WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs 2009

WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs 2009

December 2009 - San Antonio, Texas

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, the WWE Champion is John Cena, the World Heavyweight Champion was The Undertaker, the Unified Tag Team Champions were JeriShow, the ECW Champion was Christian, the Intercontinental Champion was John Morrison, and the United States was The Miz, the Women's Champion was Michelle McCool, and the Divas Champion was Melina. 

With the 2020 edition of TLC just a week away, I thought I'd check out the inaugural event as a way to get into the spirit of this show. Like TNA/Impact's Lethal Lockdown PPV series, plenty of ink has been spilled about why building a show around every match being a stipulation bout is a bad idea and I'm not sure any edition of this particular series of PPVs disproves that argument, but here goes...

Christian defends his ECW Championship against Shelton Benjamin in a Ladder Match to kick things off. I'm generally a fan of Christian and loved his ECW run but this match just didn't really do it for me. For starters, the build centered around Christian - the Champion - wanting to make this a ladder match so that he and Shelton could "steal the show." Yuck. Wrestlers shouldn't want to "steal the show," they should want to beat their opponents. It also doesn't help that when you hype up a match as being an epic before it happens, you often run into the problem of not being able to deliver on something quite as strong as you promised - especially when you're opening the show, wrestling for a lesser title, have no real storyline to help build drama, and might even be limited to what spots you can perform. Christian and Benjamin work hard and there are some cool moments - but a blood stoppage early on breaks up the flow and doesn't even quite make sense. Christian obviously blades himself to get the "color" - which I assumed would needed to have been okayed by the match's producer - but then, because he gets treated by a medic minutes later, the crowd boos and seems to not really care all that much about any of the violence that follows. There are also some glaring, albeit quick, moments of cooperation throughout the match, the kind of stuff that really takes me out of a match when I see it. Christian is usually super smooth and, at his best, makes his matches feel like real athletic and physical contests, but the chemistry just doesn't seem to be there with Shelton, who, based on the matches I've seen from him, seemed to be missing that integral part of his game for most of his WWE run (despite being, as Striker points out on commentary, arguably the best athlete on the roster). (2.5/5)

The Intercontinental Championship is up next with John Morrison defending the title against Drew McIntyre. McIntyre is not my favorite wrestler in 2020 and, in 2009, he was not "must see" either (though he was noticeably smaller and fresh-faced). McIntyre's gimmick was that he was Vince McMahon's hand-picked "Chosen One" but would end up getting fired a few years later (with some scuttlebutt on the internet being that he was demoted and then released because Vince lost interest in him after it was revealed he was the victim of domestic violence by his girlfriend, wrestling personality Taryn "Tiffany" Terrell). Anyway, enough about Drew - John Morrison isn't very good here either. Morrison was and is an incredible athlete, but by this point, he still wasn't able to tell a great story in the ring and had his best outings against guys like Rey Mysterio (a Jedi master of 'rasslin'). This isn't an outright bad match, but these two never seemed to click and the audience didn't care too much. (1.5/5)

Speaking of the audience not caring too much, Mickie James challenged Michelle McCool for the Divas Championship next. James and LayCool really, really tried to make this a deeply personal feud by having it be about James being bodyshamed and called "Piggy James," but the audience never bought in - likely because Mickie James was and is a gorgeous woman who isn't remotely chubby. Its like building a feud around Big Show being short. The audience rejected the premise of this match and James, usually fairly solid as far as in-ring performance goes, comes into the match like she wants to kick ass - she's even wearing cowboy boots rather than her usual ring gear - but doesn't really work the match in that style. There's the usual interference out of Layla, but like the prior match, things never click and the audience seems bored for most everything. This was an underwhelming match with a flat finish. (1.5/5)

Sheamus challenged John Cena for the WWE Championship in a Tables match next. Along with the match that follows, this is proof positive that the TLC PPV concept is a creative dead-end. I have no doubt that Cena and Sheamus could've had a banger of a match, but Sheamus was relatively green and Cena himself had still not reached "Jedi Master" level of storytelling ability. Add in a stipulation that doesn't play to either of their strengths and you have the recipe for a match that just doesn't work. This match is often criticized for its lame finish - Cena losing balance and falling through a table (and then overselling it for no apparent reason) - but its not like the previous 16 minutes are all that suspenseful. The irony of a "tables match" has always been that you only get one big table spot, so when the table spot itself is so lackluster, the match is equally lackluster. I'm sure Cena and Sheamus have had great matches in the many years they've worked in the same company, but this one was a swing and a miss. (1.5/5)

Similarly, the World Heavyweight Championship match between The Undertaker and Batista is underwhelming. Again we have two guys that are fully capable of having solid, hard-hitting matches against eachother tethered to a gimmick - this time a Chairs Match - that doesn't play to either of their strengths. This stipulation might've served Mike Awesome or the Dudleys, but Undertaker is not a "hardcore spotfest" wrestler and Batista, who had come into his own as an unlikable, pompous heel during this run, is equally hamstrung. It doesn't help that the finish involves an eye-rolling Dusty Finish. Again, this is a match where two guys work really hard but never reach the heights of their previous matches and seem to be going through the motions. (1.5/5)

Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton is our next match. Kofi had been feuding with Orton and his acolytes, Ted DiBiase Jr. and Cody Rhodes, for a couple months by this point. This was Kofi's first genuine push into an upper midcard/near-main event slot, but it didn't really take. Some of the blame has been laid on this match, which is surprisingly heatless. Having a straight-up 1-on-1 match on a card loaded with stipulation matches promising maximum carnage and sandwiching this match between the 3 biggest matches of the night didn't really put Kofi and Orton in a position to wow the crowd, but Kofi and Orton didn't exceed expectations either. Orton is usually the guy blamed for half-assing it in the ring, but Kofi was not yet a fully-developed character at this point and its noticeable that his ring presence is still at that "midcard" level, not commanding the audience the way he would years later. Speaking of "later," just a few months after this, Randy Orton would - according to the Viper-haters - put the kabosh on Kofi's main event push (as if that were even on the table after drawing crickets here) after Kofi botched a spot in a triple threat with John Cena on RAW. While that anecdote made for great fodder for the Kofi/Orton feud of 2019, I don't buy that Orton politicked Kingston out of anything in 2010. The fact is, this match shows that while Kofi had tremendous athleticism and a natural charisma, he still hadn't hooked the majority of fans and wasn't ready to be a top guy. (2.5/5)

Main event time - JeriShow defending the Unified Tag Team Championships against DegenerationX in a TLC Match. The commentators play up the fact that DX have never held the Tag Team Titles and that only Jericho has been in a TLC match coming into this. The show starts as one might expect with Jericho pairing up with Michaels and Triple H pairing up with Big Show and lots of brawling around the ring. Like I wrote about Sheamus/Cena and Taker/Batista, what hurts this match most is that it simply doesn't play to the strengths of the performers. While Jericho knows how to work this match and his spots are the funnest and most inventive, Triple H was never a great ladder match performer and, for the Big Show, having to climb up a ladder to earn a victory is practically antihetical to his existence. Michaels is often cited as the "inventor" of the ladder match but a tag team ladder match is a different animal and one that Michaels is unable to wring any emotion out of. That's not to say that they fail to deliver a crowd-pleasing, at times very exciting match. In fact, there are some really clever twists towards the end of the match that do help this match stand out a bit from previous iterations. Unfortunately, TLC matches do tend to benefit from the ridiculous bumps and spots that nobody in this match were going to take. The original TLC matches were practically designed to highlight daredevilism and skull-crushing chairshots and, years later, Edge and John Cena put together a version that firmly established Cena's resiliency and Edge's main event status. This match doesn't have the same urgency or intention of stealing the show - this is two teams of veterans trying to tell an original story without cutting years off their career. It is a smartly worked match, but its not one worth revisiting. (3/5)

With a Kwang Score of 2.0-out-of-5, the first-ever Tables, Ladders, and Chairs PPV should've been a warning sign to the WWE that shows like these just don't work. Most every match is a disappointment - some more than others - and the crowd seems to lose interest as the show goes on, deflated by Cena's loss, bored by Taker/Batista, and only edge of the seat for the main event because many were probably just eager to call it a night and beat the traffic as quickly as possible. Without a single match I'd recommend checking out despite featuring an absurd amount of stipulation changes, a major title change, and what was meant to be "star-making" matches for Kofi Kingston and Sheamus, I've got no problem calling ths one what it was...

FINAL RATING - DUDleyville

NXT Takeover: War Games 2020

NXT Takeover: War Games 2020

Capital Wrestling Center, Orlando, FL - December 2020

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, the NXT Champion is Finn Balor, the NXT North American Champion is Leon Ruff, and the NXT Women's Champion is Io Shirai. The NXT Tag Team Champions are Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch and the Cruiserweight Championship is held by Santos Escobar. 

The third annual NXT Takeover: War Games began with a video set to the enduring metal classic "War Pigs" by Black Sabbath highlighting tonight's two War Games matches. 

The first War Games match opened the show - Team LeRae (Candice LeRae, Toni Storm, Dakota Kai, and her minion Raquel Gonzalez) vs. Team Blackheart (Shotzi Blackheart, Io Shirai, Ember Moon, and Rhea Ripley). Dakota Kai and Ember Moon started thing off for their respective teams. Good opening with Kai grinding Moon's face across the cage wall at one point, a War Games classic. Moon came back though and hit a beautiful suplex into the wall followed by a nasty crossbody. Some moves looked a touch too rehearsed or like they cared more about getting their "shit" in than having moves register, but that's a common criticism of today's style of wrestling. Blackheart came in next, grabbing a toolbox from under the ring. Blackheart in December 2020 is in a similar position as where Rhea Ripley was last year, an ascending star who some fans believe can be the focus of the entire division if she's given the opportunity. Obviously, Ripley's career did not work out that way, but who knows what's in store for Blackheart. Blackheart hit a missile dropkick on Kai, who was perched upon Moon's shoulders in a cool tag spot. Raquel Gonzalez came in next and used her size to take out both babyfaces. I'm not sure if Gonzalez is ready for the main roster, but her and Kai are a combo that feels like they could be better utilized in a brand that actually had tag titles to challenge for. Rhea Ripley came in for the faces next, finally getting a showdown with Raquel. In front of a live corwd this would've got a big reaction. Ripley looked sharp, delivering a variety of offense to Kai before opening up the toolbox and bringing out a hammer. Not pleased with the damage the hammer could inflict, Ripley took off her belt and used it to put Kai out of commission. Ripley and Gonzalez went face-to-face again, this time in the space between the two rings. Toni Storm came in for her team and brought in a bunch of kendo sticks before hitting Ripley with a german suplex. Storm then exposed a couple of the turnbuckles, single-handedly turning this match on its ear a bit and raising the stakes. I like the psychology there. What didn't play as well was a "stereo" tower of doom spot in which you could hear the 7 women involved counting down the "launch." Shirai came in next, shoving a ladder into the ring. What's the point of bringing all these weapons in the ring when they've barely been used? Shirai grabbed another ladder but struggled to get into the ring, Gonzalez blocking her entry each time and sending her into the barricade outside the ring. Shirai tossed a series of chairs into the ring and nearly got into the structure after kicking a chair into Gonzalez' face. Toni Storm used a belt to keep the cell door closed and Shirai couldn't get in for the entire 3 minute period. Candice LeRae came in last but met Shirai outside the structure - only to get attacked by Indi Hartwell. Denied entry into the match, the heels used their advantage to beat down Blackheart and the other babyfaces with kendo sticks. At one point, the heels surrounded Shotzi and destroyed her with kendo shots in a great visual. LeRae went for a pinfall but needed to be reminded that the "War Games" had not yet started (as Shirai had not yet entered the ring). In a crazy spot, Shirai then flew off the top rope in a garbage can and took everyone out. That could've went horribly wrong. Shirai opened up a can of whoop ass on the heels, the babyfaces now in full control of the match. Shirai looked like she might end it with a moonsault on Gonzalez, but the pinfall got broken up. After some weak-looking chair shots, we finally got one for the ages as Io Shirai absolutely drilled Kai with a dropkick while Kai was holding one in front of herself. Moments later, Kai got a receipt as, with Shirai in a garbage can, Kai hit a double stomp that looked like it could've crushed her torso and face. That should've ended the match, but it somehow continued, Dakota Kai now turning her attention to Moon. Moon fought her off, though, and hit an insane Eclipse onto Kai as she was draped over two chairs. Storm hit a powerbomb on Moon into a can but only got 2, the signature offense now coming rapidly. I'm not a fan of Shirai being back on her feet, but her and Ripley teamed up to take Storm out before getting taken out themselves by LeRae. With the captains now doing battle, the ladder finally got put to use as Blackheart hit a senton splash on LeRae - who blatantly put a chair on top of herself for some reason. If she had the energy to do that, why not use that energy to roll out of the way? Gonzalez ended the match moments later with a devastating powerbomb on Shirai through the ladder. This match had some tremendous moments, but also a bit too many convoluted sequences. This was close to "must see," but not quite there. (3.5/5)

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Timothy Thatcher followed. Ciampa came out in a bizarre Dr. Doom-esque costume, a stark contrast to Thatcher's anti-flash persona. They immediately got to work on the mat, Thatcher showing off his old school, smashmouth style. Ciampa rallied early, but Thatcher mostly dominated, Tommaso making Thatcher look like an absolute killer. Thatcher attempted a double-underhook something-or-other, but Ciampa countered it into a back drop. The two men traded shots and ended up in a nasty collision out of the corner. Ciampa delivered a series of big clotheslines before landing a superplex to take control. Ciampa went for the Fairy Tale Ending but Thatcher escaped and locked in the guillotine, the move he used to incapacitate Ciampa on TV. Ciampa wisely rolled out of the ring and both men ended up on the floor. Back in the ring, Ciampa locked in one of the best-looking headlocks I've seen in years, Thatcher's ear lobe now gushing blood. The "color" definitely added to the suspense as Thatcher escaped with a german suplex and then hit another one soon after. Thatcher really "milked" having the accidental blood, gnashing his teeth into the camera. Thatcher went for a german on the apron, but Ciampa elbowed him to the face to escape it. Thatcher maintained control, though, hitting Ciampa with a series of big uppercuts. Ciampa went for a backslide, but Thatcher rolled into the ropes (showing some keen ring awareness in the process). With Thatcher tied up in the ropes, Ciampa went to work, eventually landing the Willow's Bell (DDT through the ropes) and getting a shocking 3 count. I'm not sure the right man won this, though they could be warming Ciampa up to challenge Balor (?). Easily the best Ciampa match I've seen in awhile, but Thatcher was the shining star here to me. (3.5/5)

Cameron Grimes took on Dexter Lumis in a strap match next. This match didn't get a ton of buzz on the internet - largely because Grimes and Lumis are not necessarily eveyone's cup of tea. Personally, I like Grimes - he does good character work and he's perfectly fine in the ring if a bit underwhelming or similar to just about every other guy in NXT these days. Lumis is also quite a character, though his moveset is equally unremarkable in 2020 where so many guys do so much that what stands out more is doing less or doing the simple stuff really well rather than relying on superkicks and dives. But I digress...Even as I deride the "indie style" that has become so pervasive in WWE (and NXT especially), I think having the strap really added to the violence of this and made it feel special and like the culmination of a lengthy rivalry. Of course, regular viewers would probably note that Lumis and Grimes had already squared off in a Haunted House of Terror Match but I don't watch the weekly programming so this felt "special' to me. (3/5)

The North American Championship was on the line next with Leon Ruff defending the title against Johnny Gargano and Damian Priest in a triple threat match. Is Johnny Gargano the best "indie-riffic" wrestler of his generation? This match showed he is definitely in contention for it as this was a non-stop spotfest that also told a clear, beginning-to-end story. I'm not usually a fan of guys shrugging off would-be match-enders, but this match was loaded with more spinning heel kicks than actual finishers and Leon Ruff at least sold the damage of a Razor's Edge through a barricade for more than 2 minutes. Damian Priest was really impressive here and I even liked the overbooking of Gargano having his Scream-masked henchmen re-appearing to take Priest out (though having the "reveal" be Austin Theory didn't do anything for me). There were some terrific sequences in this match and Priest came out of it looking like a star - though, one has to wonder how/why a guy with his size and innate charisma is being kept on NXT when he definitely has the size and look to be on the main roster. Then again, so did Aleister Black and I'm not sure he's been on TV in months. Another near-must see match that didn't quite get there for me. (3.5/5)

Main event time - The Undisputed Era vs. Pat McAfee, Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan, and Danny Burch. Kyle O'Reilly, who put on one of the better matches of the year against Finn Balor at the last NXT Takeover show, started things off against Pete Dunne, a longtime rival to the Era (who are now pseudo-babyfaces). Having these two start was a smart move as they may be the best, most interesting grapplers on their respective teams. Lorcan came in next to loud boos from the invisible digital crowd. The phony crowd noise might be the thing that prevented most of tonight's matches from achieving "must see"/"classic" status as it was very noticeable at times. Dunne applied a surfboard and Lorcan delivered a series of chops to O'Reilly's chest that were nasty. O'Reilly somehow got some offense in, including a knee onto Lorcan (who was laying on the 2nd rope), before getting bent out of shape by both heels. Bobby Fish came out next, arguably the "lesser" of the reDRagon tag team just because he's a bit less flashy. Together, though, O'Reilly and Fish are second-to-none in terms of tag work and showed it during the few minutes it was just 2-on-2. Danny Burch came in next, brandishing a pair of cricket bats - which is a new one to me. Again, the phony "boos" really detracting from the mood of the match as the "fans" were drowning out Burch's taunts and taking away from the frightful suspense of whether or not the bats would come into play. Eventually, Burch swung and connected to O'Reilly's back, laying him out with a full-force whack that made me wonder if those cricket bats were legit. Roderick Strong came in next for his team, evening the sides. The offensive flurry that Strong unleashed in the next few minutes was just beautiful - everything sharp and executed and believably damaging. Strong really might be the best worker of the whole Undisputed Era (even if he's not the most colorful/charismatic). It took the entire trio of heels to cut him off and regain control of the match as the clock winded down and Pat McAfee made his entrance (bringing four tables into the ring with him - each one labeled with the name of an Undisputed Era member). Again, what could've been a cool moment was hurt a bit by the incessant sound of unnatural boos. Strong was the first to get put through a table - by a McAfee Moonsault, no less. There was a time when that move wasn't in every single wrestler's arsenal which makes it impressive to me even if most modern fans would think that delivering a moonsault is as simple as an arm drag. Cole, seeing his men beaten down on the mat, came in spraying a fire extinguisher and then used a chair to take out everyone he could. I'm not a huge Cole fan, but I bought the fire he showed and his hatred for McAfee. Dunne took Cole out, but O'Reilly made the save and it led to O'Reilly squaring off with McAfee, the British Columbian calling McAfee a bitch and begging him to take a free shot. As McAfee prepared to do so, Cole struck him from behind with a chair - an interesting twist in that it was "classic UE" but maybe not what Kyle O'Reilly, who has been treated as a borderline babyface for the past few months, wanted. The match devolved into a wild brawl from here, action happening all over the place and McAfee eventually applying a figure four in one of the rings. Cole was able to reverse the pressure, but Dunne broke things up, saving McAfee again. The brawling continued until we eventually saw Dunne get planted onto Burch (who was lying on a table they had set up minutes earlier). The announcers clearly expected the table to break, but it didn't - so Roderick Strong splashed them through instead. Moments later, McAfee took a back-first bump through another table that looked about as good as a clearly rehearsed bump could. Credit to McAfee, though, you still only get 1 chance to get it 100% right when the show's live. The Undisputed Era had full control at this point and took the heels out of the equation, eventually surrounding McAfee (who had stopped selling the damage of the table spot). The Era tossed him into the cell wall repeatedly and looked to finish him off but his back-up sprung to life and beat down the UE. The fact that they'd taken their eyes off their opponents made the Era look pretty dumb to me.  The fight raged on, culminating in McAfee taking a superplex into the center of the ring and then, moments later, hitting a ridiculous swanton bomb off the top of the cage onto all 7 of the other men in the match. With everyone else selling the damage, Dunne and O'Reilly ended up back in the spotlight, O'Reilly somehow kicking out of Dunne's finisher. Then it was Dunne's turn to kick out of an insane move, this time an O'Reilly brainbuster/suplex into the metal between the rings. O'Reilly then set up Dunne's head on the chair, taking to the top rope and looking to potentially break Dunne's neck. Before he could, though, McAfee grabbed a chair and took O'Reilly out. Cole made the save and got a hold of the chair, but before he could use it, got low-blowed by McAfee. McAfee attempted a punt, but Cole dodged it and hit him with a big boot. Before he could hit him with his finish, Burch made the save - only to get driven to into a table! After an exchange of superkicks, Cole hit the Panama Sunrise - but only got 2! This shocking twist was followed by maybe the most explosive 40 seconds of wrestling I've ever seen, faces and ribs going into chairs in rapid succession, eventually capped off by O'Reilly scoring the pinfall after dropping a knee onto a chair into the face of Oney Lorcan. Regardless, as good as the finish was - and it was an incredible grand finale of violence - it doesn't change the fact that this match "exposed" too much for me. Pat McAfee, as impressive as his feats of athleticism are, shouldn't be treated as the toughest guy in the match (and surviving a War Games match and kicking out of a Panama Sunrise made him appear to be). While there were far less convoluted spots than in the women's match, there were more lulls in this one and, after 3 hours, the faux audience noise had become like the popcorn kernel shell stuck in your gum - a minor annoyance at first, an increasingly bigger distraction as the show went on. This match just didn't feel "fun" to me and, aside from the ending moments, wasn't even enough of a car crash to register as a must-see spectacle. (2/5)

With a Kwang Score of 3.1-out-of-5, the 2020 edition of NXT Takeover: War Games was generally good-to-great, but not a single match struck me as "must see." Gargano/Priest/Ruff might've been the closest - Gargano put on one of his best performances in months and Priest has at least bit of the "It" factor - but Grimes/Lumis exceeded my expectations and I enjoyed Ciampa/Thatcher for the variety and physicality it offered. The worst match of the night was the main event, a contest that never felt like an actual contest, a war as staged as the one in Wag The Dog. As per usual, the effort, finesse, execution, and athleticism of damn near everyone on the roster is hard to criticize and automatically makes even the worst match on this show not nearly as bad as it could be with lesser talent - but there's still something kinda sad and unfortunate about seeing all these super-talented workers being produced and booked in such uncreative, wrestling-on-a-hamster wheel way. In a sense, NXT has become the buffet filled with only desserts, everything offered just a different level of the same sweet flavor. If you're a fan of modern wrestling and you haven't become completely bored with the style of action these shows provide consistently and almost effortlessly, this show will be right up your alley, but there's something to be said for the way arguably "lesser" shows - even the historically terrible ones - were funner to watch.

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

WCW Clash of the Champions II

NWA/WCW Clash of the Champions II: Miami Mayhem

Miami, FL - June 1988

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, Ric Flair is the NWA World Heavyweight Champion, the United States Champion is Barry Windham, and the Television Champion is Mike Rotunda. The World Tag Team Champions were Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard, while the United States Tag Team Championships were held by The Fantastics.

The second Clash of the Champions begins with a United States Championship Match, the titleholder Barry Windham (who had only recently joined the 4 Horsemen) defending against Brad Armstrong. I had high expectations for this match as Armstrong is a fantastic worker, just a bit too bland for me to really get behind him. Windham is excellent and his moments of heel shtick add some much-needed color to the proceedings. In the final few minutes, this match finally feels like it has hit the second gear and reached the right level of intensity, but it took awhile to get there. I really like the finish too, as it makes Windham's Claw look not only deadly, but also that he has the ability to apply at unpredictable times in unpredictable ways. (3/5)

In the parking garage, JR interviews Lyle Alzado, a former football player who starred in the ridiculous wrestling-based sitcom, Learning the Ropes, in 1989. This is a wormhole worth traveling down as it is 100% fromage. 

At ringside, the Rock n' Roll Express make their return to NWA/WCW after a bit of a sabbatical. Not a great promo from them, but the crowd loves seeing them anyway.

Cut to a mega-yacht where Lex Luger and Ric Flair, accompanied by the Horsemen, sign a contract setting up their next fight at the Great American Bash shows in July (one of, if not the only, remaining NWA/WCW pay-per-views I have not watched and reviewed on this blog). Both guys say their piece but nothing else really happens. 

...Until we're back in the garage and Ric Flair and the Horsemen show up. They taunt Luger and, minutes later, when Luger shows up, they jump him and leave him bloody on the ground. 

Back in the ring, The Sheepherders (with fellow New Zealander Rip Morgan) challenge The Fantastics for the United States Tag Team Championships. The Fantastics had an all-time great tag bout against the Midnight Express at the previous Clash, but the Sheepherders are much more limited in what they do both offensively and with their bumping and selling. Rip Morgan is also no Jim Cornette, though, he does get involved. I like how the Fantastics' gimmick is that they're two Chippendales but that they're unafraid to engage in wild brawls. This one runs a bit long and there's a touch too much silliness - including one sequence in which the Fantastics take turn making pin attempts on both guys and the referee counts them despite the confusion over who is actually the legal man - but its still an above-average tag match that I've seen some people give a whopping 4 stars too. (3/5)

At the previous Clash, "Dr. Death" Steve Williams delivered one of the worst promos ever recorded so I'm not sure whose idea was to put him back out on TV and have him actually help call a match, but that's exactly what we get for the Varsity Club vs. The Garvins. As was very common in the NWA in 88', someone is locked in a cage for this match - namely "The Gamesmaster" Kevin Sullivan. The story coming into this match is that Sullivan had secret documents that would humiliate "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin's girlfriend/valet Precious. Researching this match I learned something I never knew - that Ronnie and Jimmy weren't brothers at all, but that Ronnie was Jimmy's stepfather (though I'm not sure for how long Ronnie was actually married to Jimmy's mom). Anyway, the focus of the match is on the action going on outside, which is a good thing because Mike Rotunda tends to bore me to tears no matter what era I see him working in. On the flip side, I've come around to liking Jimmy Garvin more than I used to and he does have undeniable chemistry with Precious (who was his real-life wife). Anyway, the match ends cleanly I think and I write "I think" because the camera is really focused on Precious trying to retrieve the documents from Sullivan (who ends up grabbing the key from Precious and unlocking the cage from himself). Sullivan chokes out Precious, which gets a massive reaction and then, in a wonderful twist on the expected, Dr. Death rescues her only for Precious to storm out of the ring away from both Williams and Garvin. Great cliffhanger as the audience is shocked by Precious' actions. Not much of a match, but the post-match is worth at least a half-point. (2.5/5)

After this, the announcers hype too ridiculous matches - first, a scaffold match between the Road Warriors and the Powers of Pain and then the even-more-outrageous Tower of Doom match being proposed by Kevin Sullivan. I've not seen the 88' Tower of Doom match, but I did witness the one held 7-8 years later pitting the Horsemen and Dungeon of Doom (collectively known as the Alliance to End Hulkamania) against Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage in a match that I awarded 0-out-of-5 stars. 

Back in the ring we go for Al Perez vs. Nikita Koloff. Perez was a journeyman in the 80s but never felt like a big deal despite having a good physique and some natural charisma. Koloff, meanwhile, also had his peak behind him at this point after feuding with Horsemen a year prior. This is a competitive match, but it does neither guy any real favors. Koloff, not necessarily a master of playing the sympathetic babyface fighting from underneath, was the wrong opponent for Perez, who was coming in as an unlikable Latin Heartthrob (but was not firmly established enough to seem like a real threat to Koloff). What we end up getting is an overly long match that doesn't highlight Perez's heelishness or Koloff's strengths as basically a one-man Road Warrior. Larry Zybysko shows up and, along with Gary Hart, destroy Koloff with a chain to further their feud. Maybe this was a big deal in 88', but I just didn't get into it and even the crowd seemed a bit less interested than they were during the previous segment. (1.5/5)

Main event time - Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson defending the NWA World Tag Team Championships against Sting and Dusty Rhodes. The crowd is hot for this as both sides were really, really over in their respective roles. After the last Clash, Sting had not only ascended to main event level status but, as we see here, was developing his own persona even more, coming out with a much more colorful presentation than he'd had just a few months prior. Dusty Rhodes is Dusty Rhodes, never the world's greatest in-ring technician but undeniably popular and able to get a huge reaction off the littlest swivel of hips or most basic elbow smash. Anderson and Blanchard are in contention for being the best tag team of all-time and this match is an example of how they could mix it up with just about anyone - power wrestlers, showy "entertainers," fellow technicians, classic underdogs - and always make it work. As expected, this match is more about two sides who hate each other trying to put a hurt on each other rather than being about the World Tag Team Championships, but that's fine. The final few minutes turn into an all-out brawl with JJ Dillon getting involved and Barry Windham eventually showing up and applying the Claw on Dusty Rhodes (which Rhodes sells with a blade job!). A solid show-closer but not a "must see" match. (3/5)

Like at the first Clash of the Champions, one of the elements that makes this show so enjoyable is how hot the crowd is. Even if you're like me and don't really know or care too much about a guy like Al Perez or the Varsity Club/Garvins feud, the heat of those matches carry them into at least average range. Compared to the audiences of today (well, not today today, but, y'know, 2019 or whatever), these fans are invested in every match from the opener to the main event and, at least on these shows, fervently in support of the babyfaces over the heels (this was not always the case, even back then, as Halloween Havoc 89' shows). A little bit more variety in term of match lengths would've made this an even better watch, but, then again, later installments often featured more variety but the variety wasn't necessarily good so those shows could be harder to sit through if you're looking for quality action. With a Kwang Score of 2.6-out-of-5, this show doesn't hold a candle to the first Clash of the Champions, but its got its moment if you're a fan of this era. If you're not a fan of this type of 'rasslin', though, there's not much on the show that will you draw you in or have you second-guessing your tastes, hence the somewhat "low" final rating...

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver

NWA/WCW Clash of the Champions I

NWA/WCW Clash of the Champions I

Greensboro, North Carolina - March 1988

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the NWA World Heavyweight Champion is Ric Flair, the United States Champion is Dusty Rhodes, and the Television Title is held by Mike Rotunda. The NWA World Tag Team Championships are held by The Four Horsemen's Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson, while the US Tag Team Championships are the property of The Midnight Express.

Kicking off the very first Clash of the Champions special, the Television Champion Mike Rotunda defends his title against "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin, who I always thought was a heel for his entire run. This match is fought under interesting (Australian?) rules with the bout being divided up into 3 5-minute rounds with 30 second breaks between them and instead of the usual 3-count, this match will be decided by a 1 count. Garvin shows serious fire early on while Rotunda mocks him with jumping jacks. The first 5 minutes fly by, Garvin mostly in control until the final moments of the round when Rotunda takes over. In the second round, Sullivan attempts to interfere but gets stopped by Precious. Its enough of a distraction that Rotunda retains with a roll-up. The post-match is fun and gives the crowd a real reason to go nuts as Precious chokes out Sullivan with a coat hanger. (1.5/5)

Dr. Death cuts an insane promo next. It isn't very smooth, he repeats himself, but it is undeniably a Network Nugget. (+1)

The Fantastics challenge The Midnight Express for the US Tag Team Titles next. This one starts as a wild brawl right from the start, the referee losing control of the match before it even starts. The four combatants eventually get in the ring and an actual match does start, but the intensity and feeling that anything can happen doesn't dissipate. The Midnight Express hit an insane pseudo-Total Elimination off the ropes and Tommy Rogers looks obliterated by it. With the ref's back turned, Eaton sends Rogers face-first into a table that is held up by Cornette, the heels putting on a teamwork clinic. Rogers looks like he may make a hot tag, but Eaton cuts him off with a powerslam and then an elbow off the top. "Sweet" Stan Lane hits a tilt-a-whirl suplex and the Midnights cut the ring in half. They hit another double-team move and continue to cut-off every one of Rogers' brief flurries of offense. Fulton's desperation costs him as he distracts Randy Anderson just as Rogers managers to hit a sunset flip and pin Lane's shoulders to the mat. Back to the outside they go and Eaton slams Rogers on the table. Cornette's gloating around the ring is priceless. Anderson continues to be distracted by Fulton as Lane hits a bulldog on the table. For 88' that was wild. The match slows down a bit as Fulton tries to revive his partner, but the heat is built back up once Rogers comes back into the ring and gets beaten down again. Rogers eventually makes the tag, but the ref misses it! The crowd goes absolutely apeshit (as does JR). Bedlam ensures, Cornette inadvertently strikes Eaton with the racket, Fulton and Rogers hit a Rocket Launcher and get the pin! We've got new US Tag Team Champions! Wait! No we don't! Its a "Dusty Finish" instead. After the match, the Midnights clean house and Cornette whips Fulton across the back with a belt. This was wild, unpredictable, riveting action from beginning to end. This is up there with the best TV matches or tag matches I think I've ever seen. (4.5/5)

Dusty Rhodes and The Road Warriors took on Ivan Koloff and the Powers of Pain in a Chicago Street Fight. The "match" goes under 5 minutes and is just a wild brawl with no beginning, middle, or end. This wasn't designed to actually do anything but further the feud between the two sides so, in that sense, it was successful, but I do kinda wish we actually got something with some structure. During the post-match, the Powers of Pain attack Animal and unmask him to go after his previously-injured eye. This is a good segment, not a good match. (2/5)

The NWA World Tag Team Championships are on the line next with The Horsemen - Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson vs. Lex Luger and Barry Windham. While only about 10 minutes in duration, this is an absolutely awesome match and, on any other show, likely be your Match of the Night. Tully Blanchard is particularly brilliant, though everyone involved shines at one point or another and plays their role beautifully. The only thing that "hurts" this match might be that it is not 100% definitive and really was just the next chapter in the evolving Horsemen/Luger/Windham storyline (Windham would eventually turn on Luger and join the heel stable himself), but the finish is still terrific and the crowd goes absolutely insane for it. I've seen some people go 5-stars on this match, like the Fantastics/Express match from earlier on the show, but I won't go as far on this one either. Instead, I'll just say that its remarkable how two tag matches on the same show can hit similar peaks in such different ways. (4/5)

Main event time - Sting vs. Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. This might be the most famous Clash of the Champions ever. Its hard to watch this with fresh eyes as, even if you've never seen it, you're likely aware of the outcome and the match's reputation as the match that "made" Sting. Still, this is objectively an awesome contest and very close to being as good as Flair's classics with Ricky Steamboat a year later. The difference is that Sting was less technically proficient and unable to offer the variety of transitions, holds, and big spots that Steamboat could - but comparing anyone to Ricky Steamboat unfair and its not like this is a 45-minute carry job as Sting, while limited in what he can do and does, gets huge reactions for every comeback, for every hope spot, for every time it looks like he might actually beat the champ. There are several famous sequences during this match - a bearhug that ends with Flair screaming in agony, chops that legitimately slice Sting's chest, an overeager Sting flying all over the place but not connecting and spilling out to the floor, Ric Flair tumbling over the judge's table - and, of course, one of the most memorable time limit finishes that sees Sting apply the Scorpion Deathlock with less than 15 seconds left on the clock and Flair managing to hold on just long enough to retain the title. Of course, because we don't get a clean victory, it also hurts the match a little and prevents it from the rarefied air of "masterpiece level." This is as close to a 4.5 match as a match can get without actually being there. (4/5)

Often cited as one of the best wrestling shows of all time, the first ever Clash of the Champions is maybe not a "must watch" from beginning to end - the opener isn't very good (though at least it doesn't go very long) and the Chicago Street Fight is more an "angle" than a satisfying match - but damn if it isn't spectacular for the majority of its running time. The Fantastiks/Midnight Express fits firmly into my Top 10 Tag Team Matches ever list and the Brainbusters/Luger & Windham match isn't all that far behind. Then you've got an all-time great, star-making main event on top and there's just no way not to recommend this show to any wrestling fan whose never seen it. With a Kwang Score of 3.4-out-of-5, this one isn't Curt Hennig Level perfection, but with such a digestible runtime, its darn close...

FINAL RATING - Watch It

WWE Survivor Series 2020

WWE Survivor Series 2020: Best of the Best 

The Thunderdome, Orlando, FL - November 2020

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, Roman Reigns is the reigning Universal Champion, Drew McIntyre is the WWE Champion, the RAW Women's Champion is Asuka, the SmackDown Women's Champion is Sasha Banks, the United States Champion is Bobby Lashley, and the Intercontinental Champion is Sami Zayn. The RAW Tag Team Champions are The New Day, while the SmackDown Tag Team Champions are the Street Profits. FInally, the 24/7 Champion is R-Truth and the Women's Tag Team Champions are Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax.

The show begins with a traditional 5-on-5 Survivors match pitting RAW's best - AJ Styles (with Omos), Matt Riddle (yuck), Keith Lee, Braun Strowman, and Sheamus - against SmackDown's top 5: King Corbin, Otis, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, and Jey Uso. Rollins is doing his gloomy zombie bit. What prevents me from investing in this match is that, up until a couple weeks ago, many of these guys were on the other side of this split - for example, AJ was a SmackDown stalwart for years, while Rollins was known as the Monday Night Messiah for most of 2020. Styles and Uso start things off before Jey tags in Corbin. They telegraph a move and then tag out to Otis and Riddle. Otis took control using his size and ability to take some punishment but what really grabbed my attention was the way Owens came in and immediately went after Riddle's bare feet. That's some smart work. Owens begrudgingly tagged in Rollins, while Sheamus came in for Raw. Instead of fighting Sheamus, though, Rollins turned to his teammates, said, "For the greater good" and then sacrificed himself to a Sheamus Brogue Kick. Why not just lie down? I liked it. After Braun Strowman attacked the entire SmackDown team on the outside, Keith Lee and Otis squared off back in the squared circle. Otis and Lee looked awkward working with each other. Strowman came in and Otis was in trouble, though he did get some hope spots in against the most super of super heavyweights. AJ came in and Otis made the tag to Owens. Without a live crowd, the "hot tags" really fall flat. Owens nearly eliminated AJ with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Owens and AJ worked better together here than I remember their feud being years ago. Owens hit a series of big stunners, but ate a Phenomenal Forearm and was eliminated - RAW now going up 5-3. Corbin hit an End of Days, but the pin got broken up. Corbin hit a Deep 6 on Sheamus and attempted another End of Days on AJ, but AJ countered with a Pele Kick and tagged in Riddle who eliminated Corbin with a senton from the top, RAW now up 5-2. There was a stretch around 2014-2016 (?) when the WWE's multi-man matches were consistently fantastic, but this felt - at least with the booking - perfunctory. Jey Uso got to shine in the closing minutes, but why have RAW sweep SmackDown? Riddle and Sheamus strike me as guys who could take a pin, which would've made it briefly believable that Uso (and/or Otis) might actually overcome the odds. Instead, Raw's dominance was the whole story here and not a single fresh feud or intriguing wrinkle for either brand was developed. (2/5)

The New Day took on The Street Profits next. This was a non-title affair despite featuring both brands' champions. Big E accompanied The New Day and all three guys were decked out in Gears of War garb. It doesn't quite make sense that the WWE would split up (arguably) the most profitable stable of the past 20 years while they were still being used as promotional spokesmen for various 3rd party companies, but well, that's modern WWE for you. The New Day took control early, Kofi hitting an absolutely stunning Stage Dive onto Montez on the outside. The commentators noted that this was the Street Profits' biggest match to date and it felt like it, the New Day's experience and comfort working in the ring juxtaposing well against the Street Profits realization that the New Day, as cartoonish as they can be, mean business in the ring. Kofi and Xavier broke out the cockiness and attitude of their heel days, which was really refreshing (and noted on commentary by Graves). When Dawkins came in, though, he was able to use his strength to clean house and get a nearfall on Woods. The Profits showed off some of their own expert teamwork with a ridiculous sequence that ended with Woods eating an Electric Chair. I've been cold on the Profits since I first saw them, but here, against one of the best tag teams of the decade, they held their own and delivered all sorts of innovative, energetic offense. Kofi and Woods hit a Midnight Hour (usually done with Big E) but only got a 2 with it. Kofi followed it with some Boom Drops, but Dawkins and Ford recovered and hit their trademark sequence of a spinebuster-into-a-Ford Frog Splash. They only got 2 with it, though, and the match continued with Ford delivering a Trouble-in-Paradise to Kofi, but then eating a gutbuster from Woods. Wow. I expected some "cute" elements to this match, but this has been as good as New Blood vs. Old Guard match as I've ever seen - probably because the New Day aren't really all that old. The finish saw the Street Profits capture the win in somewhat of an upset, but I wish it would've come from a sequence as clever and creative as some of the ones we'd seen earlier in the match. A stronger match would've nudged this into Top 10 Match of the Year contender and I'm not necessarily sure it got there. (4/5)

Sami Zayn, the reigning Intercontinental Champion, took on Bobby Lashley, the United States Champion next. Zayn has been killing it for the past few months - on the mic, in the ring, on Twitter - he's been as unlikable a heel as the WWE has had in awhile. Too bad there's been no live crowd to enjoy it. Lashley no-sold a clothesline and took over, sending Zayn into the turnbuckle and then hurling him halfway across the ring. Zayn used his cunning to get some shots in, including an elbow off the top, but when he tried it again, Lashley back-dropped him into the middle of the ring and followed it up with a spear in the corner. Lashley went for another, but Zayn caught him with a big boot and tried for a suplex, but Lashley countered it with one of his own. In a funny twist, Zayn asked for a moment to collect himself, telling the ref that he was suffering from vertigo. When Lashley backed off, Zayn got a nearfall with a roll-up but ended up just taking more punishment. Zayn rolled out of the ring and tried to get the DQ win by egging on the Hurt Business, but they wouldn't bite and Lashley rammed him into the wall with authority. Zayn tried to escape out of the Thunderdome, but Lashley caught up with him and sent him into the wall again. Lashley lifted him up in a fireman's carry, but Zayn escaped and shoved Lashley into the post (nearly allowing Zayn to get the countout victory). When the ref turned his back, Zayn attempted to expose the turnbuckle but Shelton stopped him. Zayn went for the Helluva Kick, but Lashley caught him and hit him with his trademark one-hand spinebuster. A minute later, Lashley locked in the Full Nelson and got the clean W over Zayn. The right man won the right way, but Zayn still shined here with his performance. The past two matches have exceeded expectations. (3/5)

Backstage, Jimmy and Jey are chatting but get interrupted by Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman. Reigns sends Jimmy away and gives Jay a verbal lashing. I love this Roman Reigns. 

In one of the most anticipated matches of the night, Asuka took on Sasha Banks. Good mat wrestling to start things off. Banks almost applied the Banks Statement early on, but Asuka fought it off and the countering and trading of submissions continued. Compared to the mostly mundane opener, the innovative offense of the opener, and the fun of the third match, this one really stood out as being competitive and wrestling-based. Their match a few months back felt a little more intense thanks to the storyline building up to it, but its not like they went half-speed here. This just felt a little bit more like the type of bout you might see on a house show, a match that the women put on for themselves rather than further a storyline. The lack of stakes also made this seem a bit more like a really good exhibition match rather than a war between arch enemies. A good sequence on the ring apron led to Asuka hitting a big boot and then a hip attack that sent Banks into the barrier, but Banks got back into the ring quickly and landed a baseball slide of her own. On the floor, Banks went for a double-knees splash from the top of the barricade but Asuka countered it with a Codebreaker of her own. Back into the ring they rolled, trading pinfalls. Asuka missed a Hip Attack and Banks hit her with a Backstabber but only got 2 from it. She hit a Meteora into the corner and looked to follow it up with a frog splash but wisely stopped herself and applied the Bank Statement. Asuka escaped, though, and applied a submission of her own and then double knees on the ropes for another 2 count. Asuka applied an Ankle Lock, but the counters and reversals continued into a series of wild pin attempts - a bunch of them looking like they might actually end the match - until one of them finally did. That was a tremendous finishing sequence that didn't hurt Asuka. Instead, it felt like Banks earned the W in a hard-fought battle because, on this night and for the past few months, she's been on an unstoppable roll. (3.5/5)

The Gobbeldy Gooker is shown backstage (having won the 24/7 Championship earlier in the show). Distracted by some birdfeed, Tozawa rolled him up and won the belt - only to get jumped by R-Truth and beaten for the title. 

Back in the ring, Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, Lana, Lacey Evans, and Peyton Royce of RAW taking on Bayley, Natalya, Ruby Riot, Liv Morgan, and Bianca Belair. Belair and Natalya hit a double-team suplex on Royce before tagging in Liv Morgan, her and Royce showing off some of their chemistry. Riot and Baszler go to work against each other and Baszler took control with a nasty backbreacker and some stiff kicks to Riot's chest. Riot tagged out as Jax came in and the SmackDown women tried to take her out in the corner to no avail. Lana tagged herself in and held her own against Morgan and Nattie. Nia tagged back in and her Baszler bullied Lana, forcing her stand on the stairs, which was actually kinda heartbreaking to watch. Who said Lana can't act? Bayley and Royce continued the match for their teams, Royce eventually applying a fancy tarantula-esque maneuver on the ropes. An awful multi-person sequence followed, most workers looking not-too-excited to have to get tossed by Jax and basically just threw themselves through the middle rope instead. It all resulted in a crazy superplex from Royce onto Bayley into everyone that looked brutal because somehow, despite landing on 7 other workers, nobody caught Bayley's legs (which hit the floor with a thud). Royce hit her finish Deja Vu and got the upset pin over Bayley, a shocking development. Royce then hit a series of spinning back elbows and kicks and got 2 on Natalya. Royce locked in a weak-looking single-leg crab, but Natalya reached Belair  and escaped and then struggled to apply a submission. Natalya eventually applied the Sharpshooter instead of whatever she was going for and the sides were evened - 4 on 4. Lacey Evans hit Nattie with the Women's Right to eliminate her some minutes later. Belair came in next and it looked like she might be gone after a Spanish Fly from the top rope (a move that takes too much cooperation for me to like it), but the Riott Squad broke it up. Using quick tags, the Riot Squad put a hurt on Jax, but she eventually tagged out to Baszler who delivered a series of stiff kicks to Ruby. Baszler applied the Kirifuda Clutch (Kokina Clutch) on Riot and while Riot did pin her shoudlers for a full count (with the ref's back turned), Baszler ended up choking her out and making the cover to make this a 4-2 match. Morgan came in and somehow hit a crucifix pin on Lacey Evans to put her out of the match, Evans looking like she'd been knocked loopy from it. Jax came in for her team and Morgan took the fight to her, trying to use her speed and agility to put Jax on the mat. Jax had no chance, though, eliminated by a Samoan Drop within a minute. Belair was on her own now but didn't just lie down, she went after Jax and after some brilliant backflips, took Jax out with a dropkick. When she went for a splash, though, Jax hit her with double knees and a powerslam. Jax hit the leg drop but only got 2 from it. Grabbing Bianca by her hair, Jax dragged her into the corner and went for a splash from the top. Belair got up, though, and dropkicked her from her perch. Baszler came in and applied her Clutch, but Belair fought out of it by dropping onto her back. Baszler reapplied it, though, and it looked like Bianca was doomed but somehow, using her incredible strength, got onto her feet and somehow reached the ropes! Baszler wouldn't let go of the move, though, and was eliminated because of it. It was now down to Nia and Lana (who had been relegated to the stairs) vs. Belair. On the outside, Belair and Jax continued to brawl, the referee counting them both out! With this development, the sole survivor was noneother than Lana! Well, in 34 years, I'm not quite sure we've seen that finish before. This was better than the male Survivors match, but not by much. (2.5/5)

Main event time - Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns in a WWE Champion/Universal Champion Clash. This was the most physical, most demanding match that Reigns has wrestled since returning a few months ago, a nice change of pace from the storyline/drama-driven matches he's had with Jey Uso as of late. I didn't necessarily Reigns digging too deep into his heel bag of tricks, but Reigns isn't a cheater - he's a bad-ass who can beat anyone cleanly (or at least that's how he views himself). McIntyre took him to his limit, though, kicking out of Reigns' signature offense and connecting with plenty of his own. Unlike so many other big time matches we've seen, the finishers were kept to a relative minimum. This was not a match comprised solely of "bomb throwing" and false finishes. A fantastic exchange towards the end of the match - which went close to 30 minutes, if not slightly more - resulted in McIntyre connecting with his Future Shock DDT for 2 and McIntyre calling for the Claymore. When he went for it, though, Reigns caught him with the Superman Punch. Reigns attempted a guillotine choke, but McIntyre backdropped him across the ring. Drew went for another Claymore, but Reigns caught him with a boot and sent him shoulder-first into the ringpost. Reigns went for a spear, but McIntyre caught him and applied an armbar! Reigns wouldn't tap, though, and was able to grab the ropes. Outside the ring, Reigns hit a Samoan Drop that put McIntyre through the table and this one looked to be over. As McIntyre got to his feet, Reigns speared him through the barricade - but still only got a 2. Sadly, this is where the match lost me a bit. I get that this one was all about making it clear that these two guys are equals, but this was overkill (it didn't help that we got a synthetic "This Is Awesome" chant soon after). Reigns went for a Spear but McIntyre caught him with a boot only to get speared anyway for another 2 count. Somehow, McIntyre hit a Claymore outta nowhere, but the referee took some of the punishment. Jey Uso came down the aisle in an effort to try to distract Drew, but all it led to was a lowblow to McIntyre and a Superkick from Uso. Roman then applied the guillotine, choking out McIntyre and forcing a ref stoppage. This is one of those matches that was undeniably strong, but will probably get overhyped. The things that hurt it were the production (the deafening phony crowd noise will not age well), the final minutes being disconnected from the realism that came before it (at least to me), and the unnecessary screwy finish. Still a "must see" in a slow year if you're a fan of Reigns or Drew or just the WWE in general, but not necessarily something I'd revisit. (4/5)

The "finale" of the show saw the WWE's Final Farewell to the Undertaker. Shane McMahon came out first, followed by Big Show (looking lean and mean), and then JBL. My god. Are they just going to bring out every guy that ever wrestled the Undertaker? This could go for days. Jeff Hardy was next, then, in a genuine surprise (to me at least), Mick "Mankind" Foley. Foley felt like the first guy that truly deserved to be in that ring to honor the Undertaker, the rest not really being known all that well for their rivalries with Taker. The Godfather came out next, which was a bit odd because for one to appreciate his presence, you'd have to know that these guys were good friends dating back several decades (with Godfather being part of the Bone Street Krew). Speaking of the Bone Street Krew, the Godwinns arrived next - Mark "Henry O. Godwinn" Canterbury and Dennis Knight, aka Phineas/Mideon. Savio Vega arrived next, another longtime friend and BSK member, followed by Rikishi. In yet another shocker, Kevin Nash showed up next before we saw the arrival of Booker T. It was then time for the "big guns" - Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Triple H, Kane - before we got a video package going through Taker's lengthy career (soundtracked by Metallica). After the video package, they cut back to the ring - where Vince McMahon gave a brief speech before welcoming the Undertaker himself. Taker's entrance ate up about 5-6 minutes. Taker said it was now time for him to "let the Undertaker rest in peace" as dubbed chants of "Thank You Taker" filled the Thunderdome. He did his trademark pose and we got a hologram Paul Bearer, a final reunion between the two before the lights went out on the Phenom one last time...only for them to turn back up and for Taker to pull his thumb across his neck one last time (?) and exit the ring like just another guy. 

This was better than the farewell we got at WrestleMania a few years back? Better than Taker riding off into the night at the end of this year's show? 

With an overall Kwang Score of 3.17-out-of-5, the 2020 edition of the Survivor Series didn't start very strong and didn't end very strong, but offered just enough quality action in the middle to be a satisfying show. The Reigns/McIntyre main event was very strong - arguably McIntyre's best or second best PPV match of the year depending on how much one enjoyed his SummerSlam match against Orton (or the rather fun Ambulance Match) - and The New Day/Street Profits was easily the best Profits match I've ever seen (and that includes their NXT run). Asuka vs. Sasha Banks didn't quite live up to the lofty expectations placed upon it, but it could be argued that Zayn/Lashley overdelivered considering that it was a heel/heel contest. 

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

WWE No Mercy 2008

WWE No Mercy 2008

Portland, OR - October 2008

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, Triple H was the WWE Champion, Chris Jericho was the World Heavyweight Champion, and Matt Hardy was the ECW Champion. The Intercontinental Champion was Santino Marella, the United States Champion was Shelton Benjamin, the Divas Champion was Michelle McCool, and the Women's Champion was Beth Pheonix. The World Tag Team Champions were Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes, while the WWE Tag Team Champions were The Colons.

No Mercy 2008 begins with an epic fireworks display and then our ECW Championship match - Mark Henry challenging Matt Hardy. I forgot that Matt Hardy ever held the title (or that ECW ran until 2010). Henry controls early using his size and strength, but Hardy sees an opening and targets the big man's leg. Henry's selling here is on-point; the two veterans doing a nice job of selling the story. I used to say it a good deal in 05'-06', but Matt Hardy was arguably the most dependable worker on the roster for a stretch of time, a guy that may not give you the best match on every show but would never give you the worst. Hardy has the fans biting on a Side Effect nearfall, but Henry lands a splash that nearly ends the match too. Hardy lands a Twist of Fate and gets the clean victory to pop the crowd. I wouldn't call that an all-time classic or anything, but it was a smartly-worked, well laid-out match with a nice clean finish. (3/5)

Backstage, Triple H and Jeff Hardy have a segment together. 

Women's Champion Beth Phoenix (with Intercontinental Champion, Santino, in tow) takes on Candice Michelle next. Candice had been a "pro" for close to 5 years by this point so she doesn't look terrible in there. Pheonix is the better worker in every possible way - her offense hits harder, her body language more expressive and natural, her bumps less awkward - but it takes two to make a good match and this isn't nearly as bad as it could be (even if there are some warts, specifically some of Michelle's dropkicks missing their mark or lacking oomph). The match doesn't overstay its welcome nor does Phoenix's victory seem rushed. A perfectly solid match. (2.5/5)

Rey Mysterio puts his mask on the line against Kane in the next contest. Rey was still consistently good in 08' if a bit stale, while Kane was his usual self - dependable but not necessarily a guy that delivered great matches often. By this point, Kane and Mysterio had probably wrestled a hundred times but that results in them being able to "play the hits" and play them well, which is really all they need to do to keep the crowd engaged. Mysterio dishes out some rare offense in this match, though, spicing things up with a beautiful moonsault and a Zig-Zag like counter that stuns the commentators and the crowd. When Kane tries for a chokeslam, Mysterio escapes and, though its imperfect and possibly a botch, the way he hits a quasi-bulldog/arm-drag works for me because it looks like split-decision thinking, not a choreographed sequence. To his credit, Kane has his work boots on too and keeps pace with the speedy Mysterio. His cut-offs, including a match-ending chair shot, get great reactions and feel vicious. Had this one had a clean finish and maybe an additional 2-3 minutes, I'd have no problem calling it a career match for the Big Red Machine, but the DQ ending prevents it from being considered anything more than just a really good (though not quite great) match. (3/5)

Backstage, MVP goes hunting for Vickie Guerrero and runs into Big Show. MVP then makes his way to the ring and cuts a promo about how the entire WWE revolves around him...until Randy Orton shows up. Orton looks young here, but was already a fully-established main event guy in 08' and was on-the-brink of leading his own stable, The Legacy (who show up here to back-up Randy despite not being "officially" a stable yet). A "Boring" chant breaks out as Cody Rhodes starts talking and Rhodes handles it well, regaining the fans' attention. Its then Manu's turn next and he's noticeably less confident. Orton tells them off and walks away. MVP goes back to insulting the Viper and gets talked-down to by Ted DiBiase. MVP walks off too, not wanting to test his skills against the trio of second-gen stars. CM Punk and Kofi Kingston arrive, though, a loud "CM Punk!" chant starts up, and they, along with MVP, make their way back to the ring. Kofi and Punk let MVP get his ass whooped first before coming in and going after the Tag Team Champs. That was smart. This was a good segment, but not quite worth a plus +1. 

A number one contender's match for the World Heavyweight Championship (held by Chris Jericho) follows - JBL vs. Batista. Batista had been somewhat "iced" for the previous few months having wrestled in the midcard at WrestleMania XXIV and not held a World Championship for several months after getting a major run in 05'-06'. As expected, these two beat the hell out of each other, neither man afraid to get physical. This match doesn't go as long as I thought it would and Batista getting the 100% clean with the Batista Bomb without a single false finish makes this a decisive win for him. Sometimes a match is just a match and that's okay. (2.5/5)

JBL cuts a post-match promo that gets a ton of heat. Its a masterful bit of heelery based on JBL being a millionaire investor who has benefited from the bank bailout of 2008. Before he leaves, though, Cryme Tyme appear on the Tron sitting on the hood of JBL's limo. Cryme Tyme welcome a gaggle of Divas and Sgt. Slaughter into the limo, taking it out for a joyride to JBL's astonishment. Like the earlier Orton/MVP/Legacy segment, its not a Network Nugget of Awesomeness in my book, but I like how brief segments like this spice up a PPV. Its something the WWE doesn't do nearly enough on its shows these days, which often feel like just a string of matches featuring guys trying to outdo each other rather than actually putting on a show that offers variety, surprise, and, in small doses, silliness.

The Undertaker squares off against Vickie Guerrero's bodyguard, The Big Show, next. In the build-up to this feud, Taker actually tombstoned Vickie, which seems kinda crazy in 2020 but its not like 2008 was the stone age. Anyway...Taker comes out firing, but Big Show eventually takes control. At this point in his career, Taker wasn't at his peak necessarily, but he could still move real well, his timing was preposterous, and he had a bag of tricks unrivaled by any other big man ever. Big Show, meanwhile, wasn't necessarily in the best shape of his career but was game to tear the house down and willing to take some rather rare bumps to do so (at one point, he takes a DDT that loves just devastating on a guy his size). The crowd is super hot for this, oohing-and-ahhing at every turn of the match. Big Show eventually loosens a turnbuckle and sends Taker into it before nailing him with a two Big Right Hands. In a weak finish, he hits him with a third one to the back of the head and Charles Robinson calls for the bell. They give Big Show the win without actually having him pin the Undertaker, which just doesn't make much sense to me because it really doesn't "protect" Taker all that match. Anyway, aside from the somewhat flat finish, this one exceeded my expectations. Its also a match that made me wonder, hours later, if Taker's spirited performance here was a nice nod to the Big Show finally deserving to get a clean W over him, especially as the story goes that Taker felt Show was immature and not dedicted enough when he first came to the WWE roughly a decade earlier. I've seen some go a full 4-stars with this, but I don't feel the same. This is in the good-not-great territory. (3/5)

The WWE Championship is on the line next - Triple H defending against Jeff Hardy. I'm not a big fan of Triple H, but when he needs to "bring it" he tends to do well. Hardy was mega over in 07'-08' and deserved a run with the title so Triple H is playing the "gatekeeper" role, the Old Guard that refuses to simply step aside and give Hardy his moment. This is a good match, but not a great one. Its not that Triple H and Hardy don't work hard, but its a match that stays in Triple H's wheelhouse rather than take him out of his comfort zone and offer something new. To be fair, Triple H was never going to work a match built around ridiculous high spots, being put through tables, or trying to match aerial tactics with the Enigma, so it makes sense that this one is more a "wrestling" contest even if that doesn't necessarily play to Hardy's strengths. At a little over 20 minutes, Triple H and Hardy have plenty of time to deliver a back-and-forth contest and that's what they do. I like the little details here and there - Triple H trying to get a sneaky victory in the opening 5 seconds with a cheap shot from behind, Jeff Hardy's various counters, the ridiculous back bump that Hardy takes when he misses a somersault splash to the outside and lands right onto the arena floor. There's still somethng missing for me about this that doesn't put it into that "must see" category. Maybe its the finish? The unshakeable feeling that this match felt like a missed opportunity? Hardy would go on to win the title in December (in a triple threat with Edge), but Triple H never really put Jeff (or Edge) over cleanly, a move that, in some ways, may not have been necessary but did always seem to keep them one notch below the top tier of stars (namely Cena, Batista, and Orton). (3.5/5)

Main event time - Chris Jericho, the World Heavyweight Champion vs. Shawn Michaels in a ladder match. At the previous month's Unforgiven show, Jericho stole the title during the night's World Heavyweight Championship Scramble Match after losing to Michaels in a rather underwhelming Unsanctioned Match earlier in the show (why an "unsanctioned" match would happen during the middle of the show never made sense but whatever). Instead of trying to wrestle another hardcore match, which was neither guys forte (see the equally underwhelming Punk/Jericho Street Fight or Jericho/Ambrose [now Moxley] match from Extreme Rules 2016), Michaels and Jericho wisely decide to simply put on one of the all-time great ladder matches. This match has been hyped for years, but it deserves the accolades that are heaped upon it. The two had been engaged in a blood feud for months, but this match isn't about punishment - or at least not the kind that comes with unfocused rage. Michaels wants to take Jericho's most prized possession. Jericho has no "Champion's Advantage" and will do whatever it takes to hold onto the title. What makes the match better than your average ladder match is the story they develop over the course of close to 30 minutes of action - we see the targeting of knees and legs, we get some unexpected blood, creative (and nasty) uses of the ladder, and it all feels organic and unscripted, nothing choreographed, telegraphed, or blatantly "cooperative." The final 2-3 minutes are arguably the best, most riveting moments of any ladder match ever. Even the (failed) interference of Lance Cade doesn't really detract from things or cheapen the actual ending. (4.5/5)

With a pretty high Kwang Score of 3.14-out-of-5, No Mercy 2008 is one of the best WWE shows of the post-Ruthless Aggression Era, stacked from top to bottom with the biggest stars of the time (save for Edge and Cena, who I believe were both out with injuries) and featuring not only a great line-up of matches but several short segments that help keep the show moving. Why can't they produce shows like this today? It also helps that the show builds up in its intensity and offers vareity in terms of match styles, outcomes, and match lengths. Not every match is designed to blow the roof off the house or be a Match of the Year candidate, but there's no match that fails to deliver (even if one could argue who should have won/lost a specific match). 

FINAL RATING - Watch It

WWE WrestleMania IX

WWE WrestleMania IX

Las Vegas, Nevada - April 1993

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this match, Bret Hart was in the WWE World Champion, Shawn Michaels held the Intercontinental Championship, and Money Inc. were the World Tag Team Champions. 

There a handful of WrestleManias that I've never seen or, if I have seen them, don't remember watching them. This is one of those shows as, for whatever reason, my interest in wrestling waned between 93' and 95' (likely due to the departure of my idol Hulk Hogan) only to be revived by the return of the Ultimate Warrior and the hype for the Ironman Match at WrestleMania XII.

Gorilla Monsoon welcomes us to the show and introduces the WWE's newest commentator, Jim Ross, who then welcomes his co-host, "The Macho Man" Randy Savage. All this pageantry is supposed to set the stage for a tremendous show, but it feels like filler, a dog-and-pony show to hide the fact that this WrestleMania has a very weak card. Bobby Heenan comes out next, riding on a camel backwards in sheer panic. 

Opening up the show we've got Shawn Michaels, the Intercontinental Champion, taking on the undefeated Tatanka. Michaels is accompanied to the ring by Luna Vachon while Tatanka, in a nice twist, is seconded by the woman who had Shawn had turned on a few months prior - Sensational Sherri. Michaels and Tatanka do some respectable wrestling to start things off while JR, Macho, and Heenan trip over each other on commentary. Not the smoothest match and, at times, it gets a bit dull, but that's mostly due to Tatanka just not being a very exciting performer. He's not Mike Rotunda level of boring, but there's just something that's never clicked with me. Michaels goes into the corner with tremendous force and the crowd pops...but then gets brought back down to a lull as Tatanka applies an armbar. He catches him with a shoulderbreaker for another big pop, then an elbow and a tomahawk chop from the top, but on the second one, Michaels catches him with a superkick! The commentators go nuts for it, but this wasn't Michaels finisher yet. Michaels tosses Tatanka over the top rope and JR seems to want to call this as a cause of a disqualification, but can't get his message in. Michaels continues his dominance, taking down Tatanka with a clothesline on the outside of the ring. After a swinging neckbreaker and a dropkick, Shawn slows things back down with a headlock. Michaels delivers a bizarre variation of a victory roll, a move I'm not sure he ever attempted again. He tries it again, but Tatanka drops him with an Electric Chair. Michaels comes off the top with a series of forearms, but Tatanka starts his "rain dance" (essentially "Hulking Up") and nails Michaels with a series of chops. Tatanka hits a crossbody off the top and the crowd bites on the 2 count. Michaels attempts a leapfrog, but Tatanka grabs his legs and catapults him into the corner for another nearfall. Tatanka attempts a fireman's carry but Michaels counters it into a nearfall. Michaels goes for a crossbody of his own, but Tatanka reverses it into a powerslam for a 2.8. As Michaels and Tatanka brawl on the outside, the crowd chants "Sherri." Michaels attempts a forearm off the apron and goes into the steps instead! Michaels pulls the referee out of the ring and dives into the ring. Tatanka hits his fireman's carry and looks to have the match won - but the ref calls for the bell instead of making the count and Shawn has been DQ'd. There's a good match in here somewhere, but it was uneven, only good in parts, and the finish was lazy. The best part of the match may have been Sherri getting bodyslammed on the outside of the ring by Luna, which kinda felt like a symbolic torch-passing in a way as Vachon would be the WWE's resident evil female manager (and Sherri would end up in WCW by the next year). (2/5)

Backstage, The Steiner Brothers cut a promo before their match against The Headshrinkers. As expected, the Steiners control early, eventually running the Headshrinkers out of the ring with stereo clotheslines from the top rope. Rick Steiner comes in and Samu takes control briefly before the Dog-Faced Gremlin strikes with a nasty clothesline and then sends him into the post. Scott Steiner comes in and hits his tilt-a-whirl slam but, after trying to come off the ropes, end up slung over the top rope. Outside the ring, Afa nails him with a bamboo stick (kendo stick) to the back with the ref's back turned. Steiner tries to mount a comeback with an atomic drop, but Fatu no-sells it and hits him with an awesome thrust kick to maintain control. This is the type of physicality that the WWE wasn't necessarily known for but that the Steiners and the Samoans had no trouble bringing to the mix after doing it for so long in the NWA/WCW together. I'm not sure this match needed to go the duration it did, but the teams had undeniable chemistry and pulled out some of their best sequences to try to keep the crowd engaged. The finish was imperfect and, honestly, I'd like to have seem some chicanery to protect the Headshrinkers, but this was fine. (2.5/5)

After a video recap of their feud, Crush vs. Doink follows. This is a smartly-worked match, but Crush is not good here and didn't get much better in the decade that followed. One could tally it up to Crush having to cycle off steroids, but its not like he had a tremendous physique when he debuted years earlier either. A double-chokeslam toss into the corner looks weak, as does his finisher (the Kona Crush), and a spinning back kick he attempts looks about as smooth as an alligator's back. Doink, who's usually technically proficient, doesn't have a great night (day?) either as some of his moves, especially off the top rope, look sloppy and weak. On the plus side, I like how this match is laid out as Crush does come at Doink looking to punish him first and win the match secondary - the right attitude to have considering the backstory. I also like the finish, which showed that there was considerably more depth to the Doink character and what could be done with it than many fans might've suspected upon first glance. This still isn't an abover-average match or anything, but its not terrible either. (2.5/5)

After a word from Money Inc., the World Tag Team Championship match is next with DiBiase and Schyster taking on Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake. In their promo before the match, IRS mentions that they had hired goons attack Hogan the previous night as a way to explain why he has a bloodshot, busted-up eye (the true story, or at the least the accepted story, is that Hogan hurt himself in a boating accident). As expected, this is a paint-by-numbers tag match that is all about ref bumps, chicanery from the heels, and Hulk Hogan making the big comeback to signal the end of the match (though there's not a "Hulk Up" moment). I've seen some people call this one of the most matches of the 90s, but I wouldn't go that far. It is certainly Hogan's worst WrestleMania match in several years if not ever (I'd have to rewatch WrestleMania II to know for sure) and the finish is famously overcooked and meaninglessly confusing. After getting DQ'd for practically no reason, Hogan and Beefcake bully referee Danny Davis despite knowing full well that the titles can't change hands on a DQ and then we get an extended posedown segment that drags on too long. There's just something about this match occurring in daylight, the crowd not feeling as huge and loud as it should, and the crowded commentary that makes the whole presentation lackluster and plastic. Say what one will about the Hogan/Slaughter and Hogan/Sid main events, but to a 7 or 8 year-old kid, those still felt like big, historical "must win" events. This match felt like a step down for the Hulkster, but Hogan himself felt lesser too - less popular, less important, less relevant. He'd prove in WCW that there was still a large market of fans who hadn't tired of his act (his series against Flair in 94' set PPV records for the company), but even that run lasted only a couple years before the red-and-yellow had to be traded out for something darker. (1.5/5)

Before his match, Mr. Perfect cuts a promo about his opponent, "The Narcissist" Lex Luger. Luger gets a tremendous entrance, but its Mr. Perfect's theme song that gets the huge pop. A good exchange of wristlocks to start things out as the commentators continue to drill it into the audience's head that Luger is a "knockout artist" and knocked out Perfect and Bret Hart earlier in the weekend at a WrestleMania brunch (we never see footage of it). The match continues to go back-and-forth with neither man getting a clear advantage. Perfect takes a great bump into a turnbuckle and Luger goes to work on Perfect's notoriously weakened lower back. Luger attempts to a steal a pin, but the ref catches him cheating. He hits a powerslam off the ropes but Perfect kicks out at 2. Hennig tries for a sunset flip but only gets 2, then locks in a sleeper that Luger escapes by backing into the corner. Because of the heat, because of the back story, and because Perfect puts on an excellent performance, this is clearly the match of the night thus far. Luger looks gassed at times and some of his bumps look labored and awkward, but what hurts this match most is the screwy finish. Luger was clearly getting the big push moving forward, so why not have him defeat Perfect clean in the middle of the ring? Lex strikes him with his forearm knockout after the match anyway. I'd still consider this at least half-a-notch above the opener in terms of ranking matches on this show. According to legend (and a shoot interview with Lex), the match was laid out to be even better but Hennig pulled a rib on him and pretended to blank out the whole match. The post-match angle with Shawn Michaels is cool and unexpected and enough to bump this up a half-point for me. (3/5)

On a show full of notoriously bad matches, this one might be the most unloved - Giant Gonzalez vs. The Undertaker. As I mentioned in my review of the 93' Royal Rumble, maybe my most lingering question about Gonzalez is whether or not his act would've gotten over if they had not decked him out in the dumbest bodysuit ever created. Gonzalez strikes first but Taker essentially no sells his first few shots. It really is remarkable how small Taker looks next to Gonzalez. Taker hits an Old School, but the Giant won't go down. Gonzalez applies a headlock and Taker drops to a knee, the Deadman looking weaker than he ever had before. Considering this match's reputation, it really isn't all that bad. The Undertaker, forced to carry a match by showing vulnerability and providing 90% of the movement, does as good a job as possible. He throws himself into the stairs, protects himself and his character with every bump, and though the match is far from a technical classic, the crowd is into it for the spectacle it is. The finish is disappointing and doesn't quite make sense as Gonzalez wasn't really in all that much trouble. Plus, chloroform...? There's just no psychology to how this match ends. A point-and-a-half awarded for Taker's performance and this match not running longer than 10 minutes and another half-point for the post-match, which is phenomenal for two reasons - (a) the crowd chants for Hogan (which shows that they were primed for what would happen after the main event) and (b) the Undertaker's recovery and rush to the ring shows an urgency and intensity that we had not seen from the Deadman and gets the biggest reaction of the show up to this point because it is absolutely awesome. (1.5/5)

Hulk Hogan cuts a promo and states that he would like to challenge whoever the winner of this main event is. He sure didn't wait very long...

Main event time - Bret "The Hitman" Hart defending the WWE Championship against Yokozuna. Bret takes the fight to Yoko, but Yoko uses his strength to shrug him off and send him into the mat. Bret gets a big pop for outsmarting Yoko and tripping him up with the bottom rope in order to put him on his back. He hits his patented elbow drop and the crowd goes wild. Bret tries to rock him with a pair of clotheslines, but Yoko won't go down and hits one of his own to regain control. From here, the match continues to be all about Bret using his quickness, agility, and speed to try to tire out Yoko and catch him with his best shot. Everything Bret does is just so smart and there are some terrific twists to this match, most notably an unexpected exposed turnbuckle spot that allows Bret to apply the Sharpshooter only for Fuji to throw salt in his eyes! Somehow, in less than 10 minutes, Bret and Yoko absolutely exceeded just about everyone's expectations and showed off remarkable chemistry that I'm not sure we ever really got to see fully blossom. Hogan comes out almost immediately and for some reason, Fuji and Yoko challenge him immediately and now we've got... 

Hulk Hogan vs. Yokozuna in an impromptu title match. Hogan doesn't even have his shirt off when he comes into the ring. Hogan dodges another salt-throw, hits a couple big right hands and his leg drop, and we've got a new champion. It doesn't make a ton of sense and its not even worth rating, really, because its more angle than match. But the Bret/Yoko match? An underrated glimpse of what could've been an all-time great title fight thanks to Bret's incredible storytelling ability and Yoko being at his physical peak. (3/5)

Known as one of - if not the - worst WrestleMania of all time, the best thing about WrestleMania IX might be that it runs under 4 hours. Unlike the next year's WrestleMania X, which is fondly remembered mostly because it features a fantastic opener, a legendary ladder match, and doesn't end with Hulk Hogan winning the title, this show doesn't have a single "must see" match or even a single bout that comes close to it. The best or most entertaining moments on the show are actually the angles that play out - the Undertaker recovering from a chloroform attack to kick Giant Gonzalez's ass, the transition from the Perfect/Luger feud to a Perfect/Michaels rivalry, the finish to the Crush/Doink match. But because this show doesn't give the babyfaces their wins, asks more questions than it answers, and looks like its taking place at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, it doesn't feel like the culmination of a year's worth of stories - it feels like the prelude to a better, more satisfying show where heroes defeat villains and storylines reach their conclusion. With a Kwang Rating of 2.29-out-of-5, I'm probably more positive about this show than most would be, but that's not to say I'd recommend it...

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver