentary and the match is having so he can prove his Family works well together. Takeshita and Bowens trade arm cranking to start before chopping it out. Bowens knocks him down and Caster comes in to knock the Family outside. Bowens teases a dive off the top but Caster takes them down with a slingshot dive instead, much to Bowens’ annoyance.

Back in and Caster gets beaten up in the corner, setting up Okada’s falling top rope elbow. Okada’s middle finger to Takeshita lets Caster get two off a rollup so Okada gives him the Air Raid Crash onto the knee for two. Caster is able to slip over for the tag off to Bowens, whose house cleaning is quickly cut off by Okada as we take a break. We come back with Bowens striking away at Okada and flipping away from Takeshita.

That’s enough for Caster to tag himself in, meaning it’s time for some claps. Everything breaks down and Takeshita hits a Tower Of Doom, including a powerbomb to Okada. Bowens plants Okada but Caster tags himself in to load up the top rope elbow. They argue again and Okada Rainmakers Bowens, leaving Takeshita to take himself in for Raging Fire on Caster (ignore his shoulder being on Takeshita’s leg and therefore up during the pin) for the pin at 14:02.

Rating: C+. The action was fine, though I was having flashbacks to something out of a Battlebowl here. Having both teams fighting among themselves didn’t make for the most exciting match and that’s what we had here. Takeshita still seems likely to leave the Family soon, which would be a better move, just because this is quite the odd usage of the IWGP World Champion.

Post match Callis makes them raise their hands together but they aren’t happy.

Harley Cameron and Willow Nightingale are a team because they have matching gear. You can take the babes out of the wrath but you can’t take the wrath out of the babes.

Video on Toni Storm/Mina Shirakawa.

CMLL Women’s Title: Olympia vs. Mercedes Mone

Mone is defending and Kris Statlander is on commentary. They pose at each other to start before Mone takes her down and dances. That earns her a whip into the corner and some running knees into a dance from Olympia. Mone gets thrown down again and Statlander is rather impressed. A superplex is broken up and Mone sends her outside for the Meteora off the apron.

We take a break and come back with Mone getting two off a fisherman’s suplex but an armbar is countered into a sitout powerbomb. Mone tries some rollups but gets muscled into a sitout F5 for two. That’s enough for Mone to go outside where she gets in an argument with Statlander. Back in and Mone easily gets the Statement Maker to retain at 10:56.

Rating: C+. Again, you knew what you’re going to get from Mone, as the matches are usually fine but it’s almost impossible to imagine her losing anything. Yes it happened once and that does help, but at the same time, Mone having so many titles and defending a few of them on TV is a lot to take. Either have her lose some titles or just stop with the belt collector deal, which still isn’t that interesting.

Post match Mone has to run away from a charging Statlander.

We recap Dynamite.

The Young Bucks are distraught when Don Callis comes in. He’s gotten them a six man tag at Full Gear, where they can team with Josh Alexander against the Jurassic Express and Kenny Omega. The prize for the winners: $1 million. Question: why would Tony Khan keep giving the Bucks these chances? They’ve abused his money and power for years and are under contract, so why would he keep letting them try to get back on their feet?

Miranda Alize/Nixon Newell vs. Marina Shafir/Megan Bayne

Jon Moxley is on commentary. Alize and Newell jump them to start fast and Bayne misses a charge in the corner. Double superkicks stagger Bayne again but she German suplexes both of them at once. It’s off to Shafir to slam both of them at once and everything breaks down. Bayne gives Newell the running Liger Bomb for the pin at 2:26 while Shafir gives Alize Mother’s Milk.

We unveil the lineups for the women’s Blood & Guts match:

Triangle Of Madness/Megan Bayne/Marina Shafir/Mercedes Mone
Jamie Hayter/Queen Aminata/Willow Nightingale/Harley Cameron/Toni Storm/Kris Statlander

So just about every woman on the roster of note.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. The Conglomeration

Strong and Guevara go with the grappling to start, with Guevara actually getting the better of things. Komander comes in to fire off the chops before flipping over Dralistico. They trade armdrags and legsweeps into a standoff and it’s off to Mortos to shoulder Briscoe. Guevara even jumps in on commentary to brag about his teammates before Mortos gets in a big backdrop. Briscoe strikes away to take over and it’s back to Komander for a spinning anklescissors.

La Faccion is sent outside for stereo dropkicks through the ropes from Briscoe and Strong. Guevara cuts Komander down though and we take a break. We come back with Dralistico hitting a springboard spinning Canadian Destroyer for two. Komander gets in a faceplant though and it’s Strong coming back in to clean house. Mortos comes in to deck Strong, who gets over to Briscoe to strike away. Briscoe adds a big dive to the floor but Mortos breaks up the Jay Driller. Komander is back in with a springboard poisonrana though, leaving Briscoe to Jay Driller Dralistico for the pin at 11:56.

Rating: B-. This was the usual AEW six man tag, with everyone flying around and getting in their stuff. Briscoe gets a win as he’s trying to find something else to do, which is always appreciated. LFI doesn’t have anything going on anyway (yes that includes being ROH Tag Team Champions) so put them out there and let them get at least a bit of exposure.

We recap the Hangman Page attack on Samoa Joe from the end of Dynamite.

Eddie Kingston was checking on Hook after his loss to Samoa Joe but doesn’t have much to say.

Here is MxM TV for their Casting Call.

MxM TV vs. Bang Bang Gang

Austin and TV start things off and everything breaks down rather quickly. Gunn cleans house and Austin hits a running flip dive to the floor. Back in and Austin flips out of a double belly to back suplex, allowing the tag off to Robinson. The forward DDT hits TV and a powerbomb gets two on Mansoor. A double suplex drops Madden and it’s the Fold to finish TV at 3:32.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time here and it was nice to see the Gang getting back on track. Granted it helps when you have an actual three man team rather than the leftovers of the original version. If nothing else, Austin getting time on a bigger stage is nice to see, as he’s certainly good enough to get a shot.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

We recap Mascara Dorada challenging Bandido for the Ring Of Honor World Title. They had a classic in their first title match so we’ll do it again.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Mascara Dorada vs. Bandido

Bandido is defending and they fight over arm control to start. Dorada takes him to the mat and tries a surfboard, with Bandido standing up to escape. That works so well that they switch places and do the exact same thing for another standoff. Stereo handspring flips leave them staring at each other again but Bandido sends him outside. A dive misses though and Bandido’s shoulder is banged up again as we take a break.

We come back with Dorada elbowing him down for two but getting taken down with a spinning high crossbody. Bandido slams him with one arm and Dorada is knocked outside for an Alley Oop onto the apron. The big dive connects but Bandido goes head first into the announcers’ table for a nasty crash. Back in and a monkey flip sends Dorada into the corner so the frog splash can give Bandido two. A spinning DDT gives Dorada two and they go to the apron, where Bandido hits a pop up cutter to the floor.

We take another break and come back with Dorada hitting a springboard high crossbody. A hurricanrana sends Bandido outside for the running corkscrew dive, followed by a shooting star. Back in and Bandido’s running knee gets two but Dorada reverses a DDT into a suplex. A pop up powerbomb gives Bandido a breather and they trade running boots for a double down. Dorada’s shooting star press hits raised knees but he’s fine enough to catch Bandido on top. A running super hurricanrana is countered into a sunset bomb for two, followed by the 21 Plex to retain Bandido’s title at 22:44.

Rating: A-. Yeah this was great, as Bandido is on the roll of rolls this year. He’s seemingly incapable of having a bad match and it’s awesome to see what he does no matter who he’s out there against. Dorada has turned into a star as well and he had an outstanding performance of his own here. Great stuff, though it would be nice to have it actually on Ring Of Honor instead of elsewhere.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The main event helped the show a lot and that’s a good thing, as the rest of this week was just decent. It was a lot of focus on less than interesting stuff, including the Don Callis Family and Mercedes Mone. Blood & Guts and Full Gear coming up will help a lot, though it would be nice if something more interesting happened around here. Bandido can only do so much, and while the main event was great, it’s still just the Ring Of Honor World Title.

Results
Konosuke Takeshita/Kazuchika Okada b. Max Caster/Anthony Bowens – Raging Fire to Caster
Mercedes Mone b. Olympia – Statement Maker
Marina Shafir/Megan Bayne b. Miranda Alize/Nixon Newell – Running Liger Bomb to Newell
The Conglomeration b. La Faccion Ingobernable – Jay Driller to Dralistico
Bang Bang Gang b. MxM TV – Fold to TV
Bandido b. Mascara Dorada – 21 Plex

 

 

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

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Saturday Night’s Main Event XLI
Date: November 1, 2025
Location: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

It’s a big show this time as we have the Raw World Title needing to be decided following Seth Rollins’ injury. Other than that, the Smackdown World Title is on the line as Drew McIntyre gets another shot at Cody Rhodes. The Intercontinental and Smackdown Women’s Titles are both on the line as well so let’s get to it.

The opening video features flashbacks to the original series before shifting to look at tonight’s edition.

Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre

Rhodes is defending and can lose the title via countout or DQ. We get the Big Match Intros and McIntyre insists on being introduced as the REAL American Dream in a great bit of trolling. Rhodes slugs away to start and McIntyre heads outside to slow things back down. Back in and McIntyre tries to send Rhodes into the referee, which McIntyre thinks should be a DQ. McIntyre bites his head and Rhodes stomps away, which has him almost shoving the referee in frustration.

That’s enough of a distraction for McIntyre to get in a cheap shot from behind and post Rhodes for a bonus. Back in and an elbow drops Rhodes before McIntyre sends him flying with a suplex. McIntyre goes up top and gets superplexed down and…the stream freezes for a few moments. We come back with Rhodes winning a slugout and hitting the Disaster Kick.

The Cody Cutter connects (though it looked like McIntyre tried to counter) for two but McIntyre is back with a spinebuster and sitout powerbomb for two of his own. With frustration setting in, McIntyre grabs the title, which he throws to Rhodes. That’s not enough to get Rhodes to snap as he throws the title away, only to get Claymored for two. They head outside where McIntyre can’t hit another Claymore but can knock him off the apron and through the announcers’ table for a heck of a crash.

Back in and another Claymore misses so Rhodes tries to climb the corner, only to bang up his knee. The knee is fine enough to hit the Cody Cutter for two (the first one must have been a botch) before the referee gets bumped. McIntyre grabs the title, which is knocked away, and it’s a double crossbody to leave everyone down. They both crawl for the belt, with Rhodes giving him a DDT onto it for the knockout. Cross Rhodes retains the title at 18:43.

Rating: B. Good, hard fought match here, which is what you want to see out of these two. They had something interesting with the idea of Rhodes being in more danger than usual. The fans were into what they were doing and it felt like the title was in jeopardy a few times. Rhodes is likely gearing up for his feud with Randy Orton over the title and this was a great way to give him a boost on the way there.

We recap Jade Cargill challenging Tiffany Stratton for the Smackdown Women’s Title. Stratton beat her once but Cargill came back and turned evil, even injuring Stratton’s knee on the way here.

Nick Aldis makes sure that Stratton is good to go, which she insists she is.

Various celebrities are here.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Jade Cargill vs. Tiffany Stratton

Stratton is defending and slugs away to start fast. That earns her a quick chokeslam but Cargill misses a charge into the corner. Cargill is fine enough to catch her on top as Stratton gets caught in the Tree Of Woe. Some cranking on the knee has Stratton down on the floor and Cargill is not impressed. Stratton is able to send her into the steps for a breather and then drops her off the top inside. The Swanton hits Cargill for two but she’s right back with a fall away slam. It works so well that she does it two more times for another near fall. A pair of powerbombs puts Stratton down and Jaded gives Cargill the title at 5:32.

Rating: C+. This was built around the idea of Stratton’s knee being banged up and that’s a fine way to go. It turned into Cargill smashing through the injured Stratton, who got in a flurry to start but then just got overwhelmed. That’s a good way to end Stratton’s long reign, as she was beaten by someone she couldn’t stop. There are already people set to come after Cargill, including a likely soon to return Bianca Belair. This was how the title change should have gone down and it worked rather well.

Saturday Night’s Main Event is back in Montreal on January 24.

Intercontinental Title: Dominik Mysterio vs. Penta vs. Rusev

Mysterio is defending and gets knocked to the floor to start fast. Rusev dropkicks Penta for two and then powerbombs Mysterio, allowing him to sneer a lot. They fight to the floor where Mysterio posts Rusev before Penta flip dives onto both of them. Back in and Penta’s slingshot dropkick hits Mysterio in the corner, with Rusev pulling Penta outside for a ram into the barricade.

Mysterio gets dropped onto the announcers’ table, allowing Rusev to tell the title that he’s coming. Back in and Rusev chokes on the ropes but Penta breaks up the Accolade attempt. The Backstabber out of the corner gives Penta two on Rusev and some basement superkicks make it worse. Rusev shrugs that off and hits the swinging release Rock Bottom for two of his own. With Penta down in the corner, Mysterio grabs a chair and throws it to Rusev…apparently forgetting that it’s No DQ.

Rusev wrecks Mysterio with the chair but Penta kicks it into Rusev’s face. A springboard tornado DDT plants Rusev for two but he’s back with an Alabama Slam. Back up and the Penta Driver plants Rusev, only to have him pop back up and superkick Penta out of the air. The Accolade goes on and the bell rings….but there was no tap out. Mysterio rang the bell for the save, which earns him quite the beating. Rusev gets sent into the steps though and Penta grabs the bell hammer, which accidentally hits Rusev. Mysterio takes Penta out and frog splashes Rusev to retain at 12:37.

Rating: B-. There is something awesome about Mysterio’s “What if Honky Tonk Man was just a little bit smarter?” title reign. On paper, Mysterio should be getting wrecked in every title match but he’s just smart enough to find a way out. That’s all he needs to do, and he’s already approaching seven months as champion. It might not be great, but it makes sense and it’s working well enough, even as Rusev takes yet another fall.

We get a preview of a big interview with John Cena, which will be released in full in the coming weeks.

Cena narrates a video announcing a sixteen man tournament (The Last Time Is Now Tournament) to earn the right to be his final opponent. There will be entries from all three brands and maybe even some surprises.

We recap Jey Uso vs. CM Punk for the vacant Raw World Title. Punk earned the shot against Seth Rollins, who got hurt, so Uso won a battle royal to earn the shot. They’re friends, but they both need to be champion.

Raw World Title: CM Punk vs. Jey Uso

For the vacant title so of course they do the Big Match Intros. They take their time to start with Punk backing him into the corner and they go into the grappling. Uso rolls him up for a quick two before Punk grabs his headlock for the trademark SHOUTING IN HIS OPPONENT’S ear. Apparently the advice is “try to escape the GTS by going to the floor” before Punk takes him down for some elbows.

Punk’s neckbreaker drops Uso (after they seem to both try one at once for a weird visual) and they chop it out. Uso knocks him into the corner but the spear is countered with a front facelock and another neckbreaker gives Punk two. Back up and they slug it out with Uso getting the better of things. A quick GTS sends Uso outside though and Punk sends him back in, with Uso being smart enough to go towards the ropes. Punk grabs a suplex for two but Uso breaks up a superplex attempt.

Uso misses a dive off the top but starts hammering away, setting up the running Umaga Attack. Another is cut off so Uso hits a superkick and the spear into the Superfly Splash for a near fall. Punk catches him on top for a top rope superplex and they’re both down again. Back up and they slug it out until Punk takes over, including a leg lariat. Uso superkicks him out to the floor for a suicide dive and they’re both down for a breather.

Uso is back with a spear through the barricade but the Superfly Splash hits knees. Another GTS gives Punk two but Uso hits his own GTS. Punk hits an awful spear for two more and is back with a GTS. Another is attempted but Punk collapses, with Uso pulling him into the sleeper. That’s reversed into the Anaconda Vice so Uso makes the ropes. Another Vice attempt is countered into a rollup and Uso is back with some superkicks. Uso charges into a knee to the head though and a pair of GTS’s give Punk the pin and the title at 20:58.

Rating: B+. There were only so many ways to go after Rollins’ injury and Punk winning the title on a pretty big stage is the best option they have. Punk gets to show that he still has it without having a Money In The Bank cash-in waiting on him. At the same time, there are several people who could come for the title, including LA Knight, Sami Zayn and eventually Bron Breakker. It wound up being a rather good match as well, with Uso giving everything he could before falling in the end. Nice stuff here, with a limited amount of ways to go given the circumstances.

Punk celebrates as Uso looks up at him to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show was entertaining and less than two hours so they certainly got in and out without wasting time. At the same time, the show really didn’t feel that important. None of the stories came off like they were overly important, even with a pair of World Titles on the line. Punk vs. Rollins would have felt bigger, but there just wasn’t much to see here that kept me engaged. It’s a good show due to the action, but hopefully they have something a bit better on the way to Survivor Series, because they’ll need the upgrade.

Results
Cody Rhodes b. Drew McIntyre – Cross Rhodes
Jade Cargill b. Tiffany Stratton – Jaded
Dominik Mysterio b. Penta and Rusev – Frog splash to Rusev
CM Punk b. Jey Uso – GTS

 

 

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

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Survivor Series 1997
Date: November 9, 1997
Location: Molson Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Attendance: 20,593
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

We had to get here eventually. This is the show that changes everything in wrestling, as we officially enter into the new era. It’s also the last appearance by Bret Hart in the WWF for over 13 years, as this show has the most infamous ending to a match and a show in wrestling history. You young people often hear references to Montreal? Well this is the show they’re talking about. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is about the Iron Man Match, where Shawn won the title in overtime. Bret has since gone insane and claimed conspiracy after conspiracy against him, mainly led by Vince and Shawn. The main event tonight is Bret vs. Shawn II. By that I mean about Bret vs. Shawn VIII (It’s not even their first world title match at Survivor Series) but you get the point.

There’s a Karate Fighters (game at the time) flying around. I’m sure people who paid good money for their seats are THRILLED that they get to look at a blimp instead of being able to see the ring.

Team New Age Outlaws vs. Team Headbangers

New Age Outlaws, Godwinns

Headbangers, New Blackjacks

The Outlaws I’m sure you know, the Godwinns are evil here and are Henry and Phineas, the Headbangers are Mosh and Thrasher, and the Blackjacks are Barry Windham and Bradshaw. Windham (looking FAT here) starts with Phineas, the latter of which is immediately knocked to the floor with a shoulder block. This is when the Outlaws are a new team of jobbers who would soon shock the world and win the titles from the LOD.

Off to Bradshaw who looks skinny here by comparison to what he would become. Phineas gets a boot up in the corner as the evil ones take over. The Outlaws don’t want to come in so it’s off to Henry instead. Bradshaw gets two off a legsweep and puts on an abdominal stretch before falling back and rolling up Henry for the pin. Back to Windham to face Phineas, with Barry hitting a gutwrench suplex and a lariat for two. Phineas comes back with a clothesline of his own for the elimination and to tie it up at three.

Mosh comes in to take over on Phineas with a devastating armbar. It’s off to Billy who beats down Mosh and receives homophobic chants in his general nature. Or maybe it’s something in French. We get down to some basic wrestling and the fans go SILENT. Mosh tries a bulldog but Billy shoves him off and gets the pin for a quick elimination. It’s Thrasher/Bradshaw vs. Phineas/Outlaws.

Thrasher (trivia for you: Thrasher had a big hand in training Big Show) comes in and works on the arm but Phineas takes him down in return. The action in this match is really dull so far. Thrasher goes up and hits the Stage Dive (top rope seated senton) for the pin to make it 2-2. Off to Bradshaw vs. Road Dogg with the future JBL pounding away. A gutwrench powerbomb puts Dogg down but a Billy distraction lets Roadie get a school boy to pin Bradshaw.

Thrasher pounds on Dogg but walks into a pumphandle slam. He counters into a cover on the Dogg, but Billy comes off the top with a legdrop. Now when I say legdrop, I mean he literally is a foot away from Thrasher but gets the pin anyway. This looked so bad that even though I had seen it before, it still made my jaw drop. The Outlaws survive.

Rating: F-. The ending alone makes this a failure, but on top of that, the best worker in this match by far was Thrasher. Let that sink in for a minute. The Outlaws had only been the Outlaws for a month and a half or so at this point so no one cared about them, the Godwinns are as interesting as corporate accounting, the Blackjacks are the Blackjacks, and the Headbangers are barely interesting at all. This was a horrible match and an even worse choice for an opener.

Truth Commission vs. Disciples of Apocalypse

Jackyl, Interrogator, Sniper, Recon

Crush, 8-Ball, Skull, Chainz

The Truth Commission is based on a real South African thing, where there were a lot of crimes were committed during Apartheid and the government said “tell the truth that you committed/witnessed these crimes and say you’re sorry.” Amazingly enough it calmed a lot of people down and made the situation a lot better. That being said, I have NO idea why it’s used as a wrestling gimmick. In short, they’re a military themed group. That sums them up as simply as I can.

Jackyl is the leader and is more famous as Cyrus in ECW. Interrogator is Kurrgan and the real star of the team. Sniper is a French Canadian wrestler who means nothing at all and Recon is Bull Buchanan. Crush is Crush, 8-Ball and Skull are big twins and Chainz is Brian Lee from ECW. This really doesn’t scream interesting to me but this is during the Gang Warz period which didn’t ever do anything for me.

Interrogator and Chainz start things off after a brawl with Chainz hammering away but having no visible effect. A sidewalk slam eliminates Chainz in about a minute. Off to Recon vs. 8-Ball with Recon hitting a World’s Strongest Slam for no cover. Jackyl comes in for what might be the only match he ever wrestled in WWF. Apparently that’s almost true as he only had some Shotgun Saturday Night matches other than this. He’s much better as a manager anyway.

Jackyl drops a top rope knee which is immediately no sold. He chops away a bit but walks into a sidewalk slam for the pin to make it 3-3. Sniper jumps 8-Ball and hits some elbows for two as Jackyl is on commentary now. Off to Crush, the leader of the team, who stomps away on Sniper a bit. Recon comes back in to face Skull and they collide, sending Skull to the floor. 8-Ball comes in illegally and clotheslines Recon down for the pin.

Sniper comes in to beat on Skull but gets caught in a double spinebuster from the twins for two. Interrogator hits 8-Ball from the apron and Sniper hits a bulldog for the elimination, making it 2-2. If this match sounds like a total mess that is hard to follow, it’s because that’s being nice about what’s going on.

Off to Crush for a figure four headscissors on Recon. Skull (I’m picking the names arbitrarily. It makes absolutely no difference at all and JR has no idea which is which anyway) DDTs Sniper but walks into a sidewalk slam from Interrogator for the pin. It’s Crush vs. Sniper and Interrogator and Crush immediately powerslams Sniper down for the pin. Interrogator is in the ring before the pin hits and ANOTHER FREAKING SIDEWALK SLAM gives Interrogator the final pin and the victory.

Rating: F. In ten minutes, we had seven eliminations, FOUR of which were by the SAME FREAKING MOVE. This was another match where just like the first, there was no one out there that could carry things to make the match work in any way. It makes Interrogator looks good, but it barely accomplished that because of how bad the match was.

We’re about thirty five minutes into the show and it may be the worst thirty five minutes to open a show that I’ve ever seen.

Some fans pick the main event. It’s pretty much split.

Austin answers some questions from America Online.

We recap Team Canada vs. Team USA. Steve Blackman is in the match for the Americans now after running into the ring to save Vader on Monday so tonight is his debut.

Vader says his team doesn’t look the same but that’s because they’re Americans.

Team Canada (captained by an Englishman) says they’ll win.

Team USA vs. Team Canada

Vader, Steve Blackman, Marc Mero, Goldust

British Bulldog, Jim Neidhart, Doug Furnas, Phillip Lafon

If this is the best America can do, I need to learn to speak Canadian. Team America comes out to Angle’s music. Naturally the Americans are booed out of the building. The Canadians come out to Bret’s music to make sure the idea is hammered home. Furnas is from Oklahoma and Neidhart is from Nevada, but he had dual citizenship so it’s not as insane. I think Furnas has the long hair but I can never remember which is which.

Mero, wearing a hat, starts with Bulldog. Mero takes off the hat and Bulldog wipes himself with it, making him a hero in America. Bulldog knocks Mero to the floor and makes fun of Blackman’s martial arts in a funny bit. Vader comes in sans tag and works on Smith’s arm but jumps into a slam. Bulldog EASILY suplexes Vader and it’s off to Lafon. I was right about Furnas having the long hair. Good to know.

Back to Mero who hits a knee lift but gets his head kicked off by Lafon, followed by a clothesline for two. Off to Neidhart and then right back to Lafon. Blackman comes in and JR points out that Steve isn’t a wrestler. Lafon DDTs him for two and gets a crucifix for the same. Blackman fights off Team Canada on his own but gets caught on the floor in a fight with Furnas and Lafon, resulting in a countout elimination.

It’s Mero vs. Neidhart now with Jim missing a middle rope splash. Vader comes in and is immediately knocked down twice by Neidhart. Vader comes back with the running body attack and a splash for the pin. Lafon comes in again with some kicks to send Vader to the floor. Back in and Lafon is sent rolling to the corner and a big belly to belly puts him down. A middle rope splash is enough to put Lafon out, leaving Bulldog and Furnas vs. Vader, Mero and Goldust.

Furnas comes in to pound away but misses a dropkick, allowing the tag in to Mero. Has Goldie been in there yet? Mero pounds Furnas down and goes up for a moonsault press and it looks AWFUL, with Furnas going down like he was trying to powerslam Mero out of the air but Mero hitting the move like usual. Either way it gets two and it’s off to Bulldog because Furnas doesn’t seem to be sure what planet he’s on.

Mero escapes the Bulldog powerslam and blasts Smith with a right hand. Back to Furnas who fires off the rights and lefts. Furnas does the exact same thing, but Mero is a legitimate former amateur boxing champion so that’s not really a fair contest. Mero tries a rollup but gets reversed into one by Furnas who grabs a handful of tights to get us down to 2-2.

Vader pounds on Furnas as the King laments Sable having to leave with Mero. Furnas clotheslines Vader down and it’s off to Bulldog again. Goldust, who apparently has a broken hand, STILL doesn’t want to come in. Vader suplexes Furnas down but Furnas hits Vader low. When Vader gets another break from Bulldog, Goldie hides on the floor from a tag. Furnas suplexes Vader down but doesn’t tag. A Frankensteiner takes Vader down for two but Vader no sells it.

Vader slugs Goldust in the face and pulls him into the ring. This is when Goldust walked out on Marlena when she was pregnant because he didn’t want the responsibility or the lack of attention. Goldust walks out for a countout but Vader slams Furnas down and hits the Vader Bomb for the elimination. Vader turns around and is knocked silly with the ring bell from Bulldog for the final elimination.

Rating: C-. This was a better match by miles and miles than the first two, mainly due to people with actual talent being in there. On top of that, the people CARED about the match and it makes the match a lot better by result. The result was never in doubt given how worthless Team America was, but it was cool to see Vader getting to be like his old self, even for one night. The match still wasn’t great but after the first two matches tonight, this was a masterpiece by comparison.

Buy Austin’s shirt!

We recap Kane vs. Mankind, by talking about Undertaker. The idea here is that Undertaker kept saying Kane wasn’t alive, but Bearer insisted he was. Kane showed up at Badd Blood and cost Taker the first Cell match. Kane destroyed various people, including Dude Love. Dude left but was replaced by a certain Mankind. Mankind offered to stand up to the monster and tonight it’s Kane’s debut match. Mankind’s solution to Kane: hit him in the head with a pipe. I love it when things get basic like that.

Mankind promises to charge against a brick wall as many times as it takes until it goes down, and if he dies launching himself into that brick wall, so be it. If that’s what it takes to get to Paul Bearer, so be it.

Kane vs. Mankind

The brawl starts immediately on the floor with Kane throwing Mankind into the steps. Kane has the red lights ala Sin Cara during his matches at this point. With Mankind half dead in the ring, Kane does the corner fire deal and the match starts. Mankind fights up and a Cactus Clothesline puts both of them on the floor. Kane knocks him right back down and throws the steps at Mankind’s head to take him down one more time. Back in and Mankind charges into a big boot and Kane chokes away in the corner.

Kane sends it to the floor again and beats on Mankind some more, but Foley hot shots him onto the steps to slow the monster down. A chair to the head knocks Kane back into the ring and there’s a piledriver, but Mankind goes after Bearer instead of Kane. Kane sits up and chokeshoves Mankind off the apron and through the announce table. The Spanish one of course.

Kane loads up a chokeslam on the floor but Mankind kicks him low (which only works on Kane on occasion) and DDTs him on the concrete. The elbow off the apron hits Kane again but Kane sits up and slams Mankind off the top to the floor. Back in and Mankind literally pulls himself up to his feet and is immediately tombstoned for the pin.

Rating: C+. When you have a new guy you want to put over, you call Mick Foley. This is a match you have to think about to get why it worked. First and foremost, Kane is supposed to be a monster who has very little experience in the ring. Think of him like Jason from Friday the 13^th or something like that (Youtube Jerry Lawler vs. Jason. It’s EXACTLY what it sounds like and it actually exists) as someone who just wants carnage instead of wanting to be technical. These two beat the tar out of each other and it made Kane look unstoppable. That would continue for about five and a half months until the Dead Man came back.

Vince says the main event will happen tonight.

Team Legion of Doom vs. Nation of Domination

Legion of Doom, Ken Shamrock, Ahmed Johnson

Farrooq, The Rock, Kama Mustafa, D’Lo Brown

The LOD and company talk about being ready for war. The LOD are tag champions. Hawk and Brown start with D’Lo bouncing off Hawk. Hawk no sells a piledriver as is his custom and a neckbreaker puts Brown down. Off to Rocky who gets knocked around but someone hits Hawk in the back and the yet to be named Rock Bottom eliminates Bird Man.

Off to Ahmed who “hits” a jumping back elbow to take Rock down. Kama, a freaking monster who would become a pimp named Godfather, is in next and takes Johnson down with one shot. Farrooq is in next to work on Ahmed’s ribs and continue a feud that went on for like a year. Brown whips Ahmed with a belt which the referee somehow doesn’t hear. Farrooq loads up the Dominator but Johnson escapes (while falling down) and hits a Pearl River Plunge (Tiger Driver) for the elimination.

Brown comes in again and hits a quick Low Down for no cover. Johnson starts no selling and hits a sitout gordbuster. Farrooq is still at ringside. Rock comes in but walks into a spinebuster. Ahmed hits the ropes but Farrooq trips him up and holds the foot so Rocky can get the pin. It’s Animal/Shamrock vs. Brown/Rocky/Kama at the moment. Animal comes in to face Rocky but it’s quickly off to Shamrock. Ken is still somewhat new here so his style still looks fresh.

A big dropkick puts Rocky down and it’s off to Kama. After getting beaten around for a bit, Kama puts on a front facelock to slow things down. A double clothesline puts both guys down but not for long. Some LOUD noise freaks everyone out and JR and King don’t know what it was either. Anyway Animal gets two off a legdrop but gets kicked in the face for his efforts. Kama showboats a bit too much though and Animal dropkicks him in the back and gets a rollup for the pin.

Brown comes in and during the distraction, Rocky hits Shamrock low for two. D’Lo hooks a chinlock followed by a backbreaker, but his moonsault misses by about two feet. The Outlaws come out while wearing the stolen LOD shoulder pads, and we’ve got powder and a shoved referee. Animal gets counted out during this mess, leaving us with Brown/Rock vs. Shamrock.

JR talks about how many people Shamrock has made tap out. Jerry: “This is wrestling. You don’t win by making people tap out.” JR: “…….YEAH YOU DO!” Brown starts but it’s both Nation members in there at once. Shamrock runs them both over, suplexes Brown and gets the submission via ankle lock. Rock cracks Ken in the back with a chair shot but it only gets two. Rock hits his spinning DDT for two as does the People’s Elbow (not a thing yet). Ken comes back with a northern lights suplex and a standing hurricanrana. There’s the ankle lock and Rocky is done.

Rating: C. This was a little messy but it pushed Shamrock hard while the heat for Rocky was INSANE. The crowd hated him and Vince certainly took notice. Both of these guys would get huge pushes in the next year with Rock winning the title at next year’s Survivor Series. The LOD were in their very last run of note here and they didn’t go out well after that. Fun match here although not great from a technical standpoint at all.

We recap Austin vs. Owen. Austin was challenging for the IC Title at Summerslam when Owen piledrove him, legitimately hurting his neck (and in the long run saving the company because of what Austin had to evolve into) and paralyzing Austin for a few minutes. Austin amazingly enough finished the match and WON THE TITLE, which is remarkable when you think about it. He had to forfeit the title but tonight he’s going for it again.

Intercontinental Title: Steve Austin vs. Owen Hart

Owen is defending, having won the title in a tournament since Austin was hurt. Owen has Lafon, Furnas and Bulldog with him. Hart stalls forever on the floor while rocking an Owen 3:16 (I Just Broke Your Neck) shirt. Neidhart tries to sneak in on Austin but walks into a Stunner. The champion gets in a shot to start and tries a piledriver, much to the crowd’s delight. Owen wraps the knee around the post but gets kicked in the face.

The Hart Foundation leaves and Austin clotheslines Owen in the back on the floor. Hart puts Owen onto the broken Spanish Announce Table before choking away with a cord. Hart wants to be DQ’ed and rings the bell early. WOW that’s almost eerie. Back in and Austin stomps Owen in the corner, hits the Stunner and wins the title. It’s as quick as it sounds.

Rating: D+. This was barely four minutes long. I’d assume they were unsure about how long Austin could go out there and if that’s the case it’s more than understandable. Austin would again forfeit the title a month later because he wanted to go after the world title, which he would of course win at Wrestlemania.

Attitude. It’s here.

We recap Bret vs. Shawn. This is Bret’s chance to get his win back from Shawn at Wrestlemania 12. Bret was bitter at Shawn after a massive heel turn, so there’s some great hatred going on here. I’ll get to the big story of it and my thoughts at the end. Ironically enough Shawn cost Undertaker the title, giving it to Bret, at Summerslam.

WWF World Title: Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels

Shawn is European Champion coming into this for no particular reason other than he wanted Bulldog to not have the title anymore. Shawn wipes himself with the Canadian flag during his entrance to further make himself public enemy #1. We get the long tracking shot for Bret’s entrance which is always cool for some reason. Shawn jumps Bret to start but Bret snaps on him and beats Shawn right back down to the delight of the crowd.

A HARD clothesline puts Shawn on the floor and Bret is going off. I don’t think the bell rang yet. Bret takes it to the crowd and Shawn is reeling. Vince, Slaughter and a half dozen referees are at ringside now. JR talks about how this could be Bret’s last match if he loses. Shawn gets an American flag bandana and chokes him into the crowd. Remember the match hasn’t started yet. Bret backdrops Shawn over the barricade and back to ringside.

Shawn keeps trying to piledrive Bret on the concrete but Hart keeps escaping. They head back into the crowd with Bret in total control. They go to the entrance and Bret decks a referee. Back into the ring they go and the bell FINALLY rings as Bret chokes Shawn with a Fleur de Lis. Shawn comes back with the forearm and nipup as the fans chant that Shawn is gay.

Michaels chokes with the flag as Bret has a busted hand. Shawn stalls a lot because that’s the kind of guy he is. Back to the floor with Shawn pounding on Bret and spitting on the crowd. Shawn drops Bret face first on the steps and breaks a Canadian flag over his knee. Back in and Shawn hits a top rope ax handle and it’s off to a front facelock. Bret escapes in what has to be the loudest reaction to a broken front facelock of all time.

Shawn comes back and slams Bret down but Bret rolls through a cross body off the top for two. Bret puts on the Hartbreaker, the figure four around the post. Bret goes after the knee in almost perfect Ric Flair fashion, down to the cannonballs down to the knee and a Figure Four. Shawn finally turns it over and Bret gets a rope. A Russian legsweep gets two for Bret as does a snap suplex. Bret goes up but Shawn pulls the referee into the way so the shot hits Hebner instead. Shawn rakes Bret’s eyes, puts Bret in the Sharpshooter, and Hebner calls for the bell to give Shawn the title in the most infamous moment ever in wrestling.

Rating: B-. I’m only talking about the match here. The main thing to keep in mind about the famous ending is that there was about twenty minutes of brawling and of the actual match before the finish. I think that’s something people forget because of the famous part. The match we got was quite good, which isn’t really surprising given how familiar these two were with each other. It’s no masterpiece, but it felt like an epic encounter, which is what it needed to do.

Now we’ll get to the big white elephant in Montreal. I’ve not going to pretend like I have some big insight into what happened because I certainly don’t. Books have been written about what happened here and there’s no point in rehashing the whole thing all over again. In short, it was Bret’s last match, he didn’t want to lose the title in Canada, a screwy finish was agreed on, Vince changed the ending and screwed over Bret, Bret wasn’t seen in WWE for almost thirteen years.

After all the years since then, I think both parties were wrong, but Bret needed to get over himself. So what if he had to lose the title in Canada? I get that he couldn’t stand Shawn, but for someone who seems to pride himself on being oh so professional, it’s pretty lame to say he doesn’t want to lose the title in another country when he made it clear he was leaving.

Vince was in major trouble at this point and was under a lot of pressure. While I don’t think he believed Bret would trash the title on Raw, he had to be worried about something happening, like the title having no value if Bret never lost it, which is understandable. Did he go about the issue the right way? No, but it wasn’t a normal circumstance. Vince did what he thought was best and while it caused a ton of controversy, it was one of the few things he could do. There are a to of different ways you can look at it, and there isn’t a single right answer.

Overall Rating: D+. Main event aside, this was a pretty bad show overall. The first forty minutes are AWFUL, the next match is just ok, Kane vs. Mankind is decent, the next match is about building for the future, the match after that was basically a squash, and the main event was good but not great. When the best you can do is good but not great, you’ve got a problem. They’re pretty lucky that only the main event is remembered here, because the rest of the show sucked.

Ratings Comparison

Team New Age Outlaws vs. Team Headbangers

Original: D+

Redo: F-

Truth Commission vs. Disciples of Apocalypse

Original: F

Redo: F

Team Canada vs. Team USA

Original: B+

Redo: C-

Kane vs. Mankind

Original: C+

Redo: C+

Team Legion of Doom vs. Nation of Domination

Original: B

Redo: C

Steve Austin vs. Owen Hart

Original: C

Redo: D+

Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart

Original: B+

Redo: B-

Overall Rating

Original: B+

Redo: D+

Now there’s a major change, likely the biggest so far.

Here’s the original review if you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/11/06/history-of-survivor-series-count-up-1997-what-a-screwy-show/

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.

Best Of Perry Saturn
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tony Schiavone, Larry Zbyszko, Mike Tenay, Bobby Heenan, Terry Taylor, Jonathan Coachman, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

This would fall into the “well ok then” category as who in the world was expecting a special look at Perry Saturn? He was never a big star in WWE, or really anywhere for that matter, though that doesn’t make him any less talented. I’m curious to see what kinds of highlights we’re getting here, as some of this stuff could be quite interesting. Let’s get to it.

Quick opening sequence.

From Barely Legal.

ECW Tag Team Titles: Eliminators vs. Dudley Boyz

The Dudleys are defending and we get the big entrance from Joel Gertner. The bell rings and Sign Guy Dudley tries to come in with some cheap shots. That earns him Total Elimination so the regular Dudleys are in, with Bubba powerbombing Kronus. D-Von’s top rope headbutt gets two and a splash (which the camera misses) connecting for the same. A Boss Man Slam plants Saturn but the 3D is broken up. The Eliminators are up with their usual collection of kicks as Saturn keeps having to tell Kronus where to go.

Stereo spinning top rope splashes hit the Dudleys and they roll outside, where they are knocked off the apron for a bonus. Kronus hits a big running flip dive to take the Dudleys down again, followed by a springboard spinwheel kick to D-Von back inside. Bubba is back in as well and you can tell there is something wrong (he broke his ankle somewhere in there). Saturn’s top rope elbow hits Bubba and D-Von is struck down. The fans chant for Saturn until Kronus hits a 450 on D-Von. Total Elimination to Bubba gives the Eliminators the titles at 6:31.

Rating: C+. The more I watch of the Eliminators, the clearer it becomes that Kronus did not have much. You could see Saturn having to tell him where to go and what to do, as Kronus was basically just a bunch of flips and dives with nothing in between. That being said, this was a good choice for an opener, as the hated Dudleys lose to give the fans a fun moment to start the show.

From Monday Nitro, November 3, 1997.

WCW TV Title: Saturn vs. Disco Inferno

Saturn is challenging in his WCW debut (save for a match on Saturday Night). Inferno jumps him to start fast and of course stops to dance. That lets Saturn trap the arms for a belly to belly and a hammerlock belly to belly. Saturn stays on the arm with some cranking and a spinning kick drops Inferno again. Another suplex sets up a Fujiwara armbar as the fans are distracted by something in the crowd. Inferno manages a shot of his own, only to get caught in a tiger suplex. The Rings Of Saturn gives us a new champion at 6:37.

Rating: C. Total squash from Saturn here, as Inferno’s early offense got him nowhere and his comeback lasted all of five seconds. Saturn completely dismantled Inferno and that’s exactly what this match should have been. Inferno was never presented as a serious champion so Saturn should have been able to run through him like this.

Post match the Flock celebrates by beating up Stevie Richards (a member of the team).

From Monday Nitro, February 23, 1998.

Saturn vs. Yuji Nagata

Sonny Onoo is here with Nagata. Saturn grinds away on a headlock to start as commentary talks about him losing the TV Title to Booker T. They go to the mat with neither getting very far so Nagata takes over with a series of kicks to the chest. A dragon suplex gets Saturn out of trouble but Nagata gives him an exploder for two of his own.

Nagata starts in on the leg and, after shrugging off a right hand, cranks on the leg even harder. A kneebar goes on as commentary talks about Rick Martel’s knee being wrecked last night at SuperBrawl (which is a shame as it cut off an amazing comeback). Saturn comes back with a hot shot and a suplex for two but Nagata gets in a Saito suplex. The Nagata Lock (standing Figure Four) goes on but Saturn slips out and pulls him into the Rings for the submission at 6:35.

Rating: C+. I’ve never quite gotten the appeal of Nagata but this was good enough. They beat each other up with a style of match that was pretty far ahead of its time. This was a bunch of suplexes and strikes, which felt like it belonged in 2018 rather than 1998. Saturn did well with this style, which shouldn’t be a surprise given what he was usually doing. Nice match here.

From Spring Stampede 1998.

Saturn vs. Goldberg

Dang those WCW pay per view sets were awesome. Goldberg sends him flying to start and it’s off to an early kneebar. Billy Kidman makes a quick save so Goldberg throws him onto Saturn. Back in and Saturn sweeps the leg into a springboard spinning legdrop. A middle rope elbow gets one but Goldberg is right back with his swinging neckbreaker. Goldberg picks him up for a gorilla press World’s Strongest Slam but Saturn gets in a suplex.

They go outside where Saturn sends him into the steps, snaps off a hurricanrana and then gets in a posting. An Asai moonsault almost goes horribly wrong as Saturn slips and almost falls down hard, with Goldberg thankfully there to catch him. Back in and a top rope spinwheel kick drops Goldberg for a Fujiwara armbar. That’s broken up and Goldberg hits a side slam but, after a bit of miscommunication, charges into a dropkick.

Back up and Goldberg hits a superkick (Bret Hart scoffs), followed by the spear. Kidman offers a distraction though and Saturn gets in a low blow. Saturn tries to take him up and gets super gorilla press slammed down (that looked great). Cue the Flock to swarm Goldberg, who shrugs it off and spears Kidman. The Rings go on but Goldberg powers him up into a fireman’s carry and then the Jackhammer for the pin at 8:02.

Rating: B-. What you had here was a good example of Saturn understanding the assignment. Goldberg was already set for a US Title shot the next night on Nitro (which he would of course win) so it wasn’t like there was any real drama about Saturn ending the Streak. Instead, this was about making Goldberg work for a win and look like a superhero, which Saturn could certainly do. Goldberg was still incredibly green at this point and Saturn was right there to walk him through the whole thing. Good stuff here.

From Monday Nitro, June 1, 1998.

Saturn/Raven vs. Public Enemy

Saturn suplexes Grunge to start and hands it off to Raven, who kicks away twice and then tags right back out. Rock comes in for a double elbow, followed by a drop toehold into a legdrop to the back of the head. Saturn gets knocked down again and a top rope elbow/side slam combination connects for two. Rock misses a moonsault though and Raven tags himself in, only to hit Saturn….by mistake? I think? It’s not entirely clear, but Saturn gets in Raven’s face.

Grunge clotheslines both of them down and Rock adds a flip dive to the floor. Back in and an assisted Swanton hits Saturn and Raven is put on a table for a running Swanton, with the table not breaking. Rock isn’t happy with that and does it AGAIN, with Raven landing on a mostly broken table. A chair is brought in but Grunge is sent into it, setting up the Death Valley Driver from Saturn. Raven is back in though and steals the pin at 6:44.

Rating: C+. You were probably expecting a sloppy brawl here and….well kind of as it came pretty close. Instead though, this was mainly about Raven and Saturn having issues, which worked out rather well. Saturn continues to look like the ready to break out star and that should be a great sign for his future. Raven is holding that back and that won’t work out well for him in the long term.

From Fall Brawl 1998.

Saturn vs. Raven

Anything goes and if Saturn wins, the Flock is free but if Raven wins, Saturn has to be his servant for the rest of his career. Kanyon is also handcuffed at ringside and is not happy. Saturn is now in trunks rather than jean shorts and it makes him look like a bigger star. Before the match, Raven calls Saturn an embarrassment while Saturn says Raven has no honor.

Raven starts fast with a hot shot but Saturn sends him into the corner. A knockdown sets up a top rope splash to give Saturn two and he knocks Raven into the barricade. Lodi tries to help Raven up but Saturn dives onto both of them for the big crash. Saturn gets sent into the barricade though and Lodi gets in some shots to put him in trouble again. Some middle rope elbows give Raven two and he grabs the sleeper, with Saturn jawbreaking his way to freedom.

A Russian legsweep gives Raven two but he drops down onto Saturn’s raised knees for a low blow. Saturn can’t fight back though and gets drop toeholded into an open chair. Cue Kidman for a save with Horace chasing him off. The Death Valley Driver gets a delayed two thanks to a Lodi distraction and Saturn fires off some clotheslines. The springboard spinning legdrop gets two and the Rings go on, with Lodi having to make a save.

Saturn beats them both up but the referee goes down, allowing Kanyon to pick his pocket. Kanyon unlocks himself and gives Saturn a Downward Spiral before being smart enough to handcuff himself again. Saturn kicks out of the very delayed cover and the fans are VERY pleased. Saturn’s Death Valley Driver sends Lodi through a table at ringside (that looked great) but the Even Flow connects….for two. A quick Death Valley Driver gives Saturn the win at 14:04.

Rating: B. This might be the peak of Saturn’s time in wrestling, as he gets to beat Raven to disband the Flock while overcoming the odds in the process. The fans were WAY behind what Saturn was doing here, with the reactions to those kickouts telling you everything you needed to know. It was a heck of a match and the culmination of a big story, which is more than we’ve seen thus far.

From Monday Nitro, January 25, 1999.

Saturn vs. Norman Smiley

Ok then. Saturn is in a dress (it was a thing for him, as I guess he was getting too over) and knocks him down to start fast. A running shoulder drops Smiley and Saturn grinds away on a headlock. Smiley fights out and gets in a shot of his own and teases the Big Wiggle, only to get elbowed in the face. A quick powerslam gives Smiley two and we hit the chinlock as we take a break.

We come back with Smiley suplexing him down and adding the swinging slam out of the corner. A butterfly suplex gives Smiley two and he turns Saturn inside out with a clothesline. Saturn knocks him down, only to have a Vader Bomb hit raised knees. A delayed vertical suplex gets two on Saturn and Smiley, after adjusting the dress, gets in the Big Wiggle. Saturn is back with a superkick and top rope knee before doing his own version of the Big Wiggle, which gets quite the reaction. The Death Valley Driver finishes Smiley at 10:47.

Rating: C+. And this is where the frustration sets in. Just a few months after Saturn beat Raven for the big moment, here he is in a nothing match with comedy wrestler Norman Smiley. Commentary spent a good chunk of the match making jokes about the dress, and what else were you expecting? WCW took a hot star and turned him into a joke, probably because he was getting to a level where they didn’t want him. That’s one of the many reasons WCW isn’t around today.

From Judgment Day 2000.

WWF European Title: Perry Saturn vs. Dean Malenko vs. Eddie Guerrero

Guerrero is defending and they start fast with Guerrero being sent into the corner. Saturn clotheslines Malenko down but gets dropped by Guerrero. A hurricanrana each takes both challengers down, followed by a tornado DDT to give Guerrero two. Malenko is back up with some running clotheslines, which gets commentary to stop oogling Chyna for a bit. Guerrero crotches Malenko on top but gets dropped with the super gutbuster.

Saturn sends Malenko outside and hits a nice frog splash for two on Guerrero with Malenko making the save. Saturn’s double belly to back suplex drops both of them before he goes outside…where Chyna hits him in the head with the bouquet of roses (including the lead pipe). Back in and Malenko cuts off a roses shot but Chyna trips him down, allowing Guerrero to get la majistral to retain at 7:57 (ignore Malenko’s shoulder being off the mat).

Rating: B-. They had to get the Radicalz in there somehow and they only had so many options that didn’t involve a certain someone. Saturn was getting in some good offense here but Guerrero retaining makes sense. Solid match here, and I’ll take that as the Radicalz entry on the collection.

From WWF Jakked, March 9, 2002.

Perry Saturn vs. Paul London

An early headlock takeover has Saturn down and London dropkicks him out to the floor. Saturn snaps London’s neck across the top rope to take over back inside. Some slow stomping lets Saturn keep him down for the big top rope elbow (which always looked great). Saturn goes up top again but get knocked out of the air, allowing London to get two off a Lionsault. The shooting star press misses though and a Death Valley Driver finishes London off at 6:58.

Rating: C. This was a really weird way to wrap it up, as I guess they were only interested in finishing with a Saturn win over a future name. The action wasn’t exactly great and you could tell that Saturn had been seriously demoted by this point. Still though, he got to do some of his signature stuff and it still looked good enough.

Overall Rating: C+. The frustrating thing about Saturn is that he was never given a real chance to get over as a big deal. Of course I wasn’t expecting him to be among the top names in either company, but he could work in the ring, had a unique look and had the fans behind him. Then he lost to a leaving Chris Jericho and was put in a dress, because that’s what you do with an up and coming star. Or eventually give him a mop as a best friend/love interest.

It’s a shame that he was the victim of such nonsense, as there was definitely potential to do something more. If nothing else, let him do that big elbow, as he made it look absolutely devastating. Either way, this was a very nice surprise on the Vault and I could go for seeing a lot more just like this with names that aren’t exactly top stars.

 

 

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

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Smackdown
Date: October 7, 1999
Location: Nassau Coliseum, Long Island, New York
Attendance: 12,133
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler

We’re almost up to No Mercy and the card is starting to come together. The big story coming out of Raw is the British Bulldog being the most prominent heel in the company, which is quite the questionable move. Hopefully they find something a bit more interesting, though that might be asking too much. Let’s get to it.

Here is Raw if you need a recap.

Of note: during this taping, Droz was injured during his match against D’Lo Brown and would be paralyzed as a result, obviously never wrestling again. This was of course edited out of the broadcast, leaving the show a bit shorter than usual as they only had so much time to change anything.

We open with a tribute to Gorilla Monsoon, who passed away earlier this week. To say he was a huge factor behind the scenes in the company would be an incredible understatement.

Opening sequence.

X-Pac/Kane vs. Mideon/Viscera

X-Pac, still wanting to prove his worth, starts with Mideon as I question the value of fighting with Mideon in the first place. The flipping clothesline takes Mideon down and it’s off to Viscera, who misses a splash. Mideon comes back in and X-Pac fights back but won’t tag. Instead Kane tags him and dropkicks Viscera to the floor. The chokeslam finishes Mideon off at 2:41.

Post match the Acolytes run in and beat down X-Pac and Mideon.

The Rock is not impressed with the British Bulldog and mocks the sound of his bark. Right now though, the bigger issue is Val Venis running around with a Rocko sock in his tights. Tonight, Rock is playing director and showing Venis a movie about him taking a beating.

Post interview, Mankind thanks the Rock.

Post break, Mankind says he’s been thinking about sitting around and being a financial consultant, but instead, the Rock is fighting his battles for him. That’s what a friend does, so Mankind is going to fight the Rock’s battles when he faces the British Bulldog tonight. He’s going to take the microphone, turn it sideways and…and…hit him with it!

Hardcore Holly vs. Road Dogg

Their respective partners are here too. Dogg slugs away to start but gets knocked down, allowing Holly to kick him in the head. Some distractions on the floor don’t mean much and Holly grabs the chinlock to keep things slow. Dogg is sent outside for a beating from Crashs, naturally with the referee dealing with Billy Gunn. Holly goes up but dives into a raised boot, allowing the comeback to start. The shaky knee looks to set up the pumphandle slam but the seconds get in a brawl. That’s enough for Holly to grab the Falcon Arrow for the pin at 5:14.

Rating: D+. This was a good example of a match that made sense on paper as the story was there but the action was just dull. There was nothing here that made me want to see these teams fight, which is kind of the problem with the Outlaws in general. They could be entertaining, but then the bell rang and it doesn’t hold up very well.

Post match the brawl is on with the Outlaws cleaning house.

And now, sex therapy with Mark Henry. He hits on the therapist, then reveals that his first encounter was with his sister at 8 years old. And yes they still have, ahem, relations, as recently as a few days ago. Yep, this was about what you would expect.

Here is Jeff Jarrett, in waders, to walk into a mud pit. This is the only place for the women in the company to wrestle so tonight it’s Miss Kitty wrestling in the mud. You win by taking your opponent’s top off, which doesn’t sit well with Kitty. Oh and Jarrett will beat Chyna at No Mercy.

British Bulldog doesn’t care about what happened with Stephanie McMahon in England or what happens with the Rock tonight. He wants to be the WWF Champion…and here is Mankind to jump him.

There are a bunch of snakes in a room. Ok them.

Edge And Christian vs. New Brood

Match #3 in the Terri Invitational Tournament with Edge And Christian up 2-0. Cue Terri to make this a Texas Tornado match. The Hardys are sent into each other in the corner a d double hiptoss brings Jeff down. Stereo headbutts give Edge two and they head outside, with Matt hitting a DDT on the floor. Back in and a double suplex gets two on Edge, followed by Matt planting him for two more. Christian gets back in and Edge hits a spear for two on Jeff, who is sent outside. An assisted superplex drops Matt but Jeff is back in with the Swanton for a double pin on Christian at 6:12.

Rating: B-. Another match where these guys are being given the chance to go out there and do whatever they want, which makes for an entertaining match. The good thing is these matches are getting a bit longer every time and that makes things quite a bit better. The WWF knows what they have here and that is an encouraging sign for everyone’s future.

Val Venis admires himself in a mirror and pulls Mr. Rocko out of his jeans.

Here is Jeff Jarrett to introduce Ivory for the mud wrestling match. Miss Kitty gets in and we’re ready to go.

Ivory vs. Miss Kitty

I’m assuming this is non-title. Kitty rips off Ivory’s dress but gets her top taken off to lose at about 1:05. This was another level of dumb.

Post match the Fabulous Moolah and Mae Young show up and get thrown in the mud as well. Cue Chyna to kick Jarrett in with them, where Moolah and Young beat him up.

We look back at British Bulldog throwing a trashcan at Rebellion over the weekend and hitting Stephanie McMahon in the head. Vince McMahon and Test are not happy about the whole thing.

Shane McMahon says that Stephanie is suffering from amnesia. When asked about the Bulldog’s comments, he just walks away.

British Bulldog vs. Mankind

Bulldog jumps him to start and Mankind hammers away in the corner. The running knee connects and they go outside, where Bulldog gets in a headbutt. A whip sends Mankind into the steps for a nasty crash, followed by a chair to the head as I guess this is No DQ. Back in and a slam sets up the chinlock to keep Mankind down. A low blow makes it worse but Mankind is back with a double arm DDT for the double down. The Mandible Claw goes on but the referee gets shoved and then crushed in the corner. The match is thrown out at 6:10.

Rating: C. The problem here was very simple: there just wasn’t much for the Bulldog to do in the ring. He’s a generic brawler and feels out of place in 1999, as he doesn’t have much in the way of being a developed character. Other than “he’s British and mean”, what else does he have? It’s not a bad match by any means, but it’s really not interesting whatsoever.

Post match they fight into the crowd.

Jim Ross is with Steve Austin, who is shooting HHH themed targets. Austin is back to get his revenge and the WWF Title. He mocks the Game nickname and talks about how the title means everything. The name No Mercy is appropriate given what’s going to happen at the pay per view.

HHH goes into the room of poisonous snakes and opens one of the tanks.

Big Show vs. Big Boss Man

Michael Cole is on his own here as Lawler is off to “check on Miss Kitty”, which is code for “this match was taped for Heat and put onto the Smackdown taping to make up for the Droz accident”. Cole even updates us on Droz’s condition, acknowledging the terrible injury. Boss Man jumps him to start but gets sent into the buckle for his efforts. Boss Man actually fights back and manages a Boss Man Slam (not a great one but you could tell what it was) for two. Show is back up with a chokeslam attempt but Boss Man hits him with the nightstick for the DQ at 2:25.

Post match Boss Man tries to handcuff Show but the handcuffs don’t work. A chokeslam ensues instead. This was about all they could throw in from Heat (you could see the orange ring skirts) and it was fine for a last second replacement.

HHH is in the room with the snakes and talks about how he’s not afraid of them, just like he’s not afraid of the Texas Rattlesnake. Some of the snakes are put in a bag and HHH crushes it with a sledgehammer. HHH brings the bloody bag out to the stage and says this is nothing compared to what will happen to the other rattlesnake at No Mercy.

Val Venis is rather fired up to fight the Rock when Mankind runs in to jump him. The British Bulldog goes after Mankind and the villains leave him laying.

During the break, the Rock walked past Mankind and asked what’s wrong with him. Mankind tells him to go out there and win one for the Micker. Rock: “Who the h***’s the Micker? Idiot.”

The Rock vs. Val Venis

Rock jumps him to start and sends him out to the floor as this is apparently No DQ. They fight into the crowd with Rock knocking him right back to ringside. A swinging neckbreaker sets up a chinlock on Venis, who gets to the floor and tries to walk out. Rock isn’t having that and rams him into the set, followed by a suplex onto the ramp. Venis fights back at ringside, only to be sent hard into the steps.

Rock sends him over the announcers’ table but Venis is able to get in a spinebuster back inside. We hit another chinlock, this time on Rock, who is right back up with a fisherman’s suplex for two. Venis knocks him right back down and grabs a chair but here is Mankind to cut him off. Mankind swings the chair, which hits Rock by mistake. The Mandible Claw goes on so Venis kicks Mankind low. A Rock Bottom to Mankind sets up a Rock Bottom to Venis to give Rock the pin at 10:15.

Rating: C+. This was little more than a squash until the ending screwiness, which is what it should have been. Venis is not someone who is on the Rock’s level and suggesting that he could beat Rock in a straight up match would be beyond a reach. Mankind and Rock having issues isn’t a surprise, and now we get to see where they go next.

Rock poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Not much to see on this one, though they did have to make a quick change with the Droz tragedy. As usual though, outside of the Edge And Christian/Hardys match, there was only so much in the way of good action on the show. I did like the HHH promo save for the crushing of the snake as it was overkill, but at least they had a theme. Not a great show here, but it could have been far worse.

 

 

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: October 4, 1999
Location: Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

We’re coming up on No Mercy and at least the top of the show is starting to come together. Last week saw Steve Austin named as #1 contender to face HHH for the title at the pay per view, though that might have been overshadowed by This Is Your Life Rock. That should be leading somewhere this week so let’s get to it.

Here is Smackdown if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

New Age Outlaws vs. Acolytes vs. Kane/X-Pac vs. Hollys

Non-title elimination match. Naturally it’s a big brawl to start until we settle down to Gunn press slamming Hardcore for two. They go outside with Gunn being sent knees first into the steps…and they’re both counted out for a double elimination at 1:38. That leaves X-Pac to clothesline Bradshaw but he’s quickly whipped hard into the corner for two.

X-Pac fights up but doesn’t want to tag. That’s fine with Kane, who comes in to clean house anyway. Kane even dropkicks Faarooq, who is right back up with a piledriver. That’s shrugged off and X-Pac is back in with a Bronco Buster to Bradshaw. The chokeslam hits Faarooq but the Clothesline From Bradshaw finishes X-Pac out of nowhere for the pin at 4:41.

Rating: C. So why were the Outlaws, as in the reigning champions, involved here? The story seems to be about Kane and X-Pac and the Acolytes, which makes the Outlaws (and the Hollys) feel totally unnecessary here. In other words, it’s a bunch of stuff happening that doesn’t make the match better but is there anyway, because reasons.

Post match X-Pac is ticked off and walks out on Kane.

Over the weekend at the UK exclusive Rebellion pay per view, the British Bulldog threw a trashcan and hit Stephanie McMahon by mistake. Then he powerslammed Chyna, beat X-Pac, and interfered in the main event.

Here is the British Bulldog, who blames Vince McMahon for Stephanie getting injured. Vince screwed him out of his title shot in the United Kingdom and made his own country boo him (JR disagrees). Bulldog doesn’t care about the UK or the USA because all he wants is the WWF Title. Therefore, he wants to beat up the Rock at No Mercy but here is Chyna to interrupt instead. She wants to see if his bite is as bad as his bark, which is apparently a challenge.

Mankind goes to see the Rock and thinks it’s time to end the Connection. Rock agrees, but it turns out he’s on the phone and had no idea what Mankind said in the first place.

Test says Stephanie McMahon has head trauma and post concussion syndrome. He’s as emotional about this as you would expect.

Mankind talks to Stevie Richards and has an idea of how to fix things with the Rock.

Fabulous Moolah and Mae Young attack Ivory and rip off some of her clothes.

New Brood vs. Edge And Christian

Match #2 of the Terri Invitational Tournament (Edge And Christian are up 1-0), with Terri on commentary. Edge hurricanranas Matt down to start and Christian comes in to slam Jeff a few times. Jeff manages to send Edge outside for a beating from Matt, who drops him throat first across the top. The Swanton gives Jeff two but Matt’s Lionsault hits raised knees. That’s enough for Christian to come in and clean house and Matt is sent outside. Edge spears Jeff out of the air for the pin at 4:21.

Rating: B-. it was a case where they didn’t have much time but what we got did work. That’s the series in a nutshell, as they’re working as hard as they can but there is only so much that can be done in so little time. Hopefully that changes, because you can certainly see something in there, which is kind of the point of the series. Or to let Lawler hit on Terri. Maybe both.

X-Pac challenges the Acolytes to a four corners match at No Mercy with Kane involved too. As in a singles match. This was around the time when I got very sick of X-Pac and I’m remembering why that was the case.

Here is HHH for a chat. He can’t wait for thirteen days before he gets his hands on Steve Austin again and wants to take him out for good. For now, he wants to talk to Jim Ross. Yeah forget about the broken arm thing, as JR can even sit down in a chair (uh oh). We see an interview from last Friday, with JR talking to Austin, who is not medically cleared to wrestle yet. Austin is working hard to rehab his knee in time for the match and no one is stopping him.

Back in the arena, HHH asks JR what Austin thinks of him (as in HHH). Lawler knows this isn’t going to go well as HHH asks JR again. JR: “He thinks you’re an a******.” HHH asks what JR thinks of him and it’s pretty similar. Lawler: “Well, thanks for being here JR.” The beatdown is on and Lawler basically calls JR a moron. Referees break it up after some good stomps.

Jeff Jarrett, with Ivory, accepts Moolah and Mae Young’s challenge for tonight. He cuts Ivory off in the process, as you might expect.

Mankind plays Yahtzee with actors from the show G vs. E.

Michael Cole takes JR’s place on commentary and we see the beatdown again.

Jeff Jarrett/Ivory vs. Fabulous Moolah/Mae Young

Miss Kitty is here with Jarrett and Moolah/Young’s music doesn’t work. Actually hang on as Jarrett throws Kitty (in a dress) to get beaten up in his place. Kitty manages to crawl away and bring Ivory in so Moolah throws some forearms. It’s quickly back to Kitty, with Ivory sending her in for a rollup to give Moolah the pin at 2:41. This was certainly a thing that happened and it went as you would have expected.

Post match Ivory beats up Young and Jarrett Figure Fours Kitty.

Mankind gets his makeup done and has a surprise for Rock tonight.

GTV shows Droz vomiting in D’Lo Brown’s bag.

Here is Mankind, with the G vs. E stars. Mankind plugs his appearance on the show before saying that he doesn’t like Val Venis grabbing his testicles. Mankind: “I didn’t like it when I was an altar boy and I didn’t like it last week.” With that out of his way, he teases another special guest but cue the Rock to interrupt. Rock brings up the idea of the team and suggests that he never wanted to team with Mankind…who cuts him off, saying he’s going to rededicate his career and life to this tag team. He doesn’t want to be remembered as a three time WWF Champion or the Hardcore Legend.

No, he wants to be remembered as half of the greatest tag team of all time. Mankind says that while Stephanie McMahon and Test’s wedding has been postponed, this was like a marriage right here! Rock isn’t sure on that but we pause so they can chant his name. Mankind doesn’t want to end up like the Briscos, the Funks or Skip and Zip. They should be the Three Musketeers, because he loves American history. Rock tells him what he can do with a sword…but here is Chris Jericho to interrupt.

Jericho calls this unfunny and thinks Rock should accept the marriage proposal, because he would make a perfect wife in a male/male marriage. He thinks Rock might be a little….and he shakes his hand. After a fan jumps into the ring and is quickly dispatched (Rock tells Jericho to keep his people out of the ring), Rock tells Jericho to know his role and shut his mouth. Two months ago, Jericho was down south beating someone named Juventud. Rock isn’t impressed, so he can face Jericho tonight. Mankind tries to do Rock’s catchphrases and it doesn’t go well.

Post break, Mankind, with Stevie Richards, is asked about a match tonight but gets jumped by the Dudleys. Mankind is hurt.

Chyna vs. British Bulldog

Chyna pulls him outside to start the brawl in a hurry, with Bulldog being sent into the steps. A hard whip sends Bulldog into the corner…and Jeff Jarrett runs in to jump Chyna for the DQ (with something involving coffee) at 1:16.

Post match Bulldog threatens to powerslam Chyna if HHH doesn’t come out here and give him a title shot. Then he powerslams her anyway.

The Dudley Boyz say that Stevie Richards and Mankind stole the Rock N Sock jacket from them and that’s breaking a Dudley rule.

Dudley Boyz vs. Stevie Richards/Mankind

Richards is dressed as Dude Love. The bell rings and here is Val Venis to distract Mankind. The fight goes up onto the stage as Venis joins commentary. Mankind dives onto Venis and gets beaten up by Bubba, who walks into a double arm DDT back inside. Venis gets on the apron and gets the Mandible Claw from Mankind, leaving Richards to walk into the 3D for the pin at 2:40.

Post match Venis leaves with Mr. Rocko.

Here is Vince McMahon for a chat. He isn’t happy with the British Bulldog, but he only wants an apology for Stephanie McMahon. That’s a demand and here is Bulldog again, as he’s all over this show. Bulldog won’t apologize, so Vince wants him in the ring for the beating. Nah, as Bulldog is taking the night off instead.

The Rock vs. Chris Jericho

Curtis Hughes is here with Jericho and Rock suggests turning him sideways. Hughes sneaks in from behind to jump Rock and Jericho comes in to…get clotheslined down. Rock misses a charge into the corner and it’s the bulldog into the Lionsault for two. The spinwheel kick drops Rock again and a suplex into the Arrogant Cover gets two more. A butterfly backbreaker gives Jericho another near fall and we hit the chinlock.

That’s broken up with a belly to back suplex but Jericho pulls him into the Walls. Rock makes it to the rope and they go outside, with Jericho sending him into the barricade. Back in and the lights go out (doesn’t seem to be intentional) and Jericho hits him with the bell for two. The referee gets bumped and it’s a double collision to leave the two of them down as well. The Rock Bottom onto a chair gives Rock the pin at 7:25.

Rating: C+. It was nice to see a match get some time around here and it made for a bit of a change of pace. At the same time though, it’s not exactly anything memorable or impactful, with Rock getting to beat up an up and coming heel. That being said, it’s still better than more British Bulldog.

Post match British Bulldog runs in for the brawl with referees breaking it up. Vince McMahon comes out to send Bulldog back inside for a beating from from Rock. The show ends but we get an Extra Attitude feature, with HHH running into beat Rock down. Mankind runs in for the save and it’s a People’s Elbow to HHH. That’s not enough though as Mankind gets to join in for a double People’s Elbow to really wrap it up.

Overall Rating: C-. As usual, the wrestling is hardly the best part of the show, but rather all of the energy and everything going nuts. That being said, there are a lot of weak points throughout the show, with stuff like the obsession with the British Bulldog and the Moolah/Mae Young stuff being pretty hard to take. Stevie Richards having a fairly prominent role is kind of funny as he’s just a lovable goof, but he’s also not out there every few seconds. There are good pieces here, but they desperately need to get some better focus. And less Bulldog, as he’s really not that interesting.

 

 

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

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Smackdown
Date: October 31, 2025
Location: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the night before Saturday Night’s Main Event and that means it’s time for the big push before the show. That could make for some interesting builds to tomorrow, including the final setup of Drew McIntyre challenging Cody Rhodes for the Smackdown World Title. That should be enough to carry this week, plus all of the holiday shenanigans. Let’s get to it.

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

We have a theme of the University of Utah vs. the University of Cincinnati football game tomorrow.

We look at Jade Cargill turning heel last week and attacking Tiffany Stratton.

Cue Stratton to say she wants Cargill out here right now but Nick Aldis says it can’t get physical. This brings out Cargill, with Aldis calling for security. Cargill says she wants the title so Stratton goes into the aisle for the brawl, with Cargill getting away before it gets started.

Video on Ilja Dragunov.

R-Truth, dressed as Santa Claus, gives the Motor City Machine Guns some candy. He doesn’t believe that it’s Halloween and leaves but Solo Sikoa comes in to mock the Guns. A tag match seems set for later.

US Title: Ilja Dragunov vs. ???

Dragunov is defending against….Nathan Frazer. Wait hang on though as Tommaso Ciampa comes to the ring, saying Dragunov can’t possibly give him the shot. Dragunov says it’s for everyone but Frazer was here first. Also Ciampa is a jackass. Frazer knees him down to start fast and a spinning enziguri sends Dragunov outside. The suicide dive connects but Dragunov is fine enough to hit a spinning chop back inside.

Frazer manages a necksnap across the top but a springboard is cut off with a jumping knee. Dragunov tells him that it’s nothing personal before giving him a German suplex on the floor. We take a break and come back with Dragunov rolling more German suplexes but missing the Constantine Special. Frazer’s running shooting star press gets two and they trade strikes to the head. Dragunov misses a charge out to the floor but is back in with a shot to the face.

The top rope backsplash misses though and Frazer’s frog splash gets two as we take another break. We come back again with Frazer fighting out of a powerbomb and kicking Dragunov in the head. A superbomb is countered into a super hurricanrana to send Dragunov outside, meaning it’s another dive. The phoenix splash gets two back inside as Frazer can’t believe the kickout. Frazer elbows him off the top but Dragunov is right back up with a nasty middle rope German superplex for two of his own. A powerbomb into the H Bomb retains the title at 18:51.

Rating: B. These guys beat each other up and it’s nice to see Frazer getting to show off a bit. Dragunov is the story again here though, as he continues to look like he leaves everything he has in the ring and that makes for some awesome moments. Do more of this, which seems to be the idea at the moment.

Post match respect is shown but Tommaso Ciampa runs in to jump Frazer again. During the break, Axiom and Johnny Gargano ran in to join the brawl, with Dragunov trying to break it up.

Post break, the brawl continues until Tama Tonga comes in to grab the title and stare at Dragunov.

Kit Wilson vs. Carmelo Hayes

And Hayes is now a good guy. Ok then. Wilson tries to jump him from behind to start and manages a running elbow. A cross arm choke lets Wilson call Hayes toxic before stomping him down. Something like a spinning DDT gets two on Hayes, who fights up and hits a springboard clothesline. Wilson bails out to the floor and gets taken out with a dive…and here is Miz to post Hayes. A top rope elbow gives Wilson two but the First 48 gives Hayes the pin at 3:11.

Rating: C. Not much to the match other than to establish that Hayes is now a good guy. That worked out well enough as he did fine in the role in NXT and it’s not like he’s set the world on fire so far. A feud with Miz has worked for others before and at least he has a nice starting point.

Post match Miz drops Hayes with the Skull Crushing Finale.

Charlotte and Alexa Bliss aren’t worried about the Kabuki Warriors. As for tonight, Charlotte says Nia Jax is still in fear because she’s displaying classic Gemini behavior. Bliss isn’t sure what to make of that.

Nick Aldis won’t let Sami Zayn be ringside for the Motor City Machine Guns vs. MFTs as he isn’t cleared. Cody Rhodes comes in and pleasantries are exchanged. Aldis flat out asks Rhodes if he attacked Jacob Fatu and Rhodes gives a definitive no. He’s fine with the contract for the title match against Drew McIntyre.

Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss

Charlotte is here with Bliss. Jax jumps her from behind to start so Bliss gets in a slap to the face. That earns a big shout from Jax, who runs Bliss over. A hurricanrana is cut off but Jax misses a charge into the post. Instead she sends Bliss into the barricade and takes a bow as we take a break.

We come back with a splash in the corner setting up the running hip attack. Jax misses a second attempt and Charlotte offers a distraction, allowing Bliss to get in a neck snap over the ropes. Bliss strikes away and gets two off a basement crossbody. Jax is right back with a Samoan drop for two of her own, with the referee losing his shoe. Back up and Charlotte offers another distraction to break up the Annihilator, allowing Bliss to kick the leg out and get the pin at 9:35.

Rating: C+. This worked about as well as these two are ever going to do, as the size difference hurts it a good bit. What matters here though was that Charlotte and Bliss are still working together and turning into a rather nice team. They’re the team that the division has been needing and hopefully it can last for a long while.

The MFTs run into Rey Fenix, with Solo Sikoa asking if he’s looking for a fight. Fenix says no, because he wants to fight Talla Tonga. Sure.

Damian Priest says it’s now personal with Aleister Black and punishment is coming.

Saturday Night’s Main Event rundown.

Tiffany Stratton runs into Kiana James and Giulia. James says Stratton should have accepted their offer and Nick Aldis has to keep Stratton from jumping her. Chelsea Green and Alba Fyre come in, with Green not being happy about Giulia coming up on the record for longest Women’s US Title reign. Green wants a match and Giulia is in for next week. Nikki Cross pops in to scare them off.

Earlier today, the Utah Utes mascot beat the Cincinnati Bearcats’ mascot. Eh if they air like 30 seconds of it, fine enough for some crossover appeal.

MFTs vs. Motor City Machine Guns

Shelley and Mateo start things off with Shelley striking away and a missile dropkick/Downward Spiral combination putting Mateo down. The MFT’s are sent outside for the dives and it’s the Dream Sequence for two on Tonga. We take a break and come back with Shelley fighting out of a chinlock and hitting the Downward Spiral into the buckle.

That’s enough for the tag off to Sabin so house can be cleaned, including a tornado DDT to Tonga. It’s already back to Shelley, who knocks Tonga outside for a big dive from Sabin. Back in and Solo Sikoa offers a distraction, allowing Tonga to break up the Skull & Bones. The Cutthroat gives Tonga the pin at 8:42.

Rating: B-. As usual, the Guns are able to work well with anyone and that’s always fun to see. At the same time, I could go for seeing them have some more success, but they got their title win so now it seems to be time to have them job quite a bit. We’re also looking towards the MFTs coming after the Wyatt Sicks and the Tag Team Titles, so it makes sense for them to win here.

Post match the beatdown stays on so Rey Fenix runs in for the save, with Shinsuke Nakamura having to save him. This goes rather badly for Nakamura.

Drew McIntyre has no issues with the contract for Saturday Night’s Main Event and tells Nick Aldis to relax.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Nick Aldis is in the ring for the main event contract signing. Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre join him but McIntyre says he can’t sign this. Rhodes certainly can and does, but McIntyre says it’s a one sided contract. If either of them get disqualified or counted out, Rhodes keeps the title and that’s not fair. Aldis is done with McIntyre’s games and threatens to replace him in the title match. McIntyre says ok and goes to leave but Rhodes tells him to sit down.

Rhodes knows what McIntyre wants: a clause that says if he gets counted out or disqualified, the title changes hands. That’s exactly what McIntyre wants and Rhodes is cool with it, so Aldis makes the change. McIntyre signs and talks about how he made the blueprint that Rhodes followed to end the story. He works to get everywhere he goes because he’s the real American Dream.

Rhodes says McIntyre did indeed write the blueprint but the difference is Rhodes walked away instead of getting fired. Rhodes: “Nice guys used to finish last. Then I showed up.” McIntyre cuts him off from leaving and says that the people will eventually turn on Rhodes too. He brings up Rhodes not being there to take his daughters trick or treating and that touches a nerve.

McIntyre asks what Rhodes’ daughters are named and the fight is on, with Rhodes missing a belt shot. A Claymore drops Rhodes and McIntyre puts him through the table. Some promises of taking the title end the show. They’ve got me thinking that a title change is possible and that’s a nice feeling to have.

Overall Rating: B+. I liked this show quite a bit with the good opener and solid main event segment. The World Title match needed the build to get ready for Saturday and they accomplished that rather well. This felt like a show where they were setting up things and then getting it done, which is what they needed to do. Solid show here and I want to see what happens tomorrow.

Results
Ilja Dragunov b. Nathan Frazer – H Bomb
Carmelo Hayes b. Kit Wilson – First 48
Alexa Bliss b. Nia Jax – Rollup
MFTs b. Motor City Machine Guns – Cutthroat to Sabin

 

 

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

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

Still an all time classic.

 

https://411mania.com/wrestling/halls-backlash-2004-review/

Survivor Series 1996
Date: November 17, 1996
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Attendance: 18,647
Commentators: Jim Ross, Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler

I had three options for an older redo this year (this one, 1988 and 1992) but this one had the most Survivor Series matches plus Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart, which was more than enough to sway me over. This is an interesting time for the company as they’re just starting to get squashed by WCW but the future is here tonight. Let’s get to it.

Free For All: Team Bart Gunn vs. Team Billy Gunn

Bart Gunn, Aldo Montoya, Bob Holly, Jesse James

Billy Gunn, Salvatore Sincere, Justin Bradshaw, The Sultan

This would be the Kickoff Show today. I’ve actually never reviewed this and there’s a chance I’ve never even seen it before. The team names are pretty arbitrary as there’s little rhyme or reason for these pairings, save for maybe the brothers, meaning no one is really a captain. James (Road Dogg of course) is a country singer here and the REAL Double J as part of a stupid angle with the departed Jeff Jarrett. Ok so I might have With My Baby Tonight (his self-performed theme song) on my iPod. At least the angle wasn’t a total loss.

As the Sultan (Rikishi) and Aldo (Justin Credible as a Portuguese man with a jockstrap for a mask) start us off, JR mentions that Austin vs. Hart is a #1 contenders match, which really wasn’t mentioned very often on the actual pay per view. Montoya actually does some damage to Sultan by dropkicking him out to the floor but a cover results in him being launched off. A bad looking piledriver sets up the camel clutch and Montoya is eliminated in a hurry.

Holly comes in with a bulldog as we see Aldo walk up the ramp opposite the cameras (an MSG standard). Sultan grabs a chinlock and we take a break to come back with Sultan slamming Bart on the floor so Sincere (a flamboyant yet still generic Italian) can baseball slide him in the face. Back in and Bart grabs a side slam to get rid of Sincere and tie the match up.

Bradshaw (who JR says is going to be something special) comes in and kicks the freshly tagged Holly in the face. We go to a split screen to see Austin running Dok Hendrix out of his dressing room and come back to Bradshaw hitting the Clothesline From an Undisclosed Location to eliminate Holly.

Jesse immediate rolls Bradshaw up for the elimination (ignore Billy kicking Jesse and breaking up the pin at two while the referee keeps counting anyway), leaving us with Jesse and Bart vs. Billy and Sultan. A rollup gets rid of Sultan but the Fameasser (yet to be named) does the same to Jesse. We’re down to a battle of the Gunns and Bart gets tied up in the ropes for some trash talking. Billy calls him an SOB, meaning he isn’t likely to get a Christmas card from his own mother. Bart stands up for Mama Gunn and hits a running forearm for the pin.

Rating: C-. This is a good example of a match where you have to consider the purpose. They weren’t trying to settle any big score here or blow the roof off the place. This was about getting the fans warmed up before we got to the real show and the fast pace did that well enough. Billy vs. Bart wasn’t anything interesting but at least it was a little story to tie things together. Nothing good but it did its job well enough.

The opening video looks at the WWF taking over New York (including the Hall of Fame banquet at a hotel, which would be the last one for seven and a half years) before going into a look at the two major matches. You know you have a stacked card when you’re getting hyped over two matches that don’t even include Undertaker vs. Mankind or any of the show’s namesake matches.

Team Furnas and Lafon vs. Team Owen Hart/British Bulldog

Doug Furnas, Phillip Lafon, Henry Godwinn, Phineas Godwinn

Owen Hart, British Bulldog, Marty Jannetty, Leif Cassidy

This is Furnas and Lafon’s WWF debut as they were brought in to challenge Owen and Bulldog for the Tag Team Titles. Marty and Lafon (I can never remember which is Furnas and which is Lafon) start things off with a nice little acrobatics display, capped off by a hard shot to Marty’s jaw. Leif comes in instead as the announcers talk about slander. The slow pace continues and it’s off to Phineas for a headlock. JR: “You ever see Hilary Clinton do that?”

For some reason Leif thinks it’s a good idea to slap Phineas in the face and spit on him. Well to be fair, given all the sweat and liquid on his overalls, it’s not the worst idea in the world. Owen comes in to wake the crowd up and it’s time to pick Phineas apart. The heels start working Phineas over as JR wants a third referee out here.

Marty hits a good looking back elbow to the jaw as the announcers start talking about Bret, though at least they tie it in to Owen. Today that would go off on a tangent and turn into ripping on Byron Saxton. I mean, he deserves it but it’s still annoying. Marty goes up top so Phineas tries a superplex. JR: “Now how stupid was that?” Oh dang it I always forget how annoying heel JR is. Even heel Cole wasn’t this bad.

Henry comes in, kicks Marty in the gut, and Slop Drops him for the first elimination. Not that it means much as Owen rolls Henry up to tie the score five seconds later. Phineas cleans house (has a fit, whatever) but Bulldog makes a blind tag and powerslams him to go up 3-2. Furnas comes in to speed things WAY up (and turn up the quality as well), only to miss a dropkick, which JR calls one of the best in the business. Like I said, heel JR wasn’t the best.

Leif comes in to cover and the former powerlifter sends him flying on the kickout. The bad guys get smart with a blind tag and a springboard missile dropkick to wipe Furnas out in a great looking visual. JR goes into yet another rant about the referees not catching the heels cheating, which is a really weird complaint for a heel to have.

Cassidy misses a charge and Furnas brings in Lafon for a snappy looking reverse superplex to get us down to two on two. The lack of a reaction to Leif being eliminated really shouldn’t surprise anyone as he was just so out of place in this match. Owen comes in for a belly to belly and a middle rope elbow (both of those looked very smooth) for two. A low blow to Furnas has Vince freaking out but JR, the heel commentator here, lets it go right past him. Again: it was a bad character and you could sense he wasn’t a fan of the whole thing.

It’s back to Bulldog who is quickly sunset flipped for the elimination, which is a big deal as it means Furnas and Lafon can pin Owen and the Bulldog in a two on two match. Bulldog leaves Lafon with a parting gift of a chop block though and Owen follows it up with the Sharpshooter. Furnas is in for the save and hits that dropkick of his (basically a dropkick with a backflip), followed by a German suplex for the final pin.

Rating: B. This was more like it for the opener as they set up the next challengers for the Tag Team Titles, though the first part with the Godwinns really brings it down. It also doesn’t help that the crowd didn’t care for the most part, and can you really blame them? The good guys were people making their debuts and hog farmers. It’s good wrestling but not the brightest idea.

Paul Bearer insists he WILL NOT get into the cage and be hung above the ring. Mankind will crush Undertaker like the cockroaches he used to eat for dinner.

Undertaker vs. Mankind

Bearer is in an individual cage above the ring and if Undertaker wins, Bearer is his for five minutes. The entrance is an important one as Undertaker descends from the rafters and debuts the sleeveless leather attire that would become his signature look for the next several years. It marks the evolution of the original character to the newer, sleeker fighting machine that could hurt people at will.

It’s a brawl to start (duh) with Undertaker using a drop toehold (?!?!?) followed by a fireman’s carry into a cross armbreaker. Undertaker gets smart by working over Mankind’s hand, which JR thinks is illegal. Mankind takes it into the crowd and is quickly backdropped right back to ringside but pops up for a cannonball off the apron. There’s something to be said about someone launching their body at someone else.

Undertaker’s comeback is cut off by a Texas piledriver and the Mandible Claw goes on. Undertaker is smart enough to send Mankind straight outside for the save and both guys are spent from the physicality. A kick to the chest sends Mankind flying hard into the barricade for a sick sounding THUD. You just can’t fake that kind of brutality. Well you can but it’s easier to believe it’s real with Foley.

Old School is broken up so Undertaker opts to punch Mankind in the face multiple times. The chokeslam is countered with the Claw, only to be countered by a big chokeslam with the camera going wide for an awesome visual. Mankind is back up though (as always) and pulls out a spike to stab Undertaker a bit. Amazingly enough, Undertaker doesn’t care to be stabbed and Tombstones Mankind for the pin instead.

Rating: B. This was a BIG change of pace for Undertaker as he was moving faster and acting like a much more well rounded wrestler, which he would be for a long time. These two were solid together as always as they just beat the heck out of each other for long stretches of time and that’s always worth a watch. This is one of their lesser known matches but it’s certainly entertaining.

Post match the cage is lowered and Undertaker goes right for Bearer, only to have the Executioner run out for the save, allowing Bearer to escape. That would be Undertaker’s next match before he continued attempting to murder Bearer and Mankind.

Sunny comes out to replace Lawler on commentary. When you look at so many of the women who would come after her, Sunny really is remarkable. She looks great but she’s also dripping with charisma, which so few women (or men for that matter) have at this level.

Team Helmsley laughs off the idea of Team Marc Mero because they’re a man down due to Mark Henry being injured.

Team Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Team Marc Mero

Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Jerry Lawler, Goldust, Crush

Marc Mero, The Stalker, Rocky Maivia, Jake Roberts

There’s a lot to cover here. Helmsley is Intercontinental Champion, having stolen the title from Mero with the help of the now departed (to WCW) Mr. Perfect. The Stalker is Barry Windham who used to be a military themed guy but is now just Barry Windham with a big mustache. Roberts is Mark Henry’s replacement as Lawler and Roberts are feuding over Jake’s alcoholism.

Oh and it’s Rocky’s debut after weeks of videos talking about how amazing he is. The mind blowing part: they undersold what he would become. The commentary gets even more entertaining as Sunny goes nuts ripping on Sable, claiming to be all natural even down to her hair.

We hit the stall button to start with no contact for the first two minutes. After several tags, Goldust and Mero finally lock up as the announcers discuss Mr. Perfect without saying he’s gone. Marc’s armbars don’t go anywhere so it’s off to the Stalker as JR rips on Barry’s attire. Helmsley comes in and immediately runs from Mero, meaning we get Crush vs. Rocky for his in ring debut. Thankfully that lasts all of ten seconds before it’s off to Lawler for some great selling. Vince actually mentions the name Dwayne Johnson as Sunny suggests being able to take Rocky all the way to the top.

The heels start taking turns on Rocky until he backdrops Helmsley for a breather. Jake gets the hot tag to clean house despite looking a good bit out of shape and very pale. Lawler comes in and slowly hammers away while making alcohol jokes. The DDT scores out of nowhere and it’s 4-3 in a hurry. The mustache with the Windham attached suplexes Goldust for two but a shot from the apron sets up the Curtain Call to tie us up.

Both captains come in as the crowd stays mostly silent. Again though, is there any real reason to care? Crush isn’t interesting, Roberts looks awful and no one knows who Rocky is yet. Helmsley grabs an abdominal stretch and Goldust pulls on the arm, sending heel JR into his second frenzy in an hour.

The referee finally catches Helmsley cheating to break the hold and it’s a Merosault (moonsault pres) to get rid of Hunter. Crush comes in and gets dropkicked to the floor, only to avoid Mero’s slingshot dive. As we’re watching the replays, the announcers completely miss Crush giving Mero the heart punch (exactly what it sounds like) for the elimination. Jake gets the same thing and is eliminated ten seconds later.

So we’re down to Rocky, meaning we get a closeup of his ridiculous looking hair. To his credit, even Rock has said he looked ridiculous at this point. Rocky slugs both guys down and does that stupid arm flailing thing of his. A crossbody puts both guys down and Crush heart punches Goldust by mistake. Rocky hits a second crossbody to get rid of Crush and a shoulder breaker ends Goldust for the win. The pin gets a nice pop, though it might just be because the match is finally over.

Rating: D. They accomplished the goal of giving Rocky a good rub to start (hence why you have goons like Crush around to take a fall like this) but this was WAY too long. You could probably cut out five to ten minutes here and do just about the same thing. Windham was worthless (as he was for most of the time after 1990 or so) and there were way too many stretches of boring non-action dragging it down.

Now it’s time for the real main event as we recap Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin. I know Shawn vs. Sid is going on last but make no mistake about it: this was the most important and anticipated match of the night. Bret had been gone since losing the WWF World Title to Shawn at Wrestlemania XII and Austin has turned into a disrespectful rebel who doesn’t care about legacies or what anyone before him has done. You can see the fire in Austin’s eyes and Bret is the only one that can stop him. Or slow him down at least because there may be no stopping Austin anymore.

Austin says he’s ready and isn’t worried.

Bret says this is about respect, which he’ll receive from Austin no matter what.

Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart

The winner gets the title shot next month. Even Vince has to acknowledge the face pop Austin receives here in New York. Bret gets a great face reaction of his own but Austin really isn’t impressed with the pyro. JR thinks this might come down to a submission, which might be some great foreshadowing for Wrestlemania. He goes even further by saying Bret isn’t a clown or a trashman because he’s a wrestler. Uh, Doink and Droese were wrestlers to Jim. We’re still not ready to go as Vince possibly spoils the main event by saying the winner of this gets Sid.

Austin flips him off to start and we’re ready to go. Feeling out process to start as JR goes back to that submission idea. Vince: “How ironic would it be if Steve Austin put the Sharpshooter on Bret Hart and made him submit?” They trade wristlocks to start and you can see some extra fire in Bret for this match.

Bret takes him down and stays on the arm with a hammerlock until a hard elbow to the jaw puts him down. Austin keeps slugging away until Bret pulls him into another armbar. Bret: “ASK HIM!” Did Jericho get that from Bret? Steve comes right back with a hot shot and starts choking on the bottom rope.

We hit the chinlock and JR goes back to that submission idea again. That’s three times now and it’s really not adding anything new. Back up and it’s time for the slugout with Austin easily taking over as you would expect. Bret comes back with his usual offense but gets shoved chest first into the buckle, again as is his custom. Austin’s superplex is broken up though and Bret goes all the way to the top for the elbow.

They head outside with Austin driving the back into the post as the brawling continues to favor Austin while Bret wins the wrestling. Makes sense. Of course as soon as I say that, Bret throws him through (yes through) the barricade and Austin is suddenly reeling. Just because it’s required, they fight over the announcers’ table with Austin taking over (JR: “It seems that it always happens to the Spanish guys!”) and dropping an elbow onto Bret. The table actually doesn’t break though in a very rare sight.

Back in and we hit the abdominal stretch as Austin continues to know how to focus on a body part. The referee catches Austin holding the ropes (which doesn’t add leverage but helps block a hiptoss counter) so it’s time for a slugout, capped off by Bret hitting a Stun Gun for two. Austin is right back up with a top rope superplex but Bret does the lifting the legs spot (looked horrible here as they were both down for several seconds before going for it) for two.

The Stunner hits out of nowhere for two and JR makes a REALLY good save by saying Bret only kicked out because Austin rolled him away from the ropes. That protects the move, which is completely lost on today’s product. Austin grabs a Texas Cloverleaf, followed by a Bow and Arrow of all things. Unfortunately Austin makes the mistake of trying to mat wrestle with Bret and has to grab the ropes to avoid a Sharpshooter. Back up and Austin grabs the Million Dollar Dream but Bret walks the turnbuckle and flips back onto Austin for the surprise pin.

Rating: A+. Like this would get anything else. I know most people (including myself) say that the I Quit match made Austin a star but he’s not getting to that match without this one. Austin was always a great talent but this was the moment where you knew he was ready for the main event stage. Notice something important about the ending: Bret caught Austin for the pin rather than really decisively beating him. It shows that as great as Austin is, Bret was just that much better and used his experience to win.

Make no mistake about it though: this is a masterpiece and one of the best matches of all time. Unfortunately there was a rematch that is somehow even better and this is a bit forgotten as a result. I’ve heard people say they like this one better and I really can’t argue against that. It’s a must see match and an incredible lesson in giving someone the rub of their career.

JR: “I don’t think anyone, including Shawn Michaels or Sid, could have beaten Bret Hart in this ring on this night.” Vince: “I totally disagree with that.” No followup or anything and the tone was very heelish.

Sid says he’ll win.

Faarooq/Vader/Razor Ramon/Diesel vs. Flash Funk/Savio Vega/Yokozuna/???

Here’s another match with a bunch of notes. Faarooq debuts his traditional Nation look here, thankfully ditching the ridiculous blue gladiator gear. Flash Funk is also making his debut after years as the far better 2 Cold Scorpio. That would be fake Razor and Diesel (duh) with the former just looking horrible. Fake Diesel at least looks like the real thing if you look at him from the right angle. Again, the original idea here wasn’t bad: it’s the gimmicks that got them over instead of the people. Unfortunately that falls apart because Fake Razor looked horrible.

Jim Cornette (Vader’s manager) sits in on commentary and JR says he’s the same size as Yokozuna. Cornette sounds like he wants to cry when he sees Funk for the first time. JR: “I’ve never seen the yellow and red look so good here in the Garden.” The mystery partner is Jimmy Snuka, which gets a mild reaction from the MSG fans and a groan from the audience at home who already saw a legend return with Roberts earlier.

Vader slugs Funk down to start but is quickly sent outside for a moonsault to the floor. You can hear the ECW chants before they even start. Back in and Vader gets tired of this flying nonsense and powerbomb Funk in half. Yokozuna comes in for the embarrassing fat man offense as JR rips on the refereeing again. It’s off to Vega vs. Ramon as the crowd isn’t sure what to care about here.

JR and Cornette argue about whether JR could manage a Wendy’s. JR: “I could if you were in town.” Razor screws up the fall away slam and thankfully it’s off to Funk vs. Diesel so we can get something watchable. Vega comes back in and gets pummeled in the corner as this is already dragging horribly. Snuka get the tag to a pretty anemic pop and quickly runs into Diesel’s knee. In a big surprise, Snuka actually slams Vader. Not bad for a guy who hasn’t been around in forever.

Jimmy almost runs over for the tag back to Vega, who hits maybe 10% of a spinwheel kick on Diesel. Faarooq rams him into the post and the Jackknife ends Vega to hopefully start wrapping this up. The Superfly Splash ends Ramon less than a minute later and then the remaining six come in for the big brawl, resulting in a massive DQ and no winner.

Rating: F-. If there’s a worse Survivor Series match not involving four clowns, my therapy must be working because I’ve completely blocked it from my mind. This was HORRIBLE with eight people that the crowd wasn’t interested in seeing and a nothing ending that only made things worse. Absolutely terrible here as they couldn’t even have Vader survive to give him a bit of a rub?

We recap the main event which is basically Shawn fighting another monster but this time it’s someone he used to trust. Yeah this is hardly anything interesting and feels like a major letdown after Austin vs. Hart. Also, given how badly the ratings were doing around this time, there’s almost no way Shawn is keeping the title here.

WWF World Title: Shawn Michaels vs. Sid

Shawn gets a John Cena style pop as a sign of the times. Sid is challenging of course and pounds Shawn down early on with JR getting right to the point: Sid isn’t technically sound but he can hit you really hard, which is all he needs to do. Shawn speeds things up with some left jabs and a headlock takeover.

The threat of a powerbomb sends Shawn bailing to the outside and we have a breather. Back in and Shawn gets smart by going after the knee, including a Figure Four (actually done on the proper leg). The hold is turned over and Sid sends him shoulder first into the post to take over. Shawn goes right back to the knee and the fans boo him out of the Garden. Thankfully they catch on to the idea and Sid blasts Shawn to the floor with a clothesline.

Back in and Sid gets in a few kicks to the face, followed by a big backbreaker for two. We hit a cobra clutch of all things (Sid would use that occasionally and it always looked weird for someone his size) before a chokeslam drops the champ. Shawn hits his flying forearm and is loudly booed, though the nipup draws a high pitched pop.

Sid grabs a camera and hits Shawn’s manager Jose Lothario in the chest, followed by Sweet Chin Music to the giant. With Jose grabbing his chest, Shawn goes to check on him instead of retaining the title. Sid tries to throw Shawn back in and the referee gets bumped, allowing Sid to hit him with the camera. The powerbomb gives Sid the title (somehow the first title he ever won) to a BIG face pop.

Rating: B+. I don’t like the ending with the camera thing but it’s still a really well put together match. This was pretty much Ric Flair vs. Sid and since Shawn knows how to wrestle a Flair match as well as anyone ever (including Flair), there was almost no way this wasn’t going to work. They let Shawn walk Sid through the match and that was all they ever needed to do.

Shawn checks on Jose as Sid poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This is a hard one to grade as the Survivor Series matches were horrible but everything else ranges from very good to masterpiece. That’s more than enough to say this is a great show and worth checking out. If nothing else there are so many debuts and repackages here that it’s worth checking out for pure history. The MSG crowd helps provide so much energy and the show is just a lot of fun (save for the one horrible match, which only lasts about ten minutes). See this one at least once but watch Bret vs. Austin as many times as you can.

Ratings Comparison

Team Jesse James vs. Team Billy Gunn

Original: N/A

2012 Redo: N/A

2016 Redo: C-

Team Furnas and Lafon vs. Team Owen Hart/British Bulldog

Original: B-

2012 Redo: C+

2016 Redo: B

Undertaker vs. Mankind

Original: C+

2012 Redo: B

2016 Redo: B

Team Jerry Lawler vs. Team Jake Roberts

Original: D

2012 Redo: C+

2016 Redo: D

Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart

Original: A+

2012 Redo: A+

2016 Redo: A+

Team Vader vs. Team Yokozuna

Original: D-

2012 Redo: F

2016 Redo: F-

Shawn Michaels vs. Sycho Sid

Original: C-

2012 Redo: B

2016 Redo: B+

Overall Rating

Original: B-

2012 Redo: B+

2016 Redo: B

This was mostly the same as four years ago, save for me liking Rocky’s debut a lot more back then. That smile must have made me go weak in the knees.

Here’s the original review is you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/11/15/history-of-survivor-series-count-up-1996-bret-vs-austin-the-prequel-and-rock-debuts/

And the 2012 Redo:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2015/11/04/survivor-series-count-up-1996-thats-blue-chip-right-there/

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.

Impact Wrestling
Date: October 30, 2025
Hosts: Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy

Hopefully they have something fresh around here, as we’re now coming up on an entire month since Bound For Glory. If would be nice to get some actual build towards something new, as you can only recap so much from the pay per view until it loses any impact it might have. Let’s get to it.

The opening sequence shows….that it’s a Very Hardy Halloween. Oh boy.

The Broken Hardys welcome us to the show and say that tonight we’re going to see the goings on at the Hardy Compound over the years, starting with the Final Deletion.

From July 5, 2016.

Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy

This is outside and in the dark in somewhat rickety looking ring. Before the match, Matt tells the referee (who he makes sure is licensed) to count the pin or call the submission. Matt plays the violin (given to him by Antonio Stradivari, who died in 1737) to summon the enigma. Jeff rides up and Matt tells him to prepare for his deletion. We come back from a break where the gardener reads us a statement saying not to try this. It’s in Spanish but it’s a nice gesture.

They trade punches to start and the longest stretch without the camera cutting is about four seconds. Jeff superplexes Matt (slow motion) and gets two off a splash before pulling out what appear to be shutters covered in ivy. Matt goes through those for two as we have music playing instead of commentary. Matt takes over with a kendo stick to the back as this is only a match in the loosest of terms.

We’ve got a ladder less than two minutes in with Jeff being knocked back into the corner and choked with the rungs (Matt: “DELETE! DELETE! DELETE!”). The Side Effect onto the ladder is countered and Jeff hits a Twist of Fate before taking his shirt off. The Swanton gets two and Jeff puts the ladder on the middle rope. That’s not enough though as he climbs into a tree (yes a tree) and dives off, hitting only the ladder on the way down. That only gets two so Matt hits him with a chair and pulls out a firework cannon to shoot at Jeff, who blocks it with a trashcan lid.

Since that didn’t work, Matt pulls out a rake and calls for Brother Nero. Jeff has his own fireworks to shoot at Matt, who hides behind a metal boat as the music switches from something resembling classical to rock. Jeff turns the boat over but gets caught in a sleeper because after fireworks, of course you use wrestling moves. They fall into the water and Jeff disappears with Matt saying he’s been flushed. Jeff pops out of the water in full Willow gear and chokes Matt with the umbrella until the gardener comes up with a stun gun to knock Jeff out for the pin at 7:27.

Actually not so fast as Matt takes the mask off and it’s….the gardener. Jeff pops back up and knocks Matt into a dirt pit for more choking but lets go when he sees a massive Hardy logo. Jeff climbs onto that as we go to a Wyatt style montage of the birthday party. Reby hands Matt a candle and he sets the symbol on fire to knock Jeff off for the pin at 9:36.

Rating: N/A. No rating since this had nothing to do with wrestling and was heavily edited throughout. Normally I would explain something stupid here but do I really need to? This was Matt and Jeff shouting LOOK AT OUR BRILLIANCE and Dixie being stupid enough to let them do whatever they wanted. Words don’t describe this one well enough but I hope Matt and Jeff financed this themselves because TNA is broke enough that they can barely afford to pay their production staff but they can have this…..thing which probably cost a small fortune.

The Hardys talk about what happened when they fought. Then it was time to fight someone else though, so it’s off to Delete Or Decay.

From September 8, 2016.

It’s time for Final Deletion II. Decay goes after Senor Benjamin but he turns a shovel around to show the word DELETE. We cut to Decay arriving at the house, which Rosemary calls home sweet home. They look through the window to see Reby holding Maxel but here’s Matt, who KNEW THEY WOULD COME.

Back from a break and it’s time for the showdown with the Hardys (the three adults) holding up their fireworks. Abyss: “THIS IS NOT BEAUTIFUL!” Hang on because there are going to be a lot of very quick cuts in this thing. The Hardys chase them off with the fireworks and a ladder is knocked over. It’s really hard to see what’s going on here but for some reason fireworks are being shot horizontally at Decay but a camera cut shows them exploding in the air.

Matt sends Reby back to the house as Decay hides behind ye olde dilapidated boat. Abyss tells someone to get to the house and Jeff dropkicks the boat into the water. Cue Senor Benjamin to say Matt needs the boat. Jeff disappears and Benjamin starts pulling the boat but Joseph Park walks out of the water. Park: “Brother Benjamin! I loved you in Final Deletion!” Benjamin tases Park and puts him in a conveniently placed bulldozer.

It’s off to Steve, who tries to send Jeff face first into a fire inside a big tire. That earns Steve a sitout gordbuster into a pool and they fight underwater. Matt is walking through smoke and calling for Rosemary as Benjamin dumps Park (presumably) into a grave. Jeff chokes Steve out under the water and sits on the side of the pool, only to be pulled back in ala the end of Friday the 13th.

Back to Benjamin who laughs at the grave but Abyss pops out to choke him. Steve and Jeff fight over a pool toy but it’s back to Abyss going after Matt and pulling out Janice. Jeff takes the shot to the ribs for his brother but here’s Vanguard I to launch rockets at Decay. The Hardy symbol in the grass is lit on fire with Steve inside.

We cut back to the house where Rosemary has Maxel. Vanguard I tells her to put him down so she blows mist at the drone to knock it offline. Maxel escaped somewhere in there and here’s Matt to say Rosemary has crossed a line. She mists him but he sucks it into his mouth and spits it back at her. Maxel staggers over to Matt as Reby reappears. The family is reunited but we cut back to Jeff who is laying on the ground in agony. Steve laughs at the fallen Benjamin and a car, I guess containing Decay, leaves to end the match at around 17:00.

So yeah, the Final Deletion is basically Sharknado. It was a lot of fun the first time because it was just so stupid but the second version is really just a bigger budget version where you expect the same stuff over and over again. Other than the random Joseph Park cameo (really funny), this was a lot of the same bits that they did the first time but without the “what am I watching” reactions. I had fun with it and all but I really don’t need to see this again unless they come up with something fresh next time. It also doesn’t help that this set up (in theory) a regular tag match at Bound For Glory. Isn’t that kind of backwards?

The Hardys talk about how awesome that was and now it’s time to crank it up again, with Tag Team Apocalypto.

From December 15, 2016.

Tag Team Titles: Tag Team Apocalypto

The Hardys are defending and this is under elimination rules with eliminations coming via pinfall or submission. The match starts in the arena so we get to see who is in at the start. Here’s the lineup:

Hardys, Helms Dynasty, Rock N Roll Express, Decay

That’s it for now as smoke fills the arena and everyone has to evacuate the building. We see Lashley and Edwards still fighting before cutting back to the teams. Everything goes insane and the teams are outside with firework guns. Abyss: “NO! NOT AGAIN!” The fireworks going into the air and Helms tells his boys to get out. Matt appears in the back of their truck and attacks Lee so Jeff tells the referee to get on the back of his motorcycle to chase after them.

A bunch of teams are at the entrance to the Compound and Decay lets them in because this is going to be beautiful. Matt throws Everett into the Cameron City Limits sign for two (yes there are counts in this) with Helms making the save. It’s a huge fight as some of the teams get in, though none of them are introduced. Crazzy Steve snaps one of their necks for a pin on someone never identified.

Another team is allowed in as Spud is shown waiting on his partner. The Bravado Brothers (Harlem and Lance) show up as the Dynasty and Hardys fight in front of an antique store. Where did the Express go? Back at the entrance, a team called the Ugly Ducklings (maybe) enter and are eliminated in just a few seconds via Abyss’ chokeslam.

The Hardys and Dynasty keep fighting as Abyss beats up a team called Showtime. The Bravado Brothers sneak in as Showtime is quickly dispatched by way or a rock to the head. I’m almost certain we’re not supposed to know who any of those teams were though it’s not like we got a good shot at almost any of their faces. Spud’s partner finally arrives and we take a break.

Back with Spud’s partner being revealed as……Hornswoggle. Decay lets them pass so we cut back to the brawl taking place by the Lake of Reincarnation. A jumping knee to Jeff’s face gets two as Matt makes the save by moving the boat with his mind. The Dynasty starts stomping on the boat until Jeff makes the save with a double noggin knocker.

Matt shoves Helms into the Lake and it’s time for a 3 Count reunion, by which I mean Shane being part of 3 Count and yelling that Everett and Lee are no Evan Karagias and Shannon Moore. They superkick Helms into the Lake as the Bravados show up to roll them up for two each. The Express are in another ring (four sided this time) nearby and call the Hardys in for a fight.

This goes as well as it’s going to go in 2016 but now we cut back to Edwards and Lashley because that’s still going. Wait now it’s back to the Dynasty vs. the Bravados with the referee coming out of a portable toilet to do his job. Everett hits a standing moonsault onto I believe Lance, leaving Harlem to be sent into a wall. They head inside the arena to keep brawling as we cut back to the other ring. Ricky and Jeff are in the kind of machines used to get people to the top of telephone poles and it’s time for another break.

Back with the cranes coming together so Ricky can work on the arm. The volcano is going off in the background as Robert works on a spinning toehold. Matt grabs one of the crane’s controls to send Morton flying through the air. We go back to the other arena where Everett is covered for two. We’re back to the cranes though with Jeff Swantoning out and missing Robert, only to have Matt hit a Twist of Fate to get rid of the Express.

So I believe we’re down to Decay, Spud/Hornswoggle, the Bravados and the Dynasty, assuming no one else arrives. Back in the other arena, Spud and Hornswoggle go after the two downed teams with Hornswoggle swinging a chair. Spud eliminates the Bravados but gets powerbombed by Hornswoggle, setting up the Tadpole Splash. Everett pins Spud to get rid of another team.

Back to Lashley choking Edwards with a cord of some kind as Morton is still stuck on the crane, demanding to be let down. Road Warrior Animal of all people is here, asking how Morton got stuck up there. Decay finds James Storm in a mask but multiple other DCC members show up. One of them takes off his mask and Storm has no idea who it is. Whoever it is gets knocked out with Abyss getting the pin, which eliminates the entire DCC. Storm gets in a superkick for good measure. Steve wants to go add to this pile of bones and we take another break.

We come back again with the Hardys and Decay fighting near the volcano and Lashley and Edwards fighting nearby. The volcano erupts violently and we’ve got the Hurricane rising from the Lake. That means it’s time for breaking news with news anchor Gilbert Corsey saying Cameron North Carolina’s fate is in the Hardys’ hands.

Back to the outside ring with Decay and the Dynasty each picking a Hardy to beat on. Matt is taken to a graveyard of Hardy logos as Jeff fights back on Decay. Janice is brought in and Jeff’s comeback is cut off by a low blow. Vanguard I comes in and that means another fireworks war. Abyss takes one to the eye and Vanguard celebrates.

To the other teams as Hurricane saves Matt from a shovel to the head. Apparently the Dynasty is broken and a double pin (Can Hurricane do that?) gets rid of Everett and Lee. Matt and Hurricane bury them, which Matt says would make even the man with three H’s proud. Lashley throws Eddie onto the house’s porch and then no sells a Hornswoggle spear.

Abyss is back up but a huge Hardy symbol catches on fire around him. A lot of brawling ends with Abyss taking Matt back into the ring. Matt gets Janice though and a shot to the ribs (with some quick edits) means Matt can make his weird noises. Steve and Jeff fight near the volcano with a Twisting Stunner sending Steve into the mouth. A big explosion sends Steve’s charred body flying into the ring so Matt can get the pin to retain at 44:10.

Rating: N/A. You think I have any idea hot to rate this? As I’ve said many times, I rate wrestling, not a bunch of people running around a big field with a few wrestling rings involved. I know there’s an audience for this and I was excited about what it might be, but you knew they were over hyping this to death.

All that talk about teams breaking contracts and such to show up turned out to be the nonsense that it was expected to be, leaving us with a joke like the Rock N Roll Express, an indy team in the Bravados, Spud and Hornswoggle as another joke (I think?) and three TNA teams. Oh and the jobbers. Don’t forget the jobbers.

No one really bought that any WWE names were going to show up here and the match was a big mess of standing around waiting for the bigger names to show up. The big moment here (I guess) was the Hurricane return and that’s really nothing special. If you knew you weren’t going to be able to get anyone here (Young Bucks? Maybe?), don’t hype it up like it’s a done deal. No they never said it, but if it’s nothing outlandish, mentioning a name in wrestling means THEY’RE GOING TO SHOW UP.

I was really, really disappointed in this as I bought into the hype of the whole thing. But, of course, TNA manages to let me down and thinks that I’m going to be entertained by a joke about HHH burying people when the Hardys (combined age of 81) just beat almost the entire tag team division in less than an hour. There was no big moment, there was no big surprise and there was no big difference between this and the rest of the Hardy specials.

Oh and for a bonus: Reby reveals that she’s pregnant and pyro goes off.

From December 15, 2016.

We go to the Dome of Deletion, a mini arena set up with a live crowd, a ring and an entrance shaped like Matt’s open mouth. The Hardys come out with Matt promising fifty of his followers appearing tonight. If they don’t prove their greatness tonight, the Seven Deities will remove the powers of deletion.

Cue Rockstar Spud to say he’s sick of all this, including King Maxel. The infant gets a chant so Spud wants to be his first opponent because the kid hasn’t had a match yet and he’s more over than Spud has ever been. Spud promises to stretch Maxel and make him a loser like his father. Matt actually sanctions the match and makes it No DQ.

King Maxel vs. Rockstar Spud

Maxel drives to the ring in a mini Mercedes because of course he does. The bell rings, Benjamin tases Spud and Maxel gets the pin in 19 seconds. Cool moment, though Kevin Owens basically did the same thing in PWG a few years back.

The Hardys don’t like that the Nemeths came to the Hardy Compound and escaped. That must be revisited.

From April 24, 2025.

The Nemeth’s go to the Hardy Compound and see Willow (with umbrella) waiting for them. Back from a break (because this needs to go longer), the Nemeth’s are in the compound and Willow starts dancing. Then a light flashes and Willow disappears, leaving his umbrella behind. Jeff Hardy jumps Nic and sends him into a tree before beating on him with an umbrella.

They fight into the back of a truck and Jeff is backdropped off the top of said truck and through some well placed tables. Nic goes into the truck and finds a suitcase, with one of the title belts inside. In a case of what is likely breaking and entering, Nic goes into the house and we cut to Ryan getting jumped by Matt Hardy. As Nic wanders through the arcade, he finds a collection of titles and steals the other TNA tag team title, replacing it with a weight.

Matt has a pre-mo-neetion and spears Ryan into a pool. Then Ryan shows up in the arcade, where Senor Benjamin gives him a ticket. Ryan walks in, where Matt’s kids are sitting in chairs and eating popcorn. Benjamin sits down in one of the chairs next to Ryan and we see a silent movie about Maxel (Matt’s son) beating Ryan.

Then Ryan wakes up on a psychiatrist’s couch, with Maxel taking notes. Ryan talks about the issues that came with Nic’s suspension and all of the pressure on him. Then Ryan walks up to Reby playing the piano with her daughter by her side. Ryan and the daughter argue over the Nemeth’s wanting the Tag Team Titles. Then a bird appears and Ryan is now a goth and doing standup with one of Matt’s other sons.

The son asks if Ryan wants to hear a joke. Ryan: “Sure.” Matt’s son: “Your career.” Then Matt pulls Ryan out of the pool but stops to chase Nic, with the Tag Team Titles. One of Matt’s sons grabs Nic and gets shoved down, triggering a fight with Matt. Broken Jeff appears as the Nemeth’s escape with the titles. Counting a commercial, this was about twenty minutes. Because TNA hates us.

And one more, as the System visits the Hardy Compound.

From June 13, 2024.

The System looks for a way into the Hardy Compound. Post break, they find their way to the back, where Matt Hardy meets them from a balcony. His family, including Senior Benjamin, are waiting for him. Moose walks into a trap, which sets off a bunch of fireworks, while Brian Myers is confused by a Curt Hawkins figure. He goes into Matt’s arcade and finds more figures, as planed by one of Matt’s sons. Then Myers is scared by moments from his past, including a pair of Edge tights and discussions of his losing streaks.

We cut over to Eddie Edwards being stalked by another of Matt’s sons and then turning into the American Wolf (as in a werewolf). We cut to Alisha Edwards slowly walking through the house as Reby Hardy plays piano. Then Reby’s daughter uses magic to send things flying at Alisha.

We cut to another of Matt’s kids guiding Moose to Matt. This includes a stop at Senor Benjamin’s house, where he watches previous Broken Matt exploits. Matt pops up and attacks Moose, including putting him in a wheelchair. We cut to Reby seemingly beheading Alisha with a guillotine and then cut back to Matt sending Moose into the Lake Of Reincarnation. Moose comes out in football gear but Vanguard 1 shows up for a distraction, allowing Matt to hit a Twist of Fate. The System bails while still making threats.

This stuff was funny at one point but then it became the same jokes over and over again, as the Hardys are weird and their kids are creepy. It really feels like Matt is the only one who wants to do this and that doesn’t make for a good show over and over. This just kept going and was more about references from other promotions, which don’t make me want to see the matches on Friday, but rather just getting rid of Hardy in general. Not good here, though I’m sure it still has something of an audience.

The Hardys wrap it up, with Matt pre-mo-nating the biggest battle ever next year.

Overall Rating: C. Ok so as you can probably guess, this is absolutely not my thing. I get why they went with this for the Halloween show, but my goodness the charm here ran out very quickly. It’s a total detour for a special night, but at the same time, they absolutely need to get SOMETHING related to their major stories.

Every bit of momentum that they had from Bound For Glory is gone and it gets worse each week. Just have people cut promos or something and set something up. That really shouldn’t be too much to ask, but instead we’re flashing back nine years to people who have nothing to do with what is going on here. This was a totally wasted week and it was little more than something to completely skip.

Results
Matt Hardy b. Jeff Hardy – Jeff feel off the Hardy symbol
Hardys won Tag Team Apocalypto
King Maxel b. Rockstar Spud – Pin after a taser shock

 

 

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