SummerSlam 2021

WWE SummerSlam 2021

Las Vegas, NV - August 2021

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, Roman Reigns was the Universal Champion, Bobby Lashley held the WWE Championship, Shinsuke Nakamura was the Intercontinental Champion, Sheamus was the United States Champion, the RAW Tag Team Champions were AJ Styles and Omos, the SmackDown Tag Team Champions were The Usos, the RAW Women's Champion was Nikki "ASH" Cross, the SmackDown Women's Champion was Bianca Belair, and the Women's Tag Team Champions were Tamina and Natalya.

SummerSlam 2021 began with the RAW Tag Team Champions, AJ Styles and Omos, defending the straps against the "odd couple" pair of Matt Riddle and Randy Orton. My personal dislike for Riddle aside, he has been a rare post-NXT success story, though that's probably partially because I'm guessing his initial contract merited him getting called up and not withering away in the "developmental league." To me, this match was just a tad too short and was just beginning to heat up when Orton hit the RKO for the W. The best spot of the match came, unsurprisingly, from AJ Styles, who hit a backflip reverse DDT on Riddle on the floor that looked absolutely insane. Omos doesn't do much in the ring, but he has undeniable presence and I'm hoping that they'll have the titles back sooner than later as Omos and AJ are a great duo that will allow him plenty of time to grow. (2.5/5)

Eva Marie took on Alexa Bliss next. This reminded me of a match from the late 90s or Attitude Era as the wrestling was subpar, the gimmicks are all cartoonish, and Eva Marie's muscle, Dew Drop, seems like a joke character that Vince finds funny because she's full-figured. This match got a minute or two longer than I expected it would because I only imagined it could possibly go for a minute or two to begin with. Without Bray Wyatt as even the symbolic anchor of the character, I don't really understand Alexa Bliss's demented weirdo gimmick at all. (0/5)

Things got considerably better in our next match - Sheamus defending the United States Championship against Damien Priest. This wasn't a perfect match as there were moments when Priest and Sheamus noticeably slowed things down and telegraphed a big spot, but they did beat the hell out of each other and there is something oddly endearing about seeing Priest perform high-risk maneuvers with little regard for his own health (for example, a somersault dive he performed early on that looked woeful but still popped me just for the insanity of it). Sheamus shined brightest, though, the veteran grappler adding yet another overlooked gem to a resume full of matches like this that feel violent, competitive, and spirited but get completely forgotten on people's Year End Lists. In 2005 or so, I said about Matt Hardy that the reason he was so valuable was because while he may not steal the show every night, he wouldn't put on a bad match on any night. Granted, Hardy's decline made that not as true as it was then but I could say the same about Sheamus now: the guy just doesn't put on bad matches. Its kind of a shame that I don't necessarily know what is next for Sheamus aside from an inevitable rematch which, while it will likely produce another solid bout, doesn't feel like much of a reward for one of the company's most consistently great performers. (3/5)

The SmackDown Tag Team Titles were on the line next as The Usos defended the championships against Rey and Dominick Mysterio. Some good stuff here, especially out of the Usos, whose double-team maneuvers are a real thing of beauty (especially their nasty finishing double-super kick). At 24, Dominick Mysterio still has plenty to learn and his present role is a weird mix of positive and negative. On one hand, he's working matches with some of the best in-ring talents on the planet and has been since his debut. On the other hand, the WWE hasn't been all that successful in nurturing young talent in the recent past and arguably has never been the place to truly "learn your trade." I liked this match, but wouldn't call it "must see." (3/5)

Bianca Belair arrived to defend her SmackDown Women's Championship next. As the pre-match video showed, her challenger was supposed to be Sasha Banks, but Banks was not allowed to compete. Carmella then arrived and was inexplicably given a shot but before the match began, Becky Lynch arrived to a goosebumps-inducing pop. It really was a hair-raising moment and one that brought a huge smile to my face as I watched while jogging on my basement treadmill (humble brag). Lynch took out Carmella with ease and then came back into the ring and challenged Belair to "blow the roof off the place." Belair accepted...and proceeded to lose to a not-even-all-that-great Becky Lynch sidewalk slam in under 30 seconds. Awful. This one gets a point for Lynch's entrance but nothing more. (1/5)

Drew McIntyre vs. Jinder Mahal followed. Nothing much to say about this except that I wasn't into it. McIntyre feuding with Mahal feels like a big step down from where he was last year as Mahal, no matter how ripped he is, no matter how many TV wins he gets, is just not a credible upper midcard level guy. This is the match that should've been a 30-second squash. (1.5/5)

The RAW Women's Champion Nikki ASH defended her title against Rhea Ripley and Charlotte next. Charlotte was a guest on Renee Paquette's podcast recently and talked about how the WWE Women's Division is the best division in the world - an argument I think would be tough to debate - but, boy oh boy, are the gimmicks and storylines dogshit and this match (and the Becky/Bianca squash earlier in the show) proof of it. Nikki's Almost-A-Superhero gimmick is two scoops Hurricane but also looks one scoop Eugene, which is not a blend that is "cool" to anyone over the age of 11, girl or boy, and has turned me from one of her biggest cheerleaders to someone who can barely get through her segments/matches. Rhea Ripley, meanwhile, is a "bad ass" who has lost every big match of her career, a "cool" character who isn't all that cool or unique. Charlotte is a Superstar, but she's not a big enough superstar to bring "big fight feel" to a match where she's doing battle with some weak, unlikable characters. There were some good moments - some stiff spots, some good exchanges - but this match never really hooked me, nor was I ever caught up in the suspense as Nikki's recent reign seems to have been the obligatory "thank you" reign given to nearly every member of the roster at some point and Ripley had zero momentum coming into the match. Flair got the deserved win here with the Figure 8, here's hoping that we get a decent challenger for her sooner than later, maybe post shake-up, but for the life of me I can't really even think of who would fit that bill these days. (2/5)

After an Undertaker-length entrance, Seth Rollins took on Edge, who also got a special entrance that was split between a Brood throwback and his classic shtick. I'm not as down on Edge's whole career as others, but his comeback tour has been mostly underwhelming with the single exception of the tongue-in-cheek Greatest Wrestling Match Ever he had against Orton in 2019 (which may not have lived up to the WWE's smarts-mocking hype, but was still very good). Here, he went up against Seth Rollins and the single greatest flaw was that, while Edge's matches with Orton played on their history dating back to the Rated RKO days, Rollins and Edge had no such past or connection to make this match feel truly heated and not just actors playing the role of enemies. Sure, the WWE tried to sell the story that Rollins is the "modern day Edge" - and there are some cosmetic similarities between their two careers, including how overrated they are/were in some corners of the fan universe - but the Ultimate Opportunist never really showed up and Seth Rollins, with a glove, with a pirate jacket he must've picked up Matt Hardy's yard sale, in all white or all black, is primarily a blowhard character who isn't chickenshit enough or charismatic enough for me. Between the bells, Rollins is a good worker, who can do many things, and he showed it again here...but for a match that we've "never seen before," it didn't play as new and exciting. I guess the appeal is seeing Edge taking so many devastating blows and a Falcon Arrow? Like Edge's match against Reigns, when they hit the 15-minute mark, things picked up, as if only at that point did they feel like they had put in enough work to really make things meaningful and not just paint-by-numbers. This is when we saw the clever reversals and Edge busting out some signature moves and near falls and whatnot. But where was Rollins' attempts to cut corners? To try to outsmart his opponent? Where was Edge using his cunning and experience? And while I'm obviously no Rollins fan, I disagree with the result. Edge has never been a dominant anything - heel, face, or whatever - and can clearly coast on showing up every few months for a one-off match. But Rollins? He's supposed to draw viewers every week. (2.5/5)

Bill Goldberg vs. Bobby Lashley followed, with Lashley defending his Universal Championship. The crowd let Goldberg have it, clearly not interested in "playing along" with the roles that the WWE was presenting. Once the bell rang, Goldberg and Lashley didn't have the smoothest match ever but no one should've expected that anyway. Goldberg's signature offense lacked the snap and impact that it usually has, but it wasn't as woeful as it could've been as Lashley covered for him more than, say, the Undertaker could a couple years back. According to the news sites, at some point, Goldberg suffered a knee injury, though I didn't catch the precise moment. The match turned once Lashley targeted the knee and MVP caught it with his cane, eventually leading to the referee calling the match due to injury and giving Lashley the "pseudo win" via ref stoppage. I can understand Goldberg not wanting to tap out to Lashley's Full Nelson finish...but I can't understand why Vince McMahon still needs to placate the ego of a guy that he doesn't need to. Sure, Goldberg sells some tee-shirts and maybe some tickets, but with the WWE's current TV deals, his appearances mean little to nothing and, ultimately, his value diminishes with every appearance in which he gets booed or puts on an embarrassing performance. The post-match segment, which saw Lashley further attack Goldberg's knee and putting the Hurt Lock on Gage (Goldberg's son) after Gage jumped the rail and tried to stop Lashley. That moment got the biggest pop of the match which is probably not what Vince wanted at all. This wasn't a total trainwreck or anything, but it also wasn't very good. (1.5/5)

Main event time - John Cena challenging Roman Reigns for the WWE Championship. Cena came in looking a little bit slimmer than usual and also a touch more smarmy, which was part of the story coming in as he basically "called his shot" and said his gameplan was to "get his ass kicked" until the time was right for him to surprise Roman with a pin. It didn't necessarily make much sense to me; Was this supposed to be a pseudo-shoot/insider baseball reference to the way he had previously won matches by getting beaten down until it was time for his "5 Moves of Doom" formula? If so, Cena's own willingness to go 50/50 and put on actual great matches over the years kinda deflateed image years ago (to Cena's own credit, his "formula" was much less predictable than Hogan's). Meanwhile, Roman Reigns performed the same style of match, with the same attitude, as he did just a month ago against Edge. He beat down his opponent for a lengthy stretch, talked trash the whole time, and then eventually got caught with some offense that brought the match to its final third - which was entertaining and fun, but surprisingly unsuspenseful (especially once Cena failed to win the Super Attitude Adjustment). There were was one great cut-off and the crowd was definitely into it, but this match was basically carried by the personalities not necessarily the performance. There are some fans and critics who have praised this main event and I would still consider it above-average...but not the Match of the Year candidate I was hoping for. After getting the clean W, Brock Lesnar showed up and went face-to-face Reigns, signaling their eventual rematch. Here's hoping that match lives up to the hype that this one didn't. (3/5)

With a Kwang Score of 2.0-out-of-5, SummerSlam 2021 was a below average show, especially compared to the relatively strong Money in the Bank and Elimination Chamber events of this year. Reigns/Cena was good, but not great. Edge/Rollins was too long, though it heated up nicely by the end. Goldberg/Lashley started out decently but needed to be cut short and given a definitive finish. After years of being a high point on most every WWE PPV, none of the Women's Division matches were very good and some were downright insulting to the audience and confounding in their booking. The United States Title and Tag Team Title matches were the show's clear highpoints and they happened in the first 60 minutes of a four hour show. 

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver

WWE In Your House #4: The Great White North

WWE In Your House IV: The Great White North

Winnipeg, Manitoba, CA - October 1995

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, Diesel was the WWF Champion, Shawn Michaels was still recognized as the Intercontinental Champion, and the WWE Tag Team Champions were The Smoking Gunns. Bertha Faye was the Women's Champion but does not appear on the card.

The 4th ever In Your House show is a bit notorious (it was the lowest selling PPV that the WWE had ever put on up till that point, though I think Tuesday in Texas might've been close), but it starts off much like any other pay-per-view from this era - Hunter Hearst Helmsley taking on Fatu (the future Rikishi). 5 years later, that would be a TV show main event if not a pay-per-view worthy match but in October 95' its an undercard match and only gets 8 minutes, which still seem like 2-3 too many. Helmsley gets the win and gets a post-match interview with Jerry Lawler but ends up nearly doused in slop by Henry O. Godwinn, who he was in a lengthy feud with at the time. Actually, Godwinn and Helmsley would end up having a pretty underrated Hog Pen match not too long after this that is much better in execution than it would seem on paper. (1.5/5)

The Smoking Gunns defend their WWE Tag Team Championships against Razor Ramon and The 1-2-3 Kid next. This is the first of two Razor matches on the card as Ramon had the opportunity to leave Winnipeg with both the Tag Team Titles and the Intercontinental Championship. Ramon and 1-2-3 Kid had been having some difficulty getting along in the run-up to this match, forecasting their feud in 96'. I was surprised to read that this was the Smoking Gunns' first run with the titles despite debuting in 93' and having some somewhat "natural" rivals in The Quebecers (who held the titles 3 times between September 93' and March 94'). Anyway...This match is a significant improvement from the opening contest, but its still not something I'd consider "must see." What works is that Ramon and 1-2-3 Kid are "gray area" babyfaces and The Gunns, who are less popular, are also working a touch heel, lending the match the rare feel of being a contest between two teams that are focused more on winning the Tag Team Championships than pleasing the fans or doing it 100% "the right way." For example, there's a clever moment where both teams attempt to get over on the other by pulling their partner atop an opponent for a pin, something not 100% evil but still clearly an attempt to cut corners. The finish comes when Razor hits his finisher on Billy Gunn but then, instead of making the immediate pin, decides to let The Kid (who was was going crazy trying to get tagged in) come in and get the glory only for him to be rolled up and pinned by his much stronger, much larger opponent. I like that this is a perfectly reasonable way to take advantage The Kid's size and that Waltman has become too arrogant to ignore taking the W at any possible chance - which was precisely what his gimmick was when he debuted as an underdog. (2.5/5)

Goldust makes his debut next against Marty Jannetty. This one is a bit...bizarre. The Goldust character was not fully formed yet and was obviously a very risky gimmick to attempt, but at the same time, one would still expect a new character to have a more dominating debut performance. Instead, this is a fairly back-and-forth contest, with Jannetty almost carrying things with his dynamic offense. I can understand Dustin Rhodes wanting to really, really distinguish his previous persona from this new character, but he just doesn't look impressive at all and he hasn't incorporated all the quirks he would to get the character over either. Its basically a Jannetty carry job, but because Goldust - the character - looked more bizarre than he acted at this point, the match is mostly boring and unremarkable. Things would get much, much better with Goldust in the months after this while Jannetty, oddly enough, would basically be demoted even further over the course of the next year. The match only goes 10 minutes but feels like 15 and not in a good way. (0.5/5)

In a Battle of the Bigs, Yokozuna took on King Mabel next. Yokozuna would be turned face fairly soon after this but was still a heel at the time. King Mabel had been feuding with the Undertaker so I expected him to get the semi-clean win here with Yokozuna teasing his face turn. Instead, we don't get much of anything, both guys basically running the other out of the ring to show that they are of equal stretch. Its like Warrior/Hogan if they were wearing those big sumo suits. After 5 tedious minutes and Lawler making fat jokes, both men get counted out. Instead of coming to blows after the match, they hug it out. Of all the late era Yokozuna matches, this one may be the saddest to watch. At least when he was a face and feuding with Vader the next year, there was a brief moment where he at least had some sort of direction and spark. Here, he is no longer any sort of heel threat and can barely move, feuding with another oversized nobody in Mabel, who was just Undertaker cannon fodder. A half-point for not going too long. (0.5/5)

Shawn Michaels makes his way down the aisle looking super somber and barely interacting with the fans. Michaels has been forced to relinquish the Intercontinental Championship to Dean Douglas (Shane Douglas) after suffering injuries at the hands of "9 Marines" after a drunken bar fight a week or so earlier. Of course, even if he had been in full health, Michaels was not going to drop the title to Douglas and, rather than doing a job, probably would've had some storyline reason to forfeit the title as, by this point, I'm guessing Vince already had Shawn pencilled in to win the big one at WrestleMania XII. Anyway...Razor Ramon comes out and they go 11 minutes. This match has been maligned for years just because of all the politics involved but its really no worse than any other match on this show. The truth is, Scott Hall was just never that great of a "full match" worker. He bumped well. He had charisma. He was solid in tag matches and when he got to be around a ladder. But his resume of actually good singles matches is really, really thin. (1.5/5)

Main event time - Diesel defending the WWE Championship against The British Bulldog, who scored a pinfall victory over the champ during the build to this match. Bret Hart joins on commentary, which sends Lawler hightailing it for backstage. Having Bret at ringside helps set up some tension when Diesel and Bulldog end up on the arena floor and there's a moment when Bret's presence seemingly gives his brother-in-law an advantage. Bulldog gets chop-blocked at that moment and this allows Davey Boy to take over, with Cornette also getting involved. Bulldog focuses his offense on the leg and Diesel sells it properly, these two not doing anything spectacular but doing the basics right (which is sometimes all you need to do). Bulldog applies a Boston Crab right near the corner and Diesel opts not to grab the ropes to break the hold despite being less than a foot away. Its a dumb, dumb moment that a smarter worker would've fixed by dragging their opponent to the center of the ring. Bulldog continues to go after Diesel's knee, grapevining his leg and raining down on it with punches. Diesel hammers his way out but gets chop-blocked for the second time. Bulldog grapevines his knee again but Diesel grabs the ropes this time. Back on their feet, Diesel tries to fight back but, again, Bulldog brings him to the mat by the leg. The Winnipeg crowd gives Bulldog a bit of a mixed response, with some of the audience cheering him as he works over the champ. Bulldog gets booted out of the ring and Diesel goes to the corner. Diesel tries for an elbow drop but Bulldog dodges it and goes right back into the grapevine. Its repetitive, but it makes sense as Bulldog has been in full control of this match, his strategy clearly working. Diesel drops his other leg across Bulldog's neck to escape. Bulldog attempts a vertical suplex but Diesel counters it with one of his own! After ducking a clothesline, Diesel hits a big back suplex! The crowd is coming alive for the big man, chanting his name. Bulldog goes for a cover on the winded champ, but Diesel kicks out. Davey Boy drags him back into the middle of the ring and applies the Sharpshooter but struggles to keep it locked on. Diesel kicks him off. Bulldog tries a bodyslam but Diesel falls atop him for a nearfall. Bulldog gets him up for the running powerslam but Diesel shoves him off and catches him with the big boot to the face! Diesel gets to his feet first and calls for the Jacknife. In comes Cornette and gets inadvertently run over by Bulldog. Diesel is in the driver's seat and they head to the outside. Diesel attempts a bulldog headlock but Bulldog pushes him into the ring post. Bulldog shoves the table into Bret and Bret jumps into the ring, causing the DQ loss for Diesel. Diesel comes into the ring and he's pissed at the finish. Bret and Diesel come to blows and need to be separated by refs. With a better finish, this match could almost be considered a hidden gem, but because it ends in such a copout, its really hard to recommend this. The clear match of the night to me, but partially because the rest of the card is so poor. (3/5)

With a fairly woeful Kwang Score of 1.58-out-of-5, In Your House #4 is impossible to recommend unless you're a fairly massive British Bulldog or Diesel fan. And, even if you are, these matches probably wouldn't even rank in either guy's Top 10.

FINAL RATING - DUDleyville

WWE SummerSlam 2000

WWE SummerSlam 2000

Raleigh, NC - August 2000

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the WWE Champion was The Rock, the European Champion was Perry Saturn, the Intercontinental Champion was Val Venis, the Light Heavyweight Champion was Dean Malenko, Shane McMahon was the Hardcore Champion, Lita was the Women's Champion, and Edge and Christian held the WWE Tag Team Championships. 

The show kicks off with an old-fashioned six-man tag pitting Right To Censor -  Steven Richards, The Goodfather, and Bull Buchanan - against the team of Rikishi and Too Cool. The crowd is into this match because, in 2000, the live crowds were still into just about everything regardless of whether it was actually any good. The match goes under 6 minutes and my biggest takeaways are that "The Hos" were more over than Too Cool and I totally forgot how long Bull Buchanan was with the company (and that he was Recon in Truth Commission). Other than that, nothing to really mention. (1/5)

This is followed by Road Dogg vs. X-Pac, who were stablemates and tag team partners and both heels, though X-Pac gets booed and there's a loud "X-Pac Sucks" chant during the match which makes me think that Road Dogg was already teasing a pseudo-face by this point. X-Pac wins a rather pedestrian match with a low-blow followed by his signature X-Factor facebuster finisher. I've never been any sort of fan of Road Dogg, so this match was practically guaranteed to not engage me before the bell even rang. Fortunately, it goes under 5 minutes - which earns it another half-point in my book because there was no way these guys were going to do anything good with more time. (1.5/5)

The Intercontinental Title was on the line in the next bout - a tag match pitting Chyna and Eddie Guerrero vs. Val Venis and Trish Stratus. This is one of those matches that is more interesting than good. Trish was not yet a regular in-ring performer, Eddie was not yet a main event player, Val Venis was a few weeks away from joining Right To Censor, and Chyna, while probably not at her peak, she had certainly broken out at this point as a babyface standing on her own without DX, a big enough star to carry her own segments and storylines. Unfortunately, Chyna couldn't really work all that well, especially compared to the women of today, and Val Venis, while passable in 97'/98', hadn't improved much, was wrestling in a gimmick that had proven to be very one-dimensional, and went on to be one of the most loathsome wrestling personalities on the planet 20 years later, further limiting any amount of enjoyment that I could get from this. Despite Chyna being booked as a very credible, worthy competitor, its still weird to see her and Val Venis do straight-up wrestling exchanges, with Venis booting Chyna in the ribs and at one point delivering a back suplex. Just another example of how truly unique Chyna was compared to any other woman in WWE history in that I can't think of a single other performer who truly competed in intergender matches where that "gimmick" was barely even played-up. Chyna ends up winning the Intercontinental Title too, a crowd-pleasing moment she celebrates with Guerrero. (2/5)

Tazz vs. Jerry Lawler is next. You gotta give credit to Tazz for giving his all to get this feud over and the same could and should be said about Lawler, but Wrestler vs. Commentator angles are a real dead-end to me as the basic premise almost requires at least a little bit of fuckery and there's really no way to "end" feuds like this. On one hand, if the heel antagonist (Tazz) wins, he hasn't really beat a true competitor. On the other hand, if the face commentator (Lawler) wins, the actual wrestler has been emasculated. Now, to me, the former is a much better situation than the latter because you haven't emasculated a wrestler, but guess which option Vince went with? We get a ref bump in this match and Jim Ross eventually smashing a candy jar over Tazz's head to give Lawler the pin in under 5 minutes. That was pretty much it for Tazz's WWE career as an in-ring talent. (1/5)

The first match that can be even partially recommended comes next - Shane McMahon defending the Hardcore Championship against Steve Blackman. Blackman comes across as a real badass in this match, even if he was void of charisma and not all that great of an actual wrestler. Shane gets his ass beat for awhile until Test and Albert show up and help him out. The 3-on-1 works well for awhile and they drag Blackman towards the entrance to set up the big spot of the match. Albert unintentionally hits Test with a kendo stick, which allows Blackman to regain the upperhand and take out the two goons - which doesn't make total sense, but hey, at least Blackman looks like a terminator. Shane climbs up the lighting rig and Blackman chases him. Blackman strikes him in the back with the kendo stick and Shane, after noticeably looking back down to make sure he was in the right position, takes an absolutely insane fall off the top of the lighting rig and through the stage (where there were certainly crash pads). Regardless, this was an absolutely crazy height to take a fall from and the crowd goes insane over it. Blackman, to his credit, takes a plunge too, dropping onto Shane (or where Shane had landed and then rolled out of the way, I'm guessing) with a legdrop from quite a ways up the rig himself. This match was all about the stunt, but it was captured well by the camera crew and the crowd went bananas for it. Plus, at the time, this sort of bump wasn't happening on every show or in every Shane match...but those days would come and these moments would lose their uniqueness. (3/5)

The next match is one where individual's mileage may vary as Chris Jericho takes on Chris Benoit in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match. The first fall happens relatively quickly once Benoit locks in the Crippler Crossface. I like the psychology there of Jericho opting to tap quickly before he suffers too much damage. The second fall sees Benoit continue to dominate a bit, working hard on Jericho's shoulder. Again, if you're not into Benoit's methodical, ruthless style because...well...you know...there's really nothing to enjoy or admire here aside from the hard-hitting action, which always his bread n' butter. Jericho ties things up by applying the Walls of Jericho, forcing Benoit to make the same choice that Jericho had to minutes earlier. During the third fall, Jericho and Benoit both busted out even rarer moves - especially for the WWE in 2000 - including a top rope hurricanrana and a dragon suplex. Jericho landed the Lionsault but couldn't capitalize. Instead, Jericho attempted to schoolboy Benoit, but Benoit countered it into a pin of his own and grabbed the bottom rope to get the 3rd fall in just 13 or so minutes. I liked the finish and the match but felt like it could've gone a tad longer. These two had good chemistry, no doubt, but this wasn't the best match either man had ever had or even the best they had together. (3/5)

The next match needs minimal introduction: The Dudley Boys vs. The Hardys vs. Edge & Christian in the first ever TLC Match, though it was clearly based on some of the wild matches that ECW had been having in the 90s and we did see basically a precursor of this same match at WrestleMania XVI. What's most remarkable about this match is that, even 20+ years later, it still stands up as arguably the best official TLC match ever. I was genuinely surprised that some of the spots in this match came from this match and weren't developed later, for example, the see-saw ladder moment that sends some steel directly into Matt Hardy's face (I was certain that spot came along in one of the later iterations). The Dudleys are as over here as they ever were and far less stale than they would become over the next few years. The Hardys are incredibly over (unsurprising considering the locale). Edge and Christian were despised by the crowd. Unlike future TLC matches, which became Edge's "signature" match and then the basis of an entire PPV rather than the justifiable, storyline-fitting end to a long-simmering feud, this one also feels like the legitimate blow-off to a three-way rivalry that had last many months, with the chairs representing Edge and Christian, the tables being the Dudleys' weapon of choice, and the ladders symbolizing the Hardys' hopes to ascend to the top of the tag division. One could rundown the list of insane, career-shortening moments in this match but it would get tedious and not do enough justice to how different and exciting this match, and the WrestleMania XVI match, was for their time in the WWE. (4.5/5)

A Thong Stinkface match pitting The Kat vs. Terri Runnels is next. This match was designed to "break up" the show and, for that, it works...but its still awful, awful stuff. It lasts well under 5 minutes and contains no actual wrestling and the "Bronco Buster" that The Kat delivers is noticeably bad (as is Terri's "selling" of the move despite there being no contact at all). The crowd is obviously into seeing two beautiful women in bikinis jumping around in a ring so I won't deny that this was effective time-filler. A half point because it could've been even worse if this had been stretched for even 30 more seconds. (0.5/5)

The Undertaker vs. Kane followed. According to the rumors at the time, this was supposed to be a Taker/Big Show match (they'd been a tag team the previous year) but Big Show had been pulled off the road to lose weight so Kane was quickly turned heel, setting up this match. This is more of a brawl than anything - in fact, as JR notes on commentary, I'm not positive the bell ever rings - and Taker targets his attack on unmasking his brother. This was better than having to watch these two work through an actual match but is still inessential viewing. (1.5/5)

Main event time - The Rock defending his WWE Championship against Triple H and Kurt Angle in a triple threat match. Angle comes out and cuts a pre-match promo about how he should've kissed Stephanie McMahon even sooner than he did, which leads to Triple H's arrival and the two immediately coming to blows. For some unexplained reason, The Rock doesn't come out for several minutes as Angle and Triple H duke it out, eventually making their way out of the ring. This is when we get the infamous spot where Triple H attempts to hit the pedigree on Angle on top of a table (which, when you actually think about it, is an insane move to do anyway) and the table gives away, bringing both men down to the floor and legitimately concussing Angle. The Rock finally made his entrance at this point and the match began in earnest, though Angle would spend the bulk of it being attended to by physicians and brought backstage, which is one of those funny ironic things where I believe 100% that Angle being "knocked out" was always the plan of the match but what they didn't count on was that it would actually happen. With Angle out, this match becomes just another Triple H/Rock match, which is not necessarily a bad thing but, even at the time, I remember thinking that this was a bit of a bait-and-switch as Angle was the freshest main eventer on the scene at the time and we'd seen Triple H and The Rock wrestle at least a dozen times over the previous year, including at six previous PPVs in 1-on-1 matches over the previous 2 years, most of which were built up through tag matches and multi-mans involving them on TV. Eventually Angle makes his return and we get some good false finishes and the crowd goes wild for all of them. Like so many other matches on this card, its hard to judge this match too harshly as - if you're listening to the audience - they absolutely loved every minute and were solidly into the proceedings. The actual finish is totally wild with Triple H inadvertently punching Stephanie and then Angle catching him with a sledgehammer to the head only for The Rock to break up the pin and hit the People's Elbow on Triple H to get the victory. Some people consider this an all-time classic but I don't think it holds up all that well and I would've much preferred to see these three actually have a "real" triple threat match with all three guys involved in the bulk of the match. (3.5/5)

SummerSlam 2000 is a show representative of its time - for better and worse. On the plus side, the crowd is hot all night, even for matches and segments that I would consider garbage (the Stinkface match, Kane and Taker's brawl). The TLC match is a terrific stunt fest, the main event is super heated, and Jericho/Benoit is good if not a bit underwhelming. Plus, even the bad matches are kept short. On the negative side, those "bad matches" still make up the bulk of the show. Even for a "nostalgia watch," I'd look elsewhere (as the 2.15-out-of-5 Kwang Score indicates).

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver

WWE SummerSlam 2008

WWE SummerSlam 2008

Indianapolis, IN - August 2008

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, CM Punk was the WWE Champion, Triple H was the World Heavyweight Champion, and Mark Henry was the ECW Champion. The Intercontinental Champion was Kofi Kingston, the United States Champion was Shelton Benjamin, and the Women's Champion was Mickie James. There was also a Divas Champion (Michelle McCool), World Tag Team Championships held by Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase, and WWE Tag Team Championships held by Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder.

After a video recap highlighting some of tonight's big matches, we kick things off with MVP vs. Jeff Hardy. I was surprised by how much innovative and hard-hitting MVP gets in here as he just unloads on Hardy with throws and stiff boots. Hardy gets great sympathy from the live crowd, who are fully into this match, maybe moreso than most MVP matches that I've seen. The finish came when Shelton Benjamin, the US Champion, distracted Jeff Hardy, who hit him with a splash to the outside. By the time Hardy got back to the ring, MVP was playing possum and ended up hitting the Drive-By for the win. I don't recall where this storyline went but I'm always a bit iffy when champions attack challengers as there really was no reason for Benjamin to get involved here. Not a bad opener at all. (3/5)

Next up - Beth Phoenix and Santino Marella vs. Mickie James and Kofi Kingston in a mixed gender match for James' Women's Championship and Kingston's Intercontinental Championship. Phoenix and Marella had been paired together for a little while and were getting quite a push on Raw so it was clear they'd be getting the win before the bell even rang. This is one of those matches that goes under 6 minutes but feels longer just because its so pedestrian and choreographed and feels too safe to be a double-title match. Perfectly fine filler match, but not something I'd seek out. (2/5)

Shawn Michaels comes out with his wife and cuts a retirement speech with his wife by his side. This leads to the arrival of Chris Jericho, who demands that Shawn admit that it was Y2J who has run him out of the WWE. Michaels says he's willing to admit it to it as long as Jericho admits that he will never be Shawn Michaels. When Michaels turns to leave, Jericho tries to clock him, but Shawn ducks and Jericho's  punch hits Michaels' wife square in the jaw. This gets a huge reaction, though Shawn's overdramatic "selling" is ridiculous. Jericho's facial expression as he leaves is brilliant, though, as instead of milking it as an ultimate act of heelishness, he looks genuinely surprised at what he's done and not necessarily happy with himself. I don't love this segment enough to give it a +1, but as the spark for what would end up being the company's best feud that year, it is very effective. 

With the crowd basically still reeling from such a huge and controversial angle, Mark Henry vs. Matt Hardy squared off in an ECW Championship Match. I'm not sure if this match was designed to go less than a minute, but it does. Did Shawn and Jericho go long or was the plan always for Hardy to basically with a near-immediate Twist of Fate and Mark Henry's manager, Tony Atlas, breaking up the pin at 2.9 (it might've even been a full 3 count) and getting his man disqualified? After the match, Jeff Hardy shows up to even the sides but it isn't even clear why he'd need to do that as Hardy had just effectively won the match and Tony Atlas was a bumbling oaf and Henry couldn't catch Matt Hardy in a footrace if Hardy was carrying a refrigerator. I guess seeing the Hardys hit a double-suplex on Mark Henry on the floor is something, but even as a tease for the Hardys' reunion (Had they ever really split apart?), this was really lackluster. (0.5/5)

Fortunately, the next match makes up for the not-so-great action we've seen on this thus far - JBL challenging CM Punk for the WWE Champion. This was a full 3 years before Punk would really assert himself as one of the company's true top guys, but he's over enough with the live crowd here to make sense holding the WWE Championship and did feel like a fresh change after years of the title revolving around John Cena, Triple H, and Randy Orton. Speaking of Cena, he'd end up back on the injured list by the end of the summer, another reason why promoting CM Punk at this point was a smart move (even if his time at the top was rather short-lived). Anyway...I like Punk's energy at the start of the match and even some (not all) of JBL's offense, which, while not necessarily exciting, is still hard-hitting and does effectively tell the story of JBL looking to grind a win out against a smaller opponent, trying to wear down the champion with his weight advantage and straight-up boots and clotheslines. Punk gets in some good hope spots and when he does rally, the crowd is very much behind him. We get some unexpected and unplanned blood, which is downplayed on commentary as, by 2008, the company was very much steering towards a cleaner PG product. The match goes 11 minutes but feels like much more of a war than that. A better match than I expected from these two. (3/5)

The World Heavyweight Championship is on the line next as Triple H defends the title against The Great Khali. Triple H was on SmackDown at this point, which was a needed change in setting for him but not necessarily one that drew my eyeballs to that show. The Great Khali had already been somewhat exposed after losing feuds to Cena and Batista (sorta) by this point, so there was little reason to believe Triple H was going to do even a messy job to Khali here. I tend to enjoy Triple H matches against bigger opponents as he is forced to do the pinballing and bumping that was once his bread and butter - but Khali's offense is so slow and plodding that Triple H basically just crumbles to the mat when he gets hit with it rather than being driven over the post or to the outside (though Triple H does go the extra mile and tosses himself out of the ring at least a couple times). The finish comes when Triple H eventually manages to get the pedigree applied in a little under 10 minutes. Not a good match, but I've seen worse. (2.5/5)

John Cena vs. Batista is up next. What surprises me about this match is that people love to bring up some of the matches Cena had with Orton over the years but I've never found any of them - especially the ones without huge gimmicks - to be particularly great. Meanwhile, Cena and Batista absolutely killed it in this match, putting on a match that was not only "as good as it could be," but exceeded my expectations. There's almost an element of an updated version of Warrior/Hogan here as you knew going into it you weren't going to necessarily get a great technical match but it wasn't exactly clear going in what you would get instead. What Cena and The Animal deliver is a relatively even match that somehow doesn't stink of "Your Turn/My Turn" garbage because the transitions are nicely executed, they don't rush anything, and the counters made sense. Both guys hit their primary or secondary finishers but couldn't get the win at first - for Batista it was a huge spear for 2 and a devastating spinebuster, for Cena it was the STFU and then eventually an FU that he couldn't capitalize on in time. As the match wore on, it really was hard to know who was going to get the victory. Cena went for the leg drop off the rope, but Batista caught him with the sitout powerbomb, which could've been the finish but only led to a nearfall. Batista managed to wrangle Cena up and into a legit Batista Bomb for the win, which felt completely deserved. A really, really strong match and easily the best match on the show up to this point. (4/5)

Main event time - The Undertaker vs. Edge in a Hell in a Cell. While this isn't the last great Hell in a Cell match (there's been quite a few since), it's one of the last (if not the last) to occur before the creation of the Hell in the Cell PPV event in October 2009, which turned this once-in-a-blue-moon match stipulation into something we'd not only see annually by default, but sometimes even more than that (with the PPV itself featuring multiple cell matches). At the time, though, the Cell concept was only a little bit overdone and still felt special. Anyway...this match might not be in the top 5 Hell in a Cells ever, but I'd likely put it in my top 8 or 10. I love Edge's body language when the match begins. It reminds me of how one pysches themselves up for jumping out of a plane or diving into an ice cold pool: you know its going to hurt, but you also know that this is your moment and there's no turning back so you might as well go crazy. And that's kinda what Edge does, busting out absolutely everything he can to try to overwhelm the Deadman, who is also performing in a role I really like. While Edge and Taker had lots of personal history, really this feud - as the video package before the match highlights - is about how much of a megalomaniac Edge has become, forcing his ex-wife Vickie Guerrero to summon the WWE's version of the Grim Reaper to finally bring him to justice. Now, we still get lots of callbacks to their lengthy, lengthy feud, but unlike Taker's Hell in a Cell matches against Foley or Triple H or even Lesnar, we are getting the mythical Undertaker here, not the human one who might - at certain times - actually be beatable, who respects his opponent, or, in the case of the Foley match, even seems to show remorse from what he has done. There's no remorse in the Undertaker's eyes. No nods to a mutual respect. This is Undertaker seeing pure vengeance and Edge trying to somehow not only survive but shock the world by busting out all the weaponry he can, by basically turning the Undertaker's signature match into his own using tables, ladders, and chairs. To me, it works. Edge is not someone I find particularly great in non-gimmick matches, but, aside from obviously Foley and maybe Shane McMahon, is there a better "garbage" worker than Edge? The tag team TLC matches, the TLC match with Cena, the matches with and against Foley in 2006, and this bout too...all top-notch, ultra-violent matches as good or better than anyone's else hardcore work in the company over that same course of time. This is the context that you want to see Edge working in and he doesn't disappoint. The post-match bit is too corny for me, but there are so many other great spots in the match that I'd still consider it must-see if you're a fan of big spectacle matches. (4/5)

With a Kwang Score of 2.71-out-of-5, one would assume that SummerSlam 2008 is not too great of a show, and after a decent opener, things do fall apart a bit with the mixed tag and the lame non-match for the ECW Title (though the Michaels/Jericho segment is perfectly fine), but pick up significantly once we get to Punk/JBL and eventually to the last two matches, both among the best matches I've watched this summer. 

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

WWE Money in the Bank 2021

WWE Money in the Bank 2021

Fort Worth, TX - July 2021

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, Roman Reigns was the reigning Universal Champion while Bobby Lashley held the WWE Championship. The United States Champion was Sheamus, the Intercontinental Champion was Apollo Crews, the RAW Women's Champion was Rhea Ripley, and the SmackDown Women's Champion was Bianca Belair. The RAW Tag Team Champions were AJ Styles and Omos and the Mysterios - Rey and Dominick - held the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. Finally, the Women's Tag Team Champions were Natalya and Tamina.

The show begins with (what else?) the Women's Money in the Bank match - Alexa Bliss vs. LIv Morgan vs. Nikki "Almost Super Hero" Cross vs. Natalya vs. Tamina vs. Zelina Vega vs. Naomi vs. Asuka. Before the match began, most of the attention was on Alexa Bliss, the camera cutting to her after nearly every entrance, but there were also some nice video packages highlighting certain talent's previous accomplishments, specifically Asuka (last year's winner) and Naomi (who defeated Bliss for her first SmackDown Women's Title at Elimination Chamber 4 years ago). The bell rang and 7 of 8 went looking for a ladder while Bliss continued to just stand on the ropes before, with a smile on her face, she skipped around the ring and then hinted that she could use her super powers to merely summon the briefcase down. Asuka cut her off, though, and from here we got the type of action these matches are built around - rapid successions of violent moves, with and without hardware involved. Tamina got the most negative reaction of anyone in the ring, unsurprising, while the crowd rallied huge behind Liv Morgan on her first attempt. In another non-shocker, Asuka got huge pops for beating up Tamina and knocking Natalya off the apron with a sick hip attack and then, minutes later, a hip attack in Snuka that sent her into the guardrail. Back in the ring, Alexa Bliss took over and inexplicably set up a ladder despite teasing that she didn't need one earlier. But Zelina Vega met her at the top...only to get transfixed  and hypnotized into climbing back down the ladder! Ridiculous. Natalya broke it up and the action continued, eventually leading to a cool spot where Liv Morgan attempted a head scissors onto Naomi only to get powerbombed onto Vega (who was on a ladder). Tamina and Natalya tried to team up on Naomi but she took them out with a springboard kick and then a double stunner. She then slammed Nikki onto a ladder and finished her off with a split-legged leg drop. Natalya tried to climb the ladder but Vega jumped onto her back to weigh her down. Some insane strength right there. Natalya reached for the briefcase but Vega choked her out. Morgan climbed up the ladder and dragged both women down as the crowd erupted into huge, well-deserved cheers. As 6-of-8 women brawled inside, Nikki set up a ladder on the outside and hit a big splash on all the other women. Boy is that spot overdone. On the plus side, it did lead to a Bliss and Nikki showdown...but it was a moment that they inexplicably didn't milk, even as the crowd reaction made it clear they should. Again, the Women's Tag Team Champions played spoiler, taking out Bliss and burying her under a stack of ladders. With all the women distracted by burying Bliss, Morgan set up the ladder in the center of the ring and looked to have the match one before Tamina stopped her. She hit a hurricanrana on Tamina, though, sending her into the corner. Natalya came in next and set up 2 ladders for some reason. Again Morgan came back, though, driving Nattie's head into the steel. A third ladder was set up because why not and Morgan took out Asuka. Morgan climbed back up, but Naomi met her at the top as all 7 women made their way up the ladders. Again, we've seen this before multiple times but usually it leads to something big. Instead, Nikki basically snuck her way up the ladder and grabbed the briefcase as everyone else just threw fists. Wow. That was very, very unexpected. I really liked this match, but found the finish a bit flat as the crowd was definitely way more behind Morgan and, to a lesser extent, Bliss and Asuka. Then again, I'm a Nikki Cross fan even with this awful gimmick. A better ending would've probably nudged this into "must see" range for me. (3.5/5)

The RAW Tag Team Championships were on the line next as The Viking Raiders, who I didn't even know were still on the roster, challenged AJ Styles and Omos. Styles got a massive response for his entrance, the live crowd obviously very happy to see him. I wasn't expecting this match to get the amount of time it did but was pleasantly surprised by what we got. Styles was the clear MVP and proved he still has plenty to offer in the ring, Omos absolutely shined and got huge reactions for his power moves (which all looked terrific, if a bit sloppy), and I was also a bit surprised at how good Ivar and Erik came across. Again, as I haven't been a weekly viewer of Raw in many, many years, I'm not sure if the Raiders have been having good matches on TV that I haven't seen but they absolutely used their minutes here to make a strong case that they're worthy of their spots on the roster. Some great nearfalls and cut-offs throughout, this match felt like something that should've been on the preshow but ended up making me hopeful that the Raiders would be drafted over to SmackDown this fall so that they could work with some fresh teams and that Styles and Omos continue their dominant partnership for months to come. An overachiever of a match. (3.5/5)

Kofi Kingston challenged Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship next. When Kofi Kingston lost the WWE Championship to Brock Lesnar in a squash match a couple years back, fans were rightfully pissed off that KofiMania came to such a sudden end in such a one-sided match. This bout was, in my estimation, what that match should've been. It was still very one-sided, still practically a squash, but at least Kofi got to show some toughness in this match, withstanding quite a bit of punishment before eventually falling prey to his much larger, much angrier opponent. I haven't checked Reddit but I'm guessing many fans were upset at Lashley's dominant performance but is there a better option to be at the top of Raw's food chain right now? Roman Reigns' Head of the Table gimmick has paid off on the Blue Brand and Lashley is the only regular performer left on Raw that carries the same aura. This wasn't a Match of the Year or anything, but I still found it to be a captivating performance from both men and hopefully a sign that Lashley has been entrusted to hold the title for a good while longer. (3/5)

Going from the WWE Championship to the RAW Women's Championship, Rhea Ripley defended her title against rival Charlotte. Again, I didn't have to go to Reddit to know that this match was going to be met with lots and lots of criticism - criticisms that I don't share. Ripley's pseudo-heel turn over the past few months has made her nearly impossible to root for or to really root against (as Charlotte is just so much more naturally "hateable"). To paraphrase Bret Hart during the end of his WWE run in 97', you can either be the top babyface or the top heel, and when you go from being one to the other and then to neither, you're in a tough position where the crowd isn't really sure how to react to you. In this match, the crowd reacted by loudly and clearly demanding Becky Lynch. Still, in terms of action, these two obviously have tremendous chemistry that is impossible to ignore. Their sequences may not always be the prettiest and, sometimes, the positioning of their throws makes it seem like they don't necessarily care how the other is going to land, but that's the kind of realism - however dangerous - that makes this rivalry feel so genuine. Charlotte's dramatic facial expressions may not be everyone's cup of tea but I'm still a fan of the intensity and the drive. She does not come across to me as someone "playing wrestler." Note that even after the match, Flair didn't just leave the ring - she made one of the cameramen hold the ropes open for her. Its that attention to detail that I really dig. Another thing I loved? The finishing sequence. Flair took a big german suplex to the corner but didn't quite catch her head on the buckle, still sold it by rolling out of the ring, and then went nuclear by bashing Ripley's head into the post. It looked brutal - as did her follow-up move, pulling Ripley's knee into the steps and smashing it against the post too. She locked in the Figure 8 and Ripley was forced to tap, but because the finish was so well-executed, it was a believable end that didn't bury Ripley at all. I'm not sure I'd consider this "must see" just because of the pseudo-heel/pure heel dynamic, but they won the crowd over by the end and the right person won. It will be interesting to see who Flair's next challenger will be as both Banks and Lynch seem like logical choices - though I wouldn't be opposed to adding someone new into the mix, specifically if Liv Morgan were to come over in the draft. (3.5/5)

Next up - the Men's Money in the Bank Match, pitting Riddle vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Ricochet vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins vs. Big E vs. John Morrison vs. Kevin Owens. This was a non-stop spotfest with some very, very good moments. John Morrison received a loud "Johnny Drip Drip" chant when he hit some dazzling aerial work early. Morrison and Rollins teamed together, a pairing I'm not sure we've seen before but oddly worked. Owens took two nasty, nasty bumps - one a suplex onto the edge of a ladder and, later, a powerbomb through a ladder on the floor. McIntyre got taken out by Jinder and his goons, which was a good way to write off a guy who received a somewhat mixed response from the live crowd. Speaking of responses, I was expecting Big E to be the clear fan favorite but Morrison had his fair share of fans, Owens was obviously very over, and Nakamura got a big welcome during his entrance. Ricochet got his time to shine too, hitting a ridiculous springboard from the ladder to the top rope and into a bunch of bodies on the outside. Why this guy isn't more prominently featured is beyond me because he really is an insane flier. The finish saw Big E hit the Big Ending on Rollins off the ladder before securing the briefcase. I wondered why they didn't opt to end the show with this...until I got to the end of the show and it made total sense. Anyway, a very good match, but not necessarily a "Must See." My biggest issue with it was that while the right guy won, the match didn't really showcase him from beginning to end like I wish it had. (3/5)

Main event time - Edge challenging Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship. Before the match began, Seth Rollins all but guaranteed that he would be interfering in an unnecessary backstage segment. This essentially spoiled his interference later in the match after the Usos failed run-in. But anyway...An okay, not great match for these two. Reigns and Edge obviously wanted to deliver something very different than the go-go-go action of the previous few matches, but by taking things so slow, Edge didn't feel like much of a real challenge and basically just got mauled for minutes on end to start. On the positive side, Reigns being in control for the first third of the match allowed him to get in plenty of trash talk. As the match went on, Edge finally got some meaningful offense in and things evened up but didn't necessarily get any more interesting or suspenseful. Reigns eventually grabbed a chair and broke the bottom metal bar off of it while referee Charles Robinson was knocked loopy. This led to a clusterfucky last few minutes involving the Usos, Rey and Dominick, and Seth Rollins (no surprise there). Edge still managed to get off a big spear after getting superkicked by Rollins but only got a 2 count with it because the substitute ref didn't make it to the ring on time. From there, Rollins distracted Edge yet again and Reigns hit his own spear to get the W in a match that went close to if not a full 30 minutes. I think I would've liked this match a little bit more if they had edited it down by a good 4-5 minutes. I understand that Edge wants to work these lengthy epics (see his feud with Orton and his last Rumble appearance), but this just felt a little too long and all the best moments really were just Reigns' character work and the dramatic ending. (2.5/5)

Before the show goes off, John Cena makes his 100% unexpected return to a huge pop. This surprise appearance is obviously setting him up as Reigns' next challenger and the reaction he gets in this "moment" is good enough for me to bestow an extra point on the show. (+1)

All in all, Money in the Bank 2021 was a strong show out of the WWE featuring some great performances from the usual great performers - Reigns, Charlotte, Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles - but also some good moments from unexpected places in the Women's Money in the Bank match, Omos, and the Viking Raiders (whose gimmick I find to be one-note, but whose in-ring skill can't be denied). Unfortunately, what the WWE's biggest issue right now - and for the past few years - is not the wrestlers' talent or abilities. A show like this proves just how many amazing athletes and personalities they have. What is hurting the WWE right now is that they are struggling to use them in intriguing ways and, while the wrestling may be uniformly "good" (and often great), the storylines are uninteresting and few wrestlers have any real momentum or purpose beyond just being there (Ricochet, Zelina, Naomi). It is "hamster wheel wrestling" or "McDonalds wrestling" in the sense that you know exactly what you're going to get when you turn on a show like this. Its not that its outright terrible from beginning to end, but nothing will wow you either. With a Kwang Score of 3.33-out-of-5, I'm going with a...

FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Your Hand On A Remote

WWE SummerSlam 99'

WWE SummerSlam 99'
Minneapolis, MN - August 1999

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, Steve Austin was the WWE World Champion, the Intercontinental Champion and the European Champion was D'Lo Brown, the Women's Champion was Ivory, the Hardcore Champion was Bossman, and the World Tag Team Champions were Kane and X-Pac. Duane Gill is listed as the Light Heavyweight Champion though he mostly "defended" the title on the indie circuit and wouldn't lose it on WWE TV until February 2000.

Our opening contest is Jeff Jarrett vs. D'Lo Brown for both of D'Lo's championships. These two had good chemistry and Jarrett was a real heat magnet with the way he treated Debra, which was near-identical to the Marc Mero/Sable dynamic from a few years prior. I'm not sure if Vince Russo was still the head writer, but its important to note that Brown had been the Intercontinental Champion for less than a month as he'd defeated Jarrett for the title just 3 weeks earlier. The big "swerve" of the match comes when Mark Henry hits the ring to seemingly prevent Jarrett from striking D'Lo with a guitar...but then telegraphs the turn by taking the guitar and, instead of crushing it over Jarrett's head, taking his time to back up behind D'Lo so he can hit him instead. There was also a pseudo-fake-out with Jarrett banishing Debra from ringside only for Debra to come out with D'Lo. Regardless of the questionable booking, this was over with the crowd and moved at the right pace. (2.5/5)

Next up, a Tag Team Turmoil match to declare the number one contenders for the WWE Tag Team Championships. The Hardys, who were now going by the name "The New Brood" and managed by Gangrel, start off against Edge and Christian, who were the babyfaces. Their stretch - which runs maybe the first 3-5 minutes - is easily the best, most crowd-pleasing, and most innovative of the whole match, foreshadowing both teams' eventual rise to the top of the division. There's a great sequence that sees Edge and Jeff Hardy running the barricade and Edge catching Hardy with a spear that gets a HUGE pop from the crowd but was barely captured by the cameras only for Christian to hit a springboard splash to the outside followed by a Matt Hardy moonsault. Edge and Christian eventually get the win thanks to a Christian splash and its time for their next challengers - Viscera and Mideon. Fortunately, the two Ministry of Darkness jobbers don't take up too much time getting eliminated as Viscera gets dropkicked out of the ring and Mideon eats the pin. Next in we get Droz and Prince Albert, who also (thankfully) don't last too long, possibly even less time than Viscera and Mideon. Then its finally time for a real challenge - The Acolytes, Bradshaw and Ron Simmons, not yet doing the "APA" gimmick. Simmons and Bradshaw survive some of Edge and Christian's best offense, including a huge tornado DDT from Christian on Bradshaw. Speaking of Bradshaw, he gets the pin after a Clothesline from Hell and its time for the final entrants: The Hollys, Crash and Hardcore. This is a physical couple of minutes as everyone - except Crash - is known for working snug and not pulling their punches. Crash and Hardcore both want to get to the victory, which leads to them fighting eachother and Hardcore beating Crash's ass and giving the Acolytes the win. This wasn't a great match, but it was effective. (2.5/5)

"The Road Dogg" Jesse James comes out and cuts a promo about how he will be challenging the winner of tonight's Hardcore Championship match the next night on Raw and then gets completely owned on the mic by Chris Jericho, who comes out to a huge pop. This is Jericho at his best in terms of mic work. According to his book and various other sources, Jericho had heat backstage because he was too good on the mic and the rest of the boys thought he was upstaging them. (+1)

Al Snow vs. The Big Bossman for the Hardcore Championship is next, with Road Dogg providing running commentary and following them around. This is your typical brawl with Snow and Bossman never even making it into the ring and ending up across the street from the arena in a bar. Even at the time I found this type of "action" to be tiresome, though I will admit that the right performers can make it work. Snow and Bossman are not those workers, though. Al Snow ends up winning the title after placing Bossman on a pool table and hitting him in the balls with some pool balls. (1/5)

The Women's Championship match is next - Ivory vs. Tori. Tori was one of the more veteran wrestlers on the roster in 1998 but you wouldn't know it from this match as she does not look great out there. Maybe her and Ivory wanted to put on a really physical match that resembled an actual fight? If so, then they nailed it because this really seems like two people who are not cooperating to put on a phony wrestling match. They were given less than 5 minutes and showed absolutely no chemistry, which is kind of a shame because Ivory could be quite good at times. (0/5)

Backstage, The Rock cuts a promo about his upcoming bout against Billy Gunn. This was a placeholder feud as The Rock had only semi-recently turned face and Billy Gunn had won the King of the Ring. After The Rock's rap, Gunn is shown backstage too, walking around with some sort of mystery person under a sheet. 

Ken Shamrock vs. Steve Blackman in a Lion's Den Match is next. This is basically a match held in a UFC-like octagon cage but with weapons legal because...well...why not? Its not a concept I found to be particularly fruitful and I'm not surprised this didn't lead to a whole slew of similar matches. Shamrock is the babyface (based on what I've read) but i don't remember Blackman really being a heel. Blackman starts the match off by using nunchucks, which is an awful way to start a bout because it means either Shamrock has to basically no sell them or he has to "die" in the first minute. Shamrock chooses the former and ends up tossing the 'chucks out of the ring before grabbing a kendo stick. From here, we basically just get weapon shots with the occasional big throw or strike mixed in. There's no escalation of violence or story to this. Growing up, I 100% bought Steve Blackman's gimmick that he was basically a martial artist who joined the WWE right off the street so I was shocked to learn that his wrestling career actually dated back to the late 80s and he was trained in the Dungeon. Anyway, these two should have much better chemistry but don't. (1.5/5)

Test vs. Shane McMahon in a Greenwich Street Fight is next. Shane would go on to have much bigger and more dangerous matches than this, but could this be his best actual match? It starts with the right kind of energy as Test tackles McMahon with full force and controlling most of the next few minutes until Shane's buddies, the Mean Street Posse, get involved. Good psychology there as it protected Test a bit to not have to eat Shane's offense until he was getting beaten up 4-on-1. I liked Shane using a framed photo of himself with the Posse too as it reminded me of the stuff we'd do in my old backyard wrestling league, which was 90% promos and comedy and maybe 10% actual athletic contest. Shane does some acrobatic things in this match but doesn't connect with them until after a ref bump and another attack by the Posse, who place Test across the ringside table. In one of the more historic bumps of its day, Shane does an elbow drop through the table that gets brilliantly captured and put on highlight reels for years to come. In a sense, that's the ironic downfall of this match as more people remembered that moment than Test's actual victory, which comes minutes later thanks to some extra help by Vince's Stooges. There's a post-match moment between Test and Stephanie too that pops the crowd but is completely forgotten as Shane stole the match and arguably the whole show. (3.5/5)

The WWE Tag Team Championships are on the line next as X-Pac and Kane defend the titles against The Undertaker and Big Show. The WWE's tag team scene was maybe at its all-time low in 95'/96' but, by this point, the titles at least had had somewhat of a resurgence thanks to the New Age Outlaws in 97'-98' as well as somewhat memorable "thrown together" teams in Owen Hart and Jeff Jarrett and Kane and Mankind. Now, it was X-Pac and Kane who topped the division as Kane had been turned babyface over the previous few months. I didn't have very high hopes for this match but was pleasantly surprised. The crowd was into this and X-Pac was more than capable of taking the ass-beating he needed to in order to get Taker and Big Show over as a pair of individually unbeatable monsters who had now teamed up. What also worked in this match was the pacing, which was purposefully kept brisk, and the fact that, at certain times, there is action going on all around the ring too. The match's momentum never lets up, but because there's 4 guys out there - and one of them is a human pinball - everyone who needs a breather can get a breather without having to slow the whole thing down. This isn't necessarily a career highlight for anyone, but it had the crowd engaged and I didn't find myself searching for the fast-forward button either. Good match. (3/5)

The Rock vs. Billy Gunn in a Kiss My Ass Match is next. The build-up for this was based on Billy Gunn winning the King of the Ring tournament a month or so before this and getting his first and only singles push. Unfortunately for Gunn, it never really took because his gimmick was so lame and he'd been essentially a comedy sidekick for the past 3 years (and a tag jabronie before that). His opponent, meanwhile, was The Rock, the effortlessly charismatic "1B" face of the company who could crush any and all of another wrestler's credibility in one 15 second promo. This wasn't a total squash or anything, but the finish was never in question. They basically ran through the bag of tricks that The Rock had mastered in better and more exciting matches against Mankind and Austin throughout 98', namely brawling all over the arena and doing some goofy spots like spraying water in Gunn's face. I'm not sure what else these two could've done considering the stipulation and Gunn's lack of credibility as any sort of threat, but that's the wrestlers, agents, and writers' job. Not the worst match ever and it should be noted that the crowd was into it - because they were into anything The Rock did - but I wouldn't recommend this to anyone looking for proof of The Great One's...err...greatness. (1.5/5)

Main event time - Triple H vs. Mankind vs. Steve Austin with special guest referee Jesse Ventura for the WWE Championship. There was lots of things going on during the build-up to this match, both on-screen and off. On-screen, Steve Austin was the WWE Champion but there wasn't a clear number one contender, so, over the course of several weeks, Triple H, Chyna, and Mankind all competed to earn the right to challenge for the gold and Shane and Linda McMahon, as well as Shawn Michaels, got involved. This all led to Jesse Ventura being called in to serve as the non-bias Special Referee. Off-screen, Ventura was the Governor of Minnesota and had come under some fire for taking part in SummerSlam, which seems kinda quaint in 2021 after having a former reality TV show host as President. More importantly, though, there were rumors floating around about backstage politicking going on with Austin refusing to do the job for Triple H, rumors that were eventually, essentially, confirmed by Bruce Pritchard in recent podcasts; Vince's right hand man went on record saying that while it was ultimately Vince's decision, the feeling among the agents (and Austin) was that the future McMahon-in-Law wasn't ready. Plus, as Pritchard would add years later, Ventura was uncomfortable counting the fall for a villain. And, if that wasn't enough backstage drama, there were reports coming out that, win, lose, or draw, Austin would be taking some time off soon after to nurse long-ignored injuries, suggesting there was no way he was leaving Minnesota with the belt...So, with all this going on, we get a match that plays out like the kitchen sink of controversy and overbooking that it was. There are good moments of action and the crowd is very much into things, but there are also moments that work against the crowd's expectations in confounding ways. At one point, Mankind and Triple H team up, which would make sense if Foley and Austin had had bigger issues in the build to the match, but because Foley's desire for the title always seemed secondary to a desire to be accepted by the fans, it actually works less than if Triple H and Austin had teamed up (a partnership that goes unexplored in the match). Chyna gets involved early, but the seeds planted of a split with Triple H (Chyna had actually pinned him in the build to SummerSlam and was momentarily Number One contender) is also ignored in favor of her getting banned from ringside after a little bit of interference. Mankind took some big bumps on the floor (because of course he did), all three men did some brawling outside the ring, and Triple H brandished a chair and took out both of his opponents. Inexplicably, Ventura refused to call a DQ...but then also refused to count Triple H's pin. Ventura's refusal gets a huge pop but still confused and bothered me. Shane McMahon showed up to complain but got stunned and sent out of the ring by Ventura. I would've preferred that same spot happening with Triple H and then have Mankind catch the champ with the Mandible Claw, though I'd imagine that would've basically turned Foley heel. Instead, we get a series of switcheroos and finishers, all building to Austin eating a pedigree and, moments after, Foley's double-underhook DDT. This is a better match than the one that precedes it, but its still not a "must watch." After the match, Triple H attacks Austin, which was used to write him off for awhile. (3/5)

Even when I was 15, and watched this show in real time with my buddies, it felt like the WWE was about to go through a real decline. The Kwang Score, a measly 2.17-out-of-5, is an accurate portrayal of the level of wrestling action you'll find here, which is a mixed barrel of outright bad, mediocre-at-best, and saved-by-bells-and-whistles brawling. There are glimmers of the more exciting action that would come in 2000 in the tag team turmoil match, the opening contest, Jericho's promo, and Shane McMahon's high-risk heroics, but the top of the card does seem surprisingly shallow considering that the three top matches feature no less than 6 first-ballot Hall of Famers (I'm going to go ahead and leave Kane off that list). By 99', though, Taker and Show had already been slayed by both Austin and The Rock, Foley had also exhausted his rivalries with the two, and Triple H was still just "almost there" (and never would truly reach the heights of the guys he shared the ring with this night). 

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver 

TNA Bound for Glory 2016

TNA Bound for Glory 2016

Orlando, FL - October 2016

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, Bobby Lashley was the TNA World Heavyweight Champion, the X-Division Champion was DJ Z, the Knockouts Champion was Maria, and the TNA Tag Team Champions were Decay (Abyss and Crazzy Steve). 

The X-Division Championship is on the line in the opening contest, Trevor Lee (now Cameron Grimes in NXT) challenging DJZ (also now in NXT under the name Joaquin Wilde). They start things off with some mat 'rasslin' before Lee takes a breather. He comes back in the ring and gets the upperhand briefly before DJZ delivers a series of hiptosses that put him back in the driver's seat. The first big turn of the match happens when DJZ attempts a springboard back into the ring but gets cut off by Lee, who follows it up with an awesome punt kick from the apron. Lee goes to the top rope but its unclear what he's actually going for, getting caught by DJZ and hit with a slapjack. Back to the top rope they both go, this time DJZ bringing Lee down with a hurricanrana. Lee really should've been in control for longer to build up DJZ's streak of high-impact offense. Lee retreats to the outside but DJZ catches him with a somersault splash only for Lee to shrug it off and hit him with a plancha of his own only for DJZ to shrug it off and hit another huge springboard, front flip splash. Welp. There goes any realism that this match had going for it. I was digging this match quite a bit before that stretch. Back in the ring, both men collide with matching crossbodies. Lee attempts a German Suplex but DJZ hops onto Lee's shoulders and hits him with a reverse hurricanrana. DJZ goes for yet another springboard but Lee catches him - but instead of hitting him with a suplex, Lee does a meaningless backflip to make it look cooler. Again, the superfluousness of some of these moves and stretches detract from the excellent spots that occur (including an awesome double stomp from Lee, great character work from the challenger, and DJZ's stunning execution [he might deliver the best  and only believable Canadian Destroyer I've ever seen]). (3/5)

Backstage, Bobby Lashley and EC3 arrive. Cut to Drew Galloway (Drew McIntyre) getting interviewed about being shelved due to injury. 

Next up - a 10-Man Gauntlet Match fought under Royal Rumble-ish rules with the winner receiving a future World Title shot. Out first are Jessie Godderz and Rockstar Spud (aka Drake Maverick of NXT). Godderz tries to eliminate Spud early with a press slam, but Spud escapes and hits him with a low blow. Next in, Braxton Sutter, who I know as "The Blade" from AEW. Sutter and Godderz try to eliminate Spud, but he hangs onto the top rope. Good comedy spot when Spud tries to double-clothesline Godderz and Sutter but barely fazes them. They beat him down in the corner, softening him up as the clock winds down and out comes...Eli Drake. Drake comes in and immediately looks to be in trouble but ends up back-body-dropping Sutter onto the apron and into the post, making the first elimination. It really is remarkable that everybody featured on this show so far (except Godderz) is now either in WWE or AEW. Robbie E comes out next, another eventual NXT signing. The #6 entrant is Baron Dax of the tag team The Tribunal. Dax is actually a former NXT wrestler, unsurprising considering he has some decent size to him. And then, at #7, the fan favorite Grado! Grado had some indie buzz around this time as a comedy act and, as anyone might've predicted, he gets eliminated in under 3 seconds, dancing his way back to the ring. There's a noticeable "Bullshit" chant following his elimination as the fans really did take to him. The other member of the tribunal, Basile Baraka, comes in next and the tag team gets to work taking out everyone they can but struggle to make any eliminations. Tyrus comes in at #9 and the camera misses a whole bunch of eliminations, namely Baraka, Robbie E, and Dax. Tyrus tosses Spud with ease as the clock winds down for the final entrant - Mahabali Shera (who also had a cup of coffee in NXT). Shera and Tyrus square off, the two biggest men in the match. Shera gets eliminated quickly, though, and we're down to Tyrus, Godderz, and Drake. Quality spot when Godderz superkicks Drake off the apron but Eli ends up hanging by his feet. Tyrus catches Godderz when he attempts a crossbody and flattens him with a bodyslam in the center of the ring. Tyrus lazily tosses Godderz but Godderz hangs on. Godderz comes off the top rope with a flying forearm and then a dropkick. He looks to hoist Tyrus over as Drake sneaks back into the ring and dumps both men. Not the most clever finish and, based on crowd responses, I'm not sure the right guy won, but then again, it wasn't exactly a field of greats involved in this. (2/5)

After a backstage segment featuring Gail Kim's real-life husband Ted Irvine, we get Mike Bennett vs. Moose. The storyline coming into this match was that Bennett had brought Moose in as his back-up, but was holding him back. Y'know, the same thing we've seen a dozen times. Anyway, this match was clearly about establishing Moose as a rising star and it does so effectively. Bennett isn't the most exciting worker in the world, but he knows how to get from Point A to Point B in a way that makes sense and builds towards a credible finish. Moose has improved in the 5 years since this match, but clearly, even here, there's an undeniable "It factor" to him and his offense, if a bit sloppy, still pops the crowd. Not an all-time classic or anything, but serviceable. (2.5/5)

Backstage, Aron Rex - aka Damien Sandow - cuts a very boring, very bland, very vanilla promo, not exactly what one would expect from a guy who was known for being a charismatic up-and-comer in the WWE at one time. 

Aron Rex vs. Eddie Edwards for the vacant Grand Championship is next. The Grand Championship was the brainchild of Billy Corgan, then-TNA President, who aimed to develop a championship that would be fought under traditional European wrestling rules (meaning rounds and judges). Decent enough back-and-forth in the first couple minutes before Edwards starts delivering some big offensive maneuvers that send Rex to the outside. Edwards looks to be in control until he attempts a dive to the outside that Rex counters by sending Edwards into the guardrail. Unfortunately, what should've been a huge transition isn't really sold as such and Edwards maintains control until the end of the round, which goes to Edwards. The second round starts and Rex takes over, hits a suplex and then goes for some pins. I can understand why Rex would want to reinvent himself but when you drop your established gimmick, you should have something ready to replace it. Rex applies an Indian Deathlock as the lights go down over the ring. The audience pops and then breaks into a chant I can't quite decipher as the announcers explain that this is a technical difficulty (and not the set-up for a big run-in, which is precisely what everyone must've been thinking). When the lights pop back on, the crowd pops huge, but personally, I like shows with a darkened crowd the way they used to be before the WWE changed all that. Anyway, Rex applies another submission (because he's a submission specialist now?) as the clock winds down and, surprise surprise, Rex wins the round. This match has been like the ice cream at McDonalds: bad vanilla. The third round begins with Rex still in control and the best thing I can say about it is at least we know how much longer it will last. Edwards sells a hurt ankle but still tries to go off the top rope. For a match that should feature a really hot final 2-3 minutes, they spend much of it just selling damage and treating transitional offense like silver bullets eventhough its been years and years since anything they do has been considered legit finishers. Edwards hits the Shining Wizard with 20 seconds to go but can't capitalize because...I'm not sure. This match reminded me of the Ziggler/Rollins Ironman match in that these two just do nothing with the stipulation and, in the final round, seem to almost be working against it by wrestling without any real urgency. What was the story of this match? If it was all about Rex attacking the leg, why was he going for neckbreakers and clotheslines late in the match? If Edwards was fighting underneath, why didn't he at least hit a crazy killshot and then almost get the cover with 2 seconds left? Instead, the match ends with both guys just throwing punches. Who was the heel and who was the face? Calling this match masturbatory would be insulting to masturbation. I mean, masturbation is at least fun. This was aimless and unremarkable. (0/5)

The next segment is the induction of Gail Kim into the TNA/Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame. This was a nice segment, played straight, and Kim received plenty of time to deliver her speech. I'm not sure Gail Kim really has a claim to being the absolute best women's wrestler of all-time, but she definitely was in the top 2-3 for much of the 2000s and deserved the honor of being the first female member of the Hall. 

Next up, Decay vs. The Hardys for the TNA Tag Team Championships. The Hardys had wowed audiences with the introduction of the Broken Universe in May 2016, first feuding with eachother (leading to the legendary Final Deletion "match" in July) and then teaming up in the fall. The Decay were their first major feud as a tag team and this match was dubbed "The Great War." T start things off, all three members of Decay - Abyss, Rosemary, and Crazzy Steve - spray mist into the eyes of Reby Hardy, basically eliminating her from the match. This is a wild brawl that eventually spills backstage and turns into what I assume was a pre-taped carnage as Abyss and Hardy fight through Universal Studios and Jeff (Brother Nero) and Steve do battle backstage, with Jeff Hardy transforming into a goofy jive-talking weirdo at one point. The crowd pops huge for Hardy putting a pumpkin over Rosemary's head (and then again when she sprays him with mist to the face). Rosemary eventually finds her way to Abyss and gives him a barbwire 2x4. Before he can strike, one of the Hardys friends (?) shows up and distracts him. Backstage, Hardy turns into Willow while Matt summons the power of fire...yeah, I'm just going to stop trying to describe this now. There's fighting on the bed of a truck, there's a drone that sprays mist into Rosemary's face, there's even some old-fashioned hardcore wrestling once all 4 men end up back in the Impact Zone (with Crazzy Steve arguably impressing most of all). The Hardys hit a bunch of signature offense but only get 2 off of the swanton, Abyss just not saying down. Had this just been out-and-out ridiculousness, I could see this being somewhat of a letdown (especially for the fans in attendance), but because the in-ring action is so intense and energetic, this absolutely works. Abyss brings out some barbwire boards and Hardy dumps thumbtacks on them too before hitting Abyss with a sideslam into it! Hardy then places the other board atop him and hits an elbow on top of it! He gets a 1...2...and Rosemary mistimes her entrance as it should've been 3 but the ref didn't drop his hand. Too bad. Rosemary distracts Hardy but Reby shows up and powerbombs her through with a table with authority! The crowd breaks into a "Delete" chat as Jeff puts a chair around Steve's neck and sends him into the post! Damn. That's always a crazy spot. Steve gets sent into the ring and Hardy hits him with his patented neckbreaker WITH A CHAIR around his neck! The Hardys set up two tables and a ladder and Matt tells Jeff to indulge in his addiction as sets Steve up across the tables. Hardy climbs a superladder and hits an insane swanton to get the win. Wow. That was a ton of a fun. (4/5)

The TNA Knockouts Champion Maria Kanellis defends against tonight's Hall of Fame inductee, Gail Kim next. As Maria makes her way down the aisle, she cuts a brief promo, announcing that because her hand is still broken, she cannot compete. Her assistant, Allie (now in AEW as "The Bunny") corrects her, though, and says she is cleared to wrestle! Despite being supposedly unprepared to wrestle, Maria controls early, dominating Kim with kicks and other rudimentary offense. I'm a Maria fan but it just makes such little sense to see her dominate Gail Kim after we just had a segment where Kim was hailed as the best women's wrestler of all time. Mike Bennett shows up and tosses Maria a weapon, which she ends up using to club Kim on the head...for a 2 count. Maria asks Allie to give her the cast back to use again but she overshoots it and Gail Kim catches it instead and then tosses it into the crowd. Kim finally gets some offense in, eventually locking in a figure four across the ring post. Kim flips her the double-bird and then connects with her finish, the Eat Defeat, to regain the Knockouts Championship. This match was missing an opening "shine" segment, which is not always a problem but defied the logic that they established with the pre-match promo. (2/5)

After the match, Bennett cuts a promo about how things didn't go the way they wanted tonight and says he is going to shut the show down. Of course, this doesn't happen because the likes go out - and when they come back on, Cody Rhodes and Brandi are here! Brandi and Maria have a stilted, unnatural exchange, and then Cody sends Bennett out of the ring too. Not a terrible debut for Rhodes that set up a feud for Cody and Brandi on their first night.

Main event time - EC3 challenging Bobby Lashley for the TNA World Championship. EC3, aka Ethan Carter III, had not yet had his disastrous run in the WWE - it would come a few years after this - and was one of TNA's biggest stars, while Lashley was the dominant heel World Champion (sound familiar?). Credit to TNA, this match had "big fight feel." Lashley hits a spear before the bell even rings, before he's even announced, rocking EC3 out of the ring in a great bit of heelishness. EC3 demands the match starts and rushes into the ring, only to be met by more overpowering by Lashley, who dumps him back outside. The crowd is fully behind Carter but it doesn't faze Lashley one bit as he connects with a snap suplex. EC3 escapes a backbreaker, though, hitting Lashley with a splash in the corner and then clotheslining him out of the ring before connecting on a suicide dive and delivering a snap suplex on the outside. Carter chops the champ and then spins him into the steps. Lashley makes his way up the aisle, but when EC3 chases him, he springs back with a huge spinebuster on the ramp. Lashley continues his dominance, lifting up Carter only to toss him back onto the ramp. He sends the challenger back into the ring and hits a Rude Awakening neckbreaker that silences the crowd. Lashley hits a spear in the corner and EC3 is in serious trouble. I like that Lashley's control segment is mostly uninterrupted, that when EC3 does strike back with a dropkick and then a clothesline, he seems like he's playing catch-up rather than performing moves at 100% strength. Lashley attempts a powerslam, but EC3 escapes - only to get hit with a spear for 2! Lashley attempts a torture rack, but EC3 counters it into an MMA-inspired choke - only for Lashley to counter that with a back body drop. That's incredible strength. The quality back-and-forth continues, both guys countering and kicking out of some big offense. Lashley grabs his title and tries to strike the challenger with it, but EC3 dodges it and hits the TK3 but can't make the cover! The crowd didn't really bite on that, which is kind of a shame. Lashley and Carter trade jabs but then Carter hits a big german suplex and then a spear of his own for 2. Lashley rolls to the outside and EC3 follows him, hoisting him up in a fireman's carry and then hitting another TK3, this time on the steel steps! Back in the ring, EC3 hits a frog splash but only gets a 2-count. Carter tries for a splash in the corner, but Lashley dodges and then hits a Spear for 2.99. Again, the crowd's non-reaction is surprising there as it really seemed like that could've been the end. Lashley grabs a steel chair and strikes the challenger in the back repeatedly. Lashley hits his sidewalk slam-into-a-choke, but EC3 won't give up and miraculously ends up on his feet, fighting to escape. Carter escapes the hold and hits a series of clotheslines and then a trio of german suplexes. Carter hits the 1%er, but Lashley kicks out. EC3 grabs the chair and connects on a nasty chairshot to the back before hoisting Lashley onto the top rope. Carter positions himself to hit a 1%er off the top rope, but Lashley shoves him off and then hits him with a devastating spear off the middle rope to get the W. I liked that finish quite a bit. A really good match and performance out of Lashley in particular. A hotter crowd would've nudged this one even further into great, "should watch" territory, but I didn't think it quite got there. (3.5/5)

With a Kwang Score of 2.4-out-of-5, Bound for Glory 2016 is not the show I would pick - if there is one - to show to a fan to convince them that TNA was putting on underrated, undeniably awesome pay-per-views that were overlooked during the rise of NJPW or NXT or even compared to the ever-uneven WWE product. There's some great action and wrestlers here - Trevor Lee, Bobby Lashley, and Moose all shine - and the Decay/Broken Hardys match is ridiculous and violent in equal measures, but there's also one of the worst matches I've ever seen in Rex/Edwards and the Knockouts Championship match is below average too. With only one match that I'd consider "must see" and even that one being something I could see some fans absolutely loathing, I'm going with...

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver