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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Monday Night Raw
Date: September 22, 2008
Location: US Bank Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler

We’re coming up on No Mercy, and as has been the case in recent months, Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho is absolutely carrying the show. Now we’re coming up on a ladder match for Jericho’s World Title at the pay per view, which should be a great way to go. As a bonus, this is the 800th episode so expect some celebration. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Chris Jericho to get things going, with the World Title above the ring and a ladder between them. Jericho climbs the ladder and sits on top with a smirk before saying Shawn Michaels is trying to rewrite history. Michaels has convinced Mike Adamle to make their match at No Mercy a ladder match. The dumb fans are going along with Michaels’ claims of revolutionizing the ladder match, even though Michaels can lie.

The truth is that Jericho has won a lot more titles and high profile ladder matches than Michaels could ever hope to. At No Mercy, all you’ll see is this, and he pulls the title down. Jericho is going to leave as champion because he’s just too good. Cue Randy Orton of all people to interrupt, saying it doesn’t matter who wins at No Mercy, because they’ll be champion on borrowed time. Jericho threatens to hit him in the mouth, but Orton isn’t worried because he’s still protected, meaning anyone who touches him is suspended. Orton says he gets what he wants, but Jericho says he gets the same and tells Orton to get well soon.

With Jericho done, Orton says he’ll be champion soon and throws the ladder into the aisle. Cue a ticked off CM Punk to go nose to nose with Orton and then hit him in the face. Mike Adamle runs out and suspends him…which brings out Shane McMahon of all people. After the usual dancing, McMahon says Punk gave Orton “a receipt” but he’s here for something else. Punk’s suspension is lifted, though no one can touch Orton going forward. As for tonight, we’ll also have Michaels/Batista vs. JBL/Jericho. For now though, Punk can have a match of his own.

CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes

They fight over a lockup to start with Rhodes grabbing a headlock, only to get hit in the face and dropped. Rhodes manages to send him outside so Punk fires off a hard kick to the chest. Back in and Punk rolls through a high crossbody for two but gets whipped hard into the corner. Rhodes has to bail out from a GTS attempt though and we take a quick break. We come back with Rhodes working on Punk’s leg, which is reversed into an ankle lock. Rhodes makes the rope so Punk strikes away, followed by the running knee in the corner. The GTS finishes Rhodes off.

Rating: C+. Rhodes is still figuring out the being a top level guy and he has almost no experience in being a singles star either. That being said, it helps to be out there against someone like Punk, who can work well with anyone. That’s what we got here and it made for a nice match as Punk is on his revenge tour against Orton and company.

Post match Ted DiBiase and Manu run in for the beatdown but Kofi Kingston makes the save.

Smackdown Rebound.

Shane McMahon is in Mike Adamle’s office when Kane comes in. Kane wants Rey Mysterio and gets him at No Mercy. That makes Kane laugh, and he tells Shane to say hi to his mom. Adamle doesn’t know the story so Shane explains the whole thing in one of those “this only works in wrestling” moments.

Beth Phoenix, with Santino Marella, yells at Kelly Kelly about laughing at the injured Marella. For some reason Marella mocks Batista, who pops up to scare him off. Phoenix warns Kane not to interfere, or Marella will beat him up.

Here is Santino Marella to announce that he is only 59 weeks behind the Honky Tonk Man’s record…and he’s interrupted by a surprise name.

Santino Marella vs. Deuce

Non-title. Marella says this is what he’ll do to Batista, so watch what he does to Fonzie over here. Deuce hammers away at Marella’s masked face and knocks him down for a quick two. Marella is back up with an accidental headbutt to stagger Deuce and a sunset flip gets the fast pin.

Post match Beth Phoenix comes out to check on Marella.

Rey Mysterio wishes Evan Bourne good luck.

Evan Bourne vs. Kane

Yeah Bourne might need it. Bourne fires off some forearms to start but can only get so far as Kane hits him in the face. A crucifix attempt is cut off with a punch to the face (there’s always something about keeping it that simple) but Bourne avoids a big boot. Bourne sends him outside for a moonsault so Kane drops him with a pop up uppercut. An Oklahoma Stampede of all things drops Bourne and the chokeslam finishes him off.

Rating: C+. That’s all this needed to be as Bourne was able to do his thing for a bit, only to get destroyed by Kane, as he should have been. Kane is warming up by destroying another cruiserweight, but Mysterio is different enough to make it interesting. They were also smart enough to keep it short, which makes this a rather nice piece of business.

Post match Kane stays on Bourne but Mysterio comes out for the save. That means Kane gets to beat him down as well, as a monster tends to do. Kane says Mysterio is just like everyone else.

Jamie Noble asks Shane McMahon for a rematch against William Regal but Dolph Ziggler comes in to introduce himself again. Randy Orton comes in and doesn’t like CM Punk’s suspension being lifted and they compare family histories.

Beth Phoenix vs. Kelly Kelly

Non-title and Santino Marella is here with Phoenix. Kelly gets powered into the corner but comes out working on the arm. A bouncy armdrag out of the corner drops Phoenix, who buckle bombs her right back into the corner. Phoenix works on the arm a bit but Kelly is right back with the clothesline into the middle rope crossbody. Marella’s distraction doesn’t exactly work though as Kelly gets the rollup pin for the upset.

Rating: C. It was more of an angle than a match but what matters is Kelly is feeling like someone who is a bit more than the usual Diva. Both the Raw and Smackdown women have made some strides in recent weeks and it’s nice to see the efforts paying off. We’ll have to see how it goes, but at least they’re actually having serious matches for once. That’s so nice to see after the drek that they had been doing for so long.

Post match the villains go after Kelly but Batista comes out for the save. Marella ACTUALLY HITS him and…well you can probably guess.

We recap the Dirt Sheet (Miz/John Morrison) vs. Word Up (Cryme Tyme) in a battle of web series. Naturally this resulted in Miz and Morrison doing a rap video, because what else could it result in? Morrison: “You’re not street Shad. I met your dad. He wears a sweater vest.” The Dirt Sheet was absolutely hysterical at times and it won here hands down.

Miz/John Morrison vs. Cryme Tyme

Morrison and JTG start things off, with Morrison mocking JTG’s dancing, which is really not that nice. That earns him a right hand, which allows JTG to dance a bit more (as you might have expected). Morrison comes in and gets hit in the face as well, allowing Gaspard to come in and clean house. A big boot drops Miz and JTG drops both villains on the floor as we take a break. We come back with JTG fighting out of an armbar and getting two off a rollup.

Miz is right back with the corner clothesline into the chinlock before pulling JTG into the corner. Morrison takes him down and grabs the chinlock, allowing Cole to talk about how many pyro displays the show has had throughout its history. Is that really supposed to be impressive? I know it’s one of those factoid things, but come on. JTG fights up and dives over for the tag, allowing Gaspard to come in with a powerslam. Everything breaks down and Morrison pulls JTG outside, leaving Miz to roll Gaspard up for two. Gaspard gets two off a suplex, but Morrison kicks him in the back of the head to give Miz the cheating pin.

Rating: C+. They could only do so much here, but at the end of the day, the only thing that mattered here was the pre-match stuff. This is the kind of feud that is going to get over based on everything with the microphones and the wrestling is secondary. That’s a fine way to go and thankfully the match was good enough, even with a kind of weak finish.

Chris Jericho, with Lance Cade, comes in to see Mike Adamle and suggests that Shane McMahon has ulterior motives. He has an idea for the main event, which we don’t get to hear.

No Mercy rundown.

Earlier today, Charlie Haas was at Dave And Busters and did some less than successful versions of Perfect’s sports bits. Ok that’s clever. Oh and get the new Mr. Perfect DVD.

Chris Jericho/John Bradshaw Layfield/Lance Cade vs. Batista/Shawn Michaels

So there’s the idea. Cade and Michaels start things off with Michaels yelling a lot before hammering away in the corner. Michaels pounds him down again but JBL gets in a cheap shot from behind so Jericho can come in to hammer away. A belly to back suplex sets up a chinlock, followed by an enziguri. JBL adds a neckbreaker and we hit the abdominal stretch to keep Michaels in trouble.

Cade comes in to choke in the corner before it’s right back to JBL for a big boot. The fall away slam is countered into a DDT though and they’re both down. The tag brings in Batista to clean house, including a powerslam to Jericho. Michaels comes back in but has to break out of a Walls attempt. Batista spears JBL down on the floor to even things up a bit. Jericho bulldogs Michaels but misses the Lionsault, allowing Michaels to beat on Cade. The threat of the superkick sends Jericho outside but Cade hits a sitout Rock Bottom to pin Michaels.

Rating: B-. This was a pretty standard match and that worked well enough, as it boosts up both matches for No Mercy. There’s something rather nice about putting two stories together into one, especially when they’re pretty much the only things going on with this show. It’s not a good sign when most of the show is in one match, but it got the job done.

Overall Rating: C. The main event summarized the whole show, as Michaels vs. Jericho is the only thing that really matters, with Batista vs. JBL a rather distant second. Shane McMahon being back is a good thing though, as Adamle being around is just so dull. I get that’s the point, but it’s only going to work for so long. Other than that, the only interesting part was the Dirt Sheet, which isn’t even part of the show. Not great stuff overall, but Michaels vs. Jericho certainly is.

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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Fatal Four Way Collection
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tazz, Joey Styles, Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler, Cyrus, Joey Styles, Byron Saxton, Renee Young, Tom Phillips, Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph, Aiden English, Jim Cornette

I have no idea why this is something that was necessary, though if you can run a pay per view about it, you can do this too. In this case, I’m not sure how interesting this is going to be as the concept can get tiring rather quickly. Hopefully the action is enough to keep things moving for over two hours so let’s get to it.

From Rebellion 2000.

WWF Title: Kurt Angle vs. Rikishi vs. The Rock vs. Steve Austin

Angle is defending, no countouts or DQ’s and this is Evil Rikishi. The fact that Angle comes out second tells you about where he’s standing at the moment. The brawl is on to start fast with Rock and Rikishi fighting out to the floor, leaving Austin to hit a spinebuster for two on Angle. Rikishi pulls Austin outside so we can switch off a bit, leaving Rock to Samoan drop Angle for two more.

Back up and Rock sends Angle flying over the top as Rikishi and Austin come back in. That means Rikishi gets caught between the superheroes for a bunch of right hands, followed by some double stomping. Angle tries to leave, which doesn’t work for Rock, even if that’s not the wisest move. Austin Thesz presses Rikishi for the right hands and Rock sends Angle back in for a Thesz press from Austin as well.

Angle and Austin head to the floor again with Austin using a cable to choke on the announcers’ table. Rikishi crushes Rock in the corner but the Stinkface is blocked with a well timed low blow. The People’s Elbow gets two, with Angle having to come in for the save. We slow down a bit as the heels take over in something of a mini tag match. As you might expect, Rock and Austin fight back rather quickly and it’s time for the big staredown.

Austin gets the better of things but Rock punches his way out of the corner. That just earns him a Stunner for two with Angle making another save. Tazz: “I cannot believe that Austin just Stunned the Rock.” As I try to figure out why that would confuse him, Austin stomps Angle down in the corner.

That takes too long though and it’s a Rock Bottom for two, with Rikishi pulling the referee out. Back in and the Angle Slam gets a VERY delayed two on Rock but here are Edge and Christian to help Angle. Austin beats them up and it’s a Rock Bottom to Rikishi, with Edge making the save. Cue the Radicalz as Austin Stuns Rikishi for two, with Saturn making the save. Another Angle Slam pins Rikishi to retain the title at 8:50.

Rating: B-. It was fun while it lasted but it didn’t last very long. Rikishi as a big time heel never worked and he was clearly going to be the one to take the fall the second he was introduced. That’s not a terrible thing though, especially for a special England only pay per view in the first place. The rest of the match was your usual stuff and given the circumstances, that was acceptable enough.

From ECW On Sci Fi, August 28, 2007.

The Miz vs. CM Punk vs. Big Daddy V vs. Boogeyman

For a future shot at the ECW Title. V jumps Boogeyman so Miz and Punk jump V, who shrugs all three of them off at once. We get the Boogeyman vs. V showdown but Miz pulls Boogeyman outside. That leaves Punk to dive on V, who throws him outside for the big crash. V beats on Miz and Punk outside but misses a charge and crashes over the barricade.

Punk gets sent into the steps though and Miz is there to jump Boogeyman back inside. Miz’s running corner clothesline gets two on Punk and we hit the chinlock, which is kind of nutty in a four way. Punk is back up with the running knee and bulldog, followed by the top rope clothesline for two. The GTS finishes Miz at 7:07.

Rating: C. This was a really weird choice as it basically turned into a singles match with about three minutes to go. Boogeyman and V just vanished from the thing and never showed up again. I kept waiting for one of them to do something but instead it was just punk shrugging off Miz’s offense and beating him. That’s a fine way to go, but what a weird way to get there.

Post match V beats up Boogeyman as they magically reappear.

From Capital Carnage.

Steve Austin vs. Mankind vs. vs. Kane vs. Undertaker

Yeah that’s a lineup. Gerald Brisco is guest referee and Big Boss Man is guest enforcer. Kane goes after Mankind before the other two come to the ring but the lights go out for Undertaker’s rather slow paced entrance. The brawl continues throughout the lengthy entrance, with the camera on Undertaker because the wrestling itself is just a detail. They finally stop fighting but Kane knocks Mankind into a chokeslam from Undertaker, leaving the monsters to brawl.

Kane is sent outside and here is Austin as the fight is on again. Undertaker and Austin fight on the ramp and then come back to ringside as Vince McMahon is rather nervous on commentary. With Austin down, Undertaker switches off to Mankind but Austin (still in his vest) is back up and sent inside. Undertaker joins him and gets hit in the face, followed by some choking with the vest.

The jumping clothesline hits Austin (Vince: “YEAH BOY!”) for two as Mankind keeps punching Kane on the floor. Paul Bearer goes JJ Dillon with a shoe to Austin’s head but Austin is back up with a Thesz press to Undertaker. Austin covers and Brisco hurts his knee (doesn’t feel like a screwjob), allowing Kane to make the save. All four finally get inside for the first time a mere seven minutes in and Undertaker and Mankind are outside seven and a half minutes in. The other two go outside and Vince gets mad at Mankind for not attacking Austin.

Back in and Kane chokes Undertaker in the corner while the other two are down. Kane goes after Mankind as JR and Vince get in a spat over Austin. Old School is broken up and Undertaker gets crotched on top, sending the two of them to the floor. Mankind offers Austin a handshake but gets kicked in the ribs, meaning it’s time for the Mandible Claw. Undertaker crotches Mankind against the post and Austin gets double teamed by the giants. We’ll make that triple teamed but Austin fights back, with a chair being brought in.

Mankind breaks up a spoke Tombstone onto the chair but gets his head cracked by Undertaker’s chair shot. Austin covers but Brisco just stops counting. Mankind and Undertaker go outside so Austin hits the Stunner on Kane. Brisco needs to know the time, so Austin decks him down. Undertaker is back in with chokeslams to Austin and Kane, with a regular referee coming in to count as Mankind makes the save. Austin Stuns Kane again for the pin at 16:11.

Rating: B-. This was longer than it needed to be and dragged in the middle, but it felt like a pay per view main event rather than a spruced up house show match. Austin winning is of course the only way to go, though I was expecting Mankind to take the fall. Good enough stuff here, though trimming off three minutes or so would have helped.

From ECW Heat Wave 2000.

Little Guido vs. Psicosis vs. Yoshihiro Tajiri

This doesn’t fit the bill so here is Mikey Whipwreck to make it better.

Little Guido vs. Psicosis vs. Yoshihiro Tajiri vs. Mikey Whipwreck

Yeah that works. They start by kicking each other in the head (shocking I know), with Guido kicking Tajiri out to the floor. Whipwreck hurricanranas Guido and Stuns Tajiri, followed by the running flip dive to the floor. Cue Tony Mamaluke, who gets taken down by Whipwreck. For some reason, Whipwreck dives onto the 500lb Big Sal and is quickly posted. Psicosis hits the guillotine legdrop and Guido pins Whipwreck for the elimination at 1:36.

So that leaves us with the original match, with Tajiri hurricanranaing Psicosis. Guido pulls Psicosis to the floor so Tajiri can hit a nice Asai moonsault onto the two of them. Back in and Tajiri superplexes Guido so Psicosis can hit a somersault legdrop for two (that’s a surprising kickout). An Unprettier hits Psicosis and Tajiri’s bridging German suplex gives Tajiri the pin at 4:28.

We’re down to Guido vs. Tajiri, with the latter kicking him down and getting two off another suplex. The handspring elbow connects and it’s time for a chair (of course). Guido fights back with a Sicilian Slice and kicks Tajiri outside. That lets Guido flip off the fans but the Unprettier is broken up as well. Instead Tajiri kicks him down and hits the brainbuster onto the chair for the pin at 9:18.

Rating: C+. I’m not a huge fan of the “let’s add someone in just so we can eliminate them in a hurry and then get back to the original match”. It just makes me wonder what the point of the addition was in the first place and that was the case here. At least Psicosis was there instead of Super Crazy, as that three way dance had been done to death.

From Insurrextion 2001.

Hardy Boyz vs. X Factor vs. Dudley Boyz vs. Edge And Christian

Elimination rules. Albert is here with X Factor and grabs Bubba’s leg to start, allowing Credible to hammer away. That works in a grand total of no way as Bubba fights back and knocks Credible into the corner. Matt and Christian come in with Christian getting the better of things until Matt neckbreakers his way out of trouble. Jeff comes in to quite the reaction and crossbodies Edge for two.

It’s off to X-Pac to take over on Jeff, who snaps off a headscissors and it’s back to Matt. X-Pac is right back with a crotching against the post, followed by a Bronco Buster. Matt double clotheslines X-Factor down and Jeff comes in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Jeff misses Poetry In Motion. Matt gives X-Pac the Twist Of Fate and, after Albert misses a splash, Jeff drops a Swanton for the elimination at 5:48. X Factor beats up Matt, leaving Christian to Unprettier Jeff for the pin at 6:03.

We’re down to Edge And Christian vs. the Dudleys with the Canadians being whipped into each other. D-Von powerslams Christian for two but gets caught with a backbreaker. It’s off to Edge for a hard whip into the corner but D-Von manages a middle rope clothesline. The referee doesn’t see the tag to Bubba though and Christian is right back with another backbreaker.

The reverse inverted DDT plants Christian though and NOW we get the big tag off to Bubba. House is quickly cleaned, including What’s Up to Edge. It’s time for a table, which knocks Edge And Christian down, only for Rhyno to run in and Gore Bubba. Edge steals the pin at 13:21.

Rating: B-. Speaking of matches that had been done to death, I present you with the tag division from this period. As great as the three main teams were, there comes a point of GET SOMEONE ELSE ALREADY. X-Factor wasn’t much of an addition as they were out in about five minutes, leaving us with the same stuff we’ve seen for WAY too long. The action was fine as usual, but mix it up a bit.

Post match the table is set up but Spike Dudley is here to cut Rhyno off.

From NXT Takeover: Fatal Fourway.

NXT Title: Adrian Neville vs. Tyler Breeze vs. Sami Zayn vs. Tyson Kidd

Neville is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. They’re rather tentative to start with no major contact in the first minute. We pair off with Kidd hammering on Neville and Zayn fighting out of the corner to beat up Breeze. That’s broken up and it’s down to Zayn vs. Neville, which is what people seem rather interested in seeing. The other two come back in to break it up and everyone goes outside for a slugout.

Zayn stops for a quick photo with Breeze’s phone, which he throws inside. Kidd switches off and takes Zayn inside, where Zayn is right back with a Koji Clutch. Breeze breaks that up and a double suplex puts Neville down on the stage. It’s Zayn coming in to cut Kidd off, earning himself a double suplex onto the ramp. Back in and Zayn gets double teamed as we slow down a good bit. Neville tries to make the save and gets kicked outside but Kidd sends Breeze outside as the alliance is done.

Kidd keeps knocking people out to the floor before kicking Zayn in the back for two. A legdrop in the ropes gives Kidd two and Neville gets knocked off the apron as a bonus. Kidd’s running dropkick in the Tree of Woe gets two on Zayn and we hit the chinlock. Neville finally comes back in to break it up (because a chinlock needs to be broken up) but Breeze takes Neville down. Zayn is back up as Neville hits a top rope springboard moonsault to take out the villains.

Neville’s big handspring elbow is countered into…I’m not sure but it’s kind of a backdrop. Kidd catapults Zayn into Neville but can’t get Zayn in the Sharpshooter. He can however kick Zayn in the head, only for Breeze to come back in with some Supermodel Kicks for two each. Breeze takes Neville up top, with Kidd joining Breeze, meaning Zayn can come in to make it a Tower Of Doom.

Zayn gets two and then erupts on Kidd in the corner. Neville gets a boot up to stop a charging Zayn in the corner, setting up the Red Arrow. Breeze steals the cover for two and the freak out on the near fall is great. Kidd is back up with a Sharpshooter on Breeze, with Neville having to dive in to stop the tap, leaving Zayn to make the save. Zayn exploders Kidd into the corner before sending Neville over the barricade. The diving DDT takes Breeze out on the floor again and the Helluva Kick hits Kidd…but Neville pulls the referee at two. Neville takes Zayn out and the Red Arrow retains the title at 24:12.

Rating: B+. I was kind of expecting this one to be included and I’m glad that it was. This was around the time when NXT was becoming a major force and that made for some interesting matches such as this one. If nothing else, it makes me sad to see how far Tyler Breeze fell, as he should have been a much bigger deal than he was after such a great run on NXT.

From the 2019 Royal Rumble Kickoff Show.

Cruiserweight Title: Kalisto vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Hideo Itami vs. Buddy Murphy

Murphy is defending and they trade the early rollups to start. Tozawa gets a Black Widow on Murphy but Kalisto is in for a rather springboardy hurricanrana. Murphy blocks it with raw power but gets dropkicked outside by Tozawa. Back up and Murphy pulls Kalisto’s dive out of the air for a suplex onto the floor.

That leaves Itami in the ring for the showdown, with Murphy coming in to trade kicks to the back. Itami wins a slugout and stomps him down in the corner, meaning it’s time to scream a lot. Tozawa and Kalisto are back up with some dives to take Murphy down, leaving Itami as the only one standing. Kalisto is back up to catapult Tozawa onto Murphy on the floor for quite the landing.

Back in and Kalisto strikes away for two on Itami as things slow back down a bit. Tozawa and Murphy take their place with Murphy down, only for Itami to break up the top rope backsplash. Tozawa’s hurricanrana driver plants Itami and Tozawa follows with a big dive to the floor. Murphy is back up with a big running flip dive onto everyone else, followed by a nasty sitout powerbomb to Kalisto.

Tozawa makes the save but Murphy rolls through a high crossbody. That’s fine with Tozawa, who poisonranas Murphy for two, with Itami stealing the near fall. The Salida Del Sol gives Kalisto two on Itami, meaning it’s time for the four way slugout. Itami and Murphy are left standing with Murphy getting the better of things, including Murphy’s Law to retain at 12:04.

Rating: B. This was a good choice for the last match before the show started as it was about throwing a bunch of people out there and letting them go nuts. Murphy was feeling it as champion at this point as he didn’t wrestle like a cruiserweight and that made things all the better for him. Tozawa wasn’t a total goof yet either and Kalisto had some chops of his own, making this a nice mixture of talent.

From Monday Night Raw, December 1, 1997.

D’Lo Brown vs. Miguel Perez Jr. vs. Chainz vs. Recon

Elimination rules. This is from Gang Warz so there are all kinds of people at ringside. Brown hammers on Chainz to start but Chainz is back with some elbows. Recon (Bull Buchanan) comes in with a hurricanrana, which has Cornette impressed. Brown comes back in to drop Recon and it’s back to Chainz to hammer away a bit. A big boot staggers Recon and Brown punches him into Chainz’s Death Valley Driver for the pin at 2:09.

Brown comes in and gets clotheslined down so it’s off to Perez, who is knocked down just as fast. A quick rollup gives Perez the pin on Brown at 3:14 and we’re down to one on one. The Death Valley Driver connects but everyone comes in and the match is thrown out at 3:37.

Rating: D+. What in the world was the point of adding this? I was thinking the collection was ending with the cruiserweight match and then some angle but instead we get this tacked on mess which doesn’t even have a winner. It’s such a weird way to go and it’s not like this was anything memorable. It’s certainly out of nowhere though and that’s kind of the fun from something like this.

The big brawl ends the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was MUCH better than I was expecting, as it was one of the collections that I was dreading and it wound up being a lot of fun. The thing that makes these collections work is how much they mix things up and that’s what you got here, with some stuff from different promotions and a variety of eras. I had fun with this and it was one of the nicer surprises. It’s not my favorite format, but they made this work, even without an entry from the FATAL FOUR WAY pay per view. Even WWE forgot about that mess.

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: September 15, 2008
Location: FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tennessee
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler

We’re on the way to No Mercy and that means it’s time to start putting the card together. In this case that means figuring out what is coming, though the Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels feud should give you a pretty good idea. First though, Jericho has to get through CM Punk in a steel cage. Let’s get to it.

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

The cage is lowered.

Raw World Title: CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho

Jericho is defending in a cage with pinfall, submission or escape to win. Punk hammers away to start fast and whips Jericho into the corner, allowing Jericho to try a quick escape. That’s immediately cut off so Punk goes up, with Jericho pulling him back down. The running knee and bulldog look to set up the GTS but Jericho makes the rope. Punk is fine enough to send him into the cage and we take a break.

We come back with Jericho holding an ankle lock of all things before switching to the Walls. Punk’s crawl gets his hands and a leg out of the cage but Jericho pulls him back in and slams the door on Punk’s head. The Lionsault hits a raised knee though and Punk kicks him down, only to miss a running knee in the corner.

They fight onto the top of the cage and then crash back down to give Punk two. Jericho sends him into the cage and goes up, with Punk grabbing an electric chair for the big crash back down. Punk goes for the door but Jericho dives at him and winds up on the apron. A headbutt staggers Jericho…and he falls out to retain the title in a bit of a call back to Muraco vs. Snuka.

Rating: B. Good, hard hitting fight here as Jericho escapes again, with Punk basically beating himself. It’s a clever way to keep both of them going, as Punk got his rematch and didn’t so much get beaten as much as Jericho got lucky. At the same time, Jericho gets to move on, likely to his next showdown with Shawn Michaels.

Batista is watching.

Mike Adamle is talking to Kelly Kelly in the back when some annoying guy comes in to introduce himself. Dolph Ziggler or something. With that out of the way, Chris Jericho comes in and Adamle says it’s time to focus on No Mercy. Jericho doesn’t like that and says Adamle needs to take care of him better, even offering to explain it in his office.

Kane is in a mask but explains that he had to remove it. That was for all of the people but it got him nothing. Now people ridicule him and he doesn’t like that. He wants to hurt Rey Mysterio, who doesn’t have the courage to unmask. Everyone wears a mask because they don’t like themselves. When he attacked Mysterio, he was attacking everyone. Evan Bourne comes in and says he wants to see Mysterio beat Kane. That doesn’t seem to bother Kane, who laughs a lot.

Candice Michelle vs. Jillian Hall

Hall sings some Elvis on her way to the ring and after the break, cranking up the shrieking extra high this week. Beth Phoenix is here to watch as well. Michelle grabs a quickly broken headlock to start and is promptly planted hard. Hall pulls on the hair to keep Michelle down and we hit the full nelson. Michelle fights up and jumps over her in the corner, hitting a kind of Edge-O-Matic (nice) for two. The Candywrapper finishes Hall off.

Rating: C-. The Edge-O-Matic was nice and you can see that Michelle is trying, but it’s still only getting her so far. I’ll certainly take someone at least trying to get better though and Michelle is doing just that, which is partially why she’s getting the attention. WWE is trying to find someone new for the women’s division so they might as well try it with Michelle.

Post match Phoenix comes after Michelle and gets dropkicked.

John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Tommy Dreamer

JBL slams him down and drops an elbow, followed by a big boot. Dreamer gets a boot of his own up in the corner and grabs a neckbreaker, only to walk into the Clothesline From JBL for the fast pin.

Post match JBL says he isn’t leaving the ring until he talks to Mike Adamle. Post break JBL is still waiting and explaining that he should be #1 contender but gets Randy Orton instead. Orton talks about his recent champions evaluation, which is why he cost CM Punk the World Title. JBL isn’t much of an upgrade, though Orton’s shoulder is almost better and he’s coming for the title. Then there will be a champion on Raw with some credibility…so cue Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix.

Marella mocks Orton for being hurt all the time, just like his dad. On the other hand, Marella’s father is always healthy! Except for having herpes. Orton: “You expect me to respond to that?” JBL wants an apology from Orton because JBL knocked Batista out cold with one shot last week. Cue Batista to interrupt, quoting Barack Obama to suggest that Phoenix is a pig. Marella says Phoenix squeals but Batista promises to beat all of them up. Marella: “Aren’t you forgetting someone?”

Batista apologizes and offers Phoenix a title shot when he gets the belt back too. Mike Adamle pops up on screen to say he’ll make his official decision on a #1 contender later tonight. Batista takes out JBL and Marella but Phoenix slaps him in the face. That earns her a spinebuster onto Marella

In the back, Orton passes Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase and Manu, with some glares being exchanged.

Kofi Kingston/Jerry Lawler/Charlie Haas vs. Cody Rhodes/Ted DiBiase/Manu

Haas is Jim Ross this week so naturally he’s fat, talks about football, and pitches barbecue sauce. And yes, the fans are quiet for the dumb joke. Kingston headlocks Manu to start before slipping out of a slam and hitting a dropkick. Rhodes comes in and gets dragged into the corner for the tag to Lawler (the fans still like him), who fires off some dropkicks.

Rhodes knocks him down though and grabs the chinlock, only for Lawler to fight up and bring Haas in for some snap jabs. Everything breaks down and Haas hits a splash as everything breaks down. DiBiase avoids a charge into the corner and the cobra clutch Russian legsweep finishes fast.

Rating: C-. Hey did you know that WWE likes to make fun of Jim Ross every single chance they get? It’s the most one note joke imaginable in this situation and that’s not something you want to see. Well unless you’re Vince McMahon of course, which is why this kept happening. The match was just a way to get Lawler on the show, which was fine, though the fans’ lack of a response to Haas as Ross told you all you needed to know.

Smackdown Rebound.

JBL comes in to see Chris Jericho, who cuts him off and brings up JBL costing him the World Title last year. Jericho brings up the impending stock market crash and brags about being the champion. No, he won’t put a good word in for JBL to get the title shot.

Jamie Noble vs. Paul Burchill

Katie Lea is here with Burchill. Noble stomps him down to start fast but gets uppercutted into the corner. Back up and Noble slingshots into a cross armbreaker for the fast tap.

Post match Layla comes out to apologize for last week. She’s so sorry for taking that long to get away from Noble, because now she has found a man worthy of her. This brings out William Regal, who says Layla wanted nobility rather than Noble.

Lance Cade is meeting with Mike Adamle when Batista comes in, wanting to be #1 contender. Cade says Batista isn’t #1 contender and gets slammed into a wall.

Kane vs. Rey Mysterio

Kane throws him into the corner for a right hand to start before pulling a springboard hurricanrana out of the air. Mysterio slips out but is quickly choked on the rope to stop that just as fast. We take an early break and come back with Mysterio fighting out of a chinlock The elbow misses for Kane and Mysterio hammers away in the corner, only to be sent back first into the post.

Kane stomps him down in the corner but misses a charge, allowing Mysterio to hit the sitout bulldog. Mysterio sends him into the corner and hits the enziguri to set up the 619. That’s cut off with a hard clothesline and Kane stomps away in the corner….for the DQ, as Mysterio manages to survive.

Rating: C. This wasn’t some big epic showdown but it wasn’t supposed to be. What matters is having Mysterio back in the ring so he can fight back against Kane, though he’s probably going to need some help. For now though, it’s the start of what will likely be a bigger story, as WWE would never pull the plug on Kane being a monster or anything.

Post match Kane stays on Mysterio until Evan Bourne runs in for the save.

Dolph Ziggler introduces himself to Chris Jericho and Lance Cade but only gets a handshake from the latter.

Here are Jericho and Cade in the arena for the announcement of the next #1 contender. Jericho talks about how neither JBL nor Batista are worthy of a title shot, so they should face off at No Mercy and he gets the winner immediately thereafter. That’s two matches for one of them but that’s how he won the title at Unforgiven. Cue Mike Adamle to say he thinks that’s fair and they will have a #1 contenders match and will face the champion in the future.

Jericho asks what he means by “the champion” because he’ll be the champion. Actually hang on though, as there is someone else who has pitched a title shot, which he will receive at No Mercy. Cue Shawn Michaels, who says they have fought in a variety of matches, so what else can they do to each other? There is one more that he can do and it will allow him to hurt Jericho and win the title. He asks some people to help him out so they bring in a ladder, with Michaels climbing up to make the match official to end the show. Yeah I’d say that works.

Overall Rating: C+. The whole point of this show was setting up a title match at No Mercy and while Michaels was the fairly obvious pick, they did a nice job of setting him up as something of a surprise at the end. Throwing in the ladder matkes it even better and it should be a heck of a match. The rest of the show was the hit and miss stuff you expect from Raw, but the cage match and closing segments made it work well enough.

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

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Best Of Umaga
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Todd Grisham

I’m not sure why Umaga is getting a special look on the Vault but that’s kind of the point of the thing. Umaga wasn’t around for very long when you really look at it but he certainly made an impact. He’s the kind of monster who can smash through some people and that is what we are going to be seeing here. Let’s get to it.

Quick opening video, which is just some basic highlights.

From Cyber Sunday 2006.

Kane vs. Umaga

Kane won the spot here by dominating a fan vote (49%) over Sandman (28%) and Chris Benoit (23%). Armando Alejandro Estrada is here with Umaga as Kane slugs away to start. A headbutt gets Umaga out of trouble but Kane is back with more uppercuts. Umaga goes with the power off a belly to belly and a spinwheel kick cuts Kane down again. Kane tries to fight back again and is quickly taken down with a faceplant. Some big chops in the corner wake Kane up so Umaga rakes his eyes.

The middle rope headbutt gets two and the running Umaga Attack connects, with Kane rolling outside. The Samoan Spike only hits post though and Umaga is in trouble for a change. Back in and Kane rains down rights and lefts (so you know it’s serious) in the corner. Umaga is right back with a Samoan drop and that’s enough for Estrada to load up the victory cigar. That takes too long though as Kane sits up and avoids a charge into the post. Kane goes up but has to kick Estrada down, allowing Umaga to knock him out of the air. The Samoan Spike finishes Kane at 8:37.

Rating: C-. Not a great match here, but rather just kind of dull. Kane was fighting back against the monster but could only get so far, which is why Umaga felt like a different kind of heel. He was out there smashing through other monsters and that made him dangerous. It was a fairly run of the mill match, though the ending was how it should have gone.

From New Year’s Revolution 2007.

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Umaga

Umaga, with Estrada, is challenging. Some early right hands make Umaga mad but Cena avoids a few charges, including sending Umaga flying over the top. Estrada has to calm him down and apparently it works, as Cena’s charge is cut off and he gets tossed outside. Back in and Cena tries to fight back but gets dropped with a screaming clothesline (Umaga likes to scream).

They go outside again, with Cena being sent into the steps and the then announcers’ table (JR: “WE’VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS TONIGHT!”). Back in and Cena avoids a sitdown splash but falls down on a slam attempt for the big crash. A neck snap across the top gives Cena a breather but his high crossbody is countered into a swinging Rock Bottom. Cena manages a Throwback, only to get blasted with a running spinwheel kick (that looked great).

Umaga sits down on Cena’s chest but a raised knee cuts him off for the needed breather. Cena tries the FU and Umaga crashes down onto him for the next big failure. The nerve hold goes on for a good while and Cena’s comeback is cut off with a hard elbow to the face. The middle rope headbutt misses though and Cena sends him head first into the post.

Somehow Cena manages a ProtoBomb into the Shuffle (with a woman in the second or so row absolutely losing her mind at the comeback). Umaga is back up with a belly to belly and ties Cena in the Tree Of Woe, meaning the running headbutt can connect. The running Umaga Attack is cut off by some raised boots though and Cena grabs a rollup for the fluke pin at 17:21.

Rating: B. It takes a lot to make Cena feel like a dramatic underdog but they pulled it off here. Cena was having to fight from underneath throughout and absolutely felt like he escaped rather than winning, which made for a good story. Usually you would expect Cena to make the big power comeback but instead he had to steal a rollup. That makes Umaga feel so much more dangerous and I liked what we got here.

From Royal Rumble 2007.

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Umaga

Umaga, again with Estrada, is challenging and this is Last Man Standing. Cena, with taped up ribs (the calling card of a champion against a monster) slugs away to start until Umaga wisely goes right to the ribs. They go to the floor fast with Cena being whipped into the steps but manages to fight back in the aisle. Umaga isn’t having any of that and hits a hard clothesline back inside.

The steps are brought in but Cena knocks Umaga off the apron and THROWS THE STEPS AT HIS FACE for the huge crash. Back in and Umaga hits the spinwheel kick to drop Cena again but it’s still not even close to the ten count. The bearhug goes on for a bit before Umaga grabs the steps again. The running Umaga Attack misses Cena but hits the steps, allowing Cena to blast him with the steps for a change.

Umaga beats the count and is fine enough to hit the swinging Rock Bottom. Some cannonballs down onto the ribs have Cena in trouble but, just like last time, he gets the knees up for the low blow counter. The Throwback and ProtoBomb onto the steps have Umaga down and the Shuffle connects as well. Also like last time though, Umaga crashes down onto him on the FU attempt, this time sending Cena into the steps.

Cena gets up but is busted open, earning another knockdown for eight. The fired up comeback is cut off with a scary Samoan drop (with Cena half landing on his head) but the Samoan Spike is cut off. Umaga ties him in the Tree Of Woe but the running headbutt misses this time. Cena’s top rope Fameasser connects and he sends Umaga into the post for a crash. One heck of a monitor shot to the head knocks Umaga silly but he gets up again.

Cena gets knocked onto the announcers’ table and Umaga gets a running start for the missed splash. That’s good for nine and Cena looks crushed at the match continuing. Estrada uses the distraction to unhook a turnbuckle (as in the full thing rather than just the pad) and the top rope falls down. The turnbuckle to the face is countered into an FU though and Cena hits him with the turnbuckle. Cena gets creative by using the ring rope for an STFU to choke Umaga out….then has to do it again to retain at 23:12.

Rating: A-. Oh now this was WAY better, with Cena having to go into full on Superman mode to win a slugout against this kind of a monster. You don’t see Cena get to that level very often but dang it’s a special thing to see when it happens. Outstanding match here and pretty easily the best of Umaga’s career.

From Raw, February 19, 2007.

Intercontinental Title: Jeff Hardy vs. Umaga

Umaga, with Estrada, is challenging and we’re joined in progress with Hardy hitting some dropkicks through the ropes. The dive is pulled out of the air but Hardy manages to post him. Hardy’s run across the barricade is cut off with a shot out of the air and they head back inside.

A big leg gets two on Hardy as commentary hypes up the Battle Of The Billionaires at Wrestlemania. The nerve hold goes on for a bit but Umaga misses the middle rope headbutt. Umaga misses a splash in the corner and the Whisper In The Wind connects. Hardy charges into the Samoan drop though and the running Umaga Attack crushes Hardy. The Samoan Spike gives Umaga the pin and the title at 5:46 shown.

Rating: C. This was more of a surprise than anything else, as Umaga absorbed the big stuff that Hardy threw at him and then smashed through him for the title. While going from Cena down to the Intercontinental Title is something of a fall, Umaga did look like a killer out there. That’s going to make for a good chance for someone to take his title, and that’s why you give a monster like him the belt.

From Summerslam 2007.

Intercontinental Title: Carlito vs. Mr. Kennedy vs. Umaga

Umaga (having eaten Estrada somewhere along the line) is defending. Kennedy tries to tease the alliance to start and is knocked down just as fast. Umaga wrecks both of them, with Kennedy being sent outside, where he cuts off the running Umaga Attack. Carlito knocks Umaga outside and Kennedy kicks him into the steps. Back in and Carlito’s rollup with ropes gets two on Kennedy, who is right back with a Stroke to put Carlito down.

Umaga pulls Kennedy outside though and decks Carlito, only to miss a charge into the corner. Kennedy blasts him with a monitor and it’s time for the challengers to double team the monster. That’s broken up with a double suplex and Umaga smashes through both of them without much trouble. The running Umaga Attack hits Carlito but Kennedy low bridges Umaga to the floor. That doesn’t work for Umaga though, who is right back in with the Samoan Spike to retain at 7:25.

Rating: C+. Kennedy and Carlito felt like planes shooting at King Kong but instead of shooting him down, he crushed them up and put them on a pizza. Neither of them felt like any kind of a serious threat to take the belt, but Umaga had lost enough on the big stages already. Letting him win a match like this was the right call, as he looked liked the definitively better monster.

From Cyber Sunday 2007.

Umaga vs. HHH

Street Fight (57%), which beat Steel Cage (26%) and First Blood (You should be able to do the math to figure out what this is.). If nothing else, we have the awesome keyboard entrance set, which features prominently as the fight starts up on the stage. An early Pedigree attempt is cut off and they fight to the entrance, with HHH knocking him through a wall.

The brawl goes into the crowd and Umaga misses a charge over the barricade, allowing HHH to take over. They get inside for the first time with Umaga again missing a splash into the corner, allowing HHH to go find a trashcan. That takes too long though and Umaga drops him again, setting up a splash for two. A bearhug and belly to belly suplex stay on the bad ribs and the running Umaga Attack stays on…well just about everything else really.

Umaga grabs a chair but gets low blowed a few times, followed by a DDT onto the chair for two. That’s shrugged off as Umaga hits the swinging release Rock Bottom as they go outside. HHH ducks a chair shot but gets knocked over the announcers’ table. The big running splash sends HHH through the table for the huge crash. Back in and the top rope headbutt misses so HHH grabs the sledgehammer, which is knocked away. The Samoan Spike misses and HHH sledgehammers him in the head. The Pedigree finishes Umaga off at 17:20.

Rating: C+. And we’re right back to the run of the mill stuff here, as this was as by the book of a street fight as you could ask. HHH was getting back into the main event scene and needed to go over someone like Umaga to help him get there. This was a basic formula for a match and while it wasn’t bad, it never came close to being anything special.

From Raw, January 7, 2008.

Jeff Hardy vs. Umaga

Hardy’s Intercontinental Title isn’t on the line and this is in a cage. Randy Orton (facing Hardy at the Royal Rumble) comes out to watch and Hardy hammers away to start. Umaga runs him over with the raw power and sends him flying into the cage. Back up and Hardy tries to escape but Umaga slams him down for a crash and we take a break.

We come back with Hardy having to fight out of a nerve hold but getting sent into the cage. Umaga crashes into Hardy against the cage for two so Orton throws in some chairs. A big shot to the back puts Hardy down, but he’s able to crotch Umaga on top. The running Umaga Attack misses and Hardy kicks him into the corner. A DDT onto an open chair knocks Umaga silly for two, leaving both of them down. Hardy goes for the door but Orton slams it on his head. The Samoan Spike is countered into the Twist Of Fate so Hardy goes to the top of the cage and hits THE BIGGEST WHISPER IN THE WIND EVER to pin Umaga at 14:32.

Rating: B-. I understand why this was involved, but this was ALL about Hardy, with the finish being one of the coolest things you’ll see on Raw. It made me wonder what Hardy was going to jump off of to beat Orton at the Rumble and that’s a special feeling. The match itself was just ok, but my goodness what a finish.

From Wrestlemania XXIV.

Batista vs. Umaga

This is Smackdown vs. Raw for brand supremacy or whatever they’re calling it this time. They slug it out to start and Batista is sent to the floor. Back in and Umaga hits a spinwheel kick to rock Batista again. Another trip to the floor lets Umaga beat on him some more and the nerve hold goes on.

Batista avoids the middle rope headbutt but gets knocked down again, setting up another nerve hold. Umaga’s Samoan drop gets two but the Samoan Spike is blocked. Batista sends him into the post, hits a spinebuster and finishes with the Batista Bomb (falling down in the process) at 7:04.

Rating: D. This has to be up there with the all time biggest Wrestlemania disappointments, as what should have been a big power brawl wound up being a boring house show match where they both wanted to beat the traffic. Batista falling down at the end summed it up really well as it capped off the whole mess. Terrible match and a big letdown.

From Judgment Day 2009.

Umaga vs. CM Punk

We’re in Chicago (close enough) here so Punk is even more over then usual. Umaga throws him around to start and Punk can’t do much with the power early on. Punk gets whipped hard into the corner and the nerve hold goes on. Umaga crashes down onto the ribs but Punk raises his feet for a shot to the jaw. Punk tries a slam and collapses (of course), meaning we’re back to the nerve hold. Another comeback attempt is cut off with a shot to the face but Umaga misses the middle rope headbutt (AGAIN).

That’s enough for Punk to send him outside for a dive, followed by the strikes back inside. A running kick to the face staggers Umaga and he misses the splash in the corner. Another splash connects but the running Umaga Attack doesn’t. Punk’s middle rope bulldog gets two but he walks into a Samoan drop for two. The GTS doesn’t work either and it’s the running Umaga Attack into the Samoan Spike for the pin on Punk at 11:53.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to see Umaga get one last big win, as he would be gone from the promotion in less than a month and dead by the end of the year. Umaga was in a weird point here as he was still a good monster but there was a firm ceiling to how far he was going to go. The match was set up for Punk to come back and win a rematch, which is exactly what wound up happening.

Overall Rating: B-. Umaga was an interesting case as he was as general of a wrestling trope as you could get, but dang did he do it well. You knew pretty much exactly what you were going to get with him every time he was out there but it still wound up being a success. Unfortunately drug issues took him down, though I’m not sure how much higher he could have gone.

This is the kind of thing I want from the Vault though, as it’s something that you would not get anywhere else and it had WWE’s awesome production behind it. Good, interesting look at a cool star, and thankfully they ignored the overdone Battle Of The Billionaires (possibly for obvious reasons).

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: September 8, 2008
Location: Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler

We’re done with Unforgiven and the big story on the Raw side is that Chris Jericho jumped into the Scramble match but also won the World Title. That isn’t going to sit well with a lot of people, including Shawn Michaels, who beat him last night. CM Punk never made it into the match as Randy Orton kicked him in the head, which is going to require some revenge. Let’s get to it.

Here is Unforgiven if you need a recap.

Here is Chris Jericho to get things going and he is rather pleased with himself. Last night, he faced a hypocrite named Shawn Michaels. Jericho takes his shirt off to show what Michaels did to him last night. It makes Michaels a hypocrite to have whipped Jericho like a dog and the people loved every second. What did Michaels even win though? It was an unsanctioned match so Michaels won nothing, but Jericho won something.

Last night, Jericho could barely stand up but he took CM Punk’s place and won the title. Batista was so close to winning the title but Jericho outsmarted him. Cue Mike Adamle, who says that Jericho stepped up to the plate last night, but Punk didn’t lose the title either. Punk isn’t here tonight, but he’ll get his rematch for the title next week in a cage. As for tonight, Jericho can face Batista.

Women’s Title: Beth Phoenix vs. Mickie James

James is challenging and Candice Michelle is at ringside. Phoenix wastes no time in taking her outside for a ram into the post before working on the arm back inside. A lifting armbar is countered though as James sits on Phoenix’s shoulders, followed by a neckbreaker. The Thesz press lets James hammer away but they seem to mistime something in the corner. Phoenix grabs a quick Alabama slam to retain.

Rating: C. There is only so much that can be done here, as they didn’t have much time. Phoenix using something other than a Glam Slam for the win was a nice change of pace though, as it gave a bit of a surprise. James losing clean isn’t a good sign though, as there isn’t much of a shot for her to get the title back anytime soon.

Phoenix and Michelle stare each other down post match.

Layla and Jamie Noble are in the back, with Noble begging her to be in his corner tonight. Layla calls that a surprise but he has a real surprise for her: Jillian Hall singing “Layla”. That doesn’t go so well, but Layla will be out there anyway. Promises of Olive Garden are made.

Jamie Noble vs. William Regal

Layla is here with Noble. Regal hammers away in the corner to start but gets taken down by a quick headscissors. That doesn’t work for Regal, who knocks him down and drops some knees, which have Layla cringing. Another knee to the head gets two but Noble is back up with a dropkick. That earns him a running knee to the head to give Regal a quick win.

Post match Regal says this kind of thing only happens in fairy tales and then leaves with Layla, who does look back at Noble on the way out.

John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Charlie Haas

This week, Haas is dressed as….JBL, meaning he’s in the trunk of JBL’s limo. Haas talks about being a big Texas blowhard who loves to hear himself talk. He does JBL’s Texas two step and JBL glares at him rather hard. JBL: “You’ve got to be kidding me.” JBL doesn’t like being disrespected like this and then walks out for the countout.

Post break JBL finds Batista talking to Kelly Kelly, who both find this funny. JBL says he and Batista are both main eventers and Batista should get why this is terrible. Batista says JBL and Charlie Haas have nothing in common, because Haas actually won tonight.

Rey Mysterio says he had to take some time off after Kane attacked him. He’s standing here though because Kane didn’t kill his spirit. Even though he’s always an underdog, he is no one’s victim.

Rey Mysterio/Evan Bourne vs. Miz/John Morrison

Bourne and Morrison go into the corner to start before Bourne snaps off an armdrag. Mysterio comes in to stay on the arm but Morrison kicks him down to take over. It’s off to Miz to work on Mysterio’s right arm (that looks so wrong) until Mysterio fights up and brings Bourne back in.

A top rope Meteora and an assisted moonsault get two on Miz but he knocks Bourne off the top. Morrison’s chinlock slows things down but Bourne manages to send them into each other. The much needed tag brings Mysterio back in to pick the pace back up including a 619 to Morrison. Air Bourne gives Bourne the pin.

Rating: C+. Nice match here with Mysterio giving Bourne a rub in a win. I can’t imagine them being a full time team, but Mysterio giving his approval to any new high flier is a useful tool. Miz and Morrison are the kind of guys who can get their momentum back without much trouble so the loss won’t hurt them.

Post match Kane appears on the Titantron to say he is facing Mysterio next week. Then Mysterio will see why he’s a victim, and Kane holds up his old mask for a weird moment.

Here is Randy Orton for a chat. Orton talks about how bad it is when you have a title in your grasp and have it taken away. He’s not talking about CM Punk, but rather himself. Orton lost his title because of an injury but he earned his shot, while Punk never did. Last night, Orton took Punk out to prevent him from being exposed in the Championship Scramble.

Cue Ted DiBiase, Cody Rhodes and Manu, with Rhodes not liking Orton taking credit for getting rid of Punk. Manu introduces himself for the Raw audience and DiBiase talks about Orton slapping Rhodes last week….and then gets slapped himself. Orton leaves and the young guys aren’t happy.

Manu/Cody Rhodes/Ted DiBiase vs. Kofi Kingston/Cryme Tyme

JTG and Rhodes lock up to start until Rhodes gets in a shot to the ribs. It’s already off to DiBiase, who misses a charge at Kingston. Manu pulls Kingston outside for a cheap shot and a headbutt connects back inside. Rhodes’ abdominal stretch has Kingston in trouble but he fights out, only to miss a crossbody. Kingston knocks Rhodes down though and brings Gaspard in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Manu grabs a belly to back neckbreaker for the fast pin.

Rating: C. This was Manu’s Raw debut and…yeah he’s only so interesting. There’s only so much you can get out of this short of a match with so many people around and Manu isn’t that great in the first place. He’s just a generic guy who is there because of his father, which isn’t exactly making him interesting to start. Maybe that can change, but he isn’t off to a great first few steps.

Classics On Demand: Race vs. Flair at Starrcade 1983.

Snitsky vs. Santino Marella

Non-title and Beth Phoenix is here with Marella. We see the Honk-A-Meter, which shows Marella at three weeks, putting him WAY ahead of the Mountie. Snitsky gets distracted by Phoenix to start but comes back with a clothesline. The boot misses in the corner though and Marella gets a rollup for a fast pin.

Kelly Kelly is in Mike Adamle’s office where she’s worried about CM Punk. Adamle says it’s ok but here is Chris Jericho to interrupt. Jericho doesn’t think it’s fair to have him face Batista, but Adamle says Jericho owes him a favor after last week. Adamle needs a main event caliber performance tonight, so the match is on.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Chris Jericho vs. Batista

Non-title and Lance Cade is here with Jericho. Batista starts fast and knocks him down, including the shoulders in the ribs. Jericho gets knocked outside…and here is Mike Adamle to say stop the match. This isn’t fair, so he’s going to even the score a bit.

Chris Jericho/John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Batista

We’re joined in progress with Jericho getting in a cheap shot from the apron and coming in. Batista fights up but gets knocked right back down, allowing JBL to drop some elbows. It’s back to Jericho, but Batista makes the clothesline comeback. Cade gets on the apron though and the Clothesline From JBL drops Batista, with Jericho stealing the pin.

Rating: C+. This was an interesting twist and I can go with having Batista coming after Jericho. It’s a good choice for a first challenger, even if Shawn Michaels would seem to be the obvious way to go. Then again, if Jericho beat Batista here, maybe they’re just going straight to Michaels vs. Jericho while Batista faces JBL. Again. As their previous matches were just so interesting.

Post match Cade and JBL beat on Batista but he fights back and hits a spear to JBL. Cade gets Batista Bombed and Batista stares at Jericho to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I liked it for the most part, as thankfully they have combined the best thing going on the show with the World Title scene, which is pretty far overdue. Jericho and Michaels have been doing the best stuff for such a long time now that it’s good to see it as the official top story. The rest of the show was just ok though, with a lot of short matches which didn’t have the chance to do much.

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

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Smackdown
Date: September 30, 1999
Location: Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, Virginia
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole

We’re coming off an all time Raw segment with This Is Your Life Rock, which is not likely to mean much around here. Instead, we’re likely going to be hearing more about the British Bulldog costing the Rock his WWF Title shot and then attacking champion HHH. That should be enough for the big story as we’re coming up on No Mercy as well. Let’s get to it.

Here is Monday Night Raw if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Chris Jericho vs. Road Dogg

Billy Gunn is here with the Dogg and Mr. Hughes is here with Jericho. The bell rings and they brawl into the crowd as the Hollys join commentary. Dogg sends him back to ringside for a whip into the steps and hammers away inside. The referee doesn’t like the violence and gets tossed to the floor, which is enough for Dogg to get disqualified.

Post match Gunn throws in a table and Dogg tries to put Jericho through it (as payback for an attack a few weeks ago). The Hollys jump him from behind though and Dogg gets put through the table again.

Vince McMahon isn’t happy with HHH and fines him $25,000 for his actions on Raw. In addition, he’s going to defend the WWF Title against the British Bulldog TONIGHT. Oh and The Rock will be the guest referee.

Here is Mankind (in the Rock N Sock Connection jacket) for a chat. He talks about This Is Your Life Rock and thanks the DOZENS AND DOZENS of fans for making it work. There is one person who messed it up by taking something that didn’t belong to him though, so Val Venis needs to get out here.

Cue Venis, who says hurry up because he has two beautiful women in the back and it isn’t his birthday. Mankind: “Val, I know what you’ve got in your pants and I want it.” Actually he needs it, which has Venis rather confused. Mankind is willing to turn his back so just whip it out and give it to him. Cole: “This is your life Mick Foley!” Venis says he doesn’t swing that way so Mankind describes it (Cole: “MICK THIS IS NETWORK TV!”) and says put it in his hand or he’ll put it in Venis’ mouth.

Venis didn’t know Mankind was like this but he doesn’t putt from that side of the green. Mankind has no idea what that means, but we see the GTV segment of Venis taking Mr. Rocko out of the trash and putting it in his pants. Venis realizes he got caught but says it was a joke for all the boys in the back. Mankind says neither he nor the Rock appreciates that and he goes for Venis’ pants. Venis bails and offers to go get the sock for him (thankfully acknowledging that he’s changed his pants since Monday). Mankind is a bizarre man but he can somehow make this stuff work.

HHH and Chyna are looking for Vince McMahon. During the break they find Vince and Shane, with HHH saying Vince is trying to find ways to screw him every week. HHH will find new ways around it ever week too.

The Rock thinks this show has turned into Let’s Make A Deal and Vince McMahon is Monty Hall. He’s fine with being the guest referee tonight and be completely unbiased because HHH can put his nose….oh you know by now.

Edge and Christian vs. New Brood

Gangrel is here with the New Brood and this is the first match in the Terri Runnels Invitational Tournament. Cue Terri Runnels to join commentary as Lawler thinks this should be called the Ryder Cup, which takes some time for Cole to get. The camera stays on Terri and Lawler for a bit as Terri explains the tournament: it’s really a best of five series for her managerial services and $100,000.

Jeff knocks Christian down and it’s off to Matt for a suplex into the Swanton for two (that’s so weird to see). Christian and Matt collide for a double down and Edge comes in to clean house. The Downward Spiral drops Matt for two as Lawler tries to say the tournament’s name without sounding dirty. Matt is knocked outside and a Doomsday suplex gives Christian the pin on Jeff to go up 1-0.

Rating: B-. They didn’t have much time here but these guys work well together every time. It’s so interesting to see their early days as they’re figuring things out and Gangrel is little more than window dressing for the Hardys. Things would get a lot better and you can see the fire in all of their eyes, which is making for a promising future.

The British Bulldog is ready for the main event and wants Rock to stay out of his way.

Mankind explains the Mr. Rocko/Val Venis situation but Rock isn’t sure who Rocko or Venis are. Mankind promises to figure this out to keep the Connection alive, with Rock telling him to go do it.

European Title: Big Show vs. D’Lo Brown

Brown is defending and Droz/Prince Albert are on commentary. Show throws him down and hits a suplex as Droz is complaining about “the bookers in the back” holding himself and Albert back. Brown fights up and hits a top rope clothesline to actually drop Show. The Low Down gets two as Albert gets up to watch from ringside. Droz distracts Brown as Albert goes up and dropkicks Show for the DQ.

Post match Brown gets beaten down again until Mark Henry runs in to chase Droz off. Brown leaves Henry again, with Henry saying they need to talk. With Brown gone, Henry talks about various addictions and says he has one of them. The reality is he’s a sex addict and it’s not a joke. He’s lost friends, family, his fiance, and a lot of money as a result of this. Now his mom has to see this, along with the people who know him. Henry starts crying and talks about how he can’t stop thinking about sex. It’s time to get some professional help and he walks off. Well that’s just depressing.

Stephanie McMahon and Test look through bridal magazines. Well Test wants to watch the game but he’s there too.

X-Pac/Kane vs. Acolytes vs. Dudley Boyz

Elimination tag for the #1 contendership and Bubba Ray has stolen the Rock’s Rock N Sock Connection jacket. We cut to the back where Stevie Richards shows Mankind about the stolen jacket before cutting back to Kane beating up D-Von. Bradshaw comes in for a boot to Kane’s mask but Kane hits a running DDT.

X-Pac comes in and gets taken down with a fall away slam, only to spin kick Faarooq in the face. The Acolytes double team X-Pac…and that’s a DQ. X-Pac kicks Bubba down and it’s off to Kane for the top rope clothesline on D-Von. Everything breaks down and it’s a Bronco Buster to Bubba, followed by the chokeslam to pin D-Von.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to do much and, as usual, there was a lot going on in a single match. You had the stolen jacket, the referees being all aggressive, the stuff in the back, and the match itself. That’s all crammed into about five minutes and that’s not much time to get that much going. As usual, it would be better to just slow things down a bit, but that’s not how this era worked.

During the break, Mankind asks Bubba Ray about the jacket and tells him to come get it. He calls Mankind a freak and leaves, with Mankind not being pleased. Granted he doesn’t do anything about it, but he isn’t happy.

Here are Jeff Jarrett and Miss Kitty to say that the match with Chyna is going to be the Good Housekeeping match. That means he’s going to get to beat Chyna up with any household item he can find. Jarrett is ready to demonstrate to any woman around and calls out Cindy Margolis (who he attacked a few weeks ago), who is sitting in the crowd. He challenges Margolis and fellow actress Heather Kozar (on the upcoming UPN show Shasta McNasty) to a handicap match but here are all the women that Jarrett has attacked.

Jarrett challenges all of them and Miss Kitty doesn’t think this is a great idea. Jarrett beats up Fabulous Moolah and Mae Young but here is Chyna to make the save. The women proceed to beat the fire out of Jarrett with brooms, frying pans and everything else they can find, eventually chasing him to the back (that is so, so Memphis). Moolah and Mae jump Lawler, whose face is hilarious as he tries to get away.

Mankind admits to Rock that he misplaced the jacket, which has Rock annoyed but he’ll wear a Versace shirt instead. Mankind: “Don’t wear Versace! Don’t wear Versace!”

We actually talk to the head of security, with interviewer Terry Taylor saying this is an odd choice. He’s not happy with Steve Blackman attacking him, and then Blackman attacks him again. Yep, kind of obvious there.

Here is Mankind to call out Bubba Ray Dudley to give him the jacket back so here are the Dudleys…and I guess this is a match.

Mankind vs. Bubba Ray Dudley

I think? D-Von was in at the bell but then drops out as Val Venis is here with Mr. Rocko. Stevie Richards (dressed as Dude Love) comes in with a Stevie Kick to Bubba, who takes the jacket back. Mankind says he wants Rocko back so Venis gets in the ring (I’m assuming the match is over).

Venis says that he owes a lot of his career to Mankind doing the things he has done, like flying off of a Cell. Therefore, he’ll give Venis Rocko back, but he wants Mankind to close his eyes first. Then he grabs a testicular claw to take Mankind down. Stevie Richards comes in for a failed save and the Dudleys beat both of them up and DESTROY THE JACKET. Venis keeps cranking on Mankind and leaves him laying as the Dudleys leave. As usual, this worked because while the jacket is stupid, it means something to Mankind and that makes it matter.

WWF Title: HHH vs. British Bulldog

HHH is defending and The Rock is guest referee. Rock jumps Bulldog before HHH comes out so HHH is fine with stomping away on Bulldog on the floor. The bell rings and HHH covers, but Rock is looking at the crowd. HHH yells so Bulldog hits him low (Rock doesn’t care) and we see Steve Austin watching in the back. They fight to the floor as Rock jumps in on commentary.

Bulldog drops HHH on the ramp and they get back inside (Rock too) where the powerslam is countered. The Pedigree connects but Rock applauds rather than cover. Rock gives HHH the Rock Bottom and gets back on commentary. Bulldog covers and Rock counts two before saying it doesn’t matter if he counts three. Rock hits them both with the belt and stomps away before laying them out. This includes a People’s Elbow with Rock sliding across the mat without leaving his feet, which WWE hyped up as amazing and….not really? Rock leaves with the title and HHH is confused.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what to say about a match like this as it wasn’t about the match itself (obviously) and was more of a chance for Rock to play to the crowd. It worked well in that sense, but otherwise it was just five minutes of waiting for it to end, which is pretty much what happened. Not bad, but also barely a match.

We go to the back where Rock jumps HHH but gets jumped by the Bulldog, leaving HHH with the belt. Then Austin is waiting in HHH’s locker room and jumps him to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a special ninety minute episode for the sake of the Shasta McNasty (it didn’t last) pilot so they were a bit rushed. That being said, you still got a funny bit with Mankind and Venis, plus Edge and Christian vs. the Hardys. As was often the case around this time, things were moving very fast, but the show was still entertaining. Now it’s on to No Mercy, with some of the bigger matches already set, so things are looking in the right direction.

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: September 27, 1999
Location: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina
Attendance: 10,369
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

We’re back to the chaotic days again and HHH is once again the WWF Champion, having won the Six Pack Challenge last night at Unforgiven. Steve Austin is not happy with this result and is apparently next up the new champion, which isn’t likely to go well. The rest of the main event scene has to fall out from there as well so let’s get to it.

Here is Unforgiven if you need a recap.

We open with some stills from the Unforgiven main event.

Earlier today, Vince McMahon negotiated a deal to end the referee strike. Thank goodness. They’re also allowed to be more firm with the wrestlers.

Opening sequence.

Here are HHH and Chyna for the big celebration. HHH doesn’t care what the fans think and they can kiss his a** every time he holds the title in the air. Last night he proved that he is the Game and no one is in his league. The best part of it all though was Steve Austin himself having to count the three on the Rock. It doesn’t stop there Austin, because he is next.

Cue the British Bulldog, who tells the Game Boy that they had a deal, saying that if either of them won the title, the other would get the first title shot on Raw. Bulldog wants the title tonight, but HHH makes it clear: he lied. That’s fine for Bulldog, who says he’s taking HHH out one way or another tonight. HHH says screw you, which doesn’t surprise Bulldog so he spears HHH down. Chyna makes the save and HHH gets in a low blow but the referees break it up. Cue Vince McMahon to say HHH will defend the title tonight…against the Rock.

We look back at Fabulous Moolah attacking Ivory.

Jeff Jarrett talks to Tom Pritchard about something.

Mick Foley is here….with balloons and someone under a sheet. Oh boy.

Stephanie McMahon and Test go tuxedo shopping.

Here are Jeff Jarrett, Miss Kitty, and Tom Pritchard for a chat. Jarrett says that Debra and Chyna were completely out of line last night so he wants a men vs. women tag match tonight.

Big Show vs. Chris Jericho

Before the match, Jericho, with Mr. Hughes, brags about ending Ken Shamrock’s WWF career because he is a bad mamma jamma. Now it’s time to rid the WWF of its biggest waste of sperm. Jericho comes right at him and is promptly thrown down as Prince Albert joins commentary. Hughes offers a distraction and Jericho gets in a boot to the head. Show powers out of that with ease and loads up the chokeslam but Albert gets on top for the DQ. Who is DQ’d for someone just getting on the top? I can’t imagine it matters.

Albert dropkicks Show but here is Road Dogg to go after Jarrett.

Mankind is talking to whomever is under the sheet when Stevie Richards, dressed as Dude Love, comes in to say he is one of the dozens. Mankind is more worried about losing royalties.

Chyna warns Tom Pritchard to stay out of things.

Here is Steve Austin to a chat. He doesn’t have a problem with the Rock, but there is no reason for him to get the title shot over Austin. Therefore, he wants Vince McMahon out here RIGHT NOW for an explanation. Cue Vince, who thanks Austin for reinstating him and yes Austin was promised a title shot, but he was never told WHEN. Vince gives him the title shot at No Mercy and after clarifying what Vince said, Austin says that better wind up being true.

GTV shows the Mean Street Posse throwing out I believe Terri after, ahem, activities, though Pete Gas isn’t happy.

European Title: Steve Blackman vs. D’Lo Brown

Brown is defending, having won the title last night. Droz comes out to do commentary as Brown kicks Blackman down and hits a Stunner over the top. They go outside and Blackman hits him with the kendo stick for the DQ after less than two minutes.

Post match Blackman uses the stick to beat up a security guard (the one who tackled him at Unforgiven) and Droz stomps on Brown. Then he vomits on him. Mark Henry comes out to check on Brown, who isn’t interested in listening.

During the break, Mankind ran into Steve Austin who did not seem impressed with the balloons.

Here is Mankind, with the balloons and gifts, but minus the person under the sheet. Mankind apologizes for attacking Rock last night and hopes that the Rock N Sock Connection can go on for years. First of all, he’d like Rock to come out here, or he’ll accept that the team is dead. Cue the Rock, who has a title match tonight so he wants to know why he’s here. Mankind: “This is big Rock. This is important. In fact, THIS IS YOUR LIFE!” JR: “What?”

Some fireworks go off and…nothing happens, though apparently a big poster of the Rock was supposed to come down but it didn’t work. Balloons and confetti go off and Mankind has a voice ask if “Dwayne” would like to answer a question. This brings out the first guest: Rock’s former home economics teacher (ignore that the name Mankind gives doesn’t match the chyron, which also says she’s an English teacher), who would have been the first to smell what the Rock was cooking.

Rock asks if she remembers how much he liked to make pancakes (JR: “Uh oh.”). Instead though, he had to make cookies and muffins, but FINALLY, right before summer vacation, he was allowed to make pancakes. But unfortunately, she was all out of Aunt Jemima. Rock asks if she still likes to bake break and if she knows her rolls. Well then she should know your roll, shut your mouth and check her Aunt Jemima, no pancake having a** directly into the Smackdown Hotel. The teacher (whatever her name is) leaves and Mankind has another surprise.

Next up is Rock’s high school football coach, but Rock won’t shake his hand. Rock brings up the last game of the season where he made a big sack and then DDT’d the quarterback. The coach made him run sprints in front of all the fans, which wasn’t nice. Rock asks if coach will blow his whistle one more time…and then do something special with it (Lawler: “Oh no.”). After telling coach where the whistle can go, Rock tells him to leave and even Mankind agrees.

Rock tells Mankind to get on with it so Mankind teases saying the MILLIONS. Rock: “Don’t you ever do that.” We get the real version and then Mankind brings out Rock’s high school girlfriend. Rock won’t let her hug him but does bring up various nights on her parents’ couch with various levels of physical involvement. She would tell him to “go for second base” but then stopped him. Rock: “YOU CUT THE ROCK OFF ON SECOND BASE!”

Now she wants to go one on one with the Great One and serve him a piece of that p******* pie? Lawler is DONE off that line. That’s not happening either so she can get out of here. With nothing else working, Mankind says he didn’t know it would go this badly but stop! They are chanting his name.

Mankind apologizes for how bad the guests have been, but it’s time for the people’s presents! First up: matching Rock and Sock jackets (and yes, their names are on the front). That’s not it though, because we have MR. ROCKO! And yes, Mankind does the voice for the whole thing. Finally though, it’s time for whomever is underneath the sheet (who came down at some point). That would in fact be….YURPLE THE CLOWN!

She gives Rock an IYQ sticker (read it out loud) and even Rock doesn’t know what to say. Finally, Rock asks her name, which of course doesn’t matter. Mankind says it DOES matter because he went through a lot of effort and expense to make this nice. Rock has insulted everyone and sometimes Mankind finds him to be a very ungrateful little man. It matters because Yurple is going to lead Greensboro in a birthday singalong.

Yurple sings and a cake is wheeled down, complete with candles. Rock says he appreciates his fans, but his birthday is May 2 “you stupid son of a b****.” Mankind: “It’s just that for some reason, every day I get to spend a little time with you feels like, like somebody’s birthday.” Before Rock has to find a way around that one, HHH runs out with the sledgehammer, which sends Rock and Mankind running. HHH pops some balloons to blow off some steam.

I’ve seen this a bunch of times over the years and I appreciate it more every time. This is the kind of segment that could not have worked with anyone else because Rock could get away with being such a jerk and Mankind was just so lovable that he pulled it off. It went on for about twenty five minutes and it is basically one long continuous joke that works throughout.

The whole point is how stupid it is but these two have such amazing chemistry that it somehow worked. Mankind screwing everything up, including not even having Rock’s birthday right, was great and I still remember watching this live and quoting it for years. I wasn’t the only one either, as this is still the highest rated non-match in WWF history and a mind blowing nine million viewers.

Granted it went nearly 12 minutes over and Vince yelled at both of them, only to then see the numbers and back off in a hurry. Does it build to anything? Not in the slightest, and that’s not an issue in the slightest here. Still an all time classic and one of the most perfectly put together ridiculous things you’ll ever see in wrestling.

Here are the New Age Outlaws, with Road Dogg saying they’re tired of not being respected. The open challenge is on and we see the Hollys getting ready to accept. That’s not how it goes though.

Tag Team Titles: New Age Outlaws vs. Kane/X-Pac

The Outlaws are defending. X-Pac and Dogg shake hands to start and Dogg grabs a headlock as the Hollys come down to do commentary. Hardcore isn’t happy with not getting a shot as Kane comes in and gets pummeled in the corner by Gunn. Kane boots Gunn in the face (that’s a long reach) but Dogg breaks up a chokeslam. Everything breaks down and the Hollys come in to jump the Outlaws for the fast DQ.

Post match the Hollys get quadruple teamed out.

Fabulous Moolah and Mae Young are here to teach Ivory to respect her elders.

Ivory vs. Fabulous Moolah/Mae Young

Non-title Evening Gown match and Jerry Lawler is worried. Young takes Ivory down to start but gets flipped over by her boa. Ivory goes for the dress and gets slammed, with Young covering because the instincts are still there. Back up and Ivory manages to get Young’s dress off and sends her outside, only for Moolah to drop Ivory. Moolah easily strips Ivory for the win.

GTV sees Val Venis find Mr. Rocko in the trash and put it in his jeans.

Jeff Jarrett/Tom Pritchard vs. Chyna/Debra

Hold on though as Chyna says she’ll only do the match if she gets a title shot at No Mercy for winning. Debra opens her top to distract Pritchard and Jarrett Figure Fours Chyna. Miss Kitty gets in for a catfight with Debra, leaving Pritchard to hit Chyna with the guitar…and she falls on Jarrett for the win in just over a minute. Well that’s dumb.

WWF Title: The Rock vs. HHH

HHH is defending and Steve Austin is on commentary. HHH hammers him into the corner to start fast but gets tossed over the corner for his efforts. The fight is quickly taken into the crowd and then back to ringside…and then back into the crowd. They get back inside for a change with Rock in control but he walks into the facebuster.

The Pedigree is countered with a catapult into the corner and Rock grabs a Samoan drop. Rock clotheslines him to the floor but gets dropped onto the announcers’ table. HHH grabs a chair and the referee gets shoved down before yelling at Austin. The Stunner into a Rock Bottom plants HHH…but British Bulldog runs in for the DQ.

Rating: C-. The match was just a big brawl until the ending segment, which is fine enough, but it’s a bit disappointing to see it go this way. At the same time, they weren’t exactly hiding that the Bulldog was going to get involved here as it’s pretty basic storytelling, but after a night of nothing matches, having one regular match would have been nice.

Bulldog powerslams HHH to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This is a hard one to rate, as the show is the usual fast paced Attitude Era insanity, but there’s that big segment in the middle which is so out of nowhere and goes so well that the rest doesn’t really matter. They started getting ready for No Mercy and barely touched on Unforgiven outside of the main event, but that only means so much when a third of the show is built around one thing. Good show overall, though there’s probably a lot of nostalgia in there.

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

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Strangest Summerslam Matches
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, John Bradshaw Layfield, Vince McMahon, Bobby Heenan, Jim Ross, Gorilla Monsoon, Roddy Piper, Corey Graves

This could be interesting as I’m curious to know what WWE considers “strange”. There have been some unique matches throughout Summerslam’s history, though I’m not sure what I would classify as strange. Either way, we could be going through quite a few years here and that sounds fun so let’s get to it.

From 2013.

Kane vs. Bray Wyatt

Ring Of Fire match, meaning…well what do you think it means? The idea here is that there are walls of flames that will pop up if someone tries to leave or if someone (namely the Wyatt Family, here with Bray) tries to get in. You win by pinfall or submission and this is Wyatt’s in-ring main roster debut. Got all that?

The bell rings and the flames go up, albeit just a few inches. That’s not very impressive, though the flames jumping up feet as Kane clotheslines Wyatt down works WAY better. Kane knocks him near the flames, sending Wyatt into the corner instead. Wyatt fights back but gets suplexed so the flames go up again. The running body block drops Kane as Lawler describes Wyatt as “Duck Dynasty meets Charles Manson”.

Wyatt starts shouting while stomping so Kane kicks him in the face. The side slam has the flames flying again but Wyatt gets in his own knockdown and requests a kendo stick. Said stick catches on fire so the firemen spray it down. The chokeslam plants Wyatt for no cover as Kane is distracted by the Family trying to get in. Another chokeslam drops Wyatt again but the Family puts a blanket over the flames and get inside, meaning the double teaming can begin. Sister Abigail finishes Kane at 7:49.

Rating: C. When the whole point of the match is “they can’t get in because of the fire” and then they figure out how to get around the fire in about seven minutes, it’s only so interesting. As was the case with so many ideas involving Wyatt, this was a fun concept that didn’t exactly work, mainly because it got way too simple once the bell rang. Kane was a good first opponent for Wyatt, but this could have been done a lot better.

From 1999.

Steve Blackman vs. Ken Shamrock

Lion’s Den match, meaning in a small, round cage with weapons hanging from the sides. Blackman gets smart by using the nunchucks on Shamrock’s leg. Shamrock takes them away so Blackman sweeps the leg to take him down again. Back up and Shamrock pulls him into a cross armbreaker, which is broken up rather quickly.

Blackman rams him into the cage a few times and slowly hammers away before getting the kendo stick. Shamrock fights up with a belly to belly suplex and beats Blackman down with the stick for a change, including a nasty shot to the…well the shoulder but Shamrock was at least swinging for the head. Another shots to the head knocks Blackman silly for the win at 9:04.

Rating: C. I’ve never gotten much out of this, as it’s mainly just two guys hitting each other with weapons for about nine minutes. There’s only so much interest to be found in a match like this and the ending left something to be desired. It’s not a terrible match, but it’s another concept that really didn’t click.

From 2000.

Intercontinental Title: Eddie Guerrero/Chyna vs. Val Venis/Trish Stratus

Venis and Stratus are defending and whomever gets the fall is the champion. Venis shoulders Guerrero down to start but gets caught with a northern lights suplex for two. Chyna comes in for a double flapjack and goes after Trish (to a ROAR) but Venis makes the save. Guerrero comes back in to glare at Trish, followed by a hurricanrana for two on Venis.

Back up and Venis grabs a Blue Thunder Bomb before the two of them ram heads for a double down. NOW Trish is willing to come in and cover Guerrero for two, but it’s off to Chyna and the fans approve. Venis has to pull Chyna down out of the corner but Guerrero pulls Venis to the floor. That leaves Trish alone with Chyna and it’s a gorilla to make Chyna the Intercontinental Champion at 7:13.

Rating: C+. I’ve seen this match a bunch of times over the years and it really does kind of work. It’s a match where the ending is fairly obvious but you’re left wondering how we’ll get there. The good thing is they didn’t screw it up, as Chyna gets to wreck Trish and win the title, which is how this should have gone. Fun stuff.

From 1993.

Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzalez

Rest In Peace match, which basically means street fight. Harvey Wippleman is here with Gonzalez and has stolen the urn, shockingly enough, though there’s no Paul Bearer. Undertaker strikes away with the uppercuts to start but Gonzalez kicks him in the face. That means the situp, with Heenan wondering if that’s how Undertaker sits up in bed in the morning.

They go outside, where Gonzalez gets in a heck of a chair shot to put Undertaker down again. Undertaker slowly pulls himself up and they go back inside for more uppercuts, but Undertaker stops to go for the urn. That doesn’t work well…and here is Paul Bearer to one of the biggest reactions he’ll ever receive. Bearer actually takes out Wippleman and gets the urn back, with the fans rather approving. Undertaker fires off a bunch of clotheslines, with a top rope version finally putting Gonzalez away at 8:05.

Rating: D. I know I’m not exactly breaking any new ground with this, but Gonzalez was another kind of terrible. This was supposed to be some big special match and other than a chair shot, it might as well have been a regular match. It’s a good example of a star having nothing to work with and the results were definitely not pretty.

From 1992.

Rick Martel vs. Shawn Michaels

The deal here is neither can hit the other in the face as Sherri, who is at ringside, finds them both very attractive. The back of Sherri’s pants are missing and Vince loses his mind, as you might expect him to. Martel flips away from him to start and Michaels is frustrated early on. A dropkick puts Martel down but Michaels goes to say something to Sherri, allowing Martel to get in a cheap shot from behind.

Martel knocks him to the floor and stops to hug Sherri, who seems to approve. Back in and Martel backdrops him down but they’re done with this and start slapping each other…and Sherri faints. Vince thinks she had a heart attack and we pause for both of them to check on her, with Michaels hitting Martel in the face. They fight up the aisle (with Sherri looking up and then putting her head back down) for the double countout at 8:08.

Rating: B-. I’ve seen this match a few times now and the more I watch it, the more I find it kind of brilliant. It’s one of those matches that would only really work with these two or a very small select handful otherwise but dang if they didn’t knock it out of the part. Sherri made it even better and I had a great time with this again. The match isn’t even anything particularly outstanding, but the whole concept worked very well.

Michaels picks Sherri up and carries her to the back but Martel runs back down and decks Michaels, making him drop Sherri. Martel tries to take her back but gets knocked down as well, with Michaels taking her back. Then Martel comes out with a bucket of water and pours it over Sherri, causing Michaels to chase him to the back. Sherri storms after them and screams a lot. The post match stuff adds a lot to the whole story.

From 2008.

Intercontinental/Women’s Title: Kofi Kingston/Mickie James vs. Santino Marella/Beth Phoenix

Kingston and James are defending and this is winning team takes all. The women start things off with James kicking her down and hitting a basement dropkick as Marella is panicking. Phoenix backdrops her way out of trouble and it’s off to Marella, who gets monkey flipped.

Kingston comes in and sends Marella outside, where he jumps into Phoenix’s arms to avoid a dive. Back in and Marella goes to the eyes so Phoenix can come in to beat on Kingston. Marella’s snap suplex sets up a reverse chinlock but Kingston fights up in a hurry. It’s back to James to clean house but Phoenix gets in a shot from behind. The Glam Slam gives Phoenix the win and the titles at 5:42.

Rating: C. This is another one that I’ve seen a bunch of times over the years and it doesn’t quite work as well as the one from 2000. The problem here is it could have gone either way and that makes things a bit different. It’s also not as good of a match, as the Marella/Phoenix stuff is much more about comedy, which takes away some of its impact. Not bad at all though.

Marella does a huge over the top celebration and climbs onto Phoenix’s shoulders as they leave.

From 1991.

Big Boss Man vs. The Mountie

Jimmy Hart is with the Mountie and the loser spends the night in jail. After his always awesome entrance, Boss Man hits him in the face to start and gets two off a splash. Mountie goes to the eyes and heads up, only to be pulled out of the air for one heck of a spinebuster. The neck crank goes on so Hart offers a distraction, allowing Mountie to send Boss Man into the steps.

Back in and Mountie slowly hammers away as Heenan makes Andy Griffith references. An elbow puts Boss Man on the floor so Hart yells a lot, causing Monsoon to call him the best advertisement for birth control. Back in again and Mountie gets two off a piledriver, meaning it’s time for the shock stick. That’s kicked away though and Boss Man hits a Boss Man Slam for…two. Huh. One heck of an Alabama Slam finishes Mountie at 9:49.

Rating: C. The match itself isn’t the point here, though that Alabama Slam was awesome. What mattered here was the fun that you knew was coming, as again there was no reason to believe that the Boss Man would lose. At the end of the day, the Boss Man losing wouldn’t have led to anything entertaining, while Mountie going to jail writes itself. Not a great match, but the right story to tell.

Post match Mountie is immediately put in a police van….and somehow we don’t get the collection of stuff with Mountie going to jail later. Come on Vault. Be better than that.

From 2023.

Ronda Rousey vs. Shayna Baszler

This is MMA rules, which were never exactly specified coming in. The referee explains that you can only win by knockout or submission, which is quite the bit of information. Baszler won’t touch gloves and we’re ready to go. Baszler takes her down into a front facelock to start but gets wrestled down. Back up and Baszler starts kicking at the leg before a high kick to the head sends Rousey out to the floor.

Rousey staggers back in and Baszler starts in on the leg, allowing them to punch each other from the mat. Rousey gets up and manages a hard knee to the face to put Baszler down for a bit. Another shot sends Baszler into the corner and we pause for the medics to check on her, with Rousey wondering why the fight isn’t over. Rousey shoves the medics away and gets suplexed down by Baszler, who grabs the Kirifuda Clutch. That’s reversed into the cross armbreaker but Baszler escapes and gets the Kirifuda Clutch and Rousey is out at 7:26.

Rating: D+. Yeah this really didn’t work. Between not being clear on the rules and the execution being pretty bad on top of that, it just wasn’t a great idea. I definitely appreciate Rousey putting Baszler over on her way out, but whatever they were going for just did not work out that well. They would have been better off with a regular, hard hitting match as this came up short.

Overall Rating: C. I’m not sure what to make of a playlist like this, as there is no particular flow to it and nothing is connected, though that’s also not the point. This was about a bunch of random odd matches and that’s exactly what you got. They never said that the matches were good, and for the most part they really weren’t. Nothing on here really stands out as must see, but it has enough nostalgic value for a quick glance if you haven’t seen some of them in a minute.

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