WWE Royal Rumble 2016

Royal Rumble 2016 

January 24th, 2016

Orlando, FL

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's Rumble, Roman Reigns is the WWE Champion (though, the belt has essentially been vacated as the winner of the evening's titular battle royale will be named the new champion). The Intercontinental Championship is held by Dean Ambrose, Alberto Del Rio is the reigning United States Champion, Charlotte is the Divas Champion, and The New Day are the recognized World Tag Team Champions.

COMMENTARY: Michael Cole, JBL, and Byron Saxton

After a brief interview with Vince and Stephanie McMahon, the 2016 Royal Rumble starts off with a Last Man Standing Match for the Intercontinental Championship - Dean Ambrose defending the strap against Kevin Owens. While these two were given ample time and we saw a ridiculous amount of weapons utilized, I found the match to be a bit "same ol' same ol'," especially for Ambrose, who wrestled very similar brawls with Bray Wyatt and Seth Rollins in 2014 and 2015. The crowd's excessive "Holy Shit" chants on spots that we've seen done before multiple times bothered me like going to a movie theatre and hearing audiences laugh at the punchline they've already seen five dozen times in the movie's trailer. On the positive side, the most devastating, violent spot in the match ended it - a seemingly small detail that makes a huge difference for me in an LMS match. Overall, a strong opener, but this one shouldn't be on anyone's Match of the Year list come December. The fact that Mr. Tito over at Lords Of Pain gave this more than 4-stars is proof to how little content, from the past and present, he soaks in compared to years past. (3.5/5)

The Tag Team Championships were on the line next - The New Day putting the titles on the line against The Usos. Before the bell rang, the New Day delivered one of their classic strong-but-long promos, debuting Francesca 2, their replacement trombone for Francesca, the team's original trombone (that was destroyed by Chris Jericho), and getting the crowd into a frenzy. As the match went on, the crowd seemed more interested in Xavier Woods' out-of-the-ring antics than anything the actual participants were doing, breaking into a "Play Francesca" chant at one point. Like the opener, this one didn't really showcase anything we haven't seen before, at least until the final few minutes, when a sloppily-executed-but-creative series of false finishes had me at the edge of my seat. Also like the opener, I really dug the ending of this one as Big E catching one of the Usos for the Big Ending was executed and captured on camera perfectly. Good, not great, match. Can you imagine how much more over The New Day would be if they actually had rivals that were as entertaining and popular as they are?  (3/5)

The Wyatts' cut a promo hyping their involvement in tonight's main event. 

Kalisto challenged Alberto Del Rio for his United States Championship next. While this one featured quite a few botches, I liked the story told considerably more than the two previous bouts - Kalisto essentially fighting as the underdog the whole time and trying his best to survive Del Rio's mix of deadly kicks and innovative offense, including an awesome knees-to-the-chest maneuever that he busted out as a counter to Kalisto's head scissors. A poorly-executed victory roll spot deadened the crowd a bit, but Kalisto's first Sarita Del Sol brought them back into things. While I'm not sure what the point of "hot potato-ing" the United States Championship for the past month was, I'm willing to take a "wait-and-see" approach to what this may be leading to down the line. Elsewhere on the internet, people are calling this one a dud, but as someone who doesn't typically watch RAW and Smackdown, this was a fresh match to these eyes and, while not outstanding, it was better than average (especially for Del Rio, a guy I tend to think puts on some real boring matches at times). (3/5)

After an excellent video package tracking their history, Becky Lynch challenged former best friend Charlotte for her Divas Championship. Loud "Let's Go Becky" chants soundtracked some solid back-and-forth wrestling early on, the match getting taken to a higher gear once the fight spilled out of the ring and Ric Flair caused a major distraction by planting a kiss on the unsuspecting Lynch. Call it disgusting, sexist, depraved but as JBL pointed out, Flair is a self-proclaimed "kiss stealer" (and the WWE  has done much, much worse, especially in Divas matches). Lots of good "little things" in this contest: well-scouted counters out of both women, Becky's facial expressions, Charlotte heeling it up without doing the gratuitous and counterproductive Naitch tributes, Lynch working on Charlotte's arm to prepare her for her finisher, and an impressive powerbomb counter out of Becky's armbar by Charlotte. Unfortunately, the last minute, which was overbooked, unnecessarily screwy, and, worst of all, poorly executed, hurt what had been a straightforward and really enjoyable contest. Bonus points for the post-match beatdown, though, as well as the return of Sasha Banks. I was worried that Banks would become the defacto babyface by attacking Charlotte, but her treatment of Becky Lynch suggests to me that Lynch is still slotted in as the fan surrogate here, the "odd girl out" who will, hopefully, win the big one down the road. Another good match that added even more legitimacy to the Divas Championship. (3.5/5)

Main event time - the 2016 Royal Rumble! Here's my notes because putting this in paragraph form would be an eyesore:

* Reigns made quick work of Rusev, but was definitely surprised by the number 3 entrant: AJ Styles! The Phenomenal One got a huge response and came off as an absolute star. I was, admittedly, someone who believed the WWE Universe wouldn't "know" AJ, and I still hold out that it certainly mattered that he debuted in Orlando (aka "TNA/NXT Country") and not Des Moines, but I'll also give credit where its due and congratulate the WWE for an all-around great debut for him. Cole, JBL, and Saxton treating him like a big deal only helped viewers at home.

* After Axel and Breeze were swiftly eliminated, Chris Jericho came out for another noticeably large pop, which was a bit surprising to me considering how lukewarm his response has been treated in other cities (and especially on the internet).

* Kofi's yearly non-elimination was fun, but the true comedy was R-Truth hauling a ladder into the match. Good comedy relief placed in the right spot in the match.

* Just as Stardust was set to make his way into the match, the League of Nations showed up and destroyed Reigns. This would've been an interesting twist had it not (a) made the actual finish fairly predictable, (b) been incredibly counterproductive in making Reigns look tough, and (c) completely buried Sheamus, Rusev, and Del Rio as nincompoops who don't understand the one basic, most important rule of the Rumble. Considering they went through all the trouble of teaming up on him and putting him through a table, you'd think one of the League members (or Vince McMahon, who was also on the scene) would have rolled him into the ring and then tossed him over the top for good measure. Stupid storytelling here. 

* After Big Show came in and eliminated Ryback and Titus O'Neill, Braun Strowman reared his super ugly head. Strowman may be green as goose shit, but seeing him go toe-to-toe with Big Show was a cool visual and it definitely felt like a "moment" to see him eliminate the Largest Athlete in the World. Few have talked about those two squaring off at WrestleMania, but expect to see it happen at this year's Andre The Giant Memorial. 

* Kevin Owens arrived soon after, hobbling his way to the ring, every bit the gritty fighter that he's portrayed himself to be. He instantly went after AJ, which popped the crowd huge and led to AJ's exit. I thought this was a pitch-perfect way to get Styles out of the match as it kept the heat on Owens and gave the fans even more of a reason to despise this guy. Had Styles been eliminated by anyone else, I could see the IWC exploding in rage...but Owens was the right call.

* Minutes later, Sami Zayn returned and while he didn't garner as huge a reaction as Styles, the crowd did recognize his storyline with Owens and reacted accordingly. The booking of AJ/Owens/Zayn worked really well as a self-contained story in this match and hopefully it will continue out of it in some shape or fashion.

* From here, the Wyatt Family essentially took over, tossing out people left and right. While only Luke Harper impresses me every week, I never mind seeing a stable, especially one of 300+ pounders, dominating a Rumble as a unit. It makes too much sense not to happen. 

* Of course, once the Wyatts started dominating, you had to know it was only a matter of time before The Beast would arrive. Lesnar came in at #23 and the next 3-5 minutes were heaven as the Royal Rumble turned into Suplex City. Lesnar's stiff shot at Strowman looked like it knocked him back to the future, but I also really liked seeing the former UFC Heavyweight Champion toss Luke Harper like he was a bag of Idaho's Best. 

* Absolutely loved the Miz refusing to get into the ring until Lesnar was out. Not only did he add an extra element to the commentary, but it fit his chickenshit character to a T.

* While Lesnar's elimination at the hands of the entire Wyatt Family made perfect sense (and seems to point pretty conclusively at what Lesnar will be doing at Mania), I was less thrilled by his reaction to his elimination. Lesnar sold being hurt, but since when does being hurt stop the Beast? Him walking out of the ring, while Bray Wyatt continued to wrestle in the Rumble, seemed out of character for him. I would've preferred Lesnar getting back into the ring and tossing Wyatt, an eye-for-an-eye attack that would've left both men blind and, more importantly, allowed Wyatt to keep his aura going. Instead, Wyatt got eliminated in a rather "normal" way, coming across as just another guy instead of an evil demon cult leader.

* Sheamus at #29 and the crowd seemed to be growing restless, especially once Roman Reigns returned. Ziggler got some pops for nearly eliminating the ex-Shield member, which wasn't much of a surprise, while Chris Jericho impressively held on till the bitter end, lasting somewhere over 40 minutes if I'm not mistaken.

* As many fans, myself included, predicted, Triple H arrived at #30. While the live crowd was initially very warm to his return, as the minutes went on and he and Reigns began to toss out the other participants, I think there was a general disappointing realization that this match was going to come down between the "chosen one" Roman Reigns and the "choosing one" Triple H. Kudos to the WWE for adding a slight swerve by having Dean Ambrose outlast Reigns, which was the right decision to make for that crowd in that moment but maybe the wrong decision to make in the big picture as I'm not sure why Reigns, aside from being the former Champion, can lay claim at being the Number One Contender when Ambrose was, technically, the second last survivor. Plus, unlike Reigns, who essentially got a "powder," it was Ambrose who impressively outlasted the match's heaviest hitters, including Brock Lesnar, Braun Strowman, and Bray Wyatt. 

* Coming out of the Rumble, I'd argue that there are 4-5 guys that the match gave a shine to that don't have the initials RR. Oddly enough, one of them is Chris Jericho, who might end up as Ambrose's WrestleMania opponent, which I'm lukewarm on. 

* Overall, a very good Royal Rumble that didn't overrely on surprise entrants or blasts from the pasts, which makes sense to me when you consider that this one was for the WWE World Championship, meaning wasting spots to outside talent like Santino would've been kind of silly, and that the roster they have currently is pretty jacked with young, hungry talent. It's hard to rate a Rumble, but as they can sometimes get tiresome and boring and this one never really lagged, I'll give it a solid (4/5).

With a strong 3.4-out-of-5 on the watchability meter, Royal Rumble 2016 was one of the most digestible shows I've watched in a couple months. For better or worse, the show delivered the hits fans wanted - a couple of surprise entrants (AJ Styles and Sami Zayn), a Kofi stunt, a trip to Suplex City, and several cliffhanging question that must be answered on the road to WrestleMania. While I would've preferred a better handling of Roman Reigns in the Rumble (without question, he came out of it less over than he went in), seeing Lesnar actually exact some revenge on the Wyatts before he headed to the back, and Becky Lynch losing to something other than Ric Flair's jacket, these are nit-picky minor details on an otherwise very solid show.

FINAL RATING - Watch It All 

WWE Vengeance 2002

RATING LEVELS: 

Curt Hennig – A “GOAT” show, as Perfect as possible

Watch It – A consistently good show worth watching in its entirety

Watch It…With Remote in Hand – 3 or more above-average ratings 

High Risk Maneuver – Mostly filler, inessential, but 1-2 good matches

DUDleyville – Zero redeeming qualities, chore to watch

Vengeance 2002 - July 2002

Detroit, Michigan

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, the WWE World Champion is The Undertaker, the Intercontinental Championship is held by Rob Van Dam, pre-"JBL" Bradshaw is the Hardcore Champion, the European Champion is Jeff Hardy, Molly Holly is the Womens' Champion, and the past-meets-present duo of Edge and Hulk Hogan are the WWE World Tag Team Champions. Finally, Jamie Noble is the Cruiserweight Champion.

COMMENTARY: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, and Tazz

Vengeance 2002 starts off with a ridiculous Pulp Fiction/Bible-infused video package hyping tonight's triple threat main event and the arrival of Eric Bischoff as the General Manager of RAW followed by a pyrotechnics display that would wake the dead.

Spike and Bubba Ray Dudley arrive, table in hands, for tonight's opening contest, a Tag Team Tables Match, against Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit. The dominance by the heels is amazing in the first half of the contest as Guerrero and Benoit brutally and believably beat down their opponents with double-teams, suplexes, and other signature offense. Benoit, in particular, is in tremendous shape, tossing a very not-in-tremendous-shape Bubba Dudley around with remarkable ease. It takes awhile before the tables are introduced, but the audience is with the match the whole time, rooting on the babyfaces. While I wasn't a huge fan of any of the table spots that ended the match, to call this thing anything below average is to blatantly ignore how caught up the crowd is in this match and how well this one is layed out to build up the suspense. Solid opener. (3/5)

Triple H is confronted by Eric Bischoff in the back. As the commentators mentioned earlier, Triple H is expected to make an announcement tonight on whether he will stay on SmackDown or join RAW.

The Cruiserweight Championship is on the line next - Jamie Noble defending against Billy Kidman. Kidman gets a little bit of offense in early, but when the action spills out of the ring, Noble is able to take advantage with help from his girlfriend, Nidia. Kidman sells the damage to his left shoulder very well as the match continues on, while Noble targets it with a reverse key lock and an "arm DDT" (or whatever you call that move), building an effective story and getting the fans to rally behind the good guy. Cole notes that Rey Mysterio will be making his debut on SmackDown the following week, which does make me wonder why his debut wasn't promoted as part of this show. Kidman nearly gets the victory from a top rope powerbomb-esque maneuever, but Noble is able to kickout and block a follow-up tornado DDT attempt. Kidman attempts his 7 Year Itch finisher, but Noble rolls out of the way, leading to a number of reversals and Noble connecting with a double-underhook powerbomb for the victory. While not a cruiserweight contest at the same level of the ones that dazzled WCW audiences 4-5 years earlier, this one was certainly good enough to merit its inclusion on PPV. (2.5/5)

Afterr a backstage altercation between Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar, we come to a rematch for the WWE European Championship, Jeff Hardy defending against the former titleholder, William Regal. I was unaware that Hardy was using the bodypaint way back in 02', but you learn something new every day, right? A loud "Regal Sucks" chants serves as a soundtrack to the beatdown he gives to Hardy early on, hitting him with all sorts of smashmouth offense. A botched dropkick is followed by an ugly hurricanrana on the floor, the whole sequence saved by the unwavering adoration that Hardy receives from the crowd and the Rainbow-haired Warrior's willingness to toss himself off the guardrail and top rope to keep the crowd from turning on what is a noticeably sloppy contest. A very unbelievable finish wraps up a match that could've been so much better. (1.5/5)

Ric Flair congratulates Jeff Hardy backstage before Hulk Hogan shows up and jokes about hitting a Swanton Bomb of his own before asking Naitch what McMahon is thinking making Eric Bischoff the General Manager of RAW. They reference the way Bischoff drove WCW "out of business." Not a great segment, but it didn't eat a lot of time and is, at the very least, something fresh...unlike the non-stop Network ads we get on today's specials.

John Cena makes his pay-per-view debut next, taking on Chris Jericho. The story coming into this one is that the new blood, Cena, has been scoring upset victories over established talents (namely Kurt Angle) and even got a nod of approval from The Undertaker, angering the first Undisputed Champion in WWE history. Watching this match 15 years later is interesting, but not revelatory - the fact is, while Cena looks competent, has an impressive physique, and puts forth good effort, based on this match alone, one wouldn't have earmarked him for being the company's top star for the next decade. The best spot of the match comes when Cena propels himself full-force into a Jericho dropkick, popping the otherwise not-so-into-it crowd. Extra points for a good finishing sequence that got the story over that Jericho had the victory, but fell prey to overconfidence. (2.5/5)

Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler take over on commentary for tonight's Intercontinental Championship match - Rob Van Dam defending against the King of the Ring, Brock Lesnar. Lesnar is already headed to SummerSlam to challenge for the WWE World Championship, so tonight represents his opportunity to capture a different title beforehand. Lesnar starts off the match showing more confidence and personality than in any bout I've seen from him on my journey through yesteryear, while Van Dam wrestles with the spirit and energy that helps explain why he was one of the most over babyfaces on the roster at this point. I was not a fan of their King of the Ring effort, but this one delivers the goods from the first minute - Lesnar hitting RVD with a bevy of big throws and slams as Van Dam cleverly counters with his agility and "educated feet." Apart from the impressive variety of Lesnar's offense (which now includes a bearhug and an abdominal stretch), what might be most impressive here is his bumping and selling. While he doesn't have to do much in that department, dominating this bout for lengthy stretches, when Lesnar hits the mat, it means something and the fans react accordingly. This is the first I've seen of the "complete" Brock Lesnar - a menacing monster that can also, in spots, look vulnerable enough to warrant fan sympathy. An unfortunate finish that seems "out of the blue" in this era, when all sorts of interference was routinely allowed, takes away from what was certainly the best match of the evening so far and a star-making turn for both guys. On the positive side, the post-match action is an excellent fishhook into the cheek of the audience, demanding us to keep watching to see if these two will ever tangle again. (3.5/5)

Backstage, Eric Bischoff is still waiting outside of Stephanie McMahon's door. Stephanie comes out and stoicly announces that Triple H has "signed," then walks away. Triple H emerges and Bischoff shouts in his face about being a disloyal, dishonest businessman. Triple H tells him that he didn't sign with SmackDown, he just signed his divorce papers. Boy does Bischoff have egg on his face! Triple H adds that he's still undecided about which show he will be on.

Back in the ring, The Big Show makes his way down the aisle to take on Booker T in a No Disqualification, No Countout match-up. Show takes control early, tossing Booker around the ring with ease and stomping on him a couple of times for good measure. The crowd is fairly dead for this, though the participants do deserve some credit for trying to keep them engaged. Booker specifically brings tremendous energy to the match, flipping and flopping all over the place to get over Big Show's size and strength. A scissors kick through the Spanish announce table earns a "Holy Shit" chant from the crowd and while I wouldn't call it an all-time great spot, it does wake up the crowd effectively. Unfortunately, as the match is being fought under a no countout stipulation, the next minute or so is dead time and the crowd seems disinterested again until Booker connects with a second scissors kick inside the ring. An impressive Houston Hangover (wasn't that the Harlem Hangover?) finishes off a match that may not be a masterpeice, but doesn't overstay its welcome and features just enough bright spots to make it no less than average. (2.5/5)

Decision time for Triple H in our next segment as he joined by both Eric Bischoff and Stephanie McMahon, the General Managers of RAW and SmackDown respectively. The crowd in attendance is much more interested than I was (or I'd assume most modern day fans would be considering that Triple H has been synonymous with RAW for close to two decades now with only a comparatively short run on the Blue Brand in the late 00s). Anyway, the segment gets a true kick once Shawn Michaels arrives, explaining away the New World Order angle he was initially involved in and teasing a reunion of DegenerationX (that wouldn't actually happen for another 3-4 years). Michaels performing as the snarky, authority-poking braggart is fun to watch after years of him doing a more solemn, respected veteran character in his last years with the company. The live crowd loves this segment, but until Shawn showed up I was ready to reach for the remote. By the time Triple H finally decides to join HBK on RAW, I'm surprised anyone is shocked or surprised - the fact is, there really seemed like no question as to what brand he'd pick. (2/5)

After a couple backstage segments and a video package, the World Tag Team Championships are on the line with Hulk Hogan and Edge defending against the Anti-Americans, Christian and Lance Storm. What starts off as a very standard match with very standard action gets spruced up a bit thanks to the hard work of Edge, Storm, and Christian, a fantastic ref bump, and some surprise involvement out of another famous Canadian grappler to end the match. In this undoubtedly "upper midcard" context, the "special-ness" of Hogan is certainly diminished (the fact is, Hogan is such a big name compared to everyone else involved that this does seem like he's "slumming it" a bit), but kudos to whoever laid out this match and Hogan himself for not phoning it in and actually subverting expectations a bit by having the Anti-Americans survive a "Hulk Up" sequence and utilizing Edge as the hot tag (when  I assumed Hogan would be protected in that role going into the match). Not an all time great tag contest, but definitely the most entertaining thing we've seen in the past 45 minutes of this show. (3/5)

Main event time - The Rock vs. Kurt  Angle vs. The Undertaker for Taker's Undisputed World Championship. Dave Meltzer gave this match a glowing review in 2002, awarding it a rare 4-and-a-half stars (though he was much harsher on the rest of the card). Meltzer is not alone either as a simple search of "Best Triple Threat Match Ever" will yield quite a few lists with this one near the top of many. While I wouldn't quite put it up there, it is unquestionably an enjoyable match-up that benefits from featuring no run-ins, a very limited use of weapons, and a somewhat small amount of blood considering the "norm" at the time, making this one of the more "pure" main events of its era. The Rock is absolutely great here, the perfect bumping foil for both The Undertaker's straightforward brawling style and Angle's suplex-heavy offense. Modern fans who need a reminder of how much character and charisma Rock could bring into a wrestling match should certainly rewatch - there is just nobody in today's scene that does it like he did. After some not-so-hot outings out of Undertaker in the months prior, this one put him in the right context to cover up obvious issues with mobility and stamina. While purists will criticize the abundance of finisher stealing and finisher "spamming," as well as the fact that the first half of the match is laid out in standard "These two fight-then these two fight-then these two fight" sequences, the crowd is hot for all of it and at no point does the action die down for even a moment. The closing 5-6 minutes, when all three are in the ring (and stay there), every near-fall really seems like it can end the match, including the schoolboys and roll-ups, the violent interplay between the three executed perfectly. Easily the match of the night, largely due to the overness of the Rock and the thrilling, edge of your seat action in the second half of the match. (4/5)



Some have called Vengeance 2002 one of the WWE's best ever and, on paper, it certainly should be. The main event is as star-studded a post-Attitude Era match as one can find. Brock Lesnar, Rob Van Dam, Hulk Hogan, Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, and Edge are all on the card. John Cena makes his PPV debut. Shawn Michaels makes his first PPV appearance in, I believe, over 4 years. 5 different titles are on the line and there are two hardcore stipulation matches. So how did this show end up with a pretty average 2.72-out-of-5 score?

For starters, the card is almost too loaded to sustain any of the highs it hits. Looking at the list of superstars above, one would think this match is match-after-match of near-classics, but weighing down the show are forgettable, irrelevant filler matches between Jeff Hardy and William Regal and Billy Kidman and Jamie Noble. The Triple H segment may have made for a captivating TV segment, but just seems to "be there" on this show, nothing worth revisiting for those that recall it or even watching once for those that missed it back then (like myself). The opener and Lesnar/RVD have excellent moments in them, but aren't worth digging up either. I can see this show being a fun nostalgia watch for fans that have fond memories of the post-Attitude Era, but for 31-and-11/12ths viewers like myself, who "tapped out" out on the WWE once the war over Monday Nights was officially over, who like to remember Hulk Hogan for his glory days in the 90s, who have little patience for Triple H as a babyface, and don't necessarily yearn to watch cruiserweight matches that focused more on silly gimmicks than innovative, international-spiced wrestling, this show is simply too up-and-down to keep your interest for longer than a half hour or so.


FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver

WCW SuperBrawl VII

WCW SuperBrawl VII - February 1997

San Francisco, California

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan is the reigning WCW World Champion coming into tonight's show. The United States Champion is Eddie Guerrero, the Television Champion is Prince Iaukea, Dean Malenko holds the WCW Cruiserweight Championship, and The Outsiders are the WCW World Tag Team Champions.

COMMENTATORS: Bobby Heenan, Tony Schiavone, and Dusty Rhodes

WCW's seventh annual SuperBrawl kicks off with a bizarre, zero budget clip of Roddy Piper leaving Alcatraz and jumping on a boat headed to the Cow Palace in San Fransisco, California.

Our opening contest pits WCW Cruiserweight Champion Dean Malenko against the man who stole the title, Syxx. As Schiavone notes early on, Syxx was trained by Malenko's father, Boris Malenko, adding an extra element of personal grudge to the match. Malenko comes in like a house on fire, hitting Syxx with some swift offense and pulling him up by the hair at 2 to prolong the match and get some punishment in. Unlike Syxx's match with Guerrero at Souled Out, the action is fluid and the crowd is into things from the very start, the big spots (like a crossbody from Malenko that brings both men to the outside) getting their intended reactions. What might be most shocking to fans, though, is how good Waltman is here - his kicks and strikes are on point, his bumping and selling bring all the emotion and suspense that the technically proficient-but-charisma-lacking Malenko can't, and when he does pull out some bigger offense (a legdrop from the top, a snap suplex), he adds enough character shtick to it that the fans are disgusted more than impressed. I would've loved 4-5 more minutes of this match, but its hard to argue with the idea of using this match to build towards a three-way feud between Malenko, Syxx, and Guerrero. Very good opening match. (3.5/5)

"Mean" Gene Okerlund is in the back, hocking the WCW Hotline. He is then joined by Diamond Dallas Page, who runs down the list of possible opponents he'll face tonight. Okerlund informs him that his opponent will be Marcus Bagwell. Good promo out of Page, but not good enough to warrant bonus points.

Mike Tenay joins the announce team to help out with tonight's 6-man: Konnan, La Parka, and Villaino IV vs. Super Calo, Juventud Guerrera, and Cyclope. Tenay informs viewers that 6-man tags are very common in Mexico, meaning that tonight's match is one that plays to the strengths of the athletes involved. Transcribing the action in this match would be impossible - there is just so much cool stuff going on at any given moment that doing so would require multiple rewatches. Cyclope and Villaino start things off with some great chain wrestling before Guerrera and Konnan come in to quicken the pace. Moments later we get La Parka and Super Calo trading moves, including a sick senton from Calo onto the floor and La Parka connecting with a suicide dive through the ropes onto a seated Calo. While not overstaying its welcome, the match does lack a clear "throughline" to really carry it and clearly define which sides are heels or faces. Stilll, as an outright spotfest, this match offers the kind of vareity sorely lacking in today's WWE product. Good stuff. (3.5/5)

The Television Championship is on the line next, with Prince Iaukea defending against Rey Mysterio Jr.. The story coming into this match is that Iaukea had a huge upset victory over Lord Steven Regal to capture the title and is coming into this match as the clear underdog due to his inexperience relative to Mysterio. The match starts with some good chain wrestling, Iaukea showing his inexperience at specific moments, but looking pretty good overall. Iaukea's offense gets little to no reaction, but its fairly solid - a guerrilla-press-into-a-backbreaker, a nice vertical suplex, a huge crossbody to the floor all look good. Mysterio's counters don't fare much better until he takes control and lands an outstanding senton to the arena floor through the second rope, yet another example of Mysterio busting out a move I've never seen before (he follows it up moments later with a double-springboard moonsault and a split-legged moonsault off of dead-center in the top rope for good measure). Iaukea is able to get back on offense, though, landing a huge Samoan Drop off the top rope, but a botched Mysterio victory roll and run-in from former Television Champion Steven Regal ends this otherwise excellent match in an unsatisfying way. A better finish would've earned this one an extra half-point, but I'm comfortable giving credit where credit is due as this was significantly above average thanks to several innovative spots by Rey. (3.5/5)

After some thoughts from The Giant, Marcus "Buff" Bagwell takes on the nWo's most wanted man, Diamond Dallas Page. The crowd is very much behind DDP for this, popping big for his offense and booing whenever Buff takes a minute to pose and gloat. While this one doesn't feature the innovation of the previous two matches or the technical skill of the opener, the crowd is definitely more engaged in the characters. The bbiggest reaction of the match, though, might come when referee Scott Dickinson gets in the face of Buff, allowing Page to recuperate a bit and connect with an absolutely perfect clothesline to the former American Male. When DDP calls for the Diamond Cutter, the crowd is on its feet, though, Page doesn't apply the move, instead opting for his sitout powerbomb. Bagwell gets a second wind, though, hitting Page with a back elbow and, moments later, countering Page's Diamond Cutter with a backslide and then a fisherman suplex. Bagwell gets cocky, though, and demands the referee count Page out for a TKO instead of going for the pin. As expected, Page takes the opportunity to grab a quick breather and ends up hitting Bagwell with the Diamond Cutter before the nWo cavalry arrives and clears the ring. Better-than-average match with an unncecessarily undefinitive ending, which has become an unfortunate pattern on this show so far. (3/5)

Chris Jericho vs. Eddie Guerrero for Guerrero's United States Championship is next. Solid mat wrestling starts things off while Schiavone plays up the idea that these two represent the future stars of the sport. Over the next several minutes, these two dish out move after move of flawless wrestling, including a big stalling vertical suplex and early incarnation of a Liontamer out of Jericho before Eddie comes back with a devastating powerbomb and crisp brainbuster. Sadly, the crowd is mostly unimpressed despite the efforts of the competitors, even when Jericho launches Guerrero into the stratosphere with a release german suplex. As the match wears on, Jericho begins to show frustration and utilize borderline heel tactics to maintain control of the match, including an atomic drop onto the top rope. Despite Jericho's bottomless bag of high impact offense, Guerrero manages to find the ropes whenever he needs to. The final stretch is well-executed, but seems a bit lackluster compared to how excellent the previous minutes had been. Again, I'm tempted to go 4-stars on this, but I can't fully recommend it when this really needed just one or two extra minutes (with a more thrilling conclusion) to warrant that praise. Very good, but not great match. (3.5/5)

A triangle tag team match is next - The Faces of Fear taking on Public Enemy taking on Harlem Heat. Rocco Rock and The Barbarian start things off, but within a minute or two we see both members of the Heat and Johnny Grunge in the ring, the match progressing at a nice, quick pace. Booker T pops the crowd with a spinnerooni-into-a-heel kick before finding himself on the receiving end of a Faces of Fear onslaught of stomps and forearms. Barbarian hits a huge belly-to-belly from the top rope, a spot I certainly didn't expect to see in this one, before Meng comes in and lays out Booker T with a piledriver. There's a bit of a hiccup afterwards, but its easy to overlook after Meng and Barbarian hit Booker with their undeniably sick finisher - a back-body drop into a powerbomb by Barbarian. The actual finish comes a minute later, capping off a match that, while certainly not great, doesn't overstay its welcome and doesn't get bogged down by a single rest hold. This was about as good as this match could be. (2/5)

Up next is a grudge match between Jeff Jarrett and Steve "Mongo" McMichael, one based on the not-so-subtle love triangle between the two and McMichael's wife, Debra, and Jarrett's "Is He/Isn't He?" status as a Four Horsemen (this match would decide whether or not Jarrett would officially join the stable). Knowing the backstory helps tremendously as a viewer - the fact is, I went into this match caring about the outcome more than I have for any Jarrett or Mongo match ever. Jarrett controls the early part of the contest, showcasing his experience and wrestling knowledge, but Mongo gets some shots in as well, including a powerslam and a tackle. Mongo's boisterous, overdramatic selling is laughable, but his mechanics aren't terrible (easily better than, say, former Television Champion the Renegade's). Debra gets involved anytime the match spills out of the ring, giving the match a story element that none of the previous bouts had to offer. There's a thoroughly botched sleeper hold that Jarrett unwisely opts to repeat, leading to a dull near double countout and Debra illogically thinking aloud, "I wonder which one to help," a line the commentators wisely rip apart for its idiocy. Moments later we get a sloppy ref bump and Debra teasing a full turn on her husband, though, I do give credit to Jarrett for hitting Mongo with the briefcase with substantial might. Far from great, but at under 10 minutes, this one won't bore you. (2.5/5)

A San Francisco Death Match is next - Kevin Sullivan (with Jacqueline) taking on Chris Benoit (with Woman) in what has to be their dozenth match against eachother. Aside from the No DQ, No Countout stipulation, the commentators note that Jacqueline and Woman will be strapped to eachother to prevent their involvement (or guarantee it?). The bell rings and the slugfest starts, with Jackie and Woman rolling out of the ring and going after eachother with their strap while Benoit and Sullivan go at it in the ring. All four end up in the ring, where the strap comes undone and Benoit ends up taking some big shots to the back from Jackie, allowing Sullivan to end up hanging him over the top rope. The crowd goes crazy as the women beat down on the men, at one point clotheslining both of them with the strap before Benoit and Sullivan start brawling down the aisle. The men end up backstage, eventually fighting their way through the crowd, smashing eachother into guardrails and walls all along. Sullivan looks like he has the victory locked in, hitting Benoit with a double stomp, but Woman breaks the count, allowing Benoit to connect with a piledriver and pull out a table. After setting up Sullivan on the table, Benoit attempts to hit him with a diving headbutt, but Jacqueline tries her best to stop him by covering her up. Unfortunately for her, Benoit goes for it anyway and the table doesn't break, making for one of the ugliest spots of the night, all three ending up on top of eachother in a battered heap. Paul Orndorff makes a surprise appearance, as does Terryy Taylor, all helping sell the devastation of this match. Had the table broken, the overdramatic post-match may have been more believable, but kudos to WCW for trying their best to still sell the carnage of this one. Overall, not an all-time classic but a nice change of pace on the card and a fun watch. (3/5)

After a not-so-humorous UnCensored commercial starring Hugh Morrus, it is time for tonight's WCW World Tag Team Championship match - The Outsiders defending against The Giant (whose partner, Lex Luger, has been barred from the match due to an injury). For some reason, The Giant gets an Undertaker-like entrance, the lights shutting off and absolutely no music announcing his rival. Hall starts things off by mocking the big man, but eats a huge back elbow for his transgressions, followed moments later by some chest chops and an impressive press slam. Hall angers Giant again by spitting in his face then tags in Nash, who gets some real offense in before getting rocked himself and put out of the ring by a huge Giant dropkick. On the outside, The Giant lifts up Nash with ease, slamming him back-first into the steel post before landing an elbow drop. At this point, the nWo shows their cunning, Hall serving as a distraction while Syxx clocks him with the title, Nash hits him with a big boot, and Hall eventually serves up a viciously awkward-looking bulldog. The Giant won't stay down, but the tide has shifted and The Giant is essentially helpless in the ring. When The Giant does get a comeback going, it is believable and well-executed, though, his tossing of Syxx into Nash is a bit sloppy. In an amazing feat of strength, Nash miraculously powerbombs The Giant, which takes both men out, giving time for Lex Luger to come out, toss Bischoff aside, and lock Nash into the Torture Rack. The crowd goes bananas at the finish, though, it almost goes without saying that this decision will somehow be reversed due to Luger's involvement. Very fun match that has a "big match feel" and plenty of good character work out of Hall particularly. Extra half-point for Nash delivering a Jacknife Powerbomb onto the 7 foot-400 pound Giant. (3.5/5)

Main event time - Roddy Piper vs. Hollywood Hogan for Hogan's WCW World Championship. The match starts off with some excellent character work out of Piper and Hogan, the fans definitely enthralled by the clash of the two legends. Piper controls the early going, hitting Hogan with rights and lefts, choking him out with his tee-shirt, and clawing into his skin. Unfortunately, this just about sums up all the offense we'll see in the match from either guy. Props to the agent who helped develop this match for spiking it with appearances by Michael Wallstreet, Sting, and Randy Savage, all of whom add just enough excitement to keep the fans intrigued on the ending. Speaking of the ending, it makes very little sense. Randy Anderson's initial call is 1000% legit, so watching him reverse it just doesn't work. The post-match draws nothing but boos and, again, the fans are essentially screwed out of both a clean finish and a genuine appearance by their hero, Sting. If you judge this match simply on the in-ring action, it's not going to rank too highly at all (though, credit should be given to Piper and Hogan for doing so little and drawing such big responses), but as an overall spectacle, it's not the worst thing I've ever spent 15 minutes on. (2.5/5)

With a respectable 3.05-out-of-5 average score, SuperBrawl VII is a fairly watchable show. Starting off with a string of four really fun bouts, even the least enjoyable matches (the main event, triangle tag match, and Jarrett/Mongo) are arguably better than they have any right to be. Hogan/Piper is saved by storyline-progressing run-ins that illustrates why WCW was able to crush WWE for 82 weeks, Jarrett/Mongo benefits from being the culmination of an undeniably clever, multi-layered storyline, while the triangle tag match is surprisingly watchable due to its brevity and impressive performances out of Booker T and the Faces of Fear. Compared to the previous month's Souled Out PPV, the lowest scoring WCW PPV since Slamboree 96' (which featured such gems as Big Bubba tagging with Stevie Ray to take on the team of Fire & Ice), SuperBrawl VII is an outright masterpiece.

FINAL RATING - Watch It All...With Remote In Hand