Pro Wrestling Ponderings

Dunkin’ Donuts Center – Providence, Rhode Island – 4.26.09

DVD Release Date: May 26, 2009

MATCH #1: ECW Championship Match – Jack Swagger vs. Christian

Swagger has been the champion since 1.13.09, and this is his fourth defense. They take it right to the mat, where obviously Swagger dominates. Christian comes back with slaps and a headlock, but Swagger escapes and knocks Christian down with two straight shoulderblocks. Swagger then picks Christian up over his head and drops him over the top rope to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Back in the ring the ECW Champion is firmly in control. Christian tires that swinging kick out of the corner he does, but Swagger blocks it and slams Christian down to the mat for a two-count. Swagger Rules. He continues working over the ribs with various submission holds and strikes. Christian comes back and hits that swinging kick out of the corner this time, but Swagger drops him with a knee to the gut. Swagger then tries a Vader Bomb, but Christian gets his knees up. Christian fights back with forearms and tries a tornado DDT. Swagger blocks the DDT but can’t block a sunset flip off the second rope, which gets two. That near fall seems to have irked Swagger, who picks Christian up and slams him down to the mat. The champion tries the gut-wrench powerbomb, but the challenger blocks it. Swagger sets Christian up on the top rope, and this time Christian is able to hit the tornado DDT for a two-count. Once again Swagger is irked by the near-fall, and hits a belly-to-belly suplex to show his frustration. The battle spills to the floor and Swagger appears to be going for a German Suplex off the apron to the floor. Someone’s been watching old ROH tapes, and I approve. Christian dumps Swagger back in the ring and goes up top, but Swagger stops him and back body drops him! This time Swagger hits the Vader Bomb but Christian kicks out at two! Christian tries the Killswitch, but Swagger reverses that to half an Oklahoma Stampede, and Christian reverses that to a rolling prawn hold for two. Both men are back to their feet, and this time Swagger hits the full Oklahoma Stampede for a two-count. A frustrated Swagger removes one of the turnbuckle pads, and while the referee is distracted with that, Christian does the same. Swagger charges and runs into the exposed steel, and then Christian hits the Killswitch to win the title at 11:00. That was an absolutely tremendous match, and I love how both guys didn’t give up on hitting their big moves. I think Swagger is totally the future of the WWE.
Rating: ***¾

MATCH #2: Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat vs. Chris Jericho

I wonder if they were planning on doing this one-on-one match all along, or if everyone was just so blown away by Steamboat at WrestleMania that they had to do this. Either way I’m ecstatic. Steamboat has dyed his hair for his first singles match on pay-per-view since facing Steve Austin for the United States title at Bash at the Beach on July 17, 1994. Jericho tries to stall, so Steamboat takes him down. Steamboat avoids outmaneuvers Jericho and hits a slingshot dive to the floor, wiping out the first-ever Undisputed Champion. Back in the ring Steamboat continues to control the younger Jericho, working in a few of his signature armdrags. Jericho finally makes the comeback when Steamboat tries to skin the cat, and Jericho viciously clotheslines him back over the ropes and to the floor. He hits the springboard dropkick, and Jericho is firmly in control now. Jericho puts on a modified Cobra Clutch. Steamboat fights out of that and hits an armdrag, but Jericho puts him right back down with a clothesline for two. Jericho grinds him down with a headlock, and Steamboat can’t even break it with a belly-to-back suplex. He tries the bulldog, but Steamboat pushes him off, and Jericho lands on the top turnbuckle. Steamboat hits a belly-to-back superplex, and Jericho kicks out at two! I wonder if Steamboat learned that from Bryan Danielson. Steamboat is on fire now, hitting a series of chops for another two-count. A powerslam gets another close near-fall for the Hall of Famer. Jericho comes back with the enziguiri for two. He hits the bulldog this time, and goes for the Lionsault, but Steamboat catches him in an Electric Chair, which Jericho rolls through to the Walls of Jericho! Steamboat reverses that but has trouble putting on the modified Figure-Four Leglock. Jericho rolls to the ropes, and now they fight on the apron. Steamboat dumps Jericho to the mat and goes up top for a high cross body block, but it only gets two! He goes to the second rope for a chop to the head, but Jericho catches him with a Code Breaker, but Steamboat gets his foot on the bottom rope! Jericho goes for a slam but Steamboat rolls it into a small package just like WrestleMania III, but Jericho kicks out at two. Moments later Jericho locks on the Walls of Jericho, and Steamboat has to tap out at 12:32. Obviously it wasn’t the Ricky Steamboat from the ‘80s, but you never forget how to work, and Steamboat is one of the greatest of all time. That was probably his last match, and it was a good one to go out on. The crowd gives him a respectful round of applause and a “you still got it” chant.
Rating: ***

MATCH #3: CM Punk vs. Kane

This match came about because Punk and Kane were the last two men on a ladder during the Money in the Bank match at WrestleMania. Punk tries to avoid Kane early on, but Kane is able to use his strength to work Punk over. That doesn’t last too long though, as Punk catches Kane in a cross armbreaker in the ropes. Punk goes after Kane’s right arm and shoulder, and knocks Kane to the floor. He tries to hit a slingshot dive, but Kane grabs him by the throat for a chokeslam attempt, which Punk avoids. He’s then able to hit a clothesline off the apron. Back in the ring he once again goes after Kane’s shoulder. Kane reverses a whip and sort of sends Punk’s ribs into the ring post, and then Kane kicks Punk all the way to the floor. He follows Punk out and slams his back into the steel ring post. Back in the ring Kane gets a two-count. The Big Red Machine goes to work on Punk’s ribs, locking him in a body scissors. Kane hits a clothesline for two, and continues the assault. He tries a Chokeslam, but Punk counters it with a single-arm DDT. Punk then locks Kane in a kind of Tarantula in the ropes, using the referee’s five-count to great effectiveness. He has until five, referee. Punk hits a springboard clothesline to the back of the neck, and then runs right into a big boot. Kane goes up top, and Punk catches him with an enziguiri. Punk tries Go 2 Sleep, but Kane avoids it. Kane tries to retreat in the corner, but Punk follows him in with the knee to the face and a bulldog for two. Punk tries another springboard clothesline, but Kane swats him out of the air for a two-count. Kane tries a powerslam but Punk reverses it to a cross armbreaker, which Kane powers out of with a side suplex for two. Punk avoids another Chokeslam with a series of kicks and strikes. But he can only avoid the Chokeslam for so long, as when Kane finally hits a two-handed Chokeslam (which pays off Punk’s arm work nicely) that’s enough for the pin at 9:25. That was solid and featured some nice psychology, but it felt more like something that could have happened on TV. I remember marks on the internet freaking out about Punk jobbing clean here, but I’m pretty sure he wound up okay.
Rating: **½

MATCH #4: “I Quit” Match – Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy

The younger Hardy is the aggressor early on, trying to pay his older brother back for costing him the WWE Title and beating him at WrestleMania. They take it to the floor pretty quickly, and Jeff uses the ring steps to jump off and wipe out his brother against the security wall. Back in the ring it’s all Jeff working over his older brother Matt. Jeff puts on a sleeper, but Matt still won’t quit. Matt counters by dropping Jeff’s chin on the top turnbuckle. Jeff climbs up top and Matt shoves him to the floor, but Jeff won’t quit yet either. Matt joins his brother on the floor and rams Jeff’s leg into the ring post twice. Back in the ring Matt locks on the Figure-Four Leglock, but Jeff refuses to quit. Matt continues attacking the leg, once again locking on a Figure-Four, but this time Jeff reverses it and Matt won’t quit. The elder Hardy reaches the ropes, and he’s still in better shape than his brother, so he goes right back to work on the leg. The crowd seems to be distracted with something else, which is always a bummer for the guys in the ring. Anyway, Matt sets Jeff up on the top rope, and Jeff knocks him down and hits the Whisper in the Wind. They get back to their feet and Jeff slugs away, and then he hits his reverse enziguiri. Now Jeff goes after Matt’s leg, locking him in a sort of Texas Cloverleaf, and Matt taps out but he won’t say “I Quit.” Matt gets to the ropes, so Jeff breaks the hold, probably out of habit. Jeff tries a Twist of Fate, and they blow it, so they redo the spot and Jeff hits the move. He goes up top and hits the Swanton Bomb, but Matt still won’t quit, so Jeff hits another one. Jeff then goes to the floor and produces a table. Matt rolls to the floor to avoid the table, but Jeff hits a nice Twist of Fate instead. Back in the ring Jeff sets Matt on the table, and goes back under the ring for some duct tape and rope. Jeff duct tapes his brother’s legs and arms together, and then uses the rope to tie him to the table. Then he goes outside the ring again and brings in a ladder! He takes the shirt off so the girlies can scream, and starts climbing the ladder. Matt is completely helpless, duct taped and tied to the table, so he apologizes to his younger brother, tells him he loves him, pleads with him not to listen to the people, says that their mother and father would not approve, and then says “I Quit” to end the match at 19:06. I like the lengths that Jeff went to in order to get back at his brother. The finish was reminiscent of John Cena versus JBL from 2005, but I think it worked in the context of this story too. This was about on par with their WrestleMania match.
Rating: ***¼

Great Khali Kiss Cam with Santina Marella

This abomination of a segment leads to an impromptu match for the Miss WrestleMania crown, with Beth Phoenix challenging. Santina takes advantage of Khali bopping Beth on the head by calling for the bell and literally getting the win in 0:03. This segment would have been irritating on free TV, but on pay-per-view it’s inexcusable.
Rating: DUD

MATCH #5: 6-Man Tag Team Match for the WWE Championship – Triple H, Batista & Shane McMahon vs. Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase

Triple H has been the champion since 2.15.09, and this is his second defense. I guess Shane McMahon gets to be involved in every six-man tag team match that’s also for the WWE Title. The good guys attack right away and Triple H takes Orton up the aisle and seemingly disposes of him. The referee forces DiBiase and Rhodes to start the match in a three-on-two situation. The commentators don’t really make much of a big deal out of that. Batista and Rhodes start the match proper. If either Rhodes or DiBiase scores the pin, Orton will win the title, and if Shane or Batista scores the pin, Triple H will retain the title. Obviously Rhodes gets worked over pretty harshly in the opening minutes. DiBiase gets the same treatment, as it’s all babyfaces for a while. Batista takes the fight to DiBiase on the floor, and Orton comes back from out of nowhere and rams Batista into the steel ring post. Orton tags into the match officially and goes to work on Batista. The entire Legacy trio goes after the Animal’s head, and Orton hits the rope-assisted DDT (give that thing a name; in fact, there are many wrestling moves hanging around that need names) for two. DiBiase grinds away with a headlock, which Batista breaks with a belly-to-back suplex. They stop Batista from making a tag initially, but the next time he’s able to tag Shane as Orton tags Rhodes. Shane quickly takes it to the floor and starts rearranging the announce table, but DiBiase breaks that up. Back in the ring Shane hits an elbow off the top rope for two, as DiBiase pulls him to the floor and Orton whips him into the steel steps knees-first. Rhodes tags Orton to make him the legal man, and he commences working Shane over. Rhodes and DiBiase get their shots in too, as Legacy displays some impressive teamwork. I like the story of Triple H having to stand on the apron and watch his title being defended for him. Legacy keeps Shane isolated for many minutes, working him over in their half of the ring and making sure he doesn’t make the tag. DiBiase puts Shane in the Million Dollar Dream, but Shane escapes it and hits a DDT. Both men are down, and DiBiase makes the first tag to Orton, and then Shane makes the hot tag to the WWE Champion Triple H! The Game is on fire, pitching Rhodes and DiBiase to the floor, and nailing Orton with a huge spinebuster for two. Batista takes the battle to DiBiase on the floor, while Rhodes breaks up a Pedigree attempt with a DDT on the Game. Shane clotheslines Rhodes to the floor, leaving just Orton and Triple H in the ring. Somehow Triple H and Orton are both down in the ring, while Rhodes cracks Shane with a chair on the floor. Orton and Triple H rise, and Orton tries the RKO, which Triple H reverses to a Pedigree attempt. Triple H then sees Batista about to use a chair on the floor, and he stops him because a DQ in this case would result in a title change. The confusion leads to Orton hitting an RKO for a very near fall – so near in fact that the bell rings, but rest assured the match is not over yet. Seconds later Orton hits the Punt Kick to score the pin and win the WWE Championship at 22:49. The heat segments felt a little long, but overall the match was a fun chaotic brawl, and Triple H jobbed pretty clean.
Rating: ***½

MATCH #6: Last Man Standing Match for the World Heavyweight Championship – John Cena vs. Edge

Cena has been the champion since 4.5.09, and this is his first defense. The crowd is hot for the start of this one. They start pretty slowly, and counter each other’s signature moves, since they’ve battled so many times in the past three years. Edge gets the early advantage and gets ac couple of counts on Cena, but of course not a 10-count just yet. Last Monday on Raw Edge gave Cena a con-chair-toe, so they’re playing up Cena’s head trauma for this one. Edge locks Cena in a sleeper hold, but that can’t keep Cena down. In fact Cena fires up with one of his signature comebacks, and he tries the Five Knuckle Shuffle, but Edge avoids it and locks on a Sharpshooter. That’s still not enough to keep Cena down for a 10-count, so Edge takes it to the floor, sets Cena’s head on the steel steps, and then misses a charge and rams his shoulder into the steel. Edge recovers and whips Cena into a different set of steps. Cena makes it back to his feet and this time he whips Edge into the steps. They go back to the ring, and Cena brings the steps with him. Unfortunately for Cena, that gave Edge time to recover, and he kicks Cena square in the face. Edge then uses the steps to his own advantage, ramming them into Cena and then dropkicking them into Cena’s body. Cena won’t stay down, so Edge charges and gets dumped over the ropes and to the floor. The champion then grabs the steps and whips them over the ropes and right into Edge’s face. Somehow Edge makes it back to the ring and they trade blows. Surprisingly the crowd is more in support of Edge at this point. Both competitors knock each other out with punches. They get back up and go for big moves, but it’s Edge hitting a belly-to-back suplex to take Cena down. Cena recovers and locks on the STF, and Edge taps out but it doesn’t matter in this Last Man Standing match. That doesn’t work so Cena tries the Attitude Adjustment, but Edge slips out and hits a Spear. Edge goes up top and Cena meets him up there for a Super Attitude Adjustment! Both men are down and the referee starts the count. Cena gets up before Edge, who barely gets up at the count of nine. The champ goes up to the top rope for the flying something, and Edge catches him out of the air with a Spear. They take the battle to the floor and onto the announce table, where Cena delivers the Attitude Adjustment onto a bunch of “fans.” Edge makes it back up at nine, and tries to run away through the concourse of the arena. Cena will have none of that, of course, and they fight through the arena floor. They make it to the entrance area, and Edge hits an Edgecution on the steel. Edge finds a chair and wallops Cena with it, and then hits him again in the head, but still can’t get the 10-count. The challenger tries a Spear, but Cena catches him in the Attitude Adjustment. Unfortunately for the champion, the Big Show comes out and delivers a thunderous Chokeslam through one of the searchlights in the entrance area. That’s enough to keep Cena down for the 10-count and give Edge his ninth World Title at 28:24. I’m not a huge fan of the finish, but the match was terrific, with all kinds of cool spots and brutality. Edge and Cena just have excellent chemistry together, and this match proved it.
Rating: ****¼

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September 15, 2009

~DISC ONE~

MATCH #1: Undertaker vs. Randy Orton, 9.16.05

These two traded victories at WrestleMania 21 and SummerSlam, so this is a rubber match. The match is joined in progress, and Undertaker is dominating. He goes after Orton’s arm. Undertaker goes up to the top rope and tries Old School, but Orton kicks the rope and Undertaker gets crotched on the top rope. Orton hits a series of right hands and goes up for a superplex. Undertaker blocks it the first time but Orton is successful on the second try. Orton calls for his dad to bring out the truck, in this case a U-Haul. Meanwhile Undertaker sits up, but Orton plants him with a DDT. The U-Haul contains a casket, and Orton is in control as we cut to commercial. Back from the break and Orton has Undertaker in a chinlock. Undertaker powers out of it, but Orton levels him with a dropkick for two. Orton goes back to the chinlock and uses the ropes for leverage. Undertaker once again gets back to his feet, and this time Orton hits a bodyslam, and then goes up to the second rope. Orton tries the Flying Something, and Undertaker gets his boot up. Undertaker briefly takes control, but Orton cuts him off with the inverted backbreaker for a two-count. Orton tries a clothesline but Undertaker ducks and hits the flying clothesline. Undertaker hits Snake Eyes and a big boot to the face. He follows up with a Leg Drop for two, and I’m stunned that a big boot to the face and legdrop combination didn’t finish the match. Undertaker signals for the Chokeslam, but Orton avoids it. He then clotheslines Orton to the floor, where he chases Cowboy Bob Orton away. Undertaker opens the casket, and Undertaker sees a visage of himself. The distraction allows Orton to slam Undertaker into the barricade and the steel steps. Back in the ring Orton is working Undertaker over with forearms. He then stupidly goes for mounted punches in the corner, and Undertaker tries the Last Ride. Orton slips out, Undertaker accidentally clotheslines the referee, and Orton hits the RKO. Another referee makes his way down but Undertaker kicks out at two. Undertaker then sits up and he looks unhappy. He nails Orton with a chokeslam, but Cowboy Bob pulls the referee out at two. Cowboy gets in the ring and gets punched in the face for his troubles. Orton tries another RKO but Undertaker shoves him off. Undertaker then hits a Tombstone Piledriver and the first referee is back to count the fall at 15:41 (shown). The stuff with the casket was kind of silly, but the match was mostly a pretty good TV main event.
Rating: ***

MATCH #2: Steel Cage Match – Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero, 9.9.05

This is the standard “pinfall, submission, or escape to win” cage match. Theodore Long and Palmer Cannon are in a skybox hanging out with Christy Hemme and Stacy Keibler. They show a quick video package highlighting this feud. It started off very strong with just the competitive spark setting Eddie off, but when they started the stuff with Dominic it fizzled. This is from Smackdown’s Friday night debut show. Rey is 7-0 against Eddie this year. They start throwing punches right away and Eddie immediately throws Rey into the side of the cage. He gets Rey in a powerbomb position and runs his head into the cage a few times. Rey comes back with his agility and sets up for a 619 and then realizes that the cage prevents him from doing that move. Eddie climbs up the cage and Rey hits a nice sunset bomb. Rey climbs up now and Eddie grabs him and pulls him down, causing Rey to awkwardly bend his knee on the top rope. We go to commercial and come back with Eddie climbing the cage. Rey goes up to stop him, and winds up taking a side Russian legsweep all the way down to the mat. They get up and Rey charges. Eddie tries to throw him into the cage but Rey hangs on and tries to climb out. Eddie stops him and they battle on top of the cage. Rey gets both his legs over and Eddie is hanging on. He pulls Rey back in and Rey almost punches Eddie right off the cage. They get back down on the top rope and Rey hits a sweet dropkick and both men fall to the mat. Eddie gets up and hits a DDT and tries to escape out the door. Rey pulls him back in. We go to another commercial and come back to Rey climbing up the cage. Eddie goes up and tries a powerbomb, but Rey wriggles out and tries to climb over the cage. Rey gets back in the powerbomb position and hits a rana, possibly hurting his knee in the process. He slowly tries to climb out, and kicks Eddie back down to the ring. He tries a cross body off the top of the cage and Eddie moves. Eddie walks out the door and could have had the match won, but instead he goes back in and hits the Frog Splash to get the pin at 11:07. That’s a good finish. They did some cool stuff with the cage and Eddie was just such a great heel, which helped make this yet another good TV match from Eddie.
Rating: ***½

MATCH #3: Intercontinental Championship Match – Chris Jericho vs. Chyna, 12.30.99

Jericho has been the champion since 12.12.99. Chyna won at Survivor Series (I was there), and Jericho won the title at Armageddon so this is a rubber match. Jericho goes right to the headlock, and Chyna counters to a hammerlock. Chyna lands an elbow to the chest and whips Jericho into the turnbuckle. She hits the cartwheel elbow in the corner, and follows up with a DDT for two. Jericho gets tied up in the ropes, but when Chyna charges Jericho is able to get free and the challenger falls to the floor. The champion hits the springboard dropkick and slaps Chyna around on the floor. Back in the ring Jericho goes up top and the Kat distracts the referee. Chyna catches Jericho with a low blow off the top rope, and then a swinging neckbreaker for two. Jericho reverses an Irish whip to the turnbuckle and hits a bulldog. He follows up with the Lionsault (sort of) for two. Jericho hits a spinning heel kick and referee Jimmy Korderas takes an inadvertent bump. He brings a steel chair in the ring but Chyna avoids it and hits a weak looking Pedigree. A new referee comes out but Jericho kicks out at two. Jericho hits a belly-to-back suplex onto the chair, and each referee counts one set of shoulders down for the inconclusive finish at 3:50. I hate the finish, and I hate that it led to “co” Intercontinental Champions, but for four minutes the match wasn’t bad.
Rating: *¼

MATCH #4: United States Championship Match – John Cena vs. Carlito, 10.7.04

Cena has been the champion since 10.3.04, and this is his first defense. The champion tears right after the challenger, and the match quickly spills to the floor. It’s one hundred percent Cena in the early going. This is Carlito’s debut match, by the way. Cena hits a delayed vertical suplex for the first near-fall of the match. He stays in control, hitting a kind of scary back body drop and a legdrop for two. A side suplex gets another two. They go back to the floor and Cena whips Carlito into the steel steps. Carlito makes it back to the ring and Cena continues the slaughter. Cena charges and Carlito pulls a low bridge to send Cena crashing to the floor. Carlito follows the champ to the floor and rams his head into the apron and the announce table. He tries a piledriver and Cena reverses it to a catapult, sending Carlito sailing over the guardrail and into the crowd. We take a commercial break and come back to Cena missing a cross body block off the ropes. Carlito hits a swinging neckbreaker for two. A suplex gets another two-count for the challenger. A slingshot elbow from the apron gets yet another two-count. Carlito puts on a chinlock to try and wear the champion down. Cena powers up and back drops Carlito to break the hold. He fires up and hits a flurry of offense for a two-count. The champ hits the Jericho bulldog and the Five Knuckle Shuffle for two. Cena goes for the F-U but Carlito blocks it, only to get knocked to the floor. Carlito grabs the U.S. Title belt and brings it in the ring. Cena promptly punches him in the face and takes the belt himself. Referee Brian Hebner stops him from using it, and in the confusion Carlito grabs Cena’s chain. With the referee’s back turned, Carlito waffles Cena with the chain to get the pin and the title at 12:52 (shown). I’m sure I haven’t seen this match since it was first on if at all, but damn Cena did quite the job making Carlito look good in his debut.
Rating: ***

MATCH #5: WWE Champion vs. ECW Champion – Triple H vs. Tazz, 4.20.00

I’m pretty sure everyone knows the background to this so I don’t feel the need to recap the entire situation. Triple H has been the WWE Champion since 1.3.00, and Tazz has been the ECW Champion since 4.14.00. Tazz looks like a child next to Triple H. Naturally Triple H tries to intimidate him, but Tazz isn’t scared. Tazz hits Triple H with a clothesline and a series of punches in the corner. He goes for a suplex but Triple H blocks it and hits a clothesline. Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, the Woman’s Champion, is of course at ringside. Tazz fights back with some punches and tries a back body drop. Triple H avoids that, but Tazz clotheslines Triple H to the floor and follows him out. Tazz slams Triple H’s head into the announce table, and then bodyslams him on the floor. Triple H reverses a whip and sends Tazz crashing into the steel steps. Back in the ring Triple H is firmly in control, hitting a suplex and a knee drop for two. Tazz fires back with punches once again and hits a belly-to-back suplex. Both men rise to their feet, and Tazz hits a back elbow and a Northern Lights suplex for two. Tazz tries a back body drop but gets a knee to the face. Triple H tries a clothesline but Tazz ducks and locks on the Tazzmission. Stephanie gets up on the apron to distract the referee, and Triple H hits a low blow and the Pedigree. Tommy Dreamer comes in from out of nowhere and tries to hit Triple H with a chair but he hits Tazz instead. Triple H hits Dreamer with a Pedigree, and then pins Tazz at 5:51. That was a lot of fun for the small amount of time they had.
Rating: **¾

MATCH #6: No-DQ Match for the Undisputed WWF Championship – Chris Jericho vs. Hulk Hogan, 5.2.02

Hogan has been the champion since 4.21.02, and I think this is his first defense. (He’s slightly over at this point. Naturally, Hogan overpowers Jericho in the early going, shoving the challenger to the floor. Back in the ring Hogan locks on a headlock, and then knocks Jericho down with a shoulderblock. It’s all Hogan on offense here. He goes back to the headlock and Jericho escapes it with a belly-to-back suplex. Unfortunately for Jericho he misses an elbow drop and Hogan goes back to work. Hogan hits an Irish whip but Jericho gets his elbow up on the charge in and goes to the top rope. Jericho gloats up there, and Hogan slams him down to the mat. Hogan puts Jericho in the corner and hits the mounted punches as the fans count along. Jericho escapes that predicament with a low blow. He whips Hogan into the corner but misses a charge and goes crashing to the floor. Hogan follows him out and tries to run Jericho’s head into the steel post, but Jericho slips out and rams Hogan into the post instead. Jericho goes up top and hits an axe handle to the back. Back in the ring Jericho snaps Hogan’s neck off the top rope. Before too long Hogan starts Hulking Up and hits a bodyslam. He hits two elbow drops, but pauses before running off the ropes for a third one and Jericho moves. Jericho hits the bulldog and the Lionsault, but Triple H’s music hits out of nowhere and he makes his way to the commentator’s table. Meanwhile, Hogan misses a big boot and Jericho hits a DDT for two. Now Hogan is really Hulking Up. He hits the big boot but Jericho avoids the Legdrop and puts on the Walls of Jericho. Hogan reaches the ropes to break the hold. Jericho goes to the floor for a chair and cracks Hogan across the back with it. He goes to hit Hogan again, but this time Undertaker’s music hits, even though Undertaker isn’t actually there. Oh that wacky Triple H. Jericho is distracted long enough for Hogan to get a schoolboy to retain the title at 10:18. The match was okay given Hogan’s limitations at this point.
Rating: **¼

MATCH #7: Batista, Rey Mysterio, Finlay & Jeff Hardy vs. MVP, JBL, Kane & The Brian Kendrick, 10.3.08

This is from the debut on My Network TV. Batista, Mysterio, JBL, and Kane are on loan from Raw for this match. Kendrick is accompanied by Ezekiel Jackson. Kendrick and Finlay start the match, and I expect a lot of action in this one. Finlay takes the first advantage and tags Batista, who gets a move or two in before tagging Finlay back in. Hornswoggle interferes behind the referee’s back as we go to commercial. We come back and Mysterio is working Kendrick over now. Hardy gets tagged in and, and Kendrick gets a shot on him. Finlay gets tagged in and Kendrick hits him with a dropkick and gloats. Hornswoggle gets up on the apron wearing Kendrick’s ring jacket. Kendrick chases Hornswoggle and gets leveled with a clothesline from Finlay. Ezekiel Jackson responds by delivering a clothesline to Finlay. Back in the ring Kendrick tags JBL, who goes right to work on Finlay. Kane gets tagged in and he picks up right where JBL left off. MVP gets tagged in for the first time, and he hits a knee drop for a near-fall. JBL gets tagged back in and tries a back body drop, and Finlay hits a DDT. Both men are down, and JBL tags MVP while Finlay finally makes the tag to Batista. He pretty much takes on the whole team, throwing spinebusters at Kane and MVP. He goes for the Batista Bomb on MVP but Kendrick breaks it up. Batista then powerslams MVP down, and tags Mysterio, who gets on Batista’s shoulders and hits a splash for two. I have no idea who’s legal for the heel team. Mysterio goes for a dual 619 on MVP and Kendrick, but Kane pulls him to the floor as we go to commercial. We’re back and Kane is working over Mysterio in the ring. Kendrick, JBL, and MVP also get their turns beating on Mysterio. After several minutes Mysterio makes the comeback and tags Hardy, and he’s all over MVP. He hits Whisper in the Wind, and the match breaks down to a brawl. Amidst all the chaos Mysterio hits MVP with the 619, and Hardy follows with the Swanton to get the victory for his team at 13:31. That was a ton of fun, and a good match to showcase everyone involved.
Rating: ***¼

~DISC TWO~

MATCH #8: Randy Orton vs. Hardcore Holly, 4.25.02

This is Orton’s TV debut. They take it to the mat right way, and the action is fast paced in the early going here. Orton hits a bulldog for two, and then Holly gets up and hits a hard clothesline. Holly slugs away at the face and looks ornery about it. He hits the kick to the lower abdomen and continues slugging away. Orton comes back with a nice dropkick for two. He hits a charging Holly with an elbow and then goes up top and hits a high cross body block, which Holly rolls through for a two-count. Orton gets a drop toehold and an Oklahoma Roll to get the upset win at 2:46. Well they did about as much as you can do in that amount of time.
Rating: *

MATCH #9: Handicap Tables Match – The Rock vs. The Dudley Boyz, 3.9.00

The Dudley Boyz had just recently won the World Tag Team Titles from the New Age Outlaws. Of all the people I don’t understand, Rock Haters are right near the top of the list. Rock is all offense from the get-go, using the ring bell to subdue both Bubba Ray and D-Von. He then grabs a chair and slams it into their heads. Rock follows Bubba into the crowd and they brawl amidst the people. Bubba and Devon start making their way to the back but Rock follows them and clotheslines both of them down. He suplexes Bubba on the entrance ramp, and then takes D-Von into the ring. Bubba also gets in the ring and now the champions take control. They hit the What’s Up, and continue wearing Rock down. Rock fights back with a flurry of offense. He hits Bubba with a Samoan Drop, and then a spinebuster on D-Von. Rock tries the People’s Elbow, but Bubba breaks it up. They bring a table into the ring and go for the 3D, but Rock avoids it and hits a Rock Bottom on Bubba through the table! Rock is halfway home as he goes out and grabs another table. He goes to Rock Bottom D-Von, but Bubba slams a chair into Rock’s back and they hit the 3D through a table to get the win at 7:04. That had a ton of energy, and Rock was just awesome.
Rating: **½

MATCH #10: Cruiserweight Championship Match – Rey Mysterio vs. Matt Hardy, 6.5.03

This was the first time the Cruiserweight Title was the main event of any WWE show that wasn’t Velocity, to the best of my knowledge. Hardy has been the champion since 2.23.03. The champion is accompanied by his Mattitude Followers Shannon Moore and Crash. Mysterio’s family is at ringside. The champion tries to intimidate, and Mysterio get s quick rollup for two. Mysterio is a five-time Cruiserweight Champion, all reigns from WCW. Hardy clobbers Mysterio with a clothesline to the back of the neck. The referee catches Moore and Crash almost interfering. Mysterio makes a comeback with a modified dropkick and a slingshot splash for two. He tries another springboard maneuver, but Hardy knocks him to the floor. Moore and Crash swarm on Mysterio, and the referee catches them and send them to the locker room. Hardy goes to the floor to protest, and Mysterio hits a springboard seated senton as we go to commercial. We come back to Hardy trying a Splash Mountain, and Mysterio avoids it, only to get hit with a sneaky low blow. Hardy goes to work on Mysterio’s previously injured groin now. He locks on a half Boston Crab and Mysterio reaches the ropes. Mysterio makes a brief comeback but can’t connect with the 619 and Hardy goes right back to work on the injury. Mysterio avoids a charge in the corner, and reverse a powerslam into a DDT for two. He hits a bulldog off the second rope for two. Hardy comes back with a kick to the leg and he goes to the second rope. Mysterio joins him up there, and Hardy hits a Super Side Effect for only two! Hardy complains and Mysterio gets a quick cradle for two. Mysterio then hits a Twist of Fate for a near-fall. He hits the 619 and tries the West Coast Pop. Hardy catches him, but Mysterio reverses the momentum and sends Hardy crashing to the floor. Mysterio joins him out there and the referee begins the count. The champion distracts the referee on the floor while Moore and Crash interfere in the ring. Hardy goes up top and hits the guillotine legdrop but Mysterio kicks out to a thunderous pop! He tries the Twist of Fate, but Mysterio sweeps the legs and gets a jackknife pin to win the title at 10:23 (shown). They could have given it some more time, but the drama was certainly there. It’s too bad they never really did anything with the Cruiserweight Title.
Rating: ***¼

MATCH #11: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Rob Van Dam, 9.4.01

RVD was just a tiny bit over at this point. Austin attacks RVD right away and kicks him down in the corner. This is a rare WWE Champion versus Hardcore Champion match, and also an Alliance versus Alliance match. RVD comes back with a spinning heel kick and unloads some offense, so Austin pokes him in the eye and goes back to work. Austin gets an Irish whip and charges into an elbow. RVD goes up top and gets shoved into the barricade. Austin follows him out and continues the punishment. They fight into the crowd, and RVD gains some life out there, hitting Austin with a spin kick to send him back to ringside. RVD slams Austin’s head into the announce table, but Austin comes back with a clothesline. Austin rams RVD’s head into the ring post and then the ring steps. Back in the ring Austin gets two-count. Austin sets RVD on the top rope and hits a superplex for two. RVD tries to come back with a dropkick but Austin avoids it and stays in control. Austin drags RVD to the floor and goes for a suplex, but RVD reverses it. RVD tries a clothesline but Austin ducks it and drops RVD crotch first on the guardrail. Back in the ring Austin hits a short-arm clothesline for two. Austin goes for the Stunner but RVD blocks it and hits a dropkick. RVD tries the cartwheel moonsault but Austin gets his knees up. Austin grabs a chair but gets it kicked back into his face! RVD goes up for the Five-Star Frog Splash but Austin knocks him down and goes for a superplex. He can’t hit it, and RVD knocks him down but misses the Five-Star. Austin lands a Stunner, but instead of going for the pin he tries the Ankle Lock. Kurt Angle’s music hits, distracting Austin, and RVD gets a rollup for the cheap win at 9:48. The finish was lazy as all hell, but the match was action packed and lots of fun.
Rating: ***

MATCH #12: Team Angle vs. Eddie Guerrero & Tajiri, 5.29.03

Eddie & Tajiri have been the champions since 5.18.03, and this is their second defense. The challengers attack before the bell can ring, and we’re off and running. Haas and Guerrero start the match proper, and Haas pitches him to the floor. Guerrero gets back in the ring and Team Angle works him over in their corner. Benjamin tosses Guerrero in the air and gets hit with a dropkick for his troubles. Guerrero tags Tajiri, who unleashes some kicks and a hurricanrana. Tajiri traps Benjamin in a rolling sunset flip for two. They get back to their feet and both men land a kick to the head as we go to commercial. We come back to Tajiri nailing Benjamin in the chest with a dropkick. Haas illegally interferes and Team Angle viciously attacks Tajiri’s knee. That’s good strategy, given how much Tajiri relies on his kicks for offense. Team Angle does an effective job keeping him isolated, but eventually Tajiri does make the hot tag and the crowd is on fire. Guerrero sends Benjamin to the floor, and hits the Three Amigos on Haas. He hits the frog Splash but Benjamin breaks it up. The match breaks down to a brawl, and the referee is having trouble maintaining order. Guerrero makes the tag, and Tajiri is fighting hard on one leg. Haas hits a Northern Lights Suplex and Guerrero has to break it up. Benjamin comes in and Guerrero dumps him to the floor. Guerrero wipes out Benjamin on the floor with a dive from the top rope. In the ring Tajiri misses the Buzz Saw Kick, and Haas locks on the Haas of Pain. The bell rings, but the referee doesn’t know why. While the referee is distracted, Guerrero brings one of the title belts in the ring and makes it look like Haas hit him with it, and the referee calls for the disqualification at 12:14 (shown). It’s not often you hear crowds pop like that for DQ finishes, but Eddie Guerrero was just that special. The match was terrific fun, and the crowd was super hot.
Rating: ****

MATCH #13: Steel Cage Match – Eddie Guerrero vs. JBL, 7.15.04

JBL won the title on 6.27.04, and this is already his second defense. Eddie is the aggressor early on, wanting to regain the title he feels like he lost unfairly. JBL is able to counter him and is the first man to use the cage as a weapon. He tries to escape early but Eddie pulls him back to the ring. JBL comes back and hits the Last Call. He tries to crawl over the top again but Eddie stops him. He slams JBL’s head into the cage and finds himself on the top rope. He goes for the Frog Splash and JBL moves out of the way. JBL tries to climb out again and Eddie crotches him on the top rope and gets a two-count. He gets JBL up and delivers the Three Amigos. Eddie goes up top and this time JBL knocks him down and delivers a superplex. We go to commercial. Back from the break the WWE Champion is still in control. JBL comes off the ropes and Eddie hits him with a dropkick. Eddie delivers a blatant low blow and gets a cover for two. JBL fights back with a spinebuster and gets his own near fall. He tries climbing out again but Eddie goes up and hits him with a super Russian legsweep. They get up and JBL is able to utilize the sleeper, while choking him with his wrist tape. Eddie pulls a Bret Hart and runs JBL into the cage to escape the hold. He runs JBL’s face into the cage again and gets a near fall. He charges at JBL with the running something and gets back dropped into the cage. The champ gets a near fall. They get up and trade punches, and JBL comes off the ropes with the Clothesline from Hell but Eddie kicks out! We take one more commercial break, and when we’re back JBL is trying to crawl out of the cage again. Eddie stops him again. JBL comes back and tries the Last Call, which Eddie reverses into a Tornado DDT. That gets two. Eddie then tries to climb out, and JBL comes up to bring him back into the ring. He follows up with a vicious powerbomb and Eddie kicks out again! JBL climbs up to the top and Eddie kicks him down to the mat. He climbs to the top of the cage but instead of climbing down to the floor and winning the match he delivers a huge Frog Splash from the top of the cage. Eddie is hurt as well, so it takes him a while to crawl over for the cover. When he does, JBL kicks out at two. They get back to their feet and JBL hits a DDT and goes to climb over the cage again. Eddie gets up and meets him at the top and they slug it out. All of a sudden the masked El Gran Luchador comes out and holds Eddie’s legs while JBL climbs down and gets the win to retain the title at 21:04. The match was pretty great for TV, but I think the finish was a bit unnecessary. Luchador climbs over the top of the cage and Eddie tries to bring him back to the ring but is only able to take his mask off, revealing Kurt Angle!
Rating: ***¾

MATCH #14: WWE Undisputed Championship Match – Undertaker vs. Kurt Angle, 7.4.02

Undertaker has been the champion since 5.19.02, and this is his fifth defense. He’s still a biker at this point, which is my least favorite Undertaker of all time. The champ overpowers Angle to start, shoving him down to the mat. He puts on a headlock and then shoulderblocks Angle down, and the challenger takes a quick powder. Back in the ring Angle locks on a side headlock, which Undertaker quickly breaks and shoulderblocks him down. Angle gets a single leg takedown into a front facelock, and rolls that over to cover for two. He taunts Undertaker and then bails to the floor. Back in the ring Angle outwrestles Undertaker and gloats about it, so Undertaker boots him in the face and Angle rolls back to the floor. Back in the ring again Undertaker hits a clothesline for two. Undertaker hits a clothesline in the corner, Snake Eyes, and a running big boot for two. He tries a Chokeslam but Angle counters with a release German suplex. Angle hits a belly-to-back suplex for two. He locks on a front facelock to try and wear Undertaker down. Angle works Undertaker over in the corner, but when Angle stops to jaw with the referee Undertaker makes the comeback with some fisticuffs of his own. Undertaker follows with a big shoulderblock and more punches. He hits a DDT for two. Undertaker tries the Tombstone but Angle slips out and locks on the Ankle Lock. That gets broken, but Angle is able to hit the Angle Slam for two, and then the straps come down and the Ankle Lock gets put back on. Undertaker breaks it again, and hits a chokeslam on one leg for a two-count. He sets up for the Last Ride, but Angle locks on a Triangle Choke. Then, for the first time ever, Undertaker taps out, but Angle’s shoulders are on the mat and he gets pinned at the same time to end the match in confusion at 10:21. I’m not a big fan of the finish, because why would Undertaker tap out when he had a two-count? Overall the match was pretty good though, one of Undertaker’s better ones from this time period.
Rating: ***

~DISC THREE~

MATCH #15: World Tag Team Title Match – The Rock ‘n Sock Connection vs. The New Age Outlaws, 10.14.99

The Outlaws have been the champions since 9.23.99. The Rock and Billy Gunn start for their respective teams. I miss the days when crowds were this hot for everything. Rock locks on a side headlock, and then takes Gunn down with a shoulderblock. Gunn comes back with a drop toehold, but Rock fires back with a clothesline and a series of right hands in the corner. Rock whips Gunn into the corner, and Gunn comes out with a neckbreaker for two. Gunn tries the Fame-Ass-Er but Rock counters with a slam and goes for the Rock Bottom, but Road Dogg breaks it up. That turns the match into a pier-six brawl, and another referee comes out to restore order. We wind up with Road Dogg and Mankind in the ring. They trade punches, and Mankind tries to imitate his opponent. Road Dogg responds with a low blow, a punch, and the Shake Rattle N’ Roll Knee Drop. He sets up for the Pump Handle Slam, but Rock breaks it up and gets tagged into the match. Rock tags Mankind back in, and Road Dogg and Mankind clothesline each other. Road Dogg tags Gunn, who knocks Rock off the apron and hits Mankind with a piledriver, but Rock breaks up the count. The Outlaws work Mankind over in their corner. Gunn misses a Stinger Splash and Mankind hits a modified bulldog before making the hot tag. Rock is all over the champions, hitting Gunn with the Rock Bottom. Road Dogg breaks it up and he and Rock fight outside the ring. Back in the ring Mankind hits Gunn with the Double-Arm DDT for two. Road Dogg comes back in and Mankind traps him in the Mandible Claw. Rock pulls Road Dogg to the floor again, and Gunn hits Mankind with the Fame-Ass-Er. Crash and Hardcore Holly come in out of nowhere, and Hardcore hits Gunn with one of the title belts. Mankind drapes an arm over to get the pin and make the Rock ‘n Sock Connection three time World Tag Team Champions at 8:31. I don’t get the finish, as Hardcore and Crash were scheduled for a shot at the titles, and now they don’t get it. Other than that the match was the usual fun times from Mankind and The Rock.
Rating: **½

MATCH #16: John Cena vs. Kurt Angle, 6.27.02

This is Cena’s TV debut, and it came about because Kurt Angle challenged anyone who he has never wrestled before to come out and make a name for himself. Cena gets a quick takedown and clotheslines Angle to the floor. He follows Angle out and throws him right back in. He hits a back body drop and a couple of clotheslines. He whips Angle into the corner and hits a Stinger Splash for two. Angle tries to put the Ankle Lock on but Cena counters it twice, so Angle hits a release German suplex instead. The veteran Angle is in control now, withstanding a victory roll and slugging away at Cena in the corner. He locks Cena in a front facelock and wears him down. Cena powers out of it and slams Angle down. Both men make it back to their feet and Cena is on fire, hitting a modified spinebuster for two. Angle rakes the eyes and tries an Angle Slam, but Cena reverses it to a DDT for three straight near-falls. A schoolboy rollup gets two, as does a small package. Cena whips Angle off the ropes for a powerslam that gets two more near-falls. Out of nowhere Angle grabs Cena’s arms in a chicken wing and rolls it into a pinning combination to get the pin at 5:37. Cena wants a handshake but Angle refuses. That’s a terrific debut match.
Rating: **¾

MATCH #17: Handicap Match – Zach Gowen & Stephanie McMahon vs. Big Show, 7.3.02

Show obviously dominates from the get-go and it spills to the floor. Stephanie jumps on Show’s back and tries to choke him, and gets (sort of) slammed down to the floor for her troubles. Gowen also tries to get some offense in, but Show just throws him around and Stephanie too. Vince McMahon comes in to direct traffic, and Show hits Gowen with a chokeslam. Stephanie slaps her father, who then directs Show to chokeslam her. Kurt Angle comes out to save Stephanie, and he hits Show with a low blow and puts on the Ankle Lock. Vince hits Angle with a chair, so Brock Lesnar comes out and sets Vince up for the F-5 and Show breaks it up. Show grabs the chair and Gowen kicks it into his head! Angle hits Show with the Angle Slam and Lesnar hits an F-5. Gowen dropkicks Vince to the floor and hits Show with the one-legged moonsault to get the pin and earn his contract at 4:46. The match was fine enough for what it was.
Rating: *

MATCH #18: World Tag Team Championship Match – Billy & Chuck vs. Edge & Hulk Hogan, 7.4.02

Billy & Chuck have been the champions since 6.6.02, and this is their third defense. Hogan and Chuck start the match, and Hogan easily overpowers him. Chuck comes back with a series of right hands and a bodyslam. That doesn’t keep Hogan down for long, and he catches Chuck gloating and hits a series of punches and a clothesline. Hogan rakes his boot across Chuck’s face, which is “vintage Hogan.” So this has been going on at least seven years then. Edge and Billy are tagged in, and Edge hits the Edge-O-Matic for two. The champions cheat to gain an advantage and start working Edge over. The battle spills to the floor, where Rico accidentally superkicks Billy. That doesn’t keep Billy down for too long, as he bulldogs Edge off the apron into the steel steps. Back in the ring the champs keep wearing Edge down. Finally Edge makes the hot tag and the crowd loses it. He Hulks Up on both Billy and Chuck. He hits the big boot on Billy but when he goes for the leg drop Chuck comes in with a Jungle Kick. Hogan kicks out but the champions are double-teaming him now. No matter, Hogan clotheslines both of them and makes the tag to Edge. He comes off the top rope with a clothesline on both champions. He hits Chuck with the Edgecution, and then Rico trips him up. Hogan takes care of that little problem. Billy tries the Fame-Ass-Er on Edge but he avoids it and hits a Spear. Hogan is back in now and he and Edge hit a double big boot on Chuck. Edge hits a Leg Drop, Hogan hits one too, and Edge makes the pin at 10:03. That was Hogan’s first major World Tag Team Championship victory. I know there are many Hogan haters out there but this was the absolute best way to use him and this match was super fun.
Rating: ***½

MATCH #19: Intercontinental Championship Match – Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy, 4.12.01

Triple H had just beaten Jericho for the title one week ago. Hardy attacked HHH, Stone Cold, and even hit Stephanie with a Twist of Fate earlier tonight, so HHH comes down to the ring pissed off. Hardy gets some offense in and a couple of near falls, but HHH continually overpowers him. HHH tosses Hardy to the floor, and when he tries to run the guardrail on him HHH catches him and slams him. Hardy tries to jump off the apron and gets the exact same treatment. Back in the ring HHH hits the Harley Race knee and instead of going for a cover he punches him in the face a few times. HHH goes to the sleeper and Hardy breaks it up with a chinbreaker. Hardy hits a side Russian Legsweep, and Cole and Tazz think HHH executed it. In their defense it was awkward looking. Hardy goes up to the top rope and HHH shoves the referee into the ropes. Referee Tim White gets in HHH’s face about it so HHH shoves him down. HHH goes up to superplex Hardy, but Matt Hardy comes out and nails HHH with a chair and Jeff hits the Swanton for the major upset at 8:07. Matt was supposedly at home with injuries so it was a surprise to see him there. The match was a pretty good underdog babyface overcoming the odds display, and a big win for Jeff. He would lose it back to HHH on Raw four days later, but it was still a big moment.
Rating: **½

MATCH #20: No DQ Match – Edge vs. Eddie Guerrero, 9.26.02

These two split singles matches at SummerSlam and Unforgiven, so this is the rubber match. This match is often mistaken for a ladder match, but it’s just no-DQ. I vividly remember watching this match in my dorm room at Western when Jimmy Jacobs’s brother was my roommate. I had been a fan of both guys for a while (Eddie in WCW, and Edge from The Brood) so the reports of this match’s awesomeness excited me. Eddie takes the early advantage, and Edge comes back with a powerslam. He heads up top and Eddie knocks him down and hits a superplex. Edge kicks out at two, but Eddie stays in control, wearing Edge down. Some in the crowd are actually chanting “boring,” which is strange because there’s barely been any resting in this match. Edge recovers and knocks Eddie to the floor and he grabs a ladder from under the ring. He charges at Eddie, who ducks, and Edge strikes the referee instead. That distraction allows Eddie to take control and whack Edge on the back with a steel chair. Eddie throws Edge back in the ring and hits him with the chair again. He goes up and tries the Frog Splash but Edge rolls out of the way and we go to a commercial. We come back with a new referee and Eddie is pummeling Edge the corner. The poor first referee is still lying unconscious on the floor; I guess the medics are busy doing something else. Finally some other referees come out to bring him to the back. During the break Edge did hit a Spear for a near-fall. While we’re being shown that footage, Edge gains control and hits a face plant for two. Edge goes to the top rope but Eddie counters with a rana for two. Eddie works on the arm for a moment, and then goes up for another rana on a standing Edge, who counters to a powerbomb. Edge goes back to the ladder and brings it in the ring. Eddie dropkicks it into Edge’s face. He then goes out and gets his own ladder. He puts Edge between the two ladders and hits the Hilo on him, hurting himself a bit in the process too. He covers Edge on the ladder and only gets two. Undaunted, he sets up one ladder in the corner and goes all the way up. Edge recovers and meets him there. They slug it out and Eddie is able to hit a huge Sunset Bomb and the crowd gasps and then cheers. That’s a good sign. Amazingly, that does not end the match. Eddie charges and Edge back drops him into the ladder that’s still set up in the corner. Ouch. Edge sets up the other ladder in the other corner and climbs it for some reason. Eddie meets him up there and they slug it out. Edge hits an unbelievably awesome Edgecution from the top to get the pin at 16:42. Wow, talk about a match that holds up seven years after the fact. The crowd was a little tepid at first but they won them over by executing awesome spots without making them look contrived. Eddie got busted open on the last sequence from getting his head slammed into the ladder. They used the weapons to enhance the story they were telling, not as a crutch. These two were part of so many great matches in the year 2002 (particularly the latter half) and this was one of the best. It’s also one of the best matches in Smackdown history.
Rating: ****½

MATCH #21: WWE Championship Match – The Rock vs. Triple H, 8.26.99

Shawn Michaels is the special guest referee. Triple H won the title on 8.23.99 so this would be his first defense. They slug it out to start, and both guys try to hit their finishers early. They trade offense back and forth and take the brawl to the floor, all the way up the entrance ramp. Rock hits a suplex and throws more punches. They make their way back to ringside, and Chyna hits a low blow, causing Michaels to eject her from the premises. Triple H argues with Michaels, giving Rock time to recover. Back in the ring Rock hits a DDT but Michaels was out of position arguing with Chyna so the champion kicks out. Shane McMahon comes down to argue with Michaels, and the crowd doesn’t appreciate Shane being around. Triple H takes control with the big knee to the face. He wears Rock down for several minutes, until Rock powers out of a front facelock and hits a Hot Shot, but Shane distracts Michaels and he can’t make the count. Rock hits a swinging neckbreaker and Shane once again gets on the apron, so Rock slugs him down. He hits the Rock Bottom and sets up for the People’s Elbow, when out of nowhere Shawn intercepts him with the Superkick! Triple H then hits the Pedigree and gets the pin to retain the title at 9:41. I think this was Shawn’s only appearance around this time, so sadly it ended up going nowhere. It’s really too bad we never got to see Shawn Michaels versus The Rock. As for this match, it was a solid way to kickoff Smackdown.
Rating: **¾

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Reliant Stadium – Houston, Texas – 4.5.09

DVD Release Date: May 19, 2009

MATCH #1: Money in the Bank Ladder Match – CM Punk vs. Kofi Kingston vs. MVP vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Kane vs. Mark Henry vs. Finlay vs. Christian

It’s nice to have Christian back. As usual with these types of matches I don’t expect to do much play-by-play. Henry and Kane clear the ring and go at it early on. Shelton and Christian team up to introduce the first ladder, taking Kane and Henry down. Kingston then dropkicks it back onto both of them and hits the Boom-Boom legdrop. Kane and Henry recover and make the first attempt to climb the ladder, but the other six guys all team up to take them down. They all climb the ladders now, and Henry and Kane return the favor by knocking them down. Punk and Kofi wind up in the ring together, and instead of fighting they hit stereo suicide dives onto Christian, MVP, and Kane. Shelton climbs to the top of a very tall ladder and somersaults off it into the crowd, and it doesn’t look like they did a very good job catching him. Henry then teases a dive off the top rope, but Finlay stops him with his shillelagh. Hornswoggle introduces a step-ladder, and uses it to help catapult himself off the top rope onto the mass of competitors on the floor. Finlay is left alone in the ring and brings a ladder in. Kofi knocks him off the ladder with a Trouble in Paradise. I’m having trouble keeping up with everything. Punk and MVP wind up on the ladder and Christian pulls MVP down. Christian goes after Punk and gets kicked in the face. He perseveres though, and takes Punk off the ladder with the Un-Prettier. Shelton and MVP unfortunately blow a sunset bomb off the ladder. Bummer dudes. Shelton then hits a powerbomb on MVP to the floor, right onto Henry and Tony Atlas. He then knocks Finlay off the ladder, and Christian pulls Shelton down. Shelton and Christian climb up a ladder together, and Christian sends Shelton crashing to the floor. The crowd goes nuts as Christian gets close to the briefcase. Punk swoops in out of nowhere but Christian is able to get Punk’s leg tied up in the ladder. Kane joins them and Chokeslams Christian down to the mat. Punk untangles his foot and kicks Kane down and grabs the briefcase to become the first-ever two-time Money in the Bank winner at 14:23. Money in the Bank is one of the more reliable WWE matches, and this one was no different. Amazing spots and I certainly didn’t predict Punk winning, so great stuff all around.
Rating: ****

MATCH #2: 25-Diva Battle Royal to Determine the First-Ever Miss WrestleMania

We skip over the entrances and right into the awkward brawling. A bunch of divas get eliminated and the crowd does not care. It’s nice that Victoria, who was so irritated with WWE when she left and still talks crap about them now that she’s in TNA, found it in her heart to take a WrestleMania payday. Phoenix gets rid of a few divas. Santina Marella simultaneously eliminates Phoenix and Melina to become Miss WrestleMania at 6:11. That was just all kinds of boring and pointless. You couldn’t even tell who was in the match.
Rating: DUD

MATCH #3: 3-on-1 Handicap Elimination Match – Rowdy Roddy Piper, Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka & Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat with “Nature Boy” Ric Flair in their corner vs. Chris Jericho

Piper starts the match for the Hall of Fame team. He clotheslines Jericho to the floor and follows him out. He slaps Jericho around a bit. Back in the ring Piper gets a sunset flip and a sort of dropkick. He brings Jericho over to the corner and tags Snuka. Jericho can’t get any offense going here. Snuka tags Steamboat, who hits a cross body block off the top rope and starts going to work on the arm. Steamboat looks amazing, like he can totally still go. He tags Snuka back in, and within moments Jericho sweeps the legs and locks on the Walls of Jericho and Snuka taps out at 3:45. Piper rejoins the match and puts on the Sleeper. Jericho escapes and hits a running enziguiri to eliminate Piper at 4:46. Steamboat comes in with a high cross body block off the top rope but Jericho kicks out at two. Jericho wears Steamboat down, but the veteran is still able to skin the cat and back drops Jericho to the floor. The Dragon follows Jericho out with a slingshot dive. The crowd goes nuts for Steamboat. He goes up and hits the chop off the top rope, and he’s rolling. He gets an O’Connor Roll for two. Jericho comes back with a bulldog, but misses the Lionsault. He charges at Steamboat and gets caught in a powerslam for two. Jericho puts the Walls of Jericho on, and Steamboat gets an inside cradle for two! Moments later Jericho hits the Code Breaker to get the pin and win the match at 8:58. As soon as Piper and Snuka got out of the way, this got very entertaining. Steamboat looked like he could go in a singles match; Piper and Snuka not so much.
Rating: **¼

MATCH #4: Extreme Rules Match – Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy

Jeff starts off by slapping his older brother in the face, and the brawl is on. It quickly spills to the floor, where Jeff is firmly in control. Back in the ring Jeff tries Whisper in the Wind but Matt swats him out of the air with a chair and gets a two-count. Matt goes to work on his younger brother, hitting the Side Effect on a chair for two. A table is set up on the floor, but no one goes through it just yet. Jeff recovers and knocks Matt off the apron, and he follows him down with a clothesline. Back in the ring Jeff uses a trash can to abuse his older brother. The corner dropkick gets two. Jeff hits a gourdbuster and goes up top and tries the Swanton. Matt moves and then hits the Twist of Fate for two. He goes up top but Jeff knocks him down and hits a superplex. Jeff then clobbers Matt with a chair, and takes him to the floor to set him up on the table. He sets a chair on his brother, and then another table on top of the first one. Jeff goes to the top rope and crashes through the table. Back in the ring Jeff gets a two-count. Jeff hits a legdrop off a steel chair and sets up a ladder. He tries another legdrop over a really tall ladder, but Matt moves and Jeff crashes down hard to the canvas. Matt gets up and traps Jeff’s head in a steel chair and hits a Twist of Fate to get the pin at 13:14. They did some creative spots but it somehow lacked the intensity I thought it would have. Some day these guys are bound to have a great match with each other, but it hasn’t happened yet.
Rating: ***¼

MATCH #5: Intercontinental Championship Match – JBL vs. Rey Mysterio

JBL has been the champion since 3.9.09, and this is his first defense. Mysterio’s gear tonight is an interpretation of Heath Ledger’s Joker, which is pretty cool. Lawler notes the homage, to which JR replies, “I think Rey’s career is alive and well,” which is kind of offensive. JBL hits a boot to Rey’s face before the bell can ring and works him over in the corner. The referee lets Rey recover and then rings the bell. Rey gets an enziguiri, the 619, and a splash off the top rope to get the pin and win the Intercontinental Title at 0:21. Not much of a match, but a fitting match for JBL to go out on.
Rating: ¼*

MATCH #6: Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels

Shawn tries to use his speed early on, and Undertaker counters with his extraordinary power. Undertaker takes control early on, working on Shawn’s back. He hits Old School but misses a charger in the corner and Michaels goes after the knee. They trade control back and forth a few times. Michaels locks on the Crossface and Undertaker powers out with a side slam for two. The ever-resilient Michaels storms back with a flurry of offense. Michaels tries an axe handle off the top rope but Undertaker catches him by the throat. He avoids that and knocks Undertaker down with a kick and tries the Figure-Four. Undertaker counters and locks on Hell’s Gate. Michaels reaches the ropes. Undertaker tries the legdrop on the apron but Michaels moves, and then follows up with a baseball slide to knock Undertaker back. Michaels tries a moonsault but misses and lands hard on the floor. Undertaker recovers and launches himself over the top rope but Michaels pulls a cameraman in front of him and the cameraman does a horrible job of catching Undertaker, who appears to land directly on his skull. Michaels revives the referee and tries to get him to count Undertaker out, but the Dead Man just barely makes it back to the ring before the count of 10. He sets up for Sweet Chin Music but Undertaker counters with a chokeslam and Michaels kicks out at two! Undertaker looks incredulous. He tries the Tombstone but Michaels counters to hit the Sweet Chin Music and Undertaker kicks out! Michaels gets back to his feet but Undertaker grabs him by the throat and goes for the Last Ride. After several counters Undertaker hits the move but Michaels kicks out at two! Undertaker hooking the leg and overtly showing his frustration is great touches. He goes to the top rope and misses a big elbow drop. They get back to their feet and Undertaker throws Michaels over the ropes. Michaels skins the cat, but Undertaker catches him with the Tombstone but Michaels kicks out! The look on Undertaker’s face is priceless. Undertaker pulls the straps down and goes for the Tombstone but Michaels counters to a DDT. Michaels goes up top and hits the elbow. He sets up for Sweet Chin Music and nails it, but Undertaker kicks out at two! They get back to their feet and trade blows. Michaels counters another Tombstone attempt and kicks a charging Undertaker in the face. He tries a Moonsault but Undertaker hits the Tombstone to get the win in this absolutely epic match at 30:41. If anything even comes close to this in Match of the Year voting I’ll be stunned. This is the real match of the year, because the fans aren’t chanting “Match of the Year” and the wrestlers didn’t hug each other and talk about the great match they just had. Everyone in the building simply knew. I think this might be the greatest match of All Time.
Rating: *****

MATCH #7: Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship – Edge vs. John Cena vs. Big Show

Edge has been the champion since 2.15.09, and this is his second defense. I must say that Edge comparing himself to Jesus is pretty awesome. Cena goes right after Edge but gets steamrolled by Show. Edge tries to make an arrangement with Show, and his nuts pay for it. Cena tries an early Attitude Adjustment on Edge but Show breaks it up. Show is dominant over both men in the early going. Cena recovers and knocks Show to the floor, and follows him out with a legdrop off the top rope. That was cool. Edge and Cena get back in the ring, and Cena tries the Attitude Adjustment but Edge counters to the Edgecution for a two-count. The champion goes up top and Cena knocks him to the floor. Meanwhile Show gets back in the ring and hits a side slam on Cena for two. Cena recovers and goes on offense, but Chavo pulls him to the floor. That’s bad news for Chavo though, as Cena hits him with the Attitude Adjustment. Show gets tied up in the ropes and Cena takes advantage by hitting the Proto-Plex on Edge and the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Vickie gets up on the apron and Edge accidentally Spears her. Cena gets a rollup for two. Show finally escapes and resumes his domination. He goes for a double chokeslam and only Cena avoids it. Cena can’t avoid the right hand though, and he falls to the floor. Edge is out there too, so Show joins the party. Show tries to Chokeslam Edge on the floor, but Edge counters to a DDT. Edge sets up the steps and uses them for extra momentum to hit a Spear on Show, sending them both crashing through the guardrail and into the crowd. Back in the ring Edge goes for a cover on Cena but only gets two. Edge tries a Spear but Cena counters to the STF. Show breaks it up and tosses Cena to the floor. Back in the ring Show tries a Vader Bomb but Edge moves out of the way. Cena gets back in the ring and along with Edge suplexes Show down. They seem to make a tenuous agreement to get rid of the big man, and they clothesline him to the floor. The second Show is gone Edge boots Cena in the face for a two-count. Edge tries to hit the Edge-o-Matic but Cena avoids it and hits the Throwback. Cena goes up top and Show pushes him directly into a Spear. Show breaks up the count. Back in the ring Edge gets Show in a sleeper, and Cena picks both of them up! He hits Show with the Attitude Adjustment, and then hits one on Edge, landing him on top of Show. Cena then pins Show to win the title for the second time at 14:43. That match doesn’t get much love, but I thought it was a lot fun and had some really creative spots. I also liked the finish.
Rating: ***½

MATCH #8: WWE Championship Match – Triple H vs. Randy Orton

Triple H has been the champion since 2.15.09 and this is his first defense. If Triple H gets counted out or disqualified, he will lose the title. The champion starts out hot, throwing punch after punch in the early going. The referee tries to restrain the champion, reminding him of the DQ clause. That gives Orton the chance to recover and he hits an RKO! Orton sets up for the Punt Kick but Triple H avoids it and hits the Pedigree! They both roll to the floor and Triple H clobbers Orton from behind and slams him into the announce table. Orton rolls back in the ring and Triple H dumps a bottle of water on himself to try and revive himself. Back in the ring the champion resumes throwing punches at the challenger. Orton tries begging off, but Triple H will have none of it. Back on the floor Orton reverses an Irish whip and sends Triple H crashing into the steel steps. Orton then throws Triple H over the guardrail and the referee starts the count. Triple H makes it back in the ring at seven, and the challenger is all over him. The crowd totally becomes interested in something else at this point. Triple H makes the comeback I think, but I’m about as interested as the crowd. Orton hits a powerslam for two. They counter each other a few times and Triple H ends the series with a clothesline for two. They’re just trading moves and counters back and forth, and sometimes the crowd reacts. Triple H jumps off the top rope but Orton catches him with a dropkick. Orton tries the Punt Kick again but Triple H catches the boot and flips Orton over the top rope to the floor. Triple H follows Orton to the floor and teases using a TV monitor, but the referee reminds him that he’ll lose the title and he thinks better of it. Way to deflate the crowd with that stipulation. Triple H goes for a Pedigree on the announce table but Orton counters with a back drop. Orton then hits the DDT to the floor and rolls back in the ring. Triple H barely makes it back in the ring and Orton stomps away at him. The champion starts making the comeback so Orton manipulates the referee to take him out. Orton then hits an RKO and goes under the ring to grab the sledgehammer. Before he can use it Triple H punts him in the head, and then uses the sledgehammer himself. They roll around for another few minutes for some reason, and then Triple H hits a simple Pedigree to get the pin at 23:34. The match was long and pretty dull. The crowd would have probably popped louder if they had streamlined the Triple H Punt Kick/Sledgehammer/Pedigree combo. I like both guys but they never really have very good matches against each other.
Rating: **½

BONUS MATCH: Lumberjack Match for the Unified Tag Team Championship – Carlito & Primo vs. The Miz & John Morrison

Carlito & Primo have been WWE Tag Team Champions since 9.26.08, and this is their fourth defense. Miz & Morrison have been World Tag Team Champions since 12.13.08 and this is their fourth defense. The lumberjacks are The Great Khali, Cryme Tyme, Jamie Noble, Charlie Haas, Hurricane Helms, Goldust, Jimmy Wang Yang, Tommy Dreamer, Evan Bourne, R-Truth, William Regal, Paul Burchill, Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler, The Brian Kendrick, Ezekiel Jackson, Curt Hawkins, Zack Ryder, Mike Knox, and Vladimir Kozlov. Grisham and Striker get the call on commentary. Primo and Morrison start the match with some back and forth. Morrison almost gets knocked to the floor but avoids it the first time. Moments later Primo hits a headscissors to send Morrison to the floor, and as soon as Morrison gets back in he gets clotheslined out again! The lumberjacks take some liberties and send Morrison back in the ring. The Colons are in firm control as Carlito gets tagged in. Morrison comes back with a back body drop and makes the tag. Miz comes in and sends Carlito to the floor, but Carlito soon comes back with a flurry of aerial offense. Carlito goes up top and Miz pulls him down onto the lumberjacks, causing a ruckus on the floor. Miz takes the opportunity to wear Carlito down now. Morrison tags in and they hit a double team face slam and Primo breaks up the cover. He hits a knee to Carlito’s face for another two-count. Carlito traps Morrison on his shoulders and drops him down to the mat. They both make the tag and Primo is fired up. He hits Miz with a springboard missile dropkick for two. Morrison makes a blind tag and levels Primo with a kick to the face. He goes for the Moonlight Drive but Primo counters to a rollup for two. Carlito spears Miz to the floor, while Primo hits a cross body off the top rope on Morrison, who reverses it for a two-count. Morrison goes for the Curtain Call but Primo reverses to a Backstabber for the upset pin at 8:21. That was unfortunately short, but they packed a lot of action in and got the crowd fired up. It certainly makes me wish WWE would do more with tag team wrestling.
Rating: ***¼

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Key Arena – Seattle, Washington – 2.15.09

DVD Release Date: March 17, 2009

MATCH #1: Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Championship – Edge vs. Triple H vs. Undertaker vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Big Show vs. Vladimir Kozlov

In qualifying matches: Undertaker beat Mark Henry (Smackdown 1/30); Big Show beat Festus (Smackdown 1/30); Triple H beat Vladimir Kozlov and The Great Khali in a three-way match (Smackdown 1/30); and Vladimir Kozlov won a 15-man battle royal (Smackdown 2/6). Edge has been the champion since 1.25.09, and this is his first defense. It’s not too often that Undertaker comes out first on a pay-per-view. Edge gets fantastic heel heat; I miss him. Hardy and Edge start the match, and Hardy wants revenge. The challenger is on a roll right away, knocking Edge down with a series of clotheslines. Edge comes back with a big boot. He tries to put Hardy away but can’t do so just yet. Hardy comes back with a headscissors, and hits his legdrop and a dropkick to the face. He’s able to hit the Twist of Fate, but then misses the Swanton. Edge tries a Spear, but Hardy rolls him up in an inside cradle and Edge is gone at about 3:04! The crowd pops huge as they both get the satisfaction of Edge getting some comeuppance and the realization that a new WWE Champion will be crowned. Edge is livid. Hardy gets a few moments to rest before Kozlov is released from his cage. Kozlov levels Hardy with a big boot and then drives shoulders into his midsection. Hardy fights back and tries a leap off the second rope but Kozlov gets a battering ram right into the sternum. Kozlov takes the fight to Hardy outside the ring, ramming him into the chamber wall, and then dumping him back in the ring for a two-count. The Moscow Mauler is dominating here. Hardy slips out of a powerslam and dropkicks Kozlov into the turnbuckle and hits the corner dropkick. He follows up with Whisper in the Wind, and while both men are down Big Show enters the fray. Show goes right after Hardy while Kozlov regroups. Hardy is in big trouble now, getting double-teamed by Show and Kozlov. After several minutes of working together, Kozlov knocks Show down with a shoulderblock. Show gets up and they trade shots. The next man in the match is the Game. He goes right after Show with a knee to the face, and has one for Kozlov as well. He even hits Show with a spinebuster! Hardy comes in and tries the Twist of Fate on Triple H, but the freshest man in the match avoids it and hits a clothesline. He then dumps Kozlov to the steel and tries a Pedigree, but Show breaks it up for some reason. Show hits a side suplex on Triple H for a two-count. The crowd gets fired up for the waiting Undertaker, while Show hits a press slam on Triple H and Kozlov abuses Hardy. Show takes Hardy and Triple H outside the ring, and misses a charge into the wall. Triple H and Hardy then double-suplex Kozlov, and then Hardy hits Whisper in the Wind. Finally Undertaker comes out and he tears into Show. The crowd is pleased. Undertaker is an equal opportunity butt-kicker here, going after everyone. He takes Show down with a big clothesline and then grabs Triple H and goes for Old School. He changes flight mid-move and jumps onto Show outside the ring, and hits a devastating DDT! That was awesome. Kozlov stops Undertaker’s momentum and drives him into the corner. He stupidly goes for mounted punches and Undertaker hits the Last Ride to eliminate Kozlov at 23:00. Show recovers and hits Undertaker with a Chokeslam. Triple H goes for a Pedigree, but Show backdrops him onto the steel. Show then hurls Hardy right into Triple H as Kozlov is making his way out of the chamber. Hardy winds up getting crotched on top of one of the pods in an awesome spot. Show tries to grab Hardy off the top of the pod, but Undertaker comes up and hits a superplex. Triple H nails Show with the Pedigree. Hardy then comes off the top of the pod with a Swanton Bomb, and Triple H grabs the pin to eliminate Show at 26:13. Undertaker whips Triple H over the corner and onto the steel, and then turns his attention to Hardy, who has been in this match much longer than either of the other two competitors left. Triple H breaks up an Old School attempt and everyone is down. Moments later Undertaker nails Hardy with the Tombstone to eliminate him at 28:32. Undertaker takes first advantage, slugging away at Triple H in the corner. He misses a charge in the corner and they take the fight to the steel outside the ring. Triple H whips Undertaker into the wall and they go back to the ring. He tries jumping off the top rope but he gets caught in an Undertaker chokeslam for a two-count. Undertaker hits Snake Eyes, but Triple H comes back with a spinebuster for two. They migrate back to the steel and Triple H tries a Pedigree. Undertaker blocks it and catapults Triple H into the wall. He then pulls Triple H back into the ring with a Tombstone, but Triple H gets hit foot on the bottom rope! They struggle back to their feet and Triple H hits a Pedigree, but Undertaker kicks out! They get up and trade punches. For some reason Triple H goes for the Mounted Punches and Undertaker tries the Last Ride but Triple H avoids it! Triple H hits another Pedigree and this time gets the pin and wins the Title for the thirteenth time at 35:58. That was an awesome match with some really cool spots both involving and not involving the chamber. I also love the booking of taking Edge out just minutes into the match. Everyone worked hard here, and the final stuff between Triple H and Undertaker was great stuff.
Rating: ****¼

MATCH #2: No Holds Barred Match – Shane McMahon vs. Randy Orton

Orton walks right into a punch in the face to start the match, and then another one. Shane hits more punches and Orton doesn’t hit any. Alas, I spoke too soon – Orton comes back with a bunch of punches. They take it to the floor and start bringing the weapons out. Orton hits that inverted backbreaker he does, and then rams Shane into the ring apron. Back in the ring the fight continues, slowly. Shane fights back with a kendo stick, and the fight spills back to the floor. He takes Orton down with a clothesline, and then cranks him in the face with a TV monitor. He sets Orton on the table and goes up top for the big elbow, but Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase come out and put the boots to him. Legacy tries to use a chair, but Super Shane fights them off while Stephanie watches on backstage. Orton is a bloody mess. Shane sets Rhodes up for the Coast to Coast and hits it. Since Orton is still lying on the table, Shane goes back up top and goes for the elbow, but Orton moves and Shane crashes through the table. Orton gets back in the ring and sends Legacy to the back to make sure Rhodes is okay. Shane struggles back to the ring, and Orton hits the spike DDT for two, of course. Orton sets up a table and superplexes Shane through it. That gets just another two-count. Orton sets up for the Punt but Shane stops him with a spear. Shane grabs the chair and goes after Orton’s ankle. He’s set to pounce on Orton, but he comes charging in and Orton grabs an RKO to get the pin at 18:15. They tried hard and did a lot of big spots, but the match as a whole wasn’t very cohesive.
Rating: **¼

MATCH #3: ECW Championship Match – Jack Swagger vs. Finlay

Swagger has been the champion since 1.13.09, and this is his second defense. Why is the champion coming out first? Finlay is accompanied by Hornswoggle. He takes Swagger down right away and goes to work on the champion’s left leg. Swagger comes back and targets the arm. The crowd is not interested at all. Finlay counters a powerslam with an inverted DDT on the knee for a two-count. Swagger comes back and drives Finlay into the corner. He charges and Finlay sort of gets a rollup for a sort of near-fall. Swagger once again drives Finlay into the corner. He sets Finlay on the top turnbuckle, and Finlay knocks the champion down. Finlay gets control and goes up to the second rope for a cross body block for two. Hornswoggle comes out from under the ring apron and briefly distracts his dad. Finlay hits an Earthquake splash for two. Hornswoggle gets up on the apron, and ends up getting knocked down by his own father. That gives Swagger the opportunity to hit the Gut Wrench Powerbomb (that thing needs a name) to get the pin and retain the title at 7:59. I really like Swagger, but following a match with as many gimmicks as Orton and Shane had didn’t do any favors for the ECW Title match. And the Hornswoggle stuff just needs to stop.
Rating: *¾

MATCH #4: All or Nothing Match – Shawn Michaels vs. JBL

I think everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they announced they were blowing this match off on this show instead of WrestleMania. JBL tries to intimidate his employee, but Michaels fires back with a series of shots much to the crowd’s delight. He goes to the floor and tries to bait Michaels into using a chair, but HBK will have none of it. Back in the ring JBL blocks a sunset flip for a two-count. Michaels gets a backslide for one, and then JBL knocks him down with a shoulderblock. JBL hits an elbow drop for two. Michaels comes back and goes for the leg, locking JBL in the figure-four. JBL reaches the ropes, so Michaels then locks on the Crossface, which JBL counters to a pinning predicament for two. Michaels tries an Irish whip into the buckle but JBL reverses it and Michaels crashes to the floor. Back in the ring JBL hits a series of elbow drops for a near-fall. The much larger JBL overpowers Michaels for several minutes as the crowd tries to encourage HBK. JBL locks Michaels in a bearhug, but Michaels powers out and hits a swinging neckbreaker. Both men get back to their feet and Michaels gets a few shots in. JBL reverses a whip and sends Michaels flipping into the turnbuckle. He sets Michaels up top and goes for a superplex. Michaels blocks it and sends JBL down to the canvas. He tries the top-rope elbow but JBL moves out of the way. They get back to their feet and JBL hits the Clothesline from Hell for a two-count! JBL hits another one, and shoves Michaels to the floor. Michaels barely makes it back to the ring at the count of nine. JBL hurls Michaels back to the floor, and follows him out. He goes over to Shawn’s wife Rebecca, who slaps him right in the face. That fires her husband up, and they take it back to the ring. It’s Vintage Shawn Michaels all over the place. Michaels hits the Sweet Chin Music to get the pin and earn his independence at 13:19. The finish was fun because the crowd always gets hyped up for Shawn’s comebacks, but most of the match was as dull as most of JBL’s matches are.
Rating: **

MATCH #5: Elimination Chamber Match for the World Heavyweight Championship – John Cena vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Kofi Kingston Edge vs. Chris Jericho vs. Mike Knox vs. Kane

In qualifying matches, Kofi Kingston beat Kane (Raw 1/26); John Cena beat Shawn Michaels (Raw 1/26); Rey Mysterio beat William Regal (Raw 1/26); Chris Jericho beat CM Punk (Raw 1/26); Mike Knox won a battle royal (house show 2/1); and Kane got into the match by convincing his half-brother Undertaker to fight Randy Orton on Raw (Raw 2/2). Cena has been the champion since 11.23.08 and this is his third defense. When Kofi Kingston makes his entrance, former WWE Champion Edge appears and throws Kofi into the stairs and cracks a steel chair across his head! Edge then takes Kofi’s place in the pod! That’s awesome. Mysterio and Jericho will start the match. They trade some holds, and Mysterio gets the first advantage. Mysterio goes for an early 619 but Jericho avoids it. Even so Mysterio stays in control until he tries running into Jericho in the corner but Jericho moves and Mysterio crashes into Kane’s pod! That was cool. Jericho is firmly in control now, back dropping Mysterio onto the steel outside the ring. He tries a catapult, but Mysterio catches onto the wall and climbs up it to deliver an awesome headscissors. Back in the ring Mysterio hits a seated senton for two. Mysterio hits a bulldog, and Kane joins the match. Kane goes after everyone, and even intimidates Edge. He hits Mysterio with a side suplex for two. He then hits a low dropkick (!) for two. He clotheslines Jericho over the ropes to the steel and follows him out. It’s all Kane for several minutes until Jericho catches him with a Code Breaker. Mysterio dumps Jericho out of the ring, and then climbs to the top of a pod to hit Kane with a seated senton to eliminate him at 9:36! Moments later Knox joins the match and goes right after Mysterio. He also goes after Jericho, throwing everybody around. Knox goes for a Shellshock on Mysterio, but Jericho catches him with a Code Breaker to get the elimination at 14:40. Edge is the next one out, and Mysterio doesn’t wait for him to escape the pod! Mysterio is avenging his friend Kofi Kingston. Edge lies in wait and takes advantage when both Jericho and Mysterio are vulnerable. He tries a Spear on Mysterio, who moves, and Jericho tries the Code Breaker but Edge avoids it. Mysterio gets Edge in position for a 619, and Jericho again blocks it with a Spear. They do a Tower of Doom spot and everyone is down. Edge gets control and the Champ Is Here! Cena goes right after Edge, and has plenty for Jericho too. He goes for the Attitude Adjustment on Edge, but Jericho breaks it up with a Code Breaker. That sets Cena up to take the 619 from Mysterio. Edge then pins Cena to eliminate the champ at 22:18. It hasn’t been a good night for the champions. Mysterio fights off both opponents. He hits a 619 on Jericho, but when he goes for a springboard rana Jericho catches him in the Walls of Jericho. Mysterio reverses that to a rollup and Jericho is eliminated at 23:50! Edge sets up for a Spear but Mysterio avoids it and gets a rollup for two! A moonsault gets another two-count. A kick to the face gets yet another near-fall for Mysterio. He tries another moonsault but Edge catches him, and Mysterio reverses again for a DDT for another near-fall. Mysterio goes to the top rope and Edge knocks him down to the steel. Edge tries a powerbomb but Mysterio reverses it to a facebuster! Mysterio executes a reverse 619. Mysterio charges at Edge and gets thrown into the pod! Back in the ring Edge hits a Spear to get the pin at win his eighth World Title at 29:43. Edge losing his title early on but then leaving with the other belt is pretty awesome, and builds intrigue, since both World Titles are in the hands of Smackdown wrestlers now. I thought they’d have trouble living up to the first chamber match, but they did it.
Rating: ****¼

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Joe Louis Arena – Detroit, MI – 1.25.09

DVD Release Date: February 24, 2009

MATCH #1: ECW Championship Match – Jack Swagger vs. Matt Hardy

Swagger has been the champion since 1.13.09 when he beat Hardy, and this is his first defense, and Hardy’s rematch. The champion has only been on TV since September, by the way. The crowd is in full support of the challenger. Hardy outwits the champion in the early going, and Swagger takes a powder. That doesn’t last long, as Hardy chases Swagger outside and brings him back in the ring. Swagger once again takes a powder and this time creates some distance between himself and Hardy. Back in the ring Swagger takes Hardy down to the mat, which is his strong suit. Hardy tries to keep up but Swagger is an All-American. He does make a comeback though and hits a bulldog for two. He goes up to the top rope and Swagger dumps him to the floor. Swagger starts working on Hardy’s arm, which Hardy needs to execute the Twist of Fate. Hardy fights back, but Swagger weathers the blows and keeps going after the arm. He finally escapes the armbar with a clothesline and fires up, hitting what looks like the Eye of the Hurricane for two. He hits another bulldog for two. An elbow off the second rope gets another two-count. Swagger catches a boot and hits a belly-to-belly suplex for two. He follows up with a single-arm DDT for two. They fight up top as Swagger is going for a super back suplex, but Hardy avoids it and knocks Swagger back to the mat. Hardy hits a Moonsault but Swagger kicks out at two! The crowd bought that one. Hardy tries the Twist of Fate but Swagger avoids it and throws Hardy’s shoulder into the ring post. Swagger pulls Hardy out of the corner and hits the Gut-Wrench Powerbomb to score the pin and retain the title at 10:28. I like Swagger going over clean. That was a solid opener to get the crowd going.
Rating: **¾

MATCH #2: Women’s Championship Match – Beth Phoenix vs. Melina

Phoenix has been the champion since 8.17.08, and this is her fourth defense. Melina has been champion twice before. The champion overpowers the challenger early on, while the crowd chants for Phoenix’s valet, Santino Marella. Melina fights valiantly but Phoenix just throws her around and stretches her in unnatural ways. In fact, she stretches Melina’s leg back far enough so that she’s able to say “stop kicking yourself, stop kicking yourself!” Melina almost gets a comeback but Phoenix hits a side suplex for two. Phoenix gets Melina up for a Gorilla Press Slam but Melina slips out and eventually hits a chinbreaker. They trade more holds and Melina hits a spinning face slam for two. Melina hits a Thesz Press off the second rope. Phoenix reverses the momentum, but Melina catches her with a quick rollup to win the title at 5:58. That had the one neat spot but it was otherwise kind of sloppy.
Rating: *½

MATCH #3: World Heavyweight Championship Match – John Cena vs. JBL

Cena has been the champion since 11.23.08, and this is his second defense. JBL is accompanied by his employee, Shawn Michaels. Cena takes the early advantage so JBL takes a powder and confers with Michaels. Back in the ring JBL toes right after Cena with punches and kicks. Cena makes a brief comeback but gets distracted by Michaels and JBL goes back on offense. He hits a series of elbow drops for two. A side suplex gets another two-count. JBL knocks Cena to the floor, and follows him out to deliver more punishment, whipping the champion into the steel steps. The crowd is completely dead. Cena regains control and sort of hits his legdrop to the back of the neck. He hits some more of his signature moves, and the crowd has come alive a bit. He hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle. He tries the F-U but JBL avoids it. Cena is able to lock on the STF-U though, and once again gets distracted by Michaels. JBL kicks Cena to the floor and Cena can’t take his eyes off Michaels. Back in the ring JBL hits a Clothesline from Hell for two. The referee takes a bump to the floor and both men clothesline each other. Michaels gets in the ring and warms up the band. He nails JBL with the kick instead of Cena, much to the delight of the crowd. Cena then stupidly walks right into another Superkick, and Michaels drapes JBL’s arm over the champion. Another referee comes down finally and Cena kicks out at two. Both men get back to their feet and Cena hits a quick F-U to get the pin at 15:29. These two have had some great matches together but boy was this ever not one of them. The crowd was completely dead, and the whole match was just a backdrop for Shawn Michaels’s drama.
Rating: *¾

MATCH #4: WWE Championship Match – Jeff Hardy vs. Edge

Hardy has been the champion since 12.14.08, and this is his first defense. Vickie Guerrero comes out and makes this a no-disqualification match. Edge is accompanied by Chavo Guerrero. Hardy makes his entrance first, which I’m happy to report Jim Ross comments on. Hardy attacks Edge right away and it’s on. (7:48)He controls for the first few moments, and then Edge cuts him off and goes to work. Hardy comes back with a clothesline and a dropkick to the back for two. He sends Edge to the floor and hits a clothesline off the apron. He tries to springboard back into the ring but Edge hits a boot to the face and Hardy crashes to the floor. Edge hits a baseball slide to knock Hardy back down, and he joins the champion on the floor. He whips Hardy into the guardrail. Back in the ring it’s all Edge on offense. Edge goes out to the ring to grab a chair, which actually gives Hardy enough time to recover and hit a spear, sending Edge crashing from the apron to the floor. Hardy hits a slingshot dive to the floor, and then whips Edge back in. They battle on the apron, and Hardy hits a sweet Twist of Fate. Hardy clears off the announce table and sets Edge up. He then brings out a ladder, but Chavo stops him from jumping off. Hardy then whips Edge into the ring post and then sets Chavo up on the table. He climbs the ladder again and this time hits a splash on Chavo, breaking the table. He recovers rather quickly, and throws Edge back in the ring for a high cross body off the top rope for two. Back to their feet and Edge hits a big boot. Edge then exposes the turnbuckle, but Hardy hits the Whisper in the Wind for a near-fall. The challenger then comes back with a DDT for two. Hardy gets an inside cradle for two. He’s firing up and tries the dropkick in the corner, but Edge drops him face-first onto the exposed turnbuckle (cool spot). That only gets two. Edge tries a Spear but Hardy catches him with an awesome Twist of Fate. Hardy goes up for the Swanton Bomb but Vickie Guerrero interferes. He kicks her down and then hits the Swanton. Vickie pulls the referee out at two. Matt Hardy comes down to defend his brother and take care of the Smackdown General Manager. He gives Jeff a chair, and gets another one for himself. They set up for a con-chair-toe, but then Matt clobbers his own brother with the chair! The crowd is unhappy. Edge rolls over to get the pin and win his fourth WWE Championship (seventh World Title overall) at 19:23. Jeff and Edge might work together better than Matt and Edge did. That was a very entertaining match, and the finish worked for the story they were telling.
Rating: ***¾

MATCH #5: Royal Rumble Match

Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross are calling the action. Rey Mysterio draws #1 and John Morrison is #2. Intervals are 90 seconds, allegedly. Rey staves off elimination, delivers a headscissors, and almost eliminates Morrison. Carlito is the #3 entrant, and he spits apple in Morrison’s eyes. Morrison recovers and takes both babyfaces down. MVP is #4, and he takes shots at everybody. The Great Khali is #5, and have I mentioned how much I love his new music? He throws chops at everyone, and slams Morrison to the mat. Then he nails Carlito with the Punjabi Plunge. Khali stands alone as #6 is Vladimir Kozlov. The big Russian single-handedly eliminates Khali in seconds. MVP tries to hit Kozlov with the Drive-By but it misses and MVP is tossed over the top. Carlito makes a valiant effort, but he gets hit with the Iron Curtain and tossed to the floor. Triple H comes out at #7! He’s a former Rumble winner and has a bone to pick with Kozlov. They slug it out and Triple H takes the advantage and quickly eliminates Kozlov. Next out is Randy Orton at #8. Triple H obviously has a bone to pick with him, and they go right at it. Morrison and Rey rejoin the battle to take Triple H and Orton down, and then Rey hits Morrison with the 619. #9 is a member of Cryme Tyme, and they flip a coin to decide who gets to go. JTG wins the toss and enters the ring. Ted DiBiase comes out at #10, and now Orton has some backup. Morrison and JTG almost eliminate each other but manage to hang on. Ditto for Rey and DiBiase. The 2008 Superstar of the Year Chris Jericho is #11. He goes right after Orton. Mike Knox comes out at #12, and I have to admit that I like him. The Miz is lucky #13, and now both World Tag Team Champions are in the ring together. Orton starts dishing out RKO’s to everyone in sight. Triple H cuts him off with a Pedigree, and then the Game eliminates both tag champions at the same time. Of course he does. Finlay comes out at #14. Not much happens and then #15 comes out and it’s Cody Rhodes! Legacy is in full force now and they take advantage of it. Rey tries a springboard body press but Orton catches him with the RKO. We’re into the second half with Undertaker at #16! Undertaker, the 2007 Rumble winner, tosses JTG out right away. The bizarre Goldust is #17. He goes right after his Cody, his own flesh and blood. Straight Edge and Proud, Intercontinental Champion CM Punk comes out at #18. He throws kicks and knees, all while hearing his own name chanted by the Joe Louis Arena. He hits Triple H with the Go 2 Sleep! Mark Henry is the #19 entrant. He goes toe-to-toe with the Undertaker. The United States Champion, the “Gold Standard” Shelton Benjamin is #20. Next out at #21 is William Regal, the 2008 King of the Ring. Regal goes right after Punk, the man who took the Intercontinental Title from him. Mysterio is able to eliminate Henry, which is pretty impressive given the size differential. #22 is Kofi Kingston. The ring is looking pretty full. Kane is #23, and he happens to hold the record for most eliminations in a Rumble match (2001). He and his half-brother Undertaker work together. Punk eliminates Regal, and then R-Truth comes out at #24. Next up is #25, ROB VAN DAM! His home state reacts pretty favorable to him, and the wrestlers are so impressed that they stand there and let him take everyone out individually. The Brian Kendrick is #26. He eliminates Kofi right away, and then gets tossed over himself by Triple H. Dolph Ziggler is #27 and he’s quickly eliminated by Kane. Santino Marella comes out at #28 and Kane clotheslines him out immediately for a new record. The first-ever Rumble winner, Hacksaw Jim Duggan is entry #29 and the crowd digs him. The final entrant, #30, is the enormous Big Show. He tosses Duggan out. Moments later he slams R-Truth to the floor. Next to go is CM punk via a vicious right hand. Tired of eliminating just one man, next show tosses Mysterio and Knox out at the same time. Mysterio lasted an impressive 49 minutes. Hornswoggle tries to help Finlay by distracting Kane, but Finlay winds up getting eliminated by the Big Red Machine. Orton hits the DDT on Triple H. Undertaker and Show square off now. RVD hits Orton with the 5-Star Frog Splash, but then gets tossed out by Jericho. Unfortunately for Jericho, Undertaker is right behind him. Jericho is able to hit a Code Breaker, but Undertaker recovers and tosses Jericho to the floor. Legacy joins forces to eliminate Kane, and we’re down to the final six – Legacy, Triple H, Big Show, and Undertaker. Show hits Triple H with a Chokeslam. He then battles Show on the apron. Orton eliminates Show with an RKO, and then Show pulls Undertaker to the floor to eliminate the Dead Man. We’re down to the final four, and it doesn’t look good for Triple H. Legacy triple teams the Game for a while. But Triple H recovers long enough to eliminate Rhodes and DiBiase, but then Orton gets the last laugh, eliminating Triple H for the win at 58:34. I’m pretty easy to please with Royal Rumbles, and this one was a lot of fun. I love the story of Legacy surviving throughout the match, and there was lots of other fun stuff throughout the match. I think Orton going over was definitely the right move.
Rating: ****¼

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January 13, 2009

~DISC 1~

MATCH #1: The Match of the Decade – “Rowdy” Roddy Piper vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan, 12.29.96

We’re in Nashville, Tennessee for this non-title match. Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, and Dusty Rhodes are on commentary. Hogan isn’t even in the ring when the bell rings to start the match, which seems incorrect to me. He then spends most of the opening minutes on the floor avoiding Piper. They brawl back and forth, with the crowd popping periodically. Eventually Piper joins him on the floor and whips Hogan with a belt. He uses the belt in the ring too, but doesn’t get disqualified. They even fight in the crowd and Hogan uses lots of back rakes. Holy wow this match is boring. Hogan misses the Legdrop and Piper is sort of on fire. The Giant comes out and goes to Chokeslam Piper while a fan jumps into the ring and gets stomped on by Hogan and referee Randy Anderson. He holds up Piper forever waiting for Hogan to come back around. Piper then avoids the Chokeslam and dumps Giant over the ropes to the floor. He locks on the sleeper and Hogan is out at 15:36. The Outsiders come out and Piper takes both of them out, of course. What’s funny is that WCW never really said if this match was for the title or not, so the fans were assuming a title change here. The match was brutally boring, with a stupid finish and an ultimately pointless match.
Rating: ½*

MATCH #2: Iron Man Singles Tournament Match – Sting vs. The Great Muta, 12.13.89

Jim Ross says that some people consider Starrcade ’89 as one of the greatest of all-time. I’ve never heard that before in my life. We’re in Atlanta, Georgia, with Jim Ross and Terry Funk on commentary. Neither man has any points in the Iron Man Tournament yet. Muta was defeated earlier by Flair and Sting was beaten by Luger. Muta takes the first advantage but it stays pretty slow going early on. Muta has Gary Hart at ringside. Sting comes back with a flurry of offense and then goes to work on the arm. He abandons the arm and tries the Scorpion Deathlock but Muta reaches the ropes and takes a powder. Back in the ring Muta pokes the eyes to take an advantage. He then puts on Cattle Mutilation! I’ve never seen anyone besides Bryan Danielson do that. Sting escapes and hits a military press slam for two. He then goes to a chinlock. Sting is still green here. Muta comes back and drives his shoulder into Sting’s midsection in the corner. He goes up for the Moonsault but Sting moves and Muta lands on his feet! He hits a spin kick and goes back to the top. This time Sting dropkicks him down and hits a superplex for the pin at 8:40. It’s strange to see that move as a finisher given how they use it today. The match was short and decent, but there was no real story going on anything. The crowd sure loved Sting though.
Rating: **

MATCH #3: Unified World Tag Team Championship Match – Barry Windham & Brian Pillman vs. Ricky Steamboat & Shane Douglas, 12.28.92

We’re in Atlanta, Georgia, with Jesse Ventura and Jim Ross on commentary. Douglas and Steamboat are the champions here. Ventura mentions that Douglas’s idol is Rush Limbaugh. Ross says that he also likes Rush, and Ventura says “you would!” No one ever really mentions it, but these two were good together. Douglas and Pillman start it off with some fast paced back and forth action. Windham tries to come in illegally but he gets double teamed by the champions. The challengers take a break and regroup, and Windham is in now, so Douglas takes Steamboat. The champions are able to ground the larger Windham and wear him down. They even abuse him outside the ring and Windham sells like a champ. Douglas goes to the top but Windham distracts him and Pillman dropkicks Douglas all the way to the floor. Windham hits him with a clothesline. Back in the ring the challengers work Douglas over. Pillman has the referee distracted while Windham beats on Douglas outside the ring. Lifetime babyface Ricky Steamboat breaks it up by hitting Windham with a chair! That’s awesome. Douglas still can’t make the tag though, so he keeps getting beaten up in the challengers half of the ring. He finally makes the tag and Steamboat is on fire. Windham cuts him off with a big powerslam. Did these two ever have a big singles match? I bet it would be great. Douglas inadvertently distracts the referee, so Pillman tosses Steamboat over the top rope and Windham rams him into the ring post. Steamboat makes the second hot tag of the match and the crowd loves it. A big brawl breaks out with all four men in the ring. Windham and Steamboat tumble over the ropes to the entrance ramp. Douglas hits Pillman with the belly-to-belly suplex and the champs retain at 20:02. That was an awesome tag team match, with great chicanery by the heels and awesome fire from the babyfaces. Steamboat sells like no other.
Rating: ****

MATCH #4: WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match – Goldberg vs. Kevin Nash, 12.27.98

We’re in Washington, DC, with Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, and Mike Tenay on commentary. Both men are very popular in our nation’s capital. Goldberg’s undefeated streak is on the line along with is WCW Title. Nash tries a headlock, but Goldberg hits a suplex out of it and Nash powders. Back in the ring Nash goes back on offense, until Goldberg gets tired of it and takes Nash down into a chokehold. Nash tries a cross-armbreaker, which Goldberg slips out of and locks on a leglock. Is that really the match these two should be having? Nash tries a big boot but Goldberg ducks and hits the Spear! He signals for the Jackhammer, but Nash avoids it with a low blow. Oh and the match is no-disqualification. Nash hits a side suplex for two. The challenger stays on offense and gets a couple of near falls. Goldberg comes back and hits some power moves of his own for some near falls. Disco Inferno runs out and Goldberg dispatches of him. Ditto for Bam Bam Bigelow. Goldberg sets up for the Spear, but Scott Hall appears out of nowhere with a stun gun of some kind. Nash follows up with the Jackknife to win his first WCW World Title at 11:20. The match was all kinds of boring, and the main event of the biggest show of the year doesn’t really need any Glenn Gilberti.
Rating: ¾*

MATCH #5: Battlebowl Match, 12.29.91

We’re in Norfolk, VA, and Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone are on commentary. The participants are: Big Van Vader, Marcus Alexander Bagwell, Jimmy Garvin, Dustin Rhodes, Bill Kazmaier, Jushin Liger, Steve Austin, Richard Morton, Todd Champion, Abdullah the Butcher, Firebreaker Chip, Thomas Rich, Ron Simmons, Ricky Steamboat, Mr. Hughes, Scott Steiner, Lex Luger, Rick Rude, Arn Anderson, and Sting. It’s the usual battle royal to start, just lots of close brawling. Rich is the first man thrown into ring two. Sting and Luger start fighting it out and the crowd pops for that. Bagwell soon joins him. Chip is the third man to enter ring number two, and then for some reason Liger and Morton walk over there. They pay for it because they go over the ropes and to the floor, so they’re eliminated. Hughes gets dumped into ring two, and Rich is eliminated. Steamboat and Anderson have migrated into ring two. The Patriots make it to ring two. Austin is in ring two now, and Garvin gets eliminated. I didn’t even know he was in ring two. Why does this have to be so confusing? A one-ring battle royal would do just fine. Rhodes goes over, and looks like Steiner and Simmons are in ring two as well. Sting and Rude brawl over the top rope and into ring two. Kazmaier and Abdullah are in ring two also. It’s just Vader and Luger in ring one. Chip gets eliminated. Luger clotheslines Vader into ring two, so Luger will get to rest until everyone has been eliminated from ring two. Rhodes, Hughes, and Simmons all get eliminated. I might have missed a few. Austin tosses Bagwell out, and Vader and Steiner are out too. Austin gets eliminated, and Rude soon follows. Rude pulls Steamboat out with him, and we’re down to Sting versus Luger. But before Rude goes back to the locker room he comes in the ring delivers the Rude Awakening to Sting. The arrogant champion is simply dominant here. Luger throws Sting through the ropes and Race tries to take a cheap shot but Sting bodyslams him. The champ comes out and throws Sting off the ramp into the guardrail. Sting makes the comeback and throws Luger around ringside. Back in the ring Sting is stomping away on Luger. Race distracts Sting again, so that when Sting goes for the Sting Splash Luger has time to move out of the way. Luger thinks he’s eliminated Sting, but he didn’t and Sting has Luger on the ropes now and the crowd is going nuts. Sting finally throws Luger over the ropes to win the first-ever Battlebowl at 25:08. That was needlessly complicated and not all that interesting. The crowd came alive in the last few minutes for Sting but that’s about it.
Rating: *

MATCH #6: 2 out of 3 Falls Match for the WCW United States Championship – Dustin Rhodes vs. Stunning Steve Austin, 12.27.93

We’re in Charlotte, North Carolina. Tony Schiavone and Jesse Ventura are handling the commentary. Austin looks funny with hair. Rhodes takes the first advantage and Austin takes the first powder. Back in the ring Rhodes pretty much controls the early going with headlocks and stuff. Austin finally drags the match to the floor but ends up getting whipped into the crowd. That looked cool. Back in the ring Austin regains control and the crowd loses interest. Rhodes gets a brief comeback and a couple of near falls, but Austin cuts him off with a back suplex for two. He makes another comeback and hits a powerslam for two. Col. Robert Parker gets up on the apron, and Rhodes tosses Austin at him, but he also tosses him over the top rope and he gets disqualified at 13:27 to give the first fall to Austin. Rhodes goes out to the floor and throws Austin into the ring post, which busts him open. Ventura oddly thinks it’s from Parker’s head and not the ring post. Rhodes starts the second fall by going to the floor and bringing Austin back in. He comes off the top rope with a double axe handle as the lights go out and the match is taking place under a spotlight now. Austin seems to have bad luck with that doesn’t he? Rhodes whips Austin into the corner and the lights come back on. He hits five mounted punches in the corner but Austin drops him down and hooks the tights to pin the champion and win the title at 1:27 of the second fall. Total match time – 14:54. These two didn’t really click and the crowd certainly didn’t help matters.
Rating: **

~DISC 2~

MATCH #7: NWA World Tag Team Championship Match – Road Warriors vs. Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard, 11.26.87

You can watch it with the original commentary or alternate commentary by Todd Grisham and Road Warrior Animal. We’re in the Warriors’ hometown here. Tony Schiavone and Jim Ross are handling the commentary. Anderson and Blanchard have been the champions since 9.29.87. Hawk and Arn start the match, and that of course doesn’t go well for Double A. The challengers absolutely dominate during the opening minutes. We move past the opening minutes and the Warriors are still in control. The champions finally take over on Hawk and start working on his knee. That goes on for a few minutes until Animal gets the hot tag. The match breaks down to a brawl and the Warriors hit Anderson with the Doomsday Device and get the pin to apparently win the titles at 13:24. However, another referee declares Anderson and Blanchard the winner via disqualification, since Animal had earlier thrown Anderson over the top rope. Wow, what a terrible finish to a decent at best match. This seemed like a no-brainer for the Warriors to go over.
Rating: *½

MATCH #8: Rey Mysterio vs. Jushin Thunder Liger, 12.29.96

We go back to Nashville, with Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, Dusty Rhodes, and Mike Tenay on commentary. Liger takes the early advantage and wears Mysterio down using his power. Rey gets a second wind and uses a head scissors to send Liger to the floor. He fakes a dive and Liger is frustrated on the floor. Ever resourceful though, Liger drops Rey to the floor with a suplex from the apron to the floor. Liger follows him out and hits a powerbomb. Back in the ring Liger remains in control. This match has been a lot slower paced than I was anticipating. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen it before. Liger locks on the surfboard but Rey won’t give up. Rey comes back with a German Suplex and gets a near-fall. A springboard moonsault also gets two. Rey follows up with a springboard dropkick and then a camel clutch. He comes off the top rope but Liger catches him with a dropkick. Liger goes back on offense and continues going after the knee. The pace finally picks up, with both men hitting some high impact maneuvers. Mysterio sends Liger to the floor and hits an Asai Moonsault. Back in the ring Mysterio hits a springboard legdrop to the back of the head for two. Liger comes back and hits a headbutt off the top rope for two. He stays on Mysterio, and eventually hits the Liger Bomb to get the three-count at 14:16. That was a solid match but not the amazing dream match it could have been.
Rating: ***

MATCH #9: Scaffold Match – Rock ‘n Roll Express vs. The Midnight Express, 11.26.87

We’re back in Chicago and Tony Schiavone and Jim Ross are on commentary. Big Bubba assaults Ricky Morton before he can climb up to the scaffold, so the MXE have an early advantage. Morton recovers and assaults Bubba with Jim Cornette’s tennis racket, and then makes it up to the scaffold with it. The crowd is super hot for all of this. Morton is busted open. The brawl continues and the tennis racket gets involved again. Lane is the first one to fall off the scaffold. Moments later Eaton falls off to end the match at 9:53. I don’t really get the appeal of scaffold matches. Cornette orders Bubba to climb up the scaffold, and Morton hits him in the nuts and runs away. What a badass.
Rating: ½*

MATCH #10: NWA World Heavyweight Championship Match – Ric Flair vs. Lex Luger, 12.26.88

We’re in Norfolk, Virginia, and Jim Ross and Bob Caudle are on commentary. Flair has been the champion since 11.26.87. Everything Flair can do, Luger can do better in the opening minutes. The crowd is super hot. Flair takes an early powder and comes back in the ring in no hurry. Luger continues to use his power advantage in the early going. Flair employs his usual cheating tactics to make the comeback and start wearing Luger down. Luger comes back with more power moves, and the crowd is with them the whole way. The challenger misses a big elbow drop and Flair resumes control. The battle spills to the floor and Flair unleashes chops and kicks. Back in the ring Flair stays in control. Luger fights back and hooks on a sleeper. Flair halts his momentum, only briefly getting trapped in an inside cradle for a two-count. The champ tries to jump off the top rope but Luger stops him and hits a superplex for two. Luger then locks on the Figure-Four Leglock. Flair escapes that, but Luger is able to hit a cross body block off the top rope for two. Luger gets a backslide for another two. He’s on fire, hitting more strikes and suplexes on the champion. Luger hits a press slam and the crowd is feeling title change. He hits a powerslam but doesn’t go for the cover. He knocks JJ Dillon off the apron as Flair rolls to the outside. Flair trips Luger up and then bashes his knee with a chair, all behind the referee’s back. He then zeroes in on Luger’s weak point. The champion locks on the Figure-Four and the crowd is chanting Luger’s name. Luger powers up and turns the hold over! Flair breaks the hold and heads up top, but Luger is able to slam him down. Luger comes back with a sunset flip for two. He gets all fired up now and delivers mounted punches in the corner and a clothesline for two. He hits a powerslam and then hoists Flair up in the Torture Rack. Luger’s leg gives out and Flair falls on top, and puts his feet on the ropes to get the pin at 30:56. That’s probably Luger’s best match ever. The crowd was with them the whole way and Luger’s comebacks were well timed, and everything about the match just worked.
Rating: ****½

MATCH #11: Eddie Guerrero vs. Shinjiro Otani, 12.27.95

We’re in Nashville, with Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, and Dusty Rhodes on commentary. Otani wears no knee pads, which just looks awkward. It doesn’t matter, as he’s still able to outwrestle Eddie in the early going, attacking the arm. The winner of this match gives his promotion a 3-2 advantage. Eddie comes back and rakes his boot across Otani’s face. Otani comes back and locks a submission hold on Eddie’s leg. They trade control and Eddie is able to hit a rana and Otani powders. Back in the ring Eddie stays in control. He puts on a Boston Crab. Otani reaches the ropes, so Eddie pulls him out and powerbombs him for a close near fall. Eddie hits a brainbuster for two when Otani gets his foot on the ropes. Otani comes back with a springboard missile dropkick, and then hits a dive to the floor. Back in the ring he goes to work on Eddie now. He hits him with a German Suplex for two, and Dusty and Bobby want Tony to just call it a suplex. What? Otani continues to unleash awesome offense as Dusty rambles. Shut up Dusty. Otani goes up top and Eddie is able to hit him with a rana. That gets two. Eddie follows up with Splash Mountain for two. Otani comes back with a leg submission and Eddie gets to the ropes. The fight goes to the floor and Eddie bodyslams Otani on the floor and hits a springboard twisting body press. Otani is able to suplex Eddie back into the ring and he tries to clear the cobwebs. He ties a springboard missile dropkick to the back. They trade pinning combinations and Otani is able to hold Eddie down in a sunset flip to get the win at 13:43. Eddie was just flying all over the place and Otani has all kinds of cool offense and they just clicked together and the crowd got into it.
Rating: ****

MATCH #12: NWA World Tag Team Championship Match – Dusty Rhodes & Sting vs. Road Warriors, 12.26.88

Back to Norfolk we go, with Jim Ross and Bob Caudle on commentary. The Road Warriors have been champions since 10.29.88. Who will be the first one to sell a move? My money’s on Sting. He and Animal start the match, and Animal actually sells first, when Sting hits a dropkick that sends him to the floor. Back in the ring Sting tags Dusty and they’re all over Animal. Hawk gets tagged in and Dusty goes to work on him too. It’s so weird to see the LOD working heel. Sting comes back in and he takes advantage on Hawk. He hits a powerslam and a big elbow drop. Animal comes back in and military presses Sting down to the mat. Sting fires back with a couple of clotheslines and Animal bails again. Sting follows him out with a flying body press to the floor. Man, Sting was over. The challengers go to work on Animal’s leg, but Dusty lets him make the tag to Hawk for some reason. The battle spills to the floor, and the champs take over on Dusty. They beat on Dusty for a little while until Sting gets the hot tag and cleans house. Sting locks Animal in the Scorpion Deathlock but Hawk breaks it up and the match breaks down into a brawl. Hawk throws Sting over the top rope and Dusty gets double-teamed. Sting comes back in with a flying body press on Animal, but Paul Ellering breaks up the pin and the referee calls for the bell at 11:17. Aside from the lazy finish, that was actually a really fun match.
Rating: ***½

MATCH #13: King of Cable Tournament Final Match – Sting vs. Big Van Vader, 12.28.92

Welcome to Atlanta! Jim Ross and Jesse Ventura are on commentary. Sting beat Brian Pillman and Rick Rude to get to the finals; Vader bested Tony Atlas and Dustin Rhodes. Vader is accompanied by his manager Harley Race. The smaller Sting tries throwing some punches but Vader shrugs them off. Vader uses his weight and power advantage to dominate Sting in the early going. Sting scores a takedown with a sweet somersault kick. Another kick to the face takes Vader down, and Sting follows up with a release German Suplex! Sting is on fire, clotheslining Vader all the way to the floor, and Vader loses his head gear! Sting catapults over the top with a cross body and takes out both Vader and Race. Back in the ring Vader starts throwing hands and resumes control. He tries a charge in the corner but Sting avoids it and hits an armdrag. Sting tries to hit the Stinger Splash but Vader gets his boot up right into Sting’s face. Moments later Sting hits a big DDT and the crowd loves him. He puts Vader up on the top turnbuckle and hits a DDT/suplex kind of move for a two-count. Race looks worried. Sting locks on the Scorpion Deathlock but Vader makes it to the ropes. Vader takes a powder and Sting follows him out. Sting tries a Stinger Splash but Vader moves and Sting hits the guardrail. Back in the ring Vader is in firm control. He hits a big splash for two. Vader stays in control, wearing Sting down by working on his neck. Sting gets a backslide out of nowhere for a close near-fall. Moments later he hits a belly-to-back suplex, but Vader actually gets a cover off it for two. That’s a cool spot. Every time Sting gets a little bit of offense in Vader is able to recover faster. These two have such a cool dynamic. Sting finally makes the comeback and knocks Vader down with a series of right hands. He hits a fall-away slam but Vader is too close to the ropes for a cover. Sting goes up top and hits a big splash but Vader kicks out at two. Race distracts Sting, allowing Vader to come back and hit a choke slam. Vader follows up with a big splash off the second rope. He then goes up to the top rope but Sting catches him with a powerslam and scores the pin at 17:24! I don’t think these two ever had a bad match, and this was a pretty great one.
Rating: ****¼

MATCH #14: NWA World Tag Team Championship Match – Brisco Brothers vs. Jay Youngblood & Ricky Steamboat, 11.24.83

Jack & Jerry Brisco have been champions since 10.21.83. That’s after trading the titles with Steamboat & Youngblood twice already. We’re in Greensboro, North Carolina, with Gordon Solie and Bob Caudle on commentary. Steamboat and Jack start the match, with Steamboat gaining the early advantage using his agility. Angelo Mosca is the special guest referee. Jack and Jerry make fast tags in and out, and start going after Steamboat’s arm. Steamboat counters and takes Jack down. Jerry tags in but Steamboat is staying in. Moments later Steamboat tags Youngblood in and he grounds Jerry with a headlock. Youngblood stays in control, effectively keeping Jerry on the mat. Steamboat tags back in and the champions appear to be in trouble. Just as I type that, the Briscos take control on Steamboat. Steamboat powers his way out of an arm scissors and makes the hot tag to Youngblood. The champions put out that fire and go to work on him now. Youngblood makes the comeback and tags Steamboat, who takes out both champions. Steamboat drops Youngblood on Jerry to get the pin and regain the titles at 12:21. That was an excellent tag team match that could have gone longer. They were feeling it out there.
Rating: ***¾

MATCH #15: NWA World Heavyweight Championship Match – Dusty Rhodes vs. Ric Flair, 11.28.85

Flair has been the champion since 5.24.84. We’re in Atlanta, with Tony Schiavone and Bob Caudle handling the commentary. This is a rematch from the previous year’s Starrcade. They waste little time in letting the punches and chops fly. Dusty gets the better of that exchange and Flair powders. Back in the ring the champion starts throwing chops, but the challenger responds with elbows and shoulderblocks. Dusty is in total control, so Flair powders once again. Back in the ring Dusty goes after Flair’s arm. Flair counters and goes after Dusty’s knee. Dusty takes an immediate powder. He gets back to the ring apron and attacks Flair with elbows. Back in the ring he starts going to work on Flair’s leg. This match has the most annoying audience member in the history of wrestling, as he literally is “wooing” through the entire match, usually in short, irritating bursts. Flair comes back and tries a suplex but he can’t lift the challenger with his injured leg. Dusty counters to a suplex of his own and goes right back to work on the leg. Flair comes back with a sleeper. Dusty escapes that and rams Flair’s leg into the ring post. He tries the figure-four but Flair kicks off. Flair tries the figure-four and the same thing happens to him, twice. They trade the momentum back and forth several more times. Dusty hits a cross body block off the top rope but the referee is out of position so it only gets a two-count. Flair has of course been busted open. The challenger is on fire, knocking Flair all over the ring. Flair tries the Flair flip but gets slammed off the top rope. Dusty comes charging into the corner with a boot but Flair moves and Dusty injures his foot even further. Flair zeroes in on the leg now, and finally locks in the Figure-Four. Dusty turns it over and Flair reaches the ropes. Flair tries some chops but they just fire Dusty up. The challenger hits a clothesline for two. Dusty pulls Flair into Tommy Young, who goes crashing to the floor. In the ring Dusty goes for his version of the Figure-Four and locks it on. Arn Anderson comes out, followed by Ole Anderson. They take Dusty down and another referee comes in just in time to see Dusty get an inside cradle to apparently win the title at 22:06. The title was later returned to Flair on some kind of technicality. The match was pretty good, but there was no real extended heat on either guy, so the crowd was kind of in and out in an odd fashion.
Rating: ***

MATCH #16: WCW Cruiserweight Championship Match – Eddie Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko, 12.28.97

We’re in Washington DC, and Tony Schiavone, Dusty Rhodes, and Mike Tenay are on commentary. Eddie has been champion since 11.10.97. The champion uses dirty tactics to take the first advantage but it doesn’t last long and Dean makes him pay with a series of right hands. It’s all Dean for the next several minutes, and the crowd is certainly behind him as they chant “Eddie sucks.” Eddie tries a rana off of a wrist lock but Dean powerbombs him and follows with an Alabama slam. A jackknife pin gets two, and Eddie escapes the predicament. Dean hits a powerslam for two. Eddie gets frustrated and powders. He comes back and takes a brief advantage until Dean suplexes him right onto the top rope. Eddie soon regains control and starts viciously working on Dean’s knee. Ultimo Dragon, Chris Adams, and Greg Valentine, Barry Darsow, Bobby Eaton, and more are in the crowd for some reason. Eddie hits a powerbomb for two. I guess they’re showing their WCW unity or something. They go back and forth, and Dean tries but can’t lock on the Texas Cloverleaf. Eddie goes back to the knee, and hits a nice Frog Splash right onto the knee and that’s enough to pin Dean at 14:57. The match was technically solid but the crowd wasn’t into it, the commentators ignored it, and the guys seemed not that excited to be opening WCW’s biggest show ever. Something was just off here.
Rating: **¾

~DISC 3~

MATCH #17: Iron Man Tag Team Tournament Match – Road Warriors vs. The Steiner Brothers, 12.13.89

We’re back in Atlanta with Jim Ross and Jim Cornette on commentary. Hawk and Scott start the match, and I wonder who will sell first. Scott gets a single leg takedown, and Hawk comes back with an enziguiri. Rick gets tagged in, and Hawk levels him with a clothesline for a two-count. This is a first-time ever match I’m told. Animal gets tagged in and Rick hits a Steiner-line. Rick counters Animal’s attacks and hits a belly-to-belly suplex. Hawk breaks up the pin. Scott and Hawk get tagged back in. Hawk hits a gorilla press slam and a fist drop for two. Rick breaks up that pin. Scott comes back and hits Hawk with a belly-to-belly suplex for two. Animal gets tagged in, and he hits Scott with a big clothesline. Hawk is tagged back in and hits a nice backbreaker. Scott recovers and hits a nasty looking belly-to-belly suplex off the middle rope. Hawk tags Animal, who locks Scott in a bearhug. The Road Warriors continue to beat on Scott. Hawk hits a huge powerslam and tags Animal, who hits a big elbow drop for two. The match breaks down to a pier-six brawl. The Road Warriors hit a modified Doomsday Device with Animal holding Scott in more of a back suplex, and they do that “guy lifts his shoulder at the last second” finish to give the Steiners the win at 7:27. I hate that finish, and the match was a decent power team versus power team, but hardly felt like the first ever meeting between two of the greatest tag teams of all-time.
Rating: **

MATCH #18: Ladder Match for a Contract for a World Cruiserweight Championship Match – 3 Count vs. Jamie Knoble & Evan Karagias vs. Jung Dragons, 12.17.00

This is from the last-ever Starrcade, held in Washington, DC. Tony Schiavone, Chavo Guerrero, Jr., Scott Hudson, and Mark Madden are on commentary. With a few slight pushes aside, none of these six ever really amounted to much, even though half of them are still working for WWE. They do some spots and 3 Count outsmarts the other two teams and almost ends the match early, but the Jung Dragons come back and knock them off the ladder. Noble and Karagias do likewise. Eventually the two of them argue over who gets to climb the ladder, which is why it’s inherently stupid to book a tag team match for a shot at a singles title. It doesn’t add intrigue, it adds stupid. I totally forgot about Leia Meow in WCW, but there she is. A bunch of dives leaves Noble alone in the ring climbing the ladder, but Yang comes in and throws him to the floor. Yang then sets up the ladder in a peculiar way before heading up, and Karagias knocks him down. In fact, Yang set the ladder up that way so Karagias could powerslam Hayashi out of mid-air. Helms and Noble battle on the ladder-bridge and Helms hits the World’s Highest Neckbreaker and everyone is down. Moore, Helms, Yang, and Noble climb two ladders and fight up there. Noble hits a Sunset Bomb on Helms, and then Moore and Yang gingerly set up their next spot. Leia tries to interfere, but Karagias chases her away. They do some more spots, spots, and spots. Helms and Moore wind up on top of the ladder together and they decide to both grab the contract to jointly win the match at 13:46. You know, since they built up throughout the match that only one man could win, they book two guys to win. That’s WCW for you. I can’t fault the effort in this one, but it’s totally a product of its time and looks tame and contrived by today’s standards.
Rating: ***

MATCH #19: Iron Man Singles Tournament Match – Sting vs. Ric Flair, 12.13.89

Let’s go to Atlanta with Jim Ross and Terry Funk on commentary. This is the finals of the Iron Man Tournament, which I don’t think is all that bad of an idea, and I’ve never seen the whole show so I don’t know how it all worked out. Sting has a Lance Storm rattail at this point. Flair stalls and Sting tries to take it to the mat; both have some degree of success. They start having the match you would expect them to, and the crowd of course is into it. Flair takes a powder, and when he comes back to the ring Sting grabs him in a headlock. Sting gets a backslide for two and Flair gets up and lands a solid chop. They soon take it to the floor and Flair unleashes more chops. Back in the ring Flair starts searing Sting down. They go back to the floor again and this time Sting is absorbing Flair’s chops. We’ve got less than five minutes to go. Back in the ring Sting is on fire, hitting the Stinger Splash. Sting then locks on the Scorpion Deathlock but Flair gets under the ropes. Flair puts on the Figure-Four Leglock but Sting reaches the ropes this time. They’re down to one minute left, and Flair goes after the leg. Flair tries the Figure-Four but Sting gets an inside cradle for the pin and tournament victory at 15:53. So I guess the match had a 16-minute time limit? After the match Flair, Arn and Ole Anderson congratulate Sting on his big victory. The match was solid but not spectacular.
Rating: ***

MATCH #20: Dog Collar Match – Greg Valentine vs. Roddy Piper, 11.24.83

Greg Valentine admitted that he gave Mickey Rourke a copy of this match to watch. What a sad old mark. This is from the first Starrcade in Greensboro, North Carolina. Gordon Solie and Bob Caudle are on commentary. They start off cautiously, pulling each other closer with the chain, and Piper gets the first hit. Valentine tries to use the chain but Piper manages to avoid it. Piper has an ear injury coming in. They walk to the center of the ring and start throwing punches. Piper once again gets the advantage and uses the chain as a weapon. Valentine comes back and targets Piper’s ear. He wraps the chain around his eyes and throat. Piper comes back and wraps the chain around Valentine’s mouth. He ties Valentine up in the corner, which is pretty cool. Valentine is busted open. They take it to the floor and Piper remains in control. Valentine comes back and attacks the ear again. Back in the ring Valentine continues to abuse Piper’s bloody ear. This goes on for several minutes until Piper blocks an Irish whip by pulling on the chain, sending Valentine crashing to the canvas. Piper takes him down and hammers away and the crowd is going banana. Valentine quickly cuts him off and goes back to work. He puts Piper in a sleeper. Piper blasts Valentine in the face with the chain to break the hold. Valentine actually recovers first and hits Piper with an elbow off the second rope. He goes up for another one but Piper yanks the chain and Valentine crashes to the mat. Piper climbs on top and whips Valentine in the face with the chain a bunch of times and scores the pin at 16:08. That was pretty good and brutal but it lags a bit in the middle. It’s still a pretty violent match for its day.
Rating: ***¾

MATCH #21: Scaffold Match – Road Warriors vs. The Midnight Express, 11.27.86

You can watch it with the original commentary or alternate commentary by Todd Grisham and Road Warrior Animal. I choose Tony Schiavone and Rick Stewart. We’re in Atlanta for this one. Condrey and Lane are not eager to get up there. They finally get up there and Hawk and they start some slow brawling. This goes on for a while and Eaton is busted open. Condrey is also bleeding. A few minutes later the match turns into a chicken fight the Midnights get knocked down and the Road Warriors win the match at 7:08. I never understood the appeal of scaffold matches – they’re dangerous and dull. The post-match is actually more famous than the actual match, as Jim Cornette gets treed up on the scaffold and winds up severely blowing out his knees on his fall down to the canvas when Big Bubba doesn’t catch him at all. Ouch.
Rating: ½*

MATCH #22: WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match – Sting vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan, 12.28.97

Hogan has been the champion since 8.9.97. This is Sting’s first match since 9.15.96. To say the buildup to this one was huge would be an understatement. We’re in Our Nation’s Capital, with the commentating team of Tony Schiavone, Dusty Rhodes, and Mike Tenay on duty. They start with some stalling. Way to go, guys. Sting is so fired up from that year and a half of pent-up frustration that he engages Hogan in a test of strength and takes a boot to the stomach. Now Hogan goes on offense. Sting comes back with a dropkick and stands looking blankly. Hogan powders and when he gets back in Sting hits more dropkicks, sending Hogan to the floor once again. They fight out there for a while, and Hogan dominates. Sting tries a Stinger Splash but Hogan moves and Sting’s ribs crash into the guardrail. Back in the ring Hogan continues to control the match, and hits the Leg Drop for an obviously clean pin with a perfectly legitimate count. For some reason, Bret Hart stops the timekeeper from ringing the bell. Hogan rightfully takes exception, and Bret punches out referee Nick Patrick and drags Hogan back to the right to restart the match. Sting FINALLY fires up and hits the Stinger Splash. Buff Bagwell and Scott Norton interfere and Sting disposes of them before hitting another Stinger Splash. Sting then locks on the Scorpion Deathlock and Hogan taps out at 12:52. I’d have to call that just about the worst match of all-time. Everything about the match was wrong from the get-go, and would there be a more pointless way to introduce Bret Hart, who was one of the hottest commodities in wrestling at that point. How hard would it have been for them to work the Hogan versus Iron Sheik formula? That would have been the right match to do given the buildup, but they found all sorts of ways to screw this up.
Rating: DUD

MATCH #23: Steel Cage Match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship – Ric Flair vs. Harley Race, 11.24.83

This is from the first Starrcade in Greensboro, North Carolina. Gordon Solie and Bob Caudle are on commentary. Flair starts it off with a grinding headlock. He controls early on, avoiding a headbutt attempt by the champion and hitting a hard chop and then going back to the headlock. The champ powers out of the headlock with a suplex. Race goes to work on the head, even hitting a piledriver. He follows up with an elbow drop before going for the cover. Flair kicks out at two. Race continues working Flair over, and the challenger has been busted open. Flair makes the comeback by reversing an Irish whip into the buckles, and then throws Race into the cage. He hits a piledriver and gets a two-count. Race is busted open now as well. A double underhook suplex gets another near-fall for the challenger. Flair uses the cage as a weapon, which referee Gene Kiniski seems to take offense to for some reason. Race comes back with a headbutt to the midsection, and then rakes Flair’s face against the cage. Flair comes back with chops and the crowd is fired up. He locks Race in the Figure-Four Leglock and Race rolls into the ropes to break the hold. The champion takes Flair down and climbs up to the second rope to deliver a diving headbutt for two. He hits a suplex for another near-fall. The referee goes down and Race hits a knee. Flair fights out and leaps to the top rope to sort of hit a high cross body block to get the pin and win his second NWA Title at 23:47. That was a great match, and the real proof that Flair was going to be The Man.
Rating: ****½

MATCH #24: Steel Cage “I Quit” Match for the NWA United States Championship – Magnum TA vs. Tully Blanchard, 11.28.85

We’re once again in Atlanta, with Tony Schiavone and Bob Caudle at the commentary table. Blanchard has been the champion since 7.21.85. Magnum is announced as “The Vastly Popular Magnum TA.” As you might expect for a Steel Cage I Quit Match, there isn’t a lot of wrestling going on, mostly brawling. Blanchard gets a majority of the offense early on. Magnum makes brief comebacks but the crafty champion is able to withstand them. Blanchard hits a knee lift but Magnum fights back and slams Blanchard’s arm into the cage. The bloodied Magnum attacks the champion’s arm, which begins to bleed. Blanchard recovers and abuses Magnum with the microphone. He throws Magnum into the cage and hits an elbow off the top rope, but Magnum won’t say it. Both men get desperate, and Blanchard goes for the eyes. Magnum comes back and tries to force the champion to Quit but Blanchard refuses. He goes for mounted punches in the corner but Blanchard delivers an inverted atomic drop. Blanchard once again abuses Magnum with the microphone, but can’t force him to quit. Frustrated, Blanchard throws the referee down, and someone (Baby Doll?) throws a wooden chair into the ring. Blanchard breaks the chair and goes after Magnum with a sharp piece of the chair. Magnum fights it off and takes the stake. He digs it into Blanchard’s forehead and Tully Blanchard says “I Quit” at 14:42! That was an awesomely brutal match with an awesome finish and a hot crowd all the way through. This to me is Starrcade’s best match.
Rating: ****¾

MATCH #25: WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match; Ric Flair’s Career is on the Line – Ric Flair vs. Vader, 12.27.93

We’re in Charlotte, North Carolina. Tony Schiavone and Jesse Ventura are handling the commentary. Vader has been the champion since 3.17.93. This was supposed to be Vader facing Sid, but a fight with Arn Anderson changed those plans and we get Flair putting his career on the line instead. Vader uses his power early on, so Flair baits him into chasing him on the floor, wearing the big man down. Take that, Bret Hart. Back in the ring Vader goes to work on the challenger. The battle spills to the floor, where Flair is able to take an advantage. Vader’s manager Harley Race, who lost to Flair in the main event of the first Starrcade, attacks Flair behind the referee’s back. Back in the ring Vader continues to pound Flair for several minutes. Flair makes a comeback and hits a series of fists off the top rope and knocks Vader down for the first time. He hits a knee drop and Vader simply gets back to his feet and takes Flair down with a clothesline. He must have caught Flair across the mouth because it’s bleeding. Vader hits a superplex and even he is stunned by it. Schiavone says that once Race lost the belt to Flair in ’83 he never regained it, but that’s a lie: he held it for two days in March of ’84, and then lost it right back to Flair. I guess that’s one of Flair’s “questionable” reigns (I count him as having 20). Flair powers up and slugs Vader down! I didn’t see that coming. He drags Vader to the corner and slams his knee into the post, as 15 minutes have gone by. Race protests to the referee, thus giving Flair the chance to use a chair on Vader’s knee! Flair is on fire back in the ring, slugging away at the champion and even biting him. He starts going after the knee, which is a pretty ambitious strategy. Vader powers out and tries the Vader Bomb but Flair moves and locks on the Figure Four! The champion reaches the ropes but Flair will not be denied tonight! Well he will when he runs into Vader’s boot I guess. Vader throws some elbows to the face and goes up for the moonsault! Flair moves out of the way and goes for the cover and Race goes to the top rope. Flair moves and Race this Vader with the headbutt! The referee gets rid of Race, and Flair h it’s a series of chops. Vader knocks Flair down, but Flair rolls him up from behind to get the pin and win his second WCW Championship, fourteenth overall, at 21:09. That match was an awesome David versus Goliath match, with great work by both guys and a hot, hometown crowd to match.
Rating: ****½

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HSBC Arena – Buffalo, NY – 12.14.08

DVD Release Date: January 13, 2009

MATCH #1: Matt Hardy vs. Vladimir Kozlov

Hardy is the ECW Champion but his title is not on the line. Kozlov comes right at the smaller, more agile Hardy, who is able to avoid him early on and get a few shots in. Hardy gets a sunset flip for a not-near-fall. A schoolboy rollup gets two. Kozlov comes back with a back suplex and then tosses Hardy’s shoulder into the ring post twice. He goes after Hardy’s shoulder know, wearing it down. Hardy breaks a hammerlock with a chinbreaker. He gets a couple of shots in but Kozlov cuts him off with a series of headbutts to the chest for a two-count. He continues working on the left arm. Hardy comes back by snapping Kozlov’s throat off the top rope and then heading up top. He hits a double axe handle and tosses Kozlov to the floor. He slams Kozlov’s head into the ring post twice and throws him back into the ring. Hardy hits the Side Effect but Kozlov grabs the bottom rope. He signals for the Twist of Fate but Kozlov blocks it, only to eat a boot to the face. Hardy goes up to the second rope and Kozlov swats him out of the air. This time Hardy grabs the bottom rope at two. Kozlov drags Hardy out to the center of the ring and Hardy grabs a quick small package for two. Hardy goes for mounted punches in the corner, but Kozlov drops him throat first on top of the ring post! Kozlov follows with a headbutt to the chest and the Iron Curtain finishes the ECW Champion at 8:59. I actually kind of like Kozlov as a worker, and this was a pretty solid match.
Rating: **½

MATCH #2: Final Match in the WWE Intercontinental Championship #1 Contender Tournament – Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk

This was the start of WWE taking the Intercontinental Title seriously for the first time in a while. Sure it was done to promote their DVD, but they’re still doing a pretty good job with the belt, so kudos. Punk beat Snitsky and Morrison to get here, while Rey got by The Miz and Kofi Kingston. Intercontinental Champion William Regal and his valet Layla are at ringside to observe the match. They announce that Punk and Kofi Kingston lost the World Tag Team Championships to John Morrison & the Miz at a house show last night in Canada. Rey and Punk start with a nice respectful handshake. Punk gets a quick rollup for two, and Rey quickly returns the favor. They trade some holds and pin covers back and forth. Rey tries an early 619 but Punk avoids it and hits a couple of armdrags. Punk tries Go 2 Sleep but Rey counters with an armdrag of his own. Rey charges at Punk but gets backdropped over the top rope, falling hard on the floor. Back in the ring it’s all Punk for several minutes. Rey escapes the Tree of Woe and hits a moonsault for two. Punk comes back with a snap powerslam for two. Rey comes back with a cross armbreaker and Punk reaches the ropes. He sends Punk to the floor and follows him out with a leap off the top rope onto Punk. Back in the ring Rey hits a seated senton and an Asai cross body block for two. Rey gets a victory roll for another two, and Punk reverses it for a near-fall of his won. Punk comes back with the running knee in the corner/bulldog combo for two. They trade some more moves as Cole busts out “Swashbuckling” in reference to Rey’s style. Punk avoids the 619 and tries Go 2 Sleep, which Rey reverses and this time hits the 619! Rey goes for the springboard splash but Punk moves, and Rey still gets a rollup for two. He tries to go up and over Punk in the corner, but Punk catches him and hits Go 2 Sleep to become the #1 Contender at 12:16. That was really good stuff and I’m thinking they can do even better.
Rating: ***¾

MATCH #3: Belfast Brawl – Finlay vs. Mark Henry

Finlay starts slugging away, and they quickly take it to the floor. He throws Henry’s face into the timekeeper’s table, but when he tries to ram Henry into the ring post the World’s Strongest Man reverses it and starts throwing Finlay around. Back in the ring Finlay avoids a splash and goes out under the ring for some weapons. Tony Atlas interferes to give Henry the advantage. Henry smashes Finlay in the face with a trash can lid. He controls the action for several minutes, but then gets too cocky and Finlay comes back by throwing a trash can into Henry’s face. Finlay then uncorks a couple of shots with the kendo stick and a modified DDT. Henry comes back with a shot to the throat. He takes Finlay down and tries a Banzai Drop and Finlay moves. Finlay tries to introduce the shillelagh but Henry kicks him down and grabs the weapon himself, but he breaks it! The kendo stick gets the same treatment. Hornswoggle goes against his father’s orders and tries to interfere, and accidentally gets knocked off the ring apron and disappears. Henry sets up Finlay in the corner and smashes a trash can up against him, and then hits him over the back with it a couple of times. He brings the steel steps into the ring and Finlay avoids getting hit with them by landing a dropkick to the knee. Hornswoggle reappears and gives Finlay a second shillelagh and he cracks Henry with it to get the pin at 9:39. That was decent, the kind of match I don’t mind seeing on free TV.
Rating: **¼

MATCH #4: Batista vs. Randy Orton

Orton tries to wear Batista down, but the Animal overpowers him. They’re starting slowly to put over how well they know each other form past history. Batista knocks Orton down, but then Orton suckers Batista over to the ropes and pulls him to the floor. Cody Rhodes and Manu attack Batista, and the referee gives them the boot! Now we’re down to a one-on-one match. Orton throws Batista back in the ring and starts working on his shoulder. Batista soon fights back and tries the Batista Bomb but Orton avoids it and hits a neckbreaker. That doesn’t last too long and Batista delivers a series of shoulders to the midsection and throws Orton to the floor. Orton is grabbing his shoulder in pain. Back in the ring Orton is able to hit the super DDT but Batista kicks out at two. It’s all Orton now, as he stomps away at Batista. Orton works over Batista’s neck, using a variety of restholds. Batista powers out and slams Orton down, and they get back to their feet at the count of four. They trade bombs and Batista wins that battle. Batista whips Orton into the corner and hits a clothesline. He goes for a powerslam but Orton avoids it, only to eat a clothesline. Batista then clotheslines Orton to the floor once again. He goes to the top rope, and Orton knocks him down and hits an impressive superplex. Batista comes back with a spinebuster for two. He goes for another Batista Bomb, but Orton avoids it. Orton tries the RKO but Batista counters to a Boss Man Slam for two. Batista goes for a Spear but Orton blocks it and hits his backbreaker for two. Orton goes for the RKO but Batista blocks it and hits a sidewalk slam for two. Back to their feet Orton hits a chinbreaker and another DDT for two. Orton sets up for the running punt but Batista counters and drives shoulders into Orton’s midsection. Batista then hits a series of mounted punches. When Orton tries to escape, Batista is able to hold on and hit the Batista Bomb for the pin at 16:41. The first half was a little dull but I really liked the second half.
Rating: ***

2008 Slammy Award Winners

Match of the Year: Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair, WrestleMania 24
Extreme Moment of the Year: Jeff Hardy
Tag Team of the Year: Miz & John Morrison
Diva of the Year: Beth Phoenix
Oh My God! Moment of the Year: CM Punk
Couple of the Year: Edge and Vickie
Superstar of the Year: Chris Jericho

I can’t really argue with any of that. Congratulations to all the winners.

MATCH #5: Santa’s Little Helper Tag Team Match – Michelle McCool, Mickie James, Kelly Kelly & Maria vs. Maryse, Natalya, Jillian & Victoria

Mickie and Maryse start the match. They do some stuff and then Maryse tags in Natalya. Mickie follows by tagging Kelly, who gets a quick sunset flip for two. Natalya recovers and goes to work on Kelly’s arm. Jillian comes in and works on Kelly as well. Kelly makes the hot tag to Maria, who is wearing “John Nord-like boots” (thanks, Tazz). Maria makes the comeback and appears to be going for some kind of move, but Michelle roughly tags herself in and hits the Styles Clash to steal the pinfall at 4:34. Did Victoria even get tagged in?
Rating: ¼*

MATCH #6: World Heavyweight Championship Match – John Cena vs. Chris Jericho

Cena has been the champion since 11.23.08, and this is his first defense. They fiercely lockup to start the match, and Jericho goes right to the headlock. Jericho gets the early advantage, but Cena quickly comes back with a takedown and a series of right hands. The challenger tries to regroup on the floor but Cena chases him out. Jericho attacks Cena on his way back into the ring and goes to work. Cena powers out of a chinlock with an F-U attempt, but Jericho counters to a DDT. They fight on the apron, where Cena catches Jericho off the top rope and tries another F-U. Jericho avoids this one too, and delivers a bulldog off the ring apron to the steps. Back in the ring Jericho gets a two-count. The challenger gets a few minutes of offense before Cena comes back with his flurry. He hits the You Can’t See Me and once again tries the F-U. Jericho almost counters to the Walls of Jericho, but Cena powers out and hits a belly-to-belly suplex for two. The challenger comes back with a missile dropkick for two. Cena tries the Throwback but Jericho avoids it and hits a Lionsault for two. Jericho tries a superplex but Cena blocks and hits the legdrop off the top for two. Back to their feet Cena tries another F-U and Jericho counters again, this time to a Code Breaker. Cena kicks out at two! Jericho charges at Cena, who finally connects with a big F-U. That only gets two for the champion. Jericho gets a small package out of nowhere for two. He tries an enziguiri but Cena ducks and tries the STFU, but Jericho reverses to the Walls of Jericho. Cena reverses it to the STFU and Jericho taps out at a brisk 12:43. These two have always worked well together, and while this wasn’t a classic it was energetic and fun enough. Plus I’m sure they didn’t’ want to overshadow the main event.
Rating: ***¼

MATCH #7: Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship – Edge vs. Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy

Edge has been the champion since 11.23.08, and this is his first defense. Hardy goes after the champion right away, but Triple H isn’t just going to just let Hardy have all the fun. They do some three-way brawling, and the match soon spills to the floor. Hardy hits a slingshot dive onto Edge, and then gets clotheslined by Triple H. Edge and Triple H get back in the ring, and Triple H is firmly in control. Hardy rejoins them and Triple H takes control of him too. Triple H goes for the Pedigree on Edge, but Hardy breaks it up with a Whisper in the Wind. Moments later, Hardy nails Edge with the Whisper in the Wind, but from atop Triple H’s shoulders. That was neat. They’ve done a pretty good job of keeping all three guys involved without contrived spots to eliminate them. Edge nails Triple H with a Spear, and then Hardy clotheslines Edge over the ropes to the floor. The crowd is going nuts for the younger Hardy brother. Hardy hits Triple H with the Twist of Fate and the Swanton Bomb, but Edge breaks up the pin by pulling Hardy to the floor. They brawl out there for a bit while Triple H is recovering in the ring. Hardy takes his shirt off and looks to set Edge up to go through a table, but Triple H comes out and breaks it up. The brawl continues on the floor, where Triple H tries to Pedigree Hardy through a table. Edge ends up delivering a Spear to Hardy, breaking the other table. They eventually make it back to the ring, and Triple H hits Edge with the Pedigree, and Vladimir Kozlov comes out and pulls Triple H to the floor! Matt Hardy comes out to fight Kozlov off. Jeff goes to the top rope and Kozlov pushes him down to the floor, and Matt comes at the big Russian once again. Back in the ring Edge hits Triple H with a Spear for two. The champion threatens to use a chair on the Game, but Hardy makes his way up to the apron and takes the chair from Edge and waffles him across the face with it. Hardy goes up for the Swanton but Triple H knocks him down. Triple H hits Edge with the Pedigree, but Hardy has recovered and hits Edge with the Swanton to steal the pin and win his first WWE Championship at 17:19. That was a very creative three-way match, with some creative ways to get two guys into a one-on-one situation. I really like the finish, and Jeff Hardy definitely deserved to finally win the big one.
Rating: ****

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