WWE Clash of the Champions 2020: Gold Rush

WWE Clash of the Champions 2020: Gold Rush

Orlando, FL - September 2020

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this event, Roman Reigns was the Universal Champion, Drew McIntyre was enjoying his 5th month as WWE Champion, the Intercontinental Champion was technically Jeff Hardy (though Sami Zayn was claiming to the true champion), Bobby Lashley held the United States Championship, the RAW Women's Champion was Asuka, Bayley held the SmackDown Women's Championship, and the team of Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler were the Women's Tag Team Champions. The RAW Tag Titles were held by the Street Profits, while the SmackDown Tag Titles were held by the team of Nakamura and Cesaro. Finally, the 24/7 Champion was R-Truth (who was in the midst of his THIRTY-NINTH "reign"). 

The big story coming into this show was all about who wouldn't be appearing after a reported Covid-19 outbreak at the Performance Center. So, despite being advertised to compete and challenge for championships, Nikki Cross and Nia Jax would have to sit this one out.

Anyway, the show started with a video package narrated by John Cena hyping up tonight's events before we headed to the Thunderdome for our opening contest - the Intercontinental Championship triple threat ladder match: AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn vs. Jeff Hardy. This was one of the matches I was looking forward to most as these three guys are all known for their risk-taking and high-flying. The storyline coming into this match was that Jeff Hardy is the rightful Intercontinental Champion because Zayn, who never lost the belt, had to relinquish it when he took a 5-month hiatus due to the coronavirus (which is never mentioned). Styles, meanwhile, is the number one contender to the title and had been chasing Hardy for it for quite awhile. This match was spoiled a bit by the three already wrestling on SmackDown just 2 days earlier, but they spiced it up by utilizing the ladders basically right from the start. Some of the highlights included Jeff Hardy splashing belly-first into the supports of an open ladder after an AJ dodge, Sami Zayn taking a great bump into a ladder in the corner, and AJ taking an Exploder Suplex into some steel, AJ sending a ladder into Zayn like a javelin, and Hardy dropping onto Zayn with a swanton bomb off a ladder through another ladder on the floor. The first half was built more around signature offense than ladder-based chaos, but the second half saw all three men taking some insane bumps in front of a virtual, non-paying audience. Kudos to them for not half-assing it - this match was as physical as any ladder match I've seen recently. Towards the end, Sami Zayn inserted a handcuff into Hardy's earlobe and attached to the other side to a ladder - one of the most bizarre things I think I've ever seen in a wrestling match. Zayn tried to handcuff Styles to the bottom rope, but AJ fought back, eventually catching Sami with a snap suplex. When AJ got up, though, Zayn had handcuffed him to himself, though! Meanwhile, outside the ring, Hardy remained attached to a ladder and had to slide into the ring with it attached to his face. On the ladder, Zayn busted out a key and unlocked himself, attaching the other cuff to the ladder so that AJ could not reach the titles. Wow, that was a unique finish and the right man won. I wouldn't call this a must-see match, but I enjoyed it. (3.5/5)

Before the next bout, we got an extended skit involving R-Truth that led to Drew Gulak winning the 24/7 Championship. Ugh. 

Zelina Vega then made her way down the aisle to take on Asuka for the RAW Women's Championship. Vega's an experienced grappler but still came in as a massive underdog against Asuka and looked a bit out of her league here. There was some telegraphing, some awkward transitions, some weak-looking offense, the camera even catching some in-ring discussion between the competitors - Vega just did not come across as a legit challenger and Asuka seemed oddly unprepared and completely unable to save this match. The fact that this match went over 5 minutes was also a mistake in hindsight. This was probably the worst Asuka match I've seen, but I'm going to chalk that up to the lack of chemistry and Vega being thrust into a match after, to my knowledge, not working regularly for years. Even the post-match attack by Vega was poorly executed and predictable. (1/5)

Apollo Crews challenged Bobby Lashley for his United States Championship next. The best part of this match might've been MVP's managing on the outside. For all his athletic gifts, Crews remains a guy that I always find bland. Lashley, meanwhile, is a destroyer that comes across as unable to destroy anybody, a monster that goes 50/50 with every challenger he faces. There were some good sequences but nothing that really grabbed me, mostly because, in terms of character and story, I'm indifferent to this entire storyline. Lashley eventually got the win with his full nelson submission and I hope that signaled the end of this rivalry as it seems like its been going on for half a year now. (2/5)

The RAW Tag Team Titles were on the line next - The Street Profits defending the gold against Andrade and Garza. Cole noted that the Profits are the longest reigning RAW Tag Team Champions ever, but it just kinda reminds me of how little competition they've had. A decent match, but the big story coming out of it was an injury to Angel Garza as it looked like he tweaked his knee and they had to improvise a finish. After Dawkins hit Andrade with a spinebuster, the ref made a 3 count (despite Andrade clearly kicking out after 2) and nobody looked happy. Another underwhelming bout. (2/5)

After a lengthy commercial break, Bayley made her way down the aisle to defend her SmackDown Women's Championship. Her opponent, Nikki Cross, was not medically cleared (due to Coronovirus exposure), and instead we got Asuka! Asuka controlled early, but Bayley was able to regain her composure. Moments later, on the outside of the ring, Bayley got herself disqualified by attacking Asuka with a chair. In a shocking moment, though, Sasha Banks showed up and nailed Bayley with a chair shot straight to the back (that also seemed to clip her on the back of the head too). Banks, sporting a neck brace, continued to beatdown Bayley, but the SmackDown Women's Champion kicked her off and grabbed some weaponry of her own. When Bayley cornered her, Banks fought back, though, taking hold of a kendo stick and putting it to use on the champ. Sasha attempted to bash her with a chair, but Bayley rolled out of the ring and escaped with her title, crawling to the back. This was more of a "segment" than a match, but it was fine for what it was. (2.5/5)

The show slogged on with another lengthy video package hyping the WWE Championship match - Drew McIntyre defending the gold against Randy Orton in an Ambulance Match. Orton and McIntyre wasted no time busting out some of their signature moves, including the hanging DDT from the Viper to take control. As Orton got ready to kick McIntyre in the skull, though, the Big Show shockingly appeared and chokeslammed him through an announce table! In an Ambulance Match there's no disqualification so the ref didn't call for the bell and the match continued, McIntyre now in the driver's seat. Drew sent Orton into the barricade, steps, and eventually the back door of the ambulance before grabbing some weapons out of the vehicle, including a bright red steel chair. As Drew wound up to strike again, Orton caught him with a crutch to the midsection and then drove the chair into Drew's (kayfabe) broken jaw. Orton and Drew ended up inside the ambulance, brawling it out, but neither man was incapacitated and the doors never shut. In a great spot, McIntyre caught Randy with a nasty headbutt and then attempted to Claymore him into the ambulance's side door, but Orton dodged it and the door flew off the hinges! To the back they went, but now it was Christian who showed up to attack the Viper, Captain Charisma sending him crashing into a catering table. I'm not sure how this necessarily helped McIntyre's credibility as he struggled to put away Orton despite interference from TWO former World Champions, but Orton is so despicable that I never felt any real sympathy for him (and I doubt anyone else did). Back towards the ambulance they went, McIntyre sending him onto the hood of the vehicle. As Drew sought to inflict more punishment, Orton dug his fingers into Drew's eye and then sent him backfirst into the windshield. McIntyre and Orton then made their way up to the very top of the ambulance, McIntyre's lower back and side shredded from the windshield glass. McIntyre spilled off the ambulance and the camera didn't even bother catching what would've been such a weak spot. As Orton turned to climb down the ambulance, though, Shawn Michaels hit him with a Superkick that knocked him off the ambulance and through an unseen crash pad below! That would've been a great spot if we'd actually seen him go through a table or something. Back on the floor, McIntyre looked to dump Orton into the ambulance, but got RKO'd instead. Orton was able to lift Drew into the ambulance, but as he looked to close the second door, McIntyre got his hands out to stop him and raked Orton right in the eye. McIntyre then connected with a vicious Claymore straight to the face and dumped Orton into the ambulance, but instead of taking the guaranteed victory, Drew hit him with a punt of his own to finish him off for good. Good-not-great match with some fun cameos (including Ric Flair during the post-match) and even a little bit of blood. (3/5) 

After a commercial for the latest WWE videogame, it was time for our main event - Roman Reigns defending the Universal Championship against his cousin Jey Uso. The build-up for this match was strong, though the finish was never really in question as Uso came in as a huge underdog. Reigns sported a new look here - being shirtless - and looked impressive. Speaking of impressive, Reigns was a terrific heel here, dominating his cousin and talking trash while doing it. I also loved his jawing with Charles Robinson, Roman doing the little things to get this new persona over. After getting in a hope spot with a Samoan Drop, Jey Uso attempted a splash in the corner but got Superman Punched on his way, forcing the challenger to retreat to the floor. Reigns continued to wear down the challenger and got even more dramatic with his verbal messages to Jey, the action broken up by comments about how Jey should've just "taken the pay day" instead of actually trying to compete. Uso rallied a bit, dodging a spear that sent Roman into the post. I've grown to loathe that spot. Jey then hit a clothesline that sent Reigns to the floor and then hit him with a huge plancha and then, moments later, another one! Uso rolled Reigns into the ring and then delivered a crossbody for 2, followed by a superkick to the chin for another nearfall. Jey went back to the top rope but wisely rolled through whatever he was going to attempt only to eat a flying leg drop from Reigns (a move I'm not sure he's busted out too often before). Back in control, Reigns attempted a spear but Uso countered it into a pinning combo for 2 and then hit a huge superkick and a splash for 2.8 count! In a brilliant bit of sneaky fuckery, as Reigns kicked out, he caught Uso right in the junk. This allowed Reigns to then connect with a devastating spear that could've and would've given him the victory. Rather than make the cover, though, Reigns demanded that Jey call him "chief" and acknowledge his supremacy. Rather than say those words, Uso fought on only to eat a second spear. Reigns than lifted up Uso's head and showed him "[his] camera," asking again for Jey to "acknowledge him." Heyman tried to calm Reigns down, but Roman refused to accept Paul's acknowledgement and then beat down Jey some more before threatening Charles Robinson. This was just a brutalizing by this point, Robinson pleading for Jey Uso to throw in the towel. At this point, Jimmy Uso showed up with a white towel and told his twin he was going to throw it in for him as Jey begged him not to. Reigns then leveled him with even more shots, hitting him with a barrage of punches and forearms until Jimmy threw in the towel and the match was called. Jimmy then "acknowledged" his cousin, calling him the Tribal Chief. In an extra bit of heelishness, Heyman then adorned Reigns with the lei that Jey had worn down to the ring. Some of the acting was really hammy and the match itself was really just a prolonged beatdown, but the drama, story, and character work out of Reigns made this special and engaging. Definitely not anything like a Match of the Year candidate, but I'm excited to see where this version of Reigns goes. (3/5)

As a whole, this show underwhelmed me. I enjoyed SummerSlam a good bit and even found Payback to be a decent show thanks to some solid matches in Big E/Sheamus, the Mysterios/Rollins & Murphy tag, and Keith Lee/Orton. This show felt too long, too loaded with commercials, and had too much filler. Its understandable that they had to fill time with the Women's Tag Match and the advertised SmackDown Women's Championship matches pulled, but to fill in that time with lengthy stretches of advertisements slowed the show down and kept it from ever picking up steam. The Vega/Asuka bout was one of the worst I've seen on a major WWE show this year, which is a shame because I enjoy both performers. The chemistry just wasn't there. The best match of the show was the opener, which is unfortunate because it made everything that came after feel a bit like a let down. McIntyre/Orton was the "funnest" match they've had and I give them credit for balancing cartoonish hijinks with actual violence. The main event was interesting but could not be classified as a "great match." Like his non-performance at Payback, Roman Reigns is now letting the character dictate the story of his matches and, for now at least, that means we're getting "angles" more than athletic contests. I'm okay with that, but tonight's main event tip-toed on the line between engaging and comically overdramatic (at one point even Jey Uso looked like he was going to burst out laughing). With a Kwang Score of 2.43- out-of-5, I'm giving this one a....

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver

WWE Survivor Series 93'

WWE Survivor Series 93'

Boston, MA - November 1993

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, Yokozuna was the WWE Champion, the Intercontinental Championship was around the waist of Razor Ramon (Shawn Michaels had been stripped of the title in September for "not defending the title for 30 days" but the real reason was due to a drug test failure), and the World Tag Team Champions were The Quebecers (Jacques Rougeau and Pierre Oullett). 

After viewing SummerSlam 93', I opted to go ahead and watch the follow-up PPV held a few months later - Survivor Series 93'. The show starts with a somewhat awkward video message from Lex Luger and his family. Its particularly awkward because I just listened to an interview with Luger from a couple years ago where he discussed his estrangement from the family largely due to the many years he spent on the road (though they weren't actually divorced until 2003 according to what I dug up online). 

After a not-so-rousing rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner," its time for our opening contest: an old school Survivors matching between Irwin R. Schyster, Diesel, Adam Bomb, and "The Model" Rick Martel and their opponents, The 1-2-3 Kid, Marty Jannetty, Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon, and "Macho Man" Randy Savage (who was replacing Mr. Perfect as a crowd-pleasing surprise entrant). As Savage makes his way down the aisle, Vince refers to him as "legendary," but the crowd certainly doesn't regard him as some washed-up hasbeen. In fact, considering the ovation he gets, its surprising he wasn't on the card to begin with. Ramon and Martel start the match off, The Model coming off as much more of a throwback to the 80s than Savage did. Martel tags in Adam Bomb, his impressive size getting a big reaction from the Boston crowd. Ramon sells for the big man, bumping into the corner and across the ring from just some basic shoves. They lock up in a test-of-strength as Bomb isn't really capable of anything beyond this most basic of sequences it seems. As goofy as it is, it gets a huge response from the crowd and when Martel inadvertently hits Bomb, the heel squadron falls into complete disarray! Meanwhile, 1-2-3 Kid gets tagged in and tries to take the fight to Bomb but ends up sent across the ring with a chokeslam toss. Deisel comes in and he continues the assault on The Kid, tossing him from one corner to the other in a great spot. Deisel follows it up an awesome gutwrench powerbomb, relishing in getting to show off his power on his cruiserweight opponent. Deisel sends him back into the ropes, but The Kid surprises him with a flying headscissors and tags in Savage! Savage cleans house and ends up sending Bomb into Nash, eventually even hitting him with a bodyslam and then his trademark elbow and Deisel is outta there! Solid booking there as the heels go down 4-3, but Deisel got more than enough shine with the fireworks display he put on against Waltman. IRS comes in and takes a beating too, Ramon getting tagged in soon after. Interference from Martel allows the heels to take control as Heenan and McMahon argue about who the "real" Intercontinental Champion is - Ramon or Shawn Michaels. The heels perform a fun switcheroo at this point, IRS and The Model switching places mid-headlock when the ref's back is turned. While Savage and IRS go at it in the ring, Crush (who was feuding with Macho at this point) shows up and distracts Savage long enough for Schyster to pin him with a roll-up. Why not have Savage chase after Crush and have him counted out? Seems like that would've protected him a bit better. Jannetty comes in and after a brief flurry of offense, ends up getting beaten down by the heels. When Martel barrels into the post, Jannetty tags in Ramon and the Intercontinental Champion eliminates IRS with a beautiful Razor's Edge in the center of the ring. He attempts to hit Martel with the same move moments later, but IRS smashes him in the stomach with his briefcase when the ref tries to get control of the action. Ramon gets counted out and we're now down to a 2-on-2 contest with the least over guys in the match. A decent-sized "1-2-3" chant starts up in support of The Kid. After some nice exchanges with Martel, Bomb comes in. The Kid tries to catch him with a dive to the outside, but Bomb catches him and bodyslams him on the floor. The Kid shows some resilience, though, fighting back after Adam Bomb dominates him for awhile. He eventually makes the hot tag and the babyfaces regain control, eventually pinning both opponents in rapid succession with a series of sunset flips. Not a bad opener with some great work out of Waltman and Martel, as well as strong minutes out of Diesel. (3/5)

Backstage, Shawn Michaels stands with Todd Pettengill, claiming to be the real Intercontinental Championship. Pettengill cues up a video message from The Harts (who are standing with Family Feud host Ray Combs). The story coming into this match is that Shawn became a relatively last minute substitute for Jerry "The King" Lawler, who was under investigation for child rape. He was most likely guilty, by the way. As Michaels continues to taunt the Harts, making a comment about how Stu and Helen should be "in the ground," Combs heads to the ring.

In the ring, Ray Combs makes a lengthy, lengthy introduction of the Harts at ringside, makes a few jokes at HBK's expense, and then welcomes our team. This is like proto-RAW Guest Host filler and Combs gets booed by a significant portion of the audience of his efforts. Finally its time for some action - Shawn Michaels and his Knights (Jeff Gaylord in Black, Greg Valentine in Blue, and Barry Horowitz in Red) vs. Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Keith Hart, and Bruce Hart. For all the pomp and circumstance before the match starts, when it actually gets going it is a rather heatless, dull match. The wrestling is fine - even Keith and Bruce are solid - but with only one definable heel in Shawn Michaels, there's really no dynamic for the Harts to play off of. Its a bit like watching Batman and Robin fight the nameless henchmen in the 60s Batman show only it takes much, much longer for the Harts to beat them. Meanwhile, on commentary, Bobby Heenan runs down the Harts non-stop and while some of his quips are clever, with Ray Combs also at the desk and Vince trying to call the match, none of the drama of the match - if there was any - is sold effectively. Owen Hart's elimination and his post-match temper tantrum is the best thing about this whole affair, which goes on way too long and doesn't even end with a legit finish (Shawn Michaels takes a voluntary count-out and walks away from the match). A point-and-a-half awarded for some of the in-ring action and the masterful heel turn by Owen. (1.5/5)

After a commercial for WrestleMania X, Jim Ross and Gorilla Monsoon take over on commentary and we get a video package recapping the build-up to tonight's main event. There were actually some twists and turns in the build-up as Tatanka was replaced on the face side by the Undertaker and Jean Pierre of The Quebecers was replaced by Crush. 

Up next, though, was another Jim Cornette match - his Heavenly Bodies taking on the Rock n' Roll Express in a spotlight match for Smoky Mountain Wrestling, which Jim Ross notes on commentary before the bell rings. Jim Ross also mentions that these teams have been feuding for a decade, which isn't really true, though the Bodies were essentially the "sequel" to the Midnight Express (who had feuded with the Rock n' Rolls for that long). Because neither team is really established, the crowd is a bit dead and don't react to much of anything in the early going. There are moments when the Express show their age a bit, some of their antics coming across a little stale, but the Heavenly Bodies' offense is almost the exact opposite as Jimmy Del Ray delivers multiple moonsaults and Dr. Tom Pritchard hits a sit-out powerbomb, maneuvers you did not see very often in the WWE in 1993. As the action intensifies, at least part of the audience seems to care - but a more noticeable part of the crowd can be heard chanting "boring" too. When Morton finally makes the hot tag, the reaction is minimal and Gibson's usual heroic comeback doesn't elicit anything either. There are false finishes and the Express getting confused by the rules and in front of a crowd that cared, one can imagine all of this working, but in this context, its DOA. (2/5)

One of the hokiest matches in Survivor Series follows - Bam Bam Bigelow, Bastion Booger, and the Headshrinkers taking on Doink, Mabel (dressed as Doink), Mo (dressed as Doink) and also dressed as Doinks, The Bushwhackers. A loud "We Want Doink" can be heard from the crowd, the audience seemingly bothered by the fact that the actual Doink is not involved in the match. I'm not surprised - Matt Borne was a better bell-to-bell worker than anyone not named Bigelow at this point (though Fatu would go on to be dependable as Rikishi). Anyway, the most noticeable thing about this match might be how 90s it is - the crowd chanting "Whoop! There It Is" early on in a nod to the classic Tag Team single. The "wrestling" in this match is atrocious and dumb, but it gets big responses, especially from the younger fans in attendance. There's food involved and scooters and this whole match is just too childish to enjoy if you're over the age of 7. Bigelow is the clear MVP, the only guy treating this match like an actul contest and win-or-lose situation. At one point McMahon describes it as a "cartoon" and that's probably the best description of this joke. At least they don't bother stretching it with headlocks or any sort of other restholds. A half-point awarded for Bigelow's effort and the fact that, as crazy as it may seem, the crowd actually popped for this more than they did for the solid tag bout before. (0.5/5)

Main event time - Yokozuna, Ludvig Borga, Crush, and Jacques Rougeau of The Quebecers vs. Lex Luger, The Steiner Brothers, and the Undertaker. This one is a sloppy mess, but that's an apt description of the WWE in 94' in general. The first elimination occurs when Ludvig Borga botches a spot and somehow pins Rick Steiner. A few minutes later, Randy Savage appears and lures Crush outside of the ring, leading to Crush getting counted out (when in any other match this would've led to one of the faces getting DQ'ed). Jacques gets eliminated when Luger comes off the top with a top rope splash, making the heels the underdogs for some reason. Borga gets some time to shine, but not much before Scott Steiner tosses him halfway across the ring with a ridiculous superplex. Yoko comes in and attempts an elbow drop, but Steiner rolls away and (stupidly) tries a Frankensteiner only for Yoko to dodge it and then hit a leg drop to even up the sides. Yoko and Luger trade slaps in the middle of the ring before the Champ takes control. Borga takes over and Luger works hard to get sympathy. The crowd goes wild for the hot tag, which is unsurprising considering how popular Taker was at the time and the fact that - if I'm not mistaken - he and Yoko had not squared off up to this point. They would go on to main event Royal Rumble 94' a few months later and its no surprise why as the crowd goes abslutely insane for their exchange here. Taker no sells all of Yoko's best offense and the two men eventually get counted out as they brawl outside of the ring, a real lackluster ending. Back in the ring, Luger is still selling damage from multiple minutes earlier for some reason and Borga tries to finish him with some basic offense. He doesn't botch anything else too badly, but nothing he does is particularly smooth either. We get a double-clothesline spot and some hijinks involving all 3 managers, Borga eventually clocking Lex with Mr. Fuji's wooden bowl. How lame. Borga goes for the cover but barely gets 2, Lex rallying and getting some nearfalls with a back elbow and then a bodyslam. Luger finally gets the win with the flying forearm. The crowd enjoyed this match considerably more than I did watching at home 27 years later. An extra half-point for the ridiculousness of having Santa Clause show up during the post-match. (2.5/5)

With a Kwang Score of 1.90-out-of-5, the bright spots of Survivor Series 93' are not in abundance but they are there if you search for them. The 1-2-3 Kid shines in the opener, the Undertaker/Yoko confrontation during the main event feels like a big moment, and if you're a fan of old school tag wrasslin', the Heavenly Bodies/Rock n' Roll Express match will scratch that itch (though the crowd's indifference definitely detracted from it for me). The low points of the show are undeniably bad, though. The Harts/Knights Survivors match is dull and overlong. The Team Bigelow/Team Doink match is absolute dreck (though at least it doesn't last too long). If you're nostalgic for this era, I'd sooner check out the 94' Rumble (which is far from a masterpiece but at least has slightly more fun moments). This show offers not a single match that's really worth your time. 

FINAL RATING - DUDleyville

WWE Payback 2020

WWE Payback 2020

Orlando, Florida - August 2020

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: The Universal Championship was held by Bray Wyatt coming into this event, while Drew McIntyre was still the WWE Champion. Jeff Hardy was enjoying his 5th reign as Intercontinental Champion, while Apollo Crews held the United States Championship. Nakamura and Cesaro were the SmackDown Tag Champs, while the Street Profits held the RAW version of those titles. Bayley and Sasha Banks still held the Women's Tag Championships, but Banks had lost her RAW Women's Title to Asuka at SummerSlam a week earlier while Bayley still held the SmackDown Women's Championship. Akira Tozawa was the 24/7 Champion.

Opening up the show was Bobby Lashley challenging Apollo Crews for the United States Championship. Lashley was accompanied by his Hurt Business compadres, MVP and Shelton Benjamin. Lashley controlled early, trying to keep Crews on the mat, but Apollo eventually got his offense going, delivering some flashy flippy-dippy stuff. Crews is a guy who can do everything and anything he wants in the ring, but I struggle to care about any of it. For guys that have been feuding for months and months, there should have been some real heat, but this one didn't play to either man's strengths; Lashley wasn't made to look like a killer and, well, I'm not exactly sure what Crews' strengths are. The best part about this match the finish, which was executed believably and led to the right man getting his hand raised. This wasn't sub-average, but it wasn't above-average either. (2.5/5)

After some interesting backstage happenings involving Paul Heyman, JBL, and Keith Lee, we were back in the Thunderdome for Big E vs. Sheamus. This was as good as most would've predicted, which isn't surprising considering how many times these hosses mixed it up in tag matches over the years. It was a nasty physical fight with some hard-hitting knees and elbows and both guys delivering all sorts of signature offense. This match was designed to continue Big E's push as a singles threat and getting the clean W certainly supported that cause. Not necessarily a "career match" for either guy, but definitely solid. (3/5)

Backstage, Matt Riddle was interviewed and reminded of a recent tweet from Baron Corbin calling him a "failure at home." Whoa. Kinda tasteless here for the WWE to turn accusations of date rape into an angle, but hey...Corbin attacked Riddle before the bell and controlled a good portion of this match, really using his size and strength to keep Riddle down. Its been hard to be much of a fan of Riddle after all the accusations that came to light and Corbin, well, he's just an average-at-best worker. When Riddle got to rally and hit a flurry of his offense, it all looked great and reminded me of why he felt like a "Next Big Thing" in the first place, but when Corbin took back over, the sloppiness came back in the form of lazy pins, telegraphed sequences, and a somewhat flat finish. Cole and Graves described it as an upset victory for Riddle, but isn't this dude a legit UFC badass while Corbin is a goof whose sole feud victory is over "Shorty G"? (2/5)

Whoops, spoke too soon. Corbin attacked Riddle backstage so this feud will inexplicably continue.

The Women's Tag Team Championships were on the line next with Sasha Banks and Bayley (The Role Models) defending the titles against Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax. Jax and Baszler haven't seen eye-to-eye in the build-up to this match but both hate the Role Models so we got a rare Heels/Heels match with this. This time last year, Shayna Baszler had "Big Match Feel" to her NXT Women's Championship defenses, but that seems like many, many moons ago. I liked the Role Models teamwork and strategy - going after Nia's knees, trying to keep Baszler isolated - but its hard to get into a match where you're not actively rooting for anyone. Baszler hit a flurry of excellent offense that reminded me of how good she could be, but it wasn't enough to seal the win for her team. Bayley and Banks tried to double-team Nia, eventually even hoisting her up for a double back body drop, but Baszler got the blind tag and ended up with both of the Role Models locked up in ridiculous submission that led to Bayley tapping out! I wouldn't consider this a great match, but the shock ending absolutely worked for me. During the post-match interview, Nia showed more personality than I think she's ever shown before - is this the start of a new "goofy Giant" gimmick for her with Baszler as the straight woman? - and the Role Models looked absolutely heartbroken, further seeding their inevitable split. (2.5/5)

The next match was an interesting one - Keith Lee taking on Randy Orton. Just a week prior, Keith Lee dropped the NXT Championship to Karrion Kross (who ended up having to vacate the title just a few days later anyway), but made a shocking debut on RAW, immediately inserting himself into the on-going Orton/McIntyre feud. With Orton delivering a devastating trio of punt kicks to McIntyre's skull, Lee stepped up for his "friend" (Oh, you didn't know they were buds?) and challenged Orton for this match. Much of the talk, however, has been about Keith Lee's new entrance music and attire (he essentially wore a "skort" on RAW). At least on this show, Lee was sporting his usual shorts (though he covered his abdomen with a tank top). This match told a great story as Orton put everything he had into his selling and facial expressions. When he was taking punishment, Orton looked shocked by Lee's strength and toughness. When he was the one bringing the pain, every smile reeked of veteran arrogance. The finish came out of absolutely NOWHERE, with Orton attempting an RKO but eating a Spirit Bomb instead for a completely unexpected victory. Had this been given 3-4 more minutes, I think it would've been even better as the finish was just too unexpected and, after what we've seen Orton go through this year - from 40-minute epics with Edge to a highly competitive title match against McIntyre a week prior - it just didn't seem realistic. (3/5)

A fairly lengthy video package set the stage for the next contest - Rey and Dominik Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy. The phony crowd noise was pumped up full blast on this match, but I won't lie - it started out hot and, considering this was only his second match, Dominik delivered what he needed to with the grace and style his father made famous. Speaking of his father, I loved Rey getting into the ring and calling out Rollins as a "punk ass," a line that popped the commentary team too. There was a great spot where Rollins slid Mysterio out of the ring and right onto Buddy's knees that I'm not sure I've seen before. Rey was able to make the hot tag minutes later, but the heels maintained control, Rollins thwarting a crossbody by turning it into a Falcon Arrow. It was now Dominik's turn to play the face-in-peril, but as he's been able to do repeatedly over the course of this feud, Dom was able to use his cunning to outsmart the heels and evade defeat, eventually making the tag to his old man. Rey hit Seth with some big offense, including a moonsault for 2.He tried to hit a 619 but Rollins dodged it, only to escape a powerbomb attempt with a hurricanrana-into-a-kick to the head. Murphy came in and the pace became frenetic, Rollins finally cutting off the babyface's offense with a spinning backbreaker. The back-and-forth continued until the heels took full control, smashing father and son into the barricades and then targeting Rey in the ring. Rollins' continued to berate the senior Mysterio, even calling out Rey's wife Angie. In an awesome moment, though, Rollins attempted a buckle bomb only for Rey to counter it into a hurricanrana that sent Seth right into an absolutely nasty kick from Murphy! This led to the feel-good victory for the babyfaces, Dominik eventually hitting Murphy with a frog splash to get the W. This was one of the best tag matches I've seen in quite awhile, possibly even a Top 10 WWE Match of the Year in what has been a "slow" year for the E. (3.5/5)

Main event time - Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman vs. "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt in a No DQ Triple Threat Match for Wyatt's Universal Championship. The big question coming into this match was whether The Big Dog, who returned a week earlier at SummerSlam and took out both men, would end up turning full-fledged heel after revealing an alliance with Paul Heyman on SmackDown. Before the bell could even ring, Strowman jumped The Fiend out of nowhere. Strowman and The Fiend went at eachother with big offense, Wyatt even landing a Sister Aabigail for 2. Minutes passed and Reigns was nowhere to be seen, the Big Dog seemingly deciding to take his sweet time to join the fray. Outside the ring, Wyatt sent Strowman through a table and then we cut away to Alexa Bliss, twirling her hair and watching on a screen backstage for some reason. Wyatt grabbed his massive mallet from under the ring, but before he could use, Strowman nailed him with a thrown desk chair! The brawl continued, these two actually delivering the heavy hits and chaos that was lacking from their SummerSlam fight. Wyatt seemed to have the Monster down after striking him with a mallet shot to the chest, his "head twist" move, and a steel stairs bash. Again the camera cut to Alexa Bliss backstage, confusing the commentators as well as anyone watching at home. Towards the backstage area they fought, Roman Reigns still not coming out. Wyatt attempted a Sister Abigail, but Braun blocked it and ending up tackling Wyatt off the stage and through a table! Back into the ring they went as Michael Cole reminded the fans that this was not a Falls Count Anywhere match. For some reason, Strowman opted to head to the top rope instead of hitting his finisher and Wyatt chased him up there, The Fiend delivering a superplex that...broke the ring. Seen that before too many times to really mark out for it. At this point, Roman Reigns showed up, a chair in hand and Paul Heyman at his side. Before entering the ring, Reigns signed the contract - formally entering himself into the match, I guess - and then looked to pin Bray. There was no ref, though, so by the time someone got there, Bray kicked out! Then Braun kicked out! Reigns then beat down on Braun with the chair, but still only got 2! Reigns tried to do the same to Wyatt, but Wyatt caught him with the Mandible Claw. Reigns escaped with a kick to the balls and then hit Braun with a spear for 3! Well, in terms of heel turns, I think we've all seen far better versions. There was some good brawling in this match and I'm guessing that this match will one day be regarded as historically important, but Reigns' heel turn was spoiled by already revealing the alliance with Heyman. (3/5)

With a Kwang Score of 2.78-out-of-5, Payback 2020 wasn't a perfect show, but the matches that needed to deliver absolutely did. The main event was disappointing but effective in getting Reigns' new character over. The Mysterios vs. Rollins/Murphy tag was the easy match of the night, action-packed and dramatic and it ended with a crowd-pleasing moment. I liked Lee/Orton well enough and Big E/Sheamus was also a good bout that probably would've gotten a big reaction in front of a live crowd. The low point of the show was Riddle/Corbin. To be honest, its hard for me to enjoy Riddle's work these days after the #MeToo allegations revealed him to be the bad kind of "bro" and Baron Corbin isn't exactly the kind of guy that is going to make me care either. 

FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand

WWE SummerSlam 2020

WWE SummerSlam 2020

Orlando, Florida - August 2020

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Braun Strowman held the WWE Universal Championship and Drew McIntyre the WWE Championship coming into this event. The Intercontinental Champion was Jeff Hardy, while Apollo Crews held the United States Championship on RAW. The RAW Women's Champion was Sasha Banks, the SmackDown Women's Champion was Bayley, and together, they held the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship. Speaking of tag titles, the RAW Tag Team Champions were The Street Profits and the SmackDown Tag Team Champions were Nakamura and Cesaro. Finally, the 24/7 Champion was Shelton Benjamin.

The "party of the summer" began with a video recapping the major storylines building up to the show. This was the first major show held in the Thunderdome too - a "virtual" arena featuring actual fans on live cams and (noticeably) piped-in faux crowd noise. 

Our opening contest was for the SmackDown Women's Championship - Bayley defending the title against Asuka (who would also challenge for the RAW Women's Championship later in the evening). As expected, Bayley was accompanied to the ring by Sasha Banks, her best friend, co-Women's Tag Team Champion, and the RAW Women's Champion. Once the bell rang, Asuka took control and immediately tried to tap Bayley. When that didn't work, she went with her awesome strikes and a hip attack that sent Bayley to the floor. Bayley mounted a comeback, eventually even landing a Bayley-to-Bayley for 2. When Asuka regained control, she hit a flurry of well-executed offense including a big german suplex and then another hip attack. On the apron they went, but when Asuka went for yet another hip attack, Bayley countered it into a nasty kneebreaker on the hard edge of the ring. Bayley sought to capitalize by applying a leglock, but Asuka turned it into an ankle lock. Bayley escaped with an elbow to the ear, but Asuka hit her with a Codebreaker for 2. Asuka attempted a dropkick, but Bayley countered it into another leglock. Not everything in this match looked perfect, including the sunset-flip powerbomb that Bayley followed the leglock with, but to me, that adds realism. The finish came when Bayley dodged a would-be hip attack and Asuka struck Banks on the ropes, allowing Bayley to then roll her up for a quick 3. After the match, Bayley and Sasha beat down on Asuka, further softerning her up for her match against Banks later tonight. This was a good match that did what it needed to do in setting up the RAW Women's Championship match later on. (3/5)

After some commercials featuring Charlotte and Roman Reigns, we got a brief backstage scene involving the Mysterio family and then a video recap of what Retribution have been up to on SmackDown. Kevin Owens then jumped in on commentary for the next bout - Angel Garza and Andrade challenging The Street Profits for their RAW Tag Team Championships. Andrade and Montez Ford started things off and the action would've been great to watch if it wasn't for the fact that it was seemingly being filmed by someone suffering from a seizure. There were at least 10 cuts/zooms in the first minute. Garza came in and slowed things down, locking Ford up in an armbar. The heels kept the pressure on, Andrade eventually locking in yet another armbar over the ropes. The heels really shined during their heat segment - Garza and Andrade's teamwork coming across as effortless and calculated at the same time. Ford eventually made the tag to Dawkins, but Dawkins ended up eating a back elbow from Andrade that looked like it could've knocked a few teeth loose. Zelina Vega tried to distract the ref to help her team out, but it ended up backfiring and the Profits hit their finisher for a clean victory. I would've liked to see a title change here because Garza and Andrade are the better team, but the match was solid and didn't overstay its welcome. Perfectly fine contest. (2.5/5)

Banks and Bayley guaranteed victory in a promo backstage, also hyping next week's Payback show in the process. This was followed up by Sonya Deville vs. Mandy Rose in a Loser Leaves Town Match. This was supposed to be a Hair vs. Hair match, but because Sonya was the victim of a house invasion, the stipulation changed to supposedly allow her some time off-screen. This match was worked very, very well. Rose took the fight to Deville, suplexing her on the ramp, busting out a table, and keeping the intensity level high throughout. When Sonya took over, she went right after Rose, dropping her with a serious of kicks and then a devastating running knee right to the chest. I know some critics will talk about how this was only good because it was likely rehearsed and scripted move-for-move, but I'm not really concerned how the sausage is made if it tastes good. Like the opener, not everything looked perfect or overly choreographed but that just made it feel like a fight all the more. There was also an ultra-violent moment when Rose started tossing chairs with full force across the table, attempting to maim Deville. While she never caught her with one, it still enhanced the intensity and raised the stakes. Back in the ring, Rose stunned Deville with a series of big knee strikes and then hit her with double-underhook facebuster - followed by another knee - to get the clean win. I would've liked a more "extreme" ending, but this was still really good and fun. I wouldn't quite call it "must-see" - a stronger finish would've put it into that territory - but it was a career match for both performers. Here's hoping it leads to a further push for Rose (and Deville when she comes back). (3/5)

One grudge match followed another as Seth Rollins took on Dominik Mysterio in a Streetfight. I'm not a big Rollins fan, but I gotta give some credit to the dude for sporting an outfit that referenced Mysterio's legendary bout with Eddie Guerrero from Halloween Havoc 97'. As expected, Rollins started this out with some mat wrestling because...? If this had been fought under regular wrestling rules, having Rollins upstage Dominik in the beginning would've made sense but, considering the build-up was super violent, it was an unfortunate reminder of the last time Rollins shit the bed in a blood feud against Ambrose (now Jon Moxley in AEW). Things seemed like they'd get better when Dominik took hold of a kendo stick, but Rollins inexplicably kicked it out of the ring (when he could've used it) and the match went right back into being your standard singles bout. That being said, I did like Rollins' taunting Dominik and how the pre-match segments gave reason for why Rey did not get involved despite it being a No Disqualification match. After a lengthy heat segment, Dominik finally got some, err, retribution, unloading on Seth with the kendo stick. Dom tried to go to the top, but Rollins hit him with a Falcon Arrow for 2. With Dom putting up a stronger fight than he may have expected, Rollins finally started using some weaponry, bashing him with the kendo stick and then asking for a table. To the corner they went but Dom ended up crotching Rollins on the top rope and then delivered a kendo stick-assisted russian leg sweep through the table. Dom followed it up with a frog splash...but only got 2, the match rising in intensity. Dom brought another chair into the ring but idiotically slid it across and out of the ring, allowing Rollins to nail him with a superkick and then a powerbomb. Rollins ripped off Dom's vest and delivered a ton more kendo stick shots, the welts appearing in bright red. Murphy then handed him a pair of cuffs, but before he could use them, Dominik went to the outside of the ring. Murphy attempted to blind him the same way Seth did to Rey, but Rey stopped him and the match fell into chaos. After beating down both Mysterios, Rey ended up handcuffed to the rope. Seth and Buddy grabbed the kendo sticks, but before they could use them, Mama Mysterio showed up. As Seth approached her, Dominik sprung to life and took out both the villains, sending Murphy over the barricade and then Rollins into the steps. Dominik rallied, hitting Rollins with a 619 but got blocked on another Frog Splash attempt. With Mysterio trying to make the save (but cuffed to the bottom rope), Rollins delivered a Curb Stomp to Dominik to put him out for good. The start of this match wasn't what I expected, but it got better as it went on and Rollins started to actually deliver on the stipulation. I also must admit to biting a bit on the false finish towards the end, believing that there was a slight chance that Dom would get the W and Seth would be leaving TV for awhile to spend time with Becky Lynch (who is what? 5 months pregnant now?). As much as I'm not a fan of Rollins, I will say this - on big shows, he tends to deliver and this was another solid outing from him, helped significantly by having an emotional weight that we don't always get. Still not a "must see," all-time classic, but above average. (3.5/5)

The RAW Women's Championship was on the line next with Sasha Banks defending the title against Asuka. This one started off highly physical but borderlined on stomach-churning when we saw an absolutely INSANE powerbomb spot from Banks on Asuka to the outside that sent Asuka's skull into the floor. It was a sick spot, the kind of move that probably should've ended the match entirely. After Asuka kicked out at 2, Banks continued her attack, eventually knocking her right in the skull with a big boot. I have no idea how she didn't suffer multiple concussions here. Banks attempted her double-knees in the corner, but Asuka escaped the ropes and hit her with a devastating electric chair-into-a-facebuster and then locked her in a kneebar. Sasha refused to tap and the fight raged on, the competitors eventually finding themselves in the corner where Asuka delivered a move I'm not sure I've seen a ton before - a top-rope, front-facing DDT. Banks wisely rolled to the outside, but once they ended up back inside she ate a big dropkick from Asuka for another nearfall. Asuka attempted to pull Banks from the corner, but the Champ countered with double-knees for 2. Banks missed on a frog splash, but Asuka couldn't capitalize. Sasha got some words from encouragement from Bayley, but ended up caught in the Asuka Lock! Banks escaped and the two went into a great sequence of counters that resulted in Asuka getting locked up in the Banks Statement - only for Asuka to roll through and reapply the Asuka Lock! Wow, that was sweet. In a great callback to the first title match of the night, Bayley and Banks attempted the same ploy they utilized earlier, but this time it didn't work and Banks ended up in the Asuka Lock again! Banks taps! That was a really good match, maybe even a Match of the Year contender in a year where the WWE hasn't exactly been hitting it out of the park all that often. (4/5)

The WWE Championship was on the line next with Drew McIntyre defending against Randy Orton. I really liked the pre-match video as it highlighted the strong build-up to this match. Orton has been on fire with his promos and Drew matched him at every turn. I wasn't on Team Drew at the start of 2020, but I'll give credit where its due and say that this feud has helped him show his character far better than he got to against Lesnar and Dolph Ziggler. Orton started things off with mind games, escaping to the outside each time Drew might've got the upperhand. It was wise work and led to some near-RKO moments, Orton trying to end things early. Orton had McIntyre chasing him in and around the ring, eventually dodging a spear attempt that sent McIntyre shoulder-first into the post. Orton maintained control in the ring with a headlock soon after, controlling the pace between the bigger moves. One such move was a brilliant counter by McIntyre in the corner that saw him block a big boot and turn it into a knee wrench that dehibilitated Orton. McIntyre followed it up with a spinebuster and then a figure four, trying to force Orton to submit. Orton escaped by raking McIntyre in the eye, digging his nail in deep enough to actually slice him a bit. I'm not sure if it was intentional or not (or somewhere in between), but the blood - which was relatively minor - helped add to the drama and bring the match into another gear. McIntyre rallied and started dishing out a bunch of over-the-head belly-to-bellies, following them up with a clothesline from the top rope. McIntyre kipped up (a nod to Shawn Michaels, who was involved in the build a bit) and then placed Orton on the top turnbuckle, attempting to set him up for a superplex. Orton headbutted his way out of it, though, and McIntyre ended up in the tree of woe. Orton looked like he might've been going for a knee drop of some kind, but Drew used his incredible strength to pull him over into the center of the ring. Drew hit the Future Shock DDT but only got 2. At some point in all this (maybe on the headbutt?), Orton ended up cut open himself, a trickle of blood streaming down the center of his forehead. Soon after, McIntyre hit Orton with an awesome punch straight to the head but couldn't follow it up and ended up getting hit by the Viper's trademark spinning bodyslam. Orton attempted a Hangman's DDT but got hit by a Glasgow Kiss instead! Great spot there. Orton was sent stumbling but managed to regain his composure and turn things around, hitting McIntyre with the Hangman's after all. Instead of making the cover, though, Orton paused, basked in his own glory, and started calling for the RKO. With McIntyre unable to make it to his feet, though, Orton reconsidered and lined him up for a punt kick - only to get caught with a huge powerbomb from McIntyre! Drew started calling for the Claymore, but missed it! Orton went for the RKO, but Drew countered with a backslide and got a 3 count! I liked that finish as it protected both guys a bit. Orton obviously saw the Claymore coming and had his counter prepared, but didn't have a counter-to-the-counter mapped out and was caught off guard. That was easily the best Drew McIntyre match I've seen and maybe even in the top 10 Orton matches. There were critics who called this slow, but it at least felt different from the go-go-go style we sometimes get in our NXT main events. The MVP might also be the little bit of "color" we got as even a touch of blood goes a long way in modern WWE. (4/5)

Main event time - Bray Wyatt vs. Braun Strowman for Strowman's Universal Championship in a Falls Count Anywhere match. The build-up for this match has been hit-or-miss with me, but I was excited to see how it would play out and what role Alexa Bliss would end up having. Once the fight got taken outside, Wyatt went to work with a toolbox, driving it into Strowman's massive stomach. Braun fought back, though, eventually shoulder-blocking Bray through the barricade wall. Wyatt basically no-sold it, though, getting up only to get chokeslammed into an announce table. Unfortunately for Wyatt, his lower back took the brunt of the damage as he landed awkwardly on the edge of the table. Yowzee Wowzee, right? Braun grabbed the steps and effortlessly smashed them into Wyatt's head as the ref tried to regain control. Back in the ring, Braun hit Wyatt with his finisher - a running powerslam - but barely even got 2 with it. The fight went back out of the ring and up the ramp, Braun sending Wyatt into the SummerSlam screen. They headed backstage, brawling in the "Gorilla Area," and Wyatt ended up delivering his Sister Abigail finish for 2. Wyatt tried to gouge out Braun's eyes but had no luck.The two monsters made their way back towards the ring, Bray eventually locking in a Mandible Claw. Braun fought out of it, though, eventually crushing Bray with a big forearm across the chest for a 2 count on the floor. Back in the ring, Braun delivered yet another huge powerslam but only got 2 with it. He beat down on Wyatt with some big right hands out of frustration, the Monster Amongst Men clearly unsure how to put his foe away. Strowman exited the ring and grabbed a razor from the emptied toolbox and cut the ring open, exposing the wooden boards beneath. Bray was up on his feet, though, and ended up hitting Braun with a chokeslam and then a pair of Sister Abigails onto the boards to win the Universal Champion. No Alexa? This wasn't a bad brawl and I'm glad it didn't go too long, but I wouldn't seek this out either. An extra half-point for the surprise return of Roman Reigns during the post-match. It was nice to see him make a return and take out both Wyatt and Strowman and I wouldn't mind seeing them mix it up in a triple threat sooner than later. (They would end up having this very match a week later at Payback, by the way.) (3/5)

With a relatively strong Kwang Score of 3.29-out-of-5, SummerSlam 2020 was one of the better shows the WWE has put on in the "Covid Era." The Sasha Banks/Asuka match was as good as most expected it would be, though, maybe not quite as high as the highest expectations. Orton/McIntyre delivered for me (even if I'm in the minority a bit). While I wasn't captivated by the RAW Tag Team Title Match, they didn't go too long and sometimes I like a little bit of "filler" to break up the bigger matches. Speaking of bigger matches, the Mandy Rose/Sonya Deville match lived up to the promise of their extended and well-booked feud even if it wasn't any sort of "mat classic." Similarly, while the Rollins/Dominik Mysterio match started a bit too "mat-based," by the time it wrapped up, I was undeniably on the edge of my seat. The main event wasn't great, in fact, in terms of even brawls it was average-at-best, but the post-match twist made it feel like a big deal and a worthy way to close out the show. 

FINAL RATING - Watch It

NXT Takeover: XXX

NXT: Takeover XXX

Orlando, Florida - August 2020

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into the show, the NXT Champion was Keith Lee, the NXT North American Championship was vacant (a winner would be decided on this show), the NXT Women's Champion was Io Shirai, and the NXT Tag Team Titles were held by Imperium's Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel (who did not appear on the broadcast). 

Finn Balor took on Timothy Thatcher in the opening contest. This was a strong technical contest with Thatcher shining in particular. Unfortunately, the match was hamstrung by being (at best) a tweener/tweener match. As the match progressed, it became clear that Thatcher's style lends itself to a heel role while Balor, even if I like this new "cool" Finn much more than the constantly grinning Balor of old, is an effortlessly sympathetic seller when he's fighting from underneath. As the story of this match was all about Thatcher inflicting a ton of punishment and taking out the legs of Balor, seeing Finn survive all sorts of nasty submissions and try to land his signature offense made him the de facto hero, but because that wasn't supported by their characters, the match had to settle for being very good instead of being truly great. (3/5)

The vacant North American Championship was on the line in the next match - a 6-man ladder bout between Johnny Gargano, Damian Priest, Bronson Reed, Johnny Gargano, and Cameron Grimes. I didn't have a particular favorite for this match; though I guess you could describe me as being firmly in the "Anyone But The Sex Predator" camp. As could be expected, this match was all about spotlight moments for each guy in rapid succession, Reed showing off his strength, Gargano his agility, Grimes his over-the-top hillbilly persona, and so on. In front of a live crowd, this would've been a real crowd-pleaser as their were some great multi-man moments (including a fun spot where Grimes ended up doing the splits between two ladders), but the artificial environment just does not work for these type of spectacle matches. Is there anything more eye-rolling than hearing a single shrieking "fan" scream "Fight forever!" repeatedly? Candice LeRae eventually showed up to prevent Grimes from assured victory and then, with help from her husband, delivered a hurricanrana on Grimes that sent him into two other competitors on the mat. I've not seen lots of Grimes work, but from the little I've seen, he strikes me as a guy that would benefit from a female manager that he could play off of as he definitely has a unique charisma. LeRae would also play a role in one of the cooler spots on the match - a massive splash from Reed onto Gargano from the top of the ladder. There was a glaringly poor moment when Velveteen clearly had the match won but forgot how to unhook a championship belt, but it was soon forgotten after Gargano hit an absolutely insane powerbomb on Grimes from one ladder into another set-up horizontally. Dream had another shot at grabbing the built soon after, but this time Bronson Reed stopped him - tilting the ladder and sending Dream through a...well...the camera didn't quite capture it and the replay barely did either. Whoops. Grimes and Gargano fought over the belt at the top of the ladder, Grimes eventually sent off, but Priest then took hold of it and secured the strap. I'm not 100% behind Priest - I think he's lacking something in the character department and I'm still not sure what being "The Archer of Infamy" is - but he's got a good look, size, and surprising agility. There's a "cool factor" in there that has yet to be fully exploited too. All in all, a fun match with some great moments, but hurt by the lack of a live crowd. (3.5/5)

Next up - former NFL punter Pat McAfee vs. Adam Cole. The build-up for this match stemmed from McAfee and Cole's (fabricated) argument on Pat McAfee's talk show. McAfee continued to mock Cole's size but things also got physical when McAfee punted Cole's head like a football, knocking him out cold on an episode of NXT. Before the match, McAfee cut a rather brilliant-but-brief mini-promo, proclaiming his thigh the greatest thigh in the "history of humans" - which is a pretty nice tag line. I loved that McAfee was also backed-up by a trio of nameless dudes, wisely bringing back up to even the sides with Cole's Undisputed Era buddies. McAfee looked green at moments - but for the most part, McAfee was impressive. His heeling was spot on and, when it was time actually start performing some offense, he clearly knew how to deliver the maneuvers he needed to. His punches weren't terrible. His stomps were fine. He hit a great senton from the top rope onto the entire Undisputed Era at one point. Was his headlock cinched in tight enough? Did he get enough height on his dropkick? At times, he was "playing wrestler" and it came across that way, but considering that this was his first match, he was much better than one would expect. Of course, the greater issue is really the booking of a feud of this type. McAfee was the outsider heel, but Cole is an unrepentant prick too (even if he was fighting for the honor of pro-wrestling). By not being able to put away McAfee quickly, Cole's credibility took yet another hit. In another questionable decision, though, McAfee also seemed to suffer from inept NXT booking as Cole got to kick out of his should-be/would-be finisher (a direct punt kick to the skull) after what should've been a finishing sequence based on McAfee suffering serious damage to his leg. The finishing sequence was also a bit jarringly convoluted as McAfee went from selling ankle/shin damage on the mat to hunching over unnaturally and stumbling towards the corner so that Cole could hit him with the Panama Sunrise. This match started out strong, but then became too ridiculous for its own good - a trait that has become a trend for Adam Cole matches. I'm still going to heap some points on this because, for what it was and considering McAfee's inexperience, it was still better than I expected and enjoyable. (2.5/5)

After a word from special guest Drew McIntyre, it was time for the NXT Women's Championship match - Io Shirai defending the gold against Dakota Kai (backed up by Raquel Gonzalez). The pressure was on a bit for these two as this was probably the least heralded NXT Women's Championship in years, neither talent being an established "name" star in the US. Dakota Kai's new(ish) heel persona is 90% of the way there, though I do wish she had changed up her look a little bit more - specifically ditching the color on career and maybe taking on something a little more unique. Kai tried to keep the match on the mat in the early going, but Io was just too much for her, springing to life with counters and speedy offense. Speaking of Shirai's offense, it was consistently hard-hitting and awesome; Shirai made a strong case for being among the top 5 women's wrestlers in the entire company in this match. An errant big boot led to a ref bump, but Shirai kept the pressure on, hitting her Over The Moonsault for a full count with no one to actually make it. At this point, Gonzalez came in and hit her massive chokeslam - but Kai only got 2! Unfortunately, we've seen that false finish too many times for me to bite on it. Kai hit a short-arm knee-to-the-face that should be her finisher and then followed it up with a pair of moonsaults (one to the outside and the other back in the ring) to score the clean victory. 5 years ago, this match would've been considered an instant classic, but it just goes to show how high the bar has been raised since the days of the Divas Era that this could only be called really, really good. Hopefully Shirai will get a nice long run with the title because she is an ultra-talented worker. During the post-match, Rhea Ripley returned from a lengthy absence and stared down Gonzalez, alluding to a potential tag match in the future (and maybe even an eventual showdown between herself and Shirai). (3.5/5)

Main event time - Keith Lee vs. Karrion Kross for Lee's NXT Championship. I'm a Keith Lee fan, but Kross had momentum coming into this match as well so it was a genuine toss-up for how this would end with most people agreeing that neither man could afford a definitive loss. Kross targeted Lee's left arm early and kept that as part of his strategy from then on out. I liked the psychology, especially because it also allowed Lee to do something he excels it despite his size and power - selling and showing vulnerability. In front of a live crowd, building lengthy segments around arm bars may have led to some "boring" chants, but I thought they worked them well and kept things intense by making sure there was always struggle there. There weren't a ton of high spots, but even that feels like a bit of fresh air after what the NXT Championship scene had become when it was generally being contested between Cole, Gargano, and Ciampa. After exchanging strikes in the center of the ring, Kross looked to be close to wrapping things up but Lee caught him with a huge clothesline off the ropes that left them both on the mat. Kross attempted a big boot but Lee sidestepped and looked like he might have a rally of his own only to eat a side suplex for 2. As Lee got to his feet, Kross aplied his Kross Jacket submission, essentially a rear naked choke. Lee looked like he might be put out by the submission, but Lee got to his stomach and crawled to the ropes. Back on his feet, Kross came in to close things out but Lee landed a double slap, a headbutt, and then a Spirit Bomb for 2. Lee dragged Kross to the corner and looked to be setting him up for an aerial attack, but Kross got up in time for the two to end up brawling on the 2nd rope in the corner. Kross hit a huge side suplex from the 2nd rope and, in a bit of shocker, got the 3 count! Is that even his finisher? A bit of a deflating ending to an otherwise solid match that may have been even better with an extra minute or two and more definitive closing sequence. I wouldn't call this a "must see" match, but it was above-average and kept me invested from beginning to end. (3/5)

I've written before and I'll write it again - the NXT crew and the WWE roster in general is too talented in 2020 to produce a show that is void of good wrestling. I mean, any card featuring Io Shirai, Timothy Thatcher, and Keith Lee is going to be good. Those ingredients make for a good meal. However, the WWE's booking is so horrendous that it limits what could be/should be a remarkable product. Not a single match on this show is something I would actively recommend a fellow fan to seek out - especially casual viewers who would be even less invested than I was. The Thatcher/Balor opener was solid but lacked character. Ditto for Shirai/Kai. The multi-man ladder match had some terrific spots, but was hindered by its crowdless context. The main event was the right match at the wrong time - Lee's momentum has been needlessly stalled while Karrion Kross's victory fell flat because he's just not established enough to stand as the focal point of the brand. Cole/McAfee was a mixed bag because while McAfee was impressive in certain regards, the fact that an "untrained" wrestler in his debut match pushed a former NXT Champion to his limit defies all logic. With a Kwang Score of 3.1-out-of-5, NXT Takeover XXX delivered in terms of in-ring performance - as the NXT brand routinely does - but never came close to being "must see."

FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand

WWE In Your House VIII: Beware of Dog

WWE In Your House VIII: Beware of Dog

Florence, South Carolina - May 1996

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this event, the WWE World Champion was Shawn Michaels, the Intercontinental Championship was held by Goldust, and the World Tag Team Champions were The Godwinns. 

This is somewhat an infamous show. The show aired live on May 26th, 1996 - but because of a severe storm, the power went out in the arena (if I'm not mistaken, it occurred during the Savio Vega/Steve Austin match). The show went on, though, and the card was wrestled in relative darkness and without the PPV feed...up until the main event, when the power (and PPV feed) were restored. To appease the crowd and all the people who had ordered the show on pay-per-view, the next night's episode of Raw was built around hyping an emergency Tuesday PPV (also held in South Carolina) known as Beware of Dog 2. But in a questionable move, instead of giving fans a new reason to purchase the show (for example, for an HBK/Bulldog rematch), the only matches that aired on this emergency PPV were the three that were wrestled during the outage. 

Any which way, on the WWE Network, the show is condensed/edited into one card - hence the "main event" coming on second. Anyway...

 In Your House VIII: Beware of Dog kicks off with Hunter Hearst Helmsley (Triple H) taking on "The Wildman" Marc Mero (accompanied to the ring by Sable). The match kicks off in high gear, Mero and Helmsley both looking agile and energetic out there. Mero hits a dive to the floor and follows it up with a slingshot legdrop, but Helmsley takes control after Mero inadvertantly drives him into the post. Helmsley sends him shoulder-first into the opposite post and Mero takes a tumble to the floor. I really like how Hunter targets Mero's shoulder and just continues to work on it for the next 4 minutes - it is the kind of discipline in execution and purpose that you don't get out of him (or really anyone else) as time went on and more and more of the matches became all about hitting "signature offense" even if it wasn't setting anything up. Considering their friendship and Mero's run in WCW, I wonder if Hunter called up his buddy William Regal for some advice because this match is certainly wrestled in that WCW TV Title style. Mero, to his credit, does an absolutely fantastic job selling the limb damage throughout the contest - which, at nearly 20 minutes, goes a touch too long in my book. I'd still consider this a bit of a hidden gem, though, a match that I've never seen referenced as particularly great but is definitely well above average. What's also interesting is that, historically, there is a belief that Helmsley was punished for the Curtain Call immediately after it happened - a week earlier on May 19th - but this match suggests that it took some time for the gears to turn as Helmsley gets in plenty of offense and dominates the majority of the contest. I wonder if Scott Hall appearing on Nitro the next night also led him to take out his frustration with Helmsley even more; McMahon knew Hall and Nash were WCW-bound, but I'm guessing he figured WCW would saddle them with lame gimmicks - as was typical in pro-wrestling in 96' - and it wouldn't lead to Nitro toppling RAW for 84 weeks. A bit too long to be must-see, but still quite good. (3/5)

Main event time - even though its only the second match on the edited show - Davey Boy Smith challenging Shawn Michaels for the WWE World Championship. Before the match, Jim Cornette promised a "big surprise" for the match. During the build-up, the storyline was that Shawn Michaels had been accused by multiple women - including Diana Smith (the Bulldog's wife) - of various sexual improprieties. As Michaels walks into the ring, he bumps into Mr. Perfect. Perfect would end up being the guest referee of the rematch that would occur at King of the Ring, but I don't think anything ever even came of that and Hennig would be out of the company by the end of the year (popping back up in WCW the next year). Before the bell rings, Clarence Mason (Cornette's lawyer and future leader of the Nation of Domination) cuts a promo about Michaels, bashing him for trying to split up the Bulldog's marriage and charging him with "attempted alienation of a spouse" or something. Yeesh. What a bullshit "surprise." Michaels rips up the subpeona and we can finally get to the action. These two always had solid chemistry, though I've always regarded that as partially being based on Bulldog's willingness to do the job for Michaels (and Shawn's confidence that he'd never have to return the favor). Knowing that Bulldog would always be one tier below him, Shawn is at his professional best, trusting and willing to make Davey appear like a real threat. There's some solid mat wrestling early on, Michaels applying the pressure with headlocks and an armbar, trying to wear down his larger opponent. Bulldog uses his power to take control and the match definitely lulls a bit, Bulldog applying a rear chinlock and then a backbreaker. Bulldog cinches in a headlock and the minutes pile on. Shawn was over enough that the crowd isn't completely dead and his struggle and eventually escape ends up with Shawn launching himself into the arena floor in a nifty sequence. Bulldog sends him into the post and then into the apron, Shawn really selling the damage. Shawn attempts a slingshot clothesline but barely connects - though Bulldog sells it like he did. They go into another rope-running sequence and collide dead-center leading to a signature flying forearm and kip-up from HBK. A minute later, the referee ends up on the floor, bumped out of the ring by Bulldog. Michaels hits his elbow drop and then calls for Sweet Chin Music, but Owen Hart eats it instead! Bulldog takes the opportunity to beat down on Shawn and attempts his powerslam finish - but Shawn escapes and hits Bulldog with a german suplex! The ref makes the count, but Bulldog's music plays! Shawn's shoulders were down! But wait, Hebner comes back into the ring and now its Shawn's music that plays! Diana leaves with the title (holding it upside down), but Gorilla Monsoon grabs it and has a pow-wow with the refs. The Fink announces that the match has ended in a Draw - which makes no sense - and Shawn is declared the Champion by default. This match was okay, but seems like it ended at the end of Act 2 rather than at the end of Act 3. I could understand the match running short because of all the mayhem caused by the storm, but if that were the case, why spend so much time with the post-match bullshit? (2.5/5)

The show picks up two nights later for Savio Vega vs. Steve Austin in a Caribbean Strap Match. The stakes are high in this one - if Austin wins, Vega becomes Ted Dibiase's Chauffer, while if Vega wins, the Million Dollar Man has promised to leave the WWE. Austin had not yet cut his famous Austin 3:16 promo, but was already being called "Stone Cold" and no longer referred to as The Ringmaster. I'm not a big Savio fan, but he's good enough at whipping the strap and Austin's bumping and selling is terrific. Most strap matches stay in the ring for the most part (which makes sense considering how the winner is determined), so its cool to see them go out to the floor, bringing the fight right up to the crowd. There's not much in the way of technical wrestling, but that's not what a match like this is designed to provide. Instead, we get lots and lots of vicious strap shots separated by the occasional choke or suplex. The long runtime makes this one feel like a true war, though I do wish they had got to the false finishes a bit earlier - the crowd bites hard on the close calls, rallying behind Vega whenever he gets close to tagging a fourth turnbuckle. The finish comes when Austin wraps the strap around Vega's neck and starts dragging him around the ring only for Vega to tag the buckles behind Austin, the two eventually having a tug of war that sends Vega into the fourth buckle. After the match, Vega leads the crowd in a rousing rendition of "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye." This wasn't nearly as good as the Sting/Vader version, but that's also probably the best strap match ever. It goes too long, but the physicality is there and it does feel like a meaningful, satisfying ending to their rivalry. (3.5/5) 

We cut backstage to see Shawn Michaels using a computer...but really looking confused by the entire process.

Back in the ring, Vader makes his way down the aisle to take on Yokozuna. A little after WrestleMania XII, Vader had taken out Yokozuna's leg with a Vader Bomb, putting him on the shelf for some time. Yoko might be at his biggest here, just looking absolutely massive. They spend the first couple minutes teasing a sumo collision, Vader eventually getting bounced out of the ring by the former WWE Champion. When Vader climbs back into the ring, Yoko tries to deliver some shots, but Vader's hit harder. Yoko gets Vader on the mat, though, and delivers a huge elbow to the leg, sending Vader back to the outside to regroup. They repeat the same sequence, but this time Vader ends up in the corner. Vader attempts a bodyslam but can't get Yoko up and Yoko surprises him with a Rock Bottom (or the move that would become known as the Rock Bottom)! Yoko follows it up a Samoan Drop too, showing that he still had some serious strength even if his weight had really ballooned by this point. Cornette stops him from delivering a Bonsai Drop and gets pulled into the fray, distracting Yoko long enough for Vader to get to his feet (and stop Yoko from hitting the move on Cornette instead). Vader targets Yokozun's leg one more time and then hits the Vader Bomb to end things. All things considered, this wasn't too terrible - but this is not nearly as good as it could've been if Yokozuna was still as credible and impressive (and agile) as he had been in 94'. Similarly, Vader needed the big win here to heat him up for SummerSlam, but because he doesn't really dominate his opponent, he doesn't necessarily gain much. (2/5)

Before the next match, JR and Perfect discuss the King of the Ring card.

For the first time ever, the Intercontinental Championship is up for grabs in a Casket Match - The Undertaker challenging Goldust. Considering the stakes of this match, I'm surprised I don't remember the build-up for this feud very well at all. Taker controls early and Dustin does a good job selling everything that's thrown at him, bumping and selling with considerable energy. Undertaker hits the Old School and then chokes Goldust in the corner, but ends up eating a back elbow and getting bodyslammed to the mat. Undertaker sits up and works Goldust back into the corner. They botch a classic Goldust spot (the slap-in-the-face counter to the back body drop) which really hurts the next spot - Goldust hitting Taker with a Tombstone! Goldust follows it up with a clothesline on the mat and then rolls the Deadman into the casket, but can't shut the lid. Taker delivers a big boot, but then gets back dropped over the top rope and onto the floor, giving Goldust a moment to regroup. He grabs a cord and starts to choke the life (death?) out of the Undertaker before rolling him back into the ring and towards the casket. Back in the ring, after some axehandles, the Undertaker tries to rally on offense by hitting the ropes, but ends up caught in a sleeper that brings him back to the mat. Goldust drags Taker towards the coffin and rolls him in, but again the Deadman won't let the lid fall! Goldust climsb on top of the lid, but Undertaker opens it up and dumps him onto the ground. Back in the ring, Taker hits a flying clothesline and the momentum of the match has shifted. Undertaker clotheslines Goldust out of the ring but both men up spilling out. Taker attempts a chairshot to the skull, but Goldust catches him with a big boot to the face and a clothesline! Goldust hits a spinning powerslam ala Randy Orton, Goldust really holding his own. On instinct, Goldust makes a cover and actually gets a visual pin on the Undertaker - which is weird to see. Goldust attempts an Old School of his own but gets whipped off the top rope and into the center of the ring. Taker calls for the Tombstone and hits it! Taker looks to roll Goldust into the coffin, but Mankind is in there! Mankind delivers the Mandible Claw and rolls the Undertaker into the coffin! Goldust is declared the winner as Mankind locks the casket. I totally forgot that finish. After Mankind and Goldust leave the ringside area, Bearer reopens the coffin and the Undertaker is nowhere to be found. Compared to 99% of the Undertaker's matches before this point, this was excellent - mostly because Taker actually sold and looked vulnerable. Unfortunately, the layout is a bit wonky, certain moments not necessary "hitting" the way they probably could've if the sequences had built up in suspense (for example, Goldust hitting the Tombstone is a throwaway moment in the first third of the match when it really could've been a bigger deal). Still a great match, but just short of being a "must see." (3.5/5)

With a relatively strong Kwang Score of 2.9-out-of-5, In Your House: Beware of Dog is worth a watch. Vader/Yoko is the only real dud here as the rest of the card features some of the best, most dependable workers on the roster - the underrated Marc Mero, Shawn Michaels in full Showstopper mode, an on-the-rise Steve Austin, Dustin "Goldust" Rhodes at his most aggressive, and The Undertaker clearly liking having an actual opponent with some depth nd talent after years of being paired with some of the most one-dimensional workers in WWE history (King Mabel, Giant Gonzalez, himself at SummerSlam 94'). Though I wouldn't consider any specific match to be a "must see," the opening contest and Taker/Goldust exceeded my expectations and while I don't consider the Vega/Austin match to be a true classic, the match certainly has its admirers (and is undoubtedly the best Savio Vega match I've ever seen).

FINAL RATING - Watch It

WWE SummerSlam 93'

WWE SummerSlam 93'

Auburn Hills, Michigan - August 1993

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the WWE Champion was Yokozuna, the Intercontinental Champion was Shawn Michaels, and the World Tag Team Champions were The Steiner Brothers. 

Kicking things off we've got Razor Ramon taking on "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase. Both guys are a bit hit-and-miss for me. Hall can be pretty underwhelming and lazy and DiBiase, by this point, had definitely lost a few steps and wasn't as credible as he had been 3 years earlier (when he had his last great feud against Jake Roberts). This match is solid, though. It doesn't overstay its welcome, but its not a squash either and Ramon's clean victory feels meaningful and earned. Razor seems to have a bit of trouble getting DiBiase up for his finish, but most of the match was pretty smooth. Nothing too special, but perfectly acceptable. (2.5/5)

The WWE Tag Team Champion Steiner Brothers defend the straps against The Heavenly Bodies next. Considering the Steiners are hometown heroes, I'm surprised this match occurs so early in the card. The crowd loves the Steiners' offense and there is no reason they shouldn't - its all sick and impressive. A loud "Let's Go Blue" chant breaks out as the Steiners dominate their opponents (in respect for their University of Michigan roots). The Bodies take a beating, but when they do finally get the upperhand, it draws get great heat. There's a funny moment when Del Ray hits a front-flip senton and Heenan calls it a moonsault, a clear indicator of the level of innovative high-flying that was going on in the WWE in 1993. Scott Steiner plays the face-in-peril for awhile but eventually makes the hot tag to Rick, who comes in and cleans house, eventually connecting with a bulldog from the top on Del Ray for a nearfall. He hits a high angle suplex but the ref misses the count, distracted in the corner. Cornette tosses his racket into the ring and Prichard waffles the Dog-Faced Gremlin...but only gets 2! Del Ray attempts an actual moonsault (Heenan calls it a "reverse moonsault") but hits his partner. Scott Steiner nails the Frankensteiner and this one is over with the babyfaces retaining. Another perfectly acceptable match with the added bonus of a crowd that was very into the action. (3/5)

Backstage, Shawn Michaels (with Deisel) cuts a promo about his challenger tonight, "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig. He's interviewed by Joe Fowler, a guy I do not remember at all. How long did he last? A couple weeks maybe?

Shawn Michaels defends the Intercontinental Championship against the aforementioned Mr. Perfect next. The storyline here is that Michaels and Perfect are competing for not only the title, but the claim of "Greatest Intercontinental Champion Ever." The match starts off with some nice exchanges and a quality headlock from Shawn, but they botch something and even Heenan notes it. From here, though, the work is solid and the crowd seems mostly engaged, popping for Perfect's armdrags. There's a great catapult spot that sends Michaels to the floor and Shawn then follows it up with a devastating superkick on the floor and a double-axehandle off the apron. While they don't quite have the chemistry that they each had with Bret Hart, its not far off. Hennig takes a nasty bump into the corner - particularly devastating considering Perfect's well-known back injury that forced him to take extensive time from the ring multiple times. It's a shame that the commentators don't play it up. Perfect's selling of the pain is great, but when he takes back over on offense, his offense is as crisp as ever. Perfect gets a couple of nearfalls, Michaels barely kicking out. Perfect manages to hit him with the Perfect-Plex, but Diesel pulls Curt's legs out to break up the pin! All sorts of hijinks ensue from here, including Michaels rolling back into the ring (and onto Earl Hebner for example), leading to a count-out ending. A better ending and maybe 3-4 more minutes of hard-fought action would've made this a classic, but that's why its a match that nobody ever talks about. I still think if you're a fan of Perfect, its worth checking out. (3.5/5)

The 1-2-3 Kid takes on Irwin R. Schyster in the next contest. The Kid had been on a roll coming into this match, not only defeating Razor Ramon but also (with help from Ramon), getting a big W over Ted Dibiase (IRS's tag partner). Because of Waltman's energy, the match starts off fairly hot - or at least hotter than most Rotunda matches. The crowd bites on The Kid's attempts to sneak a victory early while IRS works to slow the pace via an abdominal stretch and a headlock on the mat. Waltman fights back and not only hits Schyster with some awesome kicks in the corner, but also a moonsault from the top rope. He tries for his patended heel kick, but IRS blocks it - only to eat the other foot. IRS cuts him off with a nasty clothesline and gets a clean, deflating victory. That was a really unexpected finish and because The Kid kicks out at 3.1, the audience is completely stunned. I guess that was the point? That was just a weird finish to a match that actually had the crowd going and desperately wanting to see The Kid get the W. (2.5/5)

Before the next bout, we get some words from Owen Hart, who is at ringside with one of his brothers. Here we go - Bret "The Hitman" Hart taking on Jerry "The King" Lawler...or at least it's supposed to be Bret vs. Lawler. Instead, when The King makes his entrance, he does it on crutches, clearly faking a knee injury. Lawler explains to Todd Pettengill that he wishes he could snap Bret's neck tonight, but when he arrived in Detroit (making sure to bash the Motor City to get some extra heat), he was involved in a 10-car pile-up. Lawler claims that he could still beat Bret on one leg, but that the doctors backstage have ordered him not to compete. Lawler then unveils Bret's new opponent for tonight - Doink the Clown. Vince McMahon calls this "the biggest rip-off" in a long time, which is funny because he's the guy who booked this. In retrospect, though, its actually a bit of a relief because I was never too into the Lawler/Hart matches. After Doink dumps water all over Bruce Hart, Bret goes right after him. If I'm not mistaken, this was when Doink was still being played by Matt Borne, an experienced grappler who did a better-than-solid job with the gimmick (and was always played-up on commentary as being a more skilled technical wrestler than his appearance would dictate). Bret controls most of the match, as a former WWE Champion should, but Doink eventually takes control thanks to Lawler's distracting presence. Doink hits a devastating kneebreaker, rams Bret's knee into the post, and then applies an STF - a move you didn't see too often in the WWE at this time. Bret fights his way out by getting a vertical base but then gets cut off with a knee to the midsection off the ropes. Doink applies another submission, this one an awkward knee stretch (but not actually stretching the knee that Doink had been working on). Doink hits a scoop slam and then attempts what can only be described as a "butt drop" from the top rope, but Bret gets his knees up! Bret goes into his finishing sequence, hitting the russian leg sweep and then the elbow from the second rope. Bret applies the Sharpshooter, but his back is turned on Lawler - and Lawler comes into the ring and nails Bret with the crutch! For some reason, the bell is not immediately rung. Owen Hart tries to get into the ring, but is held back by the officials. Lawler continues his beatdown and then tries to exit with Doink, but Jack Tunney shows up and because The King has shown to no longer be injured, he forces Lawler to return to the ring! (3.5/5)

Bret attacks Lawler in the aisle and here we go - Bret Hart vs. Jerry Lawler for real this time. After beating down on Lawler for a little bit, Bret grabs Lawler's crutch and smashes him across the back - which Heenan notes should be a disqualificatio - on the outside. Lawler uses the top of the crutch to regain control and then starts jawing with Owen and Bruce at ringside. Lawler rams the crutch into Bret's throat, the referee (Bill Alfonso) too distracted by the Harts to do anything. Lawler eventually brings the crutch top into the ring and, with the ref still focused on the Harts, jams it right into Bret's throat again. Lawler preens for the live crowd, giving Bret enough time to make a comeback, leveling The King in the corner with a series of right hands. Bret hits his signature backbreaker for 2 and then a piledriver - Lawler's own finish! Bret hits the elbow drop and calls for the Sharpshooter, Lawler eventually saying "I Quit"! The bell rings, signalling the end of the match, but Bret refuses to break the hold, getting himself disqualified! As a way to end the feud, this would've been sufficient...but the Hart/Lawler feud would go on for months after this. This was fine for what it was, but not an all-time great Bret match and the referee's incompetence was almost too much - which is really saying something when you're talking about officiatiing in pro-wrestling. Some reviewers have called this one of the highlights of 95', praising Lawler's heel work and Bret's ability to transition from being a bit of a colorless "technician" in 91'-92' to a true asskicker in this feud, but I didn't watch this with the same nostalgia-tinged glasses that I believe they did. WouldI have enjoyed this better "in the moment," having followed the months-long feud that led to it? Probably...but I can't rate matches on hypotheticals. A video recap might have helped in terms of presentation. Better-than-average, for sure, but nothing I necessarily deserves as much praise as it does.(3/5)

Before his match against Marty Jannetty, we get an on-location promo from Ludvig Borga. Borga has a resemblance to Brock Lesnar, but not nearly the same in-ring talent. Borga was an evil, anti-America foreigner from Helsinski whose diatribes would probably be Republican talking points today. Borga has one interesting move in his arsenal - including a pop-up uppercut to the stomach that blows Heenan's mind - but everything else is just punches and clotheslines (with Jannetty carrying the match with his bumping and selling). Borga eventually wraps things up with a Torture Rack, which is interesting because this was Lex Luger's finishing move (at least in WCW). Borga would not have much of a run in the WWE, but he wasn't all that terrible really. Nothing special, but a perfectly acceptable squash match. (2/5)

Its time now for the no DQ, no countout Rest In Peace match pitting The Giant Gonzalez against The Undertaker. These two had one of the most infamously terrible matches in WrestleMania history a few months prior, but Vince had likely invested quite a bit of money into Gonzalez - the former Atlanta Hawk and one-time WCW competitor. Gonzalez can't work a lick, but its still impressive to see someone tower over the Undertaker. The worst thing about his appearance is the ridiculous and bizarre bodysuit - are we supposed to believe that he's not wearing a body suit? Gonzalez may have appeared a bit thin in WCW in 1990, but here in 1993 he has clearly put on some bulk. How poor was his physique that Vince still thought it a good idea to cover him up entirely at this point? After bashing him with a chair on the outside, Gonzalez controls and Undertaker goes into selling mode. As Taker reaches for the urn (which was in the possession of Harvey Wippleman), a gong sound hits and Paul Bearer makes his way down the aisle (a black wreath in hand). Wippleman charges at Bearer, but Bearer knocks him down with a clothesline and then grabs the urn to a massive pop! With the urn now back in his control, The Undertaker gets a second life - sitting up from a big Gonzalez bodyslam and then striking him with a series of clotheslines (including a huge one from the top rope that gives him the pinfall victory). With the bells and whistles of Bearer's return and a runtime under 10 minutes, this wasn't good - but it also wasn't a complete disaster or ever really boring. (2/5)

To cool off the crowd we get a six-man tag match pitting Tatanka and the Smoking Gunns against Bam Bam Bigelow and the Headshrinkers. This is the definition of a "filler" match, the crowd not super enthralled in the early going, but the suspense level ramps up. The MVP is Bigelow as he makes Tatanka look like a million bucks by bumping and selling with his trademark unexpected agility. I also like how stiff the heels work this match - all three of them get some terrific-looking offense in on the Gunns. The Headshrinkers' thrust kicks are on point and some of the clotheslines they deliver look like they catch the babyfaces right in the teeth. By the time we get to the closing stretch, the crowd is amped up and we get some awesome interplay between Bigelow and the Samoans, their chemistry shining through as they hit a triple-headbutt on Tatanka and then attempt a synchronous splash from 3 separate corners of the ring. They miss it and the Gunns recover in time to even the odds back up, giving the crowd a feel good conclusion. This match delivered exactly what it needed to do - essentially a "hot opener"-style bout to help revive the crowd and get them in the mood for the main event. (3/5)

There is a ton of hoopla before we actually get to the main event and it is all awesome. First, Todd Pettengill interviews a fan who is decked out in a bizarre Old Glory-inspired outfit (that he admits his mother made him out of bedsheets) and then we get a purposefully-awful rendition of the Japanese National Anthem (which the live crowd nearly drowns out in xenophobic boos and "USA!" chants). This is followed by the reveal that "Macho Man" Randy Savage has been named the Master of Ceremonies for the main event - a role that has never existed before and would never exist again. He's accompanied by Aaron Neville, who sings the American National Anthem as only he can. All the pageantry really heightens the atmosphere. (+1)

Main event time - Lex Luger challenging Yokozuna for the WWE Championship. This is one of those matches, like Hart/Michaels at Survivor Series 97' or even Hogan/Warrior at WrestleMania VI, where so much of the conversation tends to revolve around the "booking" and the behind-the-curtain decision-making rather than what actually happened on-screen. Unlike those two matches, which hold up quite well as actual matches, this one is not as great. Yokozuna was a limited worker (though he does deliver a great back suplex at one point) and Luger wasn't a ring general either, but the crowd is hot enough to carry them alot of the way. Despite the match not featuring all that much in the way of technicality or even aggressive brawling, it does still feel like a competitive championship bout. They're given time to tell a story and they use every angle they can to build up the suspense and make it feel like a war - including an arguably gratuitous amount of nearfalls, the nagging interference of Mr. Fuji at ringside, and the teasing of various finishers. Luger gets sympathy, Yokozuna looks like a monster, and the audience is mostly engaged; this match is a success up until the closing minute, when it devolves into an historical career-killing angle. With the referee's back turned, Luger loosens up his elbow pad (which he was required to wear due to having a metal rod in his forearm from a previous surgery) and knocks Yoko silly, launching him out of the ring through the middle rope. Instead of immediately following Luger out, he gets caught up with Fuji and Cornette and the referee makes the 10 count, giving Luger the moral victory (but not the title). The finish is awful for multiple reasons - first, earlier in the match, Luger makes it a point to roll Yoko in the ring after doing some business on the outside (indicating that he is well aware of the importance of beating Yoko inside the squared circle). Second, as is mentioned countless times on commentary, one of the stipulations going into the match was that this was Luger's only title shot - further raising the importance of getting a win by pinfall or submission. Third, again, after Yoko is knocked out of the ring, Luger makes no effort to try to get him back inside or break the count (even after dealing with Cornette and Fuji). Finally, when the bell finally sounds, Luger's reaction is one of extreme joy, an overreaction that makes him look like an absolute geek. It doesn't help that he's hoisted onto the soldiers of the Steiner Brothers, Tatanka, and Randy Savage, who also go way overboard in celebrating what amounted to a win-by-technicality. Give this match a better ending - even some sort of screwy finish that allowed Yoko to hit his Bonsai Drop and get a tainted pin - and I'm calling this an above-average match, but the finish really detracts from what was a decent enough main event. (2/5)

Before the show ends, we inexplicably get a music video all about Lex Luger's road to SummerSlam. Why in the world would this air after the main event? Did they reach the end of the show and just have extra time? It doesn't make a lick a sense and its not hammy or cheesy enough to warrant an extra point.

I went into SummerSlam 93' expecting an all-around poor show. The bad reputation of the Yoko/Luger and Taker/Gonzalez matches had me expecting two plodding disasters. As I wasn't a regular WWE viewer in 93', I have no nostalgic feelings towards the Bret/Lawler feud or the Steiner Brothers' WWE run. But I must admit, this show won me over. While I wouldn't call any single match on this card a "must watch," nothing was an abject trainwreck. Even if neither Bret Hart match is something I'd consider great, you still get two very different and thoroughly watchable Bret Hart matches on this show. The main event has tremendous heat and enough twists-and-turns to make it feel like either man could get the win, only spoiled by a putrid finish. Taker and Giant Gonzalez don't overstay their welcome. I like the Michaels/Perfect match and the six-man is a pleasant surprise. You get a Ludvig Borga squash and an appearance by Aaron Neville. There's vareity and a good pacing to the card. With a Kwang Score of 2.8-out-of-5, SummerSlam 93' exceeded my expectations and makes a decent case for 1993 not being as bad a time for the company as it is often painted.

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