WWE Royal Rumble 2018

WWE Royal Rumble 2018

Philadelphia, PA - January 2018

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into the show, Brock Lesnar held the Universal Championship, AJ Styles was the WWE Champion, the Miz was Intercontinental Champion, and the US Championship was held by Bobby Roode. The RAW Tag Team Champions were Jason Jordan and Seth Rollins, while SmackDown's Tag Champs were the Usos. Alexa Bliss held the RAW Women's Championship and Charlotte holds the gold for SmackDown. With Enzo Amore fired a week before the show, the Cruiserweight Championship was vacant.

COMMENTATORS: Byron Saxton, Corey Graves, Michael Cole (and more)

The 2018 Royal Rumble kicked off with AJ Styles defending his WWE Championship against the team of Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. 2-on-1 handicap matches are not ultra-rare, but one would be hard-pressed to name 5 that really stand the test of time. Austin had one against Big Show and Flair that was kind of fun. Shawn Michaels teamed up with God once against the McMahons. Uh…? To their credit, these three really paid attention to the details in the layout as Zayn and Owens worked like two partners with the shared goal of wresting the championship away from Styles, who, in turn, wrestled like he was in survival mode, showing more caution than he typically would at times. There was a great Calf Crusher sequence on Owens and a really good into-the-post bump (something I’d usually call overused) by the big man as well. Not to be outdone on offense, Owens connected with a superkick that led to a Blue Thunder Bomb in a great 1-2 combo spot. The finish came rather unexpectedly and sudden – which is not a complaint as not every match needs to end with a traditional “finisher." Good not great match. I'm not sure where they go from here with Owens/Zayn as this loss really makes them seem incompetent and I'm not sure where else they can go in their feud with Shane McMahon. (3/5)

In a move almost as shocking as Styles’ roll-up win, the WWE opted to put on the SmackDown Tag Team Championship match next – The Usos defending against Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin. My notes for this one contain the word “bizarre” multiple times. Why was this match second? Surely the Philly crowd would’ve been more interested if this had gone first (as Gable has a relatively sizable “smart” fan base). The Usos cut a promo and while, against the New Day, they proved they could hold their own, the crowd just wanted to them to get on with it. Again, kinda bizarre choice to have the Usos, a team with a good-not-great rep for mic work, get stick time on the 2nd biggest show of the year. As the match progressed, Benjamin worked subtly heel while Jimmy Uso played the babyface-in-peril, suffering serious leg damage early and selling it from that point on. Oh, I forgot to mention that this match was 2-out-of-3 falls, a major miscalculation in that it made the match seem like it would automatically be long and drawn out (which it really wasn’t) before the bell even rang, basically irritating the crowd to the point of disinterest before the bell even rang. Every big spot was left room to breathe, but there didn’t seem to be much logic behind anything they did – for example, Gable going to the top rope for a moonsault to the floor seemingly just for the sake of it (and Jay Uso showing up to help catch him for even less reason). The first fall was good, but the second almost seemed like a legit botch by Gable (not getting into the ring on time to break up the pin). Awkward at times, no face/heel dynamic, no development of any character (even the Usos, who deserve a spotlight match but weren’t really spotlighted), indifferent crowd - this was a bad match with good athletics. (1.5/5)

The surprises continued with the next match – the Men’s Royal Rumble. I was not expecting this to go on third and I don’t think the crowd was either. Rather than write up all my thoughts in one paragraph, I’m gonna do the bullet thing…

- Great open with Finn Balor and the massively over Rusev. The “Rusev Day” chants were deafening on TV so I’m guessing they were even louder in person. I’m not sure what the plan is for Rusev going into Mania, but the WWE is letting money burn by not pushing the guy.

- Rhyno has never been “small,” but he looked extra wide here.

- I absolutely loved Baron Corbin’s post-elimination tantrum. I know most fans despise the guy and think he can’t work, but if you actually look back, he’s been involved in some good matches and moments over the past 18 months or so.

- Loved Elias’ entrance, loved the Heath Slater comedy, and liked Almas getting an opportunity to show what he could do. Didn’t particularly like the order of appearances as the entrances of guys like Nakamura, Wyatt, and even “Woken” Matt Hardy didn’t really “pop.”

- Slater eliminating Sheamus was one of the best pay-off moments in Rumble history. 

- Did you hear the boos for Apollo Crews? Was he not an RoH guy at one point? I think the fans just wanted some surprises by this point and Crews is just cold as hell.

- Tremendous Kofi Kingston spot leading to the elimination of Jinder. The New Day/Jinder & The Singhs program makes sense, but one has to wonder if they’ll ever actually elevate Kofi or Big E into the title picture.

- Aside from his spot-calling towards the end of the match, I thought John Cena was AWESOME. He knew the Philly crowd was going to be vehemently against him and he played into every jeer, eliminating crowd favorites like Elias and Helms with glee. 

- Adam Cole came in at #23 and looked at least 3-4 inches shorter than Seth Rollins, who, according to Wikipedia, he is the same height as. I don’t buy it. Cole is going to be hard to buy as a main eventer if even Finn Balor is towering over him.

- The RKO onto Almas was a good spot. 

- Titus O’Neill was in this match. Seems like a wasted spot when you consider the WWE didn’t bother to highlight a single 205 Live guy.

- MYSTERIO IS BACK! The biggest return of the match and one that I almost wish the WWE would’ve just pulled the trigger on as, if they had had him come in at 30, I think the crowd would’ve loved to see him come out the victor and challenge AJ Styles. Is Mysterio/Styles one of the bigger “dream matches” the WWE could run in 2018?

- Reigns came out at 28 and proceeded to be involved in two eliminations I really liked – The Miz’s and Seth Rollins’. Like Cena, Reigns was booed mercilessly.

- Ziggler came out at #30 to a nothing response. I think the crowd wanted Taker, but weren’t going to shit on the match when you still had Nakamura, Finn Balor, and Mysterio in the ring. Ziggler being gone for 6 weeks was just not long enough for anyone to care about his return.

- Great visual of the final 6 – the Old Guard of Cena, Orton, and Mysterio staring down the next generation of superstars (Nakamura, Balor, and Reigns).

- I liked Orton and Mysterio’s respective eliminations and the way things boiled down to Cena and Reigns battling each other and Balor and Nakamura revisiting their feud from Japan.

- The fans were clearly for Nakamura and his victory was well-earned, though I do wish they would’ve come up with something a little bit more fast-paced and brief to get Cena and Reigns out of the match. I’m not surprised the critical reception of this Rumble has been overwhelmingly positive despite only featuring one really huge surprise (Mysterio) because it feels like the first Rumble in years where the guy most fans wanted to win actually did win.

- Rating battle royals is difficult but I think I’ve figured out the scale I’m going to use. If you look at the 95’ Rumble as one of the genres low points and the 92’ edition as the best edition ever, you at least have some parameters to work with. This one definitely leaned closer to the latter. (3.5/5)

Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan defended the RAW Tag Team Championships against The Bar next. Like the SmackDown tag match, this one was just misplaced on the card and drew very little interest from the crowd. I liked the story of the match and Rollins was made to look tough, but that doesn’t change the fact that it was filler match and booking 3 out of 4 of the guys involved in this match to make appearances in the previous match (where both Rollins and Cesaro had extended minutes) made it impossible to care about. I also would’ve preferred this one shortened by 3-4 minutes to really play up how exhausted and spent Rollins should’ve been coming into this defense. (1.5/5)

The WWE Universal Championship was up next, Brock Lesnar defending the gold against Kane and Braun Strowman in a No DQ Triple Threat match. I didn’t know this was being fought under No DQ rules until the “plunda” showed up, which certainly helped what could’ve been a slow, plodding mess of a match. Incredibly stiff shots exchanged between Brock and Braun, with many witnesses believing Braun mistakenly caught Brock with a knee to the jaw and Brock stiffed him with a punch to the skull in retaliation. I’m not sure what was a “shoot” and what wasn’t, but the physicality definitely helped get the relatively lukewarm crowd into things. This match featured one of the worse miscues of the night by Michael Cole (overall, tonight’s commentary was atrocious all around, with Lawler making several bad calls during the Men’s Rumble and Stephanie adding absolutely nothing to the women’s edition). Great sequence that saw Lesnar hit two German Suplexes on Strowman only to get powerslammed through a table. In a cool callback to the SummerSlam multi-man, Lesnar buried Strowman under a table only for Strowman to climb out of the wreckage like an unkillable monster. The finish protected Braun as Kane (predictably) got pinned after doing very little in the match. I’d say this was funner and better than I expected it to be, but still far from a “must watch” and definitely a “lesser” match in the post-2012 run of Brock Lesnar. (3/5)

Main event time – the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match! Like I did for the men’s version, I’m just going to shoot out some bullets…

- Great idea to have Lynch and Sasha at #1 and #2. Loved Sasha’s Wonder Woman-inspired gear.

- Not so great idea to have Sara Logan and Maddy Rose coming in soon after. As we’d soon find out, this match was loaded with returning talents and having two relative unknowns come in to near-silence as Stephanie McMahon struggled to say anything important or relevant about them had me worried.

- Speaking of Steph, she has none of her father’s charisma as a commentator. Hearing her trying to call this match made me think she’s definitely a sports-entertainment fan more than a wrestling fan.

- I never thought I’d be so happy to see Lita in the ring. Lita was a tremendous character, but even in this limited role she was unable to perform even the basics as well as any of the recent NXT call-ups.

- Woah, Steph just name-checked the 9^th Wonder of the World, Chyna. This match really is full of surprises.

- Good spotlight moment for Kairi Sane.

- Tamina out in all white looking all wrong.

- Torrie Wilson showed up and got a huge response from the crowd.

- What is Liv Morgan? She almost came off like a white, blonde-haired Sasha Banks who borrowed Carmella’s pants.

- Molly Holly at 12! They should’ve had her come out in her Mighty Molly to play off of Hurricane Helms’ appearance in the earlier show, but whatever.

- Lana came out to a huge “Rusev Day” chant. Fans’ chanting for the husbands of certain performers has been criticized by some, but in this case, I thought it was kinda cool as Lana looked like she was really proud of how over he is.  

- Michelle McCool came out next (to an “Undertaker” chant). No Layla was a disappointment as I was a decent-sized LayCool fan for a while there.

- Anyone catch the way McCool “buried” 4 women in rapid succession? Delicious meta wrestling right there.

- VICKIE GUERRERO at 16! Her screaming was incredibly irritating, but at least she didn’t last too long.

- Kelly Kelly, Jacqueline, and Beth Phoenix would show up over the next few minutes. Now it makes sense why the men’s Rumble seemed to lack surprises. Really smart booking by the WWE as even acts like Kelly Kelly, who did nothing of merit during the brief time she was in the company, got nostalgia pops just for showing up.

- Loved Naomi’s ridiculous non-elimination (and then actual elimination soon after). I expect the women to have more Rumbles in the future so it will be cool to see Naomi in the “Kofi role” on the women’s side of things.

- Great moment between Phoenix and Nia Jax.

- I came around quite a bit on Nikki Bella over the years, praising her for some of her 2015/16 work on this very blog. Brie has always been the lesser worker, but it was nice to see them both on the show just for the reactions they got (a loud “John Cena Sucks” one and a brief “Yes!” chant that evaporated as soon as Brie and Nikki started raising their arms).

- Bayley came out at #29 to not much of a reaction. I’ve seen lots of people read too much into that. To me, the non-reaction had more to do with the anticipation for #30 more than it had to do Bayley not being particularly over.

- TRISH is #30! Great pay-off that the crowd flipped floor – possibly because it meant the likelihood of Stephanie McMahon inserting herself into the finish was now considerably less likely. I loved the interplay between Trish and former rival Mickie James, but I also popped for Trish and Sasha’s moment. Really cool.

- Loved Nikki Bella’s elimination of Brie Bella. I think Bryan Alvarez reported that this will be used as a storyline for Total Bellas, which seems really stupid as I thought these shows didn’t keep kayfabe, but whatever – Nikki is the worker of the pair and knows what it takes to win. Brie doesn’t.

- Though the result was never really in question, I did like the final two being Asuka, the obvious “future” of the RAW brand, and Nikki Bella, who, deserved or not, really represented the “end of the Divas Era” the way Guns n’ Roses represented the end of the “hair metal” days of the 80s (despite not really being “hair metal” at all, putting out Use Your Illusion in 91’, and then touring the world to massive crowds through 93’). The execution of the final elimination was imperfect (as most everything is when a Bella is involved) but it was another crowd-pleasing moment and, ultimately, that was the biggest takeaway from the result.

- The “wrestling” was sloppier, the eliminations often less fluid, and the fact that various women took noticeable “breaks” during the match all worked against it, but the novelty of this being the first women’s Rumble and the staggering number of awesome returns had me interested from roughly the 5^th spot all the way to the conclusion. (3.5/5)

- Buhbuhbuhbuh-boooonus moment with Ronda Rousey showing up to the familiar sound of Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation.” Rousey couldn’t keep herself from grinning ear to ear during the segment, but hey, the crowd was right there with her and its not that absurd for her to strut down the ring with a smile when you consider that cocky, arrogant ass-kicker was kind of her gimmick for a long, long time. Great moment with Asuka not shaking her hand too. (+1)

Royal Rumble 2018 featured a fair amount of risks, but remarkably, many of them paid off. They started the show with a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, essentially sacrificing both tag matches by putting them in the unenviable position of having to follow an AJ Styles match and the Men’s Rumble respectively. Fortunately, the overachieving Lesnar/Strowman/Kane match and the Women’s Rumble were able to lift the spirits of the crowd back up. I’ve read a number of reviews that called this the best Rumble show in years and I’d have to agree – proving that, as good as your title matches may be, the selling point of this show is its namesake match and that is the match that needs to send the crowd home happy for the show to be considered successful. I’m psyched for WrestleMania after tonight’s show, something I haven’t said for the past couple of years after a Rumble. With a Kwang Score of 2.83-out-of-5, it’d be a waste of your time to watch everything on this show, but if you skip the tag bouts (and maybe even the opener), you’ll be thoroughly entertained…

FINAL RATING – Watch It…With Remote in Hand

NXT Takeover: Philadelphia

NXT Takeover: Philadelphia

Philadelphia, PA - January 2018

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into the show, Andres "Cien" Almas is the NXT Champion, Ember Moon is the NXT Women's Champion, and The Undisputed Era's Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish are the NXT Tag Team Champions (having defeating SaNity at an NXT TV show in November).

COMMENTARY: Mauro Ranallo and Percy Watson

Cool Paul Heyman promo video to start the show. I liked that it didn't go over-the-top with the ECW references, which is just so old hat in 2018.

The show kicks off with The Authors of Pain challenging for the the NXT Tag Team Championships held by The Undisputed Era's Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish. Unsurprisingly, the Ring of Honor alumni get a loud reaction for their entrance. I liked O'Reilly's offense early on, striking at Razar's knees and legs with calculated strikes and then trying to lock the big man into a submission. AOP would maintain control, though, leading to two great bumps - a Flair-flop-esque drop to the arena floor off the apron by O'Reilly and a face-first drop from the wheelbarrow position onto the guardrail by Fish. In order to try to get some traction, Fish would take out Akem's damaged leg and then sacrifice himself with a spear through the ropes and onto the outside on Razar. From there the Era would cut the ring in half, keeping Akam in their corner and continuing to target his injured left leg. Razar would come in on a hot tag and connect with a very impressive fallaway slam/samoan drop on both men to a huge pop. Fish and O'Reilly wouldn't stay down though, Fish eventually hitting an Exploder suplex on Razar. I'm not sure I like that particular spot as they'd spent so much of the match successfully playing into the size difference, but the live crowd certainly enjoyed it. From here we'd see all four men in the ring for a double submission stretch. The finish came after Akem had single-handedly taken out both Undisputed Era members when the AOP attmepted a Super Collider but Akem's damaged leg allowed O'Reilly to hurricanrana his way out of it and steal the victory on a roll-up. A good, almost-great tag team match that shows just how far the Authors have come since their debut. I think I would've liked this one more if the crowd had "played along" and cheered the faces instead of working against the story of the match. (3/5)

War Machine, Ray Rowe and Hanson, are shown in the crowd. As a Clevelander, I'm a Raymond Rowe homer.

The Velveteen Dream took on Kassius Ohno next. I usually take notes during matches, but because I'm such a Velveteen Dream fan, I put the computer away and just watched. Dream's entrance was terrific. I expected Ohno to get a warmer response from the Philly crowd but, unlike in the opener, his Ring of Honor supporters were drowned out by the Dream fans. The match started out hot but then petered out at times. I haven't seen enough of Ohno's work, good or bad, to make a judgment call about whether his performance was up to snuff, but I thought he looked winded early on and spent too much of the match on the mat. When he needed to, he was able to go into a second gear, but it just wasn't the star-making performance I was hoping we'd see out of him. Dream, meanwhile, looked lost at times, unsure how to keep the audience engaged as Ohno's sold on the mat. He telegraphed some of the transitions and Ohno was equally sloppy at times, botching at least one maneuver towards the end and making no effort to shield his spot-calling in another. I'm not sure if it was a lack of chemistry, if the match structure was just too loose for a relative newcomer like the Dream, or if Ohno's conditioning was the biggest issue, but for whatever reason, this one paled in comparison to the Dream/Black match from the last Takeover when, at least on paper, it seemed like it could've been really great. (2/5)

Ember Moon defended her NXT Women's Championship against Shayna Baszler next. Baszler has great presence and its nice to see NXT finally push a heel that the audience actually wants to react to as a heel (Asuka's run was the exact opposite of that). Baszler's limb attack work is ridiculously devastating and about as vicious as it gets. Ember did well fighting from underneath and she's been improving more and more when it comes to establishing her character, but I do think the match suffered a little bit from the mismatch in personalities - Ember being mystical and Baszler being the shoot fighter. Like the live crowd, I disliked the break in action after Ember hit her finishing maneuver but then needed to be checked out by the doctor. I can understand wanting to keep Ember's finisher looking strong, but I thought her selling was on-point enough to make it believable that she was unable to capitalize and go for the cover. Baszler eventually locked in the arm bar and looked to have the match sewn up but Moon just would not tap and wisely used her remaining energy to get Baszler on her shoulders. This isn't the first time we've seen a plucky underdog champion overcome the odds using smarts over strength or technique (didn't the Nia/Bayley match end on similar circumstances?) but I thought it was really effective. Skills-wise, Moon should be ready for a call-up after Mania but with both brands now somewhat loaded, its not an unwise move to let her keep her spot in NXT and continue to build up the tension between her and Baszler. I've seen some people go as high as 3.5 stars on this, but I didn't find it to be that good, just slightly above average. (3/5)

In an Extreme Rules match, Aleister Black took on Adam Cole. After not "getting" Aleister Black when he debuted, I've become a fan of the guy and his match at the last Takeover show very nearly made my Top 10 list of Matches of the Year in 2017. Cole is good as an annoying heel ringleader, but as we'd find out during his Rumble appearance the next night, size is an issue with him (Wikipedia says he's 6'1'', same as Rollins, but the Architect towered over him on Sunday). I liked how Black didn't even want to use weapons at first, preferring to just use his hands and feet to take out the cocky Cole. Once the "toys" did come into play, though, this match heated up and the bumps Cole took were especially gruesome (including an absolutely insane backbreaker onto the spines of two chairs that was eerily reminiscent of the legendary back bump Shawn Michaels took into the casket at the 98' Rumble). I've read some reviews that really downplayed how extreme this match was, even if it wasn't a total bloodbath (note, though, Cole's hand seemed to have been sliced open hardway so its not like there was no color at all). In terms of hardcore matches, I'd actually consider this one to be one of the better, more violent editions we've seen over the past few years - especially in a 1-on-1 setting. As anyone might've predicted, Cole's cohorts in the Undisputed Era showed up to prevent Black from scoring a victory, but we eventually run off by SaNity, a stable that I still have no clear understanding of. Overall, I found this to be a really fun, hardcore match that told a dramatic, intense story and firmly established Black as a deserving number one contender to the NXT Championship. (4/5)

Main event time - Andres "Cien" Almas defending the aforementioned NXT Championship against Cleveland native, Johnny Gargano. After the ultra-violent, weapons-heavy match that Black and Cole put on, I wasn't sure how hot this match would get with the live crowd. Gargano and Almas wisely started things off with the exact opposite of what the Philly crowd had just seen, grappling and maneuvering with unreal quickness and technicality. As the match progressed, Gargano and Almas continued to be one step ahead of each other, the sense of "scouting" really touching home. The match continued to build and build in intensity, Almas and Gargano slowly but surely raising the stakes with increasingly stiff strikes and high-flying. When Jim Ross talks about guys needing to get a "second gear," both men's performances here are what he's talking about as Gargano and Almas worked the crowd into a frenzy with little more than great cut-offs, countless reversals, and passionate facial expressions that made this match feel more like genuine competition than any other match we've seen in months. Almas' valet, Zelina, was BRILLIANT in her moments, too, so much so that when Candice LeRae (the real life Mrs. Gargano) finally ran her off, I nearly had tears in my eyes. Flawless execution, several "Oh My God" moments (those running knees into the post on Gargano was reminiscent of the kind of injury angles that NWA put on TV in the 80s and was treated as such), and Gargano delivering yet another remarkable babyface performance in front of a red hot crowd - this match was wrestling perfection. Not just an instant classic, an instant Match of the Year contender and, arguably, the best match NXT has presented since the heyday of Bayley and Sasha. (5/5)

With a Kwang Score of 3.4-out-of-5, NXT Takeover: Philadelphia started out a little rough with a good-not-great tag match (usually one of the strengths of the Takeover shows) and a disappointing Ohno/Dream match. Even Baszler/Moon didn't quite deliver the goods that I wanted out of it despite Baszler's presence and Ember Moon being probably the most reliably good women's wrestlers on NXT. I liked Cole/Black and the variety their match offered on a card that had not yet gone "extreme." The main event, though, was what elevated this show beyond just being your typical "great" into the level of being a highly, highly recommended evening of pro-wrestling.

FINAL RATING - Watch It

WWE: In Your House #1

WWE In Your House

Syracuse, NY - May 1995

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into the show, Diesel is the WWE World Champion, Jeff Jarrett is the Intercontinental Champion, and the WWE Tag Team Champions are Yokozuna and Owen Hart. 

COMMENTATORS: Vince McMahon and Dok Hendrix

The first ever In Your House kicks off with Bret Hart vs. Hakushi. This match has quite the reputation but I had not seen it in many years. Hakushi throws Hart off his game a bit at the very start with his acrobatics and we've now established that this is going to be a real clash of styles. That theme, intentional or not, comes up a couple times as the Hitman and the Kamikaze (as Vince refers to him multiple times), crash and collide in some not-so-picture-perfect ways (for example, Bret takes a flying shoulder block awkwardly in the early going). The fact that this match was obviously not highly choreographed and rehearsed is one reason why it is so good, though, Bret and Hakushi both dishing out their signature offense and taking some great bumps in and out of the ring. I love that once Bret starts hitting his patented finisher sequence the match seems like its heading home but, instead, Hakushi's manager throws a wrench in the plans and the match becomes even more wild and dangerous. Hakushi's springboard moonsault on the outside was tremendous and way ahead of its time in 95' (are those "ECW" chants that follow?) and Bret takes it perfectly onto the concrete floor. While I would've liked a finish that was built up to a little bit more, the 15 minutes of action they give us is hard to fault. Recommended viewing for sure. (4/5)

Backstage we go where "Sweet" Stan Lane and Sunny are doing something or other with computer. With Dok Hendrix (Michael Hayes) on commentary and Stan Lane around, the broadcast team makes me think of what the craft service area must've looked like at Clash of the Champions XI. Anyway, its back to the aisle where WWF correspondent Stephanie Wiand shows the audience all 340,000+ entries for the evening's In Your House contest. Moron that later...

Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett and The Roadie team up to take on Razor Ramon in a handicap match next. Razor's pre-match promo is pretty good and I'm hoping that giving this match a stipulation will make it more tolerable than their Royal Rumble match, which I found to be a bit dull until the last 3-4 minutes. After getting some good licks in early on, Razor falls prey to the numbers game and the heels get heat beating him down in the ring and cutting corners to do so. This the Roadie's first (televised?) match for the WWE and the future tag champion plays his role well, hitting some very basic offense (and not much of it looking too good) to show he's a half-threat, a cheap shot artist who is only "hanging" because Jarrett has put him in that position. Razor, meanwhile, plays the sympathetic babyface better in this match than I thought he did at the Rumble, not only selling for lengthy stretches but also taking a great bump over the top rope at one point. The match hits a bit of a lull when The Roadie comes in and applies a very poor headlock, but the finish comes soon after and the crowd heats up tremendously for it. After a very definitive finish (that practically buries the two), Jarrett and The Roadie get a bit of their heat back with a post-match beatdown. Aldo Montoya makes the save because this was the era when faces just helped faces even if there was nothing really linking them beforehand. Montoya's attempt fails, though, so a "mystery man" (Savio Vega) comes in from the crowd to even the sides. I like how "realistic" they handle Savio Vega's involvement, with not only referees showing up but Tony Garea and the guy that looks like a young Doc Brown and even some cops. This was an improvement from the Rumble match but still not anything I'd seek out if you haven't seen it before. (2.5/5)

A Games of Throne-ish promo plays hyping the next pay-per-view, King of the Ring. I'm not sure I'll review that one, but maybe. This is followed by a video promo all about the number one contender for Diesel's WWE World Championship, Sycho Sid. I'm not sure what Sid's "peak" was, but he was certainly made to look strong in the build for this match as he's hit his powerbomb finisher on just about every main event talent, including Bam Bam Bigelow.

Awesome Bret Hart "All Over" tee-shirt promo from Barry Didinski. I forgot all about this clown, who was inducted into the WrestleCrap Hall of Fame in 2014. For how silly this guy this, I'm awarding the show an extra point for having him on air. (+1)

Mabel squashes Adam Bomb next. Watching this match, one has to give some credit to Bomb (Bryan Clarke), who tries his best to give this match the movement that Mabel sure isn't going to add. While nothing he does looks great, he at least gives the effort to give the match some legit high spots, connecting with a rope-assisting flying clothesline from the outside and then going up top for a shoulder block. Mabel wins with a decisive bodyslam, but its Adam Bomb who is obviously trying to get the attention of Vince. While Clarke never really put together all the ingredients needed to be a major player in the WWE or WCW, he, like Van Hammer, almost should've achieved more just based on "look" alone. (1/5)

Razor Ramon introduces his buddy from the Caribbean, Savio Vega, and seems to make a veiled reference to Vega's TNT gimmick (or, more likely, his Kwang run) by noting that he didn't recognize him at first. Vega strikes out with his follow-up promo. 

The World Tag Team Championships are on the line with The Smoking Gunns challenging Owen Hart and Yokozuna. Adam Bomb, Billy and Bart Gunn...the stupid names really jump out at ya', don't they? Anyway, I was not expecting this one to have a lot of heat or for the Gunns to be anything more than serviceable but these two teams clicked surprisingly well. Even in this gimmick, Billy Gunn showed he had some athleticism and skill and Bart Gunn is smoother than I remembered him too. Owen Hart does the heavy lifting for his team and is the consummate pro heel, cutting corners, playing to the crowd, and positioning himself perfectly for every babyface double team. Mr. Fuji antagonizes like a good heel manager should and Yokozuna, while the opposite of dynamic, knew how to make his basic offense look devastating (especially his match-closing leg drop to Bart Gunn on the outside). This one doesn't really hold a candle to the tag matches WCW was putting on in the late 80s or anything, when masterful teams like the Midnight Express and powerhouse duos like Doom and Steiners were really building heat up to a crescendo before delivering nail-biter finishes, but as far as establishing Hart and Yoko as something of an "all star team" of villains, this one really worked for me. (3/5)

Deisel cuts an interesting promo backstage - first he speaks rather candidly about losing his mother in December, which had to be true because I don't think even Vince would stoop so low to get his babyface project sympathy from the crowd. Then Diesel goes off on Sid and closes with a Beatles reference before wishing all the mothers out there a Happy Mother's Day for the 10th time.

Back to the ring we go and Jerry Lawler is already there with his "mother," a young, flirty brunette. Vince gets upset at Lawler claiming that the 30 year old model is his mother while Dok Hendrix makes some real groaners. Thankfully, Bret Hart shows up and that little knee issue he had leaving the ring after the opener? It was all just a ploy! I'm not sure why Lawler and Bret decided to throw that mini-storyline into this match and then not go all the way with it (and have Bret actually feign the injury during the match) but it comes off as weirdly desperate for a match that had plenty of heat already based on Bret's popularity and Lawler being despised in equal measure. Compared to some of the other Lawler matches I've watched over the past few years, this was a bit of a disappointment as it was almost entirely a comedy match. On the positive side, the bump that Earl Hebner takes into the ring ropes is one that I haven't seen too many times and could've (and should've) led to an awesome conclusion for the match. Unfortunately, the timing is all sorts of messed up as Hebner, who is hanging upside by his ankle, unties himself at least two minutes too early and has to pretend he doesn't see Hakushi's run in and multiple maneuvers from the top rope. Hebner isn't the only one at fault, though, as the entire layout of the last minute was just never going to work. Lawler gets the screwy win but Bret gets revenge during the post-match, which definitely seems like two steps forward, two steps back for Hakushi (who lost decisively, then got his heat back with the run-in, then was made to look inferior again during the post-match). Vince noted on commentary that this rivalry started at the 1993 King of the Ring and it really made me wonder why Vince was so relentless with keeping this program going. Sadly, not nearly as recommended as the opener. (1.5/5)

Main event time - Deisel defending the WWF World Championship against Sid. This one really reminded me of an early 90s Hulk Hogan match - babyface shine to start, long heat stretch of minor quality as Sid tried to wear down the champ with *yawn* 2 *yawn* camel clutches, the heel hits his game-ending finisher but then is too cocky to make the cover, the hero kicks out at 2-and-9-10ths and then "hulks up," but we don't get a real decisive conclusion because another heel runs out to clobber the good guy. This, of course, causes another babyface to run out of the locker room to make the save. I'd have to double-check, but I almost feel like this is the exact same sequence of events from Hogan/Sid at WrestleMania VIII. On one hand, that's not bad booking philosophy as Sid shouldn't have been suffering a clean loss with such a thin roster of main eventers, but at the same time, on a show with just 6 matches, this is the third one that ended with run-in shenanigans. I'm curious as to why they opted to have Bigelow make the save rather than Shawn Michaels (maybe ol' HBK was taking time off for nagging injury? Drug rehab? Well-earned mini-vay-cay?) because that would've been a much more climactic ending and, with Diesel's promo, its obvious that the wheels were already in motion to have Michaels return as a fan favorite. Circling back to the match, Diesel's Hogan impression is not nearly as good as what he brought to his match against Bret Hart at the Rumble, but the crowd is behind him and he sells well and isn't afraid to leave his feet when he needs to either, spilling out to the floor and taking the powerbomb too. On the other side of things, some people hate Sid's work, but I like the goofy, over-the-top facial expressions. I wouldn't call it "good wrestling," but this main event would be far worse without the cornball element. Not the worst match I've seen this month. (1.5/5)


With a Kwang score of 2.42-out-of-5, the first In Your House isn't a "must watch," but as the WWF's version of a Clash of the Champions, it works alright. The opening contest is excellent, but the rest of the show is mostly filler designed to build up to King of the Ring, which I'm not really in too much of a rush to get to. I'm not sure I would've been happy spending $20 on this - that money would be better spent on one of those wrap-around one-size-fits-all Bret Hart tee-shirts they sell during the show - but, at just over 90 minutes, this one probably offers a more palatable snapshot at what the WWE was doing in 95' than WrestleMania XI. With only one match being worth seeking out, I'm calling this a...

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver 

WCW Wrestle War 91'

WCW WrestleWar 91'

Phoenix, AZ - February 1991

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into WrestleWar, Ric Flair is the WCW World Champion, the United States Champion is Lex Luger, and the TV Champion is Arn Anderson. The Steiner Brothers hold the United States Tag Team Championships while Doom are the World Tag Team Champions. The 6-Man Tag Titles are held by the Junkyard Dog, Ricky Morton, and Tommy Rich.

COMMENTATORS: Jim Ross and Dusty Rhodes

Kicking things off, the 6-Man Tag Team Championships are on the line with Junkyard Dog, Ricky Morton, and Tommy Rich defending against the heel trio of Big Cat and The State Patrol (Buddy Lee Parker and James Earl Wright). Boring, uneventful contest between 6 guys that, maybe at one time were interesting and worth getting excited about, but were definitely not that in 1991 WCW. This one felt too long around minute 5. Inexplicably poor finish on this one too as Morton gets the pinfall despite not being the legal man. Was there some sort of rule in place where anyone could make the pinfall at any time? If so, the announcers don't bother to make that clear. (0.5/5)

Brad Armstrong takes on "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton in the second match on the show. With Eaton and Armstrong, you know you are going to get solid scientific wrestling and good psychology, but as neither guy was really over as a singles performer, this match overstays its welcome despite the talents of both men. Armstrong is blander here than he was even during his "Candyman" days while Eaton, arguably one of the top 5 tag specialists of all time and as despicable as he was in the Midnight Express, is just an incomplete act without a manager or tag partner in his corner at this time. The match goes close to 13 minutes but ends up feeling like 20 because, while Eaton's offense is really sharp at times and Armstrong's comeback fiery, there's no real suspense when there's no real story behind why these guys are so desperate to defeat each other. Better commentary would've helped as, beyond this being a chance for them both to "climb the ladder," the announcers never really discuss any history between the two (Armstrong's Lightning Express faced the Midnight Express plenty of times for that to have been played up a bit more). 2 for 2 on disappointing matches. (1.5/5)

Niki Handa and Miss A vs. Mami Katmura and Itsuki Yamasaki is next - a rare treat from Japan. Handa is sporting Zach Ryder-esque gear. Dusty Rhodes' commentary is, as expected, ridiculous, though, in his defense, this sort of action was almost completely unheard of in the US in 91'. Physical, stiff, grappling-based - this isn't as spot-heavy (and, thus, crowd-pleasing) as the showcase match featuring Bull Nakano at World War III 95', but its still quite good and Miss A's kicks are especially remarkable. Despite being unfamiliar with the performers, the crowd seems to respect the sheer number of suplex and strikes that these women deliver. (3/5)

"Nature Boy" Buddy Landell is out next to a chorus of boos. His opponent tonight is noneother than Dustin Rhodes, who's making his WCW pay-per-view debut (he'd wrestled at the 1990 Royal Rumble). Dustin isn't nearly as polished as he would become and he'd pick up some speed and agility as he slimmed down in the years after this, but even with just a few years in the business, one can see why "The Natural" nickname wasn't total nepotistic bullshit. He works the crowd, he sells without dying, and his offense, while rudimentary, is delivered with intensity. Landell is the pro in comparison and I wish he'd put more effort into drawing heat in this match as he was a "natural" himself when it came to pissing off audiences. (2/5) 

Missy Hyatt tries to get an interview with Stan Lane but gets chased out of the lockerroom by the tobacco-spittin' Texan.

The Royal Family make their way to the ring for the next bout. I was unfamiliar with this gimmick for Rip Morgan and Jack Victory, but that's them. Their opponents are The Young Pistols, Steve Armstrong and Tracy Smothers. After about a minute of action, the lights go out for some reason and the match needs to be spotlighted until power is restored. Like the Armstrong/Heenan match, the issue here really isn't that the work isn't up to snuff as much as it is that this match is being fought for no reason beyond having a "distinct bearing on the World Tag Team Title scene." Nothing personal, nothing at stake, just two teams competing. Without any characters to get truly excited about, the crowd reacts mildly to everything they see, even if what they're seeing is some quality, textbook tag team wrestling. I would've liked a stronger finish, though, as Morgan and Victory seemed to have things in control and the finish felt a bit out of place coming in before Smothers made a true hot tag. (2/5)

Diamond Dallas Page cuts a promo about the greatness of the Fabulous Freebirds. He gets cut off by Teddy Long but "Peanuthead" walks away and Page continues to run his mouth. Love the "Homey Don't Play That" reference - real topical. 

Alexandra York's newest talent acquisition, Terry Taylor challenges Tom "The Z-Man" Zenk next. Going back through WCW's history, Zenk's career is one that I definitely "got wrong" when I was a kid and believed him to be really just a jobber-to-the-stars. I think, at least at one point, Zenk was lined up to be a star himself, but for whatever reason (ego? lack of charisma?) never reached that US Title level that he could've and maybe should've. Earlier in the show, York predicted that Taylor would wrap this one up in around 15 minutes. I'm hoping it takes about half as long as Terry Taylor has put on some real snoozers over the past few shows. Taylor is much more interesting as a heel, taking "powders" to consult York's "computer" (really just a word processor, I think), and Z-Man puts forth effort in keeping the crowd engaged and on his side. Taylor tries to choke Zenk out with a TV cord on the outside and Z-Man's face is priceless. Back in the ring they go and Taylor continues to control the match for the most part, Zenk hitting flurries of offense here and there but getting cut-off every time he looks like he's about to get on a roll. Decent enough finishing stretch with Z-Man getting the visual pin but York causing a distraction and allowing Taylor to grab the tights for the victory. An improvement on Taylor's babyface run leading up to this as he finally has a real character. (2.5/5)

Paul E. Dangerously makes his way down the aisle dressed like a mariachi band member. He tells all the illegal aliens who crossed the border that they'll be arrested tonight before welcoming his guest, El Gigante. As funny as this segment is (and Dangerously does have some funny, very non-PC lines), it makes no sense that Dangerously would so openly mock the monstrous Gigante without any fear of getting hurt. Dangerously eventually slaps Gigante with a sombrero before getting bodyslammed to the mat. Gigante puts on the sombrero and walks off with a smile on his face. I said this before - it is no surprise that Vince saw dollar signs in Gigante even after his failed WCW run as WCW simply had no clue how to promote him. That being said, Vince botched things too with the ridiculous Giant Gonzalez bodysuit and immediate thrust into a main event feud with the Undertaker, not exactly a master storyteller or in-ring hand in the 90s. Gigante needed a mouthpiece (Brian Pillman would take that role soon enough) and shouldn't have been letting pipsqueak managers like Dangerously run him down if he was meant to be intimidating. Still, all in all, one of the more entertaining segments on this show so far. (+1)

After a word from Hiro Matsuda, Stan Hansen and Big Van Vader get to brawling even before the bell rings. As Jim Ross promises on commentary, this one is not going to be pretty. The first big shot of the match is a Vader clothesline that looks like it would put a oak tree on its side. He follows it up with a splash in the corner and Hansen, who is still chewing on what appears to be a full bag of dip, hits the mat hard. Vader tosses Hansen to the outside and splashes him again before the Texan can finally get a little bit of offense in. Back in the ring they go and Hansen is able to land a back suplex and follow it up with an elbow drop. The crowd gets a bit restless so Hansen and Vader exit the ring and grab some weaponry, bashing each other mercilessly. The chairshot to The Lariat seems to have woken him up a little as he hits Vader with a big forearm. Back out the ring they go and Vader drops Hansen stomach-first onto the guardrail. The brawling continues in the ring and Pee Wee Anderson is tossed aside as these two continue to tear into each other. The crowd boos as he disqualifies both men. Vader goes up top, though, crashing down with a splash onto the standing Hansen. As disappointing as the match's outcome is, the fact that these two just continue to go at it was a very wise production move. I was expecting something with a clearer story and some escalation, but they opted instead to just beat the tar out of each other and not bother with any plot at all. Not my cup of tea, but certainly watchable for the sheer viciousness of the striking. (2.5/5)

The United States Title is on the line next - Lex Luger defending the strap against "Dangerous" Dan Spivey. Luger is in tremendous shape here, jacked to the gills. Unfortunately, while cosmetically this might have been his peak, in terms of performing, he's had much better nights thanks to much better opponents. With both guys considerably limited in what they can do, they work hard but never really develop a story beyond rear chinlocks, the occasional power move, and multiple mid-ring collisions. Luger is tremendously over so its not like the crowd doesn't care, but close to three decades later, its hard to get excited about this match. (1.5/5)

After exiting the ring, Grizzly Smith and Nikita Koloff present Luger with the new US Championship...or do they? As just about anyone would've predicted, Koloff hits Luger with the new belt and then cuts a promo about how he's coming for the gold, ending his 2-year retirement. Koloff should've been a much bigger success story, but according to an interview I read, he wanted to leave the business by age 35 and did so - even if he still probably could've been a huge deal had he jumped ship to WWE in 92'/93'.

Diamond Dallas Page presents The Fabulous Freebirds next, Page years away from lacing up the boots himself. Page then welcomes the new "road boss" of the Freebirds - Big Daddy Dink (Oliver Humperdink). I can't believe this gimmick would go on for months longer. Their opponents tonight at the World Tag Team Champions, Doom, heels as well but more popular than the Birds (who earn a "Freebirds Suck!" chant within the first 10 seconds of the match). Simmons drops Hayes with a nasty spinebuster early on, but Hayes gives him a solid bulldog in return. Powerslam out of Simmons and then Jimmy Jam eats one too off the top rope. The Freebirds head out of the ring to regroup but it doesn't do that much help as Doom continues to overpower them as the match goes on. The fun of this match (though there's not much of it) is seeing Simmons manhandle the Birds with serious power. Reed accidentally decks his partner, costing them the match and the titles. Simmons and Reed split in the post-match, Reed going to town on his former partner with rights and lefts. This was better than I thought it'd be, but I thought it'd be really, really bad, so, just by keeping it short and letting Simmons shine, they exceeded my expectations. (2/5)

The12-year old winner of the Wrestle War Sweepstakes stands with JR and Dusty Rhodes and tells JR that his favorite team is Doom...who just broke up a minute earlier. It really doesn't get any better than that.

A clip is shown of Brian Pillman getting his head pounded into the mat by a Ric Flair kneedrop from the top rope. I don't think they'd even let someone do that in the WWE today as it looks absolutely vicious.

War Games time - Flair, Sid, Windham, and Zybysko (replacing Arn Anderson) vs. Sting, Pillman, and The Steiner Brothers. Windham starts for the Horsemen and then Pillman comes rushing in, eager to get some revenge on his enemies. Pillman delivers a big head scissors and is just unrelentless in his efforts - great fire, great offense, at one point even targeting Windham's lacerated head with his own teeth. Windham takes an incredible bump as the clock winds down too, selling for Pillman with no selfishness at all. Flair comes in (because the heels always win the coin toss) and immediately gets to work on Flyin' Brian. Sting evens things up a minute or so later and the crowd, which was already at maybe an 8 or 9, goes to 10 and pretty much stays there for the rest of this match. Its hard for Ric Flair to be overshadowed, but this match is really all about Pillman, Windham, and the Stinger. Considering this match doesn't have all the big spots of today's cage matches, it is remarkable how much more violent and dangerous this match feels just from the way the guys bump and sell. The blood helps, to be sure, but its not like everyone is just gigging themselves right and left. Even when the babyfaces are outnumbered, Pillman fights back with stiff chest chops and the heels do a great job of selling for Sting like he's the righteous superhero that he was. Like Windham, the selflessness of Zybysko is commendable here because, as a WWWF and AWA main eventer, he's coming in a bit unheralded and could've looked out for number one. Instead, he dives into the fray and plays the part that Arn Anderson would've, respecting the build and story this match needed to tell. When Sid comes in, he looks a bit confused and his blatant spot-calling is confusing just because, in a match like this, its not like you're setting up highly technical sequences. Unlike other War Games, where, once everyone is in, you're just counting down the minutes until someone submits, I like how the brutality continues and they don't rush to the finish. When the finish does come, it is one of those things that couldn't have looked more cruel and definitively deal-ending if it had been executed properly. Sid's first powerbomb to Pillman looks like it could've ended his career and certainly helps explain why Pillman despised the big man backstage even more than he did in front of the cameras. The second powerbomb is better executed and really cements the idea that, unless someone stops the match, Pillman is going to have his career ended. This cues El Gigante to make his entrance and while I've read plenty of criticisms of Gigante throwing in the towel in a match where, technically, the winner should only be declared when a participant submits, I think this was actually incredibly smart booking. First, it protects the top four babyfaces on your roster at a time when they needed credibility - especially Sting. Second, it further links Pillman and Gigante as a tandem and puts Gigante into a prominent position in the show - which, from a workrate perspective, was dumb, but from an investment perspective, was their only option. You don't hire a 7'7 Giant and then not promote him as a star attraction, especially if you want to strike before the iron gets exposed as a terrible performer. Bonus points for Jim Ross and Dusty Rhodes' commentary on this match, which may be the best-called match JR had ever done before King of the Ring 98'. When people think fondly about the War Games matches of old, this is maybe the exact match that many fans of a certain age are reflecting on. Personally, I might even put this one higher in the 92' version, which is considered by most to be the best of the bunch. (4.5/5)


If it wasn't for the main event, this may have been one of the worst shows WCW had run in years - which is saying something when you consider how low some of the low points of 90' were. Vader/Hansen is not as good as it should be and no amount of extra managers can save how stale the Freebirds act comes across. The second best match of the night is probably the womens' match fought between the unknown talents from Japan, which shouldn't be the case when you look at the talent here - Luger, Bobby Eaton, and Doom were all pretty consistently good-to-great performers around this time but they're all thrown into such heatless matches and rivalries that it is impossible to care about anything that happens in the undercard. Fortunately, the final match of the night is maybe one of the best cage matches ever and features Brian Pillman in a breakout performance that should've helped propel him into a World Title challenger. Sadly, that never happened - but this crowd sure made it clear they would've supported it. With Kwang Score of 2.30-out-of-5, Wrestle War 91' might be a fun trip down memory lane for nostalgists, but for most everyone else its a...

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver

WWE Royal Rumble 1995

WWE Royal Rumble 95'

Tampa, Florida - January 1995

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this event, Diesel is the WWF World Champion, Razor Ramon is the Intercontinental Champion, and the World Tag Team Titles are vacant following the split of Diesel and Shawn Michaels.

COMMENTATORS: Vince McMahon and Jerry "The King" Lawler

Pamela Anderson arrives in a large white van and is immediately bombarded by catcalls and hooting from most of the WWE lockerroom. Okay, that's one way to start a PPV.

Jeff Jarrett challenges Razor Ramon for his Intercontinental Championship in the opening bout. Razor is over and Jarrett was always a technically sound grappler, but this match just did absolutely nothing for me. Part of the problem is that Razor, while a terrific heel, was not nearly as captivating as a babyface. Jarrett, meanwhile, should be pinballing all over the place for the guy or doubling-down on his Ric Flair copycat stuff to break down the larger opponent but, instead, they just go through the paces and don't develop any sort of story until 2/3rds of the way through (when Razor takes a spill to the outside and tweaks his knee). Jarrett gets the countout victory, but demands that Razor return to the ring to actually defend the title. Razor agrees and the match continues (oh joy) and, at least this time around, there's some drama to build upon with Razor doing a really nice job of selling the knee from here to the end. Jarrett locks in the figure four and the crowd rallies behind Ramon, the Bad Guy eventually breaking out of the hold and nearly scoring the win with his Razor's Edge. His knee gives out, though, and Jarrett rolls him up to put this one to bed. Both guys have much better matches on their resume. (1/5)

Backstage, Todd Pettengill interviews Pamela Anderson and then we hear from Double J. 

Irwin R. Schyster makes his way down the aisle for his match against The Undertaker. At the previous SummerSlam, the Undertaker had defeated his clone. Then, at Survivor Series, the Undertaker finally got revenge on Yokozuna, the man that had put him out of action at the start of the calendar year. Now, he was just tying up loose ends apparently by continuing to take out random heels. For whatever reason there is a lengthy pause before the match starts and things are dead silent in the arena. IRS tries to dropkick Taker from behind but the Deadman no sells it. McMahon talks up Schyster's technical skills, even comparing him to Bret Hart - the key difference, though, is that Bret Hart has a bunch of really good, exciting matches to his name and Rotunda, especially at this time, was about as exciting as a glass of lukewarm water. The Undertaker grabs Schyster by the tie and tosses him across the ring before hitting the Old School (which wasn't called that then). Ted DiBiase gets on the apron and though it looks like Taker is going to be distracted, he ends up side-stepping and IRS and DiBiase nearly butt heads. On the outside, Schyster and DiBiase argue a bit and the Million Dollar Man goes to the aisleway to get some extra help in the form of two masked druids. I'm not sure who is under the hoods but McMahon speculates that they could members of the Corporation - Tatanka? Borga? Who knows? Who cares? Undertaker continues his dominance in the ring and attempts a second Old School, only for a druid to shake the ropes and allow IRS to hip toss him from the top rope. Undertaker sits up, though, and Schyster just can not catch a break to save his life. Undertaker gets distracted by the druids on the outside and IRS takes advantage, running him into the steel steps and then pulling the ref aside so that the druids can inflict more damage. Schyster applies an abdominal stretch because this match has had too much action at this point? Taker hip tosses his way out but misses a running elbow. IRS gets some stomps in, then a back elbow, and then a clothesline. IRS continues to strike with elbows and a leg drop but wastes too much time before attempting a big splash. Undertaker is on his feet and looks to be going for his flying clothesline, but the Deadman and IRS end up colliding in the middle of the ring. A druid pulls IRS on top of the Phenom for two, but then gets choked on the apron for his trouble. A Tombstone tease gets a huge reaction, but the druids prevent him from hitting his finisher. Schyster connects with another big clothesline as Paul Bearer tries to rally his man on the outside of the ring. Chokeslam from the Deadman for 3. I wonder why they didn't just go with the Tombstone finish? Very standard house show-ish match from these two. I forget who the Undertaker ended up taking on at WrestleMania that year - maybe Kama? Anyway, the druids attack again after the match but beaten up for their efforts. Oh, here's my answer. King Kong Bundy shows up and stares down the Undertaker while IRS grabs the urn. Bundy hits several very unimpressive and off-mark splashes in the ring, laying the Undertaker out and setting up their program. (2/5)

Diesel is backstage taping up his fists with Todd Pettengill. He refuses to comment on tonight's title match. We then cut to Pettengill sitting with the Hitman. Hart says he wants the title back and his been focused on that goal since dropping the belt at Survivor Series. 

Alright - World Title Match time - Bret Hart challenging Diesel for the biggest prize in wrestling. In an interesting note, McMahon mentions that Bret Hart is the most decorated wrestler in WWE history, having not only one all three major championships but being the first guy to have won them all twice. As he walks to the ring, Diesel shakes hands with Lawrence Taylor, who is in the front row. Hart tries to break Diesel down early, bringing the fight right to the big man but unwisely tries to throw fists with Big Daddy Cool. Within the first two minutes of this match, the effort and intensity of this match has already surpassed anything that either of the previous two matches had to offer, Hart wrestling with intent and targeting Diesel's knee repeatedly in a sound strategy. Hart applying the figure four twice is great psychology, the Hitman knowing that his best chance at winning the title is to keep this match on the mat as much as possible. Diesel's struggle and selling shouldn't be ignored here either, as he really puts the effort in. Hart pops the crowd with a tremendous dive through the middle ropes onto the arena floor! Diesel is able to use his strength to whip Hart into the steps, though, and back in the ring they go. Diesel's selling isn't as good as what we saw from Razor Ramon earlier, but he's sluggish enough naturally that it still registers that at least some damage has been done. Diesel takes over and hits a sidewalk slam for two. Diesel hits a huge guillotine leg drop on Hart on the ropes, a move that usually doesn't look as vicious as it does here. Diesel attempts a basic over-the-knee backbreaker submission from Hart slides out of it. A minute or so later, Diesel hoists him up again and applies another backbreaker submission, showing that he too knows how to target a body part and work it. Hart rallies, though, connecting with a second-rope clothesline. He goes up to the top rope again, but Diesel nearly press slams him off. At this point, its obvious the crowd is more behind the Hitman than behind Diesel, which is interesting considering just how subtly-heelish Hart has been working. Bret Hart uses his wrist tape to tie Diesel's legs together and then proceeds to stomp a mudhole in him. Hebner unties him but Hart just follows it up with more punishment via a bulldog headlock. Even after this, Hart gets cheered for his trademark offense. Everything Bret delivers is excellently-executed. Hart clotheslines the big man over the top but Diesel lands on his feet and catches Bret in midair, driving him back-first into the post. Diesel calls for the Jacknife and, for whatever reason, a portion of the audience boos. Diesel hits the Jacknife and goes for the cover but Shawn Michaels runs in and attacks Diesel, attempting to destroy his knee. Lawler wonders why the referee has not rung the bell, which is a really valid question considering that this was a clear DQ. Howard Finkel announces that the match will continue which the crowd appreciates. Bret continues to target Diesel's knee and Lawler posits that Shawn and Bret may be in kahoots. Diesel is in serious trouble as Hart applies a third figure four right in the middle of the ring. Diesel punches his way out, though, unloading on Hart's abdomen. The Hitman maintains control, though, wrenching Diesel's knee in the corner. Hart goes for a clothesline in the corner, but Diesel sidesteps and Hart hits the buckle with tremendous force. Diesel hits a gut wrench suplex for two, again showing considerable depth in his arsenal that I'm not sure he'd utilized before. Hart grabs a chair and bashes Diesel's knee, the crowd finally turning on the Hitman. Still, even as a portion of the audience boos, he gets cheered again as he applies the Sharpshooter. Owen Hart runs in, though, and breaks the hold. He then uncovers the buckle and sends Hart into the exposed corner, which Hart sells perfectly. Again Finkel announces the match must continue despite the fact that there have been at least three DQ-worthy moments. Diesel crawls over to the Hitman and makes a very labored cover for 2, the crowd popping when Bret kicks out. Booking-wise, this match has been somewhat of a mess, with Hart working as a heel at times and the crowd not playing along and two separate run-ins that should've been DQs, but when these two are just fighting it out themselves, the match is absolutely incredible. Hart tries to play possum, but Diesel kicks out of his small package attempt. Hebner gets knocked out and in comes Michaels, Owen, Backlund, Double J, and the Roadie to take out both the babyfaces. This finish protects both guys, which was smart, while also making the next Hart/Diesel match a must-see affair. Finally, the match is called and Finkel announces that it has been declared a draw. Backlund locks in the Chickenwing as Diesel clears the ring then saves the Hitman in a show of respect. If you can ignore the ridiculous lack of rule-following, this is just a tremendous match and effort from both guys, easily the best Diesel/Kevin Nash match I've reviewed on this blog and one of the best Bret Hart performances too. (4/5)

The finals of the WWF World Tag Team Title Tournament is our next match - the underdog duo of Bob Holly and the 1-2-3 Kid taking on The Million Dollar Team's Tatanka and Bam Bam Bigelow. For context's sake, the tournament was held because the former champions Diesel and Shawn Michaels had officially split apart after months of teasing the break-up. Now, why the WWE decided to basically have two thrown-together teams end up in the finals is a different question, but I'm guessing that one of the issues was that the division pretty much stunk, with one half of the the Headshrinkers replaced and teams like the Blu Brothers, Men on a Mission, and Well Dunn were just kinda there and not over. The Steiners, who I'm sure the WWF believed were going to be around for the long haul and make them loads of money, had left in the middle of 94' after an overall unremarkable run in somewhat the same vein as Lex Luger's brief stay in Stamford. Anyway...Holly throws a mean dropkick, 1-2-3 Kid had some innovative offense for the time, and Bam Bam Bigelow is one of the best big man in the business and was really good here. Still, after the near-masterpiece that was the previous match, this one was just never going to have the same impact or engage the audience as much. On the plus side it also doesn't suffer from overbooking and the good guys score a hard-earned victory that gets a strong response from the crowd. Extra half-point for Bigelow's post-match angle with Lawrence Taylor, which starts out kinda hokey but then feels much more genuine when Bigelow shoves Taylor to the floor. (2.5/5)

Main event time - Shawn Michaels and the British Bulldog drew number one and number two in this year's Royal Rumble match and immediately get to duking it out. Michaels is blatantly trying to steal the show from the very moment the match starts, bouncing around the ring to tease his own elimination constantly. Eli Blu and Duke Droese follow and I'm reminded how thin the WWE's roster was during this period. After Sione (aka the Barbarian) comes in we get our first elimination - Jimmy Del Ray of the Heavenly Bodies hitting the bricks. Tom Prichard (the other Heavenly Body) is next in the ring, followed by Doink The Clown, who gets one of the loudest reactions yet. I'm not sure if this is the first year they did a new entry every 60 seconds (or if they ever repeated this style), but it sure keeps things moving. Compared to previous Rumbles, where the announcers really built up the stamina and endurance of the guys who came in early and stuck around, in this edition, they have their foot on the gas and are just flying through this match as quickly as possible. "The Model" Rick Martel comes in and Vince notes that this was his 7th Rumble. Owen Hart is next, but before he can get to the ring, Bret Hart shows up and beats him down as the crowd roars. Its interesting booking that in January 95' they were still running the same feuds for Bret and Taker that they'd run 4 months earlier at SummerSlam. After Owen's immediate elimination, a whole slew of guys get tossed out, bringing the count back down to just two. Bushwacker Luke comes in to make it three but doesn't last long. They really missed an opportunity for a callback there. Jacob Blu comes in, but Michaels is able to eliminate him and, again, we're down to just two - the Bulldog and HBK. King Kong Bundy is the next entrant and immediately seeks to eliminate Davey Boy. Mo of Men on a Mission comes in guns blazing and is eliminated in less than a second by Bundy - shattering the record for briefest Royal Rumble stay in the process, I believe. Mabel arrives next, though, and he and Bundy go at it to the delight of the crowd. Mabel is able to, very slowly and with immense effort, eliminate King Kong Bundy - which is certainly interesting booking considering he was meant to be the next big threat to the Undertaker. Bushwacker Butch comes in and doesn't last long. Lex Luger shows up next and eliminates Mabel in an impressive show of strength. Luger and Bulldog work together to try to take out Michaels, but HBK is able to survive as Mantaur comes in. I definitely forget about Mantaur. According to wikipedia, Mantaur had debuted earlier in the month and this would end up being his sole WWE pay-per-view appearance. Another recent addition to the roster comes out next - Aldo Montoya, the Portugese Man of War. Was the WWE expanding into Portugal at the time? I mean, really, what was the idea behind this character? Henry Godwinn comes in next, the former Shanghai Pierce having debuted in mid-94'. Billy and Bart Gunn come out next and Vince notes that they were prevented from being in the World Tag Team Title tournament due to a "rodeo injury." Former World Champion Bob Backlund is next and he gets pretty strong heel heat, maybe the most since Owen. Speaking of Harts, Bret shows up and goes after him in retaliation for Backlund putting him in the chickenwing earlier in the show. Steven Dunn enters, but the focus remains on Backlund, who briefly enters the ring and is almost immediately eliminated only to end up brawling with the Hitman in the aisle. Dick Murdoch comes in and I'm dumb-founded. Weren't they promoting themselves as "The New Generation" around this time? Adam Bomb comes in with lots of energy but the crowd could absolutely care less about him. Michaels dangles precariously in the corner as Fatu (the future Rikishi) comes in. Mantaur is eliminated by Luger around this time, but the ring is still plenty crowded with guys that have no chance of winning. Speaking of no chance of winning, Crush is next. He eliminates both Smoking Gunns and then goes after Luger. For whatever reason we then get one of the dullest stretches of the entire match, everyone either brawling with minimal effort or just kinda standing around. Shouldn't the closing minutes of this match be the most dramatic? Luger, inexplicably, saves Michaels from elimination two times and this poor showing of psychology isn't ignored by Lawler on commentary. Out goes Fatu as Dick Murdoch lifts up Godwin for an airplane spin. Murdoch accidentally eliminates himself in the process and we're down to 5. Luger eliminates Godwinn and there are now 4 remaining - Shawn, Bulldog, Crush, and the Total Package. Luger's next out, though, shoved over the top rope by Michaels as he was hitting Crush with some right hands. Michaels and Crush form a brief alliance, but Crush ends up breaking the deal and trying to toss the Showstopper out. He gets him up for a press slam, but Michaels fights his way down with a rake of the eyes. Bulldog is back up and he clotheslines the former Demolition member out of the ring. Things have now gone full circle as Bulldog and Michaels stare each other down from across the ring. The final minutes are fantastic, though, it doesn't quite make sense that they would play the British Bulldog's music (signaling his victory) before the bell rang. Michaels' elimination teasing is goofy, but its also exactly the level of camp and ridiculousness that this match, with all of its zany characters, needed. While nobody could ever compare Shawn's work here to Flair's 91' performance (even though its clear he's going for that), his efforts to give this match at least a few jolts of excitement exceed absolutely everyone else's and its not even close. One of the worst Rumbles ever, for sure, but also, because of its brevity (the whole thing runs under 40 minutes), one of the easiest ones to get through. (1.5/5)


With only one match worth watching, Royal Rumble 95' is hard to recommend as a whole, but after the overlong and dull opener, things pick up considerably and, though the action isn't always stupendous (save for the title match, where Bret is incredible), Vince's over-the-top delivery gets less grating and enough ridiculous characters appear in rapid enough succession for the show to become pretty watchable. Again, it'd be false advertising to call this a fun watch through and through (and its Kwang Score of 2.2-out-of-5 spells that out) - but its nice to watch a WWE show that doesn't take itself too seriously or try to present its undeniably thin card and roster as premier athletes competing in a deadly serious competition of toughness. Vince knew that only 3-5 guys had enough credibility to be considered potential WrestleMania main eventers - namely Michaels and Luger then, to a lesser degree, Bulldog, Owen, and Backlund - and wisely sped up the process. While this taints Michaels' victory (which isn't hard to do when you look at his non-competition anyway), it makes the match that much easier to sit back and enjoy as a parade of "'Memba That Stupid Gimmick?" moments. And, sometimes, Wrestlecrap can be fun.

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver