WWE SummerSlam 2003

WWE SummerSlam 2003

Pheonix, Arizona - August 2003

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, the WWE World Championship is held by Kurt Angle and the World Heavyweight Championship is held by Triple H. Christian is the Intercontinental Champion while the United States Title is held by Eddie Guerrero. La Resistance are the recognized World Tag Team Champions and Team Angle are the WWE Tag Team Champions. The Womens' Title is held by Molly Holly and Rey Mysterio is the Cruiserweight Champion, though neither appear on this show.

COMMENTATORS: Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler (RAW), Michael Cole and Tazz (SmackDown)

The Dudleys challenge La Resistance for the WWE Tag Team Titles to kick things off. Fairly typical Dudleys bout, the crowd begging for tables while D-von and Bubba get their other, less exciting shit in. Dupree and Grenier get good heat with their anti-US schtick, but that doesn't make it an interesting gimmick. This match did what it needed to and didn't overstay its welcome, but there's nothing else complimentary to say about it. (2.5/5)

Christian is backstage with Eric Bischoff. I didn't pay too much attention to it.

The Undertaker vs. A-Train follows, a continuation of their feud from SmackDown. A-Train is accompanied by Sable, the story being that A-Train is loosely affiliated with Vince McMahon (who was linked to Sable at the time). Taker controls early, going after Albert's wrist, hitting a flying clothesline off the ropes, and then connecting with the Old School as the cameras flashed. The Deadman costs himself the advantage, though, spilling over the top rope and onto the arena floor. Albert uses his strength to hit a back suplex on Undertaker minutes later and then targets the Phenom's ribs. Undertaker counters with Snake Eyes, but can't finish it with his big boot, leading to a double clothesline spot that brings both men down. They exchange fists but Taker wins out and hits a series of leg drops both in the ring and on the apron. After a Last Ride leads to a small ref bump, Albert is able to counter with his finisher for two but can't secure the victory. In a respectable twist, Taker inadvertently takes the ref out a second time and the finish is in question. By the time we get the actual finish, it comes off as fairly decisive despite the ample shenanigans. Cool post-match moment with Undertaker teasing a chokeslam on Sable before he's interrupted by the returning Stephanie McMahon. I went into this with low expectations and didn't absolutely hate what I saw. (3/5)

Meanwhile, on the RAW side of things, Shane McMahon has been feuding with Kane and the Devil's Favorite Authority Figure (and opponent in tonight's match), Eric Bischoff. This storyline also involved Jim Ross threatening to sue Bischoff and Sleazy E kissing Linda McMahon too, so you know WWE was really firing on all cylinders at this point. Shane-o comes in and takes the fight right to Bischoff who swiftly tries to run away but ends up clocked in the back of the head and on the arena floor for his efforts. Shane continues to dominate, connecting with some goofy punches and dragging Bischoff around the ring. For some reason, Jonathan Coachman shows up with a chair in hand and attacks Shane McMahon as the crowd boos. Lil' Naitch tries to disqualify Bischoff, but the RAW GM grabs the mic and announces that the match is now "No DQ" and pinfalls count anywhere. The two-on-one attack continues as the crowd breaks into an "Austin" chant. Bischoff tells the production truck to turn off JR and King's mics so that The Coach can provide commentary for their beatdown. This angle would be decent if The Coach had any sort of charisma, Shane McMahon wasn't booked as a legitimate tough guy, and Eric Bischoff hadn't been presented, for years, as a phony, ineffective karate-kicking doofus. Austin finally shows up and the crowd pops as he and Shane take out Coach. Austin hits a Stunner on Bischoff too but Shane won't accept the automatic 3-count, opting instead to put Bischoff through a table with his trademark elbow from the top rope. This was only slightly offensive - bad acting, The Coach, Austin not stunnering Shane McMahon for the hell of it like the original Rattlesnake character would've - but not so atrocious that its unwatchable. (2/5)

SmackDown's prestigious and freshly resurrected United States Championship is on the line next with Eddie Guerrero defending against Rhyno, Tajiri, and Chris Benoit. A four-way featuring this particular set of talents should be a blizzard of action, but there are a surprising number of dead spots, moments when the crowd goes silent and the participants seem to be at least two steps behind the next spot. I'm not sure if I should commend these four for trying to develop a match that isn't just one trademark spot after another, but I could swear this one doesn't feature a single gore from Rhyno, that neither Benoit or Guerrero deliver their Tres Amigo/Triple German combo, that Tajiri holds off on the mist - and while this wisely leaves money on the table for future title matches down the line, it also keeps this one from being as fun as one would expect. (3/5)

The WWE Championship is on the line next with Brock Lesnar challenging Kurt Angle in a rematch from WrestleMania XIX. The major difference here is that Lesnar is now a full-fledged heel having aligned himself with Vince McMahon. The match starts off with straight-up wrestling before a frustrated Lesnar starts to try to overpower Angle and take the match outside. Angle has an answer for nearly everything Lesnar throws at him, though, going after Lesnar's ankle repeatedly. A ref bump cues involvement from Vince McMahon who hits Angle with a very weak-looking chairshot, maybe nervous about Angle's legitimately still-healing broken neck. McMahon's interference proves ineffective, though, as Lesnar can't put Angle away, even with his F-5. This is representative of my major gripe with the match - while Lesnar's selling is really great throughout, Angle's performance lacks the same attention to detail as the Olympic Gold Medalist shakes nearly everything off in order to jump to the next big crowd-pleasing signature spot. Still, a very good, but with the shenanigans from Vince, it is a less pure contest than their Mania bout and because of this, less essential viewing. (3.5/5)

A lengthy, lengthy Kane video airs before we cut to Howard Finkel announcing the participants and noting that the Devil's Favorite Demon's match tonight against Rob Van Dam will be fought under hardcore rules. The bell sounds and Kane levels RVD with a big clothesline early before tossing him out of the ring to inflict even more punishment. Kane pulls out a ladder, but doesn't put it to use before RVD is able to get some offense in himself. Van Dam looks pretty reckless in his execution throughout, but its the hard-hitting quality of his aerial maneuvers and kicks that make his work come off as tough. RVD ends up on the top turnbuckle but Kane tosses him off and he lands face-first on a well-placed set of stairs, allowing Kane access to the ladder again. Kane clobbers him with it and gets a two for his efforts. For some reason a WrestleMania XX icon appears in the corner. As the match goes on, RVD is able to put up some pretty strong offense including a spinning kick on a barricade-prone Kane and one has to give some credit to the Big Red Monster for his selling; This is obviously a showcase match for Kane, but he doesn't cut off Van Dam's legs and wisely lets the babyface get some shine in so that when Kane ultimately does finish things off, we know he didn't just beat up on a tomato can. RVD misses a Van Terminator but even when it doesn't connect it is a pretty remarkable show of athleticism. This may go down as one of the highest rated Kane matches I've reviewed as it was a legitimate MOTN contender. (3.5/5)

Main event time - The Second Elimination Chamber pitting Kevin Nash, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, Triple H, and Goldberg against each other. Unlike the first edition, the combatants don't really sell the danger of the match at all, which is kind of the whole point of a match like this. Jericho and HBK start things off which is wise when you consider that Orton was pretty green, Goldberg did not need to be exposed for 30+ minutes, Nash couldn't go 30+ minutes, and Triple H was the defending champion. Good action between the two before Orton comes in and then things taper off a bit. Nash comes in to a decent pop but is the first eliminated when he eats some Sweet Chin Music and gets covered by Jericho. The amount of superkicks that Michaels throws in this match is one of the few things that really jumped out - it is a smart strategy and really helps make his eventual elimination not only good storytelling, but a subliminal way of showing that Goldberg is wiser than your average behemoth. Triple H is the next in, but Shawn immediately superkicks him back into his pod and that's where he remains for basically the rest of the match (he was injured prior so his work is very light here). Goldberg is released and he wipes out Orton fairly quickly before spearing Jericho (sloppily) through one of the pod walls in the most hellacious spot of the match. Jericho looks legitimately hurt and Goldberg looks a bit damaged from the impact himself but is able to maintain his composure and return to the ring to eliminate Michaels. Jericho takes a Jackhammer for a loss a minute or so later. Triple H stays in his pod, but Goldberg rips him out of it by going through the glass. The crowd is very vocal about seeing Triple H get his comeuppance, but instead, with the help of Ric Flair, the Champion is able to secure his trusty sledgehammer and bash Goldberg in the noggin with it when he attempts a spear. The post-match beatdown is effective and helps build to the next pay-per-view, but this felt like a fairly lackluster Chamber match compared to the first. (2.5/5)


SummerSlam 2003 zigs when you want it to zag and sucks when you want it to rule. How in the hell did Kane and Albert end up with matches on the good side of the good/bad paradigm? The main event features Jericho and Michaels, a young and hungry Orton, and relatively over big men Nash and Goldberg and never really gets interesting save for a few impressive (and dangerous) spots from Goldberg. No Nash/Goldberg showdown? No Orton/HHH interactions despite their tension being a major storyline in the build to the match? Angle/Lesnar is a very good match, but doesn't live up to their unforgettable WrestleMania battle or even the Ironman match they'd put on some time later on SmackDown. With a Kwang score of 2.86-out-of-5 and not a single match I'd consider even close to "must see," this one scores a...

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver

WWE Backlash 2017

WWE Backlash

Chicago, Illinois - May 2017

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, Randy Orton is the reigning WWE World Champion, the United States Title is held by Kevin Owens, the SmackDown Womens' Championship is held by Naomi, and the SmackDown Tag Team Champions are Jimmy and Jey Uso.

COMMENTARY: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, JBL

My biggest takeaway from the opening contest, Nakamura vs. Ziggler, was just how shockingly 50/50 this match was. Zayn/Nakamura from NXT wasn't a one-sided slaughter, but it felt like a debut match for Nakamura - this match surprisingly eemed to be more about Ziggler getting a bigger spotlight to show off his semi-new heel persona than about establishing Nakamura as an instant main event-caliber star. Now, that's not to say that either guy's work wasn't up to snuff (in fact, I found Nak's bumping here to be very spirited and "big time"), but I'm not sure I understand giving Ziggler what felt like 70% of the match, especially when we're talking about a guy who wasn't featured at all at last month's WrestleMania. I wasn't a fan of the Styles/Jericho feud that introduced AJ to the WWE Universe last year around this time, but Jericho is undoubtedly a bigger name, even in 2016-17, than Ziggler has ever been. Failing to deliver what it needed to, this was a solid match, but a below average debut. (2/5)

Breezango vs. The Usos was next. This one certainly didn't "feel" like a SmackDown Tag Team Championship match, but it was fun for what it was - though not as fun as some writers have posited, calling it "the best comedy match" in years. Nothing in the course of the match itself had me giggling more than the backstage vignettes Breezango did in the build which breathed much needed life into the team. The in-ring action was good, but not great - while the Brothers Uso have transitioned nicely into their heel status and Breezango is as over as a comedy team should be, this was nothing more than a good TV match that hit the notes it needed to but didn't wow me. (2.5/5)

Sami Zayn has been put in a box this year - the scrappy underdog who pushes himself to take on monster heels with no care for the odds of potential paralysis. He did it against Braun Strowman and now he's doing it against his opponent on this show, Baron Corbin. The difference here is that Corbin stands 6'8 and 300 pounds, not 6'8 feet and 385. Despite his NXT experience, Corbin has also been presented as much more beatable. Still, as JBL pointed on commentary, this was a one-sided affair for the most part. Fortunately, even if we've seen it all before, Zayn's selling is excellent (notice how his hand never leaves his injured back whether he's on offense or not) and the audience could feel every callous, cocky strike leveled against him. If he weren't so good at what he does, this match would've been a total bore or, at the very best, just a good retread of his Braun matches - but Zayn added enough nuance to his performance (and the finish certainly helped too) to make this feel fresh and have me excited about a potential rematch. I still expect Corbin to be challenging Orton for the strap sooner than later, but this detour looks like it could yield some quality matches in the meantime. (3/5)

The SmackDown Womens' Scene is a clunky mess right now and this match sort of proved it. On one side you have Carmella, Natalya, and Tamina - an odd assortment of heels of varying proficiency in-ring. On the other side, there was Charlotte, arguably RAW's top heel (male or female) in 2016 wrestling as a babyface for no reason beyond her friendship with teammate Becky Lynch (whose new hairdo is officially the first negative thing I've ever had to write about her) and reigning Womens' Champion, Naomi. What are these two sides fighting over? I haven't watched the show enough to know but as the title isn't involved and the brand's two most relevant talents, Lynch and Charlotte, didn't seem to have any sort of separate storyline going, I'm guessing that this is exactly what it appears to be - a holdover match while the writing team has time to figure out what direction they're actually interested in moving. From bell to bell, this wasn't a trainwreck (though, it was certainly no better than "decent" either), but previous SmackDown specials were more cleverly booked to not just throw all the SmackDown women into the ring together for no particular season (and, hey, didn't they get the same deal at WrestleMania last month?). On previous specials, the division was well-represented by a title defense and a grudge match (Bella/Carmella, for example). On this night we got neither and it weakened the card as a whole. (2/5)

Kevin Owens defended the United States Championship against AJ Styles in the next contest. Much like my impressions of the freshly-turned-face Charlotte, I was a bit underwhelmed by Styles in his new, more babyface-ish role. Part of the problem may be that Owens, as dastardly as he can be, has lost some steam over the past few months by taking a big loss to Goldberg and having to split wins with Chris Jericho. AJ, meanwhile, is in a unique spot in terms of fandom - part of the reason I cheered the guy against John Cena, even when he was a heel, was because against Cena, no matter how many times you may have beaten him in the past, you're always an underdog. Rooting for AJ meant more than rooting for the "anti-Cena" or for the "indie darling," it felt like you were rooting for the impossible to happen. I found this match to be pretty good but unremarkable until Owens started targeting Styles leg and we got some real "meat" to the match's story. From here on, AJ was terrific with his selling, but I would've liked to see Owens do even more to go after Styles' damaged limb. I absolutely adored the finish too, which was inventive and fresh and has me eager to see what these two will do in their next match now that there is something more personal going on between them. (3.5/5)

I like Luke Harper and have written a good deal about how impressed I've been with him as of late. I've also noted that, in terms of appearance, he looks to be in the best shape of his WWE run and should be rewarded for it with a decent push. If this was Step 1, a match against former ally Erick Rowan, it isn't a bad step, but it wasn't a thrilling one either. I expected these two to have a more physical slugfest, but this did not live up to my expectations. The right man won, but I didn't get the feeling like he gained much momentum from the victory because Rowan hadn't been built up to feel like a major obstacle in his way. Here's hoping they have some direction for Harper as his size, look, and dependable in-ring skills can't be found in every big man. (1.5/5)

Main event time - Randy Orton vs. Jinder Mahal for Orton's WWE World Championship. Orton looked to finish Mahal early, going after him before the bell to a huge pop. This was a smart move as, going into the match, there was definitely a feel that the Chicago crowd was going to shit on everything they tried. Somewhat surprisingly, it never really happened. For a few brief sequences there were dueling chants, but for the most part, Orton got cheered for his big offense and general dominance and if there were any "CM Punk" chants, they weren't loud enough or sustained enough to mar what was going on in the ring. I'm not a Mahal fan, but might be won over if he had any sort of remarkable offense or bumping ability. He's a serviceable worker, but aside from facial expressions right out of a Bugs Bunny cartoon, I don't see anything special about him. The best spots of the match were ones he wasn't even involved in - namely the double hanging DDT on both Singh Brothers and the table spot in which one of the Singh brothers did a cool flip into a crash landing. Here's hoping this leads to a handicap match because Orton vs. the Singhs sounds funner to me than another Orton/Mahal match. (2/5)


With a Kwang Score of just 2.37-out-of-5, I would recommend taking a pass on this show. Only Owens/AJ was truly worth seeing and I wouldn't even call that match a "must watch." Ziggler/Nakamura was a disappointment and Mahal/Orton is the type of match you gain nothing by seeing rather than just reading about - it was a 15 minute contest that could've been boiled down into a 6-word spoiler. The rest of the card was basically filler, though at least Zayn/Corbin seems to be pointing to a prolonged feud between the two but also, potentially, another reason for Zayn to challenge Mahal on TV down the line. The Womens' Division is in an unnecessarily standstill with Charlotte as a babyface and the tag division is equally hamster-wheeling until Kofi Kingston returns from injury and we get The New Day back (*yawn* from me on that).


FINAL RATING - DUDleyville

NXT Takeover: Chicago

NXT Takeover: Chicago

Chicago, Illinois - May 2017

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Bobby Roode holds the NXT Championship, the Authors of Pain are the NXT Tag Team Champions, and Asuka is the 400+-day reigning Womens' Champion.

COMMENTARY: Tom Phillips, Nigel McGuiness, and Percy Watson

Eric Young vs. Roderick Strong is the opener. Strong sneaks out of the audience to take out Young's sAniTy cohorts and gets a nice "Roddy!" chant going. Back and forth action with Strong falling prey to interference from Killian Dane and Alexander Wolfe. As the crowd tries to build Strong back up, Young keeps him on the mat with a nerve hold and then cuts him off with a back elbow. Young's focus on the neck throughout the match is good basic psychology considering a neckbreaker is his finish. Strong changes the momentum with a gorgeous dropkick and then, a minute later, a backbreaker and then a big suplex. Young escapes to the outside and catches Strong with his Wheelbarrow Neckbreaker. They make their way up to the top and Young ends up connecting with one of the better elbow drops in the business for two. A great sequence sees Strong get one-up on all three SaNity members and then finish off Young with a ridiculous release-suplex-into-a-backbreaker that he probably couldn't hit on 70% of the roster but would serve him well on 205 Live. Good enough opener. (3/5)

Jim Ross joins on commentary for the next contest - Tyler Bate defending the UK Championship against Pete Dunne. Nigel notes the dueling chants of "Let's Go Tyler" and "Bruiserweight," the rowdy Chicago crowd leaning a bit towards the heel side of things. Methodical technical wrestling to start but Dunne changes game plans on the outside, hitting Bate with a big forearm and then trying to break his opponent's fingers with the steps. Bate hits a flying back elbow and tosses Dunne back into the ring, but Dunne rolls out for another powder before catching Bate and then hitting a release suplex on the unforgiving ring apron. Dunne takes Bate back to the mat and continues to go after his fingers, prying Bate's hand open and really torturing him with some additional stomps and kicks to the head and neck. Bate starts shaking off Dunne's offense, but I wouldn't call it no-selling as much as "stiff upper lip" selling. Bate almost knocks a tooth out of Dunne with a big uppercut and then, moments later, a big suplex into a bridging pin. Dunne counters a second reverse 360 splash with a triangle choke, pounding on Bate's head with some stiff fists for added damage. Bate is able to lift him off the mat, though, powerbombing his way out of danger. Awesome airplane spin for two! Bate tries a release german, but Dunne lands on his feet. Bate bounces off the corner, but Dunne catches him with a super stiff forearm. Dunne then hits a massive suplex-into-a-powerbomb maneuver for two as the crowd goes absolutely bananas. A very loud "UK" chant starts as they trade shots in the middle of the ring with more ferocity than I think I've ever seen. Bate seems to shut things down with a left jab straight to the chin but Dunne hits an enziguiri. They trade some more fits before Bate springs shoulders-first off the ropes with an absolutely devastating clothesline to the mush. Another two count! The crowd chants "Fight Forever" as Bate tries to hit his finisher. Dunne is able to escape and tries for his own but Bate switches gears and turns it into a DDT. Bate hits a glorious moonsault to the outside and tosses Dunne back into the ring. Bate with a corkscrew 450 for another two count! These two are putting on a fireworks display. Bate tries for a suicide plancha, but Dunne moves away. Dunne hits his abdominal stretch-into-a-flatliner finish and we've got a new champ. A deserved standing ovation from the Chicago crowd. Really good, "must see" match. (4/5)

A video package explains how our next match came to be - Asuka defending her NXT Womens' Championship against Ruby Riot and Nikki Cross. There was little doubt that Asuka wouldn't win, so the goal of this match was to provide at least a few moments when that guaranteed finish might not be so guaranteed. I'm not sure it ever got to that point, but there were at least several moments when we got to see what makes Asuka so special (her facial expressions early were awesome and, later, her german suplexes looked particularly deadly) and why Nikki Cross may be one of the more intriguing women to watch over the next few years. Its almost a shame that Cross is (a) very British and (b) already aligned with SaNitY as she does a stupendous job as the psycho that she'd be perfect as the "Sister Abigail" character in the Wyatt Family. Oh well, maybe WWE could at least have her become some sort of Wyatt groupie - it would do a heck of a lot to make Wyatt interesting again. Back to the match, what may have hurt this more than anything was that while Asuka is easy to love as a Terminator, she's certainly not a babyface and hasn't been booked as one for a long time. Cross is (amazingly) unlikeable too. This left Ruby Riot as the crowd surrogate, but Riot, even in front of a "hometown" midwest crowd, doesn't really come off as a plucky underdog (like Bayley) or a cool, extreme fighter (like Lita or, for males, a CM Punk). A strong match, but an obvious placeholder until Ember Moon is back to challenge for the strap. (3/5)

Promo for the Prince-inspired Velveteen Dream debuting this Wednesday. 

The NXT Championship is on the line in the next match, which I assumed would've been the main event. Hideo Itami gets a pretty pedestrian entrance compared to Bobby Roode. Like his matches with Nakamura, I really didn't find myself entranced with this match until its final third. It doesn't help that most of Itami's signature moves were stolen by CM Punk and Daniel Bryan which takes away a bit of the "wow" factor of some of his sequences. Roode, comparatively, has an even less dynamic moveset and absolutely nothing that he can claim as solely "his" - even his airlift DDT is reminiscent of Edge and, to a lesser degree, what Mick Foley used to do (a Google search reveals it was also previously used as a finisher by Alex Riley). The match grabbed my attention when Itami started laying into Roode with ridiculously stiff open palm strikes and both guys started heavily selling damaged limbs, something we didn't necessarily get in Roode's matches with Nakamura. It may be cliche, but I thought the timing was spot-on for the GTS false finish and I liked that the actual finish was shenanigan-free and definitive without crushing any potential rematches down the line. This was above average, but I think these two could have a better outing if they both add some pizzazz to their movesets and, in the case of Itami, character traits that make us want to see him achieve his goal. (3/5)

Main event time - #DIY challenging The Authors of Pain for the NXT Tag Team Championships. First, I've seen some speculate that this moved to the main event spot because Itami was an unproven, fairly unknown challenger and Roode is not a flashy, "main event" act. While this may be true (I wouldn't argue against either opinion), I think its worth noting that #DIY has stolen the show at every major NXT event they've been on for roughly a year now - if there was ever a night when they deserved top billing, this was certainly it. Onto the match itself - another instant "must see" affair, a great straight-up ladder match built around huge "Holy Shit!" chants, but also an absolutely heart-wrenching, match-defining singular moment of brutality (the Authors prepping to behead Ciampa only for Gargano to sacrifice himself and basically volunteer to have his jaw broken by the top rung of a ladder). It was at this moment that the match took that step from being just very good to being the clear Match of the Night. Dunne and Bate may have had more fireworks in their match, but even before the shocking and brutal post-match angle, this one had topped it emotionally - and emotion will always win the day for me. Say what you will about the post-match and whether Ciampa's beatdown was excessive, it was easily the most effective heel turn since Rollins exited the Shield. I'd like to see Bate/Dunne wrestle again, but I need to see Gargano vs. Ciampa. (4.5/5)


Once again, NXT brought the goods. Though not every match was "must see," when 2-out-of-5 are, that's a pretty good batting average. The "worst" match on the card was still better than most of what you'll get on a typical episode of any TV wrestling show past, present, or future. The opening contest may not have been one for the ages, but it was arguably Eric Young's best showing since joining the brand and set the tone for the evening without needlessly throwing out every high spot possible. Roode/Itami may have been the show's low point if not for its spellbinding finishing stretch. Say what you will about Roode's methodical style, the proof of its effectiveness lies in the tension he builds and the dramatic climaxes that have defined his run as NXT Champ. Similarly, a somewhat ho-hum Womens' Championship bout was made special by the unexpected, match-stealing performance of Nikki Cross, who worked like she's a face tattoo away from being this generation's Luna Vachon, a madwoman who, paired with the right psychotic (and I don't think SaNiTy is it), has the ability to really spice up the stale midcard of RAW or SmackDown. With a Kwang Score of 3.5-out-of-5, NXT Takeover: Chicago firmly sits in the category of...

FINAL RATING - Watch It

WCW Clash of the Champions X: Texas Shoot-Out

WCW Clash of the Champions X: Texas Shoot-Out

Corpus Christi, Texas - February 1990

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Ric Flair is the WCW World Champion, Lex Luger is the United States Champion, Arn Anderson is the Television Champion (having defeated The Great Muta in January on an episode of the Power Hour), and the Steiner Brothers are the WCW World Tag Team Champions. 

COMMENTATORS: Jim Ross and Jim Cornette


The tenth Clash of the Champions specials starts with a very 80s graphic sequence of various WCW stars getting shot. Its almost stupid enough to warrant a bonus point, but its too short for me to dub it a Network Nugget of Awesomeness.

What does warrant a plus one is the pre-match video for Steve Williams which takes the "Dr. Death" mantle and turns it into a vignette that makes absolutely no sense and is soundtracked by a Baywatch-esque theme. It is glorious. (+1)

"Dr. Death" Steve Williams vs. The Samoan Savage is the opener. The Savage is the twin of Rikishi and the older brother of Umaga but didn't achieve any success in the WWE himself for whatever reason aside from a run as part of the Islanders tag team in 88'. Williams comes in to a huge reaction and initially controls the tempo, but the Savage overtakes him, applying a death grip onto Williams' shoulder and then cutting him off with a powerslam off the ropes. Williams gets another hope spot in, but its back to the shoulder submission for the Savage. Dr. Death ends up on the outside nearly counted out. Back in the ring, Savage hits a sidewalk slam, but misses on a huge splash to give Williams a second life. Williams lifts him for his trademark guerilla press, connects with a dropkick and takes the match home with a backslide. Not a bad match, but I would've liked some more variety out of Savage's offense to make things more interesting. (2/5)

WrestleWar 90' music video. Amazing. We're barely 30 minutes into this show and its already scoring pretty high for its production with me. (+1)

Terry Funk welcomes the Four Horsemen - Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Ole Anderson, and Sting. Ole Anderson tells Sting that he overstepped a boundary when he signed a contract to challenge Ric Flair for his World Championship and tells him he has until the end of the night to decide to give up his title shot...or else. Flair cheap shots Sting before he can respond - so, that kinda seals it that Sting is out of the Horsemen and has no reason to throw away his title shot. I'll explain a bit further why this angle makes no sense later...

Z-Man and Brian Pillman vs. The Mod Squad is next. I was surprised to read that The Mod Squad actually had a touch of success in the 80s in regional promotions, though, maybe I shouldn't have been - while they're not much to look at, they're not too bad in the ring, have believable size and menace, and look like just the type of team people would love to see get their butts handed to them by more popular tags. Despite their loathsomeness, though, Z-Man and Pillman only seem to have a portion of the audience supporting them, which is probably more of Zenk's fault than Pillman's as the former Bengal was fairly popular around the country based on what I've seen of him in the late 80s. Not a great match and maybe a touch long, but good back-and-forth commentary from Ross and Cornette helps. (2/5)

A somewhat infamous match follows - Mil Mascaras vs. Cactus Jack. In his book, Foley did not pull any punches talking about how unimpressed he was with the Mexican legend. Mascaras controls early and Cacus sells for him well, falling haphazardly to the outside. He takes a ridiculously stupid self-caused bump on a chair which, in my mind, makes Mascaras treating him like a dunce somewhat acceptable. Mascaras no-sells a blow in the corner and tries to apply a crab as a fan in the audience shouts "Boring." Jack takes control, running Mascaras into the corner and then tossing him to the outside. Mascaras brushes off a body slam on the outside leading to Foley taking an absolutely disgusting back drop onto the concrete floor. In a better match, a bump like that would be acceptable, but in this context, it is incredibly stupid. Foley probably thought he needed to do it to capture the audience's (and maybe the bookers) attention, but I can Flair watching backstage and pegging him as a "stunt man" just based on this match alone. A half-point for Foley's guts, but I won't reward stupidity much more than that. (0.5/5)

However, after a quick commercial break, Jack ends up brawling with a random band member! Much better! (+1)

Norman The Lunatic is backstage with Gordon Solie to discuss his upcoming Falls Count Anywhere match with Kevin Sullivan. I've never seen this match or heard of it, so I'm curious if it will match Sullivan's more legendary Falls Count Anywhere matches with Chris Benoit six or so years later. I doubt it, but maybe I'll be surprised.

Kevin Sullivan is in the ring first for the Falls Count Anywhere bout against Norman the Lunatic (now just kinda Norman). Nothing too special in this match, though, it is worth noting that they do end up in the bathroom at one point - obviously Sullivan thought this was a brilliant wrinkle to throw into a Falls Count Anywhere match well before he and Chris Benoit started brutalizing each other in the 90s. To Sullivan's credit, he does a nice job of chopping down Norman and making himself a threat to the much bigger opponent, but good character work can only take you so far in what is a pretty boring brawl. (1.5/5)

Terry Funk is in the ring to welcome the reigning United States Champion, Lex Luger. Luger arrives to boos and tells the audience to quiet down as he tells his one-time friend Sting to step aside because Luger is the true number one contender and claims he has Flair beat. While not delivered perfectly, this is one of the most sensible promos ever - Luger explains that he's been delivering all the punishment to Flair as of late and he won't stand for Sting coming in "fresh" when its been Luger whose done all the work to wear down the champ. Funk interrupts for a minute and the promo comes off the rails completely as Luger stumbles over his words and Funk cuts him off to go to commercial. 

The New Skycrapers, "Mean" Mark Callous and "Dangerous" Dan Spivey with manager Teddy Long, make their way down the aisle. At this point, I'm guessing Sid was either still injured or was being saved for a singles run. Their opponents tonight are the mega-popular Road Warriors with Paul Ellering. What's somewhat interesting here is just how hard the Warriors work to make this a competitive, interesting match, almost needlessly selling for the very green, unproven Callous (who hits an Old School in a cool bit of foreshadowing at one point). Spivey was the better all-arounder than Sid and, at least at this point, is more versatile and polished than Callous (who, in turn, is better than Sid), which means that when you factor in all the pieces and parts, including the inclusion of a chair and the managers into the match, you end up with an exciting and considerably better-than-expected match. (3/5)

Doom vs. The Steiner Brothers for the World Tag Team Championships follows. Both teams get brief video packages before their match, a very WWF touch. The Steiners dominate early but end up cut off  when Scott Steiner gets rocked with a stiff clothesline from Doom #2 (Butch Reed) on the outside. The stipulation of this match is that the titles are on the line as well as Doom's masks, though, I think by this point, any wrestling fan remotely knowledgable of the deteriorating territory system was aware of who was under the masks. Steiner hits a Franksteiner out of desperation and makes the tag, the Dogfaced Gremlin coming in and hitting a series of big clotheslines and a powerslam on Reed. Steiner rips off Reed's mask and the crowd roars, distracting "Hacksaw" long enough for him to then roll him up for the victory. Referee Nick Patrick that the second member of Doom must remove his mask and he does...and, not-so-big surprise, it's Ron Simmons. (2/5)

Main event time - Ric Flair and the Andersons vs. The Dragon Master, The Great Muta, and Buzz Sawyer in a cage. This match wasn't promoted at all during the course of the show, which makes little sense as there was some built-in drama waiting to be served with the commentators wondering how and if Sting would get involved. Yet another missed opportunity in the set-up of the Sting/Flair feud, though, by the end of this "match" (which is really just a brawl), there is no denying that they had adequately got the fans to loathe the treacherous Horseman and want to see Sting exact revenge on them. Between the bells there isn't much to speak of here, though, seeing Muta get face pops for his offense and watching Arn Anderson bump around are enough to nudge this one in above average range for me. Just about anyone could fantasy book and produce the Horsemen turning on Sting in a much more suspenseful, dramatic way than what we saw on this show. (3/5)


All in all, Texas Shoot-Out disappointed me a bit. Not a single match is really worth checking out. The highlight, if there is one, is either the promo video for WrestleWar 90' or the pre-match Dr. Death vignette. After that, its a fairly skippable show. Flair and Sting close out the show well with their passionate, explosive, locker room-clearing shenanigans, but only a completist would call the angle "must see." The Kwang Score is helped considerably by the show's very digestible 106-minute runtime, earning a 2.43-out-of-5 thanks to some fun production choices and Cactus Jack brawling with a rock n' roller.

FINAL RATING - DUDleyville

WCW Road Wild 98'

WCW Road Wild 98'

Sturgis, South Dakota - August 1998

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, Bill Goldberg is the reigning WCW World Champion, the United States Championship is held by Bret Hart, the Television Champion is Stevie Ray (he was awarded the title by his brother), and Chris Jericho is the Cruiserweight Champion. The World Tag Team Championships are held by Scott Hall and The Giant.

COMMENTATORS: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, and Bobby Heenan

Meng vs. Barbarian is the opening contest, Meng coming in as the babyface seeking revenge on his former tag partner and ex-manager, Jimmy Hart. This is precisely what one would expect - stiff striking and power moves and absolutely nothing else. A match like this is not going to be everyone's cup of tea and even I, someone who generally enjoys watching Meng destroy people, felt this one was too slow for an opener and that Meng needs a stronger finish (the Tongan Death Grip might legitimately kill someone, but as a wrestling hold, it doesn't work for me). The post-match is also a mixed bag. Hugh Morrus comes in and hits his No Laughing Matter on Meng and it looks brutal, but WCW booked one of the least interesting characters on the roster to make the save - "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan - and this entire angle, in no time flat, becomes something I want to avoid when, initially, it piqued my interest. (1.5/5)

Public Enemy take on The Dancing Fools, Alex Wright and Disco inferno (with Tokyo Magnum) next. The match starts off as a straight-forward competition, but soon devolves into a hardcore match because, well, no reason is given and the referee doesn't feel like doing his job, I guess. You would think the addition of weapons would allow for Public Enemy to do what they do best - but based on this match, they don't do anything best. Inferno and Wright save this from being a 0 by their sheer charisma, but its not like they bring it up too far - especially when Inferno sells a ladder shot a good 2 feet away and Wright inexplicably forfeits the match after Tokyo Magnum bumps him by accident and with seemingly no effect. The final spot is convoluted and stupid. (1/5)

Next up, another match that desperately needed a road agent in charge of it. This is the match you get when you put three guys in the ring who put too much emphasis on innovation over basic structure and story - Raven vs. Kanyon vs. Saturn. As a fan of all three guys, it pains me to say that this match features the worst each guy has to offer, but that's what it essentially is. Early on, Kanyon and Saturn team up to punish Raven, but then, inexplicably (as there is nothing tangible on the line), they gripe over who gets to make the final pin rather than them, say, organically coming to blows via a miscommunication or show of disrespect. Similarly, multiple times in the match we have moves like a "double sleeper" - not because applying the hold makes sense, but because its "never been seen before." They deserve credit for trying new things, but all the innovation becomes a distraction and the basic story gets muddled to the point that this match is rendered meaningless. The finish is overbooked (and features Horace Boulder in a spotlight cameo), but it may be my favorite stretch of the entire bout. (1.5/5)

Oh how I wanted the next match to be great - Rey Mysterio vs. Psicosis. These two had one of my favorite matches ever a year or so earlier (maybe even two?) but this one just never wowed me. Compared to everything that came before it (and even most of the matches we get today), its at least average just because of how sympathetic Mysterio is and how sharp his offense (even on an off night) could be, but Psicosis almost seems injured here, avoiding anything resembling the high spots he routinely performed a year or so prior. Considering they actually get a fair amount of time to perform, it is doubly disappointing. (2.5/5)

Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs. Stevie Ray for the TV Championship is next. The story going into this is that Chavo has been claiming he is the TV Champion, while Stevie Ray actually has the title in his possession (he was given it by Booker T in July). Guerrero arrives his "horse" Pepe and proceeds to get on the nerves of not only his opponent but every biker in attendance. I'm on the fence about Guerrero's work - on one hand, he is supposed to be irritating and annoying, but on the other hand, he's so irritating and annoying that the intended comedy is just too broad for me - like how Jerry Lewis is supposed to be a doofus in The Nutty Professor, but to me, he's such a doofus that my eyes get stuck in a perpetual roll. That being said, the in-ring story is almost as clever as Chavo's character is overbearing. Chavo tries to tire out Stevie Ray by making him chase him in and out of the ring and its a sound strategy, but the Harlem Heater ends up cornerning Chavo anyhow and beating him in swift fashion. The arrival of Eddie Guerrero in the post match is an extra twist that makes this a surprisingly solid albeit very minor piece of storyline advancement. The fact that something this trivial doesn't warrant negative stars and actually works as at least "average"-level entertainment is actually quite an accomplishment. (2.5/5)

The next segment is not nearly as effective as Rick Steiner shows up to take on his brother, nWo member Scott Steiner. Based on the pre-match comments by Tony Schiavone and the subsequent angle, it seems this match was fully advertised to happen - but it doesn't and the crowd is none-too-happy. There's probably a number of reasons for this. First, a quick scroll up this review reveals that the Steiners, up to this point in the show, were arguably the first real "name" talents on the card - especially to an older crowd of bikers and their wives. Second, this match had been in the works since February. Bait-and-switching a crowd of bikers who had been waiting fairly patiently for some "real wrestling" featuring "real stars" and had sat through multiple comedy matches was shit planning. The segment itself, for what it is, wouldn't have made a bad 5-minute sketch on the Nitro or Thunder before this show, but on PPV? When the company already the audience's cash? Awful. (-1)

Just when you feel like a WCW show can't get worse, you get a match like this next one - Brian Adams of the nWo versus Steve "Mongo" McMichael. Nearly everything but a Crush spine buster in this match and the Tombstone is executed poorly. The crowd is completely and justifiably dead for this. The commentary tries somewhat, but even they can't get a match this bad and meaningless over. The finish is comical - with Vincent's chair shot looking soft as butter and telegraphed and then the former Virgil holding the chair directly in front of his face so Mongo can punch it. Here's your zero. (0/5)


Dean Malenko makes his way down the aisle as he'll be serving as the referee for tonight's Cruiserweight Championship match between Chris Jericho and Juventud Guerrera. Jericho cuts a pretty good pre-match promo, insulting the crowd by calling them "weekend warriors" and claiming he is the true biker. Lengthy match with Malenko calling it down the middle for the most part. Jericho controls the majority of the match with Guerrera hitting the occasional hope spot, including a Juvi Driver for two. Jericho's character work is good throughout, but this match went just too long with too few changes in momentum for it to keep my interest (or the interest of the crowd). It also suffers from some kickout-for-kickouts sake moments, including the aforementioned Juvi Driver and a title belt shot. The eventual finish gets the biggest pop of the match (and deservedly so), but could've come 5 minutes earlier and I don't think it would've taken anything away from the match. (2/5)

It is now time for the nWo/WCW Battle Royale, with Tag Champs Scott Hall and the Giant showing up first, followed by Curt Hennig and Scott Norton. Hall takes a survey and nWo Hollywood loses. The Wolfpack arrive next - Kevin Nash, Sting, Lex Luger, and Konnan. When the nWo Hollywood/nWo Wolfpack feud started, it was all about Nash vs. Hogan, but months later, that's not even a talking point as Hogan, after dropping the WCW World Title, ended up in main events against celebrities. Bret Hart, meanwhile, wasn't doing much of anything as far as I know. Anyway, the final entrant in this 9-man battle royale is WCW World Champion, Goldberg. When the bell rings, the rival factions go after each other, Goldberg the odd man out at first until he ends up going after The Giant. Hall is the first to go and is followed out by Nash, who eliminates himself to get at his former best friend. Goldberg spears Hennig in the ring while Sting jumps on The Giant's back to apply a sleeper. A "Goldberg" chant starts up and dies, the match in desperate need of some eliminations to freshen things up. Goldberg tosses Konnan but ends up double-teamed in the corner by Giant and Hennig. Giant lifts Goldberg out of the ring and hits him with a back suplex, which makes very little sense in a battle royal (considerably less sense than the spears Goldberg dishes out). Goldberg then eliminates Hennig, Sting, and Norton in one fell swoop before spearing Luger. Down to Giant and Goldberg, the Champ gets hit with a chokeslam, but sits up Undertaker style. Goldberg hits the big man with a spear for a massive pop! Goldberg hits the Jackhammer for an even bigger pop...as a referee rolls into the ring and counts 3! What a stupid finish! Not only did they miss an opportunity to make The Giant look like a real challenger, they ended the battle royal with an inexplicable pinfall! Good work, WCW, you just blew away any allure that a Goldberg/Giant match could've had for absolutely no reason. (1/5)

Main event time - Hogan and Bischoff vs. DDP and Jay Leno (with Kevin Eubanks). Hogan and DDP start and DDP actually gets a decent reaction, though, Hogan has plenty of supporters himself. This is one of those celebrity matches that is about as good as one would think it would be on paper. Leno can't do anything well in the ring (I was more a Letterman guy too), but he doesn't have to as DDP and Hogan really do all the heavy lifting. The crowd is into things, but there's really nothing creative in anything that happens - plus, without a lightning rod of controversy like Dennis Rodman around, there's no added excitement or "big moment" feeling to any of this, just the general sense that WCW and The Tonight Show wanted to do some cross promotion and that this was the (unfortunate) culmination point, that the build-up was going to make for much better TV than the event it was building up to and everyone knew it so why bother trying to actually deliver a better-than-expected match? This is not a historically bad match as it is a historically bad main event to cap off a show without a single above-average match. (0.5/5)


With a Kwang Score of 1.28-out-of-5, Road Wild 98' is the worst PPV I've reviewed out of close to 200 pay-per-views. Even if you take away the minus-1 for the bait-and-switch of Steiner/Steiner, this show would still rank well below shows like SuperBrawl V and the forgettable-by-design Rebellion 2002. What might be most shocking is that, at this time, WCW's roster was stacked with talent. Where's Bret Hart? Chris Benoit? Booker T? Even if they were on the card, though, would they actually deliver? Mysterio and Jericho get plenty of time to shine but their matches are sub-par and an indifferent crowd can only take so much of the blame. The "hardcore" matches might feature a good spot here or there, but they occur in the midst of intelligence-insulting convoluted stories. Then there's just boring, tedious not-even-TV-level garbage like Mongo vs. Brian Adams. Avoid this show. 

FINAL RATING - DUDleyville

WWE Payback 2017

Payback 2016

San Jose, California - April 2016

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's event, Brock Lesnar is the reigning WWE Universal Champion, but does not appear on the show. The United States Champion is SmackDown's Kevin Owens (Dean Ambrose is the Intercontinental Champion but also does not appear on the show), while the RAW Tag Team Champions are The Hardy Boys. The Cruiserweight Champion is Neville and the RAW Womens' Title is held by Bayley.

COMMENTATORS: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, and Booker T


Payback begins with Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens going 1-on-1 in a rematch from WrestleMania. Better than their Mania match,due to the fact that it was a much less overtly produced match and one wrestled with much more urgency. In front of a stadium of 70,000 or whatever, Jericho and Owens needed to slow things down in order to get their big transitions across, but here? Signature spot after signature spot after cut-off after cut-off and finger-on-the rope spot...it was consistently fun and the kind of match that Jericho should be really proud he can still perform, though, I wouldn't put it anywhere near his peak work. I wouldn't call it a superb Owens match either, just the best that these two talents, in 2017, are able to produce. A hot crowd helped as well, though, I think even Jericho's biggest supporters were surprised by the finish. (3/5)

The WWE Cruiserweight Championship was on the line next - Austin Aries challenging Neville. Being a heel has been a real boon for Neville from a character perspective, but I'm not entirely sure Aries (or Jack Gallagher, for that matter) are the ideal babyface foil for him now that he spends so much more time on the mat. If only there were a sympathetic, undersized luchadore like Rey Mysterio in 96' to balance out Neville's more grounded villainy, but alas...As for this match, I thought it started a bit bland but really picked it up as it went on. Austin Aries is the only guy on the roster who should be hitting a suicide dive as his puts everybody else's to shame. A "Let's Go Neville/Austin Aries" chant started at one point as we saw a super stiff forearm in the corner followed by a sunset flip powerbomb from Aries. The finish pointed to another round between these two who, just based on appearances, look more like a tag team than a pair of rivals. (2.5/5)

The WWE Tag Team Championships were on the line next - The Hardys defending against Sheamus and Cesaro. I wasn't sure what to expect from this as I haven't found that the Cesaro/Sheamus pairing has bore nearly enough fruit as the Cesaro/Kidd team or even the Cesaro/Swagger tandem of years past. The Hardys, meanwhile, are mega over, but certainly not the young stallions of 17 years ago. Wisely, these guys stuck to the things they did best and had a hell of a match, maybe the best tag bout I've seen from the RAW brand since the peak days of The New Day. The crowd was amped and definitely "smart," chanting "Delete" early on, and its worth noting how different the Hardys are from other nostalgia acts of the past few years (The Dudleys, The New Age Outlaws) by coming in with absolutely nothing fresh to offer. Cesaro was an absolute beast, stepping his game up knowing that this match was actually going to be given a real spotlight - unlike the meandering matches with Anderson and Gallows and Enzo and Cass and all the other one-note tag teams that made up the division in 2016-17. Bonus half-point for a great, somewhat surprising post-match beatdown. (3/5)

I dug the next match as well - Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss for Bayley's RAW Women's Championship. I'm a Bayley fan and was impressed with Bliss's work on SmackDown last year, but let's be honest, the RAW division was all about Charlotte for the past few years and for the last half of her run, she consistently provided a Match of the Night caliber outing. With the pressure on, in front of her home town, Bayley and Bliss didn't disappoint...but I wouldn't say they necessarily knocked it out of the park either. Being undersized, I'd like to see Bliss cut more corners to dominate her opponents, even one with a "fan-turned-star" gimmick like Bayley. Not everything here was executed gracefully, but that's okay with me - it looked like a wrestling match with real struggle because of it. I wasn't surprised with the finish but didn't think it was telegraphed at all either - another positive on my scorecard. Three years ago, I would routinely, rightly or not, rate women's matches on a different scale then the mens' matches based on the fact that, historically, women have been given less time to develop their skills, less time to showcase their talents, and often been saddled with tasteless gimmicks or stipulations or storylines. That might need to change because, in 2017, an average women's match is looking a lot like an average men's match - which is something that would've been almost unthinkable ten years ago, let alone 20. (3/5)

The first half of the Randy Orton/Bray Wyatt House of Horrors match was next. Woo boy. Randy Orton showed up in a limo...shirtless...because that's definitely the best option for a match taking place in an old haunted house. Orton entered the house and Wyatt arrived via a sneak attack from the coat closet. They proceeded to brawl in what I believe was the living room from the "Everlong" video and then made their way into a hallway where Wyatt hit Orton with a choke through what I assume was a glory hole designed for Braun Strowman. Orton survived that ploy and wound up in a room filled with dolls hanging from a ceiling - kinda like a setting you might see on every 7th or 8th episode of Criminal Minds. All the while, "Track #22" from Time Warner's "Spooky Halloween Instrumentals" CD played. If this was supposed to be purposefully kooky, it wasn't kooky enough and if this was supposed to be straight-up eerie or scary or hardcore, it wasn't that either. You can go two ways with a match like this - one is to shoot it straight and not pretend there's an invisible camera crew filming a wild fight in a strange locale (see Taker/Mankind in the Boiler Room Brawl at SummerSlam 96') or you can go full Final Deletion and make it comically absurd. Playing it down the middle meant that this didn't even fall into "So Bad-It's Good" level of corniness, though, maybe in 20 years people will look back at it and enjoy laughing at it the way we do the Dungeon of Doom sketches today...

Samoa Joe vs. Seth Rollins followed. I was one of the few that didn't totally despise Rollins/HHH at WrestleMania and this match was, in some ways, better - but Rollins has a bad habit of having matches that run long and feel like they run even longer. His selling was better here than against Triple H but still noticeably imperfect (especially compared to how excellent of a job Reigns would do later). At least on the grandest stage of them all, guys wrestle like gods and we can more readily accept it "because WrestleMania." The problem might be that so much of Rollins' offense relies on his legs, whether he's going off the top, supporting himself for Falcon Arrows, or using his balance to escape precarious positions. Joe's targeted offense looked effective and nasty, but I'm not sure if bringing him up from NXT to be fed to Rollins is maximizing his talent or the audience's interest in him. Joe didn't come out looking too bad, but a loss is a loss and, at this point, the gap between him and Reigns, Braun, and Brock at the top of the card seems so wide it may be insurmountable. Rollins may have two big wins behind him this month, but he's so unexciting that seemingly no matter what he does, it's just a lateral move. Another above-average match due to the sheer talent, but not a must-see contest. (3/5)

The culmination of Orton/Wyatt was next and, though one would expect that the fight being back in the ring would help, the change in locale just emphasized how far over the shark this entire feud/storyline has jumped. Despite leaving Orton for dead under a fridge in the House of Horrors, the Viper miraculously appeared behind Wyatt looking no worse for wear and ready to engage in Round 2. Out of the ring they went as the crowd chanted desperately for tables, but, despite a clear No DQ stipulation in play, neither guy bothered to utilize any of the myriad of weapons usually stored under and around the ring. Orton basically had the match won until his SmackDown rivals, Jinder Mahal and the Singh Brothers, showed up. This match firmly established how impotent Bray Wyatt is, cementing the fact that for all his "special powers" and enigmatic talk, he poses less of a threat to Randy Orton than 1/3rd of the 3MB and a pair of 205 Livers. I've read that Wyatt actually only has 3 televised pinfall losses since 2015 (not counting PPVs) - which is remarkable - but that statistic rings hollow when it is almost impossible to name anyone of significance he's consistently beaten in that same time frame. What huge victory does Wyatt have that defines him? If it was this year's Elimination Chamber match, the past month has effectively eradicated the cred from it. Even in a victory, Wyatt was the big loser here. (1/5)

Main event time - Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns. Reigns came into this match bandaged up and hurt, drawing sympathy from at least a portion of the crowd as a loud "Let's Go Roman/Let's Go Braun" chant erupted. Early on, Braun sent Reigns right into a table, a spot the crowd had chanted for in the two previous contests. People can knock Roman all they want, but there's something to be said for how much the crowd came alive for this match in comparison to some of the previous bouts. After tossing Reigns around on the outside, Braun tried to finish things off, attempting a pin and then applying a body lock. Reigns eventually got free and got on a bit of a roll, hitting a big Samoan Drop for two. Roman used his cunning, quickness, and experience to combat Strowman's size advantage on the outside, Braun nearly getting counted out at one point. Back in the ring, Roman hit a HUGE Spear, but only got two for it - the crowd's reaction a loud mix between disappointment and excitement. Roman called for a Superman Punch but ended up caught with a big boot until, escaping Strowman's clutches, he connected with not one, but two of em'! Attempting a third, again Reigns got caught and dropped to the mat with a huge running powerslam for 2.99! Great near fall there as I could've have been the only one who bit on it and Reign's kickout was perfect. Strowman scooped him up and dropped him with a SECOND Powerslam, this one enough to end the contest. I wouldn't put that on the level of a Sting/Vader classic (or even Lesnar/Goldberg III from WrestleMania earlier this month), but it was a damn good sub 12-minute match with a quality sympathetic performance from Reigns. I would've preferred something a bit more devastating and brutal in the post-match than a stairs shot (a classic powerbomb through a table is never bad), but overall, even with its somewhat short duration and fairly tame post-match, this was the show's high point. (4/5)


With a Kwang Score of 2.44-out-of-5, the 2017 edition of Payback wasn't too dissimilar to the 2016 edition - another Match of the Night main event featuring Roman Reigns, some solid midcard matches (the Women's Title and Tag Team Title Matches on this year's show, Miz/Cesaro and Owens/Zayn from 2016), and at least one potential Worst Match of the Year candidate (2016 offered Ambrose/Jericho in a slog, while this year we were treated to the ridiculous House of Horrors match). Followers of the current product couldn't have been too disappointed with the event, but I don't predict many will point at this show as one worth re-watching five years now. That might sound like a tall order, but its one the WWE can and does achieve every now and again. 

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver