WCW Greed

WCW Greed

Jacksonville, FL - March 2001

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, Scott Steiner is the WCW World Heavyweight Champion, his brother Rick holds the United States Title, and the Cruiserweight Champion is Chavo Guerrero Jr. The World Tag Team Champions are the Natural Born Thrillers, O'Haire and Palumbo.

COMMENTATORS: Tony Schiavone and Scott Hudson

The final WCW pay-per-view ever kicks off with Kwee Wee vs. Jason Jett. Kwee Wee was one of the better characters/performers WCW had on its roster by the end, a solid all-arounder whose gimmick was something a bit different than anything anyone else was doing in WCW or WWE at the time. As a relative newcomer, I'm guessing he didn't have many allies in either company but he probably deserved at least a little bit of an opportunity in the WWE. Jett, meanwhile, looks a lot like a shorter version of Big Cass and wrestled under the name EZ Money in ECW before this. He's got some solid offense, though the announcers go a little overboard. There's good back-and-forth action and Kwee Wee was over enough to elicit a response from the crowd (which I'm guessing wasn't piped in or "sweetened" because you can clearly hear the "Kwee Wee Sucks" chant and I doubt WCW would've went out of their way to record that specific audio). There's an awkward superpowerbomb/hurricanrana spot that they don't quite pull off, but at least its ambitious. Jett eventually grabs the victory after 10 minutes or so. They got a good amount of time and got over. If more WCW cards featured this kind of wrestling with more regularity and more interesting characters (Kwee Wee is good enough but Jett is pretty bland), maybe they'd have survived 2001. (3/5)

Next up: the finals of the WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championships Tournament. I'm not sure why these titles needed to exist when WCW's World Tag Team Championship division could've just become more focused on smaller, cruiser-style wrestlers like the Jung Dragons, the remaining members of 3 Count (if they were still around), and other thrown-together pairings of cruiser guys. I mean, even the Natural Born Thrillas would've benefited from getting to be the "bases" for the more agile, more experienced sub-250 pound guys WCW had on their roster. Anyway, onto the match - Mysterio & Kidman vs. Kid Romeo and Elix Skipper. Like Kwee Wee, Skipper had been around WCW for a little bit by this point but hadn't really gotten much spotlight while Kid Romeo had been around for only a couple weeks (IIRC). They have surprising chemistry for a "thrown together" team and both do a fine job of keeping up with Mysterio and Kidman, arguably WCW's most popular cruiserweights ever. They eventually make their way onto (and off) the stage, but get back towards the ring for the final sequences. At one point Kidman hits a Shooting Star Press to the floor that, even 20 years later, looks crazy. As the action spins out of control in and out of the ring, the heels eventually steal the victory in an undeniable upset. Like the opener, this was certainly above-average but felt like it was missing something to make it truly great. (3/5)

Stacey Keibler comes down the aisle and introduces Shawn Stasiak, who comes out and cuts a promo that is like a bad amalgamation of every Rick Rude pre-match promo ever. As he doesn't have a smidgen of Rude's charisma, it is very lame. His opponent is Bam Bam Bigelow, who I didn't realize was still in the company at this point. Bigelow and Stasiak proceed to have a so/so match - so forgettable, so unremarkable. Eventually, Keibler distracts the ref and Bigelow long enough for Stasiak to hit his Rude Awakening neckbreaker for the win. Not good. (1.5/5)

Team Canada's Lance Storm and Mike Awesome take on Konnan and Hugh Morrus in the next bout. The commentators go overboard hyping up how much respect Hugh Morrus has as WCW's "locker room leader." Eesh - when you consider the talent that was in WCW at the time, that's almost shameful to think that he was the guy that talent could rely on for mentoring. As this match shows, he's just not that good of a worker. Konnan isn't either. Awesome is in great shape, but no longer has any "star power" thanks to all the gimmick overhauls he had went through by this point. Lance Storm is easily the best technical wrestler of the bunch, but even he can't save this match from living in the doldrums. Like the previous bout, its not that its offensively bad, its more that it feels like everyone is just going through the motions and there's no heat or intensity to anything. (1.5/5)

Before the next match, we get a backstage segment involving Dusty Rhodes and 240 burritos. The joke here is that, because he and his son Dustin will be meeting Flair and Jarrett in a Kiss My Ass Match, Rhodes wants to give himself gas. 

Back to the ring we go for the Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship match (which has already happened) according to the graphic on the screen. Actually, its the Cruiserweight Championship match - Chavo Guerrero defending the gold against "Sugar" Shane Helms. Chavo and Helms go all out in this match and it is a borderline classic, easily one of the best matches of both men's careers. The wrestling at the start is crisp and urgent so when they get to the big spots, it does feel like there has been an escalation of action. Because both guys are clearly working hard, trying to finish eachother off with bigger and bigger moves, the match really does come across like a struggle to win an important championship. I liked the finish too as Chavo went for a Vertrebreaker (Helms' finisher), but Helms countered it into one of his own. That move looks legit dangerous too, like it could finish off anyone at any time. The best match of the show so far as it took all the high spots from the Cruiser Tag match but put them into a much more emotional story with a quality pay-off at the end. (3.5/5)

After some backstage words from Ric Flair and Booker T, Totally Buff challenge Palumbo and O'Haire for the WCW World Tag Team Championships. Before the match begins, Luger and Bagwell cut a surprisingly solid and entertaining promo, burying the new guys as lucky rookies. Palumbo and O'Haire come out and proceed to complete destroy Bagwell and Luger, defeating them in under 2 minutes with a series of superkicks and two O'Haire sentons. The commentators call it a "Georgia Championship Wrestling squash," a palm-to-the-head groaner that is too "smart" for the average fan - though, I guess most of the average fans had abandoned the product by this point so maybe it did speak to the few old school NWA/WCW stalwarts who had stuck around. Who knows. The point is, Palumbo and O'Haire come out of this looking very strong...too bad the company would close less than two weeks later so "the rub" didn't really mean much. For what this was, I was entertained enough. More segment/angle than a match, it was still somewhat of a bright spot on this show. (2/5)

Ernest "The Cat" Miller took on Kanyon in the next match. Having now watched at least a dozen Ernest Miller matches, I will firmly state that he's a sub-average worker that can deliver some dynamic kicks, but often seems a step behind and just lacks fluidity in his movement. Kanyon, meanwhile, is innovative on offense, but often struggles to pace his matches to actually deliver suspense and story. Somehow, though, this match actually worked for me. I'm guessing the "secret" to that success is based on the fact that when Miller was teaming with Glacier and Kanyon was still under the Mortis mask, these two probably worked quite a bit with eachother. With that familiarity comes some solid sequences, especially towards the final third when Miller hits a series of excellent heel kicks right to Kanyon's face. A bonus half-point should also be awarded for the restraint WCW showed in not having Miller's manager, Ms. Jones, turn on Kanyon when, for a moment there, I was about 1000% sure that an unnecessary and purposeless "swerve" was on the horizon. Surprisingly decent match that went a touch too long. (2/5)

Booker T challenges Rick Steiner for the United States Championship in the next bout. This era of Rick Steiner's existence - the "Welcome to the Jungle" rip-off theme music, the "If You Don't Like Me, Bite Me" catchphrase, the overpush because, well, nobody else was really left - is just awful. Of all the guys who abandoned the WCW ship by this point, why couldn't Rick Steiner have been one of them? Booker T fights from underneath for most of the match, which goes on a bit too long and has an awful finish involving the return of Shane Douglas that needlessly "protects" Steiner, who needed no protection because he'd been bizarrely pushed very strong for the better part of 8 months. Douglas had been a despicable, unlikable heel for so long that his return (and the help he gives to Booker T) seems tacked on, unnecessary, and doesn't make much sense to me - though, maybe the few people still watching WCW's weekly programming thought it was great. Underwhelming match with a lazy, unwarranted finish. (1.5/5)

The next bout gets the most heat of any match the whole night - which just goes to show how few stars WCW actually had at this point and how over the company's legends were. Dustin and Dusty Rhodes team up to take on Ric Flair (wearing a Hawaiian shirt) and Jeff Jarrett in a Kiss My Ass Match. While guys like Shane Douglas, Rick Steiner, Konnan, and others were delivering the worst matches of their careers at this point, Dustin Rhodes was delivering solid, old school 'rasslin', working much harder than this company probably deserved. The same can also be said of Jarrett - though, because I'm not a huge Jarrett fan and his shtick had gotten even more annoying by this point, I'm not going to praise him too much. The fans are most interested in the interactions between Dusty and the Nature Boy, which makes sense considering they are the biggest stars on the entire show (the absence of Kevin Nash, Sting, and, most notably, Goldberg, make this undeniable). The all-night teasers of Dusty eating cheap burritos results in more than a couple groaners from the commentary team, as well as Schiavone forgetting/ignoring that Dusty Rhodes had wrestled for WCW multiple times in 94' when he notes how he hasn't seen the Bionic Elbow in a decade (despite the Dream busting it out a bunch of times in a bunch of segments over the years plus his well-publicized ECW run just a year before this). But what this match delivers is fun on a card that didn't have enough legitimate fun on it. Ernest Miller was lame. At least 60% of the roster works like they'd rather be anywhere else. Booker T's big victory is dampened by poor booking (and having Rick Steiner as his opponent). These guys turn back the clock, though, and by the end of it, it is impossible not to notice Flair's wide grin, the Nature Boy laughing at the insanity of it all and essentially breaking character like Jimmy Fallon used to do on SNL. What a concept - when the wrestlers and performers actually enjoy what they're doing, even if it is ridiculous, the enjoyment translates to watchable, enjoyable content. This one is not for purists expecting a classic match and, again, the number of unfunny "dad jokes" is almost reprehensible, but compared to so much of what came before it, at least the crowd actually cares and the competitors are hitting their moves with gusto. Not worth seeking out, but not nearly as bad as it may seem on paper. (3/5)

Main event time - Scott Steiner defending the WCW World Championship against real-life rival Diamond Dallas Page. Its hard to tell how hot the crowd is for this as the crowd noise is definitely sweetened, but like the last match, you can actually hear the real crowd noise breaking through. Steiner and Page start with some crowd brawling that leaves Big Poppa Pump and DDP busted open. I'm guessing both guys wanted to do some blading to add more suspense to this match, but what really drew me in was Steiner's nasty suplexes and Page's defiant kickouts and refusal to tap out to the Steiner Recliner. Unfortunately, a hard fought, quality match takes a bad turn when - guess who? - Rick Steiner rears his ugly head to (meaninglessly) stop a pinfall that would've already been broken up because his brother Scott's foot was clearly under the ropes. I'm not sure if this was Scott's way of protecting himself from looking like he was about to lose to the Diamond Cutter, but it was a bit distracting to me nonetheless. The Dog-Faced Gremlin's interference causes the crowd to break into a "Goldberg" chant, but I think Goldberg really did stay off TV for the rest of WCW's run after the Loser Leaves Town match at the last PPV. Only WCW would have their most popular wrestler lose a Loser Leaves Town match as the company crumbled into complete bankruptcy and destruction. Page eventually falls to the numbers game and the ref calls for the bell when Steiner applies the Recliner the final time. This match wasn't too terrible, but I wouldn't call it a career best for either participant. (3/5)


I read a review on Cagematch that joked about the irony of WCW finally putting on a good show when it no longer mattered. Calling this a "good show" is a stretch, though. While the effort of guys like Kwee Wee, Jason Jett, Rey Mysterio, DDP, and the Rhodes is commendable, and this show's surprisingly respectable 2.4-out-of-5 Kwang Rating actually hoists it well above most of the WCW PPVs of 99' and 2000, only the Cruiserweight Championship match feels like a "must watch." The problem with a show like this is that the writing was on the wall and watching it in hindsight, knowing the final Nitro was just a few weeks away, only makes things feel less meaningful and weightless. Nostalgic fans searching for a show heavy on legends will also be disappointed with this one as guys like Sting, Goldberg, and the men that made WCW the top promotion in the US in the late 90s - Hogan, Savage, The Giant, Hall and Nash - are nowhere to be found (not to mention midcard stars like Raven, Benoit, Guerrero, and Jericho, who had long abandoned the promotion). And so, instead of this show being a The Big Chill-esque reunion of WCW's biggest stars, all back and up to their old hijinks for one last ride, its a muddled mix of established guys trying to deliver the greatness of what used to be (the main event, the Rhodes/Flair & Jarrett match) and a bunch of hard-working young guys clearly hoping to turn their final spotlight moments into job applications for the WWE (both cruiser title matches). While not the dumpster fire that one might expect from the last WCW PPV, it's definitely not worth watching for the average fan.

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver

WWE Clash of the Champions 2019

WWE Clash of the Champions 2019

Charlotte, NC - September 2019

I don't usually catch the pre-show, but tonight I did so I'm going to go ahead and include our pre-show title match: Drew Gulak defending the Cruiserweight Championship against Lince Dorado of Lucha House Party and Humberto Carrillo. Gulak served as the base for both luchas, slowing them down with submissions (or trying to). Carrillo hit a cool back-roll-moonsault for 2. Gulak went to the outside and ended up with Dorado on his shoulders, leading to Carrillo hitting a huge front-flip splash on the outside like some sort of bizarre Steinerline/Doomsday Device. It was a cool spot but not quite "This is Awesome" level in my eyes. Back in the ring, Gulak attempted a superplex on Carrillo but Carrillo resisted and ended up locking up Gulak in a Sharpshooter-eseque submission. Dorado came in and applied a submission of his own Carrillo, though, breaking the hold. Gulak lifted up Lince and tossed him into Humberto and then we got a series of nearfalls. This match was fast-paced and full of twists and turns, but didn't feature enough dazzling action to really blow me away, especially from three guys that I don't really know or care about. Dorado eventually hit a top-rope hurricanrana, but missed on a shooting star press, allowing Carrillo to attempt to score the win with his Aztec Press. Gulak then connected with a belly-to-back to retain the title. This was obviously better than your typical match, but nothing I'd rave about or consider "must see." (3/5)

I'm glad I bothered to tune into the pre-show as the United States Championship was defended with AJ Styles putting the gold on the line against Cedric Alexander. This was a bit of a shocker as I expected it to be considerably more back-and-forth. Instead, Styles put in a rare dominant performance, basically ending the match with a Styles Clash on the outside and then just toying with Alexander from there. I'm sure some will boo-hoo the decision to do this in front of Alexander's hometown crowd and after Cedric had picked up a string of wins on RAW, but because this was on the pre-show - which has a fraction of the viewers of the actual PPV, which itself has a fraction of the viewers of the average episode of Raw - its far from a career killer. Styles should be able to beat someone like Cedric Alexander at each guy's respective stage in their career. But while that's true, it doesn't necessarily make for a very exciting or engaging match. (On the other hand, any match with a Styles Clash on the floor is going to get an extra point with me.) (2/5)

Clash of the Champions 2019's proper opener was the RAW Tag Team Championship match pitting WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins and his tag partner (and challenger later on in the show) Braun Strowman against the team of Dolph Ziggler and Bobby Roode. As I don't watch the weekly TV shows, I wasn't too invested in any of this. As would be a bit of a pattern on this show, I found this match to be decent but nothing too special. Its not even that the work wasn't good - it was mostly crisp and spirited and the crowd popped at the right moments. What turned me off was just how unexciting all of these characters have become. Bobby Roode isn't the flashiest worker around, but as a foil for more colorful characters (like Nakamura in NXT or even teaming with Gable), he holds his own. His bumping and stooging for Strowman were a highlight here. The same is true for Ziggler. Sadly, though, Ziggler and Roode's partnership has been so brief that no chemistry has developed. Just last month, Ziggler put forth tremendous effort in getting obliterated by Goldberg and it was fresh. Seeing him paired up with another directionless, bland heel feels like, if not a demotion, a return to the hamster wheel. Are Roode and Ziggler really the most exciting team on RAW? Even if it would've been a face/face dynamic, why not insert the Street Profits or Viking Experience? While I didn't mind the finish, it seemed forced and - as much as it pains me to say it - unrealistic. While I'm not a big Rollins fan, the World Champion shouldn't be laying down for someone as inconsequential and unimportant as Bobby Roode. I'm not inspired at all to care about the RAW tag team scene any more than I was before this match happened - and that's the opposite of what you should feel after a title change. This was okay for what it was, but what it was wasn't interesting. (2/5)

Next up - Bayley defending the SmackDown Women's Championship against Charlotte. Like the Styles/Cedric match, this one was also a bit surprising and arguably a bit too one-sided as Charlotte controlled most of the match and Bayley spent most of the match bumping and selling and trying to avoid Charlotte's offense. The finish was sudden, though, as Bayley tripped Charlotte into an exposed turnbuckle and stole the victory, running back to the lockerroom with her title in her hands. I still wish the WWE would be more creative with changing up Bayley's entrance to reflect her newfound heel status, but its early so I'm not going to gripe too much. As far as her in-ring performance, this is clearly a different Bayley and the crowd booed her throughout. The question remains, though, whether this change will still feel fresh and an avenue towards new, exciting storylines in 4 months time, when the initial buzz won't be there. It oddly reminds me of Rikishi's heel turn so many years ago, when the super-popular, dancing, goofy Samoan "did it for The Rock" and became, briefly, one of the company's top villains. After 3-4 months, though, his betrayal no longer fresh in people's minds and with him pretty much back on the midcard hamster wheel, Rikishi was a non-factor and back to stinkfacing bad guys within the same year. For what this was, it was a fine little match/angle that progressed Bayley's heel turn and, for better or worse, gave Charlotte a legit, babyface reason to be the top contender for SmackDown's Women's Championship. (1.5/5)

Next up, The New Day's Big E and Xavier Woods defending the SmackDown Tag Team Championships against The Revival. I can see some people calling this a sleeper Match of the Night Candidate. If I rated wrestling with a checklist, lots of boxes would be checked. It had a complete and well-executed narrative with Xavier getting taken out early, Big E taking a nasty bump on the outside, the heels controlling from them on until the babyfaces got to have a fiery (albeit unsuccessful) comeback. We saw Dash and Dawson bust out some excellent old-school tag moves and, in the match's final moments, deliver some really heelish punishment on a sympathetic, already-injured Woods. Big E got to play the face-in-peril and, as usual, completely delivered in the role. So why didn't this one grab me? The major reason is because this is happening in September 2019 - almost two years since their debut. If this same match happens in January 2018 or even at WrestleMania that year, it may have felt special and exciting. At this point, though, the magic that made every Revival match "must see" in NXT has worn off and we now just have a good team that, sadly, needed a partnership with Randy Orton to freshen them up. This used to be a team that main evented NXT Takeovers. There was a team that a match against The New Day felt like a relative "dream match," that this very match, laid out the same way, would've been one of the best angles the WWE has going. One could argue that this match was great. But because of how much The Revival has cooled, it feels more like a glimpse into what could've been, an alternate universe where this would've made The Revival legit stars with one very hot angle. (3/5)

The Miz made his way down the aisle next for a shot to win his tenth WWE Intercontinental Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura. Nakamura's entrance was preceded by a brief promo from his hypeman, Sami Zayn about the Undertaker (who chokeslammed on SmackDown earlier in the week). During the match, the neck brace-sporting Zayn grabbed a mic and immediately started heckling The Miz, getting in a great jab about the Panthers to get some cheap heat. Zayn's mic was cut off moments later as The Miz took over on offense. To the outside they went, where Zayn's distraction allowed Nakamura to take control. He dropped a knee to the back of the neck on the guardrail and then delivered a series of Yes Kicks in the center of the ring. Miz ended up in the corner and wisely blocked a Nakamura kick and then kicked out Nakamura's leg in a neat counter I'm not sure I've seen him bust out before. Miz continued his attack on Nakamura's knee, softening him up for the figure four, but Nakamura countered. Miz escaped and hit a DDT for two, but sold some damage to the arm before delivering some big Yes Kicks of his own. Miz nearly connected on a Skull Crushing Finale, but Nakamura escaped and sent Miz into the corner with a kick. Nakamura showed some innovation of his own here, using the ropes to assist him in bringing Miz onto the back of his head in a swift motion. Nak geared up for a Kinchasa, but Miz sidestepped and went right back after Nakamura's knee, locking him up in the figure four as the crowd came alive. Nakamura was able to get to the ropes, though, forcing Miz to break the hold. Miz went for it again in the center of the ring, but Nakamura countered it into an inside cradle for 2. Miz went after Zayn on the outside and got nailed with a big kick to the back of the head on the second rope for his efforts - but wouldn't stay down! Nakamura called for the Kinchasa, but Miz sidestepped and hit a Skull Crushing Finale! Before he could make the count, though, Zayn distracted the ref. Miz went after Zayn on the outside, but got hit again with another big Nakamura kick and then a Kinchasa in the middle of the ring for 3. Many people thought this would be one of the weaker bouts on the card, but I had a feeling that these two would show surprising chemistry. Now, I wouldn't call this an all-time classic or even must-watch, but it kept my attention for the most part. (3/5)

The next bout was one of the more heavily promoted - Sasha Banks challenging Becky Lynch for her RAW Women's Championship. This one had its bright spots and its warts - some good technical wrestling exchanges between Banks and Lynch, some stiff knee strikes, some real urgency and intensity from both women, but also some weak-looking chair shots and one of the more tedious brawl-in-the-crowd stretches of recent memory. Longtime fans of Banks were really hoping that her and Lynch were going to deliver an all-time classic, but this one paled in comparison to even Ronda Rousey's more forgettable PPV matches from 2018. In fact, it didn't even really touch the level of suspense of Banks' matches against Charlotte Flair. If this match was meant to be a rebirth of The Boss, a wake-up call to those that questioned Banks' vitality, it only seemed that way for brief, fleeting moments. Lynch, meanwhile, may have maybe gone too far with her cocky "Man" act, a gimmick that worked well when she was the injured underdog going after Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair and even against the snooty "mean girl" Lacey Evans. But against Banks, the dynamic didn't work and the audience only half-accepted her beatdown of Banks at the end of the match. The less said about the tired, cliche, and overtly-choreographed finish the better. This was a disappointment considering what it could have been and what, for a minute here or there, it was. (2/5)

Kofi Kingston defended the WWE Championship against Randy Orton in the next bout. I liked their SummerSlam match quite a bit, but I was surprised that this rematch featured no special stipulation as even something as simple as a No DQ/No CO stip would've added some intrigue to this match. Like in their SummerSlam match, it was obvious that Orton was having fun and looking to impress, delivering a series of big spots including a vertical suplex on the outside and a series of back suplexes on the announce table, something that has become a bit of a trademark spot for him in 2019. Between those moments of high impact offense, we got smiles and sneers and poses (and even Orton momentarily faking a shoulder injury just to get the upperhand) - the heel shtick that was once his bread and butter. Kingston's hope spots were good-not-great, the crowd barely stirring for his flurries of offense. Kingston pulled them in by attempting a Trouble in Paradise (prompting the audience to chant "New Day Rocks"), but Orton countered it into a backbreaker. Kingston managed to sent Orton to the outside and then delivered an excellent over-the-top rope side splash. He tried to follow it up with a crossbody, but Orton rolled through, nearly pinning the champ in the process. Orton and Kofi traded blows before Kofi nearly got the W with an SOS in the middle of the ring (which got a much milder applause than one might've expected). Kingston went up top, but Orton caught him and he ended up straddling the buckle. The Viper attempted a superplex, but Kingston fought out, headbutting Orton back to the mat. Orton went for another superplex and Kingston escaped again, but when coming off the ropes, got driven to the mat with a vintage Orton powerslam. Orton delivered the hangman DDT and finally looked to be ready to end the match with an RKO, driving his fists into the mat. Kofi dodged it, though, and nearly got the pin with a roll-up for 2. Kofi then caught Orton with a kick in the corner, but couldn't capitalize, walking into an RKO close to the ropes! Orton got 2, but Kingston managed to get his foot on the ropes. Kudos to the WWE for protecting the RKO. Orton backed up and looked to deliver a Punt, but Kingston dodged it and nailed him with a Trouble in Paradise to get the clean victory! This was good, but not quite great, missing that "one big spot" or twist that would've really made it memorable. Orton's performance pushed it into above-average territory, but not too far into it. (3/5)

Backstage, the Street Profits got some time to get their characters over. I'm still iffy on these two as the gimmick is borderline minstrelsy, but hey? Maybe this precisely the gimmick and type of delivery they want to do??? The cameo from King Booker was a plus for me...though, again, even Booker T's portrayal over the years was sometimes questionable. 

Next up, Roman Reigns vs. Erick Rowan, the next chapter in a lengthy and somewhat confusing storyline that started with Reigns having a mystery stalker/attacker, ended up leading to a moment where it was suggested that the attacker was an Erick Rowan stunt double, and then, weeks later, the real Erick Rowan essentially turning on Daniel Bryan in anger. Despite all these shenanigans going on, the big question coming into this match remained just how it would go considering that, as far as I know, this was Erick Rowan's first PPV singles match (and if it wasn't, it was certainly his most high-profile). Reigns came out first and brought the fight to Rowan as soon as he made his entrance, this no DQ match starting off with some straight-up brawling in and out of the ring. Rowan took control early, shrugging off a tackle into the stairs before sending Reigns into the crowd and beating him down with a kendo stick. Rowan then effortlessly lifted a trash bin and slammed it down on Reigns in an impressive show of size and strength. Back to ringside they went with Reigns getting some shots in and then delivering a drive-by dropkick by the announcers. Reigns cleared off a table, but got blindsided by an Erick Rowan crossbody before he could use it. Rowan then sent him back to the middle of the ring and drilled his boot into Reigns' neck in the corner. After a scoop slam, Rowan hit an elbow and then a splash, the commentators laying it on a little thick about how much damage Reigns was taking (considering his wars with Lesnar and Braun Strowman not too long ago). A "Use The Table" chant began stirring as Rowan continued to dominate in the ring and the two eventually did make their way back out of the ring. Instead of going for the table, though, Rowan ripped off part of the ring apron and dropped Reigns face-first onto the "exposed edge"of the ring. This only got him a 2-count, though, so Rowan tossed the stairs into the ring. Rowan attempted to toss them onto Reigns, but Reigns countered it into a Samoan Drop for 2. From here, it was a pretty back-and-forth, heavy-hitting match that included Erick Rowan kicking out of a Superman Punch and the two big men finding their way over to the stage area. The finish came when Luke Harper returned out of nowhere to lend a hand to his longtime partner-in-crime Rowan and the two men took out Reigns in the center of the ring. I'm not sure where this partnership is leading to but it does feel a little bit like a retreat into the comfort zone for both men. Together, we've seen the Bludgeon Brothers deliver when they've needed to, but we've also seen just about everything the Bludgeon Brothers can do together. It was refreshing to see Rowan in a new light and he did a solid job in this spotlight match (and, from what I've seen, throughout this entire angle). Harper, meanwhile, is gifted enough that I believe a total repackaging could make him a main event player ala Kane or JBL or Mark Henry, someone with the size, innate charisma/"look," and in-ring skill to be a reliable upper midcard villain that can stand on his own two feet without needing to be supported by Bray Wyatt or Daniel Bryan or even Erick Rowan. It will be interesting to see where this storyline goes from here as I assume Reigns will have to find a partner to help him take on these two. As for this match, it was solid, but nothing must see. (3/5)

In the night's main event, Seth Rollins defended the Universal Championship against Braun Strowman. While Roman Reigns has a knack for elevating the suspense and drama of his matches with quality selling and facial expressions, Rollins continues to be one of the least engaging main event acts I've ever seen. As has been written before by me and countless others, Seth Rollins is a guy who can do it all...except make me care or want to see him win. By the time this match entered its closing minutes, it felt like the majority of the crowd felt the same way as it was clear Strowman was receiving the lion's share of the cheers. While this match wasn't at all terrible, it paled in comparison to Braun's match against Lashley a couple months back and the wild brawls he had with Reigns in 2017/2018. A decent main event that didn't overstay its welcome but also failed to make me care or at all excited about Seth Rollins being the face of the brand. I can understand the decision-making behind his incessant push, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. The appearance of "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt in the post-match segment got the biggest pop of the whole thing and that's not necessarily a compliment. Not terrible, but only slightly better than average and well short of "must see." (3/5)


On paper, the 2019 Clash of the Champions show looked like it would be pretty tremendous. Charlotte/Bayley, Banks/Lynch, Styles/Alexander, and The New Day/Revival are, in an alternate universe not too dissimilar from our own, "dream match" scenarios in some regards. There was a time when most of the names above were the hottest acts in pro-wrestling (and the same can be said of Nakamura, The Miz, Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, and Seth Rollins too). Unfortunately, in September 2019, the years of 50/50 booking and directionless characters and storylines that happen and are made irrelevant a month later have led us to an era where everything seems inconsequential, even if the wrestling itself has never been more crisp, well-executed, and physically impressive. With a Kwang Score of 2.50-out-of-5, this show really did feel like it just sat there, smack dab in the middle - not great, not terrible, not really good, not really bad, not unwatchable, but not something worth investing 4+ hours in, with not even a single match sticking a toe into Match of the Week, let alone Match of the Year, territory. Recommended to only the most die-hard WWE fans.

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver

WWE King of the Ring 95'

WWE King of the Ring 95'

Philadelphia, PA - June 1995

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into the show, Diesel is the reigning WWF World Champion, the Intercontinental Championship is held by Jeff Jarrett, Alundra Blayze is the WWF Women's Champion, and the WWF Tag Team Titles are held by Owen Hart & Yokozuna.

COMMENTATORS: Vince McMahon & Dok Hendrix

If you're catching this on the Network (like I did), the show begins with a Coliseum Home Video bonus match - Savio Vega vs. IRS in a King of the Ring Qualifying Match. Vega is accompanied by his longtime friend Razor Ramon, which, before I read up on it in Wikipedia, is actually based on some history in Puerto Rico and not just the fact that Ramon and Vega were the company's only two Hispanic characters (Hall not was actually Cuban, though). Not much to say about the action as its fairly pedestrian stuff. On his podcast, Stone Cold has always talked about how good a worker Vega was but I've still not seen what was so special about the guy. I've long said that Rotunda's best character was the IRS persona but that doesn't mean, under that persona, he's all of a sudden a must-watch worker. (1/5)

So...Vega, having defeated IRS in the pre-show match, now takes on Yokozuna in the first round of the actual King of the Ring Tournament. Yokozuna was either 600 pounds or more here and moves incredibly slowly. Vega is somewhat over but he's not flashy enough to counter how tired and out of shape Yoko is. Owen Hart eventually shows up to try to add some life into this match, but its too little too late as Yoko needed a respirator about 30 seconds into this match and Vega, having already wrestled once in the opener, has overstayed his welcome by a good 20 minutes by the time this one wraps up. The count-out finish is another non-interesting element as it seems that Yoko was constantly losing (or winning) by the 10-count as either a way to protect him or protect his partner (for example, Luger was bounced out of the tournament with a count-out loss to Yoko just a few weeks prior). I can see protecting Yokozuna when he's actually worth protecting, but in 95', he was not putting the effort in to remain a top guy and it showed. A year or so later, when he lost in embarrassing fashion to Austin at SummerSlam 96' (I was there!), it was one of the highlights of the night - even if it came at the once-powerful Yokozuna's expense. (0/5)

Bob "Spark Plugg" Holly vs. The Roadie is next in a match that could headline a car dealership in any city south of hell. While Holly and the Roadie work harder and have more energy than Yoko and Vega, neither guy is polished or exciting enough to give this match any real heat. The Roadie has to be the worst in-ring worker of the Armstrong clan by a country mile and Holly, while a solid hand, was always a bit generic in the ring (when he wasn't striaght up potato'ing dudes) and this is one of the all-time corniest gimmicks in wrestling history. I'm guessing that the reason they didn't want Jeff Jarrett to interfere too much was because he would likely play in a role in the next match - or at least I'm hoping that's the case because it doesn't really make all that much sense that the "untrained assistant" can hold his own against a former WWF Tag Team Champion. Whatever - from a technical standpoint, this match is an improvement from the one that came before, but when I looked it up and saw that it was under 8 minutes, I couldn't believe it. This one feels like an hour long death match where the loser is the viewer. Half-point for the pathetic "kick out at 2.99" by Holly, which is such an old school dick 'rasslin' move to try to protect your "heat" but is laughably misplaced here because nobody cared. (0.5/5)

Ted DiBiase's prize fighter Kama makes his way down the aisle next for his 1st round opponent - Shawn Michaels. If anyone ever tells you that Shawn Michaels never wrestled a bad match in his life (I'm not sure why someone would ever just tell you that but bear with me), you can show them this match and let them see that while Shawn Michaels is a great performer, he's not without his stinkers - even if its the fault of the bookers more than Michaels himself. Shawn is certainly the most over guy that's wrestled on this show so far, while Kama is disliked, but not necessarily viewed as the colossal threat that he probably should've been. Part of the problem is that, while Kama (the future Godfather) had undeniable size and look, he always seemed a little "soft," his offense rarely showing the sadism and power that, say, a Vader, could deliver in his prime. After getting some offense in early, Michaels goes into sell mode for 7-10 minutes straight as Kama applies some unremarkable submissions. As soon as Vince starts talking up the 15-minute time limit you can see the Draw coming from 10 blocks away. I think this match would've worked better if Michaels' showed more spirit and less like he was just going through the motions, overselling his way to a time limit finish. Even the last 2 minutes, where one would expect some urgency, Michaels was just not giving that message at all. Even an unmotivated HBK is going to put on a better match than Holly and the Roadie, but this was not great. (1/5)

This match is followed by a on-location video of Bob Backlund. It is laughably bad and very poorly edited. I don't know what Vince McMahon was even thinking putting this on the air. At one point, the camera sticks on Backlund for a good 5-10 seconds before he even begins speaking. Its not even "So Bad - Its Good!" territory. Its just plainly bad.

Back to the ring we go for Mabel vs. The Undertaker. Surprisingly, this is the best match of the show so far as Mabel is motivated - most likely because this show was built around him - and The Undertaker is actually decent as well. Mabel botches his first offensive maneuver, but then there's a cool moment where Taker ends up hanging outside of the ring, his foot caught in the ropes. This could've been the set-up to a very extreme moment, but instead Mabel just kinda half-stomps him in the side. Lame. Still, just because the Undertaker was actually over with the Philly crowd and they cut a surprisingly upbeat pace, this isn't as dull as one might imagine. Its not a good match - not even average - but its closer. The finish is also decent, with Mabel hitting Taker with a big leg drop after Kama's interference. (2/5)

After a video package highlighting the WWE's Hall of Fame, which was a much, much, much lower key affair back in 95', we're back in the ring for The Roadie vs. Savio Vega. Savio Vega is one of those workers that other workers tend to really respect and perceive as being a solid hand, but I find him dull as shit. He's like Manny Fernandez but without the guaranteed blood. Maybe that's unfair because Vega was a bit more agile for his size, but I just don't "get it" whenever I see his name on a list of underrated workers. Just search "Savio Vega Underrated" and you'll see plenty of folks praising him on forums, but aside from his matches with Austin - which I, admittedly, have not revisited - I just don't remember anything that great he produced (at least in the WWE, which is the only place I ever saw him wrestle). This match doesn't change that opinion for me as its just a by-the-numbers match and The Roadie has to be the worst Armstrong brother in terms of natural ability (though, charisma-wise, he probably had the most). Another match that wouldn't be out of place on your average episode of Superstars from this time - meaning, instantly forgettable and not worth watching. (1.5/5)

Bret Hart takes on Jerry "The King" Lawler in a Kiss My Foot Match next. I'm a big Bret fan and I think Lawler was still very capable of putting on good matches well in the 90s so I was surprised by how unimpressive and lame this match was. The tone of this match and the entire rivalry just never connected with me. Part of the issue was that Lawler, as big a star as he was, never struck me as a legit "main event" level talent largely because he was introduced first and foremost as a commentator and then, over time, practically a manager for Doink the Clown and Isaac Yankem. He also didn't look the part of someone Bret Hart would have any trouble with - which made their months-long feud one of the reasons this era of WWE history is not so beloved. Vince tried to heap a ton of stakes onto their matches with the two battling over who the real "king" was (despite Bret never really claiming that title), for Hart family pride, and, in this case, for the winner to have the loser kiss his foot. But none of these things made the feud seem serious to me even if the dynamic was comparable to Batman and The Joker. And so on this show they have a fairly straightforward wrestling match with no interesting twists aside from seeing Bret kickout of three Jerry Lawler piledrivers. Even by today's standards its a ridiculous burial of a one-time feared finisher. Hakushi makes an appearance but is equally ineffective at stopping the Hitman. Eventually Bret locks in the Sharpshooter and Lawler taps. This wasn't actively bad as much as it was just boring and unremarkable. (2/5)


The finals of the King of the Ring are next, with Mabel taking on Savio Vega. Vega controls early, backing Mabel into the corner and hitting him with a series of big right hands. Vega is able to clothesline Mabel over the top rope and onto the arena floor and counter Mabel's attempts to use his size to overpower him for a little while. Mabel wears down Vega with a very poor-looking bearhug. The crowd is inexplicably alive for this stretch, at least for a moment or two. Mabel looks like he's in more pain applying the bearhug than Vega is receiving it - something even McMahon notes on commentary. Whoever told these two guys to work two minutes-long bearhug sequences in succession should've been more than fired, they should've been charged with war crimes. Mabel eventually levels Vega with a jumping clothesline-like maneuver and then both guys go to the mat with Mabel locking Vega in a side headlock. This match isn't highlighting either's guy strengths at all and the crowd erupts in a huge, loud "ECW" chant. Its not like every ECW match from 95' was even that great, but Mabel and Vega were doing alot of laying around. Mabel eventually hits Vega with a bodyslam off the ropes and then a splash to get the clean victory. I can understand why they wanted to keep Vega looking somewhat strong, but this whole thing would've been considerably more effective if they had let Mabel actually just squash him with splashes and slams instead of putting needless submissions into this match. In fact, the post-match scene of Mabel destroying Razor Ramon gets more heat and feels more vicious and interesting than anything we saw in the match before it (with maybe the biggest pop going to the arrival of the 1-2-3 Kid) and fans are so displeased with Mabel's coronation that he and Sir Mo get pelted with garbage a couple times too. Those moments save an otherwise poor match, but I have no plans to revisit any of this anytime soon. (1.5/5)

After some pre-taped interview, its main event time - Deisel and Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Sid and Tatanka. The story coming into this match was that Sid had injured Deisel's elbow by chokeslamming him (barely) at the inaugural (?) In Your House event and then powerbombing him on RAW (I think?). Bigelow, meanwhile, had recently turned face after splitting with Ted Dibiase's Million Dollar Corporation, the stable that Tatanka, on the other hand, had turned heel to join. Sid and Tatanka come out first followed by Bigelow, who has on some extra gear that makes him look like one of the gladiators from The Running Man, and then Deisel, who actually gets a pretty sizable pop considering the Philly crowd wasn't always super supportive of Vince's hand-picked heroes. The match is built around Deisel's injury, which at least gives the match some weight and a narrative that makes up sympathize with Deisel and actually consider Tatanka a threat to anybody. As Deisel plays face-in-peril, the crowd (noticeably high-pitched) chants his name, but the older fans in the first few rows look none-too-impressed. Sid misses a leg drop and Bigelow comes in for a hot tag, taking out both men. He hits an impressive dropkick on Tatanka and then drops Sid with a DDT too. Bigelow connects with a headbutt from the top, but the ref is distracted by DiBiase so he can't make the count. Sid kicks out of Bigelow's second attempt and Bigelow goes after the Million Dollar Man, only to get struck in the back by Sid. With Bigelow standing on the middle rope, Sid goes for a choke and then hits him with a huge chokeslam (credit to Bigelow for that one). The kids in the audience boo, but its noticeable that some of the audience cheers (the same segment of the audience that would famously cheer him at Survivor Series 96' in his title match against Shawn Michaels a good 15 or so months later). Tatanka then comes in to beat on Bigelow, eventually even hitting him with a back suplex. Sid comes back in and hits a running boot on Bigelow in the corner and then another one dead-center in the ring. The Bammer fights out of the corner, but then runs into another big boot that sends him to the floor. Tatanka inflicts some more punishment on the outside, preventing Bigelow from hitting a splash. Back outside and Sid hits yet another running boot to Bigelow. Back in the ring, Sid applies a chinlock. See? You can complain about Sid overrelying on big boots, but is him applying a chinlock any better? Bigelow tries to get to the corner but Sid applies a front-face lock. Bigelow makes the tag and rallies, slamming Sid with a bodyslam and then an elbow drop - but it hurts Deisel even more than Sid! Deisel is forced to make the tag, as is Tatanka. Tatanka hits a crossbody for 2 on Bigelow and then applies a headlock as Deisel sells serious pain on the outside. The Bammer shrugs him off and catches Tatanka off the ropes, but the legit Lakota hits a jumping DDT. Moments later, Bigelow and Tatanka crash in the center of the ring and both men go down. Bigelow tries a cover, but only gets 2. Tatanka reapplies a headlock, trying his best to wear down Bigelow. Off the ropes they go and Tatanka dodges the Bammer with a leapfrog only for Bigelow to squash him with a frontflip cannonball! Bigelow makes the tag and Deisel takes over. Tatanka attempts a belly-to-back, but Deisel grabs the ropes and shoves him off. Deisel calls for the Jacknife Powerbomb to a huge pop but struggles to even lift Tatanka. He makes a cover, but instead of taking the 3 count he pulls up Tatanka and begs for Sid. Sid, in a great show of cowardice, backs out of the match as the rowd pelts him with garbage. Nash hits another elbow drop for the win. I'm guessing this was done to protect both guys, but the crowd was certainly robbed of a real finish. This match was better than I expected and, on a show this terrible, was arguably the best match on the card. That still doesn't mean it was anything better than average and, because of the weak ending, even calling it average seems like giving it too much praise. (2/5)


With a lowly Kwang Score of 1.27-out-of-5, there is nothing recommendable from this show - save for maybe the Bob Backlund sketch and, if its your bag, the Hart/Lawler match. The King of the Ring tournament features nothing but duds, talents like Shawn Michaels and Scott Hall are completely wasted, and the main event would've been underwhelming even on your average episode of Raw from this era. I'm not sure how or why anyone bought tickets for this show if this was the advertised card (I'm guessing it was not). Is this the absolute worst WWE show of all time? I haven't reviewed every show, but I'm willing to bet that if I did, this would certainly be in the bottom 5%. Of all the WWE shows I have reviewed, though, it is the lowest by a wide margin.

FINAL RATING - DUDleyville 

WWE SummerSlam 2019

WWE SummerSlam 2019

Toronto, Ontario - August 2019

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the Universal Champion was Brock Lesnar, the WWE Champion was Kofi Kingston, the RAW Women's Champ was "The Man" Becky Lynch, the SmackDown Women's Champ was Bayley, the RAW Tag Team Champions were The O.C (Anderson and Gallows), the SmackDown Tag Team Champions were The New Day (Big E and Xavier Woods), the Intercontinental Champion was Shinsuke Nakamura, and the US Champion was AJ Styles. The Cruiserweight Title was held by Drew Gulak and the 24/7 Champion, at the start of the show, was R-Truth. 

Becky Lynch defended her RAW Women's Championship against hometown (relatively) girl, Natalya, in the opening match. As expected, Natalya was the fan favorite, but Becky Lynch had her fair share of fans as well. There were a handful of cool spots in this bout - including a nifty Sharpshooter in the corner by Nattie - and it was nice to see Becky Lynch pull out some borderline heel mannerisms, but I wouldn't call this a spotlight match for either woman. I'm a big Lynch fan, but much of that comes from her character and natural charisma, not necessarily because she's an in-ring marvel (the way, say, Asuka came off in NXT). I liked the final minutes of this one more than the first few and would consider this above average, but not by much. (3/5)

Dolph Ziggler took on Goldberg in the next match. Ziggler cut a pretty great promo to kick things off, even getting in a dig about Goldberg not "showing up" for his biggest matches. Goldberg showed up, though, only to get superkicked in the first minute for 2. Ziggler went for another one, hit him in the chest, and got another 1. Ziggler sprung back up for a third attempt, but got caught with a big spear as the fans chanted "Goldberg." The former WCW Champion hit a Jackhammer, after a bit of hesitation, and got the victory in under 2 minutes. A half-point for Ziggler's pre-match promo, a half-point for the first superkick (which was genuinely shocking), and another half-point for the Spear. The post-match made no sense, but at least was kinda funny and fun with Ziggler repeatedly telling Goldberg that he didn't have the guts to face him "man to man" until he came back and destroyed him with two more Spears. That was worth another point. (2.5/5)

The next match was one I was looking forward to consideraby - Ricochet challening AJ Styles for his United States Championship. As Ricochet was introduced, we got an absolutely wonderful moment from the Canadian team - R-Truth and Carmella - that actually made me chuckle. Less wonderful was Ricochet's Black Panther-inspired garb, which just looked awkward and actually made him look smaller than he usually does. Speaking of costumes, since when does Gallows wear King Diamond facepaint? Styles and Ricochet came out swinging to start this off, but Styles wisely slowed things down by going after Ricochet's right knee. Like Io Shirai at Takeover, it was nice to see AJ wrestle a heel style as compared to a babyface one - his pace slower, his bumping a notch more stoogelike and less sympathetic. Ricochet, meanwhile, did the litte things we didn't get out of Gargano or Cole at Takeover - innovative offense (literally hopping on Gallows and Anderson's shoulders before hitting Styles with a hurricanrana) and working his injured knee into his old favorites. For someone who is so often considered a "spot monkey," Ricochet made sure to maintain consistency with his selling and it made it all that much better, the crowd absolutely buying into every big shift in momentum. By the time Styles locked in the Calf Crusher, it really seemed like it might be the finish. Ricochet countered it with an Anaconda Vice, though, a move I'm not sure I've seen busted out since CM Punk left the company years ago. Even when Ricochet did pull out a move that someone with an injured knee shouldn't (the ridiculous suplex that followed), it felt like a desperate, superhuman tapping off his last bit of strength rather than him "forgetting" the damage the way it often seems Seth Rollins does. Gallows and Anderson got involved at this point, distracting Ricochet and allowing AJ Styles to catch him off the top rope and into a beautiful Styles Clash in one of the more clever finish and perfectly-executed endings I've seen in quite awhile. I thought that was excellent for what it was. (4/5)

The SmackDown Women's Championship was up for grabs next as Bayley defended against Ember Moon. Moon got a decent-sized response, but what was more shocking was the lack of pop for Bayley. With a somewhat dead crowd in front of them, Bayley and Moon delivered some good sequences early before Bayley slowed down the challenger with a headlock. Into the corners they went with big clotheslines, knees, and an excellent somersault forearm from Moon. The indifferent crowd gave no reaction to Moon applying a Bow-and-Arrow nor did they get behind Bayley as she hit a sharp knee to the face and then a clothesline for 2. I'm not sure if it was just that the crowd was already deflated from the previous few matches or if Bayley just isn't over in Canada at all, but her reactions were definitely muted. Eventually you could hear a distance singing of her praises, but it certainly wasn't the overwhelming response she got at her peak or even at the last couple of PPVs. Moon ended up in the tree of woe and Bayley hit her trademark springboard elbow for 2, Bayley then opting to attempt an inverted Boston Crab. Moon escaped by bashing Bayley's foot and then sent her away with a headscissors. Moments later, Moon connected with a heel kick, but Bayley rolled out of the ring before Moon could make the cover. Once she got back in the ring, Moon hit her a hurricanrana from the top and then Codebreaker for a solid nearfall. After some more back and forth, Bayley attempted some sort of hurricanrana from the top herself, but Ember brought her down with a strong powerbomb. Moon went to the top, but Bayley followed her up, bringing her down with a massive Bayley-to-Belly for 3! The crowd wasn't there for them, but this match was very solid and, with a hotter crowd, probably would've earned an extra half-point for me. Without the reactions, the match didn't have me at the edge of my seat, though. (3/5)

The next bout was a grudge match pitting Kevin Owens against Shane McMahon...because we didn't get enough of this pairing last year. Despite how stale this feud is, there was at least one element I did like - the fact that this was a Retirement Match for Owens not for Shane, who would've had no reason at all to put up his career. Owens, meanwhile, needed to put his career on the line to get his hands on Shane. Before the match started, Shane brought an extra special guest referee - Elias - who I guess pulled the short straw compared to McIntyre? Owens controlled early, though, hitting Shane with the Cannonball in the corner and then clotheslining him over the top. I've always been 50/50 with Shane - loving him at certain times and loathing him at others - but the fact that he's had more PPV matches in 2019 than Asuka and Rusev (combined?) is part of the reason the company seems so cold right now. As Shane took over, a loud "Shane, You Suck!" chant broke out, which coincided nicely with his weak-looking punches and knee strikes. McMahon then hit a Russian Leg Sweep and then a DDT moments later for 2. Shane then went for the Sharpshooter to a chorus of boos, but he was unable to lock it and Owens hit him with a pop-up powerbomb. Owens went for the cover, but Elias distracted the ref, allowing Shane to roll him up for 2. Elias slide a chair into the ring to try to goad Owens into using it on Shane (who begged him to), but Owens reined in his anger and dropped it. Instead, he delivered a big superkick, a senton, and then a huge frog splash for 1...2...Elias pulled out the ref! Owens then hit a Cannonball to the arena floor on Elias and the official, giving himself the opportunity to use the chair he'd previously discarded. The crowd went crazy for this, but Elias prevented him from using it. Out of the ring they went where Owens waffled Elias with the chair repeatedly (and the camera zoomed in-and-out enough to nearly make me nauseous). Owens went back into the ring with the chair but before he could use it, the ref stopped him. With the ref's back turned, Owens kicked Shane in the balls and then hit him with a big ol' Stunner for the win. That was better than I expected, but felt a little like the "go home happy" main event of a house show. And, sadly, just because Shane loses decisively, it almost never feels like it means anything - just like after losing to Reigns and Taker last month, he was still inserted into this near-identical prominent storyline. (3/5)

Before the next bout, we got a lengthy stretch of commercials and a recap of the Roman Reigns Whodunit. This included footage of Rowan attacking Buddy Murphy during the pre-show. 

The next match was Charlotte taking on WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus. Stratus' stock has dropped considerably since her heyday when she was considered one of the best women performers in WWE history, but since the advent of NXT the Women's Revolution, she's been surpassed by close to a dozen workers. The match started out with a couple of noticeable moments of choreography and spot-calling, but the live crowd didn't seem to catch it as they erupted in a "You Still Got It" chant. Things got better from there as Charlotte took over and they went to the outside where Flair tripped Stratus and she landed face-first into the steps. It was a terrific-looking spot that Flair milked and built on by throwing Trish into the barricade. Flair then applied a knee to the back, using her significant height advantage to pull on the Hall of Famer's limbs. Flair's trash talk was on point as well, the Queen so good at getting her character and the story of the match across without needless high spots. Eventually Stratus had heard enough and fought back, but Flair cut her off again, dropping her off the apron with a boot to the face. Stratus landed pretty awkwardly and looked legitimately ready to call it a day. She climbed back in the ring and Flair just continued to attack, adding insult to injury by stepping on her stomach on her way to executing moonsault. Stratus rolled away, though, and was able to mount a brief comeback with a tornado face-drop. Stratus attempted to go blow-for-blow with Charlotte, but Flair took her out with a kick to the knee. Stratu was back on her feet, though, and connected with a chest chop and then, moments later, attempted her signature head scissors from the corner. Flair reverses and attempted a powerbomb, but Stratus sat up and they proceeded to brawl on the top rope. Flair again attempted a powerbomb, but Stratus was able to hit her hurricanrana for 2! The crowd woke up considerably for that nearfall, rallying behind Stratus. Stratus missed her big heel kick and Flair struck with a big boot for 2. Flair then went to work on Stratus' knee, attempting a figure four. Stratus turned it into an inside cradle for 2 and then applied a Figure Four of her own! Then, in a great moment, Stratus turned it into a Figure 8! Stratus tired, though, dropping back onto her shoulders as Flair pulled her way to the ropes. That was an excellent sequence. A "This is Awesome" chant started as Flair went for a spear. Trish dodged it and Flair hit the post. Stratusfaction for 2! Flair and Stratus traded chops as they got back to their feet and Trish got a nearfall. Trish hit her Chick Kick, but didn't get all of it and Flair kicked out at 2 again. As Flair used the ropes to pull herself up, Stratus went for another Chick Kick, but Flair hit her Big Boot and then applied the Figure 8! Screaming in pain, Stratus tapped out! That was a really strong match, easily in the top 5 Stratus matches ever if not the best Stratus match ever (really the only one that comes to mind that may be better was her match against Mickie James way back at WrestleMania 23). I've got no problem calling that a Match of the Year contender. (4/5)

Backstage, Bret Hart wished good luck to Seth Rollins. 

Next up, the WWE Championship Match - Kofi Kingston defending against Randy Orton. The build to this match was all about Orton holding Kingston down years ago and the video package did a nice job of making this seem like a super-serious, years-in-the-making battle for Kingston. Unfortunately, the New Day's entrane and the tossing of pancakes undercut it a bit for me as I would've liked to see Kingston arrive with a more determined attitude. Orton caught it too, mocking Kingston by offering him a pancake after the bell rang. Into the corner they went as the crowd broke out in a split "Kofi's Stupid/Randy Sucks" chant. As Kofi rallied, a "New Day Rocks" chant could be heard, but Orton cut him off with a thumb to the eye. Kingston attempted to go to the top, but Orton shoved him and he went flying into the barricade. Orton then delivered a back suplex onto Kofi onto the announce table, a trademark of his. From there, though, Orton didn't really mount much offense, eventually allowing Kingston to come off the steps with a forearm. Kingston attempted a splash off the apron, but Orton dodged and Kingston went flying onto the floor. Orton then hit another back suplex onto the announce table. Orton rolled him back in the ring for 2 before setting him up on the top rope and rocking him with some big right hands. Orton attempted a superplex, but Kingston fought out, eventually sending Orton back into the ring before hitting a beautiful DDT off the top rope for 2. The crowd was noticeably hushed at this point, barely stirring for Kingston's flurry of trademark offense. As Kingston tried to bring the crowd into it, he attempted a Trouble in Paradise only to get caught and hit with Orton's signature backbreaker. Kingston rolled towards the apron, though, setting himself up for the Hangman DDT. Orton mocked the "New Day Rocks" clap, but Kingston countered the DDT by launching Orton to the floor. Up to the top rope he went and Kingston hit the Trust Fall on Orton! Wow, I'm not sure I've seen him do that on a single opponent before. Kingston hit a frog splash for 2 back in the ring and, again, aside from the initial pop for the move, the crowd seemed to go completely silent. Kofi tried to keep the pressure on, but Orton hit the DDT off the ropes and Kingston looks down and out. Orton geared up for the RKO, but Kofi countered it into a backslide for 2! Orton ducked a Trouble in Paradise and Kingston attempted a splash from the top - only to get RKO'd! Orton couldn't capitalize, though, as Kingston rolled out of the ring! Orton followed him out of the ring and started to mock Kingston in front of his family, who were sitting in the front row. Out of nowhere, Kingston sprang up - a noticeable bit of no-selling that seemed completely out of the blue. The ref called for the bell, counting out both men, and the crowd erupted in a "Bullshit" chant (and rightfully so). Kingston went after Orton with a kendo stick that just so happened to be under the ring, beating him down repeatedly in and out of the ring. Damn. That match was easily the best one I've seen out of Kofi since he became Champion and the ending was just a mess. (3.5/5)

"The Fiend" Bray Wyatt re-debuted next, taking on Finn Balor. Wyatt's entrance began with the creepy Firefly Fun House song before morphing into a heavier version of his original theme. Personally, I kinda dug the old entrance, though I'll admit that it wouldn't of made much sense for him to keep it. The new lantern is nightmare-inducing (as is his new mask), the full presentation looking like something out of The Purge as compared to the backwoods creepiness of his original gimmick. The crowd responded warmly too, cheering Wyatt and chanting "Holy Shit" the minutes the light came up. As Wyatt fought Balor into the corner, a "Yowie Wowie" chant started up. Wyatt then delivered a neck crank like something you'd see out of a movie before planting Balor with a big sideslam. Wyatt attempted a Sister Abigail, but Balor had it scouted, coming back with a slingblade and then his double stomp. Balor attempted a Coup De Gras, but Wyatt dodged and applied a Mandible Claw, pinning him to the mat for a clean 3 in under 5 minutes. The post-match presentation was excellent as well, with Wyatt disappearing in the darkness. All in all, with the new presentation and Wyatt working differently just enough to feel fresh, I'd call this a successful relaunch of the character. We'll see if it will sustain. (3/5)

Main event time - Seth Rollins challenging for the WWE Universal Championship held by Brock Lesnar. The crowd seemed somewhat split despite a sign in the audience that read "Brock Wins, We Riot." Unlike at ECW One Night Stand 2006, where Cena went into a lion's den of haters at the peak of his unpopularity, Lesnar still has a ton of aura as an asskicker - and that's not something people hate. Lesnar controlled early as the crowd chanted for Suplex City. Lesnar attempted a huge german suplex, but Rollins back-flipped and hit a Curb Stomp for 2! Great spot. Rollins hit a knee to the side of the face of Lesnar on the outside. Rollins attempted a usperkick, but Lesnar countered with a german - again Rollins back-flipped out and hit a superkick! Rollins went for another, but Brock hit an F-5, but couldn't get the pin. A "This is Awesome" chant erupted and the fans were absolutely right. Lesnar grabbed Rollins by the tape on his ribs and flung him around the ring. Lesnar then hit 3 devastating german suplexes, wisely not releasing him. Gotta love the psychology there as Lesnar realized that Rollins could "roll through" the release version. On the outside, Lesnar hit him with another german suplex (this time it was a release, but by this point, Rollins was clearly weakened). Another german suplex in the ring. Outside of the ring they went and Lesnar attempted an F-5 near the post, but Rollins slammed him head-first into it twice. Rollins sent Brock back into the ring and hit a big knee off the top rope! He went for another out of the corner, but Brock dodged and sent Rollins halfway across the ring with another german suplex! A dueling "Suplex City/Burn It Down" chant started as Lesnar stomped on Rollins in the corner. Brock then hit a classic release snap suplex with ease. Lesnar drove Rollins back into the corner and applied a bearhug, a move he used to pull out quite a bit. Rollins did a nice job of selling the pain, but as he neared the ropes, Lesnar struck with a forearm across the back. Lesnar drove him again into the corner but Rollins dodged a spear and Lesnar went crashing into the post. Rollins got to his feet and delivered a kick to Lesnar that sent him into a table. Rollins then hit a pair of suicide dives, but on the third attempt Lesnar caught him and drove him back-first into the ring post with some serious force. In the last match, the ref had no trouble counting to 10, but here, Chioda must've decided to just let it go. Rollins hit a superkick on Lesnar, though, sending him onto the table. Rollins then climbed up to the top rope and hit a huge splash on Lesnar through the table! Both men crawled their way toward the ring and Rollins hits another splash on Lesnar! With Brock down on the mat, Rollins went to the corner and delivered a Curb Stomp for 1...2...shoulder up! Some audible boos could be heard, the crowd seemingly fully behind Seth at this point. Rollins started stomping in the corner but Lesnar caught him with an F-5 - no, Rollins escapes and hits a superkick! Curb Stomp! Seth Rollins is the new Universal Champion! I'm a Lesnar fan so I wasn't too happy with the finish, but this was a really strong match and easily my favorite Rollins bout since...well...the last time he fought Lesnar. I wouldn't call this a classic as, after a really fresh and exciting opening few minutes, the match didn't necessarily hit any new notes in its second half. Still, very good. (3.5/5)


As a whole, SummerSlam 2019 was one of the best mega-shows the WWE has ever put on. Its also the "post-Takeover" show I would actually recommend viewing over the Takeover show from the night before. All the big matches delivered - including the fun Ziggler/Goldberg squash, the AJ/Ricochet battle, the clash of generations between Trish Stratus and Charlotte Flair, and both of the major World Title matches. Though a little bit of variety may have helped the show stand out even more, considering its runtime and the lack of some of the company's best workers and biggest stars - namely Daniel Bryan, Roman Reigns, and Braun Strowman - this was about as good as it could've possibly been. With a strong Kwang Score of 3.28-out-of-5 (the highest rated WWE PPV - not including Takeovers- since Royal Rumble 2017!), I'm willing to give this one a strong recommendation.

FINAL RATING - Watch It