It’s…..Del Rio, who saved Ricardo from an attack by 3MB.  He’s going to need a VERY different character to make a face run work but it’s not impossible.

 

Thoughts?

The show is tomorrow and the Rumble I’m watching is really boring so let’s get to it.Let’s get the obvious ones out of the way:

Cesaro retains and the Scholars get the title shot.  Those are about as obvious as you can get.

As for the other four matches, all of them could really go either way.

I’ll take Barrett to win the title, as Kofi really has nothing left to do with it.  He’s the king of the transitional champions, so losing to Barrett is what he’s designed for here.

The TLC match is a very tricky one as you can’t imagine the Shield can hang with these three guys in a match with no advantage, but at the same time you don’t want the Shield to go down in their first match.  I’ll go with Shield to add more members and win.

Now the next two matches are connected, as it’s going to depend on which order they go in and who wins which one.  I’ll go with Sheamus to win the title, but for Big Show to lay him out afterwards, allowing Ziggler, the winner of the ladder match, to cash in and win.  That’s a BIG stretch and if I’m wrong I won’t be surprised in the slightest.

 

Overall this show is usually pretty fun and this one should be as well, but the booking is very hard to predict.  Also as usual, everything is capped off by Rock next month anyway, making this show really just a pit stop on the way.

 

Thoughts/predictions?

Smackdown
Date: December 14, 2012
Location: Webster Bank Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Commentators: John Bradshaw Layfield, Josh Matthews

It’s the final show before TLC and most of the show is set. We’ve got Big Show vs. Sheamus not being able to fight each other (despite having dark matches at these TV tapings) until their chairs match on Sunday. We’ve also got the potential of the Shield attacking again which should be interesting for the most part. Other than that it’s likely to be another dull show. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of the end of Raw with the massive brawl between Shield, HELL NO, Ryback, Cena, Show, Sheamus and Ziggler. We also cover the major feuds going into Sunday.

Big Show vs. R-Truth

Sheamus and Cesaro are both on commentary. Show pounds away on him to start and beats him into the corner with a shot to the ribs. We head to the floor where Truth gets beaten up even more, including being bounced off the ropes to crash onto the floor. Cesaro looks to interfere but Sheamus shoves him back into his chair. After Show yells at Sheamus a bit, Truth FINALLY gets his feet up in the corner and chokes Show a bit. Show misses an elbow and Truth hits the ax kick for two. The Little Jimmy is countered and the WMD gets the pin for Show at 4:44.

Rating: D. Nice to see a guy that is treated as someone who doesn’t have much of a chance to win the title on Sunday getting destroyed here on Smackdown. Truth got in like two kicks and that’s the extent of his offense here. In other words, the #1 contender to the US Title is being treated like a jobber. Why is anyone surprised the midcard titles mean nothing?

Show gets in Sheamus’ face post match and Cesaro jumps Sheamus from behind, sending him into Show. Show laughs and shouts that Sheamus touched him so the match is off.

Post break Show tries to talk Booker into calling off the match because of Sheamus hitting him. Booker says that it was because of Cesaro so the match is still on. What an excessively pointless segment.

Here’s Damien Sandow (with what sounds like new music) to search for an apprentice. Instead of looking tonight though, he brings out Cody for their match. Cody’s mustache gets another chant which is at least a reaction for him. Cody starts to talk about Miz but the Usos’ music cuts him off.

Rhodes Scholars vs. Usos

This is joined in progress after a break with Jimmy hitting a clothesline on Cody. Off to Jey who gets distracted by Sandow, allowing Cody to crank on the arm. Sandow comes in and drops a knee for two. We hear about Sandow graduating from high school at 12 and being valedictorian. The Wind-Up Elbow gets two and here’s Cody again. After a release from suplex, Rhodes hooks a seated full nelson.

JBL talks about how Cody’s mustache looks (JBL: “He looks like a bowed up Freddie Mercury.” Josh: “I’ll have to Google him later.”) until it’s a hot tag to Jimmy who cleans house. Jimmy loads up the splash but Cody crawls over to Sandow for the tag. Everything breaks down and Sandow rolls up Jimmy for the pin with a handful of tights at 3:52.

Rating: C-. JBL’s mustache lines made this match better but it was fine in its own right. This was about giving the Scholars momentum going into Sunday and it did that well enough. The one thing I really liked here was Josh mentioning Sandow’s background. Making up stuff about characters is a great way to push them forward, yet for some reason it’s been decided that such an idea is evil. I’d love to see it make a comeback.

Show talks to Otunga about the no contact clause.

Here are Show and Otunga in the ring for another legal issue because we haven’t had one of those angles in a few months. David talks about how Booker is clearly biased and they’re going to the Board of Directors. Otunga is going to demand that the chairs match be called off and that Booker be thrown out as GM. Booker comes out and says that the match is still going to happen, but Otunga says that just because Booker was in prison it doesn’t make him a legal expert. Also they’re going to get Sheamus fired too.

Cue Sheamus with a chair and a microphone. He says if there’s no match, there’s nothing stopping him from beating up Show right now. Show, the ferocious monster, says the contract is still valid and the match is still on. You know, because THE BIG SHOW has to be a coward heel as well. Brogue Kick lays out Otunga.

We get a clip of Orton destroying Brad Maddox two weeks ago. They might as well show the whole match as it wasn’t even 90 seconds long. This led to the Shield attacking Orton

We come back from a break to see Orton being destroyed by the Shield after apparently putting him through a table. I believe he has a wrist injury so there’s his exit off TV. Orton is injured. Imagine that.

Kaitlyn vs. Aksana

Aksana hits a knee to the ribs and hooks a headlock to take over on the mat. Kaitlyn fights up and flips Aksana forward but can’t break the hold. Some forearms get two for Aksana and it’s off to a chinlock. Josh keeps asking why the Shield would do that to Orton, causing JBL to go into a hilarious rant against Josh, telling him to take his spiky hair and go ask them.

Back to the chinlock by Aksana which can’t even be broken by a side slam. This match has been going on for three and a half minutes and Aksana has had a head/chinlock on for about three minutes out of that. Kaitlyn comes back with forearms and a beal to set up a gutbuster for the pin at 4:18.

Rating: D-. This had to be a rib right? Aksana was basically no selling everything that Kaitlyn did to her by not letting go of that hold, which doesn’t really do any good for anyone here. The Divas are somehow getting worse over time, which completely boggles my mind. Aksana may very well be the worst in ring working chick I’ve ever seen. Let that sink in for a bit.

Orton has a separated shoulder and might have a concussion.

Here’s MizTV with special guests HELL NO. Bryan says that he doesn’t want to talk about how he’s feeling, because it’s time to unleash all of the anger that he apparently has in him. He’ll do that on Sunday with tables, ladders and chairs. When the Shield is begging for mercy, Bryan is going to tell them NO. Kane talks about looking forward to using everything they can on Sunday and Bryan says YES they will.

The champions are cut off by another Joker style promo from the Shield, who say you can ask Randy Orton what happens when you mess with the Shield. They say Bryan can’t hide behind Kane and that the sword of justice will be served. Kane says why wait until Sunday and Shield says they agree. Miz is gone as Kane and Bryan look for the Shield. They’re in a sky box and slowly come down, but cue Ryback before Shield can make it to the ring. Shield turns and walks away.

Great Khali/Hornswoggle/Tyson Kidd/Justin Gabriel vs. Epico/Primo/Prime Time Players

Titus vs. Khali to start things off with Khali chopping him down quickly. Young gets a chop as well before it’s off to Horny for some comedy spots on O’Neal. Young comes in to try to take over on Horny as Josh doesn’t know who Harpo Marx is. Tyson comes in but is almost immediately stomped down. Primo gets in some shots before it’s off to Epico who gets two off a slingshot elbow. Natalya and Rosa get in a fight on the floor as Primo gets two off a dropkick. In a cool ending, Tyson tries a sunset flip but Primo falls on top in a cover, but Kidd rolls backwards into a sunset flip for the pin at 3:19.

Rating: D+. I really would love it if Kidd and Gabriel could do something other than fill in spots in a stupid tag match like this. Khali and Horny are your usual opposites tag team who do nothing new but are there for the kids and the heels are all relatively entertaining. For some reason this is the best spot that Kidd and Gabriel can get. Welcome to modern day WWE.

Post match Horny dives on Titus and has to be saved by Kidd and Gabriel.

Kofi Kingston vs. Alberto Del Rio

Del Rio takes him into the corner to start as JBL talks about how awesome his Spanish is now. Kofi speeds things up and does his double leapfrogs before hooking an armbar. Del Rio takes it to the mat to take over before missing a charge in the corner. Ten punches in the corner stagger Del Rio and a European uppercut gets two for Kingston. Alberto works on the back and arm for a bit before Kofi climbs the corner and hits a top rope chop. The Mexican is sent to the floor and Kofi hits a big dive to take him out. Del Rio shoves him into the post on the apron as we take a break.

Back with Del Rio putting on a reverse chinlock which doesn’t last that long. Almost none of the spots or holds in this match are lasting long at all. Kofi tries to speed things up but walks into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two. Alberto loads up Trouble in Paradise (you read that right) but Kofi sends him into the corner instead. Del Rio does the exact same thing to take over again before hitting the running enziguri for two. Back to the reverse chinlock for a few moments, followed by a belly to back suplex for two on Kofi. Out of nowhere, Kofi escapes another belly to back into a rollup for the pin at 8:37 shown of 12:07.

Rating: D+. Alberto Del Rio is very uninteresting. He’s long since reached one of the worst points you can reach in wrestling: he’s just there. There’s nothing going on with him but he keeps appearing on TV to remind you that he does in fact still exist. I’ve heard rumors of turning him face, but unless they give him a character, nothing is going to come from it.

Kofi goes to the ramp and ducks a charging Barrett before kicking him in the face.

The Raw ReBound is Ziggler’s promo from the opening of the show, the interaction with Show vs. Sheamus, AND most of the match with Ziggler vs. Sheamus. I’m very curious if they aired the whole thing on the regular broadcast as the international broadcast that I watch is often changed. Upon watching the regular version, it is indeed different. Instead of the match, it’s a LONG recap of the entire Cena vs. Ziggler buildup. That’s rather interesting.

We run down the PPV card.

Now we look at the Sheamus/Show/Otunga segment from earlier.

Regal is in the back with Show and says stay calm but don’t take Cesaro lightly. Sheamus says he’ll lay Show out on Sunday with chair shot after chair shot.

Sheamus vs. Antonio Cesaro

Cesaro rams into him to start, knocking Sheamus down. Sheamus does the exact same thing and it’s a standoff. Apparently Orton doesn’t have a concussion. Sheamus hits a shoulder in the corner and a running knee lift for two. Antonio tries to jump over Sheamus out of the corner but gets caught in a Regal Roll for two instead. Sheamus gets sent to the floor but gets caught with a knee coming back in.

Off to a kind of chinlock by Antonio, followed by a European uppercut to the back of Sheamus’ head for two. The gutwrench suplex gets the same in an impressive display of strength. They slug it out with Sheamus taking over, including a top rope shoulder for no cover. There are the ten forearms in the ropes….and here’s Big Show on the stage with an injured Regal in front of him. Sheamus goes to get him but Show cracks Regal with a chair. Cesaro wins via countout at 7:24 to end the show.

Rating: C+. Cesaro continues to impress and it’s a good sign that they’re keeping him this strong. Truth has zero chance of taking the title on Sunday and that’s a good thing, as Cesaro isn’t quite ready for the main event yet but he’s making a strong champion. Other than that, Sheamus could indeed win the title back on Sunday and this loss allows for him to be kept strong while advancing the title match as well. Good little main event here.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was like a car that kept trying to start but it couldn’t quite get going. They did a decent job of setting up the PPV, but at the same time there was a lot of filler in this. Some of the matches felt like they were just there to fill in time, but on top of that we had the show contained angle of Show trying to get out of the title match. That added more or less nothing other than making Show look like a coward which seemed to be forgotten by the ending.

It’s almost like they have no idea what to do with the huge roster they have and throw out random things that are somewhat related to their active stories to fill time. Nah that can’t be right. I clearly just don’t get the nuances of the stories they’re telling. Decent go home show this week but not a good show overall if that makes sense.

Results

Big Show b. R-Truth – WMD

Rhodes Scholars b. Usos – Rollup to Jimmy with a handful of tights

Kaitlyn b. Aksana – Gutbuster

Hornswoggle/Great Khali/Tyson Kidd/Justin Gabriel b. Epico/Primo/Prime Time Players – Sunset Flip to Primo

Kofi Kingston b. Alberto Del Rio – Rollup

Antonio Cesaro b. Sheamus via countout

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews

NXT
Date: December 13, 2012
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, William Regal

It’s finally time for Mahal vs. Rollins II, which is annoying as things have changed a lot since this was filmed. Anyway, the match last time was fine but I wish there was more of a reason for these two to be fighting instead of just over the title. All we’ve really heard is “I’m the champion” and “I want the title.” That’s not exactly enough to hook fans with a guy treated as a jobber in WWE vs. a member of a team whose gimmick doesn’t exist in NXT yet. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of the title situation and Mahal attacking Rollins recently.

Paige vs. Sasha Banks

Apparently Banks is debuting here and has been in the New England indies for a few years. I really have an issue with two people in a match being younger than me. It makes me feel old watching this. Banks isn’t bad looking but Paige is WAY over with the fans here. Paige takes Banks to the mat with a headscissors and rolls her around with it in a move I haven’t seen before.

Sasha nips up to escape and hits a Sin Cara armdrag out of the corner for two. Paige goes into banshee mode with her screaming and the fans go NUTS. A fisherman’s suplex gets two for Paige and it’s off to a double chickenwing. Sasha escapes with a pair of rollups for two but Paige hits that snap Angle Slam kind of move called the Paige Turner for the pin at 4:03.

Rating: C. Nothing too bad here as Paige continues to impress. She’s clearly very comfortable in the ring and can do whatever is needed of her. Her looks are just a bonus at this point, but unfortunately she likely would get messed up on the main roster because of her pale skin color. Anyway, decent match here and Sasha looked decent enough.

Roman Reigns brags about the size of his watch but gets a phone call and leaves.

We recap the end of last week’s show where Regal saved Kidd from Kruger and Ohno.

Ohno and Kruger are gunning for Steamboat, Kidd and Barretta. Kruger’s voice is pretty awesome here. Oh and if Regal gets involved in their business again, Regal can join them in the ICU.

Oliver Grey vs. ???

Before the match, we get another awesome Bray Wyatt promo about love and power. Wyatt brings out his son, who is a big bald guy with an awesome beard whose name I couldn’t understand. The guy is big and muscular and he kicks Grey in the face to start. He looks like he’s in green prison garb for lack of a better description. Wyatt is sitting in a rocking chair on the stage. The guy slams Grey down and puts on a bearhug where he whips Grey from side to side. A big side slam ends Grey at 2:00.

Post match Wyatt says the man’s name is Rowan and says to follow the buzzards.

Here’s Commissioner Dusty Rhodes to hype up the main event. However, he also wants to talk about Vickie Guerrero. Vickie is welcome here any time, but there are no bounties allowed in NXT unless it’s run by Dusty. The bounty is officially revoked and here’s Camacho to protest. He calls Dusty jefe (boss) and Dusty says it’s either General Commissioner or…..Camacho: “El Capitan?” Dusty: “I LOVE THAT!” Camacho says the bounty has to be on because he has to get Hunico out of Mexico. If Dusty doesn’t reinstate the bounty then Camacho is going to reinstate it on Dusty.

This brings out Big E. Langston, and Dusty makes a handicap match with Camacho and whoever he picks against Langston. Big E. is cool with that. Again: Dusty isn’t out here long and he makes something happen while advancing a storyline. Dusty was there about four minutes, which is the longest time he’s been on camera yet on this show.

Big Show is answering Bo Dallas’ challenge. He says that he’s going to knock out Dallas so that Dallas never makes it to the main shows. That’s next week as well.

NXT Title: Seth Rollins vs. Jinder Mahal

Mahal is now in 3MB, which is annoying as all the promos and videos tonight have had Mahal in his old attire. After some big match intros we’re ready to go. Mahal immediately heads to the floor for a few seconds to mess with Rollins’ head. Back in and the champion (Rollins) goes for Mahal’s arm, sending him to the ropes for more stalling. Rollins hooks a headlock which goes nowhere so Seth peppers him with forearms.

They head to the floor and Rollins hits a HARD chop. Back in and Seth hits some kicks as Mahal is in trouble. Jinder sends him to the apron and shoves Seth off the ropes to finally take over. We take a break and come back with Mahal choking in the corner. A suplex on the floor gets two for Mahal and it’s off to a double arm hold. That doesn’t last long so a backbreaker gets another two count, as does a knee to the face.

We hit a quick chinlock but Rollins fights out with some shots to the ribs and a backdrop. Seth tries to go up top but is almost immediately crotched. A clothesline gets two for Jinder and it’s back to the chinlock as we take another break. Back with Rollins in a reverse chinlock which is transitioned into a regular version. Rollins fights up and hits a big enziguri to put both guys down.

Back up and Seth dropkicks Mahal down and fires off right hands on the mat. They slug it out until Mahal gets clotheslined to the floor. Rollins hits a suicide dive and Mahal is in trouble. Back in and Seth hits a springboard knee to the side of the head for two. Seth puts him on the top and kicks Mahal in the head, but his super rana is countered into a sunset flip for two.

Jinder comes back again with a sitout slam for two but jumps into a dropkick/knee to the ribs from Seth. This is a very back and forth match. Rollins misses a splash in the corner and Jinder pounds away. Seth counters out of it and hits the running buckle bomb on the opposite corner. The full nelson slam is escaped so Mahal hits a knee to the back of the head and hooks the camel clutch. Seth immediately gets to the rope and comes back with the low superkick (Avada Kedavra) and the standing Sliced Bread (Skywalker) for the pin to retain at 15:20 shown of 22:20.

Rating: B. No complaints here as these two have some solid chemistry together. Thankfully this wasn’t a comedy match for Mahal and he was just in different attire instead of being completely goofy. Rollins winning these come from behind matches is the perfect way to build up a guy like him and the match worked very well overall. Good stuff, especially for a TV match.

Corey Graves gets in Rollins’ face to end the show with a sarcastic clap.

Overall Rating: A. Good match, decent Divas match, good character stuff with Wyatt and Rowan, setting up the next title feud, promo addressing the end of last week’s show and two big matches announced for next week. What else could you possibly want in a one hour wrestling show?

Results

Paige b. Sasha Banks – Paige Turner

Rowan b. Oliver Grey – Side Slam

Seth Rollins b. Jinder Mahal – Skywalker

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews

Monday Night Raw
Date: December 10, 2012
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler

It’s the go home show for TLC and the main event has been changed to the six man tag instead of the regular TLC match due to Punk’s knee injury. Other than that we’ve got more Cena vs. Ziggler stuff tonight as the focus is going to be on getting ready for Sunday. Hopefully unlike last night’s TNA PPV, we can actually have something happen at TLC. Let’s get to it.

After the usual voiceover, here’s Ziggler on a ladder in the middle of the ring. He says tonight he’s here to talk about the numbers six and fifteen. It’s six days until TLC and fifteen days before Christmas. Cena has already cashed in one case and lost, but he still gets shot after shot after shot. Ziggler is going to cash in and become the best world champion ever.

Cue Sheamus who spends about two minutes talking and says he’ll win and Ziggler will lose on Sunday. Show comes out and says both of them are delusional and that he’ll beat either of them. Sheamus says he can’t attack Show before Sunday, but he can have contact with someone else. He shoves Ziggler off the ladder and out to the floor. Nice guy that Sheamus.

Vince is here.

R-Truth vs. Wade Barrett

Kofi and Cesaro are on commentary. Before the bell though, here’s a nearly dancing Vince. Vince hypes up the main event tonight and brings out Vickie to praise her for the main event she made. However, we need a second main event. Vince prods her into making Sheamus vs. Ziggler. That’s STILL not enough though because he wants a third main event. Vickie comes up with AJ in a handicap match but Vince changes it to AJ vs. Vickie. Yep, we have a blowoff match….I hope.

Barrett takes him to the floor to start as there are probably fifteen ladders spread around the arena. Kofi lists off his resume as Barrett stops Truth’s comeback. The pumphandle slam is countered into a rollup for the pin for Truth at 1:50. Yep, I totally buy Barrett as a threat to Kofi now.

Kofi hits a springboard cross body to Barrett post match.

AJ is REALLY excited about the match tonight and tells everyone about it. She goes to find Cena and goes into the locker room. Comedy ensues because she isn’t supposed to see some stuff.

Prime Time Players vs. Rhodes Scholars vs. Usos vs. Epico/Primo

Eliminations rules here and the winners get to face Mysterio and Cara in a tables match on Sunday. The winners of THAT get a title shot. I’ve heard stupider stipulations. Jey and Epico start but it’s quickly off to Jimmy who gets two off a double elbow. Primo comes in for an enziguri (that part clearly missed)/downward spiral combo which thankfully only gets two. Primo dropkicks Jey’s knee out and steps on him a bit but it’s quickly off to Jimmy for a superkick. Jey takes out Epico and the Superfly splash from Jimmy eliminates the cousins.

Titus takes Jey’s head off with a clothesline and we take a break. Apparently the Players got eliminated via a superkick and Superfly Slash to Darren while we were away. So it’s Rhodes Scholars vs. Usos for a shot at Mysterio/Cara. Gee I wonder where this is going. Sandow comes in and is immediately knocked down by Jimmy for two. Back to Jey for a modified Demolition Decapitator, but Sandow gets a boot up in the corner to break up the momentum.

Cody comes in sporting a mustache and we get a CODY’S MUSTACHE chant. Rhodes doesn’t do much and it’s quickly off to Sandow for the Wind-Up Elbow. Cody’s bulldog is countered and the tag brings Jimmy back in. I don’t think Cole knows which Uso is which. There’s the Samoan Drop to Cody followed by the running Umaga attack in the corner. The Usos load up the Superfly again but Cody gets his knees up. Cross Rhodes give the Scholars the match at TLC at 10:56.

Rating: C+. As is the trend on Raw tonight, they’re keeping things fast paced tonight. Nothing tonight has felt long and that’s making things a lot better. Cody’s mustache and the Usos were definite highlights, and I like this idea of getting rid of a team during the break. Seriously, we didn’t need to see the Players get put out and why extend a match even longer than they need to?

Alicia Fox vs. Eve Torres

Non-title I believe. Apparently the Muppets are the social media ambassadors tonight. Jerry: “How does Miss Piggy type with those hooves?” Cole: “……that’s a really good question.” It’s your standard gymnastics stuff with Eve being sent to the floor. Claims a knee injury but Alicia doesn’t seem to care. A northern lights’ suplex and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker both get two for Fox, but Eve pulls her off the top and hits the spinning neckbreaker for the pin at 2:30.

Eve calls the ringside photographer into the ring to take pictures of her post match.

Punk and Heyman are here with the champ on crutches.

Here’s Punk on crutches. He says there’s nothing to the theories that he’s faking the injury because he doesn’t want to face Ryback on Sunday. We get a clip of the end of Raw on Monday where the injury apparently was exacerbated. The fans chant FEED ME MORE and Heyman says that’s ticking him off. He talks about how Punk is a legitimate champion who doesn’t have a stunt double like the Rock. Punk isn’t thinking about Ryback anymore, because Ryback isn’t in front of him anymore.

As for those people that think he should be stripped of the title, which must be Ryback fans for the most part, come and try to do it. No one has been able to take the title from him and he lists off all the names that he’s beaten in his reign that he’s beaten. At the Rumble, Rock will be another name on that list. Punk will be at the PPV on Sunday to watch the Shield, who he is NOT affiliated with, beat up HELL NO and Ryback.

We recap the announcement of Vickie vs. AJ, which is literally just the match being announced. Why bother showing this?

Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler

Sheamus takes over to start and goes after Ziggler’s leg, which apparently was injured in the ladder fall earlier. The fans get behind Ziggler I think and he rakes the eyes to slow Sheamus down. There’s a dropkick by Dolph but he gets backdropped to the floor as we take a break. Back with Ziggler holding a chinlock and sending Sheamus out to the floor. Back in and a neckbreaker gets two for Dolph but Sheamus sends him into the buckle. Sheamus starts his comeback but misses a charge, sending him shoulder first into the post.

Ziggler goes up but jumps into the fallaway slam followed by the forearms in the ropes. Sheamus goes up but gets crotched, allowing Dolph to hit a top rope X Factor for two. The Cloverleaf is escaped but there’s the Irish Curse for two. These near falls are getting really close. Ziggler rolls away from a Brogue Kick and gets a chair, whacking Sheamus for the DQ at 15:12.

Rating: C+. The ending was annoying but it was really the best idea at the end of the day. You don’t want to have one of your main event guys losing on Raw six days before the PPV. Ziggler looked aggressive here which is the right idea for him, but shouldn’t he be using a ladder instead of a chair here?

Shemus kicks the chair into Ziggler’s face post match.

Khali and Horny come in to help Vickie stretch when Vince walks in on a compromising position. Vince: “I thought this was supposed to be a family show.”

We get a video of the Shield’s attack on Kane on Smackdown. This is followed by I think the same holding the camera promo from the Shield from Friday.

Alberto Del Rio vs. Zack Ryder

Ryder gets a forearm in to start and hooks a very fast chinlock. The fans are way behind Ryder because of the location of the show and the fact that he’s facing one of the least interesting wrestlers in years. He sends Del Rio into the corner but gets kicked in the ribs for his efforts. The kick to the arm keeps Ryder down and we hit a chinlock.

Ryder comes back with a sunset flip but walks into a German suplex for two. After another chinlock, Ryder comes back with a backdrop over the buckle in the corner to send Del Rio outside. There are the double knees in the corner but the Broski Boot misses. Cross Armbreaker ends this at 6:30.

Rating: D+. Not much to see here but it’s good to see them bring out someone other than the usual guys we see all the time as jobbers. Anyway, Ryder continues to be nothing in WWE anymore but at least he was there for a bit right? Del Rio on the other hand continues to be the least interesting wrestler in YEARS.

AJ vs. Vickie Guerrero

Big reaction for AJ of course. Vickie yells a lot….and we have no referee. The referee is apparently going to be Brad Maddox. Vickie yells a lot more and jumps AJ as AJ is glaring at Maddox. Vickie beats on AJ some more until AJ goes into psycho mode. She kind of spears Vickie down and Vickie runs up the aisle. Back in and Vickie gets beaten on some more and slapped down, but Maddox won’t cover. Vickie rolls up AJ for the pin at 2:12. Yep, again, Vickie gets the last laugh. As always.

AJ goes nuts and turns over some ladders at ringside before slapping the ring announcer.

Post break AJ is still going nuts when Cena comes up to try to calm her down. He hugs AJ and the look on his face is a bit awkward.

Kofi Kingston vs. Antonio Cesaro

Antonio does his schtick before the match starts. Cesaro takes over to start and muscles Kofi down into a headlock. Kofi fights up but gets his arm draped over the top rope as Cesaro keeps control. Kingston tries a springboard chop but gets punched in the ribs on the way down. All Antonio so far and the crowd isn’t that interested in what’s going on.

An elbow drop gets two on Kofi but he finally starts his comeback. Antonio rolls away from the Boom Drop so Kofi monkey flips him down instead. Cesaro gets a boot up in the corner and we take a break. Back with Kofi escaping a body vice and getting two off a sunset flip. The gutwrench suplex gets two for Cesaro as does a spinebuster. Back to the body vice for a bit but Kofi comes back for a bit.

The SOS is broken up though and a European Uppercut to the back of the head puts Kofi down for two. The SOS connects but Cesaro grabs the bottom rope. In an AWESOME move, Kofi goes up for the cross body but Cesaro pulls him out of the air and into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. The Neutralizer gets the pin at 13:46.

Rating: B-. Another good match between these two and while it’s likely the right move to have Kofi lose here to keep him even with Barrett tonight, it would have been better to have Wade come out to cause the loss given the attack earlier. Cesaro is being pushed STRONG lately as even Sheamus didn’t get a clean win over him. Hopefully they don’t screw him up as is usually the case with hot new guys.

The Rhodes Scholars are the guests on MizTV. Rhodes is reintroduced to the crowd after being gone for a few weeks. He makes fun of Miz for not meaning anything in years before Miz makes fun of Cody’s mustache. Gay jokes are made and Sandow suggests that Miz has lost touch with reality. Miz says that the Scholars are going to hit the mat harder than Pacquiao did in the sixth round. I believe it was the fifth but whatever. Sandow: “You’re not a very good host are you?”

Miz asks Cody how it felt when Sandow didn’t come visit him in the hospital. How does it feel when Sandow says Cody is the Jannetty to his Shawn Michaels? Cody is getting ticked off now. Miz goes on a mini-rant against Cody but Rhodes cuts him off. He says he’s heard all of this before and says that he’s not going to listen to this nonsense anymore and the interview is over. Miz renames the Scholars the Pink and the Stink. What in the world was the point of this segment?

AJ wants to join Cena at ringside tonight. He doesn’t think so because he’d be worried about her getting hurt. AJ finally says ok she’ll stay in the back.

John Cena vs. Big Show

Ziggler is on commentary of course. Show headbutts Cena down to start and then does it again. A splash in the corner puts Cena down in the corner but Show yells at the crowd instead of following up. Cena tries the tried and true method of jumping on Show’s back to choke him out. That only gets a one count so Cena tries the AA. Since it’s the first time, Cena collapses under the weight.

We take a break and come back with Cena countering a chokeslam into a DDT. Show comes back with a side slam for two as Ziggler says Cena is actually impressing him here. Cena fires away with some punches but Show spears him down for two. A BIG elbow drop gets the same for Show and we hit the bearhug. Cena fights out but the STF is easily shrugged off.

They head to the floor for a bit with Show sending Cena into the barricade. Show palms Cena’s head to pull him back up to the apron. That’s SCARY strength. The Vader Bomb actually hits for two and Show does his usual blank stare. An attempt at a second one misses so Cena hits the ProtoBomb and Shuffle but Show no sells them both. The chokeslam gets two so Cena hits the AA. And here’s the Shield for the DQ at 13:52.

Rating: C. It’s Cena vs. Show so you know what you’re going to get here. Also given the absence of the six guys in the TLC match on Sunday, you knew there were going to be shenanigans going on here. Not a terrible match or anything and the AA is always a cool thing to see on Big Show. This was what you would have expected.

The Shield destroys Cena until HELL NO runs in for the save. Show and Ziggler get involved so here’s Sheamus to take out Ziggler. Cena spears Show through a table the Shield set up but the numbers are still in the Shield’s favor. Cue Ryback who throws a ladder into the ring to take out all three Shield members. A HUGE brawl ends the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show worked better because they kept the show moving at a much faster pace. Nothing here dragged on too long and the show was MUCH easier to get through as a result. They hyped up the major matches for Sunday other than the six man which didn’t get much time at all until the end of the show. Still though, fun show here and if they can keep up this pace (which I highly doubt), the show would be WAY easier to get through.

Results

R-Truth b. Wade Barrett – Rollup

Rhodes Scholars b. Prime Time Players, Primo/Epico and Usos – Cross Rhodes to Jimmy Uso

Eve Torres b. Alicia Fox – Spinning Neckbreaker

Sheamus b. Dolph Ziggler via DQ when Ziggler used a chair

Alberto Del Rio b. Zack Ryder – Cross Armbreaker

Vickie Guerrero b. AJ – Rollup

Antonio Cesaro b. Kofi Kingston – Neutralizer

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews

Smackdown
Date: September 18, 2003
Location: RBC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

 

This is almost literally a one match show and it’s really the only reason I’m reviewing this. This was a request and it’s because this show has the Lesnar/Angle one hour Iron Man match. In 2003 there were still individual brand PPVs so every other month you would get something resembling a supershow on free TV, usually having a huge match like this one. Brock and Angle have more or less traded the title all year and Angle is champion going into this. Nothing else matters for the most part so let’s get to it.

 

Here’s Vince to open the show. One of the biggest criticisms of this year in Smackdown was that Vince was all over it as was Stephanie. He talks about the iron man match tonight and is in full on hype mode. Say what you want about Vince but the man is a promoter at heart and loves what he does. You can hear it in his voice. He talks about how awesome the main event is and how awesome both guys are and…that’s it. Ok then.

 

Oh wait here’s Taker. He had been out for a bit due to I think a beatdown by Lesnar. I should mention Lesnar is Vince’s hired gun at the moment. That’ll likely be brought up later on. Anyway Vince tries to sweet talk him but Taker says the main event is safe. Vince however might not be. Intimidating indeed.

 

We get a tale of the tape for the main event which is something they should do more often.

 

Chris Benoit/Rey Mysterio vs. Tajiri/Rhyno

 

Rey is Cruiserweight Champion. He’s defending the title next week against Tajiri and I think Benoit and Rhyno were feuding around this time so there’s your explanation. Benoit vs. Tajiri to start this ECW Reunion match. Tarantula goes on but the referee keeps Rey from interfering. Rhyno comes in sans tag and Benoit keeps getting beaten up.

 

Chris reverses a belly to back suplex into a cross body for two. Benoit manages to suplex Rhyno and it’s hot tag to Rey. Something like a tornado DDT put Rhyno down and everything breaks down. Green mist hits Rhyno and a 619 into a German takes Tajiri down. 619 and Rey drops the dime on Rhyno for the pin. Quick match.

 

Rating: C+. Just a quick tag match but they had some decent stuff in there. I’ve always been a fan of mixing two feuds into one tag match like this because you get two feuds advanced at the same time. Nothing wrong with being efficient like that and we got a decent match out of it too. No complains here.

 

Video on Los Guerreros vs. Haas/Benjamin which is up later for the tag titles.

 

Hype video for the iron man match….which is on the show we’re already watching.

 

The Rock is going to be on the cover of GQ.

 

Shaniqua vs. Nidia/Torrie Wilson

 

Shaniqua is a big old girl that won Tough Enough 2. Dawn Marie comes out with Nidia. Basically Shaniqua is getting pushed like a taller and black Chyna, just not one that anyone wanted to see. Torrie and Nidia get in some shots early but then it gets down to tagging. In the words of the theme song of Big Zeke, “This here’s what you call domination.” Torrie is thrown to the floor and a powerbomb ends Nidia.

 

Vince wants Stephanie to quit. Stephanie won’t quit. Vince won’t fire her but says he’ll be rough on her now. This went on for about four months.

 

Highlights of Lesnar vs. Angle I and II (Mania and Summerslam).

 

Eddie and Chavo are glad to be back together. There’s nothing to these promos tonight.

 

Cena is on the roof and raps about underestimating Eddie and the returning Chavo. He’ll win Eddie’s US Title too.

 

Smackdown Tag Titles: Los Guerreros vs. World’s Greatest Tag Team

 

The fans loudly cheer for Eddie who starts with Benjamin. They go to the mat first of course and it’s off to Chavo. This is Chavo’s first match after a torn bicep. The champs take over on Eddie but he fights out of the corner, hitting a belly to belly on Shelton to bring in Chavo. Chavo gets a wicked headscissors to send Benjamin to the floor where Los Guerreros hit stereo dives to take both guys out.

 

Back with the challengers still in control, beating Charlie down. Eddie gets taken into the wrong corner and double teamed for a bit. It doesn’t last long as he fights out and brings in Chavo. Shelton kicks his head off and Haas works on the bad arm. Northern lights suplex gets two for Shelton.

 

Back to Haas and the arm work continues. It’s so weird to hear Tazz being professional, talking about his past experience in the ring with the same injury and snapping off intricacies in moves being done. Chavo counters a double team move into a dropkick to Haas and it’s hot tag Eddie. There are Three Amigos but Haas escapes the third and hits a German.

 

Eddie gets a sweet arm drag/headscissors combo to take both guys down. Frog splash is broken up and the second attempt is rolled through because Haas moved. Haas grabs some chairs but Chavo pops up to take out Shelton with a dropkick into the chair into the knee. The Guerreros hit something that looked like Haas broke his freaking neck. Brainbuster sets up the Frog Splash and we have new champions.

 

Rating: B-. Pretty solid match here as both teams know each other very well. They would hold the belts for a little while before the Bashams took them. Chavo would turn heel on Eddie but lose at the Rumble before Eddie would win the world title in February. Anyway pretty fun match here and fine for a TV tag title change.

 

Taz has keys to victory in the Iron Man match. I’m stunned.

 

Everyone is watching on monitors in the back.

 

Smackdown World Title: Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle

 

Angle is champion coming in. This is an iron man match with a sixty minute time limit. There’s a 15 second rest period after each fall. The challenger is the heel. Lesnar jumps him to start and we have a big old clock in the corner. Brock beats him down to start but Angle fires back with some clotheslines. Angle gets a shot to the knee and Brock chills on the floor.

 

He stays out there until about 8 and the knee isn’t right. Brock asks for time but he was just channeling his inner Bret Hart as he plays possum. Angle doesn’t mind and hits a set of armdrags to send Brock out to the floor. Lesnar grabs the steps but tosses them back instead of using them. He slides in at 9 and goes right back out to break the count. Well it’s not like they don’t have a lot of time to kill.

 

Brock breaks the count again and make it three times. Four times now. Angle is getting ticked which might be Lesnar’s plan. We’re five minutes into the clock now and we haven’t really gotten anything going but they have plenty of time. Angle goes for the knee and Brock hits the floor AGAIN. Angle charges at him and Brock nails him to finally take over. Angle snaps off a suplex and clotheslines Brock to the floor where he holds the knee again.

 

Lesnar is down and holding the knee but this time Angle goes after him. He rams Brock into the steps head first and they slug it out. Brock gets the better of that and rams Kurt into the post back first. He goes to grab a chair and pops Angle in the head with it for a DQ at about nine minutes. Brock lays Angle out with the chair a bunch of times but it’s in the rest period so it doesn’t count.

 

Brock grabs some water at ringside. Does that mean there’s a conspiracy against him? Angle is barely able to stand so Brock drills him with an F5 to tie it up at 49:38 to go. Brock kicks him in the ribs and asks Angle if he wants to tap. Lesnar puts the ankle lock on Kurt and he taps to make it 2-1 at 47:21. We take a break and come back at 44 minutes left with Lesnar breaking an Angle rally with a knee to the ribs.

 

During the break Brock hit an Angle Slam for two. Brock charges but his shoulder goes into the post. Angle gets a forearm smash and it’s German time. Angle comes at Brock but gets sent back outside. Brock whips him into the railing HARD and this an F5 on the floor for the countout to go up 3-1 at 20 minutes in.

 

We take a break and come back with Angle in control after hitting some suplexes during the break. Lesnar knocks Kurt to the floor with an elbow and takes over soon thereafter. We’re at 35 minutes left now as Brock gets two off an elbow drop. Angle reverses an Irish whip into the Angle Slam and it’s 3-2 at 34 minutes to go. We’re told that if this goes to a tie we’ll have overtime.

 

Kurt pounds away but the Angle Slam is countered into an F5 attempt which is countered into the ankle lock. Brock rolls through and Angle manages to avoid the referee. Brock however drills him in the head with a clothesline so when Angle hits the Angle Slam, there’s no referee. Brock hits Angle low and grabs the title. A shot to the head of Angle puts him down and the referee wakes up to make it 4-2 Brock at 29:30 to go.

 

We take a break and come back with Angle on the floor with 25 minutes to go. Angle pulls him to the floor and hammers away, sending Brock into the steps. With Brock on the outside, Angle goes back in and up top to hit a double axe to Brock’s back. That only gets two back inside though. Kurt goes up again and hits the missile dropkick for a close two. The moonsault that hits once a decade doesn’t hit here and both guys are down.

 

Angle grabs a rollup for two so Brock takes his head off with a clothesline. Brock gets all ticked off and throws Angle over his head without leaving his own feet. Well that was awesome. It only gets two though and both guys are down. Kurt reverses another belly to belly into the ankle lock but Brock rolls through to send Angle to the floor. Angle goes into the steps again and back to the ring we go.

 

That only gets two in the ring as we have 20 minutes left with with score 4-2 Brock. Lesnar unhinges some steps but Angle hits a baseball slide to send them into Brock’s face. Kurt looks like his shoulder is hurt from going into the steps. Angle gets an elbow for two as we take a break. Back and it’s 5-2 as Brock hit a superplex for a fall during the break.

 

We have 14 minuets to go and it’s 5-2 Brock. Brock takes him outside and tries to F5 Angle into the post but Angle reverses to give Brock an F5 into the post with the bad knee hitting the steel. Back inside and Angle throws on a half crab which is very smart. Brock makes the ropes so Angle throws on the ankle lock. Lesnar STILL doesn’t tap so Kurt stomps away at the leg/ankle.

 

Kurt charges in at Brock but gets caught in an F5. Brock can’t counter though and can only get a delayed two. Lesnar goes up top but Angle pops up for the running belly to belly and it’s 5-3 with 9:50 to go. Angle wins a slugout and pounds Brock down in the corner. Angle puts the straps back up which is a new one for him. He tries to load up the Angle Slam but Brock grabs a DDT for two.

 

Kurt misses a right hand and Lesnar hits a German. Make that two Germans. Would you believe three Germans? He tries a fourth (there has been a lot of laying around between them so about 90 seconds passed for all those Germans) but Angle counters into two Germans of his own. Angle rolls through something into the ankle lock and in more or less the same ending at Summerslam, Brock can’t find a rope and taps with 4:11 to go.

 

Four minutes left and both guys are down. Brock still leads 5-4. They’re still down with 3:30 left. Kurt grabs the hold again but Brock rolls through to escape. They’re both down again but Kurt is up and stomping away with three minutes left. Bow and arrow hold, which is like a side version of the STF, goes on to eat up some time. Brock wisely heads to the floor with two minutes left.

 

Smart strategy there as Lesnar only has to play defense and run the clock out to win the title. Kurt puts the ankle lock on Brock outside but back inside we go. Brock runs again so Kurt rams him into the steps. Angle hits some rolling Germans back in the ring and we hit a minute to go. He hits four Germans but this is taking way too long. Brock kicks him low with 30 seconds left but it’s not seen. Ankle lock with the grapevine is on with 15 seconds left but Lesnar hangs on to win the title and end the show.

 

Rating: B. This match runs into the exact same problem that is more or less unavoidable for these matches: you can more or less skip the first 55 minutes and you still see the exciting parts. An hour is too long, even when the guys are having an entertaining match. This was good, but like I said the vast majority of it is just waiting for Angle to make his big comeback. However it does fly by as taking out commercials it runs about 46-48 minutes. Good match, but not a good idea for TV.

 

Overall Rating: C+. Like I said in the previous grade, you can skip about 55 minutes of this show and you’ll see the important points. The iron man match is a trap that is almost impossible to escape in that regard and it’s not a good idea for PPV or TV. It eats up so much time and so many things are put on hold for it. This was an entertaining show and it’s always cool to see a world title change, but a normal match running about half an hour would have been a lot better.

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews

Smackdown
Date: December 7, 2012
Location: North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, South Carolina
Commentators: Josh Matthews, John Bradshaw Layfield

We’re nine days from TLC as well as fourteen days away from the end of the world if you buy into that. Anyway, the main story is that CM Punk has had knee surgery and may or may not be able to be in the TLC match against Ryback for the title. Aside from that, there’s likely going to be more Sheamus vs. Big Show stuff. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap (with no voiceover thank goodness) of the end of Raw with Ryback destroying Punk and putting him through a table.

Josh tells us that Punk had surgery to fix a partially torn meniscus (wasn’t that what they said Cena had?). The match in its place will be HELL NO/Ryback vs. The Shield in a TLC match….which you can win by pin or submission. Isn’t that pretty much just a hardcore match? Ryback will get a shot in the future.

Here’s Booker to open the show. Booker says that he’s always been one to take care of his business, be it in the ring, in the back, or in a supermarket. The ring is set up for a contract signing. Booker talks about how he has to give us a good show, so here’s a recap video on Big Show vs. Sheamus. Since he wants to give us a big match at the PPV, there’s a no contract clause for the next nine days.

Here are Sheamus and Big Show to sign the agreement. Booker says if they break the clause, Sheamus loses his title shot and Show loses the title. They sign and Sheamus says that while waiting for the PPV is like waiting for Christmas, the title match is going to be like Christmas morning because he gets to beat on Big Show and win his title back. Show says that while Sheamus beat on him so many times, Show kept getting up.

He talks about how much experience he has and how Sheamus just wants to fight no matter what. Sheamus says he made Show relevant again and how the chairs match might be the end of his career. Show pulls a 2001 HHH and hasn’t signed yet before turning the table on Sheamus. Booker calms Sheamus down and says it’s Sheamus vs. Del Rio tonight. Who wants to see this match EVER again? Show gets Bryan next. This was ridiculously boring.

Daniel Bryan vs. Big Show

Bryan fires off kicks to the legs but Show easily shoves him away. That sequence works so well that they do the exact same thing again. Show keeps pounding on Bryan as Bryan tries his strikes to come back. A splash in the corner crushes Bryan but he blocks a spear by dropkicking Show’s leg out. They head to the floor where Show is sent into the post but he chops Bryan down as we take a break.

Back with Show getting two off something we didn’t see as Bryan is in trouble. Show starts working on the arm with his usual slow stuff. He stands on the arm which is something you don’t often see. Show charges into a pair of boots in the corner and Bryan adds some dropkicks for one. Bryan goes up top for the headbutt as the Shield is seen in the crowd. The distraction lets Show chokeslam Bryan down for the pin at 6:56 shown of 10:26.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t much and I have no idea why Show was working on the arm. He’s a giant, so why work on a limb? It wasn’t terrible or anything but it didn’t really work that well. At the end of the day, giants don’t work on limbs because they don’t have to. It just didn’t work for me.

The Shield shows up at ringside and Show walks away. They circle Bryan and the beating is on. Cue Kane, walking rather slowly for a savior. He holds them off for a bit but the numbers catch up to him, resulting in Kane taking the powerbomb through the announce table.

Back from a break and it’s time for Sandow to try to find his apprentice. It’s the same deal as the previous times and it’s still awesome. Sandow is nailing this character so well and I don’t know of anybody working better right now. He gets interrupted by Miz who makes fun of Sandow’s robe and trunks….and that’s it. That would be a good feud for Sandow actually.

We recap the tag match from Monday where Cena and Sheamus beat their PPV opponents.

We also get Vickie and Vince’s segment almost in full.

Brodus Clay/Usos vs. 3MB

Jey vs. Heath to start things off with Slater getting taken down quickly. Jimmy (thankfully with an arm sleeve tattoo now) comes in with a middle rope splash for two before it’s off to McIntyre and Clay. Brodus goes nuts and runs over everyone until Slater and Mahal take him to the floor. The Usos start diving but McIntyre takes Jimmy down, followed by the Future Shock for the pin at 2:27. Short and nothing to see.

Barrett says Orton has to worry about the Bull Hammer tonight.

Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett

Kofi is on commentary in a snappy vest. He says that at TLC, it’s going to have to be a brawl and he’s ready for just that. They feel each other out for a bit and then start punching away, with Randy taking over. This only lasts a few seconds until Orton charges into a boot in the corner. Orton goes after Barrett’s knee and sends him to the floor. The chemistry isn’t exactly clicking so far.

We head to the floor and Wade goes face first into the steps. Brawling is probably the right choice for these guys. Barrett sends Orton into the steps as well before heading back inside. Orton is knocked off the apron and is holding his elbow as we take a break. Back with Orton escaping a chinlock but getting put into the ropes for some choking. Barrett kicks Orton in the face to knock him to the outside again which gets two back in the ring.

Wade goes up but misses a middle rope elbow. JBL makes fun of Josh using all of the snake references about Orton and the voice is hilarious. Orton makes his comeback and hits the Elevated DDT but Barrett hooks the rope to block the RKO. Wade goes to unhook the buckle, but Kofi yells at the referee to stop Barret. The distraction lets the RKO hit for the pin at 7:17 shown of 10:47.

Rating: D. I didn’t like this for the most part as they were just missing out there. Also, why would you have Orton go over here, especially when Barrett has a title show coming up? Could it be because this company has no idea how to book its midcard? I’d be as shocked as you are if that was the case.

Epico/Primo vs. Hornswoggle/Great Khali

What do you expect here? Khali starts with Epico and pounds away on him before the cousins double team him to the floor. Off to Horny who is bullied because of his size. He Warriors Up and Khali does the work to put Epico and Primo down. Tadpole Splash pins Epico at 2:54. Oh and Natalya is here with the winning team.

The Raw ReBound sums up the end of the show and reiterates the Punk announcement.

We get a Shield promo with one of them holding a camera at themselves. They say they don’t work for anyone but themselves and talk about the injustice they’ve gone through. They don’t mention any specifics but that would be giving away too much. Ambrose says they’ll bring the sword to the PPV.

Here’s Cesaro in the ring and apparently he’s defending the title against R-Truth at the PPV. Cesaro says that America is weak and there’s no more American Dream. He says everyone used to pursue the American Dream, but now they all just look like him. Cesaro has a picture of Dusty Rhodes and we get some funky music.

Truth comes out and says he sees hard working people doing everything they can to hang on. Cesaro isn’t impressed and neither am I. Again, Cesaro has already beaten Truth at least once, so why do we need to see this match again? The brawl is on but Cesaro bails. This would have been ok if the match wasn’t already set, but instead it comes off like tacking on a feud, which isn’t good storytelling.

Alberto Del Rio vs. Sheamus

I’ve had nightmares about this match before. They brawl into the corner to start with Sheamus taking over quickly. Alberto comes back with a kick to the ribs as we hear about the way too long feud they had over the summer. Sheamus comes back with a neckbreaker for two but he gets knocked to the apron. Del Rio kicks Sheamus’ leg out and sends him face first into the apron. Here’s Big Show to watch as we take a break.

Back with Sheamus fighting out of something, only to get kicked in the ribs to break it up. Del Rio uses Rollins’ Black Out to take Sheamus down, followed by a MOONSAULT of all things. It was a decent one at that but it only gets two on Sheamus. Off to a chinlock which doesn’t last long at all. Instead Del Rio goes up top and hooks the armbreaker over the ropes but has to let go due to the DQ threat.

Del Rio goes up one more time and dives into a shot to the ribs from Sheamus. Alberto misses a charge and gets caught on the apron. There are the ten forearms followed by a suplex and the Battering Ram for two. Alberto hits a Backstabber (backbreaker according to Josh) for two but the armbreaker is escaped. Brogue Kick misses and Del Rio hits the enziguri for two. An attempt at a second moosault misses and it’s the Irish Curse and Cloverleaf for the submission win by Sheamus at 9:11 shown of 12:41.

Rating: C+. As boring as the feud was, the matches weren’t that bad. Thankfully Del Rio has been starting to use that enziguri more often, because there’s no way the armbreaker is going to work against some of his opponents. Anyway, decent match here, but the rest of the show has been so bad that it’s hard to care about this point.

Post match Show comes in to beg Sheamus to hit him. He closes his eyes while Sheamus calls for the Brogue Kick, but instead Sheamus throws Ricardo into Show’s crotch to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. Most of the show was about Sheamus vs. Big Show, but we’re not allowed to see any contact between the two of them. The rest of it was about random matches that are vaguely connected to the PPV at best. Nothing here at all without even a single quality match. Bad episode as Smackdown is back to what it’s getting into a pattern of: being worthless.

Results

Big Show b. Daniel Bryan – Chokeslam

3MB b. Brodus Clay/Usos – Future Shock to Jimmy

Randy Orton b. Wade Barrett – RKO

Hornswoggle/Great Khali b. Epico/Primo – Tadpole Splash to Epico

Sheamus b. Alberto Del Rio – Cloverleaf

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews

Given that Punk is out hurt, it’s clear that we need a new PPV main event.Apparently that’ll be either the six man or the ladder match.  No mention of the other WORLD TITLE MATCH was mentioned at all for a main event.  Instead it’ll be a non-title match or a #1 contender’s match for the same world title. That says a lot about where the title is on WWE’s level of interest.

NXT
Date: December 5, 2012
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tony Dawson, William Regal

This might be the week where Mahal finally gets the title shot that he earned weeks ago. It’ll be nice if they’ve finally caught up with Raw and he’s in the Band rather than being his usual self. Other than that hopefully we’ll have a better show than last week, which was probably the worst show they’ve had in this season. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Michael McGillicutty vs. Antonio Cesaro

Heel vs. heel? Or was there a McGillicutty face turn that I completely missed? This is non-title I believe. They head to the mat to start and Dawson talks about how McGillicutty wants to complete the first father/son pair to hold the US Title. I’m pretty sure Dusty and Dustin already did that but. Anyway, Cesaro chops away and goes to the stomach to take over. Apparently we’re just ignoring Dustin as we hear about Dusty winning the US Title as well.

The fans are firmly behind McGillicutty with a pair of chants for him. Cesaro turns that to a big gasp instead with a double stomp to the ribs. There’s a body vice to stay on the ribs but McGillicutty comes back with a sunset flip for two. Cesaro gets the same off a clothesline, followed by the gutwrench suplex for two more. Back to the body vice but Michael GOES OFF on Cesaro, pounding him into the corner and hitting a clothesline to take over. Cesaro comes back with a classic thumb to the eye and the European Uppercut to set up the Neutralizer for the pin at 6:00.

Rating: C-. The match was pretty dull, but McGillicutty showed a lot of fire here. That comeback with punches into the corner was a cool moment and it’s clear that McGillicutty could be an excellent face. Well, if you change his name to the one he should have had for like three years now.

Axl Keegan vs. Bo Dallas

This is Keegan’s debut. Dallas takes the bigger guy to the mat to start but goes face first into the middle buckle. A slam gets two for Keegan and it’s off to the neck crank. Dallas makes his comeback with a bunch of forearms and clotheslines followed by the spear for the pin at 2:47. Dallas still does nothing for me.

Dallas says he’s lost a bit lately but he gives the pain the respect it deserves. He issues an open challenge to anyone in the WWE to come and face him, no matter how big a name they are.

The Raw ReBound is the end of the show with the lie detector segment and Ryback standing tall.

Corey Graves vs. Yoshi Tatsu

Graves jumps Tatsu in the aisle and has a big advantage to start. He goes for Yoshi’s leg and beats on that for awhile, kicking it in the corner and bending it around the ropes. There’s a leg crank as the fans think Corey is awesome. Yoshi fights up and hits some backdrops followed by his kicks but Graves stops him dead with a knee crusher. Graves hooks that reverse figure four of his, apparently called the 13^th Step for the pin at 2:59. Just a squash.

Gavid Reid vs. Roman Reigns

Oh come on. We’re supposed to care about a guy named GAVID? Reigns stomps him down in the corner and shouts a lot. Reigns puts on a cravate and asks the fans what his name is. A clothesline puts Reid down and that belly to back slam gets the pin at 2:09.

Reigns yells at ring announcer Byron Saxton and tells him to get out.

Tyson Kidd says he’s ready for Leo Kruger and says if that’s what he has to go through to get to the NXT Title, so be it. Kassius Ohno comes in to make fun of Kidd, so Kidd quotes Albert Einstein. Ok then.

Rollins vs. Mahal is next week.

Tyson Kidd vs. Leo Kruger

Kruger stares in the corner while the fans chant for Kidd. We quickly hit the mat but Kruger makes the rope. Kidd speeds around and has Kruger frustrated very quickly. Off to a headlock on the mat by Tyson as we take a break. Back with Kruger holding a full nelson but Kidd fights out. A cross body misses Leo though and Kidd crashes to the floor. Back in and Leo stomps away very slowly, which is appropriate for him.

Kruger keeps pounding away and hooks the full nelson again which even Regal calls an unusual move. Tyson tries to stomp on the foot to escape but Leo pounds him down with ease. Here come the kicks from Kidd for the real comeback including one from the apron. A springboard elbow hits Kruger’s knee, which again hurts Kidd more than Kruger. Kruger pounds away some more and goes up, only to be armdragged off the top. After a kick to the face from the apron, the Dungeon Lock gets the tap out from Kruger at 9:05 shown of 12:35.

Rating: C+. Is Kidd capable of having a bad match if he gets more than five minutes? The match was nothing great, but Kidd looks so smooth out there every time he’s in the ring. Decent main event here, as I continue to wonder how much I like Kruger’s character. I like the facials he gives, but I’m not sure how far a human big game hunter can go.

Post match Kassius Ohno comes in for the double beatdown until William Regal of all people comes out and pulls Kidd away.

Overall Rating: C+. This was an episode where we got to see a lot of people, mostly in squash matches. NXT is still a place where that can work, as most of the matches were short and therefore still got to see a lot of people. That’s good when you just have an hour a week. Not a great show or anything, but it was an entertaining hour of TV and I want to see more of it, which is a good thing.

Results

Antonio Cesaro b. Michael McGillicutty – Neutralizer

Bo Dallas b. Axl Keegan – Spear

Corey Graves b. Yoshi Tatsu – 13^th Step

Roman Reigns b. Gavid Reid – Spinning Belly to Back Slam

Tyson Kidd b. Leo Kruger – Dungeon Lock

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews

Armageddon 2003
Date: December 14, 2003
Location: TD Waterhouse Centre, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 9,000
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

 

We continue this series with 2003’s show, which something tells me won’t be all that good. The main event is Kane vs. Goldberg vs. HHH for the Raw world title. This is Raw only so we’re not going to see much else other than that of note. This was a bad time for the company as the whole show on Raw was about HHH and there wasn’t much else to say. Benoit was on the rise though and that guy named Cena was making some noise on Smackdown. Anyway let’s get to this.

 

Foley has some authority here which I don’t remember at all.

 

Lillian sings the national anthem. Oh ok this is right after Sadaam Hussein was caught. That explains it.

 

The opening video quotes the Bible a lot.

 

Booker T vs. Mark Henry

 

Henry is getting a big heel push here which would be over soon. He beat Booker at Survivor Series to eliminate him from that match. Henry won a street fight also so we finish the feud with a regular match of course. Booker goes straight at him and that fails pretty quickly. Teddy Long manages Henry because they’re both black I guess. Henry tosses him to the floor and Booker fires off a kick. That gets him rammed into the steps so I guess that was a bad idea.

 

Booker manages a plancha to the floor and Henry is rocked a bit. Back in and the missile dropkick gets two. Henry gets him in position for the World’s Strongest Slam but I guess falling all the way down is too much for him so he settles for a backbreaker. Bow and arrow goes on and Henry is dominating. Off to the chinlock now to waste some time. Booker keeps slapping the mat but that’s not a tap because it’s not the planned finish I guess.

 

Oh now it’s a bearhug for rest hold #3 in a row. I guess the resting took too much out of Henry. Henry takes him down again but misses a legdrop to give Booker a breather. Booker gets in some kicks and the axe kick gets two. Henry gets a spinebuster for two as Henry is spent. Leg drop hits as Ross blames Henry’s lack of experience. Are you kidding me? Another slam gets two. And out of nowhere Booker gets a kick to the ribs and the second scissors kick to end it. Totally random ending.

 

Rating: D+. Not bad but Booker was in against someone that he couldn’t carry for the most part. Henry is someone that doesn’t need to be out there for nearly ten minutes, especially in the opening match. Not much here as for the most part it was pretty dull. Also the ending being all insane didn’t help.

 

Bischoff tells Christian and Jericho that they need to beat Lita and Trish tonight. Jericho is apprehensive about this which would lead to his face turn. They’re interrupted by Foley’s music in the arena.

 

Here’s Foley complete with a cheap pop for saying Orlando. There’s a petition to bring Austin back apparently and there are a lot of signatures on it. Stacy comes out as a cheerleader to celebrate with Foley for getting that many signatures. Even Foley does a cartwheel. Here’s Evolution to complain though, in the form of Orton and Flair. Orton vs. Foley was teased forever but they didn’t pull the trigger for a long time. Orton says Austin is gone and Orton wants the IC Title. Foley takes off his shirt and is refereeing the IC Title match, which is RIGHT NOW.

 

Intercontinental Title: Rob Van Dam vs. Randy Orton

 

Rob takes him down quickly and Orton heads to the floor. Back in and we get some surprisingly decent chain wrestling, resulting in a standoff. Rob gets a shot to the ribs and a cross body off the top for two. Spinwheel kick puts Orton on the floor as Rob has been in control nearly the entire match so far. Big dive takes Orton out again as Rob threatens Flair a bit.

 

Slingshot legdrop gets two. He tries to go up again but Orton manages to shove him off, flying into the railing in one of his signature spots. Out to the floor and Orton gets that awesome dropkick of his. Back in and Orton chokes away with Rob making a hilarious face at the same time. Foley pulls Orton off Rob and Flair is TICKED.

 

Orton takes over with his usual stuff. Well usual for this time at least. It’s so weird to see him with only a few tattoos and normal looking skin. There’s the chinlock just to confirm it’s an Orton match. Big clothesline by Orton but he poses instead of covering. Seated dropkick gets two and it’s chinlock city again. Rob grabs a rolling cradle out of nowhere for two.

 

Split legged moonsault gets two. Orton hits a move of his I’ve always loved: he puts Rob on his shoulder like for a powerbomb and steps forward, pulling Rob down into a neckbreaker. Love that. Oh look here’s another chinlock. I know that’s a cliché for him but it’s true. Rob fights out of it after WAY too long and hits his spin kick to take over.

 

Off to the floor again and with Orton draped over the railing, Rob hits that spinwheel kick off the apron. Elevated DDT coming back in gets two. Knee drop by Orton misses and Van Dam gets a rollup with his legs for two. Rolling Thunder hits and there goes Flair whose hair is DRENCHED. Spinning kick takes down Randy again and it’s Five Star time. Flair has something in his hand but Foley takes him down. Orton dropkicks Rob off the ropes and there’s the RKO for the title.

 

Rating: C+. Pretty good here but Orton clearly didn’t know how to work a long match, although to be fair he still pretty much doesn’t. Van Dam is a weird guy to have carry you so Orton had to do a lot here. Foley would get spat on the next night and leave until the Rumble and then wrestle against Orton at Mania and Backlash. Either way, not bad here but not a classic.

 

We recap Christian/Jericho vs. Trish/Lita. This was a long story but a pretty good one at the same time. Jericho and Christian tried to hook up with Trish and Lita respectively with a secret bet being that whoever got to sleep with their respective chick first wins a single dollar, Canadian. Trish started to fall for Jericho and then overheard the whole story behind the bet.

 

The girls came out and held up the Canadian dollar that Christian put down for the bet. They actually beat up the Canadian guys and Eric made an intergender tag match. Jericho however started to feel bad about all this, beginning his face turn. This was a really good story and it worked all the way through Mania.

 

Chris Jericho/Christian vs. Lita/Trish Stratus

 

JR says that Bischoff is like Hussein. No, he isn’t. Jericho and Trish start us off and Jericho tries to explain. A right hand slap misses but the left connects. After all those years of Trish being the best female wrestler in the country, Trish becomes a slap fighter. Jericho spanks her which wakes Trish up a bit so she starts firing off some headscissors and dropkicks.

 

Christian tags himself in and wants Lita. Lita at least tries some more leverage and speed moves which is what she does in her regular matches so it makes sense. A slam puts Lita down and it’s off to Jericho. Then he stands on her hair and pulls her up. FREAKING OW MAN!!! Lita counters a powerbomb into a rana and it’s off to Christian. There goes Lita’s top which makes Christian far more popular.

 

Lita manages to get a low blow in and there’s Trish. THANKFULLY she wakes up and fights like she’s capable of doing, snapping off her forearms and the Chick Kick. Stratusfaction doesn’t work but she ducks to avoid a charging Christian and he goes to the floor. Lita crotches Jericho but the Stratusphere doesn’t work. Christian gets two but the Matrish sends Christian into Jericho for two. Lita snaps off a rana which she does better than almost anyone. Jericho checks on Trish and Christian rolls her up for the pin.

 

Rating: C. All things considered, not too bad here. Once Trish remembered how to wrestle this got a lot better. The men vs. women matches can work and this got close as the girls weren’t out there using nothing but chokes and slaps as they used their regular stuff and it worked pretty well. Not a great match or anything but for the purposes of this it was fine.

 

We recap Shawn vs. Batista. Shawn was the last man standing in the Survivor Series match and was making an incredibly comeback but Batista ran in and drilled Shawn with the Batista Bomb and Shawn couldn’t get up from that. Eric and Shawn blamed each other for Austin being gone as per the stipulations of the loss. Batista said he cost Shawn his job and Shawn said come get some, hence the following match.

 

Shawn Michaels vs. Batista

 

Batista hadn’t been back long after a triceps injury so this is one of his first major singles feuds. This is Shawn’s 68^th PPV match. That’s a pretty awesome number, especially when this is Batista’s third match on PPV. Flair is with Batista here again. Shawn snaps off some punches in the corner which don’t do much damage but they’re something I guess. More of them land and Batista is getting annoyed.

 

Shawn fires some kicks into the leg and tags Ric on the floor. Back in the ring Batista gets his hands on Shawn and the pain begins. Suplex gets two. Big Dave works on the back which is still the focal point of Shawn every time he’s out there. There’s the forearm but Batista kills him with a clothesline after the nipup. To the floor we go and Shawn eats steps.

 

More back worth by Dave, this time in the form of a backbreaker. Shawn starts his comeback with a bunch of strikes and there’s a second forearm/nipup. A two handed choke by Batista is countered into a DDT to put both guys down. The big elbow hits and the fans are into it all of a sudden. Chin music is countered into a spinebuster though and there’s a second one. Batista Bomb is countered out of nowhere and Shawn hits the kick, falling on top for the pin.

 

Rating: B-. Not terrible but I wasn’t feeling the ending. I get the theory of it, which is Shawn can’t go toe to toe with him and needs to use his experience to get that one big shot in to take Batista down, but that doesn’t mean it worked. Not a bad match but Batista was still getting the hang of things and it showed. Shawn helped him through a lot of this, and that’s the point of a veteran.

 

Maven vs. Matt Hardy

 

Maven comes out while Batista is still in the ring and Big Dave is MAD. This is still Matt Hardy V 1.0. Today’s Matt fact is that his fingernails go quickly. They start it out on the ramp as Batista and Flair are still in the ring. Matt throws Maven into the ring and Batista kills him with some clotheslines and various other attacks, finishing it with the Bomb. Make that a pair of Bombs. No match due to the attack. This match was added on Heat so it’s not like this is some huge match that they’re taking from us. Matt counts a pin of his own which doesn’t count.

 

In the back Batista is still freaking out. See what I mean about the whole show being around one set of people? Flair tells him they’re walking out with title belts tonight.

 

Raw Tag Titles: Tag Team Turmoil

 

Gauntlet match more or less, with two teams starting and the winners advancing to face the next team. There are six teams total and we start with La Resistance vs. Rosey/Hurricane. The Dudleys are the champions coming in. Rosey takes over on Conway to start but it’s off to Hurricane very quickly. Out to the floor quickly which goes nowhere so back in for a full nelson by Conway.

 

Swinging neckbreaker gets no count because he’s under the ropes. Dupree comes in as we talk about France in Iraq. Never let it be said that Vince passes up a chance to cheer on AMERICA. Hurricane gets a face buster to escape and there’s a double tag. Rosey cleans house and throws out Dupree. A super splash off the shoulders of Rosey off the second rope ends Conway.

 

Mark Jindrak and Garrison Cade are in next, running through the crowd and stealing a rollup pin in maybe 20 seconds.

 

In next are Storm and Venis with the new guys taking over on Jindrak who escapes to bring in Cade. The fans tell Storm he’s boring which is a point to his character at this point. Storm speeds things up a bit but double teaming by the heels takes the heel down. Wait, actually I guess Storm and Venis are good guys. Works for me I guess. Storm avoids a splash in the corner and here’s Venis.

 

Val cleans house, destroying both guys with relative ease. He was always a pretty steady hand so that doesn’t really surprise me. Lance hits a Cactus Clothesline to take himself and Cade out. Val tries a suplex to bring Jindrak back in but it’s the Warrior at Mania 5 ending for them.

 

Team number five are the Dudleys, the reigning champions. The Dudleys take over and it’s a Tree of Woe for Cade. They’re only ten time champions here so this is a LONG time ago for them. Off to D-Von and Jindrak with Jindrak hitting a clothesline to get two. Jindrak isn’t that good at stomping. Cade goes up but mostly misses an elbow. Double tag and Bubba cranks it up. Everything breaks down and D-Von and Jindrak trade rollups. Dropkick misses and 3D ends Jindrak.

 

The final team is Steiner/Test. Bubba may have hurt his shoulder. Double team on Bubba but he manages to take Test down. Suplex sends Bubba flying and Test works on his arm a bit. We finally get something normal going with Steiner vs. Bubba. Steiner drops the elbow and actually covers, getting two. Fujiwara Armbar by Steiner and it’s off to Test who works on the arm even more.

 

Up to the corner and Bubba shoves Test off and ACTUALLY HITS THE BACKSPLASH!!! I’ve never seen him hit that ever and shockingly enough the guy he hit it on is now dead. Double tag brings in Steiner and D-Von. Neckbreaker takes Scotty down and another one to Test gets two. Double teaming occurs by the challengers and Test gets a sidewalk slam for two. Test accidentally kicks Steiner but Test gets a full nelson slam to D-Von for two. Nice move by the Canadian to send in the belt as a decoy and then he gets a chair shot with the referee distracted. Doesn’t work as a Bubba Bomb gets the pin on Test but nice idea.

 

That would be the end in theory but here’s Bischoff to announce that there’s a final team, who have used their favor for winning at Survivor Series. Yep it’s Flair/Batista. This lasts about 90 seconds and the Dudleys get in maybe two punches combined. Batista gets the powerbomb on D-Von for the titles.

 

Rating: C-. Hard to call these because they’re more or less just a bunch of Raw matches thrown together into a 20 minute match. It’s ok but if you’ve seen one of these you’ve seen the vast majority of them. It really does show you how weak the division is when the Dudleys are the only realistic team that could win in there. Nothing great but I’ve seen worse.

 

We hear about Christmas in Baghdad a bit and we get some clips of a press conference about it.

 

Raw Women’s Title: Molly Holly vs. Ivory

 

This is a bonus match. Molly is champion and there’s no story to this whatsoever. The thing with Molly at this point is she’s a virgin and she’s frustrated all the time. From what I remember she was a virgin until she was married in real life. That’s rather cool. Molly is sent to the floor as no one cares about this at all. Ivory hits a flip off the apron to take Molly down again.

 

Back inside as there’s nothing going on here at all. You can tell this is the food break match before the main event and that’s fine. You have to have one of those I guess. Armbar goes on by Molly as we talk about anything but this match. JR apologizes for having nothing to say because he doesn’t have any notes for it. Molly hits a Muta elbow for two. Ivory gets a rollup which is reversed into one by Molly for the pin.

 

Rating: D+. Just a match really here. Was there going to be anything of note here at all expected? It’s just a bonus match so it’s not like you can really complain here. Neither of these chicks would wind up doing anything else in the division for more or less the rest of time, so there you are.

 

We recap the main event. Goldberg beat HHH at Survivor Series on a broken ankle. You would think that would end the feud but HHH said we’re not done yet. Then Kane just kind of jumped in for no apparent reason. A triple threat was made and we get a music video out of it.

 

Raw World Title: Kane vs. HHH vs. Goldberg

 

Goldberg is champion. The first minute is literally just standing around yelling at each other. Way to use that PPV time guys! The first shot hits after about a minute and twenty seconds and Goldberg gets double teamed. After a solid beating, Goldberg gets a shot in via a clothesline but Kane takes him down with ease. Goldberg fights them both off for a bit and knocks HHH to the floor.

 

Kane sits up and it’s time for the showdown. After the taller one takes over, Goldberg gets a spinning neckbreaker but HHH comes back in before he can capitalize. The top rope clothesline is countered by a slam but Goldberg actually can’t get HHH up for a gorilla press. Spear is loaded up and the crowd gets up for it, only for Kane to kick his head off and hammer away on his fellow member of the bald brotherhood.

 

Double suplex to Goldberg and HHH applauds Kane, who hits a powerslam on Billy Boy. HHH tries to steal the pin and we knew we’d get here eventually. HHH gets knocked to the floor but Kane clothesline Goldberg on the top rope. JR calls it bowling shoe ugly as HHH pops Kane with a chair to prevent a chokeslam. Goldberg gets the chair and goes to Pillmanize HHH’s ankle like HHH hired Batista to do.

 

Kane saves the Game for no apparent reason. I guess this doesn’t have a password system. Out to the floor and we load up the announce table. Goldberg fights Kane off and tries to Jackhammer him through the table, but HHH gets a chair shot in to break it up. Kane chokeslams the other bald dude on the table but it doesn’t break. HHH drops an elbow to put him though it though and pops him with a chair also.

 

Kane sees HHH holding the chair and isn’t happy. Then again Kane is never happy so that works out well. Kane actually lets HHH live, only to be sent into the steps as soon as he turns his back. Pedigree on the floor doesn’t work and Kane goes all evil again. Back in the ring and Kane hits some of his signature spots. The big clothesline looks to set up the chokeslam, but HHH gets a thumb to the eye to break it up.

 

DDT puts Kane down but Kane sits up. Neckbreaker doesn’t get a cover either so Kane sits up again. They fight to the floor as Goldberg is still down. Pretty weak chokeslam on the ramp so only Kane is left standing. Everyone gets back in the ring and Goldberg spears Kane down for two. Everybody punches everybody and Goldberg takes over. Another spear to Kane and one to HHH as well. Cue Evolution and we keep going. Goldberg and Kane choke each other to huge booing and there’s a low blow to set up the chokeslam on Goldberg. Batista pops up to pull Kane out so HHH can steal the title.

 

Rating: D+. This ran twenty minutes which is really not something that you want to do when you have three people that work more or less the exact same style. Not a very good match here as this got old quickly. It’s also rather boring to see the same stuff over and over again in three ways. This really needed a different guy besides Kane out there to change up the styles and it would have helped a lot if that had been the case.

 

Overall Rating: D. Really weak show here with nothing at all being very good. The total Evolution dominance isn’t that interesting either as it’s all the same stuff over and over again all night long. I’ve seen worse shows, but at the same time things just dragged on this show. This is another example of a show that would have been ok as an In Your House, but as a regular PPV, this wasn’t very good at all. Nothing to see here.
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