Summerslam 2000
Date: August 27, 2000
Location: Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina
Attendance: 17,002
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

Another year, and another Summerslam. We have no Austin at the moment, but he’s coming back very soon from neck surgery. In his absence, HHH and Rock have shot to the moon in popularity with Rock being the face of the company at the moment and the reigning WWF Champion. His opponents are HHH and Angle, who had a double pin in a triple threat with Jericho. Also, they’re feuding over Stephanie.

We also have biker Taker vs. Kane, and the first ever TLC match with the three teams that you would expect to be in a TLC match. We’re just on the verge of being out of the Attitude Era as WCW knows they’re a dying breed at this point and would be out of business in about 8 months. Therefore, WWF has won and they’re still pouring it on with the Attitude Era, but with Austin gone a lot of the edge has left, as the gap is nowhere near as big as it once was between him and the rest of the roster.

Either way, WWF is no longer dominating but is victorious in the wars with just the final surrender to go. This is the last Summerslam before the takeover of WCW, so let’s see if it’s as good as the rest of the Attitude Era.

This intro is out there. It’s all in sepia, which is that gray color you see in old movies. It’s a bunch of odd scenes and looks like something you see on an acid trip, mixed in with wrestling clips. It shows kind of a highlight package of the main feud, which makes me think that the main event should have been Rock vs. someone else (not sure who, maybe Jericho or Benoit) and HHH vs. Angle in a separate match.

One of the clips in this is the Trish bent over in front of HHH scene, which is still one of the best done comedy moments in the history of the WWF in my opinion. We get the pyro etc. as Ross and Lawler welcome us.

Right To Censor vs. Too Cool/Rikishi

It’s the Lee special as Steven Richards, Bull Buchanan and Goodfather are the RTC tonight, with Val coming later I guess. It’s hard to believe that Rikishi would be revealed as the man that ran over Austin in less than two months. Ok, the name plates for the wrestlers are going to be a problem. When they come on the screen or go off the screen they make this weird sounds and it sounds like someone is knocking on my window.

In case you don’t know, RTC was a parody of the PTC, which in essence is a company that whines and complains about how everything on TV is poisoning children’s minds. There’s a massive rant that I’m holding back here that could go on for about four pages but I’ll spare you from it. Anyway, they try to censor anything they don’t like, and they don’t like Rikishi’s thong. Too Cool and the fat guy come out with two of Godfather’s former Hos, one of which is known as Victoria.

Victoria in a short skirt dancing is something that we need a LOT more of. Apparently the WWF Title match is no holds barred. The crowd starts chanting save the gardening equipment. Yeah that joke sucks but I couldn’t help it. More or less this turns into Rikishi dominating against the other three while Too Cool do nothing at all. In other words, it’s a standard Too Cool and Rikishi match. He goes for the stink face, which is an abomination on wrestling if I’ve ever seen one.

It (thankfully) doesn’t happen as Bull kicks him in the head. Scotty goes for the Worm which is even worse than the other move, but I become a Stevie fan as he kicks Scotty’s head off and pins him. Short and sweet, just how I like it.

Rating: B-. It was a fast opener which is perfect for a PPV. For some reason the crowd always loved Too Cool, despite the fact that they completely sucked. I loved that we didn’t have to see either of those horrid moves though, so that’s a plus. Also, I like when the heels win the opening match. It makes the faces winning later that much better.

We get a recap of what happened on Heat, which is both Kurt and Stephanie arriving. I might as well explain the backstory here. Kurt had been flat out hitting on Stephanie for weeks but nothing ever came of it. Three days prior to this on Smackdown, there was a match where Kurt and HHH were in it at the same time. I think it was a tag but I don’t remember. Either way, Stephanie got knocked down and ala Hulk and Liz from 1989, Kurt took her to the locker room.

He kept apologizing and eventually kissed her, which she seemed to like. Anyway, both of them get here tonight with Kurt getting there first. Coach (in 2000? REALLY?) asks both of them questions which aren’t answered. Once Stephanie gets there, she asks if HHH has shown up yet and is told no. She hears that Kurt is here and asks which way he went. He went to the left, so Stephanie goes to the right.

Shane is being interviewed about Stephanie, but Steve Blackman, his opponent for later is near him and he runs off.

And now, submitted for your appreciation, following the frustration which led to a separation and then this altercation which spells the decimation of the degeneration, here is the initiation which I hope isn’t an abomination.

Sorry when Road Dogg starts talking that just comes over me. Anyway, DX has split and this is the result if you don’t speak rhyme.

Road Dogg vs. X-Pac

Short version: they’ve been fighting and Pac accidentally knocked Road Dogg through a table on Raw Monday night. We see a clip of these two against Taker in a handicap match, and Taker’s outfit is I guess leather pants and a Taker t-shirt. I’m not sure if I like it or not but it’s just very different looking. As we’re under way, Ross says that there are people that consider these two to be one of the best tag teams of all time.

I’m not sure if I should go with the X-Pac doesn’t look like Billy Gunn joke, or the how blind are you people joke. Either way, that’s just preposterous and….and….and that’s a hard word to rhyme so I’ll just skip it. It’s odd to think of but out of these two, Road Dogg is pretty comparable to X-Pac as far as their overall resumes go.

He has 7 tag title reigns (two were in TNA) and an IC and Hardcore title reign, while Pac has some cruiser/light heavyweight reigns and two Euro titles to go with 4 tag titles that only two of which are even remembered. I’ll take an IC reign over two Euros any day, but that’s a different point all together. The fans don’t like this for some reason, which is odd as it’s not a bad match at all.

I guess this is the famous X-Pac heat? I actually think that’s what it is as that was happening when he was in control but the fans are into it when he’s getting beaten up. Both guys were built up as faces coming into this though, so he’s not supposed to be the heel here. Granted the low blow that he uses to set up the X-Factor would suggest otherwise. That ends the match. He of course has to grab a mic though, and says there’s no hard feelings.

Dogg doesn’t and hits the pump handle. X-Pac I guess just turned heel? If he did it was horrid. Road Dogg was actually pretty over here, which is why I’ll never get why he never got a solid push. He was good in the ring, he was WAY over and he could talk. That sounds like the makings of a decent push to me.

Rating: C-. It just wasn’t there for me. It’s not bad, but it’s just not that interesting. In a match like this, someone needs to make the big heel turn before the match. Now Dogg’s best strength was on the mic so turning him would make no sense, as he needs to talk to get over as well as he does. The fans already hate Waltman, so I think he’s your guy. Either way, this just didn’t do it for me and while it was ok, it’s just ok and that’s not good in my eyes.

Eddie and Chyna are talking as Chyna is apparently more or less going to wrestle in a bikini. I’ve made my stance clear on Chyna from this era, so I’ll save the drooling for later. We cut to Val and Trish’s locker room, which is a partnership that I don’t remember at all. Trish is babbling about how she should be a centerfold before Chyna is, which is foreshadowing the Playboy shoot that was coming for Chyna. Val says that’s not important but the IC Title is.

IC Title: Trish/Val Venis vs. Chyna/Eddie Guerrero

Just like at last year’s Summerslam when Santino and Beth won the titles, this is for the IC where whomever gets the fall winning the belt. So yeah I guess somehow Trish could win the title here. Ok according to Ross if Trish wins, nothing changes. Well that’s nonsense. Lawler comments on the name graphics on the screen, thinking it’s someone knocking. That’s actually accurate.

The guys start us out as I think gender vs. gender is legal here. It’s very weird hearing the announcers talk about Trish being horrible in the ring and needing all kinds of help to do basic things. After a decent sequence between the guys Chyna comes in and easily holds her own against Val. She was something incredibly special to say the least.

No Trish yet as Val stops the tag to Eddie, spitting at him. The problem is that it costs him as he takes a low blow and a DDT. The tag brings in Eddie as we still have no hot Canadian. Blue Thunder Bomb gets two on Eddie. We get a shot of Trish and it blows my mind that they found someone as beautiful as her with the ability she had.

Trish finally comes in and of course has nothing at all. Chyna comes in to feast on her for a bit, which is probably not the best wording at all but who cares? Val stops the handspring elbow that I want to smack Muta for making a staple of Diva matches. Eddie intercepts Val and it’s girl on girl. Guess how that goes for the blonde. Press slam drop makes Chyna the champion.

Rating: D+. A lot of that rating is for the hotness factor. It’s really hard to believe that Trish was actually this bad at one point. The match was ok, but I’ve never liked matches like these. If nothing else, get another Canadian (Test maybe?) and just have a fatal four way. You can get the same result and you have a better wrestler on top of that. However, Chyna looked ridiculously hot and Trish was gorgeous as well, so that’s enough for a passing grade.

We see a party at WWF New York with Cole and Foley hosting. Some others show up and it ends with Foley dancing with Too Cool and singing with Rock. This had to be one of the coolest ideas ever, but there was no way to keep it working well.

Stephanie proves why she might be the worst actress of all time as she talks about Kurt’s kiss with the makeup lady.

We get a recap of Tazz vs. Lawler. More or less Tazz was ticked off at JR for saying Tazz was a thug, which was what Tazz always called himself. Lawler defended him, and we get this out of it. This was actually a pretty decently built up feud I thought, with Tazz beating up JR in a car and then Lawler afterwards. It’s better than it sounds.

Tazz vs. Jerry Lawler

During the car attack Ross’ eye was hurt and Tazz makes fun of that on his way there, which is actually pretty funny. He really was an underrated performer. I also love how everything can be forgiven by a simple face turn in wrestling. Lawler in white boots just looks weird for some reason. Teddy Long is the referee as you never know who you’ll see in a match sometimes.

Lawler of course is beating the heck out of him at first only to get caught later on. JR is so pro King it’s sad, although the storyline goes that way so it makes sense. Tazz goes up and tries what I guess we would call a Swanton Bomb, but it misses, Lawler pulls the strap down and piledrives Tazz, but he’s up before Lawler is. Ref gets bumped. Now if I know Lawler, and I’ve seen a lot of his stuff, I’m betting on an international object being hidden in his tights.

Anyone want to take a bet on that with me? Actually I’m wrong as Lawler gets choked out, but Ross slams a candy jar into Tazz’s head to break it up and let Lawler pin him. The odd thing is, and I’m guess this is what inspired it, at Wrestlemania that year Tazz got hit in the face with a candy jar like that in a hardcore match and it damaged his eye.

If I remember the reports correctly, it was Tazz that was supposed to get Benoit’s push. Now there’s something to think about. Another thing to think about: I like Lawler’s music.

Rating: C+. This was a simple storyline that needed a simple resolution and that’s what we got here. Lawler is always dependable in the ring and this was no exception. Ross getting involved is a nice little treat that you rarely see, although he likely should have been fired in kayfabe for that. Anyway, this was just a fun short match to let the old guys have a nice moment, and there’s nothing wrong with taking ten minutes, including the lead in and intros etc., to do that on a three hour show.

Lillian, who is A, somehow STILL not the ring announcer and B, looking WAY hotter with curled hair, tries to talk to Shane but he runs again because of Blackman, and their match is next.

Hardcore Title: Steve Blackman vs. Shane McMahon

Shane runs to the ring holding the belt. As he’s running we see how he won it, which was using the 24/7 rule and the help of Edge, Christian, Test and Albert. That’s how much of a hardcore god Blackman was at the time. Anyway, Shane is running scared here as he finally has to defend it. The bell rings twice, so I guess the match never actually happens, but why am I using logic in the WWF?

In a funny spot Shane and Blackman play pass the kendo stick, but in a cool spot, Blackman grabs the stick out of Shane’s hands mid swing and beats him with it. That looked quite cool actually. This is in the ring all of 8 seconds and JR and King are making Survivor references, as at the time that was the hottest show in the world. Now it’s still big I guess, but has anyone watched it in forever? This is a total beatdown so far as Blackman is just killing Shane.

I completely mark out as a garbage can is put on Shane and Blackman beats him half to death with sticks, allowing JR to say that it reminded him of Max Weinberg and the Max Weinberg 7. That was just flat out awesome as we get a Conan reference on Summerslam. That is just so freaking sweet. Anyway, nerd boy moment over. Leather strap is brought in and tied to Shane, which is always fun.

We need more Texas Bullrope matches, and I mean the touch four corners kind. Shane is more or less hogtied in a submission hold that looks SICK, but Test and Albert run in for the save. JR goes through the history of Shane and Test and Stephanie which sounds like it’s a parody of a soap opera that it’s so cheesy. The sweet elbow of Test hits Steve so this match is a success.

They fight up to the entrance where Blackman is able to beat up the muscle guys, but Shane keeps running. However, he runs out of places to run, so he climbs one of the towers. What happens next is freaking scary, as Shane goes probably 30-35 feet up (of course called 50-75 by JR, since 25 feed is such an easy mistake to make in a place that small).

Blackman follows and slams him in the back with a kendo stick until Shane falls the whole way in a shot that looks awesome. Blackman climbs down about 10 feet before dropping an elbow/leg onto Shane then covering him for the title. Ross tries to compare it to Foley’s Cell dive, and I just shake my head. BIG difference between landing on a table and then concrete and falling backwards onto a crash pad there fat boy.

Rating: B. Not even factoring in the huge spot at the end, this was a standard enjoyable hardcore match, with all kinds of weapons and Shane getting beaten up. They tried so hard to make Blackman a big deal here, but the problem was the division was just a novelty, and Blackman was gone soon after this if I remember correctly. I know he was gone by the Invasion which was less than a year away.

In a scene that cracks me up, Stephanie is freaking over Shane, but isn’t near him, despite him being in the same building. Her not even leaving her room just makes me laugh. Kurt comes in to hug her and Foley, who for no reason at all is wearing a Minnesota Twins jersey, comes in and says that Stephanie should go check on Shane, which apparently she couldn’t figure out on her own?

We get a recap of Benoit vs. Jericho. Good grief this was intense. The video package is really well done as you can see that these two just want to go at it. It’s clear they’re the future along with Angle and the company knew it, which is always a good thing. The match is 2/3 falls by the way.

Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho

You really don’t even need a story here with guys of this level, but the basic story is they don’t like each other. There it is, and I like it better that way. Who needs a big elaborate story? They knew that these two would put on a clinic so why over complicate things? They of course start hot with them both going to the corner and in a spot that you don’t often see, all three including the referee go through the ropes and crash on the floor.

That’s not something you see often but I like it. The WOO on the chops is always fun to hear. Now we get to something that I just don’t like. Benoit gets the crossface and Jericho taps in something like four minutes. Ok, now I get that it’s 2/3 falls and Jericho should want to keep the amount of damage he takes to a minimum. Heck, Lawler flat out says that it would be smart to tap here. I get that.

However, no matter how you want to say it, Benoit beat Jericho in like 4 minutes. Isn’t there some better way to do this? Couldn’t you do the first fall at like 9 minutes into the match? It’s not like this is going to be a five minute match or anything, so what’s the rush? I really don’t get that as it makes Benoit look capable of making Jericho tap with no difficulty and it makes Jericho look kind of weak.

I get the giving up quickly, but don’t make Jericho look like he has no defense at all for the hold. Rant over. Second fall starts immediately which is good as I’ve always hated the whole rest thing. This isn’t boxing. The stupidity of the end of the first fall is compounded here as Benoit immediately puts the hold back on and Jericho gets to the ropes. See what I mean? Why wouldn’t you just reverse that sequence?

He gets out the first time and then later on he can’t because his shoulder is hurting from the first time in the hold. Doesn’t that make a bit more sense? In something quite surprising, Benoit somewhat abandons psychology. They make it clear that the seconds crossface is focused more on the back, but after having that one on much longer, Benoit works on the neck and shoulder. Wouldn’t it make more sense to go after what was more injured?

I guess since he got the tap on the neck/shoulder he should go to it again, but then why would he change what got a tap in the first place? Wouldn’t it make sense that if a little pain made him tap more pain would make him tap again? Dang when did I start thinking like this? Anyway, the holds that Benoit is using here are freaking sick looking.

We get the comeback from Jericho though as he just starts throwing these big haymaker right hands. I’ve never seen him throw punches like this but they’re working for him. We get a nice wrestling sequence that ends up with Jericho getting the Liontamer, not the Walls but the Liontamer on Benoit for the tap out. These two have perhaps the most lethal looking submissions ever. Might have to have a thread about that in the near future.

This is why I like doing these threads. I get good ideas from them. They go into a fast sequence of counters and big moves, with the big one being Jericho hitting a hurricanrana from the top and after a two a lionsault but due to the shoulder he can’t cover.

They do several rollups but Benoit gets a small package near the corner and grabs the bottom rope to get the win. Apparently this was enough to get Benoit in the main event of Unforgiven, as he had just lost in the main event at Fully Loaded to Rock a month prior to this.

Rating: A. This was great stuff. The first two falls were both good enough, but they tore it up in the third one. It was exactly what you would expect from these two and it absolutely delivered on all levels. Somehow, this might not be the best that these two have had so good grief. How insane were these two, especially when you add in Kurt? Thank goodness the company got these three right.

HHH is just now arriving, so we hit the recap button on the Stephanie/Kurt interaction from earlier tonight, as well as the Smackdown kiss. This really has no bearing on anything, as we’re off to our next match.

We get the story of the three teams, which more or less is this: Edge and Christian hit the other four guys with chairs, they beat up Edge and Christian with ladders and tables, so let’s put all 6 guys and three weapons in one match and make it for the tag titles. Now you 6, go tear the freaking house down.

Tag Titles: Dudleyz vs. Hardy Boyz vs. Edge and Christian

In case you didn’t get it, this is the first TLC match. Tables and ladders and chairs, oh my, for all you Wizard of Oz aficionados out there. I’ve always liked the incoming missile thing that they did for the Dudleys entrance. The glasses need to come back for Bubba too. Oh yeah this is in North Carolina, so the Hardys get a small explosion. Chairs are in play quickly. Bear with me here as I’ve never tried to do one of these, so this could be a bit tricky.

Matt just pelts the thing at Bubba which sounds sick. The opening here is just a wild brawl all around, and what else were you expecting? However, you can tell they have a lot of this planned out, and there’s not a thing wrong with that. The big spots at least make sense here, unlike some matches with gimmicks where it’s just big spot after big spot and it rarely works out that well.

In another, say it with me, SICK spot, Jeff is climbing the ladder but Edge knocks him off. Now that doesn’t sound like much, but he lands on a ladder that’s on its side, so his ribs slam into the leg of it. This sea saws the other end up which slams Matt in the face. What’s Up leads to D-Von being given a fairly famous command.

You know I’ve always wondered what would happen if D-Von pulled a Punk and just said no. “D-Von, GET THE TABLES!” No jerk. You ran out when we were at IHOP last night and I had to pay for your 14 pancakes. Get your own tables you big fat butter ball! To make room, someone picks up a ladder and just throws it at Jeff, covering him up with ladders and chairs. We get a new shout from Bubba: D-Von! We’re gonna kill them! Yeah, that’s not over the top at all.

Edge lands three of the loudest and most painful looking chair shots in a row. Those things were just freaking intense. In another huge spot, Jeff does the twenty foot swanton and of course, misses. Edge is a freaking master with those chairs. Bubba is sent through four tables, leaving E/C alone to get the belts. However, Lita sprints to ringside and shoves them both off.

After various other amounts of destruction, including Edge just laying Lita out with a freaking great spear, Jeff and D-Von go up, but the ladder goes out and they’re stuck hanging there. D-Von goes down, so Edge and Christian more or less harpoon him with a ladder, then climb up and get the belts to retain. Kind of a not great ending, but DANG. Bubba is screwed up bad.

Rating: A-. This was a wild mess of a match, but dang. These six knew what they had to do and they nailed it. It was a wild match with all kinds of crazy bumps and wild spots. The scariest thing of all: this will be blown away in April by TLC 2. If you don’t get excited watching this, I feel you’re no longer alive.

Since we haven’t seen enough of this one story tonight, HHH is yelling at Stephanie about the kiss. You know, Rock hasn’t even been mentioned tonight. This is why the one on one would have been better and then find someone else to plug into the main event. Maybe do the fatal fourway that they did next month here. Oh yeah Steph says the kiss meant nothing.

Oh and since we just had an amazing match, let’s completely kill the momentum.

Stinkface Match: Kat vs. Terr

I think you get the idea by the name alone, and yes, it’s as bad as it sounds. Kat, who was married to Lawler in real life but was released soon thereafter, comes out with Al Snow for no apparent reason to a weak version of Sable’s music. Terri comes out with Saturn and just strips on the way in.

That’s just the best way to be: just accept your status. You know, I hate these things. There’s no point, there’s no skill, and it’s just flat out stupid. You know what? Screw this. This is stupid and it’s not worth my time. Kat wins.

Rating: F-. I’m not 12 years old. This means nothing to me, and it was a complete waste of time. They couldn’t give the tag titles an extra five minutes, but they can do this. Unbelievable.

APA is in WWF New York as bartenders. That would just be cool to do.

Recap of Taker and Kane. This just amuses me. It started with Kane saving Taker from Benoit, which good night I would have loved to see a real feud between those two. Anyway, within seconds of Kane saving him, he turns heel and beats up Taker. For some reason, this amazes JR and Cole. Why? Why does that amaze you?

It’s not like HE DOES THAT EVERY FREAKING TIME HE UNITES WITH TAKER or anything like that. These two fight more often than Sly and I do, and nothing is ever resolved. Anyway, of course we have this match here tonight. Oh and Kane beat up Taker with a chair a few days ago or something.

Undertaker vs. Kane

Taker is the American here and comes out first which is a little weird. His pop is insane to put it mildly. Taker just goes down the aisle and fights him early. Based on the commentary, you know this is going to be short. I wonder if one of them was hurt. In something almost weird for some reason, Taker is going for the mask. As JR says, has anyone ever done that? Not that I remember at least.

I guess it’s no holds barred as Kane brings in a chair and nothing happens. The announcers touch on this as they say the referee has said he’s just going to let them go, That kind of makes sense, as it’s not like he can do anything to either guy to stop them. Taker actually gets about half of Kane’s mask off. Kane messes up and slams the stairs into his own face, followed by Taker just picking them up and throwing the stairs at Kane, which is more or less impossible to fake.

Kane is bleeding bad after the stairs. By bad I mean terribly fake looking as the blood is closer to pink than red. Taker with a freaking spear, and actually a pretty good one. They both set for a chokeslam but Taker just kicks him in the balls. He rips the mask off and Kane runs, ending this…match? His long hair and hand covers it up. Taker’s music plays as JR asks if the bell ever rang.

Rating: B. I LOVED this. It was more or less a long segment, but who cares? This was just Taker being ticked off, and when that happens, it works very well. At the end of it Kane was just getting beaten up and Taker looked awesome. This is what it should have been and it went off well. It’s not like they were trying to top Mania 14, and they shouldn’t have.

Kurt is in the back, not in wrestling gear which is bad because his match is next. He calls someone, and we cut to HHH and Stephanie. Of course the phone rings and Stephanie pretends it’s Linda. HHH asks to talk to her, but “Linda” hangs up. Stephanie looks like a goddess in the graphic to put it mildly.

We get the same recap that we’ve seen five times tonight, so I won’t bother with the story all over again.

WWF Title: Rock vs. HHH vs. Kurt Angle

Angle is dressed in record time and weighs in at 229lbs. That’s light even for him. He says that he’s sorry he didn’t kiss her earlier. As he’s known for doing, he puts his foot in his mouth and says that he gave Stephanie more passion that HHH ever could. HHH comes out and to say he’s mad is the understatement of the millennium. They start without Rock, or I should say HHH starts without him.

Rock is smart and doesn’t come out for a few minutes. They hit the announce table and HHH sets for a Pedigree, but the table breaks early and Angle is legit hurt. It’s worse than Lesnar’s face was after the shooting star. I mean he is gone. HHH pulls the hammer but he can’t hit him, IF YA SMELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLll What the Rock is cooking! That music is just freaking awesome.

Since Kurt is injured, we pretty much have Rock vs. HHH, which has been the main event all summer, so it’s not like this is a bad thing. HHH beats Rock down just a bit and runs after the EMTs who are taking Angle out on a stretcher to beat on him a bit more. Rock sprints down the aisle and perhaps literally saves Kurt. They brawl back to the ring and Stephanie comes out to check on Kurt.

Stephanie, clad in ridiculously tight leather pants, comes down and gets yelled at by HHH. She runs over to grab the belt and lands a running slap to the timekeeper that is just hilarious to say the least. She misses and hits HHH though. Seriously, that running slap was GREAT. It just came off as hilarious on about 1000 levels. Game comes back with a low blow though, and that’s the end of my rhyming.

Lawler makes a nose joke about HHH which just seems out of place here. Sister Sledge comes back into play here, as HHH nails Rock with it in the ribs. JR has a small seizure about the hammer as he just shouts and shouts some more. After about eight minutes of these two nearly killing each other, we cut to Stephanie and Kurt in the back with her begging him to come save HHH. If they somehow faked that, I’d be amazed to say the least.

Although, Rock coming out at that exact second is a bit fishy. I’d think he’s legit hurt, but I guess there’s a slight chance that it was fake. They come back out again, with a great shot of Stephanie’s back. For about the 5th time in this match, HHH looks backwards to see if Kurt is there for his spot and it’s really getting bad. It’s so painfully obvious that it’s sad. Angle either wasn’t hurt or it wasn’t nearly as bad as they thought, or he’s completely nuts. He’s staggering all over the place.

The more I look at Kurt the more I think he was just shaken up. He’s moving around better every second and is doing moves that you’d need a lot of mental capacity to do. It’s him and Rock at the moment until HHH saves Angle from being pinned from a Rock Bottom. Stephanie gets back in again after Kurt brings a hammer back in to cause JR to need his medicine. HHH misses a punch and nails Steph, so Kurt nails him with the hammer.

Rock knocks Angle outside and lands the Elbow to retain. He grabs the belt and leaves, posing on the Summerslam set as Angle carries Stephanie out to end the show. Angle would take the title from Rock two months later and hold it until No Way Out.

Rating: B. This was a fine match, as it was mainly HHH vs. Rock, which is always solid. I’m still not sure if Angle was hurt or not, but if he wasn’t then he deserves a raise. This was good enough, but I’m not sure if it’s good enough to be a main event of a major show. I stand by what I said about how it should have been Angle vs. HHH and maybe Rock vs. Taker or Kane as that angle was thrown together in about 10 days. Either way, this was fine.

BUT WAIT!

My version has a post show segment in studio with Coach, so I’ll throw this in as a bonus. Coach, with more hair on his head and less on his face, is going through all of the matches in a highlight package and introducing some of the wrestlers for interviews. Cool.

RTC says they had fun censoring Too Cool, including a Bull Buchanan speech, which is interesting, as he has a thick southern accent. Richards clearly should have been the only one to talk.

Coach doesn’t like RTC. He skips X-Pac and Road Dogg for no apparent reason and jumps to the IC match.

Chyna and Eddie are both happy that she’s the champion and she couldn’t do it without Eddie. This would lead to a pretty simple yet decent angle with them semi feuding over th belt.

Tazz says that the path of rage is coming back. Actually that’s not true as he was turned face very soon.

Coach doesn’t like Tazz.

Blackman actually cuts a promo, saying that the belt is back around his waist when it’s on his shoulder, and that Shane walked away, when he was actually stretchered out. And we wonder why he wasn’t allowed to talk.

Benoit says that he has made his point.

Coach doesn’t like Benoit but he respects him.

Recap of TLC, which is just sweet all over.

Edge and Christian say they’ll be ok. They actually sound like they lost if you just listen to their words.

Women’s match. Moving on.

Taker says he’s the big dog in the yard, which became a semi catchphrase for him. He tells Kane to never cross him again, leaves, and then comes back to swear. That’s just comical.

Finally, we recap the main event. No interviews here.

I liked this actually. It’s perfect for a home video as it offers a little bonus reason to buy the tape with the exclusive interviews. It’s a nice little addition and it’s only about 10 minutes long, so it’s not bogged down. I like it.

Overall Rating: A. This is a VERY good show, and bordering on classic. The only thing possibly is the main event, which likely should have been Rock vs. HHH or HHH vs. Angle for the title with Rock doing something else. Either way, the show is just great all around with only the women’s match being terrible.

Other than that, everything is good to great. Definitely a big time recommendation here as it was just flat out awesome. Find a copy of this and watch it all, as only about 5 minutes is bad. GREAT show.

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

Smackdown
Date: March 3, 2006
Location: Verizon Center, Washington DC
Attendance: 11,700
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

It’s a big one tonight as we have the No Way Out rematch between Undertaker and Kurt Angle for the Smackdown World Title. That alone should be enough to carry this show as it feels like one of those main events where they are going to give it some extra attention. Certainly works for me. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a video about Angle vs. Undertaker. If you insist.

Opening sequence.

Booker T. vs. Tatanka

What a clash of generations. Sharmell is on commentary. Tatanka works on the arm to start and Booker bails to the rope as Sharmell is already done listening to Cole. Booker loses a chop off so he goes to the eye and elbows him in the face. The hooking kick to the head misses though and Tatanka chops away even more. There’s a suplex but Booker pops up and strikes away in the corner.

A hot shot puts Tatanka down again and it’s a superkick for two. The chinlock goes on and naturally fuels the comeback, allowing Tatanka to chop him down again. Tatanka’s belly to back suplex sets up the top rope chop but Booker kicks him out of the air. The ax kick gives Booker….nothing as here’s the Boogeyman behind Sharmell. That’s enough for Tatanka to grab a rollup for the big upset.

Rating: D+. So to recap, you have all of the people available to WWE (from developmental alone) and you pick Tatanka? He isn’t the worst in the world or anything, but who looks back at Tatanka and thinks that’s the big idea? The match was nothing but a way to set up the angle at the end, as we continue towards Booker vs. Boogeyman because reasons.

Post match Boogeyman, with the worms, chases Booker off.

We recap Rey Mysterio being all depressed over losing his Wrestlemania title shot. Don’t worry though because Teddy Long made a tag match between Rey Mysterio and feeling happy by making a triple threat match at Wrestlemania.

Randy Orton vs. Super Crazy

Orton now has This Fire Burns by Killswitch Engage for theme music. Crazy gets stomped down in the corner to start and we’re in the chinlock in a hurry. Some forearms to the chest give Orton two and the chinlock goes on again. Crazy crawls over to the ropes and gets his feet to safety but Orton pulls him back for more chinlocking anyway.

Back up and Crazy throws him over for the break and hits a triangle dropkick to put Orton outside. The dive off the top hits Orton and they head back inside for two. A tornado DDT sends Orton throat first across the top but the moonsault only hits mat. Orton tries to go up but gets kicked in the head, only to shove Crazy back down. The RKO is good for the fast pin.

Rating: C-. This is the kind of match that can almost always work: take a talented guy who doesn’t get to do much against bigger names and let him have a five minute match. Orton was never in danger but they got to do a little something out there and it isn’t like Crazy loses anything in defeat. Do more stuff like this and save some of the bigger matches for important spots.

Video on Chris Benoit. I’m surprised that made the Network.

We look back at JBL’s hand being crushed last week, forcing him to undergo hand surgery this week.

At Wrestlemania: Benoit vs. JBL for the US Title.

MNM vs. Matt Hardy/Animal

Non-title. Matt rolls Mercury up for two to start and is quickly forearmed in the face for his efforts. Mercury misses a dropkick and gets rolled up for two, meaning it’s off to Animal for a hard whip into the corner. They head outside with Mercury being sent into the apron, allowing Melina to dive off the apron for a distraction. This one actually works as Nitro scores with a superkick to take over. Back in and a double legdrop gets two on Animal. The referees try to break things up so Melina adds a headscissor choke over the rope, with the fans not exactly complaining.

Animal fights up without much trouble and brings in Matt for the house cleaning. The middle rope elbow to the back of Mercury’s neck looks to set up the Twist of Fate but Matt has to go with a double DDT instead. Now the Twist of Fate gets two on Mercury with Nitro making the save. Everything breaks down and Animal goes up for the Doomsday Device, only to have Nitro chop block Hardy. Animal crashes, leaving Matt to take the Snapshot for the pin.

Rating: D+. Pretty formula based stuff but I don’t really need to see Animal again. It worked with Hawk but that isn’t going to happen again. The act was pretty tired in 1999 and we are a long way off from that. MNM needs a good team to face and I don’t know if I can imagine that happening anytime soon.

Post match Animal snaps on Hardy and rams Hardy’s injured knee in the post.

Big Time Wrestlemania Moment: Undertaker b. Sid at Wrestlemania XIII. You have that whole show and you pick that match? In a year where Bret Hart is going into the Hall of Fame?

Gene Okerlund Hall of Fame video.

Bobby Lashley vs. Finlay

Fallout from last week’s tag match. Lashley powers him up against the ropes to start and hits an atomic drop. Finlay gets run over with straight power but comes back with a clothesline and a knee to the back of the head. A suplex gives Lashley two and they head outside where Finlay throws in a bunch of chairs. The chair duel is good for the quick DQ.

Post match the brawl stays on with referees having to come down and break it up. This worked pretty well and I could go for another one.

We see Kristal attempting to disrobe last week when Jillian Hall interrupted. Clothes were removed and they fight next week. Can they please not?

William Regal comes up to Paul Burchill again and says Paul is embarrassing him again. Just come be a tag team again. Burchill says no because he has his first match next week and can’t wait to dress like this. Regal: “ARE YOU BLOODY MAD???”

Video on Kurt Angle vs. Undertaker.

Smackdown World Title: Kurt Angle vs. Undertaker

Angle is defending in a rematch from No Way Out. Angle slugs away in the corner to start and has to dodge Undertaker’s big shots. Undertaker gets taken down into a Fujiwara armbar but reverses into one of his own. A flying armbar has Angle in more trouble and Undertaker cranks on the arm in the corner. Old School is broken up though and Angle stomps him down some more. That just earns him another armbar but Angle breaks up Old School again.

The ten right hands in the corner are countered into a Last Ride but Undertaker has to drop him onto the ropes instead. A boot puts Angle on the floor and we take a break. Back with Angle sending him face first into the steps but Undertaker pops back up with a heck of a clothesline. Undertaker hits the apron legdrop to the back of the bad neck as he has another target.

Back in and Undertaker bends the neck around the rope but Angle snaps off a belly to belly for a delayed two. Now it’s Angle pounding him down for two and we hit the bodyscissors. That’s broken up as well but Undertaker’s running big boot misses in the corner. For some reason Undertaker goes up top, earning himself a top rope superplex for two.

We take another break and come back again with Angle holding a chinlock with a knee in the back. A clothesline puts Undertaker on the floor and Angle whips him knees first into the steps. Back in and Undertaker wins a slugout but misses another big boot. The release German suplex sends Undertaker flying but NOW the big boot connects for two. The chokeslam is countered into the ankle lock until Undertaker kicks him off. Neither can hit a Tombstone so Angle grabs the Angle Slam for two more.

Another ankle lock is countered into the chokeslam but the cover takes too long, allowing Angle to pull him into the ankle lock. That’s countered into the triangle choke, which is good for two arm drops. Angle grabs the rope for the break and counters a legdrop into the ankle lock. This time Undertaker reverses and hits a DDT for two but it’s Angle up first. The moonsault misses and there’s the sit up. Undertaker hits the Tombstone but here’s Mark Henry for the DQ.

Rating: A-. Yeah that worked and I don’t know why you would have expected anything else. This was a pair of great wrestlers going back and forth while trying to have a classic and they pretty much did. I’m not wild on the ending but we have already seen a clean finish between the two so it isn’t that big of a problem. There was no way this wasn’t going to work and it worked very well, as you had to expect.

Post match Henry beats Undertaker up even more, setting up a splash through the announcers’ table to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was like the In Your House of Smackdowns as the main event carried the show as far as it needed to go but the rest left you wondering why this was taking place. There are a lot of people who pretty clearly are just going through the motions with little to nothing to do for Wrestlemania and that can make for some rough time. Then you have Undertaker vs. Angle for about half an hour though and those problems don’t mean as much.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

No Way Out 2006
Date: February 19, 2006
Location: 1st Mariner Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Attendance: 11,000
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

For the first time in a long time, we have a pay per view that has my interest. Smackdown has gotten a lot better in a hurry, but they need the big spectacular to make it work. With Wrestlemania coming up, this could be a great way to get the momentum going, and hopefully that’s what happens here. I’m sure Undertaker vs. Kurt Angle, Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton and Booker T. vs. Chris Benoit can help with that. Let’s get to it.

The opening video focuses on how everything leads to Wrestlemania and the World Title. Undertaker has chosen the right path (by destroying the ring) and Randy Orton has chosen the evil path (by issuing a challenge, which was accepted), but there is no way out. Other than winning the match I guess.

Cruiserweight Title: Cruiserweight Open

Gregory Helms, Brian Kendrick, Funaki, Kid Kash, Nunzio, Paul London, Psicosis, Scotty 2 Hotty, Super Crazy

Helms is defending and it’s one fall to a finish with no tags. The champ bails to the floor to start and everyone else brawls inside. London and Kendrick dropkick Scotty down and a mini tag match breaks out between the two of them and the Mexicools. The four of them head outside and it’s Kash slamming Funaki down. The moonsault misses though, allowing Helms to come in and stomp away.

That earns him a big group beatdown for a bit before everyone starts fighting everyone else. They start pairing off again with Helms hitting a TKO knee to the face for one on Scotty. Helms is sent outside and Psicosis misses him off a missed charge. Kash hits a slingshot hurricanrana to put Psicosis down on the floor, leaving London and Kendrick alone in the ring. That means a double dive so Helms comes back in for a missed Shining Wizard to Crazy.

Kendrick dives onto Helms for two with Crazy making the save, followed by London and Scotty doing the same thing. Scotty superkicks London to the floor and hits the Worm on Helms. Psicosis makes the save this time but gets hit with Kash’s Dead Level. Crazy breaks it up with a moonsault but Helms steals the pin on Psicosis to retain.

Rating: C. I’m never sure what to say about something like this as it’s more or less a battle royal with pins. They did have a story in there with everyone being against Helms and him managing to steal the pin to retain was a good way of going about things. It was a good choice for an opener, but it seems to be a way to hide the fact that the division has so little development.

Booker T. and Sharmell literally get on their knees to beg Teddy Long to let him out of the match with Chris Benoit. Long’s offer: have the match or forfeit the title.

Finlay wants a fight tonight and since he doesn’t have one, he kidnaps Krystal and brings her to the ring. Cue Bobby Lashley for the brawl with a low blow putting Lashley down. That brings out JBL and it’s time for the scheduled match.

John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Bobby Lashley

Jillian Hall is here with JBL. Lashley is back up with a suplex to Finlay and stares JBL down, giving us a good shocked face from Layfield. Finlay is taken to the back and Lashley isn’t having any of this being sent into the buckle. A running shoulder works a bit better for JBL but Lashley strikes away and hits a backdrop. They head outside with Lashley sending him into the steps, shrugging off a clipboard to the back from Jillian, and hits an overhead belly to belly.

Back in and Lashley gets shoved right back to the floor, with JBL sending him into the apron. A top rope elbow of all things gives JBL two and a swinging neckbreaker puts Lashley down again. The rapid fire elbows set up a sleeper to keep Lashley in trouble for a good while. JBL goes up top for the shoulder but dives into a powerslam to start the comeback.

Four overhead belly to belly suplexes in a row have JBL busted open (How do you do that off a suplex?) and a t-bone suplex gets two. Cue Finlay to jump Tony Chimmel though, with the distraction letting Finlay hit Lashley with the Shillelagh. The Clothesline From JBL is good for the pin.

Rating: C-. This worked well enough, got JBL some heat back, and gave us a new feud with Finlay and Lashley. They’re getting something going with the midcard and if Booker could actually wrestle for a change, we might be in for some good stories. This was a perfectly fine midcard match and they even protected Lashley in the loss.

Here’s Batista for a surprise appearance. He talks about how special it is to come through that curtain every time. He’s here for the Undertaker vs. Kurt Angle, and because he misses this so much. Finally though, he’s here because his torn tricep isn’t torn any longer. Sooner rather than later, he’ll be back and coming for the World Title.

Randy Orton comes up to Kurt Angle in the back because he didn’t like Angle saying he’d love to face Rey at Wrestlemania. Angle is focused on Undertaker though.

MNM vs. Matt Hardy/???

Non-title and the mystery partner is…..Tatanka, in one of the best “HUH?” moments of the era. The completely apathetic reaction to Tatanka tells you everything you need to know here. Matt and Mercury start things off with a Melina distraction letting Mercury take over. Hardy is right back with a wristlock into a legdrop on the arm. Tatanka comes in to play Jeff in a Spin Cycle but Mercury snaps Matt’s throat across the top. Melina gets in a slap to the face, which annoys Matt enough to hit a double neckbreaker.

The hot tag brings in Tatanka to clean house but another Melina distraction lets Nitro dive off the apron to take him down. Back in and Nitro hammers away on Tatanka in the corner and a double back elbow gets two. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Mercury grabs a neckbreaker for two instead. Tatanka clotheslines his way out of trouble and it’s Matt coming back in for the house cleaning. The middle rope elbow hits Mercury and the Side Effect drops Nitro. Everything breaks down and the Papoose To Go finishes Nitro.

Rating: D+. I know I complain a lot about the Tag Team Titles meaning nothing but after losing on Friday, the champs lose again here to Matt Hardy and Tatanka. Is this going to lead to a title change? Not likely, meaning that assuming we get the title match, it puts the champs at 1-2 in their three matches. How does that benefit anyone involved?

We recap Booker T. vs. Chris Benoit for the US Title. Booker/Randy Orton combined to beat Benoit in a Best of Seven series for the title but now Booker has to either face Benoit one on one or forfeit the title.

US Title: Booker T. vs. Chris Benoit

Booker is defending and has Sharmell with him. Hold on though as Booker says that there won’t be a match tonight because he’s forfeiting the title. Benoit calls him a coward so Sharmell slaps him in the face, with Booker jumping Benoit from behind to start things off in a hurry. Booker pounds him down in the corner as Cole thinks that this was a plan. Benoit gets in a suplex for a breather and chops away in the corner, followed by a baseball slide to the floor.

They head outside with Booker being sent into the steps, which is a perfect excuse for some goldbricking. It’s Benoit going into the steps again, setting up a kick to the face for two back inside. Booker goes amateur in a surprise and rides Benoit into a full nelson for a change of pace. A hammerlock is countered into a German suplex and they’re both down for a bit. Benoit can’t get the Crossface so Booker is back with a spinwheel kick for the delayed two.

The sleeper keeps Benoit in trouble until he suplexes his way to freedom. Booker is back with some suplexes of his own and a boot to the face cuts off Benoit’s comeback. Three Amigos give Benoit two but Booker is back with a side kick for two. A superplex gives Benoit two more, only to have Booker grab the Book End.

The Houston Hangover misses though and they’re both down. Sharmell’s distraction breaks up the Swan Dive attempt and now the scissors kick can connect for the big near fall. Benoit sweeps the legs though and tries the Sharpshooter but Booker kicks him away, knocking Sharmell off the apron in the process. The second Sharpshooter attempt doesn’t work so it’s the Crossface to make Booker tap.

Rating: B. These two always work well together and that is something that can always fit on a show like this, or any one for that matter. Benoit getting the title after everything that he has been through makes for a good story, and that’s the right idea with something like this. Now just keep the two of them apart for a good while, as we’ve seen this match enough lately.

Post match various people congratulate Benoit on his win, including Chavo and Vickie Guerrero, and Rey Mysterio twice. Benoit wants Rey to beat Orton FOR EDDIE.

We recap Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton. Mysterio won the Royal Rumble and dedicated it to Eddie Guerrero, so Orton disrespected Eddie’s memory and got Rey to put up the title shot as a result. This involved more references to Eddie than at any point during Eddie’s World Title reign, making it one of the more sickening stories in years.

Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio

The winner gets the Wrestlemania World Title shot. Orton powers him into the corner to start and then gets a takedown as Rey can’t get around the size early on. Rey gets in a hurricanrana to stagger Orton but a clothesline puts him down in a hurry. A knee drop hits Rey and a hard whip into the corner gets two more. Orton mocks the Eddie dance so Rey kicks him in the face and headscissors him to the floor.

A hurricanrana off the apron is caught though and Orton swings Rey arm first into the post for a nasty crash. Back in and Orton cranks on the arm, which looks a little weird on Mysterio. The powerbomb into a neckbreaker gives Orton two more and it’s back to the armbar. Rey is up with another hurricanrana but the arm gives out again. Orton takes him outside again to stomp the arm on the steps, allowing Cole to praise HHH for teaching Orton to be evil.

Back in and Rey manages an armdrag to the floor, followed by a drop toehold to send Orton into the middle buckle. Rey goes up top but has to sunset bomb his way out of an electric chair. A spinwheel kick sets up the Eddie dance and a springboard seated senton connects. Orton is busted open as Rey tries a springboard tornado DDT but the arm gives out.

Not that it matters as Orton takes it anyway for a weird visual. Rey goes up top but gets dropkicked out of the air, with one of the feet hitting the arm. The RKO is countered with a dropkick but the 619 misses and Orton grabs a rollup with rope for the pin and the title shot, destroying Rey’s soul in the process.

Rating: B-. It’s a bad sign when I’m glad that Orton won, but that’s how sick they’ve made me of hearing about Eddie. They’ve driven the idea so far into the ground and it has long since passed the point of interesting or heartwarming. I’m sure we’ll hear about it every chance WWE can manage to get it in, but the Eddie stuff was making me roll my eyes every time. The match itself was quite good though with the arm slowing Rey down and Orton feeling like he was just trying to reel him in the entire time.

Post match Orton says he’s going to the main event of Wrestlemania. Where is Rey going? Rey is crushed as he slowly walks to the back.

The announcers don’t know what to do.

Rey fights back tears as he apologizes to Chavo and Vickie. They’re Eddie’s family you see. No one else knows what to say to Rey as he walks to the locker room.

We recap Kurt Angle vs. Undertaker. Angle jumped from Raw to win the vacant title and then defeated Mark Henry at the Royal Rumble. Undertaker appeared at the end of the show to challenge for the title and we’ve got a dream match. It feels like one too and that’s an important trick to pull off. Undertaker is Undertaker and Angle is in Wrestling Machine mode. What more could you ask for?

Smackdown World Title: Kurt Angle vs. Undertaker

Undertaker is challenging and comes out last, including a pretty awesome shot where the camera cuts to behind him and we get the shot of the coat and hat. Throw in the classic silhouette and it’s one of the better, more intimidating entrances he has had in a good while. Undertaker charges at him but misses the big boot. Angle can’t get a German suplex and bails to the floor for an early breather. Back in and Undertaker grabs a headlock before getting one off a shoulder.

Angle fires off right hands in the corner but gets caught by the arm, setting up Old School. Snake Eyes looks to set up the big boot but Angle grabs a suplex for two instead. Another big boot misses though and Angle knocks him off the apron and into the barricade. Undertaker picks him up for the drive into the post and the apron legdrop gets two. Angle kicks his way out of the chokeslam and takes the leg out. Said leg is wrapped around the post and we go old school with the Hartbreaker.

Back in and Angle stays on the leg but Undertaker sends him outside again. The boot to the head rocks Angle again but the apron legdrop is countered into the ankle lock. Angle holds until seven, slides back in to break the count, then grabs the hold again. Back in and Angle twists the ankle but gets pulled into the triangle. That sends Angle to the rope for the break, followed by a crash outside as he’s messed up from the hold. Undertaker sends him into the timekeeper’s area but walks into the Angle Slam through the announcers’ table.

The referee gets to nine but Angle says don’t do it because he wants to win it in the ring. That’s fine with Undertaker, who sends Angle into the steps for a crash. Back in and Undertaker gets crotched on top, setting up the super belly to belly for two more. A big boot gives Undertaker his own two but the chokeslam is countered into the ankle lock. That’s reversed into the triangle choke, with is reversed right back into the ankle lock.

Undertaker fights up and grabs the chokeslam for a delayed two as we get extra serious. The Last Ride is countered into the ankle lock but Undertaker kicks him away. There’s the Angle Slam for two and Angle’s shocked face is as great as ever. They fight over the Tombstone until Angle grabs the ankle again, this time with the grapevine. Undertaker turns it over and breaks the grip but gets caught in the Angle Slam. The cover is pulled into the triangle choke for two arm drops but Angle flips over into a cradle to retain, half a second before passing out in the hold for a nice callback to their 2002 match.

Rating: A-. I can’t get over how nice it was to keep waiting on the interference/screwy ending and nothing ever happening. This would have been a place for Mark Henry to interfered but instead we got a great match that went nearly half an hour. This was an amazing match with both guys looking outstanding throughout. What made it work so well was how well they played off of each other and teased the submissions, while also going for the pins off big moves. This was always going to work and it was great throughout.

Post match Undertaker pulls him up and says he has Angle’s number to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a very top heavy show with the three matches at the end being the only things that mattered. That works out well though as those three matches combine for over and hour of ring time and the weakest of all three was a perfectly good match. This was a rather strong show and if you do anything to make the first half better, it could have been approaching a classic. As it is, Undertaker vs. Angle is the match worth seeing, with the other two being worth a watch if you have the extra time.

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

Smackdown
Date: February 17, 2006
Location: Norfolk Scope, Norfolk, Virginia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

It’s the go home show for No Way Out, which is looking like one of the best shows that WWE has put together for a good while now. I’m not sure what to expect here, but we’re going to be seeing some previews for some of the pay per view matches. For once, that sounds like a fine idea. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Rey Mysterio vs. Sylvan

Sylvan talks about being the whole package, so Rey hits him with a baseball slide and a slingshot dive to start things off in a hurry. Rey hammers away on the floor and sends him into the steps as the aggression is strong here. They head inside for the opening bell so the aggressive Rey grabs a headlock.

Rey kicks at the leg as the EDDIE chants start up, meaning it’s an Eddie dance. A missed charge in the corner lets Sylvan get in a backbreaker and a delayed belly to back gets two. The bearhug goes on, followed by a spinebuster for two more. Rey fights out of a waistlock and is immediately clotheslined right back down. That doesn’t seem to matter though as it’s a 619 into Dropping The Dime for the pin on Sylvan.

Rating: C-. It was nice to see Rey a little more aggressive as he can be fast enough to make it work well. You can only do the stick and move offense for so long and Rey getting in a win like this, even one where he had to fight through some adversity, was a nice change of pace. Rey is often presented as surviving instead of winning decisively, so this worked out well.

Post match Randy Orton comes out to say that Eddie main evented Wrestlemania (not exactly) but Rey will never do that because he can’t win.

Post break, Mysterio runs into Kurt Angle, who asks if Rey is letting Orton talk to him like that. It would be an honor to face Mysterio at Wrestlemania but here’s Mark Henry to ask why Angle is worried about Wrestlemania. Tonight, Henry is taking out Angle and Undertaker.

Here’s Orlando Jordan to say that he should be getting the US Title shot at No Way Out. No one in that locker room can beat him either.

Boogeyman vs. Orlando Jordan

Jordan jumps him but Boogeyman finishes with the pumphandle slam in less than a minute.

Post match, Boogeyman drops worms on Jordan. Moving on.

Cruiserweight Title: Gregory Helms vs. Scotty 2 Hotty

Hotty is challenging in place of Kid Kash, who had a family emergency. Helms stomps away in the corner to start but Scotty snaps off some hiptosses for two. A missed charge sends Scotty into the post though and a knee to the face gets two. Helms drops some legs and gets two more off a Chris Jericho style cocky cover. A clothesline sets up the chinlock but Scotty is up with elbows and a backdrop. The Worm tease takes too long though and it’s a clothesline into the Shining Wizard to retain.

Rating: C-. Just a quick match here and that was kind of the point. The cruiserweights don’t have much going at the moment so Helms is about as good of a choice as they have. They’re going to need to do something else to boost things up, starting with a good challenger. I’m not sure how likely that is given the history of the division, but what we’re getting so far isn’t quite promising.

Post match Helms says he can do that against anyone in the cruiserweight division. Cue the cruiserweight division to beat the heck out of Helms, capped of by the Worm from Scotty.

Video on the Undertaker.

We look at the Helms beatdown again.

Teddy Long comes in to see Helms as he is getting ice on his ribs. For No Way Out: another Cruiserweight Open.

Mr. Kennedy interrupts Paul Burchill’s interview and can’t believe we’re seeing this. Burchill puts a sword to Kennedy’s throat and Kennedy suddenly sees the brilliance. Kennedy: “We need a pirate in this business.”

John Bradshaw Layfield/Finlay vs. Chris Benoit/Bobby Lashley

Booker T. and Sharmell are on commentary and Benoit’s entrance makes Booker sweat. Benoit and Finlay start things off and fight over a lockup until Finlay takes him down by the leg. Back up and Benoit hits a dropkick as Booker rants about being able to work 365 days a year. Sharmell: “Michael Cole, you would scream like a girl if you had an ingrown toenail.” Finlay gets Benoit tied in the ring skirt so JBL can stomp on Benoit’s hand on the steps.

Said hand is bent around the turnbuckle so Benoit uses the good hand to chop JBL into the corner. Unfortunately it’s the Finlay corner and the beating is on all over again. Benoit slugs away from JBL and brings Lashley in to clean house. The shoulders in the corner have JBL in trouble so he goes to the eye to save himself. Finlay comes in and gets clotheslined to the floor, with JBL diving off the apron to drop Lashley.

We take a break and come back with Lashley caught in a sleeper. Lashley fights up but Finlay kicks him in the back to take care of the comeback bid. Finlay comes in and uppercuts him a few times, only to have Lashley hit the running clothesline. The hot tag brings in Benoit to clean house, including a suplex to JBL. The rolling German suplexes keep JBL in trouble but Finlay makes the save. Benoit sends Finlay into the steps but Booker chairs Benoit in the back. The Clothesline From JBL finishes Benoit.

Rating: C+. Pretty solid enough tag match and that works out well for everyone. Finlay doesn’t have the big win on his own yet but he’s become a player in a hurry. Now as long as they can do something with him in the coming weeks, he might be able to become someone around here. He comes off as someone different, and that’s a great status to have.

Bret Hart Hall of Fame announcement.

Matt Hardy vs. Simon Dean

The Gymini are here with Dean and offer a rather early distraction. The other pulls Dean out of the way of a charge in the corner and that means an ejection. Dean gets in a few cheap shots and sends Hardy into the corner as commentary doesn’t seem to think the match deserves that much attention. The Side Effect gets Matt out of trouble and the Twist of Fate finishes in a hurry.

Rating: D. I’m not sure what it means that this is the best Matt has gotten to look since Survivor Series. The match was nothing and just a win over Simon Dean of all people, but at least Matt got to win something. He needs to reset things a bit and while I don’t believe that is going to start from this, it’s better than nothing.

Video on Angle’s career, including several clips of his amateur career.

Raw Rebound.

Matt Hardy runs into Melina in the back and accepts her offer. Not the backscratching offer, but the offer for a match against MNM with a partner of his choosing. Ok then.

No Way Out rundown.

MNM/Mark Henry vs. Kurt Angle/Undertaker

Daivari and Melina are here with the villains. Angle and Mercury start things off but Undertaker steps in front of Kurt to start instead. Undertaker throws Mercury into the corner without much trouble and demands Henry. That’s just what he gets, along with a blind tag from Angle who uppercuts Henry instead. It’s off to Nitro, who misses a charge into the corner. The ankle lock is broken up and everything breaks down in a hurry. Undertaker and Angle clear the ring but stop to stare at each other, allowing Henry to throw both of them outside.

We take a break and come back with Nitro holding Angle in a chinlock before Mercury comes in for shoulders in the corner. Henry fights out of an ankle lock without much trouble and it’s Mercury back in with the next chinlock. That one is broken up with a suplex and the hot tag brings in Undertaker. Snake Eyes into the big boot hits Mercury but Henry breaks up the double chokeslam. MNM chokes away in the corner and a double suplex gets two. Undertaker avoids a Henry charge and calls for the chokeslam but Angle tags the hand instead. Angle cleans house in a hurry and finishes Nitro with an ankle lock.

Rating: C+. Normally I wouldn’t be thrilled with the Tag Team Champions losing like this but due to a mixture of that ship sailing a long time ago and it being against Undertaker and Angle. This was all designed to keep pushing Angle vs. Undertaker, which is somehow looking even better than it did before. The match wasn’t the point here, but it worked out well enough for what they were trying to do.

Post match Undertaker chokeslams and Tombstones Henry (without the best landing) to scare Angle a bit. The staredown ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. The wrestling was good enough but what matters the most here is making No Way Out look more interesting. The card is looking rather good two days before the show and that is more than you usually get out of the February show. Then again, having Undertaker vs. Angle on the show is about as good as you can get for a pre-Wrestlemania main event.

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

Smackdown
Date: February 3, 2006
Location: TD Waterhouse Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

We’re done with the Royal Rumble and on our way to Wrestlemania, but first up we need a stopover at No Way Out, which seems like it is going to feature Undertaker vs. Kurt Angle. That is a heck of a main event on its own, but Smackdown will also have Rey Mysterio as the Royal Rumble winner on the show. Let’s get to it.

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

We look at Kurt Angle defeating Mark Henry (thanks to a lot of cheating) to retain the World Title on Sunday, with Undertaker coming out to say he wanted the title and destroy the ring to end the show.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Teddy Long to talk about the surprises from the Royal Rumble. This included Undertaker saying he wanted Kurt Angle so the title match is on at No Way Out. How nice to see them just getting to the point and not wasting time for a change. The biggest surprise though was the winner of the Royal Rumble, as Rey Mysterio dedicated his win to Eddie Guerrero and now he’s going to Wrestlemania.

Cue Rey (who Cole says won the Rumble last night) in a low rider and wearing an Eddie shirt as the fans chant for Eddie. Teddy leaves and Rey thanks Eddie, who got him last night. Cue Randy Orton to interrupt though, who says Eddie was laughing at Rey last night. Randy and Eddie know that Rey isn’t ready to headline Wrestlemania and there must have been divine intervention last night. He knows Rey couldn’t beat him in a regular wrestling match, but the fans cut him off with a YOU SUCK chant. Rey: “I’m glad I’m not the only person who thinks you suck.”

Orton wants to challenge Rey for the Wrestlemania title shot so Rey looks up to Eddie. Randy: “Eddie’s not up there. Eddie’s down there….in h***.” The fight is on and referees have to pull Rey off of Orton. This is the point where the Eddie stuff jumped to a new level of ridiculous, as the story has stopped being about anything but Eddie. There needs to be more to it than that for a Wrestlemania World Title match.

Tag Team Titles: MNM vs. Mexicools

MNM is defending and has Melina with them. Psicosis monkey flips Nitro down to start and it’s a moonsault/legdrop combination for two with Mercury having to make a save. The champs bail to the floor and Crazy hits a big running flip dive to take them both down. We take a break and come back with Mercury suplexing Psicosis for two. Melina adds a headscissors choke from the apron and Tazz sees nothing wrong with that.

Psicosis fights out of a double arm crank but it’s a double spinebuster to put him back down for three near falls in a row. That’s enough to draw Melina to the apron for some yelling but Mercury is sent into her, meaning the ankle injury flares up again. Back in and Psicosis gets over for the hot tag to Crazy for the house cleaning. A tornado DDT gets two on Mercury but Melina takes off her boot to knock Crazy silly and retain the titles.

Rating: C. I know the Mexicools aren’t likely to go anywhere but they’re fine for the smaller, high flying tag team. There is always a place for a team like them and they did rather well here. The champs were in trouble until their manager cheated to retain their titles. That’s as by the book as you can get but they did it well enough to get by with a somewhat hot match.

Booker T. and Sharmell tell Teddy that he still can’t wrestle after his injury was aggravated in the Royal Rumble. Teddy says Booker can pick a substitute to face Chris Benoit tonight, but that substitute can lose the US Title for him. Yelling ensues.

Raw Rebound.

Here is JBL complaining about how he has to be put in the ring with one freak show after another. Anyone who gets in the ring with him becomes a star but he’s tired of WWE depending on him to give people a rub. No more, because he is a wrestling god, but here’s Bobby Lashley to interrupt for his match.

Bobby Lashley vs. Chad Dick

JBL is still at ringside, along with James Dick. Chad’s early cheap shots don’t work as Lashley throws him down, then does the same thing to James. The Dominator finishes Chad in less than a minute.

Post match, Lashley gets blasted by the Clothesline From JBL.

We see the same Angle/Undertaker video that opened the show.

Here’s the Undertaker for a chat. Undertaker says the time is drawing near for Kurt Angle and there is no way out. Angle has the title that he wants so here’s Angle to interrupt. Kurt says Undertaker makes people scream but he makes them tap. Undertaker is the Phenom, but he’s the wrestling machine. When the bell rings, Angle doesn’t have a soul either, so at No Way Out, he isn’t wrestling in peace. Undertaker knows Angle believes that, but he will rest in peace at No Way Out. Thunder strikes and Undertaker disappears.

Wrestlemania is 58 days away.

Octagoncito vs. Tzuki

Yes the Juniors are back and they have their own graphic. Octagoncito jumps him to start but gets dropkicked to the floor for a flip dive. Back in and Octagoncito hits a dropkick into a gorilla press as commentary argues about how to pronounce the names. Tzuki comes back with an armdrag and a tilt-a-whirl headscissors, followed by a sunset flip for two. A high crossbody into a crucifix gives Tzuki the win. These guys were gone for months and now they’re back, though I can’t imagine they’ll make any bigger of an impact than they did before.

Mr. Kennedy interrupts Chris Benoit’s warmup and hints that he knows Booker’s replacement opponent. Benoit threatens to break his arm for getting this close again.

US Title: Chris Benoit vs. ???

Benoit is challenging and the mystery replacement is….Finlay. This could be interesting. Booker joins commentary as Finlay takes Benoit down for an elbow to the face. A keylock sends Benoit over to the rope as Booker goes over he and Benoit’s history with Finlay in WCW. Finlay forearms him down again and we hit the armbar. Benoit gets him into the corner for some quick stomping but Finlay uppercuts him back.

Some chops send Finlay into the corner again so it’s another uppercut to drop Benoit again. We hit the reverse chinlock but Benoit is back up with the rolling German suplexes. Booker’s distraction breaks up the Swan Dive though and Finlay gets in a cheap shot. That just earns him the Crossface but Sharmell comes in with Booker’s crutch for the DQ.

Rating: C. I could go for more of Finlay getting into the title picture as he’s rather good at what he does. The Booker vs. Benoit stuff is interesting as well as they have had a bunch of matches already but the injury has allowed their feud to continue without getting stale. I’m starting to get into this situation and that’s always a good thing to see, especially if Finlay is going to be a regular part of it.

Post match the double beatdown is on.

Daivari doesn’t agree with the idea that Kurt Angle defeated Mark Henry because it was the steel chair that beat him.

The Boogeyman scares Booker and Sharmell. Please tell me that’s not going to be about the title.

Gregory Helms says he is the greatest cruiserweight alive today and he knows that no one on Smackdown is going to give him a threat. Nunzio comes up and threatens to break Helms’ leg. The title match is set for next week.

Palmer Cannon agrees that Paul Burchill and William Regal don’t want to be a tag team anymore. See, Regal’s heritage is British, but Burchill’s is from PIRATES. He wants to swashbuckle on Smackdown and Cannon loves it. Regal’s eyes bugging out at all of this makes it that much better.

Randy Orton/Mark Henry vs. Rey Mysterio/Kurt Angle

Daivari is here with the villains. We’re joined in progress with Orton saying he wants Rey to start. That’s what Orton gets so Rey comes in and hammers away until Orton sends him face first into the middle buckle. A headscissors puts Orton the floor though, just like on Sunday, with Rey following with a springboard seated senton.

Back in and Orton takes Rey into the corner so Henry can come in to step on Rey’s face. Orton drops a knee to the chest and hammers at Rey as the fans want Angle. A dropkick cuts off Rey’s comeback attempt but Orton goes shoulder first into the post. The diving tag brings in Angle, who slaps the ankle lock on Henry. That’s broken up in a hurry so it’s an Angle Slam right back into the ankle lock.

Orton makes the save so Angle goes for his ankle, only to have Daivari’s distraction allow a low blow to break things up. Orton knees Angle in the ribs and it’s back to Henry to headbutt him into the corner. Angle is sent outside for a whip into the steps but he’s right back in for an uppercut off with Orton. It’s Orton getting the better of things though and the chinlock goes on.

That’s broken up so Angle can hit a German suplex and it’s back to Rey for a springboard seated senton. The sitout bulldog lets Rey hammer on Orton until a heck of a clothesline takes him down. The Eddie chants bring Rey back up for the 619 on Orton but Henry breaks up a springboard. Everything breaks down and Angle chases an interfering Daivari through the crowd. Henry follows them, leaving Orton to counter a hurricanrana into a rollup for the pin.

Rating: C+. Nice main event tag match here that advanced Orton vs. Rey, with the other two guys being there as well. Orton and Mysterio can do their thing at No Way Out and this was a good way of setting them up for that match. They followed the formula for the most part here and Orton winning clean advanced the story they’re setting up. Pretty nice job all around.

Post match Orton says Rey has as much chance of winning the title at Wrestlemania as Eddie has at coming back to live. Rey accepts the challenge on behalf of Eddie to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I liked the wrestling for the most part but e pluribus gads the Eddie stuff is going to be an incredibly rough sit. That’s the biggest story on the show right now and I’m almost scared to see how bad it is going to get. It isn’t a great thing to focus on and it’s rather uncomfortable at times on top of that, but WWE has never been one for tact. The wrestling was good but the stories were hard to take, making this about as vintage of a WWE show as you can get.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

Smackdown
Date: January 27, 2006
Location: Bi-Lo Center, Greenville, South Carolina
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

It’s the go home show for the Royal Rumble and that means we should be in for very little of note, as most of the card is already set. The Rumble itself hasn’t gotten that much attention, but it’s not like the match is going to need that much help. Other than that, we’ll be seeing more from Mark Henry and Kurt Angle, which could be a good thing. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Mark Henry vs. Kurt Angle, with Daivari being revealed as Henry’s new manager.

Opening sequence.

Rey Mysterio vs. Mark Henry

Before the match, we see a clip of Rey dedicating his Royal Rumble to Eddie Guerrero. Daivari is on commentary as Rey hammers on Henry to start. Some dropkicks to the leg earn Rey a clothesline but Henry misses a sitdown splash. Henry is right back up and knocks him to the floor before dropping him onto the mat with a gorilla press. The splash doesn’t warrant a cover so he throws Rey outside to start the stalking.

Rey avoids a shot to the steps though and takes Mark back inside for some sliding dropkicks to the head. A moonsault gets one and Rey snaps him throat first across the top. There’s the 619 into the springboard seated senton, but Henry throws him off. Rey gets back up and charges into the World’s Strongest Slam for the pin.

Rating: C. This was the classic big man vs. little man formula and it was fine again. Henry is at his best when someone is bouncing off of him and he stands there to do power stuff. They were smart enough to not try anything too complicated here and in a situation like this, that was easily the best choice.

Matt Hardy is ready to win the Royal Rumble because he will not die.

Booker T. comes in to see Randy Orton before his match with Chris Benoit tonight. Orton is ready to win the Royal Rumble and Booker seems ready to return to the ring. They’re good for now, but Orton might be ready to take Booker up on that favor sooner or later.

Video on the Mexico tour.

Royal Rumble Qualifying Match: Mexicools vs. FBI vs. The Dicks

The winners get the final two Smackdown spots and we’re joined in progress after a break with Vito powering James up and bringing in Nunzio. The Mexicools low bridge Nunzio to the floor though and it’s Crazy coming in to clean house. James has to save Chad but Nunzio tags himself in to drag Psicosis into the corner. The double stomping sets up Vito’s camel clutch on Psicosis and it’s right back to Nunzio for an armbar. That’s broken up in a hurry and Psicosis gets over to Crazy to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and a wheelbarrow slam/X Factor combination gives Psicosis the pin on Nunzio.

Rating: C-. They got in and out here fairly quickly and that is the best thing that they could have done. There was no need to do anything else here and at least they let the best choice win. The Dicks have gone nowhere since debuting and I can’t imagine that was ever in doubt. Finally you have the FBI, who are a fine midcard team and nothing more than that.

Classic Rumble moment: Chris Benoit wins.

Randy Orton vs. Chris Benoit

No holds barred. They lock up to start and Benoit grabs a to wristlock, with Orton reversing into a headlock. Orton is smart enough to grab the rope before a German suplex and bails to the floor as we take a break. Back with Orton rolling away from the threat of a Crossface and uppercutting him outside. Orton sends him into various things and gets two on the floor, even though falls counting anywhere wasn’t mentioned at the beginning.

Back in and Orton grabs the chinlock before snapping off the dropkick to put Benoit on the floor again. The trashcan is pulled out but a drop toehold sends Orton into it face first instead. Benoit starts chopping away to put Orton onto the announcers’ table, where a thumb to the eye gets Orton out of trouble. Back in and Orton hits a rather aggressive chinlock but Benoit fights up for a failed Sharpshooter attempt.

A knee drop gives Orton two and it’s right back to the chinlock. This time it’s a northern lights suplex to get Benoit out and they head outside again. The chop off goes to Benoit and it’s back inside for Three Amigos to Orton. Benoit keeps it up with a top rope superplex and they’re both down. Orton rolls outside to pick up the trashcan and gets in a heck of a shot to Benoit’s head as we take a break.

Back with Orton holding ANOTHER chinlock, followed by the over the back neckbreaker. Orton takes him outside and peels the mat back, with Benoit backdropping him onto the concrete. They head inside again for the rolling German suplexes but the Swan Dive hits trashcan lid. Benoit isn’t having that so he blocks the RKO, smashes the trashcan lid over Orton’s head and Crossfaces him for the win.

Rating: B. Good brawl here and I liked that it was more about the two of them beating each other up instead of using weapons all the time. There were a few weapons shot here including the ending, but it wasn’t the focal point of the match and that’s a good way to go. Orton does need to lighten up on the chinlocks though, because we’ve covered those extensively enough.

Animal wants to win the Royal Rumble because it’s all he has left to accomplish.

Finlay vs. Funaki

Finlay knocks him down to start and kicks Funaki in the head. Funaki’s enziguri looks to set up the tornado DDT but Finlay throws him down but the yet to be named Celtic Cross (White Noise) finishes Funaki in a hurry.

Post match Finlay keeps up the beating so the referee reverses the decision. Finlay does not approve of this and doesn’t like Americans. He isn’t going away so get over it.

JBL tries to convince Jillian Hall that the Boogeyman is scared of him. Hall is having nightmares about the Boogeyman eating her beauty mark. She asks if JBL ever noticed it and JBL’s eyes panic in a funny bit.

Bobby Lashley is going to win the Rumble.

John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Scotty 2 Hotty

After looking under the ring for the Boogeyman, JBL sends Scotty into the corner but gets knocked down. The Worm is cut off by the Clothesline From JBL and here’s the Boogeyman…or at least his music. Scotty is gone and the worms (sounds like a secret alliance to me) fall from the ceiling, covering half of the mat. Now the Boogeyman pops up to scare JBL into the worms. JBL runs off as Boogeyman eats a bunch of worms, as usual.

Raw Rebound.

Melina shows Teddy her taped up ankle and says he has done nothing about this. That’s strike two and he is officially on notice.

Daivari and Mark Henry say Angle loses on Sunday.

Royal Rumble rundown.

Kurt Angle vs. MNM

Non-title and Melina is here with MNM. We’re joined in progress with Mercury getting headlocked down and then taken down with ease. A shoulder puts Mercury on the floor so Nitro comes in instead. Angle armbars him without much trouble and then hammers away in the corner. A Melina distraction lets Nitro get in a knee and Mercury low bridges Angle to the floor.

Nitro pulls Mercury out of the way of a charging Angle to send him shoulder first into the post and there’s a running knee in the corner. The Snapshot is broken up with Mercury being sent outside, where Melina slips him something. Melina offers a distraction so Mercury can get in a loaded right hand for two. The Angle Slam drops Mercury and a suplex sends Nitro to the floor. Angle grabs Mercury’s ankle for the tap.

Rating: C. Match was fine but they really needed Angle to survive cheating and make one of the champs tap? They couldn’t have had some kind of shenanigan or had Henry come in for the DQ? Anyway, Angle has looked awesome as of late and they’ve done a great job of turning him face in a hurry, though it isn’t exactly hard to cheer the guy.

Post match here’s Henry, who is Angle Slammed in a hurry. The ankle lock is broken up with raw power and Angle is stunned to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. They did a little more for the Rumble itself but this was the Angle vs. Henry show. That isn’t the kind of match that should work on paper but the build they gave it here worked out pretty well. Benoit vs. Orton was a good, long match but it’s the only other thing of value on the whole show. Then again, with the Rumble on Sunday, everything is cranked up for Wrestlemania, meaning this is the most inconsequential show of the season.

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

Smackdown
Date: January 20, 2006
Location: Civic Center, Florence, South Carolina
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

Things changed in a big way last week and now we get to start moving towards the new norm around here. That includes Kurt Angle as the Smackdown World Champion and seemingly gearing up to feud with Mark Henry, probably at the Royal Rumble. Speaking of the Rumble, the show is in ten days and it could use some build. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Angle winning the title in a battle royal, last eliminating Henry.

Opening sequence.

John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Bobby Lashley

JBL has Jillian Hall with him, now with a bandage on her face after Boogeyman bit off her growth. An exchange of shoulders hurts JBL’s arm but his right hand is good enough to hammer Lashley down in the corner. A thumb to the eye cuts Lashley off but he’s right back with a belly to bell. The charge misses in the corner and JBL runs him over….so here’s Boogeyman from underneath the ring. The distraction lets Lashley hit the Dominator for the pin.

Rating: D+. This didn’t have time to go anywhere and was just a backdrop for the Boogeyman interference. The good thing about JBL is it’s not like a loss hurts him so just have him go out there and take a beating, which isn’t going to cause him any real damage. Lashley gets a win and we move forward towards JBL vs. Boogeyman. I’m not sure why, but it’s at least something and JBL can play scared with the best of them.

Post match, JBL bails from the threat of the worms.

Rey Mysterio congratulates Angle on winning the title and promises to become #1 contender. Angle likes the idea of the challenge and walks on to accept more congratulations. He runs into Henry though, who promises to beat Rey and take the title from Angle at the Royal Rumble. Angle wishes him luck and says stay out of his face. The YOU SUCK chants are about his opponents, so don’t be his opponent, because you’ll SUCK.

Post break a scared Jillian is in Teddy Long’s office when JBL storms in. Long doesn’t want to hear the yelling and makes JBL vs. Boogeyman at the Rumble.

Here are Sharmell and Booker T. for the big US Title celebration, including the balloon drop. Booker thanks everyone for believing in him and Sharmell calls Chris Benoit a loser. After a congratulatory kiss, Booker says this is how a real winner celebrates. Cue Orlando Jordan to say Booker disrespected him when Jordan offered to help him in the series. Jordan wants a match right now and punches Booker down for saying no. Cue Teddy to make Jordan vs. Randy Orton for later tonight. So there you go Orlando Jordan enthusiasts. We get to suffer while you enjoy yourselves.

Matt Hardy vs. Finlay

This is Finlay’s debut and he hammers away to start, including taking Hardy down in a hurry. Matt kicks away and hits an atomic drop before catapulting Finlay over the top. Back in and Finlay kicks him in the head before hitting a hard slam for two. The neck crank goes on and you can feel the mean coming off of Finlay. Matt fights up for a backdrop and the Side Effect gets two. The screaming…uh, backsplash actually here, gets two more so Finlay goes outside. Matt gets tied up in the ring skirt and Finlay hammers away before taking him back inside. More forearms in the ropes are enough for the DQ.

Rating: C. This was a physical match and that’s the kind of thing that Finlay is known for. Wanting to brawl and beat on Hardy for the DQ was a logical way for him to debut, as a lot of fans aren’t going to be familiar with him after so many years away from mainstream wrestling. Not so much a good match, but an effective debut.

Post match, Finlay can’t believe that was a DQ and stomps Hardy’s head on the steps.

We look back at Daivari costing Angle a match against Shawn Michaels on Raw. Angle fired Daivari as a result.

Daivari is in Teddy’s office to rant about Angle firing him. He wants Teddy to fix it, so Long makes Daivari vs. Angle for tonight.

Batista had triceps surgery for the second time.

Rey Mysterio vs. Mark Henry

The winner gets the title shot at Angle at the Rumble. Melina is here with Henry. Mysterio starts sticking and moving to start but gets knocked down in a hurry. The pace picks up a bit and Rey sends him outside for a dropkick through the ropes. A quick dive knocks Henry up against the barricade and we take a break. Back with Henry running him over and shoving Mysterio down by the head.

Henry steps on his chest but misses a splash. Mysterio can’t do much with the delay though as he gets knocked outside, with Henry throwing him back inside with no trouble. Back in and Henry misses a charge in the corner so Rey kicks at the leg, slips out of a gorilla press, and kicks at the leg again. Some 619s to the back and ribs set up the regular version and Rey hits a heck of a frog splash. Henry rolls through like it’s nothing though and plants him with the World’s Strongest Slam for the pin and the title shot.

Rating: C. Pure formula stuff here and that’s the right way to go. Show that Henry can absorb the offense and then pop up for the win. Beating Mysterio so decisively sets up Henry for the World Title shot that he was all but guaranteed to get. Not a great match, but it did things rather well.

Mr. Kennedy comes out with some of his new shirts but if you want them, go buy them.

Gymini vs. Paul London/Brian Kendrick

Simon Dean is here with the Gymini and Kennedy is on commentary. Cole and Tazz throw on the Kennedy shirts, with Kennedy complimenting Cole’s head. London and Kendrick hit the ring in a hurry and clothesline Dean to the floor at the bell. London starts fast with a missile dropkick but a Dean distraction lets the monsters run him over. A double shoulder takes him down again as Dean starts blowing the whistle. Some missed elbows allow the hot tag to Kendrick to clean house as everything breaks down. Kendrick gets spinebustered onto London though and a double Regal Cutter finishes Kendrick in a hurry.

Rob Van Dam is back at the Royal Rumble.

Orlando Jordan vs. Randy Orton

Orton takes him over with a headlock to start and the trash talk is on. Some armdrags send Orton outside though and it’s time for a breather. Back in and another armdrag lets Jordan clothesline him to the floor but Orton avoids the slingshot dive. We come back from a break with Orton grabbing a chinlock with a bodyscissors, followed by the dropkick for two. Jordan couldn’t get his foot to the rope, so the referee says it was under the rope for the break anyway.

Jordan’s comeback is cut off in a hurry and we hit the chinlock again. The comeback works this time as Jordan starts in on the arm, including a standing armbar. That’s reversed into the backbreaker for two and Jordan’s dropkick gets the same. A swinging neckbreaker drops Orton but here is Sharmell for a distraction so Booker can come down for a crutch shot to Jordan. The RKO is good for the pin.

Rating: D+. For the love of all things good and made of poultry can we PLEASE cut it out with Jordan already? He has never been interesting, he has never been anything resembling good and he has never been anything more than a name on the roster. Let him go to Velocity and stay there already because he is as much of a groan inducing name as there is these days.

Post match Chris Benoit runs in for the save and rips up Booker’s shirt.

Video on Mark Henry.

We run down the Rumble card.

Raw Rebound.

Daivari is scared about the main event and know it’s going to be screwed up.

Kurt Angle vs. Daivari

Non-title and here are Mark Henry and Melina to watch. Angle snaps off the belly to belly suplex to send Daivari outside, where Daivari is terrified of Henry. Back in and Daivari’s low blow doesn’t do much damage so Angle throws him at Henry. With Henry holding Daivari in the air, Angle hammers on Daivari’s back before throwing him back inside. The Angle Slam sets up the ankle lock but Melina comes in for the DQ.

Post match Angle puts Melina in the ankle lock but Henry comes in for the World’s Strongest Slam. Henry crushes Angle with the steps for a bonus. With Angle down on the floor, Daivari announces himself as Henry’s new manager to end the show. Was Daivari that great of a manager that we need to have him added like this?

Overall Rating: C-. This show was more logical than anything else and that’s fine. It might not have been exactly thrilling, but it did a good job of setting up the non-Rumble matches. The perk about the Rumble is that it doesn’t need much of a build in the first place so hopefully we get a little push next week, but it’s not like the match really needs it. Angle vs. Henry actually sounds decent though, which I never would have guessed on coming in.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 16, 2006
Location: RBC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina
Attendance: 7,500
Commentators: Joey Styles, Jerry Lawler, Jonathan Coachman

We are getting closer and closer to the Royal Rumble but the big story coming out of last week’s show is Ric Flair interrupting Edge and Lita’s special celebration. Edge has something else to worry about with John Cena though and he might have to deal with both of them here. Oh and we get Shawn Michaels vs. new Smackdown World Champion Kurt Angle in case you need a likely instant classic. Let’s get to it.

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

Martin Luther King Jr. Day video. They never miss those.

Opening sequence.

Tonight: Edge defends against Ric Flair in a TLC match. That sounds like something you might want to promote a little more than an hour and a half in advance.

Here are Edge and Lita for a chat. Edge talks about how people have been calling him a cheap champion and that he stole the title. The truth is he won the title fair and square (indeed) and as champion, he calls the shots. Some people were offended by last week’s celebration but get over it, because it was the highest rated ending to Raw in over two years.

The day after he won the title, over twenty five million people checked WWE.com, making him the most watched WWE Champion of all time. That brings him to Flair, meaning we see a clip of the Conchairto from last week. For now, Edge wants to finish what he started with Lita last week so he grabs a chair….and here’s Kurt Angle, flanked by Daivari, to interrupt. He thinks the YOU SUCK chants refer to Lita and doesn’t like Edge using a briefcase to win the title.

Angle doesn’t take the easy way to the World Title, but Edge thinks Angle ran to Smackdown because he can’t beat John Cena. Angle wants to unify the titles tonight but Edge insults him even more. The suplexes are on but here’s Vince McMahon to interrupt. There isn’t going to be any unification match because Edge is defending against Flair in a TLC match. Edge and Lita leave, with Vince telling Lita to cover up. That’s as out of character as you’re going to get all night. As for Angle, he’s facing Shawn Michaels in a non-title match, but if Shawn loses, his contract is terminated.

Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle

Non-title and the match is joined in progress after the break with Shawn chasing Daivari before heading inside to chop Angle. A headlock puts Angle down and Shawn chops away in the corner again. Shawn goes up though and dives into the belly to belly, which is never a good thing. Angle’s German suplex sets up a bodyscissors to work on the ribs but the Angle Slam is countered into a DDT.

That means a very delayed two but Daivari low bridges Shawn to the floor to cut him off again. A superkick drops Daivari but the Angle Slam drops Shawn on the floor. Back from a break with Shawn’s back in trouble and Angle whipping him hard into the corner. Angle can’t hit a belly to belly superplex twice in a row so he runs the corner for a super Angle Slam and a delayed two.

The ankle lock is countered into a victory roll for two and Shawn starts slugging away. That just earns him another ankle lock but Shawn is out in a hurry and clotheslining away. The top rope elbow misses though so there go the straps. The ankle lock isn’t broken so quickly this time, though Shawn does manage to slap Daivari. That’s enough to bring Daivari in with a chair but Angle breaks it up, only to have Daivari accidentally hit him with said chair. Shawn is right there with a rollup for the fluke pin.

Rating: B. These two have gotten into a formula with Angle overwhelming Shawn, leaving him to have to get in his shots here and there. It’s a formula that works and it did here, as they have spaced the matches out well enough that they don’t feel repetitive. Angle losing a few days after winning the title isn’t the best thing, but the whole situation is a mess and it wasn’t remotely clean so it could have been a lot worse.

Post match Daivari stomps away on Shawn but Angle pulls him off and wants some answers. Daivari slaps him in the face and gets Angle Slammed to the floor. Moron deserves it.

During the break, Angle said Daivari’s services are no longer needed.

We look at Edge’s huge spear at Wrestlemania X7.

Maria interviews Chris Masters and shows him how he lost in the Elimination Chamber. Masters blames Carlito but he’ll take care of him at the Royal Rumble. Tonight though, John Cena loses the Masterlock Challenge.

Ashley vents to Trish Stratus about Mickie James being all psycho. Mickie comes in and doesn’t like being talked about. Yes she is obsessed, about what she did to Ashley last week. For tonight though, they’re a team, with Mickie offering some well placed slaps.

It’s Masterlock Challenge time, with Masters saying he’s doing this to prove that he had the Elimination Chamber won if not for Carlito. Cena comes out to take the challenge, listens to Masters’ trash talk, and then flails around in the hold. He Hulks Up but here’s Edge to blast Cena with the title, busting him open. Edge’s evil smiles are always great.

Vince comes into the training room to see Shawn and throws him out for the evening. Ric Flair is next to him so Vince says Flair could become the 17 time World Champion (Flair looks straight at the camera as Vince says 17, likely wanting to go on a promo with a lot of numbers). Candice Michelle comes in to flirt with Vince and do the Go Daddy dance.

Trish Stratus/Mickie James/Ashley vs. Torrie Wilson/Victoria/Candice Michelle

During the entrances, we see a clip of Candice’s Go Daddy Super Bowl commercial, involving various parts of her washing a window. Victoria works on Trish’s arm to start and is quickly pulled down into a rollup for two. It’s off to Ashley, but Mickie spears her down and goes nuts as Victoria watches on like a smart villain. Trish argues with Mickie and it’s the Widow’s Peak to finish Ashley in a hurry. Trish vs. Mickie continues to be one of the more interesting stories on the show.

Classic Edge TLC Moment: TLC I.

Rob Van Dam is back at the Royal Rumble.

Carlito doesn’t understand why Rob Van Dam coming back is a big deal and we see a clip of Carlito attacking him in June. The reality is that Carlito is on a roll and was THIS CLOSE to winning the title at New Year’s Revolution. Don’t worry though, because he’s winning the Royal Rumble and heading to Wrestlemania. No one on Raw or Smackdown can stop him so here’s Kane to put an apple in Carlito’s mouth and throw him over the top.

Someone wants to see Vince and he seems to think it going to be Candice.

Post break, Vince starts stripping for Candice but it’s Mama Benjamin and Shelton. Well at least it wasn’t Moolah and Mae. Anyway she wants Shelton to have a match tonight and sends Shelton away. Mama offers Vince chocolate thunder and brown sugar. Even Vince seems disturbed by that one.

We look at Chris Benoit’s Swan Dive only hitting a table in TLC III.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Big Show

Mama Benjamin is here and looks close to passing out when Show’s music hits. Shelton hides behind Mama but Show is kind enough to hold the ropes open for her. Mama: “Shelton, you’re on your own.” Shelton slugs away to no avail and has to go after the broken hand to escape a chokeslam attempt. A fall away slam works better for Show as Shelton is sent outside. Show throws him back in but here’s HHH for the brawl to cause the countout, giving Shelton the win.

Rob Van Dam hit the Van Terminator in TLC IV.

Raw World Title: Edge vs. Ric Flair

Only Edge (with Lita) is defending in a Tables Ladders and Chairs match (the first ever singles edition). Before the match, Flair hugs his daughter Ashley, better known as Charlotte (so yes, she was getting TV time before she even debuted). The title is raised and we’re ready to go. Edge hammers away to start and drops some elbows before throwing in the toys. A ladder to the face has Flair down and Edge crushes him in between. They head outside with Flair knocking him up against the barricade.

That means Edge gets knocked into the crowd but Flair follows and is quickly backdropped to ringside. Edge suplexes him on the floor and loads up another Conchairto on a table, but Flair fights up this time. Lita goes after Flair so Edge chairs him down like a true villain. As you might expect, Flair is busted open (I’m surprised it took him this long) and Edge puts him on the table. A splash off the ladder in the ring destroys Flair and we take a break with both of them down.

Back with Edge getting crushed in a ladder for a change and Flair chairing the ladder to make it worse. A nasty chair shot to the head lets Flair climb a ladder (gulp) so Edge superplexes him right back down for the double knockdown. Edge’s missile dropkick misses though and they’re both down again. It’s Edge up first to chair him to the floor but Flair turns over the ladder, sending Edge crashing through a table on the floor (there’s your crazy crash of the match). Lita makes the save this time and gets Figure Foured so Flair goes up again. This time Edge knocks him off though and retains in a hurry.

Rating: B. There is something so wrong yet so fascinating watching Flair in a match like this. One thing I have to give him is that he threw himself into it and almost looked comfortable out there. The lack of drama didn’t help things, but the constant shots of Ashley made me believe that there was a chance. It was a fun match, though building it up more than an hour and a half could have been advised.

Post match Edge loads up another Conchairto, drawing out Cena for the save. Cena swings the chair but can’t hit anyone to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. It’s hard to screw up a show with a big main event and Shawn vs. Angle and they were a strong enough combination to work here. What mattered here was getting the Flair vs. Edge feud out of the way and now we are moving full steam ahead to the Rumble. Cena vs. Edge is feeling like a big deal and then the Rumble itself can carry the rest of the card. Very good show here, but how could it not be given how stacked the card was?

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: January 9, 2006
Location: Giant Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 5,500
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Joey Styles, Jonathan Coachman

We’re past New Year’s Revolution, meaning that it’s time to go towards the Royal Rumble and Edge has “stolen” (not really but it’s what commentary is saying) the Raw World Title from John Cena. It should be interesting to see where he goes from here, as he only has so many ways to go to get to the Rumble where he can lose the title back to Cena. Let’s get to it.

Here is New Year’s Revolution if you need a recap

Elimination Chamber/cash-in recap.

Opening sequence.

Here’s a fired up Cena to get things going, but these fans need to bring it louder with the mixed reactions. Cena talks about how many choices there are to make, like Edge choosing to cash in Money in the Bank and fans choosing to boo or ride with him. Cena is going to bat for everyone who rides with him and tells the people who are drinking the Haterade what they can do. He wants his rematch with Edge right here tonight (good thing there’s a rematch clause in the Money in the Bank contract).

Cue Lita with the title to say the rematch is coming at the Rumble, not tonight (apparently thanks to some special persuasion of Vince McMahon). Instead, Edge has something else to do tonight, and it’s going to be with Lita, in the middle of the ring. Tonight though, Edge is going to last longer than two minutes. Edge knows what to do do in bed and unlike Cena, he knows how to wrestle. Lita goes to leave but Cena tells the “one woman hooker parade to stop.” There may be a lot of people here who think he sucks but everyone KNOWS she can. Cena is taking the title back at the Rumble.

Women’s Title: Trish Stratus vs. Ashley

Trish is defending and Mickie James insists that the fans cheer Trish a lot louder than that. After Trish isn’t exactly cool with that, Ashley gets some of the least convincing headlocks I can ever remember. Trish shrugs it off but gets dropped on her face out of the corner….so Mickie comes in for the DQ in a hurry.

Post match Lilian messes up the announcement and says Trish is the winner, causing some confusing.

Rob Van Dam is back in the Royal Rumble.

Cena meets with Vince in the back and talks about the first ever live sex celebration tonight. If Cena interferes, there is no rematch at the Rumble. Cena is fine with that, but points out that Vince still has some evidence of Lita’s, uh, persuasion. Vince will take care of that.

Chris Masters grabs Carlito and demands answers after last night. Eventually Masters lets go because he doesn’t have the best attention span.

Royal Rumble Qualifying Match: Rob Conway vs. Chavo Guerrero

Chavo slugs away to start and hits the Eddie pose, only to get thrown over the top and kicked out to the floor. Back in and Chavo knocks him outside for a change, setting up the dive. Chavo snaps off a headscissors and hammers away in the corner, only to have Conway roll through a high crossbody for two. Conway stops to mock the Eddie pose so Chavo grabs Three Amigos. The frog splash finishes Conway without much trouble.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure if that’s the best choice for a followup match to the nothing opener but Chavo is always good for a mostly smooth match. Conway is good for the same, though it’s clear that nothing is going to be happening with him anytime soon. I’ll take a passable yet boring match over a bad one though so at least it’s an upgrade. Kind of.

Wrestlemania Big Time moment: Edge wins the Money in the Bank briefcase.

Kurt Angle comes in to see Shawn Michaels because they’re partners tonight. No, they don’t trust each other.

Shelton Benjamin and Mama Benjamin run into Val Venis because Mama has seen some of his movies. Val lists off some of his titles, sending Mama into a rant about being a good Christian woman and how Venis is going to h***. Tonight, against Shelton.

Carlito/Chris Masters vs. Shawn Michaels/Kurt Angle

Daivari is here with Angle and Shawn. It’s a brawl to start until Masters is sent outside, leaving Shawn to elbow Carlito for one. The headlock goes on and Shawn grabs the hair to keep it on. Angle comes in to continue the headlocking and it’s off to Shawn and Masters. Shawn knocks him around for a bit and hands it back to Angle, who walks into a powerslam. It’s too early for the Masterlock as Angle reverses into a German suplex. Shawn and Angle are knocked to the floor though and an argument takes us to a break.

Back with Carlito hammering on Angle until he snaps off a belly to belly for a breather. Shawn gets the hot tag and starts cleaning house, including the top rope elbow to asters. Carlito breaks up Sweet Chin Music though and crotches Shawn against the st to put him down. The chinlock goes on as Shawn is bleeding from the forehead. Shawn fights up and hits a backdrop as Daivari needs to point something out to Angle.

As a result, Shawn has to DDT Masters but Angle needs to make sure that Daivari still has his gold medal. I’d be more worried about why it had a red white and blue strap around it last night and a green one tonight but that’s just me. Anyway Shawn pulls Angle over the top and gives him Sweet Chin Music, leaving Angle to get Masterlocked as Shawn is rather pleased. Shawn superkicks Daivari as Angle is out.

Rating: C. I’m assuming we’re coming up on Angle vs. Michaels again and that could be another classic. Other than that, the match itself was a long form acceptable tag match, but not exactly memorable. There is only so much that you can get out of Carlito and Masters in the ring and that is becoming more and more obvious every week.

Wrestlemania is coming.

Vince runs into Shawn and gives him another match with Angle next week. After that, they’re moving on.

HHH says last night was crazy but he is the one constant around here. That’s why he’s winning the Royal Rumble and the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania.

Torrie Wilson, Candice Michelle and Victoria test out Edge and Lita’s bed.

Last night, Edge and Lita promised a live sex celebration for Raw. Shouldn’t this have been aired before the announcement?

Stacy Keibler is still on Dancing With The Stars.

Royal Rumble Qualifying Match: Shelton Benjamin vs. Val Venis

Mama Benjamin is here too. Shelton kicks him into the corner but Val punches his way out without much trouble. Val knocks him outside so Shelton can hide behind Mama, allowing a cheap shot to Val on the way back in. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Val is up with a Rock Bottom for two and he ducks the Dragon Whip. The Money Shot misses but Shelton gets pulled off the top. With Shelton down, Mama pulls out one of her hair pins and stabs Val in the back of the trunks, knocking him into the exploder for the pin.

Rating: C-. What matters most here is Mama was toned WAY down here, to the point where she was talking only slightly more than a usual manager. They also didn’t have her mic’d up as much and it made a big difference. Turning Shelton heel with the help of his Mama is fine, but don’t make Mama the star like you were doing last night.

Royal Rumble Qualifying Match: Kane vs. Snitsky

Snitsky jumps him and gets chokeslammed for the pin in less than a minute.

Post match Kane promises 29 more victims at the Royal Rumble. When is he going to promise to defend the Tag Team Titles?

Edge arrives.

Here are Edge and Lita for their celebration. Edge: “THE CHAMP IS HERE!” Edge brags about everything he did last night and how no one saw it coming. You don’t have to be the biggest or strongest in this business because you need to be the smartest. He and Lita have saved themselves for tonight so hit the music.

The title is placed on the pillow and Edge takes his shoes off. He gets to take off Lita’s boots as Coach wonders if Snitsky is watching. They disrobe each other and Edge unhooks Lita’s bra before covering her with the blanket. Various movements are made under said blanket and Edge comes out with Lita’s underwear in his mouth.

Cue Ric Flair to talk about what it means to become WWE Champion. Edge doesn’t have any of that and he’s dead in the bed Fred. Now Flair is going to show Edge how to do everything….so Edge hits Flair in the head with a chair. The Conchairto crushes Flair’s head, drawing out Cena for the late save. Edge runs as an FU to Lita ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. Famous ending segment aside, this was just a run of the mill show. They’re getting ready for the Rumble now though and that’s the best thing that can happen at the moment. The show is one of the most important of the year and it should be nice to see things with a big time goal. I’m not sure how much of a future Edge has, but he certainly started on a high note. Now just follow up on it.

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

New Year’s Revolution 2006
Date: January 8, 2006
Location: Pepsi Arena, Albany, New York
Attendance: 11,000
Commentators: Joey Styles, Jonathan Coachman

We’ve got a one match show here and that doesn’t exactly instill me with confidence. This show is all about the Elimination Chamber, with John Cena defending the Raw World Title against five challengers. The only other match of note on the card is Big Show vs. HHH, but it’s a far cry from the main event. Let’s get to it.

The opening video only focuses on the Chamber, which is all it should be doing.

Intercontinental Title: Ric Flair vs. Edge

Edge is challenging and has Lita with him. Flair takes a bit too long getting ready though and Edge jumps him to start, meaning it’s some early choking in the corner. The chops get Flair out of trouble and it’s time to hammer away at the head. A quick Lita chase lets Edge hit a clothesline though and there’s a suplex on the floor. Back in and Edge stomps away in the corner before raining down the right hands.

Flair slugs away though and knocks Edge outside for the crotching on the barricade. Lita tries to make a save as Flair goes up top so he pokes her in the eye and manages to hit the top rope shot to the head. Another Lita distraction fails (this time with Flair giving her the pelvic thrusts) and Flair backdrops Edge outside. That leaves Lita to get caught in the Figure Four, only to have Edge come in with the briefcase for the DQ.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one and it’s kind of a disappointment after Edge has been such a thorn to Edge for so long. They seemed to be setting the stage for a rematch down the line, but this could have been on any given episode of Raw. That’s not exactly a great way to go when this show is already a one note evening anyway.

Post match Flair is busted open so Edge hammers away, followed by another briefcase shot to leave him laying.

Kurt Angle and Daivari hope that America loses the war in Iraq, express their love for France, acknowledge that they don’t really like “the black people” and if there was one person Angle would want to make tap out in history, it would be Jesus. All this proves is that he can say anything he wants and fans will cheer him because he’s that awesome. He won his first title here in Albany and he’ll do it again here tonight.

Flair is just now being taken out of the ring.

We recap Mickie James vs. Trish Stratus for the Women’s Title. Mickie is basically a crazed stalker who might have romantic feelings for Trish as well. They’re fighting tonight, but Mickie seems way more excited about being in the ring with Trish rather than the chance of winning the title.

Women’s Title: Trish Stratus vs. Mickie James

Mickie is challenging and can’t cartwheel out of a wristlock to start. A hammerlock into a headlock keeps Trish in control so Mickie grabs the chest for the creepy escape. Mickie slips out of a hammerlock and grabs a rollup for two before kicking Trish outside. Back in and Trish kicks her hard in the head for her own knock to the floor.

Mickie gets in a shot to the face and they head back inside, with Trish chopping away. The Stratusphere into a spinebuster gets two but Mickie is back with her own Stratusfaction. That gets a delayed two but Trish is back up with a failed Stratusfaction attempt. Mickie lands on her feet, only to walk into the Chick Kick to retain Trish’s title.

Rating: B. Trish has taken a big step forward in recent months as she looked a lot more serious here and felt like a star. This came off like a fight between two people who wanted to win a match and you don’t see that in the division very often. It’s nice to see two people taking this seriously and having a serious match. It doesn’t help though when the rest of the division is Victoria and various parts of other wrestlers.

Maria interviews herself about the gauntlet match when Gregory Helms interrupts to say he’s about to get rid of Jerry Lawler.

Shelton Benjamin and Mama Benjamin arrive, with Mama going to get him something nice to eat.

Edge doesn’t want to talk to fans on WWE.com.

Gregory Helms vs. Jerry Lawler

Helms armdrags him down to start so Lawler goes with the classic right hands. A backdrop gives Lawler two and he even strikes the Hurricane pose for a chuckle. That’s enough to send a frustrated Helms to the floor but he comes back in with a poke to the eye. The choking is on, followed by a suplex for what is likely the biggest spot of the match.

Helms hits a second one as commentary makes sure you know that Lawler is a former World Champion. That’s a good idea, as not only was it a different promotion, but also over fifteen years ago. Let the fans know that Lawler was a big deal in his day, as some fans aren’t going to know. We hit the neck crank into a backbreaker so Helms can go up to the middle rope.

Helms is ready for the raised boot so he stomps away again and sends Lawler outside for a posting. After a quick cameo on commentary, Helms hits a middle rope dropkick for two back inside. Lawler avoids a charge into the corner though and there goes the strap. Some right hands connect and the threat of the piledriver gets the fans’ attention. That’s blocked by a backdrop though, only to have Helms get crotched on top. The fist drop gives Lawler the pin.

Rating: D. This was a weird one as it was set up on Monday, had almost no heat, and didn’t get any kind of a reaction outside of the piledriver tease. Then again, why in the world would you have this on pay per view with Lawler winning? Lawler can do this basic match in his sleep so it was passable from a technical sense, but I’m not sure how much sense it made.

Mickie runs into Trish at the interview room and talks about their sweaty bodies touching. Trish: “You do know you just lost right?” Mickie sits in on the interview with her.

Mama Benjamin wants some cornbread and cabbage at catering but here’s Viscera to hit on her in various ways. Mama snaps up and introduces herself, so Viscera offers to let him be her daddy. A match is set for later, and Mama takes his food.

We recap Big Show vs. HHH. Big Show cost him his Elimination Chamber qualifying match so HHH wants revenge. He crushed Show’s hand with a sledgehammer, only to have Show’s hand go into a very hard cast.

Big Show vs. HHH

They circle each other to start and Show knocks him outside with one shot. Back in and a chop brings HHH to his knees, followed by anther to put him down. The elbow drop sends HHH bailing to the floor for a second before coming back in again. This time, Show sends him flying over the corner as nothing is working so far. HHH gets in a jumping knee to the face and they head outside again but Show punches the post by mistake.

Back in and HHH sends the hand into the post to do some serious damage. Show gets back up and hits a headbutt, only to miss a charge and crash out to the floor. The cast is torn off and HHH rips at the fingers, setting up the knee to the hand. A quick armbar sets up another ram into the post but Show fights out of the top wristlock. Show knocks HHH into the referee so HHH pulls out the sledgehammer.

The bad hand breaks the hammer in half and a superkick puts HHH down. The chair doesn’t work either for HHH so he hits Show low and uses the chair on the hand. Since it’s just his hand though, Show spears HHH down on the floor. Back in and HHH manages a sledgehammer shot to the head, setting up the Pedigree for the pin.

Rating: D+. This was a long one with HHH working on the hand for a good while before going back to the trusty sledgehammer all over again. That being said, it was rather nice to have HHH doing ANYTHING other than being in the main event all over again. I know he hasn’t been there for a good while now, but after such a long time, it feels like he is there all the time.

Chris Masters and Carlito form the alliance before the Chamber.

Lawler joins commentary.

Here are Shelton Benjamin and Mama Benjamin with Shelton demanding an apology. Mama says no way and shouts about how Shelton is going to beat Viscera up.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Viscera

Mama is very loud to start as Shelton is powered into the corner to start. A spinebuster plants Shelton again and it’s time to head outside for some Mama help. Viscera follows and beats on him a bit more, only to have Shelton get in a dropkick to the leg back inside. With Mama promising a SWEET POTATO PIE if Shelton wins, it’s time to go after the leg. Mama: “Come on you big ox.”

Viscera kicks him to the floor and it’s a Samoan drop to plant Shelton back inside. Mama: “DO I NEED TO GET THE BELT???” The big elbow gets two and there’s the spinning Samoan drop. Mama: “YOU BETTER WHOOP HIM OR I’M GONNA WHOOP YOU!” The Visagra has Mama panicking but Shelton knocks him into the ropes. Mama gets in a few purse shots, setting up the Dragon Whip for the pin.

Rating: D+. Another Raw level match but Mama was the story here. The problem is that while she was funny, she is going to get old in a hurry and that might have already started. It’s nice seeing Shelton win, but I really don’t get why he needs this kind of goofy deal to get him off the losing streak. It wasn’t the worst, but the gimmick is going to end anything Shelton has going.

Vince McMahon comes in to see Shawn Michaels. Shawn says he’ll win, Vince says he won’t.

Bra and Panties Gauntlet Match

Maria is in at #1 and Candice Michelle is in at #2. Candice breaks a nail to start and is so mad that she rips of Maria’s top. Maria evens things up as commentary makes every joke you would expect. Candice’s headscissors is countered though and Maria eliminates her. Torrie Wilson is in at #3 and runs Maria over with an elbow. Maria kicks her out to the floor though and gets rid of Torrie’s top. They roll over the referee and Torrie is so annoyed that Maria finishes her off to move on.

Victoria is in at #5 in a “Let’s get this over with” shirt. A quick standing moonsault lets Victoria eliminate Maria so here are Mae Young and Moolah to continue the oldest gag in company history. Mae takes her own top off (there are tassels on the bra) and the pants come down for a second as well. Victoria jumps Mae so they rip off her shirt….or at least try to as it gets stuck on her bra. Mae and Moolah leave so here’s Ashley at #6 to complete the field. The Widow’s Peak doesn’t work and Ashley wins after about fifteen seconds in the ring.

Rating: D-. It takes a lot to make this kind of a match stupid but they managed to figure out a way to do so. Moolah and Mae stopped being funny years ago and I didn’t really need to see them again here. It’s even worse when you see how good a women’s match could be at this time, but other than Victoria, there just wasn’t anything worthwhile at this point.

Ashley takes her clothes off to celebrate.

Shelton is celebrating his win when his Mama has to tell him to watch his swearing. She references her purse helping and gives him a hug, with Shelton not being sure what to think of things.

Video on the Elimination Chamber.

Raw World Title: Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle vs. Kane vs. Chris Masters vs. John Cena vs. Carlito

Cena is defending in the Elimination Chamber with four minute intervals. Joey talks about how he never saw anything as hardcore as this in ECW, showing that, again, WWE commentators have horrible memories. Shawn Michaels is in at #1 (as per Vince’s orders) and Cena is in at #2 (drawing a very notably mixed reaction, which is a pretty new thing for him). Shawn starts fast and throws him over the top as the dueling chants begin.

Back in and Cena hits a boot to the face, drawing even more booing. Shawn gets crotched on top and then clotheslined outside as Carlito is in at #3. Carlito jumps Cena and the place is VERY pleased, made even better as he dives over the ropes to take out Shawn. Back in and Carlito gets the biggest reactions of his career as he beats on Cena and a slightly weaker one as he suplexes Shawn.

Carlito keeps beating on both of them but a double flapjack takes them down. The double teaming is on but it’s Angle coming in at #4 for the rapid fire suplexes. Carlito and Shawn get suplexed over the top and onto the steel, followed by a catapult to send Shawn into the cage. Shawn is busted open and gets sent into the pod wall, leaving a blood stain on the Plexiglas in a cool/disturbing image. Cena fights back against Angle for a few seconds but gets knocked right back down.

There’s the ankle lock to Carlito but it’s Masters in at #5 for the safe to protect the alliance. The ankle lock (not Angle Lock Joey) has Master in trouble and then it’s even worse on Cena. Shawn breaks that up with a superkick and Angle is out in a hurry, all but guaranteeing the winner. Carlito and Masters beat up Shawn and Cena without much trouble until Kane is in at #6 (announced in advance) to start cleaning house.

Kane chokeslams Shawn and Cena but Masters saves Carlito from a chokeslam onto the steel. The Backstabber drops Kane…who is right back up. A double DDT makes Kane sit up again so Masters drops Carlito onto him and a double pin gets rid of Kane. Shawn is back up and takes down Carlito and Masters, setting up the top rope elbow on Cena. The superkick drops Cena but Carlito takes Shawn down with a Roll of the Dice for the pin.

Masters covers Cena for two and the comeback is on in a hurry. Masters gives Cena a DDT onto the cage, busting him open as well. The fans boo the heck out of Cena as the stomping continues instead of, you know, one of their finishers. Carlito wants the Masterlock but then hits Masters low for the rollup elimination. Cena rolls Carlito up to retain in a hurry.

Rating: D. It’s probably the worst Chamber match ever to this point and still one of the lowest on the all time list. The only realistic options to win were Cena and Angle, with Angle being gone after only a few minutes. Carlito and Masters aren’t ready to be threats to Cena so it was more a lot of sitting around waiting until we got to the finish rather than any kind of drama. It wasn’t a complete disaster, but it really wasn’t very good at all.

Hold on though because Vince McMahon is here before the lyrics in Cena’s music even start. We’re not done tonight because for the first time ever, someone is cashing in their Money in the Bank briefcase and the title is being defended RIGHT NOW.

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Edge

Edge is challenging and has Lita with him. Cena is knocked down in a hurry so Edge hits the spear for two to take the life out of the fans again. That’s fine with Edge, who spears Cena again to win the title for the first time, which is a pretty cool moment and completely appropriate for him. Still one of the best cash-ins ever (maybe the best) and perfect for the situation.

Edge and Lita (Lawler: “Behind every man, there’s a sl**.”) celebrate to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. I really didn’t like this show and there was almost nothing (scheduled) worth seeing, with Mickie vs. Trish being the only good thing about the whole thing. This has been a throw away show for its two year history and having the Elimination Chamber doesn’t help all that much. Edge cashing in helps it out a lot, but it’s just a short burst at the end of a two hour and forty minute show. Maybe it can help the show going forward, and this was a lot of proof as to why it was needed.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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